Corsair’s first gaming laptop puts Elgato Stream Deck tech in its touch bar

PC accessory manufacturer Corsair has unveiled its first laptop, the 16-inch Voyager AMD Advantage Edition, that’s unabashedly designed for gamers and streamers. It’s an all-AMD affair, packing both Ryzen 6000-series processors and an AMD Radeon RX 680…

TikTok has been testing minigames ahead of a ‘major’ gaming push

After entering into a partnership with Zynga last year, TikTok has been testing a pair of mobile minigames on its platform in Vietnam, Reuters has reported. The move could soon allow users to play games directly on the app in what Reuter’s sources called a “major push” into gaming. 

TikTok confirmed that it has been testing HTML5 games on its app via partnerships with Zynga and other third-party developers. it reportedly plans to release ad-supported games drawing from TikTok parent ByteDance’s library to boost revenue and engagement. “We’re always looking at ways to enrich our platform and regularly test new features and integrations that bring value to our community,” a representative told Reuters via email. 

Last year, TikTok announced a partnership with Zynga on an app called Disco Loco 3D (above), an HTML5 app that could work inside the app. The company also created Garden of Good, a FarmVille-style minigame that allows players to earn points to make donations. 

While ByteDance is starting with minigames, it supposedly plans to go beyond that, presumably into more advanced types of games. The Chinese version of the game, Douyin, already offers games, and TikTok has also tested streaming via its Live Studio PC app. The company counts over a billion users worldwide and has projected $11 billion in ad revenue this year, more than the Twitter and Snap combined. 

Canada joins Five Eyes allies in banning Huawei and ZTE 5G telecom gear

Canada is banning 4G and 5G telecom equipment from Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE, joining its “Five Eyes” allies in doing so. The decision follows a three-year review that was delayed by political tensions with China after Huawei’s CFO Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada on a US warrant. 

“Our government will always protect the safety and security of Canadians and will take any actions necessary to safeguard our critical telecommunications infrastructure,” said Canada’s innovation minister, François-Philippe Champagne, in a press release.

“We’re disappointed but not surprised. We’re surprised it took the government so long to make a decision,” Huawei spokesperson Alykhan Velshi told The Guardian. “We see this as a political decision, one born of political pressure primarily from the United States.”

Two of Canada’s largest wireless providers, Bell and Telus, switched to Ericsson and Nokia equipment in 2020 to build their next-generation 5G networks. However, both operators have some Huawei 5G equipment in place as part of so-called non-standalone 5G networks integrated with previous 4G networks. Those 4G networks were also built using Huawei equipment. Huawei has sold over $700 million in equipment to Canadian operators since 2018, mostly to Bell and Telus. 

Both operators reportedly approached the federal government in the past to ask about compensation from taxpayers for potential removal Huawei or ZTE gear. The CEO of a smaller Northern operator, Iristel, previously said that a requirement to remove existing equipment would be “catastrophic.” 

However, Champagne said that operators will be required to remove any Huawei or ZTE gear at their own expense. Existing 5G equipment must be removed or terminated by June 28, 2024 and any 4G equipment by December 31, 2027, according to the policy statement.

Canada’s Five Eyes intelligence allies, the US, Britain, Australia and New Zealand, have already banned Huawei and ZTE wireless equipment. Canada has faced growing pressure to do the same, over fears it could compromise the security of all five nations, given that China’s laws require state companies to cooperate with intelligence services. 

Roku and Element partner for their first outdoor TV

Roku has joined forces with Element to create a 55-inch outdoor TV, the companies announced. The Element Roku TV looks like a version of Element’s Patio Series TVs that offer anti-glare and weather protection, with Roku’s smart TV operating system built in. 

In fact, the Element Roku TV looks nigh-on identical to the 55-inch Patio TV, apart from the OS. It offers a good but not spectacular 700 nits of brightness, along with 4K streaming and HDR that’s limited to HDR 10. More importantly, though, it has tempered anti-glare glass to combat reflections and IP55 weather protection that withstands water, dust and humidity. You also get “powerful built-in speakers, designed to cut through outdoor noise,” Element said.

It’s powered by Roku OS, one of the more powerful Smart TV platforms out there. You get all the streaming platforms you’d expect like Netflix, Apple TV+ and yes, YouTube TV. It also offers a customizable home screen, mobile remote, search capabilities via voice or keyboard and the ability to save shows for later. It’s all conceived to let you watch sports, movies and more during barbecues, hot-tubbing, outdoor movie nights and other activities. It’s now available for $1,300 at Walmart.com.

Apple’s AirTag four-pack falls to $89

If you’ve got a bunch of items you need to protect from theft or loss, you can now pick up a four-pack of Apple’s AirTags at Amazon and Best Buy for $89, or $10 (10 percent) off. We’ve seen them a little bit cheaper recently, but it’s still a good time to act if you missed the last deal. 

Buy Apple AirTags 4-pack at Amazon – $89Buy Apple AirTags 4-pack at Best Buy – $89

For Apple users, AirTags deliver significant advantages over Tile and other trackers. The ultra-wideband feature offers precise tracking with iPhone 11 or later devices when you’re reasonably close, so you can narrow your search between a bed and night table in the same bedroom. Over wider distances, the Apple device AirTag networks lets you track down an object you might have misplaced in a bar, for instance.

AirTags use a simple coin-sized design and offer a seamless experience via the Find My app. You can also force an AirTag to emit a chime to help you pinpoint an object’s location, and that chime is now loader than ever thanks to a recent update.

It does lack a built-in keyring like rival trackers, so you’ll need to pay extra for that. And it only works with Apple devices, so Android users will need to look elsewhere. However, if you’re in Apple’s ecosystem, you can pick up four at a discount — just remember that the deal ends today.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Tesla Autopilot under investigation following crash that killed three people

A recent Model S crash that killed three people has sparked another Federal probe into Tesla’s Autopilot system, The Wall Street Journal has reported. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is conducting the investigation and said it’s currently looking into more than 30 incidents involving Tesla’s Autopilot.

The accident occurred on May 12th in Newport Beach’s Mariners Mile strip, according to the Orange County Register. The EV reportedly struck a curb and ran into construction equipment, killing all three occupants. Three construction workers were also sent to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Police declined to say whether Tesla’s Autopilot was involved. 

Tesla is one of a number of automakers that have released Level 2 driver assistance systems designed to ease driving chores. Those systems are far from full self-driving (Level 4 or 5) though, and Tesla specifically instructs drivers to pay attention to the road and keep their hands on the wheel. 

The NHTSA said last August that it was opening an investigation into Autopilot following 11 crashes with parked first responder vehicles since 2018 that resulted in 17 injuries and one death. 

The NHTSA itself has been criticized by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) for not ensuring automakers include the right safety features in their Level 2 autonomous vehicles. NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy has called Tesla’s use of the term “Full Self-Driving” for its latest Autopilot system “misleading and irresponsible,” saying “it has clearly misled numerous people to misuse and abuse technology.” 

Apple’s third-generation AirPods fall back to $150

Apple’s third-generation AirPods are a big improvement over the previous model and only came out late last year. But you can now grab a pair at Amazon for just $150, a significant 16 percent ($29) off the regular price and only $10 higher than the cheapest deal we’ve seen to date. 

Buy Apple 3rd-gen AirPods at Amazon – $150

Apple’s latest earbuds garnered an Engadget review score of 88, and we noted that they were “better in nearly every way” than the 2nd-gen models. That’s due in part to a new, more comfortable design that’s a better fit for more people. Sound quality is equally improved thanks to the rich bass and overall clarity and you get an excellent 30 hours of battery life with the included charging case. And on top of improving performance, the H1 chip enables hands-free Siri, spatial audio support with head tracking and pairing with multiple Apple devices. 

If you really have trouble with earphones fitting, the one-size-fits-all AirPods might not be right for you — for a more custom fit and noise cancellation, the AirPods Pro might be a better choice. Those are also on sale as well, luckily, for $197 or 21 percent off the regular price. Just remember that both models are really designed for Apple’s ecosystem of devices, so Android users had best look elsewhere.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

YouTube will let creators co-host shopping livestreams

Last year, YouTube debuted a feature that let viewers shop products directly from a livestream. It’ll take that feature a step further later this year by allowing creators to co-host live shopping streams across two channels, it announced at its annual Brandcast event. It also unveiled a new “redirects” feature that will let YouTubers work more closely with brands.

YouTube said the features will be a way to help creators and advertisers make more “meaningful connections” with their audiences. The first allows two channels to go live and cohost together, “uniting their communities in a single live shopping stream,” YouTube said. The other is called live redirects, letting creators start a shopping livestream on their own channel, then redirect to a brand’s channel for fans to keep watching. 

With the new features, YouTube is taking live shopping to a new level in order to take on terrestrial shopping channels. It’s not a coincidence that it hosted Brandcast at the so-called “Upfronts” sessions used by TV channels broadcasters to promote new content to advertisers, rather than the digital equivalent, NewFronts. 

While most broadcasters flaunt original programming at Upfronts (the first live version in three years), YouTube focused on live shopping, short-form video and high-profile creators like Mr.Beast, Patrick Starr and Marques Brownlee. It also noted that the Media Rating Council accredited YouTube again for content-level brand safety, making it the only platform with the rating. As mentioned, the co-hosting feature will arrive sometime in 2022, but there’s no word yet on when we’ll see the brand redirects feature.

New York City reportedly has more Airbnb listings than rentable apartments

New York City may have more Airbnb listings than apartments for rent despite a 2016 law banning short-term rentals, Curbed has reported. April apartment rental inventory in Manhattan, Brooklyn and northwest Queens numbered 7,699 units, according to the Douglas Elliman report. That compares to somewhere between 10,000 and 20,000 entire-apartment or entire-home Airbnb rental listings across all of NYC, as calculated by AirDNA and Inside Airbnb.

New York City has effectively prohibited short-term rentals (less than 30 days) in multi-unit buildings without the owner present since 2011, and made it illegal to even advertise such listings in 2016. If Airbnb renters are following the law, that means the listings are only active for short periods during the year.

Many could also be Brownstone “garden apartments” separated from but still a part of the main dwelling, which can be rented year-round by apartment owners. “A decade ago [those] may have gone to long-term tenants,” Curbed noted. The lack of that inventory on the long-term rental market is particularly noticeable now with rentals so tight and prices averaging $3,925 per month in Manhattan.

Other factors may have contributed to the NYC housing shortage, though, Airbnb said. “Over the past two years, our entire space listing supply citywide has decreased, and it now represents a fraction of a percent of the city’s rental units — and all while rent prices have trended upward and city-issued permits for new-unit development remain down by a double-digit percentage,” a spokesperson told Curbed in an email. In addition, some Airbnb listings may only be available for several weeks out of the year.

Airbnb is widely used by tourists and travelers, but hotels see them as unlicensed competition and city councils and housing advocates say that they take thousands of rentals off the market and distort market prices. The problem is particularly acute in cities with tight housing markets like New York and San Francisco, the latter of which also issued laws limiting rentals.

The extent to which Airbnb has contributed to a NYC housing shortage is debatable. However, the optics of having more Airbnb listings than rentable apartments isn’t great in a brutal rental market. “Bidding wars accounted for one in five new lease signings,” Elliman wrote. “Greater affordability is not right around the corner. More and more people are hunkering down.”