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Amazon finally did the damn hardware right
Product Reviews

Amazon finally did the damn hardware right

by admin


Amazon’s newest Echo speakers look gorgeous. Thin bezels, bright, responsive touchscreens, 3D knit fabric-wrapped speakers with controls front and center, and most importantly, powerful hardware to help make the smart home sing. It’s almost everything I’ve ever asked for from my smart speakers and displays.

A lack of premium hardware — or any clear strategy around smart home devices — has long been an issue for Amazon. While practically giving Echo devices away has resulted in an impressive penetration for its Alexa voice assistant, they’re not devices people treasure. They don’t get much respect. These new Echo speakers look set to flip that script, and while they are more expensive, it feels like a minor price bump for a major hardware upgrade.

Today, Amazon launched the Echo Dot Max ($99.99) and a new Echo Studio ($219.99), as well as two new smart displays: the Echo Show 8 ($179.99) and the Echo Show 11 ($219.99). I got hands-on time with the new hardware ahead of the announcements in New York City, and my first impression is that Amazon has finally delivered a polished, powerful lineup — one that could cement Alexa Plus’ early lead as the smart home’s first true AI.

1/3The new Echo Studio (left) and the Echo Dot Max. Both come in black and white, with the Max adding the option of purple.

The new Echos are more elegant, have more thoughtful designs (no bright red LEDs when muted), and an attention to detail I didn’t think Amazon was capable of (color-matched cables!). But more importantly, a new family of AZ3 processors means these pack more power and run new edge-based computing capabilities that can process data from a slew of new and improved sensors to make your smart home smarter.

The Echo Studio and Echo Dot Max have a new Alexa LED light ring, which is more expressive. The touch controls have moved to the front. Image: Amazon

The Echo Dot Max is the clear winner of the new lineup, and the one most people will likely buy. With a new, slightly flattened spherical design, it’s small enough to be unobtrusive but elegant enough not to look out of place. At $99.99, it’s the same price and around the same size as a HomePod Mini.

With a new two-way speaker system, Daniel Rausch, VP of Alexa & Echo, claims it’s “twice as powerful” as Apple’s speaker and produces three times the bass of the current Echo Dot (which is sticking around in the lineup). I didn’t get to hear the new devices ahead of Amazon’s event, but I plan to at the demos today, so I will report back.

The biggest design change, along with higher-quality, acoustically transparent 3D knit fabric, is that the speakers’ controls and LED light ring have been relocated to the front. Rausch says this makes the device more expressive: “You see Alexa listening, thinking, smiling, and responding.” The large, glowing red LED, which appears when the device is muted, is gone, replaced with a small red ring around the mute button.

The new Echo Studio is the heavyweight here, literally. With an all-new design to match the Dot Max, it’s just under half the size of the original Echo Studio, but weighs almost as much. The new form factor should make it easier to find a spot for it — helpful if you want to take advantage of the Studio’s 5.1 surround sound capabilities when paired with Fire TV devices. Rausch says it sounds as good as the original, has similar internals, and supports spatial audio and Dolby Atmos.

The Show 11 has an 11-inch HD display with a thinner bezel and a 13MP camera. Image: Amazon

A side view shows how slim the display is. Image: Amazon

The Show 8 has a smaller, 8-inch display. Image: Amazon

The new Echo Show 8. Image: Amazon

It’s the smart displays where Amazon’s hardware has had the biggest upgrade. The thick, laggy touchscreens with giant bezels and bulbous bottoms are gone. The new Echo Show 8 and 11 are more refined, with slim displays perched on an oblong speaker base, wrapped in 3D knit fabric.

The thin displays float in front of the speaker, similar to the Echo Show 10 but more streamlined. This means the screen doesn’t block the speaker, unlike most other Shows, which should allow the sound to reach you better and your voice to reach Alexa more clearly. The screens don’t move, but a magnetic stand (sold separately) adds the option to tilt the device side to side and slightly up and down. I tried this, and it was easy to readjust them with a gentle push with one finger.

1/4The high-density displays on the new Echo Shows are bright and responsive. Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

These new, custom-built screens have more in common with a high-end tablet than an Echo Show, with thin bezels and clear, bright colors. Rausch says the high-density LCD displays have a contrast ratio better than 1:1,000 and increased viewing angles due to fewer layers of lamination.

Aside from size, the primary difference between the 8 and 11 models is that the latter features 1080p resolution, whereas the former has 720p resolution. To my eyes, they both looked light-years ahead of the current Echo Shows, and I could see the screen clearly from either side as well as straight on — useful if you’re using it for ambient information like the clock and weather.

To make the displays thinner, Rausch says they used negative LCDs to “reduce layers of lamination and maximize the viewing angle,” and ditched the capacitive touch layer, instead embedding the touch sensors into the display’s pixel structure, which should reduce lag. I got a few swipes and taps in on both displays, and they were super responsive.

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1/2The smart home widget on the Show devices now goes full-screen. Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

A 13-megapixel camera in the center of each display features a wide-angle view to help detect a person sooner and adapt the screen content based on your location and identity (you can enable face match with the Shows and voice match with the speakers for personalized settings). Unfortunately, the physical camera shutter is gone; Rausch says this is to allow for a slimmer bezel. Instead, the mute button now disables both the camera and the microphones, but this lack of a hard visual cutoff won’t appeal to some.

Along with the new displays are upgrades to the Show UI, which launched with Alexa Plus on the Show 21 and 15 earlier this year. A new full-screen smart home panel is designed to make it easier to see and control multiple devices at once, and this interface is also coming to Fire TV, giving you more surfaces for smart home control.

Built for Alexa Plus and the smart home

As I wrote earlier this week, Alexa Plus, Amazon’s new LLM-powered voice assistant, is a significant upgrade over Alexa. But it’s been running on underpowered hardware, which has left me frustrated. Rausch says the new speakers and displays are purpose-built for Alexa Plus and will come with the option to use the new assistant in early access out of the box. But more specifically, they’re built for the smart home.

With support for Thread, Matter, and Zigbee smart home protocols (even on the Dot), each of the new devices is a full smart home hub. Additionally, new Wi-Fi sensing presence detection and enhanced ultrasound motion detection capabilities, combined with other onboard sensors and cameras on the Shows, enable these devices to become powerful ambient sensing machines for Alexa Plus.

This is all powered by a new AZ3 custom silicon that adds a neural network accelerator to Amazon’s new Omnisense fusion platform. According to Rausch, this allows the new hardware to process sensor data locally, from both the speakers and any devices connected to Alexa, including cameras.

With this type of ambient data, Alexa Plus could start to better understand, learn, and adapt to your home, laying the groundwork to make Alexa Plus the central brain of your home.

This type of inference could go a long way to unlocking the ambient smart home

Rausch showed a demo where he asked Alexa what had been happening in his home while he was away. Among other things, Alexa noted that a package had been delivered and that no one had fed the dog. “Don’t forget to feed Rusty. I didn’t notice anyone feeding him today,” it said. Rausch then used this “anomaly,” the fact that something hadn’t happened, as a trigger for an automation, telling Alexa to send a notification any day the dog hasn’t been fed by noon.

Now, it remains to be seen how well this will work in practice, but the promise here is compelling. This type of inference could go a long way to unlocking the ambient smart home, where, instead of you programming a system to do what you want it to do, the system can proactively serve you and alert you to potential problems — bringing us closer to Star Trek’s “Computer.”

For example, you’ve left your garage door open and it’s after 10PM, so Alexa closes it for you. You haven’t taken the bins out yet, as you do every Tuesday morning, so Alexa makes an announcement. All the household members are gone, but someone is in the living room, so Alexa sends an alert. The potential here is very exciting.

After years of false starts, Amazon may have finally nailed the hardware — and given Alexa the power to take the smart home to the next level.

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Amazon Kindle Scribe Colorsoft hands-on
Product Reviews

Amazon Kindle Scribe Colorsoft hands-on

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This marks the third generation of the company’s larger 11-inch e-readers aimed at professionals, students, and people who just want… a big screen for magazines, books, or to jot notes on. The addition of a color display is one highlight, but these Scribes are also super light (14.1oz) and thin. At 5.4mm, they’re thinner than the iPhone Air and come with new AI features that will help users quickly summarize notes. I dig the new look with the thinner bezels. No more beefy side-chin.

The Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, which starts at $629.99 and is set to launch later this year, appears to be the one to get. I know it’s expensive considering it’s not a tablet. But that’s Amazon’s point: it’s not a tablet, so you can’t get distracted by things like email, Slack, games, or whatever naughty things you do on your iPad. That won’t appeal to everyone, but it appeals to me and is one reason I’ve liked these in the past. Also, it has two weeks of battery life and lets you draw or write in a bunch of colors (or highlight in five colors), and syncs with Microsoft OneDrive (and soon, Google Drive).

I know some folks have questioned the appeal of color e-readers, since books are typically black and white, and color is only useful for highlighting or viewing book covers. But it works really well on a larger screen where folks are more likely to view work documents like PDFs, textbooks, and magazines. It made me wish yet again that Amazon hadn’t killed off its newspaper subscriptions, because I’d love to read those on this.

In addition to the Colorsoft, there’s also an entry-level model that starts at $429.99 and launches early next year, as well as a mid-tier model with a frontlit display, which starts at $499.99 and will also launch later this year. All three models have a whole new user interface that I dig, too. There’s this small area at the top where you can launch into Quick Notes, kind of like if you had a never-ending Post-it note.

I also had a demonstration of a new AI search feature. It provides summaries of your documents and seems to work pretty fast. You need a Wi-Fi connection, though, since it’s not powered on-device and also searches for documents in the cloud. I’m excited to see if it works well to find and summarize the seemingly infinite number of work documents I have stored in Google Drive.

There’s a new pen that comes bundled with the Kindles. It’s a bit larger and more round, easier to hold, and has stronger magnets so you can stick it to the side of the Scribe without worrying about it knocking off too easily. My quick test writing with the pen felt more fluid, at least compared to the first-generation Kindle Scribe I purchased when it came out. Amazon said that it added textured glass so the screen doesn’t feel slippery when you’re writing. I didn’t notice this during my brief hands-on, so I’m curious to see how it feels once we have a review unit.

The new front lighting looked balanced, although I haven’t really had any complaints with the lights on my first-gen model. I’m not sure I’d buy the model without a front light. But you do you.

Photography: Todd Haselton | The Verge



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Amazon launching "completely redesigned" Luna streaming service later this year, with emphasis on social gaming
Game Reviews

Amazon launching “completely redesigned” Luna streaming service later this year, with emphasis on social gaming

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Amazon will launch a “completely redesigned and reimagined” version of its Luna game streaming service later this year, which remains incorporated into the existing Amazon Prime subscription at no additional cost.

The service is aiming to deliver both a growing library of blockbuster, classic, and indie games, as well as social games through its new GameNight hub. These social games are designed to be played without a controller; instead players join on their phones using a QR code, a bit like Jackbox Games.

GameNight will feature exclusive family friendly games developed by Amazon, and will launch with over 25 games including GameNight-optimised versions of the likes of Angry Birds and Exploding Kittens, as well as board game adaptations.

Introducing: The All-New Amazon LunaWatch on YouTube

The first of these exclusive games will be Courtroom Chaos: Starring Snoop Dogg, featuring an AI powered version of the rapper. It should be noted Snoop Dogg has recently been criticised for homophobic remarks about LGBT+ representation in children’s media.

Elsewhere, Luna will offer a growing library of over 50 popular games, though a further subscription to Luna Premium will be required for the full catalogue. The library will include the likes of Hogwarts Legacy, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and Dave the Diver.

Luna will continue to be accessible without a PC or console. Instead, games are streamed using a Fire TV, smart TV, or tablet. Any bluetooth controller is compatible, though Amazon will continue to sell a specific Luna controller too.

“With advances in AI and cloud technology, we see opportunities to create entirely new kinds of games – experiences that were never possible before,” said Luna general manager Jeff Gattis in a blog post. “We have an incredible pipeline of games in the works and can’t wait for you to play and experience the all-new Luna for yourself later this year.”

Image credit: Amazon

Amazon launched Luna in the UK back in 2023. However it has so far failed to gain significant traction, something former Amazon Games boss Ethan Evans acknowledged earlier this year as Amazon couldn’t compete with Valve’s Steam platform.

This update is something of a re-launch for Amazon, then, with its GameNight addition bringing an increased emphasis on social gaming.

“Gaming hardware is too expensive,” said Gattis. “Games are intimidating and hard to learn… and expensive. Games can be isolating. But, at the same time, Prime members know that games don’t have to be this way, and indeed, they tell us that they want games to be a way to bring friends and family together. To build connection. To bond. To have fun!”



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Everything Amazon Announced Today at Its Fall Hardware Event (2025)
Product Reviews

Everything Amazon Announced Today at Its Fall Hardware Event (2025)

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Over on the Show models, they now have a 13-megapixel camera for richer details on your video calls, with improved audio quality as well. Amazon says more and more companies are integrating with Alexa+, touting an Oura partnership that lets you ask Alexa about last night’s sleep with data collected from your Oura ring. More integrations are on the way, including the ability to buy movie tickets with Fandango.

All of these Echo devices are available for preorder today.

Alexa+ Is Still in Early Access

Alexa+ was announced back in February and began rolling out in early access by March. Not much is changing about this. Amazon says Alexa+ is now rolling out in the US “during an early access period” and in waves over the coming months. It’ll prioritize Echo Show 8, 10, 15, and 21 device owners in this period, and you can sign up for early access here. The fastest way to access it is to buy one of the new Echo devices announced today.

Alexa+ is an upgrade over the standard Alexa you’re familiar with. Powered by a large language model, it allows you to be more conversational with the assistant. Alexa+ is much faster at answering more topical and contextual questions, correctly answering things like “What’s that popular Soda Pop song?” You can read more here about our experience using it for a week.

Alexa+ is free for Amazon Prime subscribers, but costs $20 a month for everyone else. Amazon says Alexa+ is being integrated into other devices from Sonos, Bose, Samsung, LG, and BMW.

The Kindle Scribe Colorsoft

The Kindle Scribe is a relatively new entry in Amazon’s e-reader ecosystem, but now it’s already in its third generation. And for the third iteration, there are three new 11-inch Kindle Scribe models: Kindle Scribe ($430), Kindle Scribe With Frontlight ($550), and Kindle Scribe Colorsoft ($630). These devices are 5.4 mm thick, which is thinner than the new iPhone Air. They weigh 400 grams and are made from precision-milled aluminum. Panay says they’re 40 percent faster, though he wasn’t specific about what he was comparing them to. When you write, you should experience a reduced latency of under 12 milliseconds.

The Kindle Scribe Colorsoft.

Photograph: Julian-Chokkattu



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Amazon Is Selling A Lot Of 4K UHD Movies For $15 Each
Game Reviews

Amazon Is Selling A Lot Of 4K UHD Movies For $15 Each

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Amazon’s Prime Day sales event starts next week on October 7. But the online retailer has already marked down a ton of products ahead of its made-up holiday, including a long list of 4K UHD Blu-ray movies. As streaming becomes more expensive and content is split up across more platforms and hidden behind more paywalls, owning a movie on Blu-ray is the best way to ensure you can watch it anytime you want at no extra cost. And, assuming you have the proper cables and setup, with 4K UHD Blu-rays, you get a picture quality that is better than compressed streaming content, too!

Remember, you’ll need a UHD player to watch any of these movies. Your PS5 and Xbox Series X are solid UHD players, assuming they have disc slots and you are using the correct HDMI cable.

With that all out of the way, here are the UHD movies currently on sale on Amazon. Heads up that in the past, popular movies have sometimes sold out during these big UHD sales, so if something catches your eye, don’t wait too long to snag it. And if you’re looking for spooky movies ahead of Halloween, I’ve included plenty on the list below.

  • A Quiet Place -$15 ($35)
  • A Quiet Place Part II – $15 ($26)
  • Air Force One – $15 ($27)
  • Batman Begins – $15 ($35)
  • The Dark Knight – $14 ($35)
  • The Dark Knight Rises – $13 ($35)
  • Batman Returns – $15 ($35)
  • Batman Forever – $13 ($25)
  • Batman & Robin – $12 ($25)
  • Clueless – $14 ($26)
  • Cloverfield – $15 ($26)
  • 10 Cloverfield Lane – $15 ($26)
  • Dredd – $13 ($23)
  • Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves – $15 ($34)
  • E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial – $14 ($30)
  • Evil Dead Rise – $14 ($17)
  • Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – $15 ($26)
  • Friday the 13th – $15 ($26)
  • Get Out – $14 ($23)
  • Gladiator II – $15 ($30)
  • Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark – $15 ($26)
  • Inglorious Basterds – $12 ($25)
  • Mother! – $11 ($24)
  • Poltergeist – $13.72 ($34)
  • Reservoir Dogs – $11 ($13)
  • Saturday Night Fever – $15 ($26)
  • Split – $14 ($23)
  • Star Trek: The Motion Picture: Director’s Cut – $15 ($26)
  • Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan – $15 ($26)
  • Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home – $15 ($26)
  • Star Trek V: The Final Frontier – $15 ($26)
  • Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country – $15 ($26)
  • Star Trek First Contact – $15 ($26)
  • Star Trek Insurrection – $15 ($26)
  • Star Trek Nemesis— $15 ($26)
  • Star Trek Into Darkness – $15 ($23)
  • The Thing – $12 ($30)
  • Titanic – $15 ($26)
  • TMNT: Mutant Mayhem – $15 ($38)
  • Top Gun – $15 ($26)
  • Top Gun: Maverick – $15 ($26)
  • Transformers One – $15 ($36)
  • Transformers Bumblebee – $15 ($26)
  • The Untouchables – $15 ($26)
  • Us – $13 ($23)
  • Van Helsing – $10 ($23)
  • Wayne’s World – $11 ($26)



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40 Best Early Amazon Prime Day Deals on WIRED-Tested Gear (2025)
Product Reviews

40 Best Early Amazon Prime Day Deals on WIRED-Tested Gear (2025)

by admin


It’s that time of year again, and Prime Day deals are back. The Amazon Prime Big Deal Days event—also known as Amazon Prime Day 2—is officially arriving on October 7 and 8, but early deals have already started. The WIRED Reviews team has hundreds of years of collective experience covering shopping holidays such as this. What sets us apart is that we only write about actual deals on the gear and gadgets that we’ve hand-tested. We’re getting ready to cover the whole sale with a variety of stories and even a liveblog (and, hopefully, lots of caffeine.) Below, you’ll find the best deals we’ve managed to find so far. Come back for additional coverage when the event begins.

Get prepared with our guide on How to Shop Prime Day Like A Pro. We also have advice on avoiding scams on Amazon and making sure you’re getting all of your Amazon Prime perks.

Updated September 30, 2025: We’ve added 10 new deals on a few Amazon devices, the best cheap laptop, a great fitness tracker, our favorite smart bird feeder, and a few other gadgets. We’ve also checked for accuracy throughout.

Featured in this article

The Best Qi2 Power Bank

Anker MagGo Power Bank (10K) (Qi2)

Jump to Deal

Apple iPad (2025, A16) for $299 ($149 off)

  • Photograph: Brenda Stolyar

  • Photograph: Brenda Stolyar

This deal comes within $20 of the lowest price we’ve tracked for the best iPad on the market. The 2025 Apple iPad (A16) is cute and comes in a few different colors in your choice of 128-, 256-, or 512-gigabyte storage. It has a modern design, USB-C charging, Touch ID, and two 12-MP cameras. It’s powerful enough for most people, and it doesn’t have support for Apple Intelligence (which may be a blessing or a curse). If you primarily use your tablet to watch videos, play mobile games, or do light work, it’ll be just fine (and you won’t overpay for features you aren’t using). One thing to note is that it only supports the first-generation or USB-C Apple Pencil. Check our guide to the Best iPad Accessories for additional picks.

Apple

iPad Air (2025, M3)

This iPad is our upgrade pick, with an M3 chip that can handle more graphics-intensive tasks. Go for the 13-inch.

Apple

iPad Mini (2024, 7th Gen)

This small-but-mighty iPad supports Apple Intelligence and has an A17 Pro chipset, though its 60-Hz refresh rate could be higher.

Apple

AirTags (4-pack)

Coming within $10 of the best deal, these trackers add your wallet, keys, or luggage to the Find My app.

Apple

MagSafe Charger (2 m)

Nothing Ear (a) for $89 ($20 off)

Photograph: Parker Hall

The Nothing Ear (a) top our list of the best wireless earbuds. They look super cool, with a stylish semi-clear design, on-board touch controls, and a sleek charging case. They pack excellent sound and good noise cancellation, and they’re downright easy to use. The battery lasts about five and a half hours if you’ve got active noise cancellation on. They also pair easily with both Android and iOS devices. This deal comes within $10 of the best discount we’ve tracked.

Logitech

Pro X 2

Our favorite gaming headset has Bluetooth and wired connectivity, plus a built-in mic and comfy ear cups.

Google

Pixel Buds Pro 2

These tiny, comfy earbuds are our favorite for Android phone owners.

Nimble Champ (Large) for $90 ($10 off)

Photograph: Simon Hill

The Nimble Champ (Series 2) is the best power bank lineup you can buy, and right now a few different capacities are on sale. They don’t drop in price very often. Every iteration is small and lightweight, with fast charging speeds (that vary from 15 watts to 65, depending on the size) and a durable finish. Nimble’s power banks are made with bioplastics and have minimal packaging, which helps lessen the environmental impact. They’re also nice to look at.

Anker

Nano Power Bank

We like this tiny power bank for phones because it’s compact but still delivers a full charge.

Anker

737 Power Bank

WIRED reviewer Louryn Strampe uses this power bank nearly every day. It recharges quickly and has a handy display.

Anker

MagGo 3-in-1 Charging Station (Qi2)

The best 3-in-1 charger for travel can top off your iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch despite its compact size.

Ugreen

145W Power Bank

This power bank is an excellent option for tablets thanks to its robust capacity and power delivery.

Anker MagGo Power Bank (10K) for $70 ($20 off)

Photograph: Simon Hill

Anker

MagGo Power Bank (10K) (Qi2)

This is the best Qi2 power bank out of the many we’ve tried so far, and we’ve not yet seen it sell for less. It has a built-in kickstand, a two-way USB-C port, and a built-in LED display. You can attach MagSafe iPhones or Qi2 phones in landscape or portrait orientation. It’s not the beefiest power bank in the world, offering about one and a half charges for newer phones, but it’ll definitely come in handy if you just need a quick top-off while on the go—especially since you won’t need to bring your own cable.

Logitech

Combo Touch

This keyboard case with built-in trackpad is a great tool for working from your iPad.

Anker

MagGo Wireless Charger Pad (Qi2)

This Qi2 charger is one of our favorites, especially at this price.

Rain Design

mStand

This is our favorite budget-friendly laptop stand, and now it’s even more affordable.

Apple MacBook Air (M4, 2025) for $799 ($200 off)

Photograph: Brenda Stolyar

Apple

MacBook Air (M4, 2025)

It’s hard to do much better than the MacBook Air (M4, 2025). The best laptop has beefy performance, terrific battery life, and is super quiet thanks to its fanless design. It also has support for two 4K external monitors, and the built-in M4 chip allows for on-device AI processing and support for Apple Intelligence. The webcam boasts 12 megapixels, which is an upgrade compared to previous models, too. It comes in your choice of four different colors and three storage configurations. Check our MacBook buying guide for additional recommendations.

Roku

Streaming Stick Plus (2025)

This compact little streaming stick is easy to set up and use, with 4K streaming and voice controls.

Boox

Palma 2

This tiny tablet works best as a phone-sized e-reader, perfect for airports or train rides.

Fitbit

Charge 6

This comes close to the best price we’ve tracked for the very best fitness tracker.

Amazfit

Active 2

Want a fitness tracker without overspending? This is the best cheap option.

Arlo Pro 5S Security Camera for $100 ($80 off)

  • Photograph: Simon Hill

  • Photograph: Simon Hill

This is a great deal on our favorite outdoor security camera, and you can get in on it right before porch pirate season. The Arlo Pro 5 has clear footage, fast live-feed load times, and smart notifications. Recording at up to 2K resolution with HDR, it won’t struggle in low light thanks to night vision, and there’s also a color mode. Two-way audio is clear, and there’s a built-in siren too. You do need an Arlo Secure subscription to make the most of this camera, but the deal is solid. The multipacks are discounted, too.

Arlo

Essential Indoor Security Camera (2nd Gen)

These cheap security cameras are still solid and reliable, though some features are locked behind a subscription.

Flexispot

Adjustable Table With Wheels

Upgrade your WFH setup with this rolling adjustable desk that has room for your laptop and coffee.

Plugable

USB-C 9-in-1 Hub (USBC-9IN1E)

The best USB-C hub has 140 watts of power delivery, plus every port you could need.

Tribit

Stormbox Blast 2

This boombox-style speaker will bring the party anywhere, complete with built-in lights.

Amazon Kindle Scribe (2024) for $300 ($100 off)

  • Photograph: Nena Farrell

  • Photograph: Nena Farrell

  • Courtesy of Amazon

Amazon

Kindle Scribe (2024)

Full disclosure: A new Kindle Scribe is coming, but we still think this is worth buying. The Kindle Scribe is our favorite e-reader for taking notes. It works well as a digital notebook and as a way to read your favorite books. With a generous 10-inch display and a Premium Pen (with a soft-tipped eraser on the end) included, you can use it to plan, journal, or annotate. There are some AI software features like note summarization, too. We do wish it was waterproof, or that it had some color features like the new model will, but if you’re in the market for something like it, it’s worth considering. There’s a chance it will get slightly cheaper when Prime Day actually arrives, but it likely won’t be by much—especially considering this is a match of the lowest price we’ve tracked.

Amazon

Echo Pop

This cute little smart speaker has personality, though its sound quality isn’t fantastic.

Amazon

Echo Dot (5th Gen)

This Amazon smart speaker has surprising sound quality, and may get cheaper when Prime Day arrives.

Amazon

Kindle Colorsoft Kids

This colorful Kindle is the same as the grown-up version, and you get a cover.

Netvue

Birdfy Plastic Smart Bird Feeder

Ultrahuman Ring Air for $300 ($50 off)

  • Photograph: Simon Hill

  • Photograph: Simon Hill

This smart ring is our favorite without a subscription. Importantly, due to a ruling by the FTC, these rings will no longer be available for purchase in the US after October 21 (though Ultrahuman says existing rings will still be supported). If you have been eyeing one, this deal is a match of the best we have tracked so far. The Ring Air can track your heart rate, blood oxygen, physical activity, and sleep, and it’ll offer insights about changes in your heart rate variability or skin temperature. There are some additional convenient features like a smart alarm that’ll wake you up during a lighter part of your sleep cycle, too.

JBL

Flip 7

Our favorite Bluetooth speaker sounds fantastic and comes in a wide array of different colors.

Asus

Vivobook 14 (X1407QA)

There’s no better cheap laptop on the market. This can handle most tasks for less money than usual.

Belkin

3-in-1 Qi2 Charging Stand

This 3-in-1 charger looks great on your nightstand, keeping things secure in portrait or landscape orientation.

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Official Final Fantasy Tactics Apparel Is Available At Amazon
Game Updates

Official Final Fantasy Tactics Apparel Is Available At Amazon

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A cult-classic Final Fantasy spin-off has gotten a new lease on life with the launch of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, and if you’re looking to show off your love for that franchise, then you can do so with some new clothing. Available now through Amazon and the Square Enix Store, these are official T-shirts and long-sleeve tops that have original art from the game on the front. They’re available in a wide range of colors and are ready to ship out.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles clothing

The first $20 T-shirt has the official key art for Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles on the front with a square print that features Ramza, Delita, and their allies. Black is the default–and best–color for this top, but if you’d prefer something more vibrant, there are 14 other colors to choose from. The $25 long-sleeve top has an identical design, and you can choose from black, navy blue, and dark heather grey for this option.

The second T-shirt design is also priced at $20, and the art is purely focused on Ramza and Delita on their own, with enlarged illustrations of the duo. There are 17 different colors to choose from for the T-shirt, and five colors for the $25 long-sleeve top. For sizing, both T-shirts are available in men’s and women’s cuts, while the long-sleeves have a unisex fit.

Out now for PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles modernizes the beloved game with new voiceovers, enhanced graphics, and several quality-of-life adjustments.

“Final Fantasy Tactics is a formative game in the tactical RPG genre, and still one of the greatest,” Steve Watts wrote in GameSpot’s review, giving it a score of 9/10. “Its unforgettable story has never been better told thanks to a retouched translation, stellar voice acting, and smart new tools to help track all of the palace intrigue.”



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Monopoly: Pokemon Edition Is Back In Stock And Only $20 At Amazon
Game Updates

Monopoly: Pokemon Edition Is Back In Stock And Only $20 At Amazon

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The popular Pokemon-themed edition of the classic board game Monopoly is back in stock and discounted to $20 (was $25) at Amazon. Released last December, Monopoly: Pokemon Edition has rarely been discounted below its budget-friendly $25 MSRP. Theo $20 price is very close to the all-time low of $18.74, and that deal sold out fast when Amazon had it in July. You can also get this deal at Walmart and Target.

If you’re interested in this deal, you may want to snag it soon. Pokemon Monopoly is regularly on Amazon’s top charts for board games at full price, so this could sell out (again).

$20 (was $25)

In Monopoly: Pokemon Edition, instead of buying and collecting property with Monopoly Money, 2-4 players use Poke Balls to search for Pokemon on locations around the board. The goal is to catch eight types of Pokemon or be the last trainer with any Poke Balls left in their inventory. Along with a colorful board featuring locations from the series, you’ll get adorable miniature figures of Pikachu, Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly to use as the game pieces.

It’s not all too surprising that this edition of Pokemon Monopoly has been extremely popular. What is somewhat surprising, however, is that sold for only $25 out of the gate. Licensed editions of Monopoly based on huge media franchises routinely sell for $40.

Monopoly: Pokemon Edition (Hasbro Gaming)

This isn’t the first time Hasbro and The Pokemon Company have joined forces to release a Pokemon-themed edition of Monopoly. Earlier editions of the game are out of print and only available from resellers. Monopoly: Pokemon Kanto Edition is $45 at Amazon and features metal tokens of Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Eevee, and Jigglypuff. Over at Walmart, you can buy Monopoly: Pokemon Johto Edition for $58. This one also includes six metal game pieces: Pikachu, Totodile, Togepi, Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Pichu.

For another themed version of a classic board game, check out Ravensburger’s Pokemon Labyrinth. Your goal is to navigate through an ever-shifting maze to track down various Pokemon. Matches are quick at around 30 minutes, and you can compete against up to three other players. A cool glow-in-the-dark version of Pokemon Labyrinth launched last fall. Both editions retail for $30.

And if you’re interested in learning the ropes of the Pokemon Trading Card Game, there are three very reasonably priced editions of Pokemon Battle Academy, each of which comes with multiple decks and offers a great way for kids (and adults!) to get started with the TCG.



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Amazon Fire Max 11 Tablet Hits Lowest Price Yet Ahead of Prime Big Deal Days, Hundreds Cheaper Than an iPad
Game Reviews

Amazon Fire Max 11 Tablet Hits Lowest Price Yet Ahead of Prime Big Deal Days, Hundreds Cheaper Than an iPad

by admin


We’d be telling you that this limited-time deal on the Amazon Fire Max 11 tablet is hot, or that it’s fire, or that it’s a scorcher, but honestly, would you still respect us in the morning? So we’ll dispense with the terrible puns and cut straight to the deal, because it’s one of the better ones we’ve seen in a while on this great, affordable tablet. It’s 32% off for a limited time, turning a very good $280 price into a great one at just $190.

To put things in perspective, the Amazon Fire Max 11 is an 11-inch tablet with an octa-core processor, 14-hour battery life, expandable storage of up to 1TB via microSD card, and 2.4 million pixel resolution. As an Amazon product it blends seamlessly with the rest of the Amazon ecosystem, including Prime Video, Kindle, Audible, and Luna, along with your smart home devices via either Alexa or the Device Dashboard. And here’s the kicker — at this sale price it’s over $700 less than the 11-inch M4 iPad Pro, and $375 less than the 11-inch M3 iPad Air.

See at Amazon

Premium Features, Not Price

There are probably metrics and benchmark tests that put those pricier iPads ahead of the Fire Max 11, but not nearly enough to quantify the price difference. The octa-core processor at the heard of the Fire Max 11 is certainly no slouch when it comes to streaming, multitasking, and gaming on Luna. The 128GB of storage is small, but so easily and inexpensively expandable thanks to the microSD card slot that the Apple tablets lack.

Wi-Fi 6 speeds, a robust 14-hour battery life, 8MP camera, and options to expand into a more laptop-like experience with the sold-separately Fire Max 11 Keyboard Case — which also happens to be way more affordable than Apple’s Magic Keyboard — all make the Fire Max 11 highly competitive even before you do a price comparison. Once you check out those numbers, this isn’t even a fair contest.

Beautifully Basic

When you look at the Fire Max 11 — and this is the latest, most updated iteration of the Fire Max — in the context of being a fully integrated part of the massive Amazon ecosystem, it’s a brilliant tablet, especially for just $190. It’s not going to compete with a laptop as a productivity machine, although this deal does come with a free 3-month Microsoft 365 trial, but as an e-reader, streaming device, smart-home control panel, and light gaming device, it’s an exceptional tablet.

This model of the Amazon Fire Max currently on sale for just $190 has the max 128GB storage and also comes with lockscreen ads deactivated. The $90 savings on this deal are great, and even greater when you tack them onto the hundreds you save by avoiding the super-bougie competitor tablets.

See at Amazon



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You Can Get The $60 Lego Game Boy Early From Amazon
Game Updates

You Can Get The $60 Lego Game Boy Early From Amazon

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The Lego Game Boy officially launches this Wednesday, October 1, but Amazon started shipping preorders on September 26. At the time of writing on September 28, Amazon still has the 421-piece Game Boy in stock with overnight delivery for Prime members. Amazon is the only online retailer delivering the Lego Game Boy before October 1, but if it sells out, preorders are back in stock at Walmart, Target, and Best Buy. The Lego Game Boy remains sold out at the Lego Store and GameStop.

The brick-built Game Boy is almost exactly the same size as the handheld that quickly became a worldwide sensation when it hit store shelves in Japan and North America in 1989. This looks like an awesome display piece, and retro Nintendo fans are sure to appreciate the nostalgic interactive elements.

Lego Game Boy (72046)

Part of Lego’s display model series geared toward adult builders and collectors, the Game Boy building kit was teased in January and fully unveiled at San Diego Comic-Con in July. The Game Boy is tied with the Super Mario Piranha Plant as the most affordable display model in the Lego Nintendo lineup. It will be the eighth Nintendo-themed kit designed for adults since the pair kicked off their partnership with a replica of the Nintendo Entertainment System.

$60 | 421 Pieces

Lego’s Game Boy looks like an authentic homage to the Game Boy DMG, all the way down to the font of “Dot Matrix with Stereo Sound” on the screen lens and the colors of the A/B buttons, D-pad, and Start/Select buttons. The switches and dials on the top and sides of handheld are located right where you’d expect them: power switch on the top left, contrast wheel on the left side next to the battery indicator light, volume dial across from it on the right, and the 3.5mm audio jack on the bottom.

The brick-built Lego Game Boy measures 5.5 x 3.5 x 1 inches, which is very close to the dimensions of the real Game Boy DMG (5.8 x 3.5 x 1.3 inches). Lego’s Game Boy can be displayed at an upright angle by connecting it to the buildable black stand shown above.

Along with the Game Boy itself and a buildable stand, the set includes replica Game Paks (cartridges) of two timeless classics: Super Mario Land (1989) and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (1993). The cartridges can be loaded into the Game Pak slot just like a real Game Boy. You can display the other cartridge on a second buildable stand.

The Game Boy doesn’t have any electronics, so it won’t interact with Lego Super Mario figures, but it does have a cool trick that makes it appear like a functioning Game Boy. The set comes with three swappable lenticular screens: the boot screen that greets you each time you flip the power switch, a still from World 1-1 of Super Mario Land, and the cutscene in Link’s Awakening where you sit next to Marin on a log and have a pretty strange (one-sided) conversation. Tilting the Game Boy creates the illusion of movement, so the the Nintendo logo slides down the screen just like the real boot sequence; Mario moves across the side-scrolling level; and the memorable Link’s Awakening cutscene (briefly) comes to life.

Load Super Mario Land or Link’s Awakening into the Game Pak slot.

The Lego Game Boy’s interactive features such as loading carts and displaying scenes from actual games is reminiscent of the Lego Nintendo Entertainment System. Released back in August 2020 to launch Lego’s partnership with Nintendo, the 2,646-piece set included the console with a functional top loader, a Super Mario Bros. cartridge, a wired NES controller, and a CRT TV with a stand. There’s a crank on the side of the TV that moves Mario through a side-scrolling level. Even five years later, the NES is arguably the coolest gaming-related Lego set.

Unfortunately, the Lego NES was officially retired late last year, and it’s sold out at every major retailer. A couple months back we noticed Amazon restocked the discontinued set but with an extra $60 added to the price. When Lego Game Boy preorders opened, we wrote here that we wouldn’t be surprised if Amazon sold out of the Lego NES at the inflated $330 price. And that happened within days. At the moment, the Lego NES is only available via resellers, and some of the prices make $330 look like a deal.

Lego Super Mario World: Mario & Yoshi launched last October.

Speaking of deals, Lego Super Mario World: Mario & Yoshi is on sale for a steep discount at Amazon and Walmart. Released last October, the 1,215-piece build features pixel art versions of Mario and Yoshi based on their 16-bit sprites. Yoshi walks when you turn the crank on the side, and twisting the dial on the back recreates the animation of Yoshi sticking out his tongue.

The most recent addition to the Lego Nintendo “for adults” lineup is the 1,972-piece Mario Kart set with a large buildable Mario and his famous red kart. It launched in May on the Lego Store for $170 and arrived at major retailers in July. Check out our Mario & Standard Kart review for more details on this charming display piece.

While you wait for your Lego Game Boy to arrive, you could warm-up by building the 540-piece Piranha Plant from Super Mario Bros.

Lego Retro Gaming Hardware

Lego Arcade Machine (40805)

Lego has created a few other display model sets based on retro gaming hardware. The other big one is Lego Icons: Atari 2600, a wonderful 2,532-piece build that authentically captures Atari’s legendary home console. Unfortunately, Lego discontinued the Atari 2600 last year–but Amazon restocked it this month for retail price, so grab one while you can.

The impressive 2,651-piece Pac-Man Arcade is in stock at Amazon for $260 (was $270). It has a bunch of cool interactive features that make it a stellar collectible for Pac-Man fans. But if you’re looking for a cheaper set in the vein of the Game Boy, check out the adorable 468-piece Lego Arcade Machine. As you can see in the picture above, this isn’t based on a real arcade machine, but it still looks awesome. Plus, the Lego Arcade Machine only costs $40 and includes a gamer-themed minifigure.



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