Latest news with #Engadget
Engadget
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Engadget
Engadget review recap: Switch 2, Playdate games and a Framework laptop
The Nintendo Switch 2 has been all the rage around the Engadget HQ for the last few weeks. Even the editors who didn't write the official review have had their hands glued to their new toys. Of course, we've been testing other things too, mainly a repairable laptop that's design for student use. Read on to catch up on the reviews you might've missed over the last two weeks. With the Switch 2, Nintendo improved everything we liked about the original while retaining its sleek and portable design. $449 at Walmart Nintendo Switch 2 finally made its way to gamers this month and several of us have been putting the portable console through its paces. Senior reviews reporter Sam Rutherford wrote our full review, noting that the company managed to take everything that make the original model so good and make it better. However, there's still room for improvement, especially with regards to battery life. "The Switch 2 has everything that made the original so great, but now there's more of it to enjoy," he said. "Granted, Nintendo's latest console commands a higher price, but as the successor to the iconic system that revived handheld gaming, this thing is worth it." The Switch 2 Pro controller is clearly the most refined gamepad Nintendo has ever made. It's just a shame that it's so expensive and doesn't have Hall effect sticks. $85 at Best Buy A new Switch means a new Pro Controller, so senior reviews reporter Devindra Hardawar took a deep dive on Nintendo's new accessory. Despite being "the most refined gampad" the company has ever made, he took offense to the price and the lack of advanced design features. "As much as I like the Switch 2 Pro Controller, it's undoubtedly an extravagance at $85 when 8Bitdo's Ultimate gamepad offers even more features for $50," he explained. "But if you're a dedicated Nintendo fan, or you just can't accept third-party controllers, it's also one of the best gamepads you can buy today." Framework's 12-inch laptop is an alternative to low-cost laptops, but it is too expensive to compete. $799 at Framework The Framework Laptop 12 takes the company's familiar spin on modular, repairable machines and puts it in a smaller body with students in mind. However, the price is an issue and overall performance isn't good enough. "The limited performance and battery life here gives me pause and I'm not sure a machine that, right now, needs a stretch to run Fortnite would be too popular," senior reporter Dan Cooper wrote. "My gut tells me Framework had intended to sell this for less before tariffs pushed the prices up beyond what made sense." Weekend editor Cheyenne Macdonald recently proclaimed that there haven't been any flops at the halfway point of Playdate Season Two. The two newest additions are Long Puppy and Otto's Galactic Groove!!, two games that are fun but still offer a challenge. You can also revisit her thoughts on The Whiteout and Wheelsprung or the initial column on Fulcrum Defender and Blippo+.
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
Snapchat Saturn deal announced: Snap looking to increase appeal to Gen Z
Snap Inc. has acquired Saturn, a social calendar app designed for high school and college students. While financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, Snap said the majority of Saturn's team — nearly 30 employees — will join Snap as part of the acquisition. The deal, first announced by Engadget, will see Saturn continue to operate as a standalone app, with Snap indicating plans to integrate the startup's calendaring expertise into Snapchat in 'innovative ways.' Founded in 2018, Saturn offers a scheduling platform that allows students to manage their school timetables and see what their friends are doing in real time. Unlike traditional calendar tools, Saturn blends social interaction with practical planning — letting users share schedules for classes, sports, meetings, and rehearsals to better coordinate daily life. Snapchat $SNAP has agreed to acquire Saturn, "a calendar app used at thousands of high schools" - Engadget — Evan (@StockMKTNewz) June 20, 2025 Snap said Saturn is already used in a large number of US high schools, with support for 80% of them. The acquisition, Snap added, is part of a broader effort to turn digital connections into real-world interaction — a focus that has become increasingly central to Snapchat's strategy. The deal marks Snap's latest move to strengthen its ecosystem with tools tailored to Gen Z. It follows other recent investments in augmented reality, messaging, and app integrations that aim to keep Snapchat relevant in a competitive social media landscape. Saturn previously raised $44 million in a 2021 funding round led by General Catalyst, Insight Partners, and Coatue, with high-profile backers including Bezos Expeditions, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, and actors Ashton Kutcher and Guy Oseary. Snap has not yet provided a timeline for how or when Saturn's features will begin appearing in Snapchat.
Engadget
2 days ago
- Engadget
Windows parental controls are blocking Chrome
Stop me if you've heard this one before: Microsoft is making it harder to use Chrome on Windows. The culprit? This time, it's Windows' Family Safety feature. Since early this month, the parental control measure has prevented users from opening Chrome. Strangely, no other apps or browsers appear to be affected. Redditors first reported the issue on June 3 (via The Verge ). u/Witty-Discount-2906 posted that Chrome crashed on Windows 11. "Just flashes quickly, unable to open with no error message," they wrote. Another user chimed in with a correct guess. "This may be related to Parental Controls," u/duk242 surmised. "I've had nine students come see the IT Desk in the last hour saying Chrome won't open." A Google spokesperson pointed Engadget to a statement in its community forum. "Our team has investigated these reports and determined the cause of this behavior," Community Manager Ellen T. wrote. "For some users, Chrome is unable to run when Microsoft Family Safety is enabled." Curiously, Microsoft hasn't fixed the bug after 17 days. (Go figure!) Windows Family Safety is an optional parental control feature for families and schools. It lets them manage children's screen time, filter their web browsing and monitor their activity. There are a couple of workarounds while we wait for the company to take action. One is to turn off the "Filter Inappropriate Websites" setting in Family Safety. However, that removes the security feature, letting the kids run wild on the World Wide Web. (Weeee!!) A simpler fix is to navigate to your Chrome folder and rename to something like . Engadget emailed Microsoft for a comment. We haven't heard back, but we'll update this story if we do. If you've ever installed Chrome on Windows, this bug may trigger deja vu. Microsoft has a long history of desperate tricks to keep you on its default products. That has included obnoxious prompts, pop-up ads for Bing and begging users to stick with Edge. At least European users will get some relief. Microsoft is scaling back its cheap tactics there to comply with EU regulations.
Engadget
2 days ago
- Business
- Engadget
Snap is acquiring Saturn, a calendar app used at thousands of high schools
Snap has acquired Saturn , a calendar app for high school and college students. The company didn't disclose the terms of the deal but said that close to 30 of Saturn's full-time employees will be joining Snap as part of the acquisition. It's not clear what exactly Snap has planned for Saturn, but the company confirmed to Engadget that the calendar app will continue to operate as a standalone service. It also suggested that the acquisition could help Snap bring calendar-focused features into Snapchat. A calendar app may seem like an odd choice for Snap, but there's clearly a lot of overlap between the two services' users. According to Snap, about 80 percent of US high schoolers attend schools that support Saturn (its App Store page says it's available at more than 17,000 high schools). Snap is used by more than half of US teens, per Pew Research . Saturn is also much more social than the typical calendar app. It has a Snapchat-like design that allows teens to easily share and compare their schedules with friends. It also supports features specific to many high school students' routines, like block schedules, rotation calendars and extracurricular activities. Saturn also has features for college students, though it doesn't seem to be as widely used among that slightly older demographic. The startup, founded by Dylan Diamond (Saturn's CEO) and Max Baron (COO) has previously raised money from a number of high-profile investors, including Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi and Jeff Bezos' Bezos Expeditions. Forbes reported in 2021 the startup had raised $44 million. Jim Lanzone, the CEO of Engadget's parent company Yahoo, joined the board of directors at Snap on September 12, 2024. No one outside of Engadget's editorial team has any say in our coverage of the company.
Engadget
2 days ago
- Engadget
Nothing's first over-ear headphones leak ahead of July unveiling
Nothing has probably made its biggest impression in the tech world with its distinctive mid-range Android phones (like the 3a Pro pictured above). But the UK-based brand's first product was actually wireless earbuds, and now it's preparing to unveil its first over-ear headphones on July 1. As is often the way, though, we don't have to wait until then to get our first look at the upcoming cans, as pictures have leaked online ahead of the London launch event. As you'd expect from a Nothing product, the Headphone 1 – if these leaked images are indeed legitimate – looks like nothing else on the market. A number of photos uploaded to Instagram by Nothing Fan Blog show off a typical transparent design, which looks a bit like someone has glued a cassette tape to a slab of smooth metal. It looks like the headphones will be available in black/gray and silver/white colorways. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. It's hard to determine what materials Nothing has opted for from the leaked photos, but it looks like there are at least three buttons: two on the side of the left earcup and one on the top. In one photo you can also see a wire attached to the bottom of the headphones, so presumably they'll have a 3.5mm connector. Again, we don't know for certain if this is the final design of the Headphone 1, but aesthetically speaking they could definitely stand out in what is an enormously crowded market. Nothing CEO Carl Pei confirmed that the Headphone 1 will arrive on July 1 alongside the brand's new flagship phone, the Phone 3, during a live appearance at SXSW in London earlier this month. Engadget's Igor Bonifac was impressed by Nothing's Phone 3a and 3a Pro when he reviewed both phones earlier this year, with the caveat that they carry a limited US warranty.
