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Apple's over-ear headphones are back on sale at one of the best prices we've seen all year. The AirPods Max have dropped to $480. That's $69 off the list price.

It's not quite a record low price for these headphones. We've seen them drop to $450. But this is still a solid deal on the AirPods Max, especially if you've been waiting for a solid discount. It's also worth noting that this is the updated model with USB-C charging, rather than the old Lightning port that Apple has phased out.

We gave the AirPods Max a score of 84 in our review back in 2020 (yes, they've been around for that long without an update save, for the new charging port and colorways!). We felt that the sound was excellent and balanced with solid active noise cancellation (ANC) and an excellent transparency mode so you can hear what's going on around you. In our testing, the AirPods Max met Apple's promise of a 20-hour battery life with both ANC and spatial audio switched on.

We enjoyed the simple control system, which uses an Apple Watch-style rotating crown. The AirPods Max are lightweight and comfortable to wear as well.

On the downside, the AirPods Max still use Apple's older H1 chipset, meaning that certain features available on some in-ear AirPods models aren't present here. There's no support for high-res music streaming services either. Still, if you're embedded in the Apple ecosystem and are looking for an otherwise high-quality set of over-ear headphones, the AirPods Max are worth considering.

Check out our coverage of the best Apple deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apple-airpods-max-with-usb-c-charging-are-back-on-sale-for-480-142052420.html?src=rss

Research from the consulting firm BCG finds that just 12% of all U.S. workers get child care benefits through their employers. Companies that offer it may have a leg up over the competition.

Policy correspondent Rachel Cohen has been writing about this for Vox and she spoke with “Marketplace Morning Report” host Sabri Ben-Achour. The following is an edited transcript of their conversation.

Sabri Ben-Achour: So there’s obviously a big benefit to employees when their employers offer child care, but what do the employers actually gain?

Rachel Cohen: You know, for a long time, employer child care, it was really seen as this sort of nice-to-have perk. Most companies didn’t provide it. I mean, most companies still don’t provide it, but that’s really started to change as employers started to realize this is actually a really important thing we need to get people to be able to show up at work, and pay attention at work, and recruit people to come to our cities and work at our companies. And that really sort of crystallized during the pandemic, when all these people had to make really hard choices between “Do I stay home with my kid as their school is closed?” or “Do I go to my job?”

Ben-Achour: Yeah. There’s a lot of experimentation right now, as you write with different states trying different things to figure out how to make employer-sponsored [child] care happen more. What are they trying and is it working?

Cohen: Yeah, a really popular one that’s emerged over the last couple of years is called Tri-Share in Michigan, and it’s drawn a lot of attention because it just sounds simple. It targets these workers in the middle class who otherwise aren’t eligible for subsidies. The idea is that employers, the state and employees will each pay a third of the cost of child care. The average cost for families dropped from $716 a month to $252 a month, and so that’s a big difference. And we’re seeing states like Kentucky and North Carolina and Indiana, they’re all taking note of this Tri-Share model and pushing versions of their own.

The problem is that it’s still really modest. It still only covers a small fraction of the people who need it, and even the eligibility for that program is relatively limited. But you are seeing many more states just thinking in terms of this Tri-Share responsibility, idea that everyone kind of has a role and a stake to play in financing this benefit, this access of care.

Ben-Achour: There is actually quite a bit of disagreement about whether employer-provided child care is even actually a good idea. What are the downsides or the objections people might have?

Cohen: Employers are not going to necessarily be prioritizing what’s best for kids; they’re going to always have their bottom line as their top priority. There’s also, I would say, just a real concern that this could create more of a divide between people who have access to certain things and people who don’t, and so there’s fear that it moves further away from the idea of universal child care.

Ben-Achour: Having reported on this, I mean, if you had to guess if 10 years from now we’re going to see more employers providing child care, what would you guess?

Cohen: There’s definitely a shift now, especially as we are seeing more companies and their remote work flexibility, so a lot more workers are returning to the office, which is putting the question of child care front and center.

For decades, importers and exporters have leaned into what’s called “just-in-time” logistics — only order what you need only when you need it, and the robust global trade network will get it to you fast.

Now, the ongoing trade war is prompting some businesses to shift to a new model: ‘”just-in-case” logistics.

Just-in-case logistics is about having a backup plan, according to international trade lawyer Schuyler “Rocky” Reidel, founder of Reidel Law Firm.

“We buy what we need, we store it, and we use it when we need to, and we don’t rely on a supply chain to get it to us immediately when we need it,” he said.

That means stockpiling extra products or parts, so you’re covered in the event of — oh, I dunno — a trade war.

Another component of “just-in-case” logistics? “We’ve seen a big increase in a product that’s called ‘trade credit insurance,’ and that’s essentially protection for customers in the event that a customer defaults,” said David Kinzel, a senior vice president focusing on the political risk practice at the global insurance and risk advisory firm Marsh.

Kinzel said his team used to barely spend any time on these types of insurance products. Now, with the trade war, it takes up about two-thirds of his day.

“We’ve already seen, I’d say, an increase in business of at least 20% so far this year,” he said.

And he expects that to grow as the global trade environment gets less and less predictable.

Qualcomm unveiled its next generation of processors for gaming handhelds at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) on Monday. Fortunately, it isn't all just dry specs; the chip-maker also previewed some of its partners' portable consoles that the new silicon will power. These include new models from Ayaneo, OneXSugar and Retroid Pocket.

Snapdragon chips Qualcomm

The Snapdragon G3 Gen 3 (the flagship processor) has 30 percent faster CPU performance and 28 percent faster graphics than its Gen 2 predecessor. The new silicon supports up to QHD+ 144Hz displays, Unreal Engine 5's Lumen lighting tech and Wi-Fi 7.

Meanwhile, the Snapdragon G2 Gen 2 may be the mid-range option, but it has the biggest performance jump of the trio: 2.3 times faster CPU and 3.8 times faster GPU speeds than the G2 Gen 1. It, too, supports up to 144Hz on QHD+ displays.

Finally, the G1 Gen 2 is the entry-level processor — not something you'd want in a hardcore portable but ideal for strictly cloud-streaming (devices like the Logitech G Cloud) or emulation handhelds. It supports up to 120Hz on FHD+ screens.

Upcoming handhelds Qualcomm

Now for the fun part: Qualcomm's hardware partners are teasing upcoming devices powered by the new silicon. On the other hand, we don't yet have pricing info or firm shipping dates for any of these models.

Ayaneo's Pocket S2 uses the high-end chip (G3 Gen 3) and has a 6.3-inch, 2K "ultra-clear" display. It has a higher battery capacity than the Pocket S and a better cooling system. You won't have to wait long for this one because it arrives this month.

Qualcomm

The OneXSugar Sugar 1 is a dual-screen (Nintendo DS-style) foldable console. But it also transforms: You can detach its smaller screen and (from the looks of it) reattach the controller to the larger display for a more Switch-like form factor. It's an interesting setup, to say the least. It will be available for pre-order in May also runs the high-end Qualcomm processor.

Meanwhile, the Ayaneo Gaming Pad will also run on the flagship Snapdragon G3 Gen silicon. This device looks like an iPad mini with controllers gripped onto each side and has an 8.3-inch LCD with 2K resolution at 120Hz. It also includes an "esports-grade turbo fan" and a "high-capacity battery." It launches in May.

Qualcomm

Finally, the Retroid Pocket PR Classic uses the G1 Gen 2 silicon. This Game Boy-esque retro emulation portable has a 1080 x 1240 AMOLED screen (up to 500 nits brightness), 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, a 5,000mAh battery and active cooling. You can pre-order it this month.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/next-gen-snapdragon-g-series-chips-will-power-handhelds-from-ayaneo-onexsugar-and-retroid-pocket-131733930.html?src=rss

This is just one of the stories from our “I’ve Always Wondered” series, where we tackle all of your questions about the world of business, no matter how big or small. Ever wondered if recycling is worth it? Or how store brands stack up against name brands? Check out more from the series here.

Listener Katie Shepherd from Austin, Texas, asks:

Who plays the music in supermarkets? Do they use Spotify?

The right song at the supermarket can boost sales, subliminally push you toward certain products and even elevate your mood. 

“I’ve seen people dancing or singing along to the song they like when it’s playing. I’ve done it myself too,” said Lizette Gomez, director of marketing at Vallarta Supermarkets, a Hispanic grocery chain based in California.

The DJs of the grocery store world consist of retail associates and marketers who choose just the right genre of music to help set the ambiance for shoppers and employees. 

Customers are diverse, which means “two shoppers may react differently to the same song,” University of Cincinnati marketing professor James Kellaris told Marketplace over email.  

“Hence the song is much less important than the general traits of the music, such as pace and familiarity, and the traits of the customers, such as demographics and musical tastes,” he said. 

Stores often select from playlists curated by commercial music providers like Mood Media, CloudCover and Rockbot that they think will align with their customer base. Playlists might be devoted to “Latin hits” or “Top 40” songs and can contain hundreds of songs.

Music samples from Mood Music’s Latin category:

These providers sell music packages that can range between about $15 and $60 per month, depending on the type of artists and level of control a retailer wants with their playlist. 

The songs are also fully licensed, allowing grocers to play what they want, which is why they don’t resort to Spotify. The popular streaming service states its songs are “only for personal, non-commercial use.” 

“Playing music in a commercial setting just as one would at home or in a car is illegal — a violation of copyright and artists’ rights,” Kellaris said.

Picking the right song is a delicate balancing act. If a song is too loud, then the music could irritate customers, Gomez said. But if a store is too quiet, the only thing customers might hear is the sound of a tortilla press in the background, she said. 

“We want to give everybody the best shopping experience,” Gomez said. “Once you have a good shopping experience, and you have good music, you just had a good day.”

Vallarta’s marketing team utilizes Mood Media, selecting artists like the Mexican rock band Maná and the reggaeton singer Ozuna. 

The chain’s Baldwin Park location attracts older shoppers, Gomez said, so she favors more “family friendly” tunes there.

“Obviously I’m not gonna go play Bad Bunny in there, and I love Bad Bunny. He’s one of my favorite artists,” Gomez said. 

A view inside a Vallarta store. (Courtesy Vallarta Supermarkets)

Customers tend to spend less when a store is crowded, but a 2017 study from BI Norwegian Business School found playing fast-paced music from artists like Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift can increase sales. 

Music can also influence the products customers choose. A 1997 study published in the British journal Nature found French wine outsold German wine when a supermarket played French music, and vice versa. 

Vallarta will vary the style of music at a store, so that employees working eight-hour shifts aren’t stuck listening to the same genre of music all day, Gomez said. 

Retail employees commiserate online about the experience of suffering through the same song over and over again. On the H-E-B subreddit, one poster wrote that if they hear Lou Bega’s “Mambo No. 5” again, they’re “going to pull the fire alarm.” 

Wise retailers pay attention to their workers’ needs, not just their customers’. “Music affects employees as well, with potential effects on morale, absenteeism, productivity, and service quality,” Kellaris said. 

At Hannaford Supermarkets, a chain of stores in New England and New York, retail associates began to have more say in how songs are chosen in recent years, a spokesperson told Marketplace over email.

Based on employee feedback, Hannaford worked with Mood Media to come up with 10 music channels that associates could select music from, the spokesperson said. These channels include Top 40 music, country, hits from the ‘70s and ‘80s and classic tunes.

“A channel called ‘Varsity’ which features rock songs from such well-known bands as Black Sabbath has been a surprise favorite amongst both associates and customers,” the spokesperson said. 

Gomez said she listens to music all day while she works, so she understands why a good playlist is important to employees. 

“Music is a big deal to a lot of people,” Gomez said. 

Submit a form.

Chef Jacqueline Margulis runs a little French café in San Francisco’s storied North Beach neighborhood. It’s focused entirely on soufflé, both entrees and desserts. There’s Gruyere, lobster, leek, lemon, chocolate Grand Marnier and a dozen more savory and sweet. 

In a city with 28 Michelin-starred restaurants, Café Jacqueline feels like it’s from another time. There’s no website, the staff doesn’t answer the phone. Reservations are made by leaving a message. Since Margulis opened the cafe 45 years ago in a former shoe shop, little has changed. And she makes each exquisite soufflé herself — one by one. 

At age 88, almost 89, she’s whisking, beating, folding for five hours a night. It’s a wonder, especially because she fell and broke her shoulder just a few months ago. And now a fresh obstacle: the eggs. A case of eggs from Margulis’ supplier went from $75 a year ago to $230 now, more than a 200% increase. She raised prices, $5 more per soufflé. So far, she says, not a single complaint.

One wonders, though, when will the chef put down her whisk?

“I don’t want to fall into my eggs, you know. I don’t know when I’ll hang my apron. It’s part of you, and yet you have to give it up,” she said.

A lemon soufflé stands tall at Café Jacqueline in San Francisco. (Mary Beth Kirchner)

Mortgage rates have fallen in seven of the last eight weeks. The downward-trending graph for interest on new home loans has got to be at least a little encouraging for buyers and sellers heading into spring.

This week, the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage did edge up marginally to 6.65%, according to Freddie Mac. Still, that’s down from the most recent peak of just over 7% in mid-January. Remember, the rate topped 7.75% in 2023 as inflation spiked and the Federal Reserve hiked short-term rates.

What’s behind the latest easing of mortgage rates? And how’s that — along with other market dynamics, like high home prices — likely to impact the spring housing market? Depends whom you ask.

“When we asked people to describe their local housing market: ‘doomed,’ ‘inflated,’ ‘crazy,'” said Erika Giovanetti at U.S. News & World Report, which just released its spring homebuyers survey.

What’s most striking?

“The disconnect between where homebuyers want rates to be and where rates actually are,” she said. “It is just simply unaffordable to buy at current rates and home prices for many, many people.”

Mortgage rates have edged down lately, said Zillow economist Orphe Divounguy. Plus, “buyers have more options than they had a year ago — and it’s the most homes for sale of any February since 2020,” he said.

But, remember, all real estate is local.

“What we’re seeing here: a frenzy of activity, very limited inventory and multiple offers, said Israel Hill, a broker in Portland, Oregon. “Those that can afford it are just saying, ‘OK, you know what, I’m going to make my move, I’ve been waiting for too long.”

But at the national level, the U.S. News survey found 4 out of 5 buyers won’t act until rates fall further.

“A quarter of those who are waiting want to see rates below 5%. That is not forecast to happen at all in 2025,” said Giovanetti at U.S. News.

“It’s challenging, to say the least, to figure out what direction mortgage rates will move in,” said Guy Cecala at Inside Mortgage Finance.

He said right now, mortgage rates are falling for a not very favorable reason: “The stock market tanking, as a result of the Trump administration’s economic moves, particularly the tariffs.”

He said any improvement in the economic outlook could push mortgage rates up again. His best guess is that rates settle close to 6% later this year.  

And as for holding out for the rates we saw a few years ago?

“Three or four percent mortgages? I don’t think we’re going to see that,” Cecala said, in the foreseeable future.

Growing up in the Chinese countryside in the 1990s, Cathy Guo couldn’t afford to buy anything American, until she got to college. It was a Kentucky Fried Chicken meal.

“I had a part-time job then. I remember how good the KFC sundae tasted, but then immediately regretted it because I worked hours just to afford that meal,” Guo said.

She upgraded her consumption habits to iPhones after entering the workforce in 2010, when trade between the U.S. and China was booming.

“I used to buy iPhones. I’ve had the iPhone 4, 5, 6 and 7.”

However, the U.S. buys far more from China than the other way around. That trade deficit was $295 billion last year. President Donald Trump has called the trade relationship unfair and said he wants Chinese consumers to buy more. That would increase American exports to China and perhaps mean that more goods produced in China would be purchased there, rather than exported to the U.S. But getting Chinese consumers to spend more is no easy task.

When Guo became a mom, she pivoted her spending, focusing on her child. She bought Dutch milk powder, higher-quality meat at Sam’s Club and even a trip to Shanghai Disneyland, where ticket prices alone for a family of three would run about $250.

Then, Guo lost her office job in Shanghai.

“I said to my daughter, ‘Mommy doesn’t have a job now. Can we spend less? If we go to the movie theater, how about we don’t have a big meal afterwards and just eat noodles?’” she said.

High unemployment, trade tensions and the property crisis have made people spend more cautiously.

Consumption contributed 45% to China’s economic growth last year, down from 58% just before the pandemic. Domestic demand continues to be weak. In the first two months of this year, China’s imports took an unexpected 8.4% tumble. In February, the consumer price index decreased 0.7% from a year earlier, signaling deflation.

A KFC poster in Shanghai. KFC used to be beyond the reach of most Chinese people, especially those in the countryside. But as consumption rises, American fast food has become more affordable. (Charles Zhang/Marketplace)

Officials have subsidized so-called cash-for-clunker programs for people to trade in and upgrade anything from cars and fridges to cellphones. 

“What they’ve done so far in terms of boosting domestic demand is always seen as underwhelming by market participants,” said Kelvin Lam, senior China economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics in London.

However, he said investors shouldn’t be surprised by that if they pay attention to statements from China’s leader, Xi Jinping.

“He prioritizes China development by putting all the resources in narrowing the technology gap between China and the U.S.,” Lam said.

So far, Chinese officials have resisted providing cash handouts to consumers. Even during the COVID pandemic restrictions, the government gave tax breaks to companies, allowed employers to defer social security payments and encouraged government firms to cut rents for individual business tenants.

Chinese officials have long preferred to help companies instead of consumers, according to the China director for the Eurasia Group, Wang Dan.

“They believe that companies can provide [a] long-term, steady stream of income, and if you subsidize consumers, they tend to become lazy. [Officials] enjoy using this phrase: ‘We’re not going to raise lazy Chinese,’” Wang said.

A poster at a Shanghai electric bike shop advertising the cash-for-clunker subsidy program. Consumers can trade in their old bikes and upgrade to newer models at a discount. (Charles Zhang/Marketplace)

However, some economists say Chinese leaders need to take a comprehensive approach to boosting consumption, such as stabilizing the housing market, increasing incomes and strengthening the social safety net.

Consumption is seen as key to China’s economic success because traditional economic drivers, such as infrastructure investment, is near saturation. Most Chinese cities have enough roads and high-speed rail lines.

Another pillar of the Chinese economy, exports, is under increasing pressure. The U.S. imposed new tariffs on all Chinese exports this month, bringing the punitive tariffs to 20% so far this year. The European Union has also imposed tariffs, albeit lower than the U.S. and Canada’s, on Chinese electric vehicles. Chinese manufacturers have been accused of overproducing and getting rid of excess inventory on global markets at low prices and wiping out local competition.

“The Chinese are saying that’s not true, but from the data, it is true,” Lam said. “So they have been exporting deflation to the rest of the world in the last year or so.”

Despite the challenges, China set its economic growth target for 2025 at “around 5%.”

Premier Li Qiang said in a government report this month that domestic demand should be a key driver of growth. “We will vigorously boost consumption and investment returns and stimulate domestic demand across the board,” Li said in Beijing.

A poster in Shanghai advertises coupons to get restaurant discounts, but residents would have to enter a lottery to win them. (Charles Zhang/Marketplace)

However, there were no details other than doubling subsidies for the existing cash-for-clunkers program to $41 billion.

Boosting consumption is all the more difficult because Chinese consumers tend to save a lot for education, housing, retirement and health care. By some estimates China’s citizens save over 30% of disposable income.

“Basically, China has got very limited social safety net,” Lam said.

As for newly out of work Guo, she and her family now rely solely on her husband’s salary. “My husband used to save about 70% of his salary, but now that I don’t have a job, we spend almost all of it,” she said.

The money goes mainly to things like their mortgage, car loan and children’s education, and less to buying products, whether Chinese or American. 

Additional research by Charles Zhang.

For the last few years, schools and food banks around the country have been able to get fresh produce and meat from small, local farms, thanks to federal funding. But that’s about to end. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced it’s canceling the two Biden-era programs that paid for all that fresh, local food because it says they “no longer effectuate the goals of the agency.” 

That’s more than a billion dollars’ worth of contracts for small farmers, ranchers and fishermen.

Running a small family farm that turns a profit isn’t easy. Emma Johnson’s family has owned one for decades — she’s a fourth-generation farmer. She and her husband run Buffalo Ridge Orchard with her parents on 80 acres in Central City, Iowa.

“We grow a lot of apples, and we do grow some pears, and then we grow from A to Z all of the different vegetables,” Johnson said.

Recently, they’ve been selling about $65,000 worth of their produce to local schools and food banks through these USDA programs.

“And this season, we were anticipating for those numbers to grow because the budget had grown,” she said.

Instead, there’s suddenly no budget for those programs, which means Johnson and her family are scrambling to figure out where else they can sell all those fruits and vegetables.

Their contracts with schools and food banks would have been about 25% of their income this year.

“That’s jobs, that’s staff, that’s our ability to even have a profit for the season,” Johnson said.

In Pennsylvania, E. Nichole Taylor said she’s also scrambling to figure out how the Great Valley School District, where she’s a food service supervisor, is going to fill the sudden hole in its budget.

They’ve been using federal funding to buy local meat, milk and produce for school lunches.

“The meals that our students receive today are not the meals that I received when I was growing up,” she said.

Now, Taylor said, they may have to shift their budget around — cut somewhere — so they can afford some fresh, local food. But?

“There’s some things that we’re just not going to be able to offer our students,” she said.

Families that rely on food banks will see a difference too.

Paco Vélez runs Feeding South Florida, and he said buying locally has changed what they can offer.

“You name it, it’s grown here in Florida,” he said. “We get asparagus, we get broccoli, we get strawberries, we get blueberries.” Plus eggs, salmon and yogurt.

Without this USDA funding, the food bank will have less variety and just less food, period.

“As the government starts pulling out, then it leaves a huge gap,” Vélez said. “So the first thing that came to mind is, how are we going to do this? How are we going to ensure that as an organization, we’re doing everything that we can?”

A pair of human rights groups are challenging the UK government's shockingly intrusive order for Apple to create a backdoor into its encrypted user data, as first reported by Financial Times. Privacy International and Liberty have filed a legal complaint with the country's Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT), which is reportedly scheduled to hear Apple's appeal on Friday.

The complaint argues that Apple's appeal to the order should be publicly heard. In addition, the groups' challenge contends that the government's move violates customers' free expression and privacy rights by forcing the company to neuter its product security.

"The UK's use of a secret order to undermine security for people worldwide is unacceptable and disproportionate," Caroline Wilson Palow, legal director at Privacy International, told The FT. "People the world over rely on end-to-end encryption to protect themselves from harassment and oppression. No country should have the power to undermine that protection for everyone."

UK media outlets (including the BBC, Reuters, Financial Times, The Guardian and more) have also filed complaints with the IPT, arguing that the case should be heard publicly. Ditto for the advocacy organizations Big Brother Watch, Index on Censorship and the Open Rights Group.

Apple

The UK order requires Apple to give the government blanket access to private user data encrypted through its Advanced Data Protection (ADP) feature. Introduced in iOS 16.2 in 2022, ADP applies end-to-end encryption to iCloud data like device backups, Messages content, notes and photos. Even Apple can't access it.

Apple removed ADP in the UK in response to the order before issuing its own legal challenge. But since the backdoor would also apply to users outside the UK, the private data of anyone with an Apple account would be vulnerable. Security experts (and common sense) warn that the backdoor would needlessly expose anyone with an Apple Account to foreign spying, hackers and adversarial countries.

We only know about the UK order because of a leak last month. That's because it was issued under the country's Investigatory Powers Act 2016, which expanded the surveillance powers of British intelligence agencies and law enforcement (earning its, uh, term of endearment, the "Snooper's Charter"). The rules also prevent Apple from commenting on or publicly acknowledging the existence of the privacy-eviscerating order — or using its appeal to delay compliance. Apple said last month, "We have never built a back door or master key to any of our products or services, and we never will."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/british-human-rights-groups-challenge-the-uks-apple-backdoor-order-163329777.html?src=rss

Few things have a bigger impact on how well we handle daily life than the amount and quality of sleep we get. Tech has a bad reputation as a sleep destroyer, and deservedly so. Blue light, doomscrolling, incessant notifications are not conducive to a restful night. But there are some gadgets and apps out there that might actually help you get better shut-eye — and we’ve tried a bunch of them. From a tiny sleep tracking ring to a high-tech mattress, here’s the best sleep tech we’ve tried that actually worked for us — and will hopefully work for you too. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-sleep-apps-gadgets-140013059.html?src=rss

Warning: spoilers for season three of Ted Lasso are ahead.

It turns out that all Ted Lasso fans had to do was believe. After many months of rumors and uncertainty, the hit show is coming back to Apple TV+ for a fourth season.

Star, co-creator and executive producer Jason Sudeikis is returning as the eponymous college football coach who was hired to take charge of a soccer team in England. He told the Kelce brothers on their New Heights podcast that the writing team is working on the next season and that, this time around, Ted will be coaching a women's team. That seems like a nice way to hit the reset button after the so-so third season (don't @ me).

Ted Lasso is BACK for Season 4 … and he’s got a new team

New episode with Jason Sudeikis!!

Video drops 9:30amET on YouTube
Listen early NOW on Wondery+ pic.twitter.com/XxeZ4YomBw

— New Heights (@newheightshow) March 14, 2025

Apple hasn't revealed more details about the new season of the Emmy juggernaut yet. No other cast members have been announced, but it was reported some months back that production company Warner Bros. Television has picked up contract options for co-stars Hannah Waddingham (Rebecca Welton), Brett Goldstein (Roy Kent) and Jeremy Swift (Leslie Higgins). Apple did confirm that Goldstein is returning as a writer and executive producer. Brendan Hunt (Coach Beard) is back as an executive producer too.

Ted left his team, AFC Richmond, at the end of season three, to return home to the US for family reasons. But given that a women's team was proposed in the season finale and Sudeikis saying Ted will coach such a squad, it certainly seems like he's returning to work alongside his old cohorts.

"As we all continue to live in a world where so many factors have conditioned us to ‘look before we leap,' in season four, the folks at AFC Richmond learn to leap before they look, discovering that wherever they land, it’s exactly where they’re meant to be," Sudeikis said.

It's not clear as yet when Ted Lasso will return. However, given that the show's writers are currently putting together the fourth season, it's unlikely that you'll be able to watch new episodes until at least the tail end of this year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/ted-lasso-is-returning-to-apple-tv-for-a-fourth-season-153152897.html?src=rss

Apple’s AirPods 4 earbuds are on sale via Amazon for just $100. This is a new record low price, representing a discount of $29. The deal is for the standard model and not the one with ANC. However, that model is also on sale for $149, which is a discount of 17 percent.

These earbuds are generally considered some of the best AirPods on the market. The sound quality is improved over the previous generation, as is the overall design. This leads to a legitimately comfortable fit, which is something of a rarity in the earbud space. We noted in our official review that they don’t fall out when moving around.

This model features the H2 chip, which was introduced for the AirPods Pro. The H2 chip opens up plenty of high-tech features, like Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking. These earbuds also offer 48kHz audio for FaceTime calls and Adaptive EQ. Speaking of calls, Apple’s newly introduced Voice Isolation feature helps remove unwanted ambient noise when speaking on the phone.

There are some features missing from these earbuds when compared to the company’s higher-end models. These AirPods don’t have onboard volume controls and there’s no wireless charging. Also, there’s no ANC on the entry-level buds. Again, the ANC-equipped version is also on sale today.

Check out our coverage of the best Apple deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-airpods-4-drop-to-a-record-low-of-100-152213060.html?src=rss

Several people have been arrested as part of a corruption investigation linked to the European Parliament and Huawei. The company is suspected of bribing European Union officials, according to the Associated Press.

A spokesperson for the federal prosecutors' office in Belgium, where the European Parliament is located, said authorities are conducting "an ongoing investigation on preliminary charges of active corruption, forgery of documents, money laundering at the European Parliament." Prosecutors stated that "the offences were allegedly committed by a criminal organization" and were carried out to promote "purely private commercial interests in the context of political decisions."

"Corruption was allegedly practiced regularly and very discreetly from 2021 to the present day, under the guise of commercial lobbying and taking various forms, such as compensation for political positions or excessive gifts such as food and travel expenses, or regular invitations to [soccer] matches," the office said in a statement. It later added that the "alleged bribery is said to have benefited Huawei."

Police raided several addresses in Belgium and Portugal, according to reports. Two European Parliament offices linked to two assistants who are allegedly involved in the case have been sealed.

Those arrested were being questioned over their alleged involvement "in active corruption within the European Parliament," prosecutors said. A spokesperson for the office told the BBC that no members of the parliament (MEPs) were directly targeted in these raids. However, reports suggest that around 15 current and former MEPs are "on the radar" of investigators.

Huawei said it would "urgently communicate with the investigation" to better understand the issue at hand, while the company is taking the allegations "seriously." A spokesperson told The Guardian that "Huawei has a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption or other wrongdoing, and we are committed to complying with all applicable laws and regulations at all times."

A European Parliament spokesperson said the legislative body had "received a request for cooperation from the Belgian authorities to assist the investigation which the Parliament will swiftly honor."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/huawei-allegedly-benefited-from-european-parliament-bribery-scheme-142423000.html?src=rss

In our latest series, “Unlocking the Gates,” Marketplace Special Correspondent Lee Hawkins explores the lasting impact of housing discrimination.

One tool once used to enforce housing discrimination was racial covenants. These were contracts added to property deeds that prevented Black people and other people of color from purchasing, leasing or occupying a property. These clauses were officially outlawed in the 1968 Fair Housing Act, but their impact can still be felt today.

Hawkins joined “Marketplace Morning Report” host David Brancaccio to discuss the lasting legacy of racial covenants. The following is an edited transcript of their conversation.

David Brancaccio: I’ve seen them, you’ve seen these — these covenants, even though they’re illegal, they’re there in some cases, and you think they still play out in widening the gap between rich and poor when you’re thinking of it by race?

Lee Hawkins: Oh, 100% because those initial limitations that were put on the Black community played out through the generations, because the attitudes were still there, and there was still a real resistance to sell land to Black people. I spoke with Minneapolis realtor Jackie Barry, who explained it to me this way:

Jackie Barry: If you think about a family being excluded from homeownership, that means now they don’t have the equity within their home to help make other moves for their family.

Brancaccio: Now, if you find you have a racial covenant in the deed on the house that you’re interested in buying or the house you already bought, in Minnesota, among other places, you can apply to have it discharged. But you went pretty high up in the Minnesota government, the office of the Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, to hear about what’s being done to address the structural problem that underlies this, right, Lee?

Hawkins: Yes, and I think it was critical to do that, because one of the early pioneers of racial covenants policies was a lieutenant governor of the state of Minnesota. Here we are, in today’s times, talking to Lieutenant Governor Flanagan, and so she’s made this a cornerstone of her administration.

Peggy Flanagan: Our legislation that we passed in 2023 was $150 million directed at first-time homebuyers and Black, Indigenous and communities of color. We see that, I think, as a down payment, right, on the work needs to happen. I think when we increase homeownership rates within our communities, it’s a benefit to the state as a whole.

Brancaccio: And you’re talking to realtors with their experience on the ground actually showing homes to prospective buyers, and they had some interesting ideas.

Hawkins: Yes, there were a variety of things that Minneapolis area realtors talked about around the time of George Floyd to actually bring more equity in the real estate industry. Realtor Jackie Barry, who we heard from earlier, sits on the board of Minneapolis area realtors, and here’s her prescription:

Barry: We need to increase our training and development. In Minnesota, a realtor has to complete Fair Housing credits every two years, meaning that they’re getting some type of education related to learning about housing discrimination and how to avoid it, how to represent clients equitably, understanding rules and regulations around fair housing.

Hawkins: One of the things I love about this series, David, is it just doesn’t talk about the history and the problem of racial covenants, but it talks about how there were people, even in those times, who did the right thing, and it wasn’t necessarily about race, it was about justice. And I think that that’s what’s important here. We can’t change the past, but we can certainly shape the present and the future. And all of these people, in some way, have committed themselves to this issue and to talk about it in modern times and acknowledge the modern implication was what we wanted to do for people to know how this affects so many people across the country.

Marketplace Morning Report’s “What’s That Like?” series is exploring the odd, unusual and downright weird jobs that help prop up our economy.

Nick Polimeni grew up listening to tales of his father’s racing adventures from the late ’60s. At an early age, Polimeni was involved in car culture, starting with RC car racing. Eventually, a career around his passion took root.

Fast forward and Polimeni now works as a vintage race car mechanic for GMT Racing in Connecticut, where he maintains old — very old — race cars and readies them for prime time.

Nick’s father, Ron, drives at the Sports Car Club of America national championship at Daytona in 1969. (Courtesy Nick Polimeni)

“I always joke that had I not gone into this line of work, I might’ve gone into something like archeology where I’m delving into the past and trying to preserve history,” Polimeni told Marketplace.

Some of the unique cars he’s helped preserve date back nearly a century, and include a 1931 and 1934 Alfa Romeo Grand Prix and a reconstructed Lancia D50 — all owned by the same customer. However, the Lancia D50 holds the prize for Polimeni. “That was probably the absolute top car. That’s like, you know, pinnacle,” he said.

When it comes to sourcing parts for these cars, sometimes the team needs to get a bit creative. GMT Racing acquires parts from around the world, but on occasion the parts they need just aren’t around, so they make them from scratch using metal from their shop.

While the unique hobby of vintage car racing may sound appealing, there is a real cost barrier. But Polimeni believes people’s interest in these unique machines is unlikely to fade. 

To pop the hood on this unique line of work, click the audio player above.

One of the best things you can do for your online security is to make sure you have a robust, unique password on every single one of your accounts. But not many of us have the ability to memorize the login details for so many different services if the credentials are as strong as they ought to be. Using a password manager can make all of that much easier. Our favorite, 1Password, is on sale for up to 50 percent off. The 1Password for Families plan is half off at $2.49 per month for one year. That's about $30 for 12 months of access.

The solo plan, 1Password for Individuals, has dropped from $3 per month to $2.24 for a year — meaning you'd get 12 months of service for $27. So if you want an account for more than one person, the family plan is clearly the way to go.

In part due to its industry standard encryption, other security measures and how straightforward it is to use, 1Password is our pick for the best password manager overall. (Disclosure: 1Password provides journalists free access to its individual plan, an offer I've taken up.)

With the individual plan, you can store unlimited passwords and items, as well as 1GB of documents. A family plan includes access for up to 5 people and the same document storage capacity per person.

1Password's tutorial makes it easy to import your credentials from other password managers. The app rates the strength of each of your passwords so you can quickly see which ones you should update. 

There's an "open and fill" option that opens a website and plugs in your credentials to sign you in. What's more, 1Password offers support for passkeys, login credentials that are stored on your devices and protected by a PIN or biometric authentication method such as facial recognition or a fingerprint.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/1password-subscriptions-are-up-to-50-percent-off-right-now-130020224.html?src=rss

If you want to know how low-income Americans are feeling, just look to Dollar General. Its CEO Todd Vasos said in the company’s earnings call this week that its “core customers” — people who earn under $40,000 annually — are struggling even more this year.

Customer traffic fell last quarter. But if you can’t afford Dollar General, where do you go?

Dollar General’s customers are struggling and end-of-month store sales are slowing, said retail analyst Matt Todd with S&P Global.

“Lower income households, who are their core customer, are running short on cash,” said Todd.

Plus, there’s inventory loss. Something called “shrink” is high.

“Elevated shrink, I think, is another sign of people struggling at the lower end of the income spectrum,” said Todd. “… third-party theft is the largest component of it. People stealing things.”

Dollar General’s CEO said customers have already cut out discretionary purchases. Now they’re going without some basic necessities, too — partly by having a more strict definition of “necessities.”

“The more income you have, the more we tend to consider things as necessities,” said Nick Pretnar from the Laboratory for Aggregate Economics and Finance at University of California, Santa Barbara. He says take something like fabric softener. Higher income consumers might call that a necessity.

“But someone who is lower income, they’re going to cut out something like fabric softener more quickly than, say, they cut out laundry detergent,” said Pretnar.

Pretnar said Dollar General won’t want to absorb price increases from tariffs, which means price-sensitive consumers who shop there might bear a higher share of that burden this summer.

It's been a while since Konami teased Silent Hill f, a mainline game in the franchise that's set in 1960s rural Japan instead of the titular town. Now, the publisher has released a full trailer for the much-awaited game at an online event livestreamed on YouTube. Konami's Motoi Okamoto, who's in charge of the Silent Hill franchise, said the theme of the game is finding "beauty in terror," which is common in Japanese horror. He explained that when something is too beautiful and perfect, it becomes deeply unsettling. Okamoto said the developers wanted to examine how the elements of beauty and terror can co-exist in a psychological horror story.

Indeed, the world of Silent Hill f is beautiful, even during moments that are supposed to be terrifying. It's set in the fictional town of Ebisugaoka based on the town of Kanayama, Gero in Gifu, which is mostly made up of mountains and forest. In the game, you play as high school student Shimizu Hinako who has to solve puzzles and confront monsters to survive after her hometown was consumed by a fog that transformed it into a grotesque copy of the real world. The game's setting was mostly imagined by Ryukishi07 known for the When They Cry visual novel horror and murder mystery series. 

Silent Hill f doesn't have a release date yet, but it will be available on the Playstation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and Epic Games.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/silent-hill-f-trailer-shows-the-games-beautiful-backdrop-and-unsettling-mood-123024347.html?src=rss

The company behind Roomba robovacs told investors earlier this week that revenue was substantially down and it’s struggling to pay its debts. Amazon was briefly tapped to acquire the robot company iRobot, but the threat of a European Commission investigation led to the retailer terminating the deal — apparently happy enough to pay off the $94 million termination fee.

That, however, isn’t enough to tackle the $200 million loan iRobot took out to survive long enough for Amazon to come to the rescue. It’s extra rough when the company announced, just the week before, a bunch of new models, including a new Roomba that can compact debris and dust, so it only needs to be emptied every few weeks.

At the same time, rival robot vacuum cleaners are getting more versatile, more complicated and more intriguing. This year’s CES had a standout barrage of new robovacs that can multitask and even pack robot arms inside, like something from a cartoon.

But many of these devices haven’t yet launched in earnest, while iRobot has delivered solid floor cleaners for years. Hopefully, it can continue that run.

— Mat Smith

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Apple Mac Studio M4 Max review A creative powerhouse. Engadget

The Mac Studio is Apple’s ultimate performance computer, and that’s true with either an M4 Max or an M3 Ultra processor. It might seem like a step backward, but the M3 Ultra is indeed Apple’s best-performing processor. But it comes at a cost. The M3 Ultra starts at $4,000 and goes up from there if you want to boost other specs to match it. We tested the M4 Max model — the one most people will want as the base configuration is half the price. Read on for our review, but it’s a solid proposition for creators.

Continue reading.

Microsoft might finally be getting into handhelds With a PC maker partner.

A report from Windows Central says Microsoft is partnering with a PC maker to create a portable device, codenamed Keenan. It would feature Xbox design elements, likely run Windows 11 and could be revealed this year.

The plan may be to simplify Windows for handheld use, potentially with a launcher or console-like interface — one of the major pain points on handheld gaming PCs, and something SteamOS and Steam Decks largely avoid.

Jason Ronald, VP of Next Generation at Microsoft, hinted at these projects at CES earlier this year. He said Microsoft wants to bring “the best of Xbox and Windows together” and hinted there would be more to share later this year.

Continue reading.

PlayStation experiments with AI-powered characters you can talk to They may even offer contextual hints to improve your chances. Sony

An internal video from Sony’s PlayStation group was leaked to The Verge, demonstrating an AI-powered version of Aloy, the Horizon game series’ protagonist.

Aloy was able to both narrate and converse with the presenter as you play the game. The character could also respond in real-time to questions, with a synthesized voice that matched facial animations. The face-to-face chat between the presenter and the on-screen character wasn’t super remarkable, but Aloy’s running commentary was a little more intriguing. She could explain enemies typically found in the surrounding area and flag her own health levels and that she’s under attack.

Unfortunately, the video was pulled offline, but with GDC around the corner, hopefully, Sony will have more to share soon.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-121544992.html?src=rss