Holiday gift guide 2020: CNET editors' top picks - CNET

Varmilo's Moonlight mechanical keyboard is the smoothest I've ever used - CNET

These 16 sensors in smartwatches, fitness bands help in measuring heart rate, SpO2 and more

OnePlus 8T Review: A complete package

Poco C3 review: Does the job

Flashback: remembering the best Tegra-powered phones, tablets and "others"

Nvidia is in the process of acquiring ARM, which made us think of the time when the company, which is best known for its GPUs, was actually a major player in the smartphone market. Here are Tegra chipsets' greatest hits. Two of the first Tegra-powered phones were the Microsoft Kin One and Two, which we've covered in a previous Flashback. Unfortunately, that chipset proved quite under-powered for the kind of UI that Microsoft wanted to run. But that was an early single-core chip. Microsoft Kin One • Microsoft Kin Two The Tegra 2 brought us the first dual core smartphone, the LG...

Indian Army’s WhatsApp-like chat app; new phone launches & more top tech news of the week

The best robot vacuum for 2020: Electrolux, Neato, iRobot Roomba, Eufy and more - CNET

5 ways Tuesday's election could change the course of a second stimulus check - CNET

Huawei P Smart 2021 in for review

The latest arrival to our office is the Huawei P Smart 2021 smartphone, also sold at some markets as Huawei Y7a. It is an entry-level smartphone that lacks Google services, but brings other promising features like a 48MP camera, a massive battery with fast charging support, and a 6.67” screen with Full HD+ resolution. The retail box of the phone consists of a Huawei SuperCharger that lets you top the phone at up to 22.5W. The technology was initially introduced with the company flagships and it is good to see it trickle to the lower echelons. We have to go through our usual battery...

Iconic James Bond locations in real life: How to travel like 007 - CNET

Halloween's here: Weird horror films and TV shows you may have overlooked - CNET

The next stimulus check is in limbo. When it comes, will your payment be larger or smaller? - CNET

Halloween movies for kids on Netflix, Disney Plus and other streaming services - CNET

Facebook temporarily pauses awful feature it will reinstate post election

Don't worry, militia members will have to wait until after Election Day to be algorithmically pointed to Facebook groups of like-minded individuals. 

At Wednesday's Senate hearing on (at least in theory) Section 230, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg let slip a slight behind-the-scenes change his company has taken in the lead up to Nov. 3. Specifically, Zuckerberg offhandedly mentioned that Facebook has temporarily stopped recommending political issue Facebook groups to its users. 

Of course, Facebook intends to spin this presumably dangerous — or, at the very least, worrisome — recommendation feature right back up again after the election. So reports BuzzFeed News, which was able to confirm that the new policy is only temporary.  Read more...

Trump, Biden campaigns slam Facebook after 'technical issues' impact political ads - CNET

How do I track my ballot if I voted by mail? Here's how for every state - CNET

The best Wi-Fi routers of 2020: Nest, Asus, TP-Link and more - CNET

The Queen's Gambit: That ending explained and all your questions answered - CNET

Jeep brings the affordable off-road Willys trim to the 2021 Gladiator - Roadshow

The Mandalorian season 2 episode 1 recap: Easter eggs, Baby Yoda moments - CNET

iPhone 12 Pro lets people who are blind 'see' others around them - CNET

Stimulus check qualifications are a tangle of rules. What to know for a future second payment - CNET

Peacock: Everything to know about NBCUniversal's (partially) free streaming app - CNET

Discover your family tree with a $99 DNA test from 23andMe - CNET

HBO Max: Everything to know about HBO's app - CNET

Facebook temporarily suspends recommendations for new and political groups - CNET

Best true wireless earbuds for 2020: Apple AirPods, Bose QuietComfort Earbuds and more - CNET

Protect your privacy and save 44% with a subscription to Surfshark VPN - CNET

The best gifts for readers in 2020: Kindles, Fire tablets, iPads and more - CNET

Disney Plus: Everything to know - CNET

Our favorite gifts for preteen boys in 2020 - CNET

Samsung once again tops smartphone market, analyst says - CNET

Refresh your home office with this 87-inch adjustable desk for $270 - CNET

Best laptops and desktops to give as holiday gifts in 2020 - CNET

The next stimulus check is in limbo. When it comes, will your payment be bigger? - CNET

Jeep Wrangler gets doors-off mirror kit to remedy a pesky issue - Roadshow

Amazon pegs COVID-19 costs at an estimated $4 billion next quarter

Amazon expects to incur $4 billion in COVID-related costs next quarter, an estimate that provides a bellwether for other businesses, large and small, trying to stay operational and control expenses amid the pandemic.

The upshot: Amazon is planning for COVID to remain an unwelcome companion through the end of the year with costs higher than the previous quarter.

The company said Thursday in its third-quarter earnings call that it logged $7.5 billion in COVID-related costs since the disease took root earlier this year. Amazon previously said its COVID costs were about $600 million in the first quarter and more than $4 billion in the second. The company’s COVID costs in the third quarter were about $2.5 billion, CFO Brian Olsavsky told an analyst during an earnings call. While Amazon was able to lower its costs in the third quarter due to efficiencies that number is on rise for next quarter.

Olsavsky said the majority of the increase in costs is due to the expansion of its operations. Amazon has hired 100,000 new workers in October.

COVID-19 along with other uncertainties related to the economy, holiday sales and even weather patterns weighed on its guidance for operating income in the fourth quarter. Amazon provided a wide-ranging guidance of between $1 billion and $4.5 billion in operating income in the fourth quarter compared with $3.9 billion in the same period last year.  This guidance assumes about $4 billion of costs related to COVID-19.

But what is most telling is that even after providing a lengthy list of possible uncertainties in the fourth quarter, Olsavsky noted that COVID still trumps them all.

“So there’s a whole host of issues that generally come to bear in Q4,” Olsavsky said. “I think the fact that COVID is dwarfing all of those is causing us a lot of uncertainty on our top line range.”

Olsavsky said costs were related to productivity losses caused by changing how it operates as well as expenses related to personal protective equipment and other upfront costs.

“The largest portion of these costs relate to continuing productivity headwinds in our facilities, including process revisions to allow for social distancing and incremental costs to ramp up new facilities, and the large influx of new employees hired to support strong customer demand also includes investments in PPE for employees and enhanced cleaning of our facilities,” Olsavsky said during Thursday’s earnings call.

Amazon said Thursday it also continues to ramp up its in-house COVID-19 testing program with capacity reaching 50,000 tests a day across 650 sites by November.

Kim Kardashian's birthday present from Kanye was this nightmarish hologram of her dead dad

If you have ever lost a loved one, you'll know that grief is an unending process — a hole in your heart and life that can never be filled, a bittersweet love forever within you with nowhere to go, a lifetime of cherished moments trapped in amber.

So we don't want to judge Kim Kardashian too harshly for this, but... good lord.

Election results could reshape stimulus negotiations over a second check, unemployment aid, more - CNET

How to watch It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown for free online - CNET

The Queen's Gambit: That ending explained and all your questions answered - CNET

Best smart plugs of 2020: Options for Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa or Siri - CNET

NASA secures sample of asteroid Bennu to send home to Earth - CNET

Netflix is working on a Vince McMahon documentary with WWE - CNET

Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, Facebook rake in profits. Washington is watching - CNET

Kia is making a rad, production-based light military vehicle too, y'know - Roadshow

5 stimulus benefits that go away in 2 months if we don't get a new COVID relief bill - CNET

Chevy built a Bolt-powered classic K5 Blazer EV for SEMA and it's glorious - Roadshow

Chevrolet built an electric Bolt-powered K5 Blazer for SEMA - Roadshow

Despite virtual school, kids will still get snow days in one district - CNET

Truth Seekers review: Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are surprisingly serious for Halloween - CNET

Get 3 months of cell phone service for up to half off from Tello - CNET

Halloween and COVID-19: Trick-or-treating and what the CDC says is too risky - CNET

Halloween Google Doodle game resurrects Momo the black cat - CNET

OnePlus 9 is headed to Verizon and T-Mobile, apparently

If you're in the US and are wondering which carriers are going to offer the upcoming OnePlus 9, that may be coming sooner than expected, then wonder no more. The enterprising folks over at XDA Developers have discovered, through a deep dive into the OxygenOS code, that the OnePlus 9 is in fact headed to both Verizon and T-Mobile. On the other hand, the OnePlus 9 Pro seems to only be on the way to T-Mobile, with Verizon seemingly foregoing the more expensive option. The OnePlus 8 was also offered by Verizon There are very good hints about all of this in the OxygenOS code, but...

WhatsApp is now delivering roughly 100 billion messages a day

WhatsApp, the popular instant messaging app owned by Facebook, is now delivering roughly 100 billion messages a day, the company’s chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said at the quarterly earnings call Thursday.

For some perspective, users exchanged 100 billion messages on WhatsApp last New Year’s Eve. That is the day when WhatsApp tops its engagement figures, and as many of you may remember, also the time when the service customarily suffered glitches in the past years. (No outage on last New Year’s Eve!)

At this point, WhatsApp is just competing with itself. Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp together were used to exchange 60 billion messages a day as of early 2016. Apple chief executive Tim Cook said in May that iMessage and FaceTime were seeing record usage, but did not share specific figures. The last time Apple did share the figure, it was far behind WhatsApp’s then usage (podcast). WeChat, which has also amassed over 1 billion users, is behind in daily volume of messages, too.

In early 2014, WhatsApp was being used to exchange about 50 billion texts a day, its then chief executive Jan Koum revealed at an event.

At the time, WhatsApp had fewer than 500 million users. WhatsApp now has more than 2 billion users and at least in India, its largest market by users, its popularity surpasses those of every other smartphone app including the big blue app.

“This year we’ve all relied on messaging more than ever to keep up with our loved ones and get business done,” tweeted Will Cathcart, head of WhatsApp.

Sadly, that’s all the update the company shared on WhatsApp today. Mystery continues for when WhatsApp expects to resume its payments service in Brazil, and when it plans to launch its payments in India, where it began testing the service in 2018. (It has already shared big plans around financial services in India, though.)

“We are proud that WhatsApp is able to deliver roughly 100B messages every day and we’re excited about the road ahead,” said Cathcart.

PORTL Hologram raises $3M to put a hologram machine in every home

What does a hologram-obsessed entrepreneur do for a second act after setting up a virtual Ronald Reagan in the Reagan Memorial Library, or beaming Jimmy Kimmel all the way from Hollywood to the Country Music Awards in Nashville?

If that entrepreneur is David Nussbaum, the founder of PORTL Hologram, the next logical step is to build a machine that can bring the joy of hologram-based communication to the masses.

That’s the goal thanks to a new $3 million round that Nussbaum’s company raised from famed venture investor Tim Draper, former Electronic Arts executive Doug Barry and longtime awards-show producer Joe Lewis.

Barry is not only backing the company, he’s also coming on board as its first chief operating officer.

Much of this interest can be traced back to the hologram performance given posthumously by Tupac Shakur back at Coachella about eight years ago.

Nussbaum turned the excitement generated by that event into a business. He bought the patents that powered Tupac’s beyond-the-grave performance, and used the technology to beam Julian Assange out of the Ecuadoran embassy he had been holed up in during his years in London and making dead stars live (and tour) again.

Those visual feats were basically just an updated version of the Pepper’s Ghost technique that stage illusionists and moviemakers have been using since it was invented by John Pepper in the 19th century.

The PORTL is a significant upgrade, according to Nussbaum.

The projector can transmit images any time of the day or night, and using PORTL’s capture studio-in-a-box means that anyone with $60,000 to spend and a white background can beam themselves into any portal anywhere in the world.

The company has sold a hundred devices and already delivered several dozen to shopping malls, airports and movie theater lobbies. “We’ve manufactured and delivered several dozen,” Nussbaum said.

Part of the selling point, beyond just the gimmick of the hologram’s next-level verisimilitude, is its interactivity. Through the studio rig and PORTL hardware, users can hear what people standing around the PORTL are saying and then respond.

For its next trick, PORTL is looking to build a miniaturized version of its system that would be about the size of a desktop computer and could be used to both record and distribute the holograms to anyone with a PORTL device.

“The minis will have all of the features to capture your content and rotoscope you out of our background and have the studio effects that is important in displaying your realistic volumetric like effect and they will beam you to any other device,” Nussbaum said.

To build out the business, the PORTL minis will have more than just communications capabilities, but recorded entertainment as well, Nussbaum said.

“The minis will be bundled with content like Peloton and Mirror bundled with very specific types of content. We are in conversations with a number of extremely well-known content creators where we would bundle a portal but will also have dedicated and exclusive content… [and] bundle that for $39 to $49 per month.”

It’s a vision that Nussbaum admits is far more expansive than his intentions — and the person he has to thank for the more ambitious vision of the business is none other than Draper.

“When I started this I thought it was going to be a novelty company,” he said. “When the pandemic hit he knew we needed to do much more than that.”

Believe it or not, one country has gone 200 days without a COVID-19 case

• Most every coronavirus update these days is a frightful summation of more pain to come from the pandemic this winter, but there's one country that's beaten back the coronavirus to a truly impressive degree.
  
• Taiwan, an island nation of 23 million people, has not recorded a local COVID-19 case in 200 days.
  
• Moreover, Taiwan has only recorded 550 coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic, as well as only seven deaths.

If you only listen to certain expert voices right now to get a sense of where we are in the coronavirus pandemic, you'd be forgiven for feeling pretty downcast right now. As an example, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, speaking about the pandemic there during a press conference on Thursday, sounded truly depressing: "The virus is raging throughout the state of Ohio. There's no place to hide." As far as the country as a whole, White House health advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci sounded especially dire in various coronavirus updates he shared on Wednesday, such as during an appearance on CNBC’s The News with Shepard Smith which saw the doctor point to rising COVID-19 case counts in 47 states. That led Dr. Fauci to lament that pretty much the entirety of the US is “going in the wrong direction.”

The thing is, though, it doesn't have to be this way. For proof, consider the fact that there is actually one country in the world that has not, as of the time of this writing, had a local case of COVID-19 in 200 days.

Continue reading...

Today's Top Deals

1. Canon’s new camera is a digital telescope in your pocket, and it’s up for preorder at Amazon
2. Shoppers are bracing for another rush of grocery hoarding – 5 things you should stock up on now
3. Amazon’s Black Friday 2020 sale just started early with 36 crazy Amazon device deals

Trending Right Now:

1. New stimulus checks are coming in December, but only for people in this one state
2. If you have these 2 symptoms, it could be severe COVID-19 so call your doctor immediately
3. Mega-dangerous asteroid called ‘God of Chaos’ is headed toward Earth

Believe it or not, one country has gone 200 days without a COVID-19 case originally appeared on BGR.com on Thu, 29 Oct 2020 at 20:07:11 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here’s why the iPhone 12 Pro is so hard to find right now

• Apple's new iPhone 12 Pro is selling even better than the company expected it to, and it might even have a chance of outselling the cheaper iPhone 12.
• Demand for the iPhone 12 Pro has reportedly pushed Apple to increase orders for the chips that support the device's LiDAR scanner, which isn't featured on the iPhone 12.
• The only major difference between the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro is the rear camera.

Traditionally, Apple's cheapest flagship iPhone is also its most popular. This was certainly true of the iPhone 11, which was among the most affordable flagship devices that Apple has ever sold at $699. It seemed inevitable that the same would be true of the iPhone 12, despite the $100 price increase, but a new report from DigiTimes suggests that the iPhone 12 Pro is instead turning out to be far more popular than Apple had expected.

Continue reading...

Today's Top Deals

1. Canon’s new camera is a digital telescope in your pocket, and it’s up for preorder at Amazon
2. Shoppers are bracing for another rush of grocery hoarding – 5 things you should stock up on now
3. Amazon’s Black Friday 2020 sale just started early with 36 crazy Amazon device deals

Trending Right Now:

1. New stimulus checks are coming in December, but only for people in this one state
2. If you have these 2 symptoms, it could be severe COVID-19 so call your doctor immediately
3. Mega-dangerous asteroid called ‘God of Chaos’ is headed toward Earth

Here’s why the iPhone 12 Pro is so hard to find right now originally appeared on BGR.com on Thu, 29 Oct 2020 at 19:36:20 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

How to get a free camera adaptor to play PSVR games on your PS5

• If you want to play PSVR games on your PS5, you'll need a special PlayStation Camera adaptor.
• On Wednesday, Sony began taking requests for the adaptors, which it will be giving away for free to all PSVR owners. All you need to do is enter a serial code.
• Sony has yet to announce a PlayStation VR 2, but rumors suggest that one is in the works.

Four years ago, Sony went out on a limb and brought virtual reality to console gaming with the PlayStation VR. Well, the gambit paid off, as the seemingly niche accessory has since sold over 5 million units. There have been more than a few great games on the PSVR over the past four years, from Rez Infinite to Iron Man VR, but just because the PS4 generation is coming to a close, that doesn't mean you have to pack up your headset. The upcoming PS5 supports PlayStation VR, but if you want to play VR games, you'll need a special adapter from Sony.

The good news is that Sony is currently giving the adaptor away on its website free of charge.

Continue reading...

Today's Top Deals

1. Shoppers are bracing for another rush of grocery hoarding – 5 things you should stock up on now
2. The 10 best Amazon deals you can only get if you’re a Prime member
3. Today’s best deals: FDA-authorized KN95 masks under $2, Clorox wipes, $9 LED smart bulbs, $24 wireless earbuds, more

Trending Right Now:

1. If you have these 2 symptoms, it could be severe COVID-19 so call your doctor immediately
2. Mega-dangerous asteroid called ‘God of Chaos’ is headed toward Earth
3. Study finds more than 80% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients had this in common

How to get a free camera adaptor to play PSVR games on your PS5 originally appeared on BGR.com on Wed, 28 Oct 2020 at 22:15:49 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Study finds more than 80% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients had this in common

• Researchers in Spain have provided an intriguing coronavirus update, in the form of a study that found a strong likelihood that Vitamin D deficiencies might explain why so many people were hospitalized with the coronavirus there over a particular period of time.
  
• The research did not establish a link between the vitamin deficiency and severity of the coronavirus case, however.
• More research is still needed to determine the precise nature of the interplay between Vitamin D and the COVID-19 coronavirus.

Slowly but surely, scientists and researchers are starting to understand at least some of the most mysterious aspects of the COVID-19 coronavirus -- like why some people develop such a severe infection, while the virus seems to miss other people entirely.

One of the newest coronavirus updates we have comes in the form of a new study from researchers in Spain, specifically the University Hospital Marques de Valdecilla in Santander which analyzed patients over a period of time early on in the pandemic to look for similarities. Intriguingly, more than 80% of a group of 216 COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital between March 10 and March 31 were found to have a vitamin D deficiency.

Continue reading...

Today's Top Deals

1. Shoppers are bracing for another rush of grocery hoarding – 5 things you should stock up on now
2. The 10 best Amazon deals you can only get if you’re a Prime member
3. Today’s best deals: FDA-authorized KN95 masks under $2, Clorox wipes, $9 LED smart bulbs, $24 wireless earbuds, more

Trending Right Now:

1. If you have these 2 symptoms, it could be severe COVID-19 so call your doctor immediately
2. Mega-dangerous asteroid called ‘God of Chaos’ is headed toward Earth
3. Do this to get all the stimulus money you’re owed, since no new checks are coming

Study finds more than 80% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients had this in common originally appeared on BGR.com on Wed, 28 Oct 2020 at 21:13:32 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

NASA’s Perseverance rover just hit a major milestone in space

• NASA's Perseverance rover and the Mars 2020 mission just nailed a huge milestone on its way to the Red Planet.
• The spacecraft has passed the halfway point on its route to Mars and is still on course for a landing in February 2021.
• The rover and its helicopter companion are healthy and doing well.

NASA's Mars 2020 mission just barely got off the ground in time for its trip to Mars. The window to fire off a payload to the Red Planet was closing rapidly when NASA finally managed to send its Perseverance rover and Mars helicopter Ingenuity skyward. Now, after months of traveling, the mission has hit a huge milestone, and it didn't even really have to do anything to accomplish it.

As NASA notes in its latest mission update, the Perseverance rover mission just passed the 146,300,000 mile mark on its journey to Mars. That means it's reached its halfway point and is now closer to its rendevous with Mars than it is to its own home planet, following the same path in reverse.

Continue reading...

Today's Top Deals

1. Shoppers are bracing for another rush of grocery hoarding – 5 things you should stock up on now
2. The 10 best Amazon deals you can only get if you’re a Prime member
3. Today’s best deals: FDA-authorized KN95 masks under $2, Clorox wipes, $9 LED smart bulbs, $24 wireless earbuds, more

Trending Right Now:

1. If you have these 2 symptoms, it could be severe COVID-19 so call your doctor immediately
2. Mega-dangerous asteroid called ‘God of Chaos’ is headed toward Earth
3. Do this to get all the stimulus money you’re owed, since no new checks are coming

NASA’s Perseverance rover just hit a major milestone in space originally appeared on BGR.com on Wed, 28 Oct 2020 at 20:42:48 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

You won’t believe how bad the coronavirus outbreaks are in these two US states

• The latest coronavirus update for the US as a whole is concerning, with cases on the rise at probably the worst possible time of the year -- but two states, in particular, are seeing especially disturbing COVID-19 trend lines right now.
  
• Both North and South Dakota are seeing big surges in things like coronavirus cases and hospitalizations.
• One reason this may be the case is that the Dakotas avoided the worst of the coronavirus outbreak early on, which may have fostered a feeling of complacency.

Any way you look at it, the latest coronavirus update for the US as a whole is that most of the country is rushing headlong in the wrong direction. In some states, though, the trend is merely worrisome. And then there are states like North and South Dakota, where the coronavirus numbers are skyrocketing to a degree not seen in much of the rest of the country.

As of the time of this writing, the US on the whole is seeing 22 cases per 100,000 people, while in South Dakota that number is 95 cases per 100,000 people. In North Dakota, it's even worse -- 105 per 100,000 people, which is a record, making North Dakota the first to report more than 100 cases for every 100,000 people, per a new Vox report.

Continue reading...

Today's Top Deals

1. Shoppers are bracing for another rush of grocery hoarding – 5 things you should stock up on now
2. The 10 best Amazon deals you can only get if you’re a Prime member
3. Today’s best deals: FDA-authorized KN95 masks under $2, Clorox wipes, $9 LED smart bulbs, $24 wireless earbuds, more

Trending Right Now:

1. If you have these 2 symptoms, it could be severe COVID-19 so call your doctor immediately
2. Mega-dangerous asteroid called ‘God of Chaos’ is headed toward Earth
3. Do this to get all the stimulus money you’re owed, since no new checks are coming

You won’t believe how bad the coronavirus outbreaks are in these two US states originally appeared on BGR.com on Wed, 28 Oct 2020 at 20:11:57 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Every free PS5 and PS4 game coming to PS Plus in November 2020

• Sony has announced the free PS5 and PS4 games that will be free on PS Plus in November.
• PlayStation Plus subscribers will be able to download Bugsnax (PS5 Version), Middle-earth: Shadow of War, and Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition for free next month.
• You will need to own a PS5 in order to play the version of Bugsnax being given away.

At long last, the next generation of console gaming has arrived, with the Xbox Series X and PS5 both set to launch the week of November 8th. Unfortunately, there won't be many exclusive games to play on launch day, but Sony will make sure that PlayStation Plus subscribers are set up with some fantastic titles in November.

This week, Sony revealed that in addition to Middle-earth: Shadow of War and Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition, PS Plus subscribers will be able to download the brand new game Bugsnax for free starting on November 12th, which also happens to be PS5 launch day. This is the PS5 version of the game, so you'll need a PS5 to play it, but even if you don't get a PS5 on day one, it will be free to download for all PS Plus subscribers until early January. This is especially good news for early adopters, as you'll have a guaranteed PS5 game to play right away.

Continue reading...

Today's Top Deals

1. Shoppers are bracing for another rush of grocery hoarding – 5 things you should stock up on now
2. The 10 best Amazon deals you can only get if you’re a Prime member
3. Today’s best deals: FDA-authorized KN95 masks under $2, Clorox wipes, $9 LED smart bulbs, $24 wireless earbuds, more

Trending Right Now:

1. If you have these 2 symptoms, it could be severe COVID-19 so call your doctor immediately
2. Mega-dangerous asteroid called ‘God of Chaos’ is headed toward Earth
3. Do this to get all the stimulus money you’re owed, since no new checks are coming

Every free PS5 and PS4 game coming to PS Plus in November 2020 originally appeared on BGR.com on Wed, 28 Oct 2020 at 19:40:56 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Costco’s Black Friday ad leaked: Switch, AirPods, MacBook, and TV deals

• Costco’s Black Friday 2020 ad leaked online as the retailer prepares for the upcoming shopping season.
• Costco will host several shopping events throughout November, with shopping starting online and in stores on November 5th and running through Black Friday (November 27th), and Cyber Monday (November 30th).
• Costco will run various deals on Apple products, which will be disclosed online on Thanksgiving Day.

Black Friday 2020 is just around the corner, but this year will be a totally different shopping spree experience. The last thing you want to do is share the same crowded space with other people looking for in-store Black Friday deals. Indoor settings are the riskiest places to be right now, as that’s where the novel coronavirus spreads the easiest. But gone are the days when the Black Friday deals would only be available in stores.

Most retailers brought their Black Friday deals online years ago, and you will be able to order almost everything from home — and that’s how you should do all your holiday shopping during the pandemic. But this year’s Black Friday period might be just what retailers and shoppers need. The pandemic caused a worldwide economic crisis, which impacted most businesses, with millions of people having lost their jobs this year. Black Friday sales might come in handy to many people shopping on tighter budgets, but also to retailers looking to make up for lost sales.

The Costco Black Friday ad is among the first major deals catalog to leak, and we’ve listed some of the hottest sales Costco has planned for the upcoming weeks.

Continue reading...

Today's Top Deals

1. Shoppers are bracing for another rush of grocery hoarding – 5 things you should stock up on now
2. The 10 best Amazon deals you can only get if you’re a Prime member
3. Today’s best deals: FDA-authorized KN95 masks under $2, Clorox wipes, $9 LED smart bulbs, $24 wireless earbuds, more

Trending Right Now:

1. If you have these 2 symptoms, it could be severe COVID-19 so call your doctor immediately
2. Mega-dangerous asteroid called ‘God of Chaos’ is headed toward Earth
3. Do this to get all the stimulus money you’re owed, since no new checks are coming

Costco’s Black Friday ad leaked: Switch, AirPods, MacBook, and TV deals originally appeared on BGR.com on Wed, 28 Oct 2020 at 19:09:14 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Early research suggests the flu vaccine could be a weapon in the fight against COVID-19

• A new study suggests a promising effect of this year's flu vaccine, relative to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
  
• The study hasn't been peer-reviewed yet, but it suggests that people who get the flu vaccine may see their chance of being infected by COVID-19 lowered at least to some degree.
• More research is needed, however, because this connection could be due to the fact that people who get the flu vaccine could be more health-conscious in general, which could explain why they're less likely to engage in behavior that exposes them to COVID-19.
  

Getting your annual flu vaccine is an important part of staying healthy, but it may be even more so this year with the onset of a so-called winter "twindemic." This is the period when the ordinary flu season will also feature a worsening coronavirus outbreak around the US, potentially overwhelming health care systems in many communities. Indeed, my home city of Memphis is preparing to finally tap the surge capacity hospital facility that it stood up early on in the pandemic, on account of the worsening COVID-19 numbers here. It's part of the hard COVID-19 winter that the US is in store for, which White House health advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci recently said Americans need to "hunker down" because of.

Meantime, the results of a new study have been released that contain a promising finding: It seems that a flu vaccine may help trigger the kind of infection defense within the body that can also help a person better ward off the coronavirus pathogen.

Continue reading...

Today's Top Deals

1. Shoppers are bracing for another rush of grocery hoarding – 5 things you should stock up on now
2. The 10 best Amazon deals you can only get if you’re a Prime member
3. Today’s best deals: FDA-authorized KN95 masks under $2, Clorox wipes, $9 LED smart bulbs, $24 wireless earbuds, more

Trending Right Now:

1. If you have these 2 symptoms, it could be severe COVID-19 so call your doctor immediately
2. Mega-dangerous asteroid called ‘God of Chaos’ is headed toward Earth
3. Do this to get all the stimulus money you’re owed, since no new checks are coming

Early research suggests the flu vaccine could be a weapon in the fight against COVID-19 originally appeared on BGR.com on Wed, 28 Oct 2020 at 18:38:07 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

2022 Genesis GV70 SUV debuts with spectacular looks - Roadshow

Samsung posts highest-ever quarterly revenue as demand roars back - CNET

Best Android VPNs for 2020 - CNET

Astronomers probe black hole origins after 39 new cosmic collisions detected - CNET

2021 Jaguar E-Pace: The new gateway to going home with a Jag - Roadshow

Facebook, Twitter and Google face Congress over free speech video - CNET

The Mandalorian season 2 on Disney Plus: Everything we know

Disney Plus launched just under a year ago. However, it has not had much in the way of major original series for its over 60 million subscribers. The only original series that has become a true mainstream success is The Mandalorian. The first season of the sci-fi series, set in the Star Wars universe, was a massive hit. That was thanks to some great performances, some grim and gritty storylines, and, of course, the surprise character The Child, a.k.a “Baby Yoda.”

Read more: The best Disney Plus shows

This Friday, we will see the first episode of The Mandalorian season 2. So, what can we expect? We’ll go over what’s been confirmed about The Mandalorian season 2, plus some truly crazy rumors. Needless to say, if you want to watch the second season on Disney Plus completely cold, stop reading right now! From this point, consider everything you read to contain potential spoilers for The Mandalorian season 2 on Disney Plus. You can sign up for the service at the link below:

What we definitely know about The Mandalorian season 2

Even before the first season dropped on Disney Plus in November 2019, plans were afoot for season 2 of The Mandalorian. Pedro Pascal is returning (most of the time) as the helmet-covered bounty hunter named Din Djarin. The Child will still be by Mando’s side too. Season 2 will hopefully let us find out more about the child and why everyone in the Star Wars universe wants to get him. Disney has confirmed that season 2 episodes will begin dropping on the service on October 30, 2020. There will be eight episodes, and one will drop on the service every week.

Also confirmed as part of season 2 is Gina Carano, again playing the tough former Rebellion soldier Cara Dune. The head of the Mando’s bounty hunter league Greef Karga is back as well, played again by Carl Weathers. We will also see the return of the Imperial governor Moff Gideon, played by Giancarlo Esposito, who showed up in the final two episodes wanting to capture The Child.

Officially, Disney and LucasArts are keeping the storyline under tight wraps. Based on the few trailers and clips that have been released, we have Mando and The Child on a ship, and also attending an event at some kind of fighting ring. We also see Mando’s ship under attack by what looks to be X-Wings, and we see some battles with Imperial speeders. Mando seems to be on a journey to take The Child back to “his own kind” but what that really means is unknown for now. There are hints that the Jedi will have some kind of appearance as well.

If you have seen The Mandalorian season 1 finale, you saw Moff Gideon cut himself out of his wrecked TIE fighter. He used a different kind of lightsaber that emitted a black blade with a white border. Gideon was using the Darksaber, which first appeared in The Clone Wars animated show as a weapon held in high regard by the Mandalorian people. But why does Moff Gideon have it if he’s not a Mandalorian? That will hopefully be explained in season 2.

Interviews with the cast members and The Mandalorian’s creator Jon Favreau on Entertainment Weekly indicate we will see an expansion of the Star Wars universe in the second season, perhaps branching off into storylines that don’t involve the show’s title character.

Favreau will also direct at least one of the eight episodes, as well as his teammate and producing partner Dave Filoni. Other episodes will be directed by returning directors Bryce Dallas Howard and Rick Famuyiwa, along with new directors Robert Rodriguez (Sin City), Peyton Reed (Ant-Man), and Mandalorian cast member Carl Weathers.

Rumors about The Mandalorian Season 2

Ahsoka coming to live-action?

Variety

While most of the storyline for season 2 is still a secret, there are lots of unconfirmed rumors. Variety has reported that Rosario Dawson has been cast in the role of Ahsoka Tano. Ahsoka was, and still is, one of the biggest characters in The Clone Wars animated series. The former Padawan apprentice of Anakin Skywalker has also appeared in the Star Wars: Rebels animated series. This will be the character’s first appearance in a Star Wars live-action project. It’s likely not a coincidence that Dave Filoni, the main director of The Clone Wars and the creator of Rebels, is also an executive producer, director, and writer on The Mandalorian.

Rosario Dawson might look the part, but her voice likely won’t match up to the Ahsoka Tano we’ve known on the animated series. Ahsoka has been voiced by Ashley Eckstein since the character’s debut in The Clone Wars animated movie back in 2007. Will Dawson voice Ahsoka to the best of her abilities? Will Eckstein voice Ahsoka over Dawson’s live-action role à la Sam Witwer and Ray Park as Maul in 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story? Unfortunately, nothing has been confirmed yet.

One other rumor about the show that’s related to The Clone Wars revolves around actor Katee Sackhoff.  Best known for her work as Starbuck in the Battlestar Galactica reboot TV series, Deadline reports that Sackhoff will appear in The Mandalorian season 2. She is rumored to play the live-action version of another Mandalorian warrior, Bo-Katan. Sackhoff voiced that role when the character debuted in the fourth season of The Clone Wars.

Is Boba Fett going to appear in the series? Who will portray him?

Many Hollywood industry reports claim that Boba Fett, the bounty hunter from the original Star Wars movie trilogy that wore armor similar to The Mandalorian, will be appearing in some way in season 2. Furthermore, The Hollywood Reporter claims Temuera Morrison, who played Boba’s dad Jango Fett in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, will take on Boba Fett in the series. Morrison has already voiced Boba Fett in the recently remastered versions of the original Star Wars trilogy. It would be great to both see and hear him as part of the Disney Plus Star Wars shows family.

However, there may be a twist to this story. There are other reports that actor Timothy Olyphant has joined season 2 as well. There’s no word on what character he might be playing yet. However, SlashFilm claims Olyphant was spotted wearing the Boba Fett armor while filming. It’s likely Olyphant plays a character called Cobb Vanth who found the armor on Tatooine after the events of Return of the Jedi and decided to keep it. That should make for an interesting episode.

Super crazy rumor time

This rumor has been going around for some time, but so far there’s been no comment at all from Disney and LucasArts. If you don’t want to know more, really, stop reading now.

Grace Randolph, who runs a YouTube TV and movie channel called Beyond The Trailer, claimed that according to her sources Pedro Pascal got frustrated with having to wear his helmet on all the time, and asked to have some screen time with the Mando helmet off. Apparently, that was vetoed by Lucasfilm. It went so far that, according to her report, Pascal ended up leaving the show during the middle of filming season 2.

Randolph did add that it’s possible cooler heads later prevailed and that Pascal might have returned later. He has been doing press interviews for The Mandalorian season 2, so we will have to wait and see if this rumor is true.

One other rumor that’s been floating around is that there will be a huge surprise at the end of the first episode of The Mandalorian Season 2. This is supposed to be on the level of The Child reveal at the end of episode 1 of season 1.

The Mandalorian season 3?

Even though season 2 of The Mandalorian has yet to debut, Variety reports that writing and pre-production have started on season 3. It would appear Disney is pleased enough with the success of the first season, and the completed footage of season 2, to approve a third season of the series. Assuming the show is not affected by COVID-19 delays, production could start by the end of 2020 or early 2021, with a release in late 2021.

That’s all we know about The Mandalorian Season 2 on Disney Plus. Get ready for the series debut on Friday!

AMD announces Radeon RX 6000 series gaming graphics cards

AMD today announced the Radeon RX RX 6000 series of gaming graphics cards. Built on the new 7nm RDNA 2 architecture, these cards provide up to 2x improvement in performance over the previous generation AMD flagship while also including support for the new Microsoft DirectX 12 Ultimate API and will be available starting November. The most important card in this series will likely be the $649 Radeon RX 6800 XT. It features 72 compute units and 16GB of 16Gbps GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit wide memory bus. The 6800 XT can clock up to 2015MHz under load (or Game Clock as AMD likes to call it)...

Halo Infinite loses director after being delayed to 2021 - CNET

The best phone to buy for 2020 - CNET

Best smart lights of 2020 (LED bulbs, switches, light strips, accessories and more) - CNET

FCA CEO Mike Manley confirms plans for electric Ram truck - Roadshow

The Haunting of Bly Manor ending explained, and all your questions answered - CNET

The 31 best movies to see on Netflix - CNET

Happiness during coronavirus: 'Less about pleasure and more about wisdom' - CNET

Best cheap home security cameras to buy in 2020 - CNET

Stimulus check facts: Amount, eligibility, catch-up payments and your priority group - CNET

Swordfish are killing sharks on a regular basis, apparently

• Swordfish are apparently attacking sharks on a regular basis.
• Sharks have been found dead with swordfish swords in their abdomens and heads.
• Scientists have several theories about why the swordfish are stabbing sharks in the sea. 

Earth's oceans are filled with incredible creatures. Some of them are perfectly harmless, while others are equipped with weapons they can use either during offensive or defensive encounters. Sharks are apex predators, and as such, they tend to be the aggressors in most alterations they find themselves in, but a new trend is beginning to emerge that suggests sharks would do well to stay out of the way of one sea creature in particular: swordfish.

As The New York Times reports, a dead thresher shark measuring some 15 feet in length was recently discovered dead on a beach in Libya. The creature definitely didn't die of natural causes, as an investigation revealed that the shark had a foot-long chunk of swordfish sword embedded in its abdomen. It's not the first shark to die under similar circumstances, and it likely won't be the last.

Continue reading...

Today's Top Deals

1. How to get the awesome MyQ smart garage door opener from Amazon for just $7.49
2. Why pay $250+ for a box of 3M N95 masks when these work better for $1.89 each?
3. The 5 best deals in today’s early Amazon Black Friday 2020 sale

Trending Right Now:

1. Dr. Fauci is finally fed up with Trump’s continued attacks over coronavirus
2. Here’s how long the CDC says it would take to control the coronavirus pandemic if everyone did what they should
3. This deleted ‘Borat 2’ scene has everyone asking questions

Swordfish are killing sharks on a regular basis, apparently originally appeared on BGR.com on Tue, 27 Oct 2020 at 23:25:39 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.