Longevity reigns supreme when you’re shopping for a dashcam memory card, and Samsung thinks it might have some of the longest-lasting cards yet. The brand has introduced next-generation Pro Endurance microSD cards with up to 16 years of continuous recording for the 256GB version — there’s a good chance you’ll get a new car before the flash memory dies. Lower-capacity cards won’t last as long (the 128GB model lasts ‘just’ eight years), but this should still help you avoid frequent replacements.
For context, Samsung’s previous lineup typically peaked at five years. That’s considered better than average in a field where two to four years of non-stop recording is commonplace.
All cards can read at speeds up to 100MB/s and write at 30MB/s or better, so you shouldn’t have trouble capturing 1080p or 4K footage. Samsung also bills the cards as resistant to drops, magnets, water, extreme temperatures and X-rays.
The Pro Endurance line is available now, starting at $11 for a 32GB memory card and climbing to $55 for the range-topping 256GB model. The relatively low maximum storage might be disappointing if you want to preserve a large amount of video. However, it should be plenty for dashcams, bodycams and other cameras where reliability is absolutely vital.
Every spring, a new class of graduates is unleashed on the world, many of them carrying gadgets that have been put through the ringer over the years. Graduation is traditionally a big time for gift-giving — so if you know someone who is heading out int…
Last year, in an effort to fill outstanding positions, Meta stopped requiring job seekers to hold a four-year university or college degree to apply for some roles. At the time, the company said it hoped the move would encourage employers to see that a …
In late March, Polestar announced that the single-motor Long Range variant of its Polestar 2 EV coupe would be arriving imminently upon US shores and be available starting at $45,900 — $33,400 after federal and state incentives — while its dual-motor sibling would start at $51,200. On Wednesday, the EV automaker announced that those prices would be going up. The single-motor variant will now start at $48,400 — $40,900 after the $7,500 federal tax credit — while the dual-motor AWD version will set buyers back $51,900 ($44,400 after the credit).
The price hike is due in part to the new standard features, updates and upgrades applied to the platform over the past 6 weeks, according to a Polestar spokesperson. For those extra few hundreds to thousands of dollars, PS2 buyers will have access not only to the hundred-plus OTA software updates that have already been released — including the one that boosts the dual-motor’s driving range to a respectable 260 miles — but the new high-efficiency heat pump announced in April and a more sensitive air quality sensor as well. That air quality sensor is part of the $4,200 Plus Pack and can show the driver “a breakdown of the air circulating outside of the vehicle, including pollen types,” according to the release. Similarly, ordering the Performance Pack (a mere $5,500) will include the recent software upgrade that squeezes an extra 68 HP and 15 lb-ft of torque out of the dual motors.
PS2 shoppers will also have their pick of two new exterior color options — a metallic shade called “Jupiter” and the same metallic black “Space” found on the PS1 — and a light grey “Zinc” option for the interior Nappa leather. Both the 19- and 20-inch rims designs have been updated too.
Today’s the day — May the 4th, or Star Wars Day, always brings good discounts on Star Wars merch and accessories each year. Amazon has a bunch of one-day-only deals celebrating the franchise, key among them being discounts on Star Wars-themed Instant Pots. Most models, including Stormtrooper, R2-D2 and Little Bounty, are 20 percent off and down to $80, but you can snag the adorable BB-8 model for only $60, which is 25 percent off its regular price.
If you or someone you know loves both Star Wars and cooking, this is the small appliance to get. All of the models on sale are six-quart Duo machines except for the BB-8 version, which is a three-quart Duo Mini Instant Pot. The larger ones support 14 cooking programs like pressure cook, slow cook, poultry, porridge, rice and more, while the Mini model has seven cooking modes.
Instant Pots have become almost ubiquitous for many reasons — not only can they replace a few other small appliances you may have in your kitchen, but they’re also fairly easy to clean and they don’t require a lot of oversight. Just dump your ingredients into the pot, choose your preferred cooking mode and let the machine do the rest of the work.
While we recommend a six-quart model for most people, don’t let the small capacity of the BB-8 model fool you. Individuals and couples can make full meals in that one and those with larger families can also use it to make side dishes, meal prep and more. Plus, it won’t take up too much space on your countertop — and we expect you’ll want it to live there so you can show off its Star Wars-themed design. If you want to pick one of these up, we recommend doing so soon. Some of Amazon’s discounts are only available today, and Star Wars Instant Pots have been known to sell out quickly.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
Elon Musk’s $44 billion Twitter acquisition hasn’t even been finalized yet, but UK’s MPs are already inviting him to discuss the changes he wants to implement for the website. The UK House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Select Committee MPs told Musk in a letter (PDF) that they’re particularly interested in hearing about his intention to roll out verification for all users. They said it echoes their calls on the government as part of a proposed legislation.
Committee Chairperson Julian Knight also wrote:
“Our 2020 Report on Misinformation in the Covid ‘Infodemic’ called for greater transparency of bots and automated and spam accounts, whilst our recent Report on the UK’s Online Safety Bill discussed ways to balance civil liberties like freedom of expression with the need to tackle pernicious, pervasive online child sexual exploitation and abuse.”
That suggests that the MPs are looking to discuss the balance between freedom of speech and censorship on the platform and how Musk plans to tackle it. The multi-company exec previously described himself as a “free-speech absolutist,” and it remains to be see if and how that will change Twitter’s moderation practices.
Twitter under Musk might start charging users to embed tweets from verified accounts, according to a report from Reuters. He also reportedly suggested changes to Twitter Blue, the website’s subscription service, to make it more appealing to paying users. In addition, he reportedly floated the idea of job cuts in talks with banks to secure financing for his buyout. More recently, he tweeted that the website will remain free for casual users, but that it might start charging commercial entities and government agencies.
Twitter will always be free for casual users, but maybe a slight cost for commercial/government users
The MPs letter is only an invitation, however, and Musk isn’t legally required to attend. Their committee has a history of summoning CEOs that don’t show up, but that hasn’t stopped them from trying to get execs to talk. Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg, for instance, previously refused their requests and only sent a representative to appear before the committee.
I thought Apple’s car project had gone a little quiet, but it’s still a thing, according to Bloomberg.
The company has reportedly hired a longtime Ford engineer and executive to work on its car thought experiment, once called Project Titan. Desi Ujkashevic had been with the automaker since 1991 and was Ford’s global director of automotive safety engineering.
Naturally, that means we’ve chewed over her work history and LinkedIn page, noting she’s worked on Ford’s electric vehicles and regulatory issues — expertise Apple will love.
There have been rumors about Apple’s work on autonomous vehicles since 2015, but there have been more setbacks than announcements. Doug Field, who apparently led Project Titan, left Apple to rejoin Ford last September. Are they just swapping execs?
Razer is updating its Blade 15 laptop with an option for what it says is the first 240Hz OLED laptop display. You’ll get the high responsiveness for an edge in multiplayer games, but you’ll still have a color-accurate 1440p panel (100 percent of the DCI-P3 space) with deep contrast. You’ll need deep pockets: The upgraded Blade 15 will arrive before the end of the year for $3,500.
Paramount’s streaming service will arrive in the UK and Ireland on June 22nd. South Korea will also have access sometime in June. For everywhere else, you’ll have to wait until the second half of 2022.
The company announced it added 6.8 million new Paramount+ subscribers in the first quarter of 2022, putting the platform now at almost 40 million customers. Despite Halo.
Work on Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake hasn’t gone as smoothly as Ubisoft hoped. The company has now put its Montreal studio in charge of the project, taking it away from Ubisoft’s Pune and Mumbai studios.
Ubisoft Montreal was “the very birthplace of the epic Sands of Time trilogy,” the developers wrote in a message to fans. The original was released in 2003, which was a reboot of, well, 1989’s Prince of Persia. In the original, when you died, you stayed dead.
Hook them up with the latest gadgets before their next trip.
Peak Design
While this guide is for graduates planning trips post-college, I think a lot of us are thinking of going somewhere as travel restrictions relax, and we all start to feel more comfortable with the idea of long-distance travel. Here are some travel essentials to help you stay connected — and have more fun — on the road.
GM is the latest automaker hoping its car data will help governments improve road safety. The company partnering with Inrix on a Safety View cloud initiative that gives crash, vehicle and “vulnerable road user” (think pedestrians and construction workers) data to US transportation officials. If all goes well, local governments can both prioritize new road safety projects and gauge the effectiveness of their current efforts.
The data is tailored for the Transportation Department’s Safe Streets and Roads for All program, not to mention various agencies’ Vision Zero (zero road fatalities or serious injuries) plans.
It’s no secret why GM and Inrix might want to share car info with the government. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes $5 billion for the DOT’s Safe Streets program. That’s a lot of potential business from government clients that could be eager to modernize their roadways as much as possible. Whatever the motivation, it might be worthwhile if road safety improves based on real-world data that was previously difficult to obtain.
Amazon is offering some solid deals on a multitude of games, with many popular titles available at or near their all-time-low prices. The most noteworthy of the bunch is Elden Ring, on sale for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 at $50 for a savings of $10 over the regular price — a solid deal on a relatively fresh release. You’ll also find discounts on a host of other titles including Animal Crossing (Switch), Deathloop (PS5/Xbox One Series X) and Disco Elysium (PS4/Xbox One).
FromSoftware’s Elden Ring was a hit from the start, despite some early performance and other issues that have mostly been rectified. Critics raved about the perfectly conceived open world, mysterious story and challenging gameplay and users have generally liked it as well. We haven’t seen too many deals on it to date, so if you’re looking for a discount, now is the time to act.
Moving to Switch, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a classic and still popular Switch title that you can pick up for $40 instead of $60, or a third off the regular price. Another Switch staple is the adventure/workout game Ring Fit Adventure, on sale at checkout for $55. And finally, Super Mario Party is available for just $40, or $20 off the regular price.
Finally, if it’s PS4 or Xbox One titles you’re after, there are a couple of bargains there, too. To start with, the RPG detective title Disco Elysium – The Final Cut is available on both PS4 and Xbox One for $20 or 50 percent off. Resident Evil 2 is also on sale for PS4 and Xbox One for just $13, or $8 off the regular $21 price.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
Samsung has introduced the latest iteration of its Universal Flash Storage product, which it says is much, much faster than its predecessor. The UFS specification was already developed to enable SSD speeds for cameras, phones and other devices, but this version — called UFS 4.0 — has a speed that reaches 23.2Gbps per lane. That’s double the speed of UFS 3.1, the standard used by Samsung’s S22 flagship phones. The tech giant says its huge bandwidth makes it perfect for 5G smartphones that typically require huge amounts of data processing. Samsung also expects it to be adopted for use in the automotive industry, as well as for augmented and virtual reality devices.
The flash storage features Samsung’s 7th-generation V-NAND solution and proprietary controller, and the company says those help it deliver sequential read speeds of up to 4,200MB/s and sequential write speeds of up to 2,800MB/s. It’s a lot more power efficient, as well, with a 46 percent improvement over the previous generation that could translate to longer battery life. Samsung’s USF 4.0 devices will have max measurements of 11mm x 13mm x 1mm and will come in several capacities up to 1TB.
The company will begin mass producing UFS 4.0 storage products in the third quarter of 2022. Right now, Samsung says it’s “collaborating with smartphone and consumer device manufacturers globally” and “working vigorously to foster an ecosystem for UFS 4.0 to drive the market for high-performance mobile storage solutions.”
BREAKING: Samsung has developed the industry’s highest performing Universal Flash Storage (UFS) 4.0 storage solution, which has received JEDEC® board of director approval. What is UFS 4.0 and what does it mean for the future of storage? Read on to learn more. pic.twitter.com/4Wxdu0J2PD
— Samsung Semiconductor (@SamsungDSGlobal) May 3, 2022
