Solo Stove’s fire pits are up to $350 off in its Memorial Day sale

If you’re looking forward to the unofficial kickoff of summer on Memorial Day, you can prep your backyard ahead of time by picking up one of Solo Stove’s fire pits for less right now. The company’s sale to mark the holiday has begun and it knocks up to 46 percent off its fire pits, plus up to 35 percent off accessories and more. You’ll find the biggest savings on the Yukon, Solo Stove’s largest fire pit, which is more than $350 off and down to $400. That’s slightly cheaper than we saw in the company’s previous sale at the end of April. Also, the midrange Bonfire is down to $220 while the compact Ranger has been discounted to $200.

Buy Yukon at Solo Stove – $400Buy Bonfire at Solo Stove – $220Buy Ranger at Solo Stove – $200

You may think of using a fire pit like the ones from Solo Stove mostly in the fall, but it’s a great gadget to have all year round. And with Sol Stove’s models, you’re getting a fire pit that actively channels smoke away from you while you’re using it. They have a double-walled design that pulls through vent holes and back into the fire, keeping the flames hot while creating fine ashes and reducing smoke. We also appreciate that all of Solo Stove gadgets have one-piece, stainless steel designs, making them easy to set up and, depending on the model you choose, fairly simple to transport.

That said, if you plan on moving the fire pit around your yard or taking it with you on a long weekend away, the 15-pound Ranger or the 20-pound Bonfire are your best options. The Yukon weighs in at 38-pounds, so while you could move it, it’s probably better to find a permanent place for it. And if you want to keep the fire pit protected from the elements, you can pick up a “backyard bundle,” which includes a weather-resistant shelter bag and a shield that protects you from pops and embers.

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Engadget Podcast: The crypto crash explained

What the heck is going on in the land of cryptocurrency and NFTs? This week, Devindra and Engadget UK Bureau Chief Mat Smith chat with Manda Farough, co-host and producer of the Virtual Economy podcast, about the massive crypto crash. They discuss how the fall of the Luna cryptocurrency and its sibling, TerraUSD, sent shockwaves through the industry. 

Also, they dive into ICE’s surprisingly robust (and scary) surveillance system, as well the DHS’s stalled misinformation board. Stay tuned for the end of the show for our chat with Tim Miller and Jennifer Yuh Nelson, the co-creator and animation director for Netflix’s Love, Death & Robots.

Listen above, or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you’ve got suggestions or topics you’d like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!

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Topics

  • Terra, Luna, and the recent Crypto crash – 2:05

  • Acer’s glasses-free 3D laptop – 26:35 

  • Report outs U.S.’s ICE as breeching data privacy, has facial recognition data on Americans – 33:37

  • Homeland Security “pauses” disinformation board – 43:15

  • There is once again a rumor about USB-C on iPhone – 46:41

  • Working on – 52:44

  • Pop culture picks – 59:35

  • Interview with Love, Death & Robots co-creator Time Miller and animation director Jennifer Yuh Nelson – 1:06:51

Credits
Hosts: Devindra Hardawar and Mat Smith
Guest: Manda Farough
Producer: Ben Ellman
Music: Dale North and Terrence O’Brien

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 delivers faster, longer-lasting Android flagships

Qualcomm is keeping up its habit of releasing speed-bumped chips in the middle of the year, albeit with a couple of twists. The company has introduced a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 system-on-chip that delivers both the usual performance boost and, importantly, battery life. Qualcomm claims a 10 percent processing speed increase and 20 percent higher performance-per-Watt for AI, but it’s also boasting a 30 percent power reduction — in theory, you’ll wring an extra hour of gameplay out of your flagship-class Android handset.

There won’t be a shortage of device partners. Qualcomm expects products to begin arriving in the third quarter (summer) from big-name brands like ASUS, Honor, Motorola, OnePlus, Oppo and Xiaomi. These are more likely to be subtle revisions than major overhauls, but that still means you’ll be getting top-of-the-line processing power.

A second announcement is more of a pleasant surprise for budget buyers. Qualcomm has unveiled the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1, a sequel to the 778G aimed at upper-mid-range Android hardware. An upgraded Adreno GPU should be about 20 percent faster, while AI processing is about 30 percent quicker. There are a few firsts for the 7 series, too. You can shoot simultaneously from three cameras, take advantage of on-chip data security upgrades and share in the audio upgrades from the 8 Gen 1.

The first Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 phones are due by the end of the second quarter (no later than June) from brands like Honor, Oppo and Xiaomi. You might not see many of these products in the US, then. Still, they could make a big difference in a category where price is often as important as features and gaming frame rates.

Qualcomm’s new reference AR glasses are wireless and more comfortable

Qualcomm’s smart glasses technology has come along way in two years. The company has unveiled the Wireless AR Smart Viewer Reference Design, a next-gen pair of augmented reality glasses meant to help hardware partners build their own immersive eyewear. It now tethers wirelessly to a host PC, phone or puck, and it’s 40 percent thinner despite packing a newer (if slightly old) Snapdragon XR2 platform. Add better-balanced weight distribution and the device should be considerably more comfortable than its predecessor, even if it still won’t win any fashion awards.

Each eye gets a 1080p, 90Hz micro-OLED display that reportedly eliminates motion blur. You’ll also have full six-degrees-of-freedom movement thanks to three cameras (two monochrome, one color) as well as hand tracking with gesture recognition. WiFi 6E and Bluetooth help shuffle data quickly while keeping lag under 3ms between the glasses and host device.

A handful of manufacturers already have access to Qualcomm’s new AR design, and more should have their turn within the “coming months.” You won’t buy this exact hardware as an everyday customer. It could, however, lead to a wave of next-generation glasses that you wouldn’t mind wearing for games or work — even they might not be as ambitious as some AR projects.