Gadgets, Game & Mobile News

AT&T Fiber and Spectrum are top choices for internet in the Queen City, but what else is there? Here are my picks for the best internet providers in Charlotte.

If you're having trouble sleeping as your bump grows, know you're not alone.

You're missing out on essential nutrients if you're eating the same thing every week.

Electronic Arts is "all-in on Battlefield" as it tries to bolster the first-person shooter series. To that end, it has shifted Need for Speed developer Criterion Games over from its sports division to the EA Entertainment unit. Most of Criterion's team will be working with DICE, Ripple Effect and Ridgeline on Battlefield games, while "a core group" will continue with Need for Speed. 

Criterion already has experience with Battlefield after working on vehicles for those games over the years. As such, the studio is a logical fit to help out with the franchise. "Criterion’s experience with Battlefield, our technology and building engaging experiences will have an immediate positive impact as we continue to work on Battlefield 2042, and as we continue pre-production on a connected Battlefield Universe," Vince Zampella — who leads the Apex Legends, Star Wars Jedi, Battlefield and Need for Speed teams — wrote in a memo.

Battlefield 2042 wasn't exactly received well. It had a buggy launch and it took DICE several months to fix some of the core issues before the game's first season started. Soon after it released Battlefield 2042, EA added Battlefield to the portfolio of franchises that Zampella (a FPS veteran who previously worked on Titanfall and Medal of Honor) oversees.

EA is arguably in need of another majorly successful franchise it can rely on in the long run alongside EA FC, Madden, Apex Legends and The Sims. Battlefield is one of its best bets for that, given the series' mostly strong track record. Competing with the likes of Call of Duty will remain a tall order. However, it seems like EA has a clearer plan for how to do that and it's beefing up the ranks of developers to help it get there.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/need-for-speed-developer-criterion-games-will-mostly-focus-on-battlefield-going-forward-184327390.html?src=rss

The Soundcore Motion 300's design is reminiscent of Bose's excellent SoundLink Flex Bluetooth speaker. But it costs a lot less -- only $65 as part of an early-bird pricing deal.

Amazon's smart glasses have yet to impress us, but the company made big changes for its third-gen Echo Frames that could go along way in changing our minds. First, the company has upgraded the design, slimming down the area around your temples that houses all of the components. Amazon has also changed the look, continuing to make the glasses and sunglasses options look more like something you'd actually want to wear. What's more, it's working with the more fashion-minded Carrera Eyewear on smart glasses with a refined touch — in addition to its own versions.

First, there's the improved sound quality. Amazon claims the new Echo Frames have three times more bass than the previous model. Additionally, the company says that the audio is more accurately directed to your ear. While the audio is better than previous models, the bass is still lacking, so I'm not sure these will replace a set of earbuds or headphones for music. I can see a compelling use case for podcasts or calls, and Echo Frames are still a solid way to interact with Alexa without reaching for your phone. 

The battery life has also expanded to six hours, so you can nearly get through a full work day now without needed to charge the wearable device. Lastly, the reconfigured speakers that target your ears don't spill as much sound out in the open as before. In Amazon's demo space, I couldn't hear the audio from the person next to me until they turned it way up. People nearby will still hear it at times, but it shouldn't be as much of a distraction for them as before. 

New speech-processing tech improves Alexa's ability to hear your voice in noisy or windy conditions, according to Amazon. The company says it's ten times better than the previous version, and in the company's raucous demo area I found that to be true. My fellow reporters and I had no trouble summoning the assistant in the confines of the loud space as it consistently heard and executed our cues. And calling on Alexa is hands-free, so you don't even have to press a button on the Echo Frames to prime the mics. 

Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget

One issue I did encounter has to do with fit. I have a huge head, and during my demo I had trouble keeping the Echo Frames in place. They kept wanting to slide down my nose even with minimal movement. Of course, I could only try what was available in the demo area, so maybe Amazon plans to offer options for people with wider faces. For the regular frames and the sunglasses I wore today, fit was a problem for both.

The third-gen Echo Frames start at $270 while the Carrera models cost $390. Both prescription and blue light lens options are available. Right now, though, Amazon hasn't said when the new versions will be available. 

Follow all of the news live from Amazon’s 2023 Devices event right here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-echo-frames-hands-on-first-impressions-181908530.html?src=rss

CPSC dropped an album of safety-themed songs, and every one of them is a banger.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid calms the brain and can reduce anxiety. Here are five supplements that may help you manage your stress and get to sleep faster.

All MGM Resorts hotels and casinos are back up and running as normal, nine days after a cyberattack shut down systems across the company, the company said in an X post on Wednesday. MGM Rewards accounts will be updated "at a later date," and some promotional offers could still be unavailable. This is the biggest system wide restoration the company has experienced since websites went offline, slot machines went down and some transactions became cash only on September 11. 

The ALPHV ransomware group took credit for the attack shortly after systems went offline. The group claimed it used social engineering tactics, or gaining trust from employees to get information, to access systems. Once a group gains access, they usually demand a sum of money in exchange for access or information. 

After the MGM attack went public, reports started surfacing that competitor Caesars Entertainment, which also owns casinos across the Las Vegas strip, recently suffered a similar attack. But unlike MGM, Caesars reportedly paid "tens of millions of dollars" to the hackers that threatened to release company data to avoid damage. Another ransomware group, Scattered Spider, took credit for that attack. Scattered Spider also took credit for the MGM attack, but responsibility is notoriously difficult to verify without security researchers because hackers are motivated to claim as much damage as they can. 

The attacks both started through identity management vendor Okta. MGM and Caesars both use the service, and the company confirmed hackers were able to use its tech as an access vector. The full extent of the damage remains unclear. At least three other Okta clients have been hit by cyberattacks, David Bradbury, chief security officer of the company, told Reuters. 

"There has been no compromise or breach of Okta systems and the Okta service remains fully operational and secure. We are available to assist MGM in any way we can," an Okta spokesperson told Engadget. "We have seen social engineering attacks involving a threat actor calling an organization's help desk, impersonating an employee, and persuading the help desk to reset MFA for a highly privileged account. The Okta blogs provide preventative measures along with our threat intelligence and we encourage our customers to review the posts and take appropriate action."

MGM did not respond to a request for comment on any data leak implications possibly stemming from the attack or whether backend systems such as employee accounts are back up and running. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mgm-says-its-hotels-and-casinos-are-back-up-and-running-175208962.html?src=rss

One of the biggest announcements at today's AI-filled Amazon event is the all-new Echo Show 8. The company has refreshed the design with edge-to-edge glass up front and softer curves for a more refined look overall. While the aesthetics have changed for the better, most of the interesting stuff is on the inside. That includes updated internals to enable faster responses from Alexa and Adaptive Content based on your proximity to the device. 

Amazon has also outfitted the new Echo Show 8 with spatial audio and room calibration, specifically citing improvements to clarity and bass. In Amazon's busy demo area, I wasn't able to experience this first hand, but even a marginal upgrade over previous Amazon smart displays would be a welcome change. I also wasn't able to test the quicker Alexa experience due to the noise in the room, but the company says a new processor handles those requests on-device. This should lead to 40 percent faster responses to Alexa commands and queries. 

There's also an upgraded 13-megapixel camera up front and microphones that are better equipped to cut down background noise. Up top, meanwhile, volume controls and the ability to disable both the camera and the microphone are dedicated buttons along the edge of the device.

The main feature I was able to try today is the Adaptive Content. Arguably one of the biggest changes to the Echo Show 8, this feature changes what's on the display based on how far you are away from it. So when you're sitting across the room, the device will show you time and weather info, or even a short news headline, that's large enough to be read from a distance. Move closer and content becomes more detailed and personalized, surfacing a playlist or additional news articles. 

While this was tough to accurately test in a crowded space, I still got an overall sense for how it works and how the UI changes. Indeed, the proximity tweaks will make the device more useful and informative without you touching it, and showing you stuff you'll actually want to see. Plus, the Echo Show 8 can pull up shortcuts to your most-used widgets for faster access. 

Amazon says the Adaptive Content feature will be available on second- and third-gen Echo Show 8 next month. It's coming to other Echo Show devices later this year. The third-gen model costs $150 and starting shipping next month.

Follow all of the news live from Amazon’s 2023 Devices event right here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/echo-show-8-3rd-gen-hands-on-174000825.html?src=rss

The 8-inch touchscreen panel wants to quarterback your connected home with support for Matter, Thread, Zigbee and more, plus a new Map View mode.

Amazon highlighted the accessibility features during its fall hardware event.

Amazon is updating its 10-inch Fire tablet for 2023 with a slightly lighter design and faster performance.

Announced alongside new Alexa and Fire TV gadgets, the new Eero Max 7 promises to be Amazon's fastest router yet.

Amazon's streaming sticks are getting faster.

The Gunners return to the top table of European football after a six-year absence.

The pick of Wednesday's UCL fixtures sees the German and English giants clash at the Allianz Arena.

What student wouldn't appreciate a good pair of headphones? Here's a wide selection of top wireless models.

Starring Alexa intelligence everywhere.

With Amazon pushing further and further into smart home integration, the company just unveiled at its fall event the Echo Hub, a new device designed to manage all the various gadgets in your house. 

Instead of being a traditional tablet or a smart display like the new Echo Show 8, the $180 Echo Hub is centered around an 8-inch display meant to be mounted on a wall. That said, for people like renters who may not want to permanently install the device, Amazon will also make a stand accessory. Just like an Alexa-powered smart speaker, users can control connected devices using their voice while also being able to view live feeds from security cameras and toggle settings and select specific devices via a customizable dashboard. The Echo Hub was also designed to support Amazon's upcoming Map View UI, which will be added to the device sometime in early 2024. 

The Echo Hub includes support for all the major smart home protocols including Matter and Thread. And while by default it relies on Wi-Fi, there will be an optional USB-C adapter that allows it to connect to power-over-ethernet routers like those from Eero. The device also features infrared sensors that can detect when someone is nearby, enabling its display to become a clock when it's not being used. 

Compared to other hubs which often go for $400 or more, Amazon is touting the Echo Hub's $180 price as a significant advantage while still offering comparability with more than 140,000 smart home devices. And by connecting to other gadgets locally instead of over the internet, Amazon says its hub will react faster to commands with responses in as little as 300 milliseconds. 

The Echo Hub is expected to go on sale sometime later this year. 

Follow all of the news live from Amazon’s 2023 Devices event right here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazons-180-echo-hub-is-a-smart-home-control-panel-for-your-wall-163231567.html?src=rss