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Uber has new shuttle routes for NYC travelers. Less than six months after launching bus rides between LaGuardia Airport and Manhattan, the company is adding four routes between John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Manhattan.

Beginning on Thursday, you can book up to four seats for one of the new routes. You can reserve them as early as seven days in advance or as late as two minutes before you hop on. Each bus has a 14-passenger limit at launch. Much like your flight, you can bring one piece of luggage weighing up to 50 lbs and a personal item that fits in your lap or under your seat. When you get onboard, the driver will verify your identity with a QR code and PIN.

The four new routes include stops at either Port Authority Terminal and Grand Central Terminal or Chinatown and Atlantic Terminal. Each of those two Manhattan courses is split into two additional routes — one to JFK's Terminal 4 and another to Terminal 5. They run every 30 minutes, from 5AM to 10:45PM, all week.

The JFK shuttles will typically cost "up to $25" for one way, but Uber is launching the new rides with introductory one-way pricing of $10 through April 30.

Uber says it's booked hundreds of thousands of shuttle seats since it launched its LaGuardia routes last fall. Although it can be a handy way to get around (and cheaper than hailing a cab), there's a free public transit shuttle running between the airport and the subway. As Redditor u/Kufat opined about Uber's shuttles in October, "This is for tourists who think they'll get stabbed the moment they enter the subway."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/uber-adds-new-shuttle-rides-between-jfk-airport-and-manhattan-100039821.html?src=rss

Few things are more panic-inducing than a phone’s battery hitting five percent when you’re nowhere near a charger. That’s what power banks are for. Keep a full one in your bag and you’ll never have to worry about a dead phone (or tablet or even laptop) again. For over two years, I’ve tested dozens of portable chargers, ranging from small MagSafe-compatible packs to massive 27,500-milliamp-hour bricks. Not every battery out there is a winner, and the tech seems to be steadily improving — what I’m testing in 2025 definitely outshines what I was trying out in 2022. So this guide is here to help you pick the best power bank for any situation, along with our advice on what to consider when picking out a portable charger.

Table of contents

• Best power banks for 2025

• How we test best power banks

• What to look for in a portable battery pack

• Other power banks we tested

Best power banks for 2025

What to look for in a portable battery pack Battery type

Nearly every rechargeable power bank you can buy (and most portable devices) contain a lithium-ion battery. These beat other current battery types in terms of size-to-charge capacity, and have even increased in energy density by eight fold in the past 14 years. They also don’t suffer from a memory effect (where a battery's lifespan deteriorates due to partial charges).

One drawback you may have heard is the possibility of lithium ion batteries catching fire. To limit the danger, battery packs require internal mechanisms to limit things like voltage and pressure. While you should still make sure a battery isn’t exposed to unnecessary stress like excessive heat, damage from drops or operating in freezing weather, battery packs are considered safe enough to bring on an airplane. According to the TSA, external batteries rated at 100Wh or less (which all of our recommendations are) can fly with you – just make sure you stash them in your carryon as they aren’t allowed in checked baggage.

Capacity

Power bank manufacturers almost always list a battery’s capacity in milliamp hours, or mAh. Smaller batteries with a 5,000mAh capacity make good phone chargers and can fill a smartphone to between 50 and 75 percent. Larger batteries that can recharge laptops and tablets, or give phones multiple charges, can exceed 25,000mAh and we have a separate guide that covers that entire category. 

Unsurprisingly, the prices on most batteries goes up as mAh capacity increases, and since batteries are physical storage units, size and weight go up with capacity as well. If you want more power, be prepared to spend more and carry around a heavier brick.

You might think that a 10,000mAh power bank could charge a 5,000mAh phone to 100 percent twice, but that’s not the case. In addition to simple energy loss through heat dissipation, factors like voltage conversion also bring down the amount of juice that makes it into your phone. Most manufacturers list how many charges a battery can give a certain smartphone. In our tests, 10,000mAh of battery pack capacity translated to roughly 5,800mAh of device charge. 20,000mAh chargers delivered around 11,250mAh to a device, and 25,000mAh banks translated to about 16,200mAh of charge. That’s an average efficiency rate of around 60 percent.

Wireless

More manufacturers are making power banks with wireless charging. Not hassling with cables is nice, but it’s important to note that wireless charging is less efficient than plugging in your phone. Outside of MagSafe options, wireless portable chargers historically didn’t make the cut for our top picks for this guide for that reason. The Qi2 wireless charging standard arrived last year and improves performance for wireless charging, including for portable banks. Currently, iPhones are the only handsets that support the new tech, but as it’s an open standard, expect Google, Samsung and others to adopt it for future phones. In my testing, I’ve noticed an uptick in the performance of non-Qi2-enabled batteries as well, so you'll now see wireless options on this list.

Ports

Since Apple ditched the Lightning cable and adopted USB-C, we’re getting closer to a standard for charging connections — and all of our picks have at least one such port. But plenty of other devices use older interfaces, like USB-A and microUSB ports, plus Lightning for older iPhones. You can find cables with just about any combination of those connections, so when you’re picking out a battery, just check that one end of your preferred cord will fit.

Most battery packs have more than one port, which gives you different charging options. You’ll typically see at least one port labeled “in/out,” which means you can use it to both charge the bank and charge your device. While USB-A output ports can power up smartphones and other small devices, they can’t charge larger devices. Plus, they aren’t as fast as USB-C ports overall. That’s something to keep in mind when you’re deciding which ports and charging cables to use to connect your phone to the pack.

There’s even more variation among USB-C ports themselves, with different ports on the same device supporting different power transfer rates. What that means in practical terms is an iPhone will charge just fine plugged into a power bank’s 18W port. But to properly charge, say, a MacBook or similar laptop, it’ll need the extra juice supplied by a 100W port (which larger power banks can offer). Power banks with more than one port can also charge multiple devices at the same time, but speeds and the overall charge delivered will be lower.

You’ll also want to consider your charging cable. For anything larger than a smartphone (and to access fast-charging capabilities) you’ll want to use USB-C ports and cables. But not all cables are created equal, even when they have the same USB-C plugs on the end. If you want power delivery from a 100W USB-C power bank port, you’ll need a 100W-rated USB-C cable. Luckily, power banks capable of delivering 100W tend to include a compatible cable. For any devices that don’t, we’ve tried and liked Anker’s 100W USB-C cable. For smaller devices, we used this 60W cable from Nimble and we don’t recommend bothering with cables under 60W. For around $20, higher-capacity charging cables will make sure you’re not wasting time with connections that limit your potential power transfer.

Design

For the most part, these rechargeable batteries have a squared-off, brick-like design, though many nod towards aesthetics with attractive finishes and detailing. While that doesn’t affect how they perform, it’s a consideration for something you’ll interact with regularly. Some portable power stations include extra features like MagSafe compatibility, a built-in wall plug or even a kickstand. Nearly all have some sort of indicator to let you know how much available charge your power bank has left, usually expressed with lighted pips near the power button. Some of the newer banks take that a step further with an LED display indicating remaining battery percentage.

How we test best power banks

Before we even put our hands on a battery pack, we did extensive research. We considered brands Engadget reviewers and staff have tried over the years and we checked out customer ratings on retail sites like Amazon and Best Buy. Then we get our hanHere’s the full list of power banks we've tested, which range from small wireless banks to large, multi-device batteries.

Amy Skorheim for Engadget MagSafe-compatible

• Apple MagSafe Battery Pack (5,000 mAh)

• Spigen ArcHybrid Mag (5,000mAh)

• Anker 521 Magnetic Battery (5,000 mAh)

• Mophie snap+ PowerstationMmini (5,000mAh)

• Baseus Magnetic (10,000mAh)

• Anker MagGo Power Bank (6.6K) (6,600 mAh)

• Anker 633 Magnetic Battery (10,000mAh)

• Anker MagGo Power Bank (10K) (10,000 mAh)

• UGREEN 10,000mAh Magnetic (10,000mAh)

• EcoFlow Rapid Magnetic (5,000mAh) 

Low capacity (≤10,000mAh)

• Mophie Juice Pack (2,400mAh)

• Anker 511 Power Bank (5,000 mAh)

• Anker 313 Power Bank (10,000mAh)

• Nimble Champ (10,000mAh)

• Biolite Charge 40 PD (10,000mAh)

• Anker Nano (5,000mAh)

• Nimble Champ (10,000mAh)

• Satechi Quatro Wireless bank (10,000mAh)

• Anker 10K Fusion power bank (10,000mAh)

Mid capacity (10,001 - 20,000mAh)

• Baseus Blade 2 (12,000 mAh)

• Otterbox Fast Charge (15,000mAh)

• Mophie Powerstation Pro (20,000mAh)

• Anker Prime (20,000mAh)

• Nestout Portable Charger (15,000mAh)

• Nimble Champ Pro (20,000mAh)

High capacity (20,001mAh+)

• Mophie Powerstation Pro XL (25,000mAh)

• UGREEN Power Bank 25,000mAh 145W (25,000mAh)

• Anker 737 Power Bank (25,600 mAh)

• Zendure Supertank Pro (26,800mAh)

• Mophie Powerstation Pro AC (27,000mAh)

• Lion Energy Eclipse Mag (27,000mAh)

• Lion Energy Trek (27,000mAh)

• HyperJuice 245W (27,000mAh)

• Anker Prime 27,650mAh Power Bank (27,650mAh)

• Anker laptop power bank with built-in cable (25,000mAh)

We're continuously updating this guide as companies release new products and we test them. We remove some products as we find picks that are more worthy of the best portable charger designation. We also add updated specs and prices where necessary. 

For testing, I used each battery with some combination of an iPhone 15, an iPhone 14 Plus, an iPhone 11, a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, a Galaxy S23 Ultra, a 5th-gen iPad Air and an M1 Pro 16-inch MacBook Pro. I charged one phone battery at a time, even though some packs are capable of multiple-device charging. I charged the phones and tablets from between zero and five percent until they were 100 percent full (or until the power bank was dead), and didn’t use the phones or tablets while they charged other than to power them on and enter the unlock code. In the case of the MacBook, I used it while it was charging (it’s my work computer).

I used the charging cable included with each power bank to charge the Galaxy S22 Ultra, MacBook Pro and the iPad Air. For the iPhones, I used the USB-C to Lighting cable that Apple provides. In the case of the lower-capacity power banks that didn’t include a cord or included one with USB-C to USB-A connectors, I used this 60W-rated USB-C to USB-C cable.

For reference, here are the battery capacities of each device we used for testing:

• iPhone 11: 3,110 mAh

• iPhone 14 Plus: 4,325 mAh

• iPhone 15: 3,349 mAh

• Galaxy S22 Ultra: 4,855mAh

• iPad Air: 7,729mAh

• 16-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro: 27,027mAh

I noted the times for each charge and the number of charges each bank provided. I also paid attention to things like ease of use and overall design.

Other power banks we tested Anker Prime 20,000 mAh power bank

Anker’s Prime bank was our previous pick for the best premium power bank, but I thought it worked best with the expensive (yet very convenient) base. Considering it also doesn’t have any built-in cables, we decided to bump the Prime battery from its position and replace it with the Anker Retractable Cable Laptop Bank. There’s still plenty to like about the Prime battery: it’s solid, attractive and tells you just how much charge it has left with its onboard display. When you add the optional base, you not only get a convenient drop-and-go way to recharge, it also acts as a charging hub with three additional USB ports.

EcoFlow Rapid magnetic

I was curious to try out the first power bank from EcoFlow, a company that primarily makes larger power stations and whole-home backup batteries. The first offering in the brand’s Rapid series is a Qi2-enabled magnetic charger with a 5,000mAh capacity. It looks quite nice with shiny silver accents and soft-touch grey plastic on the MagSafe-compatible front. There’s a little pull-out leg that sturdily displays your phone as it charges and the attached USB-C cable lets you refill devices directly, then tucks out of the way when it’s not in use. But it didn’t outperform our top pick in the MagSafe category, in terms of both charging speeds and the amount of charge delivered.

Baseus Blade 2

The Blade 2 from Baseus has a unique, flat shape that’s just a little wider than an ereader — which may make it easier to slip into a low profile laptop bag. It charged a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra considerably faster than any other battery bank we tried, getting it from four percent to full in just over an hour. It then filled the phone back to 62 percent from dead on a second charge in about a half an hour. But $100 is a lot for a standard power bank that holds fewer than two full charges. But if you can find the Blade 2 on sale, snap it up.

Anker MagGo (6.6K)

Anker’s 6.6k MagGo is pretty similar to our top pick for a MagSafe-compatible battery pack. It supports the Qi2 charging standard and props up your iPhone so you can use it or enable StandBy mode while powering up. This one even lets you set the viewing angle from 30 to 65 degrees. It was speedy in getting an iPhone 15 up to 50 percent in about 40 minutes. But for the added bulk, it doesn’t have as much capacity as the 10K MagGo, holding just enough juice for a single full charge plus about 5 percent. But it is $20 cheaper, which may be key for some.

Mophie Snap+ Powerstation Mini

The Mophie snap+ Powerstation Mini is terribly well-built. It feels premium with a rubberized contact point for the MagSafe charging pad and a stand that runs the entire width of the bank itself, making it extra sturdy. It’s compact, too, but only carries a 5,000mAh capacity, which gets you a partial charge on most newer or larger phones. Our current MagSafe/iPhone pick has double the capacity, a stand and a digital display — for just $20 more than the Powerstation Mini.

Power bank FAQs What's the difference between a portable power bank and a portable charger?

A slew of terms are used to describe power banks, including portable batteries, portable chargers, external battery packs and even, somewhat confusingly, USB chargers, which is what wall chargers are often called. They all mean the same thing: a lithium ion battery that stores a charge so you can refill a smartphone, tablet, earbuds, console controller, ereader, laptop, or just about any other device with its own built-in, rechargeable battery. 

There’s little difference between the terms, so the specs you’ll want to pay attention to are capacity (expressed in mAh), size and weight so you can find the right balance between recharging what you need and portability.

Power stations, on the other hand, are distinct. These are bigger units (often around the size of a car battery) that can be used to charge multiple devices multiple times, but notably, they can’t be taken on airplanes.

Does fast charging actually ruin your battery?

Not exactly. The real enemy of a battery’s longevity is heat. The faster you charge a battery, the more heat is generated. Modern phones have features that keep the battery cool while charging, like physical heat shields and heat sinks, as well as software features that slow down processes that generate too much heat. Phone manufacturers are keen to promote a phone’s fast-charging abilities, so they had to figure out ways to make faster charging work.

While there aren’t long-term studies on what fast charging does to a phone, a study on EV batteries (which use the same general concept of charged lithium ions flowing from one side of the battery to the other, absorbing or releasing a usable charge) showed a very slight decrease in capacity over time with only fast charging — though what actually made a larger difference was how hot the battery itself was, due to ambient temperatures, when it was charged.

In short, fast charging could be slightly harder on your battery than normal charging. But the safeguards most smartphones have make that difference fairly negligible. To really ensure you’re taking the best care of your battery, limiting heat exposure overall is one of the best things you can do.

Can you use a power bank for all your devices?

That depends on the size of the bank and the size of your device’s battery. A small 5,000mAh battery isn’t strong enough to charge laptops, but a portable charger with a 20,000mAh capacity will give your computer a partial refill. You also have to consider port compatibility. If your device has a USB port, you’ll be able to easily find a cable to connect it to a battery. If your device has a more unique port, such as a DC port, you won’t be able to use a battery. Devices with an AC cable and plug can be charged, and sometimes powered (such as in the case of a printer or speaker), by larger laptop batteries with AC ports.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-power-bank-143048526.html?src=rss

Not everyone needs to spend a fortune to get a mobile phone that does everything they want. The best budget Android phones prove you can snag a new phone with great performance, solid build quality and all the key features you actually care about — without the hefty price tag. You might not get a flagship device with every bell and whistle, but for most people, that’s probably just fine.

Maybe you’re not chasing the latest camera system or trying to capture the perfect selfie, and instead, you just want a decent camera, a smooth AMOLED display and a battery that lasts all day. These budget-friendly phones are designed to deliver exactly that, focusing on practicality and value while still offering impressive camera quality and features that hit the right price point. If you’re ready to upgrade without breaking the bank, these are the best Android phones you can get on a budget.

Table of contents

• Best budget Android phones for 2025

• How cheap should you go for an Android?

• What to look for in a cheap phone

• Android phone FAQs

Best budget Android phones for 2025

How cheap should you go for an Android?

We tend to define a budget phone as costing between $150 and $350. Any lower and the device runs the risk of suffering from too many compromises, and above that, you cross over to pricier midrange handsets (if you're open to spending more, we shouted out a couple of our favorites at the very end of this guide).

But for those with a little wiggle room, there are some things to consider. For example, a child may be better off with a cheaper device, especially if it’s intended mainly for emergencies or texting parents (and not social media). On the higher end of this price spectrum, sub-$350 phones have come a long way thanks to improved performance, better cameras with low-light capabilities, fast charging, and nicer displays like AMOLED panels. This makes them a viable alternative to, say, a flagship handset with a premium design, even if you have the flexibility to spend more.

What to look for in a cheap phone

When it comes to cheap phones, you get what you pay for. Most smartphones in this price range are made out of plastic, though the fit and finish of a specific model can vary a lot based on price. A bright screen is also important. Typically you’ll get LCD panels with a 60Hz or 90Hz refresh rate, but some phones may have OLED or AMOLED screens with increased color saturation. Long battery life is critical as well, so we tend to favor devices with larger power cells of around 5,000 mAh. In this price range, performance can vary a lot, so look for devices with at least 8GB of RAM and processors that can deliver stutter-free visuals. It’s also important to consider support length: as periodic security updates and lengthy software support can extend the longevity of your device, which will save you money in the long run.

Android phone FAQs What's the price difference for a cheap Android vs a cheap iPhone?

iPhones tend to be more expensive compared to Android phones — even the cheapest iPhone, the iPhone SE, which starts from $429, is a harder pill to swallow compared to a cheap Android phone. In contrast, you can get your hands on a cheap Android device for as low as $100.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/best-budget-android-phone-160029327.html?src=rss

YouTube Shorts has introduced a change that brings analytics for its bite-sized video option into closer parity with rival services TikTok and Instagram. The video platform will remove the minimum play time requirement it previously had for a user watching a clip to count as a view.

Beginning March 31, a "view" will be added any time a YouTube Short is played or replayed. This will likely mean that creators will see higher view counts after the change takes place. YouTube will continue to track "engaged views," which measure the number of times a clip was played "for a certain number of seconds." YouTube clarified that the shift would not impact Creator earnings or their eligibility for the YouTube Partner Program; both will continue to be assessed by the engaged view metric.

Both Instagram and TikTok have defined a "view" as the number of times a video starts playing, although those platforms also offer metrics for tracking time spent watching a piece of content. Considering YouTube Shorts, Instagram and TikTok have each claimed upwards of a billion monthly users, it makes sense that they count views similarly so that creators can better assess how many of those people they are reaching across the services.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/youtube-is-changing-how-it-calculates-views-for-shorts-233058880.html?src=rss

Up until late last year, a popular brunch spot in Shanghai with free-flowing alcohol that was not too expensive was the Bull & Claw.

“It was housed in a beautiful villa-style lane house [with] three floors,” said Rachel Gouk of the Shanghai-based food and drink blog Nomfluence. “That was a lot of overhead to manage just to do brunch, which has an average check of [$50 including] three hours of free-flowing drinks.”

Bull & Claw is part of the Australian firm Camel Hospitality Group, which also ran a handful of gyms and other restaurants serving Italian, Mexican and Thai food. Last November, it shut all its restaurants and bars, and the gyms now operate under a new entity. Camel group sent a WeChat message to all its staff announcing the sudden changes.

“We received a PDF document from our boss Tony Finocchiaro,” graphics designer Joan Dai said. “The document said that the company had dissolved, and every employee’s contract had been terminated. It said our salaries would be ‘prioritized’ as soon as the company’s bankruptcy liquidation was complete. Then the boss disappeared, and he hasn’t answered our calls since. He just ghosted us.”

Protest signs set up by former Camel group employees demanding outstanding wages and compensation. (Courtesy Joan Dai)

While catering revenues in China went up by 5.3% last year, profits in cities like Beijing dropped by 81% in 2024 compared to a year earlier. In Shanghai, where catering and accommodation data are combined, profits are estimated to have decreased by a third last year. Many restaurants have closed and sometimes abruptly.

Marketplace tried, without luck, to reach the former bosses of Camel group for comment.

The firm was established in 2010, when times were good.

“They were printing money back in the day,” Gouk said.

In a statement she obtained from the Camel group, the firm wrote it was a “difficult” decision to close all their venues but that “the current challenging market environment have made it unsustainable to continue.”

The firm’s procurement and sourcing manager Cathy Guo was part of the layoffs but still fronted calls from anxious and sometimes angry suppliers who blamed her for not giving them a warning before the closure.

“I had an emotional breakdown and cried for a long time when I picked up those phone calls,” she said. “[Camel boss Tony] should have come up with a proper plan, like negotiating with suppliers to pay them at a discounted rate and pay our workers [what they’re owed].”

Marketplace reached one of the vendors the Camel group owes money to, which was luckily not a large amount.

“It was something like 2000 yuan ($280) that was outstanding. So it wasn’t that much,” said Maria, who manufactures and distributes alcohol to restaurants.

Marketplace is not using her full name because she worries about official retaliation for speaking about the economy in less than glowing terms, which has happened to top economists in the country.

“I think it’s extremely hard to get people to dine out right now,” she said.

A popular brunch spot, the Bull & Claw, abruptly closed in late November when the restaurant’s parent company, Camel group, declared bankruptcy to the surprise of employees and suppliers. (Charles Zhang/Marketplace)

That is because of China’s real estate slump. People in China invest most, if not all, their savings in property, which used to be a safe bet until the market dropped.

“[China] overbuilt and there’s a lot of vacant properties,” Maria said. “So, when real estate has started to sort of hit this brick wall, a lot of people have seen their main assets decrease quite a lot, and therefore they’re tightening their purse strings.”

Meanwhile, restaurants have a lot of fixed costs, according to longtime Shanghai resident and Bostonian Scott Minoie.

In 2001, he co-founded the Element Fresh restaurant chain, which was popular for its sandwiches, salads and smoothies.

“[For] 10 to 12 years we were like the rest of China, which is growth. Massive growth,” Minoie said. “What shifted 2012 to 2014 is [that] rents continued to go up. Labor costs doubled and tripled.”

He said companies, which previously did not have to pay social security taxes for out-of-town workers, were suddenly required to do so. Social security taxes in China are “astronomically high” said Minoie — about 40% of payroll.

“The cost started to outpace the revenue growth. We started to see per-restaurant profit level decline because revenue would go up by 5% [and] costs go up by 15%, 20% year-on-year,” he said.

Restaurateur and CEO of True Legend Hospitality group Bryce Jenner once ran seven sports bars and restaurants, a beer brand and a company importing and distributing liquor. Now he is down to just one venue, his Mexican food outlet Pistolera.

He said the first big shift in his business came in 2018, when Chinese leader Xi Jinping got rid of the two-term limit on the presidency, shaking consumer confidence.

“The optimism went,” he said.

Then came the pandemic lockdowns.

Restaurants like the Element Fresh chain officially closed in 2021, though Minoie had already quit the business three years prior.

In 2022, the Shanghai government forced 25 million residents to stay home for over two months. For the remainder of that year, there were layers of restrictions that changed daily.

There was a brief moment of optimism after the pandemic restrictions were fully lifted in 2023. Betting that pent-up consumer demand would drive economic recovery, Jenner re-opened one of his biggest restaurants and bars, the Social House, in the spring of 2023.

“[I thought] there is no way this great country that was so solid [couldn’t] get back on its footing quickly,” he said. “I was quite bullish, and I was very wrong. That sank me.”

A restaurant worker trying to attract diners in Shanghai. More restaurants are competing for a customer pool that is not spending as much as usual. (Charles Zhang/Marketplace)

He closed the large venue two and a half months later, racking up debt.

“We’re seeing a lot of closures because not only is the economy bad, but we have an oversupply of restaurants,” Gouk said.

Competition comes from other western restaurants and also Chinese restaurants.

“I go around Shanghai, and you can see in Beijing as well, the local Chinese restaurants are better than a lot of the Western restaurants. They really pay attention to decor, to service and social media,” Minoie said.

Following the Camel group closure, a pioneer in food delivery in China, Sherpa’s, aimed at the expat community, quietly shut its app after 23 years. It lost out to platforms Meituan and Alibaba’s Ele.me.

An empty Mexican restaurant in Shanghai under the Camel group after it announced its closure late last year. (Charles Zhang/Marketplace)

Jenner said he is friends with the Camel group owners and the last time they met was over a year ago to discuss what they should do in the downturn.

“I’d said, ‘Hey, maybe we should fight this together.’ And they [grunted and said] ‘Yeah I don’t know.’ And we all sat there pretty sad,” he said.

In the end, Jenner sold parts of his business and closed others.

However, even downsizing costs money. Unlike in the U.S., companies in China are legally required to pay severance to their workers.

“We don’t have a lot of money in the bank and if we let everybody go, that we should let go so that we can cut down on payroll, well, we’ll be in the red immediately with the severance payment,” Minoie said.

“So, you kind of hang on one more month, two more months, three more months. Eventually you run out of cash. And that’s what happened to [Element Fresh].”

A restaurant busy during the lunch hour in Shanghai. Industry insiders say restaurants may look like they’re doing good business but profit margins are shrinking. (Charles Zhang/Marketplace)

Camel group employees are reeling. 

“I knew the company was on the decline, but I didn’t expect [the boss Tony] would do this unbelievable thing. We had worked together for so many years, but he just disappeared,” Guo said.

In addition to fighting for severance pay and last month’s salary they’re owed, some employees found out the company had missed contributions to their social security insurance.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a policy to [allow employers to] postpone the social security payments. It lasted for about a year,” Dai said, adding that the Camel group never made up for the payments.

For people like chef Alan Liang who come from a different province, social security also determines access to local services.

“The Camel group stopped making social security payments for over a year for me. So, my child can’t go to public school in Shanghai. It’s stressful,” he said, adding that his child has had to return to his hometown for schooling.

A new tenant moves into the former Bull & Claw location in Shanghai three months after the abrupt closure of the Camel restaurant group. (Charles Zhang/Marketplace)

Today, some of the more established restaurants are still packed, but consumption habits have changed.

“People aren’t buying the drinks and they’re not buying the extra appetizers. They’re not buying that bowl of soup. They’re not buying the coffees,” Jenner said.

Items that can increase the tab by 30% to 40% he said.

Until China’s overall economy improves, Jenner said restaurant profits will likely be very thin.

Meanwhile, many restaurants in Shanghai offer discounts on apps.

“It’s a race to the bottom,” Jenner said.

Additional research by Charles Zhang.

The MetLife & U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Index slid nearly 7 points over the past quarter, wiping out its postelection gains. 

Small-business owners still think the economy is on pretty solid ground, but they’re feeling uncertain. Hence the gloom. 

It’s been a quiet March for René Hidalgo, owner of Don Pepe Mexican restaurant in Houston. And he thinks that has a lot to do with the fact that he raised prices this year because his costs keep going up.

“Sometimes people comment, ‘Whoa, that’s a little too much for a breakfast taco or breakfast plate.’ But I have no option. You know, we have to pay for employees. You know, all our other bills, rent, electricity bill and all that,” Hidalgo said.

And rising food costs — especially eggs.  

Instead of raising prices, some business owners are just taking the hit. 

Janessa Purney owns Erskine’s Grain & Garden, a farm supply store in Chester, Vermont. She recently ordered wood shavings — for animal bedding — from Canada, and her supplier crossed the border right before President Donald Trump rescinded his 25% tariffs.

“I paid 20% extra. They swallowed 5% for me. So that kind of thing is really disconcerting. Thinking about those types of things are making it hard to plan cash flow,” she said.

The Chamber of Commerce survey found a sharp uptick in the number of business owners who feel concerned about their future revenue.

“We know that that revenue, depending on how much of a chunk is taken out from inflation, is really what is going to result in growth, stability or decline,” said Tom Sullivan, the chamber’s vice president of small business policy. 

It’ll determine, he said, whether businesses feel like they can hire more workers or make capital investments. But right now, what he’s seeing “are small business owners hitting the pause button on growth plans for 2026 and beyond.”

In Houston, René Hidalgo hopes business picks up in the next few months. Because right now, he’s at the front counter, seven days a week.

“And I’m working here since opening in the morning till closing because I cannot afford to have another person, you know, like a manager or something,” he said.

If business picked up, Hidalgo could hire someone and take some time off.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox has signed the App Store Accountability Act into law, making it the first state to require that app store makers verify their users' ages. Under this law, people in Utah will need to be over age 18 to make a new account with an app store; underage users will either need to link their account to a parent's so that the adult can give permission for the child to use certain apps.

The legislation is intended to protect children and teens, according to bill sponsor Todd Weiler, a Republican state senator. However, it has also raised questions about privacy and where the burden of responsibility falls to ensure that underage users don't see inappropriate content. Meta, Snap and X have supported the measure. "We applaud Governor Cox and the State of Utah for being the first in the nation to empower parents and users with greater control over teen app downloads, and urge other states to consider this groundbreaking approach," the three companies said in a joint statement Wednesday. "This approach spares users from repeatedly submitting personal information to countless individual apps and online services."

Google, which runs the Play Store, had opposed the bill, and called on the governor to veto the measure. We've reached out to Apple and Google for comment now that the bill has been signed into law.

As it stands, the App Store Accountability Act is slated to take effect on May 7, but it seems likely that it will face legal challenges. Digital privacy groups have opposed the law and others like it, noting security concerns about how sensitive age verification data will be used or protected. Other state laws requiring online services to confirm users' ages have also prompted lawsuits.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/utah-just-became-the-first-state-in-the-country-to-pass-an-age-verification-law-for-app-stores-225846117.html?src=rss

When the March jobs report comes out in early April, Marketplace will note the new unemployment rate at the top of our newscasts. And we’ll be quoting what the Bureau of Labor Statistics describes as the official unemployment rate — identified as U-3 in the jargon of the agency’s statisticians.

The U-3 unemployment rate was 4.1% in February, up from 4% in January.

But buried in the monthly jobs report are five more unemployment rates, labeled U-1 through U-6. They measure various aspects of what the BLS calls labor underutilization. As of February, those rates ranged from 1.5% (U-1) all the way up to 8% (U-6).

Six rates to measure joblessness may seem like a lot. But they tell different stories about the labor market and whether it’s working for American households.

Take, for example, 25-year-old Aurora Azbill from Dayton, Ohio. She turned her passion for theater into a profession.

“I build costumes,” she said.

Azbill moved to New York City two years ago with a theater-tech degree and soon landed a job in a shop making costumes for movies, cruise ship theatricals and Broadway shows.

“While I had a 9 to 5, if Broadway is not doing any cast changes, nothing’s opening, hours get cut,” said Azbill. “I would walk in in the morning, my boss would be like, ‘Sorry girl. Like, we don’t have any work for you, you can go home. Maybe I’ll see you in two weeks.’”

When this happened, she’d try to find short-term freelance gigs to tide her over.

“You can’t really fall back on ‘Oh, well I’ll just file for unemployment,'” she said. “You’re constantly looking for work.”

So Azbill had a job, though she sometimes didn’t get any hours or a paycheck. She did temp jobs in her field, but that didn’t pay as consistently as her regular 9 to 5. And all the while, she would be aggressively looking for a new job.

So, would Azbill be counted in the monthly jobs report as “unemployed” or “underemployed”? It’s actually not an easy answer.

Victoria Gregory is a labor economist at the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank. She said that each of the unemployment rates the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes tries to get at a different slice of people who tell the monthly Current Population Survey that they want to work, but aren’t working, or at least, aren’t working as much as they want to.

“Going from narrowest to broadest,” Gregory explained, “U-1 is just capturing the long-term unemployed, people who have been unemployed for 15 weeks or longer.”

Gregory said this matters because the longer the duration of unemployment, the less likely a worker is to find another job soon.

The next category: U-2. “This starts to add in job losers because of a layoff or a firing or their temporary job ending. When you have a lot of those, it’s typically a bad sign for the labor market,” Gregory said.

This might be the unemployment category Azbill would have fallen under — a temporary layoff, or perhaps she would have been in the next one, U-3, when she gave up on the first job and started looking for a new one.

“U-3 is the official rate,” said Gregory. “It’s the simplest notion of unemployment. It just captures people who want a job and have actively been searching for one within the last four weeks.”

The “official” rate has its virtues, said Harvard economist Lawrence Katz. “The value of the headline number is that we’ve been collecting it the same way for, like, 80 years. It’s comparable over time. It’s comparable internationally.”

But, he continued: “It’s not everybody facing distress in the labor market.”

This has been a long-standing criticism — that the “official” rate is an undercount.

“It doesn’t count you if you’re so discouraged, you’re not doing something active to find work; if you work 10 hours a week but that’s not enough to support yourself and you really want to work full time,” Katz said.

BLS studied the issue, and in 1994 it revised its measures of unemployment. The U-4 rate added “discouraged workers” who say they want and are available to work, have looked in the past year but not the past four weeks, and give a job-market-related reason for not actively looking. U-5 adds all the “marginally attached,” who want and are available to work and have searched in the past year, but not the past four weeks.

The broadest measure, U-6, includes discouraged and other marginally attached workers, plus people who are employed “part-time for economic reasons,” also called underemployed or involuntary part-time workers.

And, as if six different unemployment rates aren’t enough, Lawrence Katz at Harvard daydreams about a seventh. “A more expanded measure in which you included people whose wages were sufficiently low that they couldn’t lift their household out of poverty.”

For now, though, BLS’ limit is six. Rebecca Dixon, president of the National Employment Law Project, follows the U-6 closely. “The U-6 rate bumped up in February to 8%. It was at 7.5% in January,” she said. “Seeing that increase is an example of the labor market slowing down.”

Economist Gary Hoover at Tulane University watches all the rates, but said he pays special attention to the broadest unemployment measures when tracking longer-term trends. He’s most concerned “about what’s happening with the marginally attached part of the workforce, on the periphery of the economy.”

Hoover said these are likely to be workers with the least education and experience, more likely to be women and minorities. They’re the last hired and first fired in a downturn.

For him, the U-6 is “the canary in the coal mine, the harbinger of things to come, and it’ll probably show up later on in the U-3.”

Back in New York City, Aurora Azbill has left the unemployment rolls entirely, for now.

After being laid off at the end of 2024, she started a new job in February. “I needed a little bit more stability,” she said. “I’ve recently accepted a full-time position in the drapery part of things. So instead of clothes, I’m working with big curtains.”

They always need mending or replacing, as long as there are shows playing at the opera, the ballet, on cruise ships and on Broadway.

Universities that rely on federal grants and funding have been hit hard by cuts to federal programs. Research funding for the University of Pennsylvania has reportedly been frozen, federal grants for Columbia University are being withheld and the National Institutes of Health — by far the largest federal funder of university research — announced last month that it would cut the rate it pays for university facility costs on the scale of billions.

Some might say that these cuts are justifiable considering that universities often have large endowments and the schools can draw from those funds instead. However, those endowments are complicated, and as Elizabeth Popp Berman, a professor of organizational studies at the University of Michigan, argues, they can’t make up the difference from lost federal funding.

Berman joined “Marketplace” host Kai Ryssdal to talk about why that is and what losing this funding means for universities. The following is an edited transcript of their conversation.

Kai Ryssdal: So, uh. I guess we start at the very beginning here, which is endowments. What are they? Because contrary to popular opinion, they are not just a giant pool of money.

Elizabeth Popp Berman: Right. The first thing to know about endowments is that they are actually tens of thousands of little specific funds. So when a donor gives money to the university, they give it with some specific intent in mind. So maybe it’s for a particular kind of cancer research, or maybe it is for a particular scholarship. Then the university agrees to hold that money and is allowed to spend the interest on it effectively on those specific things.

Ryssdal: So a dollar is not a dollar is not a dollar. Right? They can’t, you know, sort of replace that with something else. They just, they gotta do that.

Berman: Exactly, and that’s oversimplifying a little, but that’s what most of the endowment actually is.

Ryssdal: OK, so to the matter at hand, federal funding gets cut — as is happening now, and chances are it’s gonna happen more in the future — the point of this post is that university endowments cannot make up the difference. And the question then has to be why?

Berman: Yeah, I think there’s a couple of reasons really. First, they’re just not that large relative to the amount of money that the government contributes to universities. You know, most recently we’ve seen Columbia had $400 million immediately pulled from it. But the [Trump] administration said they [Columbia] had $5 billion in contracts outstanding that could be pulled, right? So even though Columbia’s got a $15 billion endowment, much of which they legally can’t spend anyway, it can’t cover something like that on more than a one-time basis.

Ryssdal: The other thing you point out in this post is that, and I think you cite the University of Michigan, your university specifically, it’s got like a $19-ish billion endowment, but it has tens of thousands of students, with huge obligations, and so, on a per-student basis, you can’t get there from here.

Berman: Yeah. And I think that’s another thing too, is that it’s easy to forget just how large these institutions actually are. So the University of Michigan has an annual budget of something around $13 billion, $14 billion. So again, you know, if you sort of translate this into the kinds of terms of kind of an ordinary family, right, if you make $100,000 and you have about that much in savings, it’s not like you can really just retire on that and support yourself.

Ryssdal: We’ve all heard of, and I actually have friends in academia who pointed out, that Ph.D. enrollments are being put on hold if not completely rolled back. What are you seeing in Ann Arbor? And the point to make here clearly is that you don’t speak for the university, but what’s your experience?

Berman: Sure. I mean, I think what you see right now is that research programs are being cut. Lines of work that I think most people in the public would be generally very supportive of — you know, we have a huge medical center that does tons of of cancer research, for example — those programs are just kind of grinding to a halt, and so the university’s doing a lot to try to backstop that in the short run. But right now they’ve said they’re gonna be able to backstop about maybe six months to kind of give people some time to transition, but there’s no long-term solution to federal funds going away.

Ryssdal: With the acknowledgement here that you are an academic and not a tax policy specialist, there is on the table, certainly in Washington, Vice President JD Vance has said he wants to tax university endowments at something like 35%, and they are now, if not tax-free, then much lower levels of taxation. What do you think of that?

Berman: I mean, I think it’s complicated because I do think that it’s a problem for the sector that there’s so much inequality between very wealthy institutions with large endowments, and the majority, you know, a large majority of colleges and universities that have almost no endowment to speak of. So I might support an endowment tax that was going to help fund underfunded parts of higher education. But I think right now what we’re looking at really is a potential endowment tax that is essentially going to fund tax cuts for the well-off.

Ryssdal: You mentioned inequality there. It should be pointed out that there are like 20 institutions of higher learning in this country with, you know, $20 billion endowments, and they get all the attention, but most schools have way less, if any, right? And I guess the point is these endowments do contribute to inequality.

Berman: Yeah. And I think it’s really important to remember is that, you know, when we read the news, we’re really reading about the same handful of five or 10 or 20 institutions that do have these large endowments, but most colleges are not in this position. Your regular regional university down the street that enrolls a lot of students in your community does not have an endowment that’s contributing in any significant way to its bottom line. And rising endowments have kind of contributed to that inequality, but, you know, as part of a larger story.

Ryssdal: All right, so look, here comes the “put up or shut up” question. If federal funding is really going away, which certainly seems to be the case, and endowments can’t make up the difference, as you lay out in this post, now what do we do?

Berman: I think if federal funds truly go away, universities will still exist, but they will just be smaller. They will not be globally competitive, and a lot of really important work that has been getting done will no longer happen.

Codemasters' Formula 1 franchise is back for another lap. Publisher EA says the tracks in F1 2025 have a more realistic look and feel, thanks to LiDAR scanning. The new installment arrives on May 30.

Although EA didn't offer much detail about LiDAR's use, we can safely assume it involved high-resolution 3D scans of real-world tracks to make them as close to a 1:1 representation as possible. (After all, it's the same tech autonomous vehicles use for real-time 3D mapping and object detection.) Regardless, we reached out to EA to try to get more info. We'll update this story if we hear back.

EA / Codemasters

In other areas, F1 25 overhauls My Team, with players now able to serve as the squad's owner and driver. And in the Braking Point story mode, Konnersport has moved up in the world and is now a highly competitive team battling for championships. But wait, "a dramatic event throws the team into chaos," so rest assured the writing team still understands the importance of using obstacles in storytelling.

F1 25 launches on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC on May 30. If you own F1 23 or F1 24, you can save 15 percent off your pre-order of the game's Iconic Edition, which typically costs $80 on PC and $90 on consoles. That variant will add post-launch Braking Point chapters that tie into Apple's upcoming film F1, starring Brad Pitt. Meanwhile, the base game costs $60 on PC and $70 on PlayStation and Xbox.

You can check out the trailer below, featuring cover star Lewis Hamilton.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ea-used-lidar-to-model-the-tracks-in-f1-25-192206031.html?src=rss

Samsung just released a spate of new QLED TVs, after teasing the lineup at CES. The Neo QLED line is the first to feature the company’s Vision AI platform. This allows for new personalization and optimization features. You can pick one up right now, but you might want to open up a line of credit first. The most budget-friendly model is the 55-inch Class Neo QLED 4K QN80F, which comes in at $1,300.

As for 4K models, prices balloon all the way up to $15,000 for the top-of-the-line 98-inch Class Neo QLED 4K QN90F. Samsung also just released some 8K smart TVs with Vision AI. The pricing here starts at $3,300 for a 65-inch model and goes up to $5,300 for the 85-inch version. 

If you need a high-end soundbar to go with that brand new TV, Samsung has got you covered. The company just announced availability for two new soundbar systems. The flagship HW-Q990F costs $1,800 and the HW-Q800F clocks in at $1,000. Both come with the company’s redesigned subwoofer, but the Q990F also includes a pair of rear speakers.

Samsung

They support wireless Dolby Atmos technology, so the cable clutter can go the way of the dodo. All of these products are available right now from Samsung or via third-party retailers.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/samsung-neo-qled-tvs-are-now-available-with-prices-starting-at-1300-184437768.html?src=rss

Amazon has updated Kindles with a new way to navigate books. While nothing will recapture the tactile pleasure of physical page turn buttons, anyone with a Kindle running Version 5.18.1 of Amazon's software will now be able to double-tap the side or back of their e-reader to turn pages.

"Double Tap to Page Turn" can be turned on in the Settings menu under Device Options. Amazon says it works for more than just turning pages. You can also use double taps to scroll through your Home and Library pages, too. Interestingly, the option doesn't use the touchscreen at all. Good E-Reader speculates Amazon is relying on the accelerometer inside Kindles to detect taps.

Along with the update, Amazon is also adding a feature it calls "Recaps for Books in Series." These are short summaries "for thousands of bestselling English language Kindle books in series you have purchased or borrowed." The company already does things like automatically group books from the same series to make them easier to find, but this should save you the trouble of looking up a summary of A Dance with Dragons before diving into The Winds of Winter — assuming it's ever released.

The 5.18.1 update is rolling out now newer Kindles, like the Kindle Colorsoft, and devices as old as the 10th generation Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite. It will also be available on the last of Amazon's e-readers to have physical buttons, the Kindle Oasis. If you don't see it on your device now, you can manually download the update from Amazon's website and install it yourself.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/the-latest-kindle-update-lets-you-turn-pages-by-double-tapping-175452454.html?src=rss

The navigation app Waze is dropping Google Assistant support for iPhones, citing "ongoing difficulties" with integrating the service. The company says it plans on replacing it with an "enhanced voice integration solution" at some point in the future. Google Assistant will still work for Android users.

This is happening a full year after iPhone users began reporting issues related to Google Assistant, with many people noting that voice commands were totally broken. Waze says that it has "not been working as intended for over a year" and that it would rather "phase out Google Assistant on iOS" instead of "patching a feature that has faced ongoing difficulties."

As previously stated, Google Assistant for Waze will continue to work on Android phones. However, there’s a valid question to be asked about how long Android users will continue to be able to issue voice commands in the app via the digital assistant. Google has pledged to transition users away from Google Assistant to Gemini.

As a matter of fact, the company said that "the classic Google Assistant will no longer be accessible on most mobile devices" as the year winds on. It’ll also no longer be available for downloads on app stores starting later this year. Waze has already begun testing Gemini within the platform, which allows users to use natural language to report traffic incidents.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/waze-is-officially-stopping-support-for-google-assistant-on-iphones-173545610.html?src=rss

Canon is expanding its vlogging lineup in a big way with two new models, the R50 V mirrorless and PowerShot V1 compact, both designed to take on cameras in Sony's vlogging lineup. The PowerShot V1 has an interesting new 1.4-inch sensor that's considerably larger than the ones on most compact cameras. The R50 V, meanwhile, matches features from Sony's ZV-E10 II but at a considerably lower price. 

PowerShot V1 compact camera

The PowerShot V1 was already announced and released in Japan, but it's now set to come to North America. It effectively competes with Sony's ZV-1 II 1-inch sensor compact but has a much larger 1.4-inch 22.3MP sensor that's roughly the same size as Micro Four Thirds, but with a horizontal aspect ratio better suited for video. That larger size, along with the 17-52mm (3.1x zoom) f/2.8-4.5 lens, should make it superior to its rival in low light while also offering shallower depth of field.

I've only had the PowerShot V1 for a day, but it's heavy for a compact camera at 426 grams (15 ounces) and fairly thick. There aren't many manual controls other than the top mode dial, a rear setting dial for burst, exposure compensation and other functions, a lens dial for aperture, a camera/video switch and a zoom dial, along with several buttons. It has a 3-inch, one-million-dot fully articulating rear display but no electronic viewfinder, just like the ZV-1 II.  

Steve Dent for Engadget

It can shoot 4K 30 fps supersampled video using the full sensor width, 4K 60p video with a 1.4 times crop or 1080p at 240 fps. Also supported is Canon C-Log3 with 10-bit 4:2:2 capture to improve dynamic range and allow for easier grading. Optical along with digital enhanced stabilization are available and to allay overheating it comes with a built-in cooling fan that allows unlimited shooting times at all resolutions.

Like the ZV-1 II, the PowerShot V1 supports several shooting modes aimed at creators. Those include a "close-up demo mode" that's equivalent to Sony's "product showcase," allowing the camera to quickly focus on an object you hold in front of the camera. Another is "smooth skin mode" for beauty-style shooting, plus "movie IS mode" for vloggers that stabilizes any jolting movements like walking. 

Steve Dent for Engadget

The PowerShot V1 uses Canon's Dual Pixel II autofocus system with subject detection and face/eye tracking and includes a "subject tracking IS" mode that automatically adjusts cropping to center the subject in the frame. You can use it as a 1080p webcam via the USB-C port, while connecting to your smartphone for live streaming. For photography, it sports a physical mechanical shutter and can shoot bursts at up to 30 fps with autofocus in electronic shutter mode. A welcome feature is a built-in ND filter (equivalent to three stops of light reduction) that will allow creators to add more bokeh on sunny days. 

Other features include support for a smallish LP-E17 battery and a single UHS-II card slot along with microphone, headphone and microHDMI connectors. However, the PowerShot V1 isn't cheap at $900. It's set to arrive in April 2025. 

EOS R50 V Steve Dent for Engadget

The R50 V is Canon's first true mirrorless vlogging-specific camera and is clearly designed to go up against Sony's ZV-E10 II. It's slightly taller than the PowerShot V1 but has largely the same dimensions otherwise, and weighs just a bit more if you include the new 14-30mm (21-45mm full-frame equivalent) f/4-6.3 power zoom lens. 

It has a nice array of manual controls including a primary control dial on top, a zoom rocker for supported lenses and an unusual mode dial that lets you select multiple custom video and vlogging modes including Movie Auto Slow Shutter, Slow/Fast Motion Recording and Movie IS Mode. For vloggers it has a fully-articulating 3-inch display but again, no electronic viewfinder.

Steve Dent for Engadget

The R50 V comes with a 24MP APS-C sensor like the EOS R50, while also including features from Canon's Cinema EOS system like C-Log3 capture and 10-bit 4:2:2 video. It can capture supersampled 4K 30 fps video using the full sensor width, 4K 60p video with a crop or 120 fps 1080p video. It's not a bad camera for photographers either, letting them shoot 12 fps bursts using the first-curtain shutter or 15 fps with the electronic shutter, all with continuous autofocus enabled. 

Like the ZV-E10 II it lacks in-body stabilization but does offer optical stabilization with supported lenses, along with electronic stabilization. For situations that require extra shake reduction, the optical and electronic stabilization modes can be combined and there's an enhanced IS mode for abrupt movements like walking.

Steve Dent for Engadget

The R50 V has vlogging-friendly modes like a product showcase-type function along with focus breathing correction. You get Canon's latest Dual Pixel II autofocus system that includes face and eye detection as well as subject tracking for people, animals and vehicles (along with an auto mode). A dedicated button allows you to livestream instantly with four modes supported: UVC/UAC, HDMI, Camera Connect, and Live Switcher Mobile multi-camera. It comes with a single UHS-II card slot and an LP-E17 battery, along with microphone, headphone, microHDMI and USB-C ports.

The R50 V will cost $650 for the body only or $850 with the new RF-S14-30mm F4-6.3 IS STM PZ lens (sold separately for $330). Canon also announced the $1,700 RF 20mm f/1.4L VCM full-frame lens, the latest in its fast hybrid cinema-friendly series that includes the RF24mm f/1.4, RF 35mm f/1.4 and RF 50mm f/1.4 models. As mentioned, I've only had the R50 V and PowerShot V1 cameras for a short time but you can expect a full review of both models shortly.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/canon-goes-all-in-on-vlogging-with-the-powershot-v1-compact-and-r50-v-mirrorless-cameras-170047522.html?src=rss

The Kindle Colorsoft e-reader is on sale for $225 as part of the Amazon Spring Sale. That’s a discount of 20 percent, as the typical price hovers at $280. This deal also comes with three months of Kindle Unlimited, which is a good way to rack up some quick reads.

We loved the Colorsoft in our official review, calling it the "missing link in Amazon’s e-reader lineup." The reason is right in the name. This is the only Kindle with a color screen. The company led the e-reader space for 17 years before releasing a model that could display color. Amazon says it took so long because the technology just wasn’t good enough to implement until recently.

The end result? The colors do really pop. This is a great choice for those who primarily read full-color materials like comics and graphic novels. There’s a pinch-to-zoom feature to get closer to details and an auto-adjusting front light. Just like most modern Kindles, the pages turn fast and the lag is minimal. It’s also waterproof, for reading poolside or in the bathtub.

This model doesn’t include lock screen ads by default, which is nice. The primary downside here is the cost. It’s hard to recommend any e-reader for $280, even if it displays color. This is a premium product, however, so it’s easy to recommend it at $225.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-kindle-colorsoft-is-20-percent-off-during-the-amazon-spring-sale-162409959.html?src=rss

Indie publishers and developers are once again teaming up to show off the fruits of their labor in a gaming showcase from The Triple-i Initiative. The second edition will take place on April 10 (the same date as last year's show) at noon ET.

The first showcase included the announcements of The Rogue Prince of Persia and Slay the Spire 2, along with expansion reveals for Brotato and Vampire Survivors. Major updates for Palworld, Risk of Rain 2 and V Rising were unveiled as well.

This time around, you can expect 45 minutes of world premieres, gameplay reveals, release dates, demo drops and more from 30-plus games. V Rising will be on show again this year, alongside the likes of Enshrouded and Deep Rock Galactic. The showcase trailer includes a peek at Sifu developer Sloclap's intriguing 5v5 arcade soccer game, Rematch, so it looks like we'll get an update on that one. Vampire Survivors studio Poncle is also among the list of developers with something to reveal.

Not only that, Playstack, the publisher of a little game called Balatro, has something up its sleeve. "We had been saving our big announcement for a special showcase," Marta Matyjewicz, marketing manager at Playstack, said in a statement. "We were amazed by the quality of last year’s Triple-i, so when the opportunity came to be a part of it, we knew we had to take it. It’s truly an honor to showcase our game alongside so many awesome titles." Insert three side eyes emoji here.

You'll be able to watch the showcase on several platforms, including YouTube, Twitch, Bilibili and Steam. After the main event, there will be a post-show including deep dives on some of the games. A week-long sale featuring games from both editions of Triple-i Initiative will go live on Steam, Epic Games Store, Humble and elsewhere on the same day as the showcase.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-triple-i-initiative-indie-game-showcase-returns-on-april-10-160402636.html?src=rss

Mike Samples is proud of the “Made in the USA” stamp he puts on his products. He’s owner of Monster Rings and Cages in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, and manufactures boxing rings and cages for fighting sports like wrestling and mixed martial arts. The company ships products all over the world and has made countless fighting rings for movie sets and even Madison Square Garden.

Samples sources as much steel from U.S. suppliers as he can.

“In the boxing and MMA community, you have a lot of ex-military people, and they certainly are happy to see ‘Made in the USA,’” Samples said.

One might expect tariffs on imported metal would just raise the prices of imported metal, but Samples said the price of his American-made steel is going up too.

His supplier for U.S. steel recently raised prices from about 60 cents per pound to 75 cents, he said. That’s about a 20% increase. Imported steel has a 25% hike from tariffs.

Samples believes paying a little more is worth it — especially if it can help him compete against foreign companies and create new jobs in manufacturing. But there is a limit.

“Now we’re taking some bad-tasting medicine that will eventually make us all good, you know, that’s my hope,” he said.

Monster Rings and Cages owner Mike Samples poses in front of a boxing ring frame assembled on his factory floor. (Justin Hicks/LPM)

Tariffs are causing increases in the price of domestic aluminum too.

Debra Dudley owns Oscarware based out of Bonnieville, Kentucky. It’s a small family company that makes grill accessories. She also hopes tariffs will give her a competitive edge against cheaper Chinese copies.

“We’ve had a lot of competitive knockoffs of everything we’ve done, basically coming in from China at lower cost and lower quality,” she said. “I can’t compete with that.”

Dudley said she’s stocked up on aluminum and has a low price fixed for the rest of the year. But her supplier told her that next time she orders some of that U.S.-made aluminum, prices are going to be higher.

“I’m asking why?” she said. “How are the tariffs on imports going to affect the materials that are actually made in the USA?”

Clark Packard, a researcher at the Cato Institutes, said the answer is pretty simple: U.S. metal makers are raising prices because they can.

“It ultimately comes down to competition, right?” Packard said. “By raising prices of foreign steel and aluminum through tariffs, domestic producers are given a sort of green light to raise their own prices.”

Packard said the rise in prices is also odd because demand is pretty low. The biggest users of raw metal are the automotive and construction industries and they’re waiting for market uncertainty and high borrowing costs to cool down.

“So prices should, in theory, be falling, but because of this added protectionism… It’s unfortunate, but not really surprising,” Packard said.

Packard has heard the argument that folks like Samples have made: maybe this will be a brief moment of pain that ushers in a new golden era of manufacturing, but he’s skeptical.

“It makes it really hard to invest when it’s so uncertain,” he said. “Historically, the economics don’t back up that idea.”

Still, Samples said he supports President Trump’s attempt to use tariffs to bring back manufacturing. And if it doesn’t pay off, he’ll have to wrestle with whatever comes next.

“Days when I think, you know, maybe I should just retire and forget it, which isn’t very often, then I remember, well, there’s nine or 10 families, depending on me,” Samples said, watching his workers grind and weld steel tubes.

The Levoit LVAC-200 cordless vacuum has been discounted to $150 as part of the Amazon Spring Sale. That’s 25 percent off and close to a record-low price. The sale only applies to the standard white model and not the blue one.

The LVAC-200 made our list of the best cordless vacuums. We loved the lightweight design. It only weighs three pounds and it can easily be disassembled for storage. Just pop the cleaning head from the extension arm and the arm from the motor base. It also features a locking mechanism, so it can stand upright between cleaning sessions.

The cleaning power here is more than sufficient. We found that it did a good job with "all kinds of dry messes." It has three suction modes, so it can handle both hard and carpeted floors. It can even suck up pet hair, which is the true test of any vacuum. The design allows for the vacuum to easily reach underneath couches and beds, which is a fantastic bonus.

On the downside, the dustbin is pretty small, at just 0.75 liters. We found during our testing that the bin could fill up with just one full cleaning session. The vacuum also includes a five-stage filtration system, but it doesn’t include a true HEPA filter.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/one-of-our-favorite-cordless-vacuums-drops-to-150-in-the-amazon-spring-sale-153019530.html?src=rss

GeoGuessr, the geography game that tasks players with guessing a location in the world based on a random Google Street View image, is coming to Steam. It’s slated to hit early access on the platform sometime in April. That should hopefully make the game much easier to access on Steam Deck without having to fiddle with browser settings on desktop mode.

The developers are taking the early access approach on Steam so they can "refine the gameplay, introduce new features and ensure the best possible experience with direct feedback from players" with the aim of making "the ultimate competitive and casual geography game." The early access version on Steam will at the very least have a competitive solo mode and casual Team Duels, though there are plans to add more modes and competitive features in the coming months.

GeoGuessr has a fairly thriving competitive scene — this year's world championship has a $100,000 prize pool — so you could stand to cash in if you become great at the game. But be warned: if you think pro GeoGuessr might be your calling, you'll be up against some incredibly skilled players. They can pinpoint parts of the world based on corn growing at the side of a road, clouds in the sky and room decor. GeoGuessr pros are absolutely absurd.

It's not clear how much the full Steam version will cost. A free version will include unlimited access to the amateur division, which is GeoGuessr's lowest rank, as well as unranked Team Duels. A Steam Pass that's available to purchase inside the game will be required to access the full Solo Duels mode.

The store page notes that the price won't change during the time the game is in early access (a period that's expected to be at least six months). Nor do the developers expect to increase the price when the game exits early access.

The original, 12-year-old web version allows players to make three free daily guesses, but to play more you have to pay for a subscription, which starts at $2.50 per month. Unlimited access on the mobile apps is available on the $3 per month Pro Unlimited plan. While there will be cross-play between Steam and the browser/mobile versions, the current GeoGuessr plans don't include full access to the Steam edition.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/geoguessr-is-coming-to-steam-in-april-150001770.html?src=rss

It turns out Nintendo Directs are like buses. You wait ages for one then get two in quick succession. Days before Nintendo fully spills the beans on the Switch 2 during a dedicated showcase on April 2, the company is hosting a surprise Direct on March 27 at 10AM ET. You can watch it above.

The stream will run for around 30 minutes and focus on upcoming Switch games. There won't be any Switch 2 info, but pretty much every game you see here will run on the new console anyway, thanks to backwards compatibility.

Since this isn't billed as an Indie World Direct (those focus on indie games), it's not really clear what we can expect from this one. Nintendo's developers will largely be focused on making Switch 2 games at this point. Still, the Switch has a massive install base — the company has sold more than 150 million of those consoles — so Nintendo probably won't want to leave all those players behind any time soon. 

To that end, we can expect a stream of games for the original Switch to keep coming for the foreseeable future. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, for instance, is still slated to hit the Switch sometime this year. Third-party games will still be coming to the Switch as well, including a certain one from Team Cherry that we expect to show up in every single gaming showcase but won't mention here because we don't want to jinx it.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/a-switch-2-less-nintendo-direct-will-stream-on-march-27-145809333.html?src=rss