Sega announced a new expansion today for Sonic Origins, its remastered collection of old-school Sonic the Hedgehog games. Sonic Origins Plus adds 12 classic Game Gear titles and new playable characters.Sonic Origins Plus adds the entire library of Sonic Game Gear installments, which includes: Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic Chaos, Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble, Sonic Labyrinth, Sonic Blast, Sonic Drift, Sonic Drift 2, Sonic 2 in 1, Tails Adventure, Tails' Skypatrol, Sonic Spinball. Additionally, the expansion lets you play as Amy Rose (Sonics hammer-wielding admirer first introduced in Sonic CD) in the first three Sonic games, and you can play as Amy or Tails in Sonic CD.Youll receive all the content from the Sonic Origins base game, including remastered versions of Sonic the Hedgehog 1, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles and Sonic CD (as well as all previously released DLC). In addition, the collection still includes Classic Mode, where you can enjoy the games in their original and unaltered format, and Anniversary Mode, which stretches the aspect ratio to 16:9 and lowers frustration by giving you infinite lives. Finally, a 20-page book of classic art and a reversible coversheet are bundled if you buy a physical copy.If you own Sonic Origins, the expansion will cost an extra $10. However, if youre new to the collection, you get Sonic Origins Plus including all the base games content for $40, the same price youll pay now for Sonic Origins alone. The expansion will be available for PlayStation (PS5 / PS4), Xbox (Series X / S and One) and Nintendo Switch on June 23rd, which marks the 32nd anniversary of the first Sonic games launch on the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sonic-origins-plus-brings-the-hedgehogs-game-gear-entries-to-modern-consoles-160043311.html?src=rss
Relativity Space has finally launched its 3D-printed rocket after multiple scrubbed attempts, but the results are decidedly mixed. The startup's Terran 1 vehicle successfully lifted off from Cape Canaveral late Wednesday, but it failed to reach orbit after the second stage engine ignited only momentarily. It's not clear what led to the failure, but Relativity is promising updates in the "coming days."The company still characterizes the mission as an accomplishment. Terran 1 endured Max-Q (maximum dynamic pressure), the moment expected to place the most stress on the 3D-printed design. The rocket wasn't carrying a customer payload. Instead, it carried the first metal produced from Relativity's 3D printing system.As CNNexplains, the two previous launch attempts were plagued with problems. Relatively had trouble cooling propellant in time for the first liftoff, while the second was hampered by both a wayward boat and a software flaw that prompted an automatic engine cutoff shortly after ignition.Relativity is using the expendable Terran 1 to demonstrate the viability of its 3D printing technique ahead of the reusable Terran R rocket's planned 2024 launch. The manufacturing process theoretically provides simpler, more reliable rockets that are cheaper to make and can be ready within weeks. That, in turn, could lower the costs of delivering satellites and experiments into orbit.While this launch represents progress, there's mounting pressure to complete testing. Relativity already has contracts that include launching OneWeb satellites and Impulse Space's commercial Mars mission. There's also the simple matter of competition: rivals like SpaceX, Blue Origin and Rocket Lab aren't standing still, and any setbacks limit Relativity's chances to win business.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/relativity-space-launched-its-3d-printed-rocket-but-failed-to-reach-orbit-153502328.html?src=rss
Chromebooks are designed to be simple and straightforward, but if youre new to Chrome OS, it may not be immediately obvious how to do certain things. One potential source of confusion is figuring out how to take a screenshot, since the keyboards built into most Chromebooks contain keys you wont see on a MacBook or Windows laptop. If youre stuck, dont worry: Capturing your screen is still easy on Chrome OS, and there are multiple ways to do it. Lets break it down.In most cases, the fastest way to take a screenshot on a Chromebook is to press the Control (Ctrl) and Show Windows keys at the same time. This grabs a shot of your entire screen. The Show Windows key, which is unique to Chromebooks, looks like a rectangle with two lines next to it. Its often located where the F5 key would be on a Windows PC.GoogleHitting Ctrl + Shift + Show Windows, meanwhile, opens up the Screen Capture toolbar. This presents a menu with options to capture all of your screen, a specific portion or a single open window. You can also take a video recording of part or all of your screen from here.Alternatively, you can get to these tools through your Chromebooks Quick Settings menu. To access this, click the clock in the lower right corner of the taskbar or shelf, in ChromeOS terms then click the Screen Capture icon that appears in the resulting menu.Note that some Chromebooks have a dedicated Screenshot key, marked by a little camera icon. If you have that, you can just press that button instead of using the shortcuts mentioned above.Nathan Ingraham / EngadgetIf youre using an external keyboard without a Show Windows or Screenshot key, you can press Ctrl + F5 to take a full-screen capture, or Ctrl + Shift + F5 to pull up the Screen Capture menu and/or grab a partial screenshot. And if you have a ChromeOS tablet, you can take a screenshot by hitting the power and volume down buttons simultaneously.Once you take a screenshot or recording, Chrome OS will automatically copy it to your clipboard. Youll then see it appear in a small window in the bottom corner of the display, from which you can edit or delete the capture. Recent screenshots will appear in a holding area on your taskbar/shelf called the Tote, while all of your captures will go to the Downloads folder in the Files app by default. To change that save location, press Shift + Ctrl + Show Windows, select the Settings gear icon, then choose Select Folder.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/how-to-take-a-screenshot-on-a-chromebook-150044417.html?src=rss
Audible has teamed with Dolby Laboratories to introduce spatial sound in its library. Called Dolby Atmos on Audible, it's debuting on more than 40 titles including The Little Mermaid, The Sandman Act III and the music-oriented podcast, Maejor Frequency. The move represents another push into narrative audio content for Dolby, as Wondery (also owned by Amazon) started doing Atmos podcasts last year.The new collection covers multiple genres, including feature-length multi-cast productions, soundscapes, live performances and podcasts. "The Dolby Atmos collection celebrates and expands the possibilities of audio storytelling by highlighting the extraordinary talents of a variety of actors, writers, directors, sound designers and other creators," the companies said in a press release.Dolby Atmos might seem like overkill for audiobooks, but much as Dolby did for movies, it has the potential to make narrative stories more immersive on good headphones or sound systems. "Through the ability to create more layers of sound and control over the directionality of different audio elements, creators can draw listeners into a deeper, richer, and more lifelike spatial sound experience that fully engrosses them in each story," they wrote. The examples of originals the companies highlight in the announcement are more dramatic productions than straight readings, so you're likely not going to get spatial audio for every Malcolm Gladwell novel. For instance, The Little Mermaid will feature a "magical underwater soundscape and original music," presumably enhanced by spatial sound. "Sound placement can now be used as a new element to draw audiences even closer to their favorite podcasts, audio narratives, and stories with Dolby Atmos," said Dolby vice president John Couling. The Dolby Atmos titles are available to Audible members via the Audible app on compatible iOS and Android Dolby Atmos-enabled mobile devices. To see all the available titles, type Dolby Atmos into the search bar on the Audible website, or look for the Dolby Atmos logo in the Audible app.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audible-original-productions-and-podcasts-are-getting-dolby-atmos-support-150029137.html?src=rss
You might not have to go to great lengths to cancel subscriptions in the future. The Federal Trade Commission is proposing rule changes that would require providers to make it as easy to cancel subscriptions as it is to sign up, including through the same medium. If it only takes a few clicks to join an online fitness class, for instance, you should have the option to cancel online in just as many steps.The proposal would also let you decline to hear pitches for additional offers when you want to cancel service. Providers would have to provide annual reminders of renewals for subscriptions to anything besides physical goods, the FTC says. Other rule updates would require clear explanations of what people are getting and bar misleading claims.The FTC's effort would revise the Negative Option Rule from 1973, and would echo European Union policy on subscriptions. This will ideally prevent companies from either fooling customers into paying for services they don't want or are done using, commission Chair Lina Khan says. It's also meant to prevent the all-too-common tactic of forcing customers to call or visit a store in order to make the cancellation process difficult.The proposal doesn't outline specific penalties for violations. It's not clear how effective the updated rules would be at deterring offenders. If implemented, though, the approach could make it easier to experiment with services. You could subscribe for a few months without worrying that you'll struggle to cancel your plan. Telecoms, meanwhile, might also have to let you leave without making last-ditch offers or asking you to talk to a shop clerk.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ftc-wants-to-make-it-easier-for-you-to-cancel-subscriptions-142649542.html?src=rss
Yes, Ill probably want the iPhone 15 when it comes out. But as I consider a tablet for my six-year-old (so hell stop stealing mine), I dont think a brand new device is necessary. Both economically and environmentally, refurbished tech might be a better bet if you dont need the latest edition. Sometimes called renewed, refurbished has no legal definition, but typically refers to an item thats not new but has undergone cleaning and diagnostics tests at the minimum, and includes replacement components when necessary. A refurbished device should operate and perform as if it were a new version of itself, with the only drawbacks being possible cosmetic imperfections.In addition to being more budget-friendly, buying refurbished keeps electronics out of landfills and cuts down on the overall carbon footprint, since the majority of a devices environmental impact comes from manufacturing. Its also better than recycling in terms of keeping rare earth elements in circulation. But since the refurbished trade isnt regulated, there are things to watch out for. We cover the salient points below, along with our recommendations on where you can safely buy refurbished tech and where you can browse renewed tech offerings.What to consider when buying refurbished devicesRefurbished vs usedRefurbished is not the same as used. Used items tend to be sold as-is,'' which means youre simply inheriting whatever mileage and quirks a device had when the previous owner said goodbye to it. Its true that most refurbished items were previously owned, and many are a result of the growing trend of trading in your old device when you upgrade. But others were hardly used at all and are one of the millions of returns generated each year. Either way, a properly refurbished item has undergone testing to verify that it works, along with cleaning, repairs and parts replacement as needed.Since there are no government regulations for renewed items, its up to the sellers to define what steps they take to ready a device for sale. And its up to the buyer to find out what those steps are before taking the plunge. The processes for refurbishing devices from Apple, Bose, Microsoft and Samsung, for example, include cleaning, inspection, parts replacement as needed and shipment in a new box with the originally supplied accessories. They also all provide a one-year warranty.Warranties and returnsA refurbished device should perform as well as its new counterpart, but the only way to guarantee thats the case is to make sure it comes with a warranty. All of the sites we recommend below include a warranty with the products they sell. If you see something labeled as refurbished, but doesnt include some sort of guarantee as to its reliability shop elsewhere.Also, a good return policy will let you send the item back (preferably with the same free shipping a new item gets) for any reason including that you just changed your mind. That way if a refurbished poduct doesnt look as good as you thought it would, you can send it back without having to prove theres something wrong with it.SanitationMost refurbished tech was used before it made its way back on the market. And while renewed items are cleaned, youll still need to consider your comfort with sanitation issues when buying things like headphones and earbuds.Polina Lebed via Getty ImagesWhere to buy refurbished techWe recommend going directly to the manufacturer whenever possible, especially for more technical items like smartphones and laptops. If you need a new MacBook, check out Apples refurbished stock first; if you want a new Galaxy phone, hit up Samsung before anyone else. Repairs will be handled using genuine parts and youre far more likely to get items that were properly unpaired from the original owner and all data wiped.Retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy are decent options if youre on a tighter budget or if youre looking for gadgets from a manufacturer that may not have its own refurbished outlet. Refurbished marketplaces like Decluttr and BackMarket can be useful if youre looking for older, more specific items, or if price is the number one factor for your purchase.AppleThey may offer less than they once did for trade-ins but Apple is still pulling in a decent inventory of refurbished MacBooks, iPads and other devices. Each refurbished piece undergoes an inspection and repairs using original Apple parts, with refurbished iPhones and iPads getting new batteries and outer shells. In addition to phones and tablets, Apple sells refurbished MacBooks, Watches, Apple TVs and accessories like the Apple Pencil. Everything is shipped in a new box with whatever cables, accessories and operating systems a new item would get. Items get the same one-year warranty and 14-day returns window that Apple offers on new products as well.Shop Apple RefurbishedSamsungWhile they accept just about any device as a trade-in, Samsung only regularly offers refurbished smartphones on its site youll have to look elsewhere for a renewed Samsung tablet or smartwatch. That said, a refurbished Galaxy phone can sell for as much as 30 percent off the standard price. The phones come with a new battery, are tested and repaired with Samsung parts and get new packaging, cables and the latest software. One-year warranties come standard, too.Shop Samsung RenewedBose&nsp;On a given day, youll find between three and 30 refurbished Bose items on the companys site, including speakers, headphones, soundbars and almost always a few pairs of Bose Frames. Savings range from 10 percent to 45 percent and each item undergoes measures similar to Apple and Samsung, with testing, repairs and cables in a new box, plus internal cleaning and replacement parts like earcups. Bose also includes a 90-day, free returns policy and a one-year warranty to make sure the device works as it should.Shop Bose RefurbishedSonosSonos devices dont often go on sale, which makes the brands refurbished program even more enticing. Youll typically only find a handful of the companys renewed speakers and soundbars available at one time, so it pays to keep checking the site. Each refurbished device undergoes testing and gets repaired with Sonos parts as needed. They ship in new boxes and include all accessories and the same 45-day returns policy and one-year warranty as a new device.Shop Sonos RefurbishedRazer Like Bose and Sonos, youll typically only find a few refurbished Razer laptops available at a time. The savings can be pretty significant on the order of a few hundred dollars off the list price. The refurbishment process involves full data wipes and a new OS installation, along with cleaning, testing and repairs as needed. Each device gets a 14-day returns policy, a one-year warranty and tech support.Shop Razer RefurbishedMicrosoftYoull mostly find Surface tablets and laptops on Microsofts refurbished page. If youre looking for an Xbox, renewed Series X and Series S consoles have their own destinations (and could be something to look into when the Series X goes in and out of stock). All refurbished Microsoft products get tested, repaired and cleaned and come in new packaging along with the usual accessories plus a 30-day returns policy and year-long warranty.Shop Microsoft RefurbishedOther retailersSome smaller manufacturers like Dyson, Vitamix, Nintendo and JBL offer their own refurbished products, but for many other brands, you may need to head to a retailer.AmazonAmazon Renewed is different from Amazon Warehouse, which sells used items that have been tested and graded, but havent undergone any refurbishment. Items under the Renewed designation have been cleaned and professionally inspected and come with replacement accessories as needed.Refurbishment isnt always conducted by an in-house team, as Amazon mostly lists items sold by third-party refurbishers. The exception to that is with Amazon devices like Kindles, Ring doorbells and Echos, which are tested, shipped and sold by Amazon. Find those items on the certified refurbished Amazon device page, formerly called Kindle Refurbished.The guarantee on all refurbished items sold on the site only extends for 90 days, but thats a combined warranty and returns policy, which includes sending the device back because it simply wasnt what you expected, regardless of whether theres something wrong with it.Theres a wider allowance for condition ratings with Amazons refurb program, allowing for the minor cosmetic imperfections of premium and excellent" ratings, along with visible marks and scratches at the good and acceptable condition levels.That said, Amazon Renewed offers a wide selection of products you might not be able to get directly from a manufacturer, including kitchen equipment, tools and gaming accessories.Shop Amazon RenewedWalmartLike Amazons program, Walmart Restored uses third party sellers and refurbishers and also grants a 90-day combined return and warranty period. The products are rated as having no cosmetic defects when viewed from one foot away, unless otherwise noted in the listing. Products include tools, tablets, kitchen appliances, TVs and video game consoles.Shop Walmart RestoredTargetUnfortunately, the warranties for Targets refurbished program varies by item. Depending on the listing, youll see warranties that extend six months, one year or have no warranty at all. However, all items we checked did include a return period ranging from 15 to 30 days though youll need to bring the item back to a Target store. Obviously we dont recommend going for any tech device (refurbished or not) without a warranty, but like Amazon and Walmart, Targets program may offer a way to find deals on a wider selection of tech than going through a manufacturer. Just be sure to scroll down to the warranty details in the About This Item section on the product page.Shop Target RefurbishedBest BuyBest Buy combines open box, clearance and refurbished items under the Best Buy Outlet umbrella. They even run a few brick and mortar Outlet stores that sell clearance, open-box and returned items. For the most part, however, those dont include items that have undergone the refurbishment process. For that, youll want to look at items marked Geek Squad Certified Refurbished online. These are products that have been spruced up either by Best Buy's own repair centers, by the manufacturers or by third-party refurbishers. The devices come with a 90-day warranty, which covers defects, in addition to Best Buys standard 15-day return policy.Shop Geek Squad Certified RefurbishedThis article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/where-to-buy-refurbished-tech-140028700html?src=rss
Just a few months ago Lenovoannounced updates to its high-end Legion gaming PCs. But now the company is back to introduce some fresh budget-friendly fare as part of its new value-oriented LOQ line. Though they arent quite as powerful as their more expensive siblings, after checking them out, I like how these new devices dont feel cheap despite their lower prices.At launch, the LOQ family (pronounced lock) will consist of either a 15 or 16-inch laptop and a 17L desktop PC. The LOQ 15 and 15i will be the least expensive of the bunch starting at $900 for either an AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS or Intel Core i7-13700 chip, while the LOQ 16 and 16i (the i denotes an Intel-based config) will go for just a bit more at $960 and $1,150, respectively. Finally, for people who dont need to move their gaming rig around, the LOQ tower will be priced at a reasonable $980.Sam Rutherford/EngadgetBut more importantly, while Lenovo is trying to keep costs down, it doesnt feel like it cut too many corners with its new machines. Not only do they have similar styling to the Legion line, they also have solid specs with the laptops offering support for up to NVIDIA RTX 4060 GPUs. And like the premium Legion line, you also get rear IO to help keep wires from getting too cluttered.The main differences between Lenovos LOQ and Legion gaming notebooks are that instead of an aluminum chassis, the LOQ line features a plastic body, with either a white or a four-zone RGB backlit keyboard (instead of per-key). The new machines also carry slightly smaller batteries (either 60 or 80Whr depending on the model). And while the LOQ line doesnt support super fast 240Hz refresh rates, you can still get 165Hz displays going up to 2,560 x 1,600 with variable refresh rate support (both G-Sync and FreeSync), as well as 350 nits of brightness. All told thats not too shabby, especially when you consider that Lenovos cheapest Legion Pro laptop currently starts at just over $1,600.Sam Rutherford/EngadgetNow, in person, the smaller LOQ 15 came off a bit chunky, and I swear it felt heavier than Lenovos 5.3-pound listed weight, while the LOQ 16 is even heftier at 5.7 pounds. However, I appreciate that even on Lenovos budget gaming laptops, the company still included a full HD webcam and an electronic shutter switch to disable it.Alternatively, if youre looking for something a bit more powerful thats still easy to carry around, today Lenovo also announced two additions to the Legion family in the Slim 7/7i and the Slim 5/5i.At just 0.78 inches thick and weighing 4.4 pounds, the Legion Slim 7 and 7i are the more portable of the two. It also packs Intel Core i9-13900H or Ryzen 9 79040HS chips, up to NVIDIA RTX 4070 graphics and up to a 3.2K 165Hz display or a 2,560 x 1,600 240Hz screen. You can also get optional per-key RGB lighting and a big 99.9 WHr battery, along with an aluminum frame in either storm gray or glacier white. So while I like the price of the new LOQ line, the Legion 7 Slim laptops would make me think long and hard about shelling out some extra cash for the sleeker design.Sam Rutherford/EngadgetMeanwhile, the Legion 5 Slim models still feature solid specs, including the same CPUs and a slightly wider range of graphics options (RTX 4050 up to RTX 4070 depending on the specific config). And unlike the 7 Slim which is only available as a 16-inch model, the 5 Slim will come in 14-inch and 16-inch sizes.The new LOQ 15i is slated to go on sale first sometime in April, followed by LOQ 15 and the larger LOQ 16i in May. The AMD-based LOQ 16 will arrive in June. Meanwhile, the Legion Slim 5i and 7i are expected to go on sale in April starting at $1,350 and $1,770, with the Slim 5 and Slim 7 arriving later in May starting at $1,200 and $1,770, respectively.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/lenovo-loq15-gaming-laptop-hands-on-affordable-but-not-cheap-130050043.html?src=rss
The following article discusses Star Trek: Picard, Season Three, Episode Six, The Bounty.When the Original Series cast made their swansong, they left Star Trek in the rudest health it had ever been in. The Next Generation had reached its creative peak, Deep Space Nine was a year away from starting, and the movie series was making good money. The Undiscovered Country gave fans one last adventure with Kirk and co. that gently highlighted why it was time to move on. By comparison, Nemesis soft box office meant there would be no grand finale for the TNG crew. DS9 and Voyager were done, and it wouldnt be long before pre-Kirk prequel-series Enterprise would leave our screens. There was quite literally nobody to pick up from where Picard and co. left off as current day Trek went into enforced stasis. Now, it feels like 2002 all over again, with the only current Trek series, Discovery, canceled and the only other live-action Trek show yet again being a pre-Kirk era prequel. They say that history repeats itself, the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce.This sense of unease about the future permeates The Bounty, as Star Trek: Picard hints that the next (next) generation arent up to scratch. Picard, Riker and LaForge are all fathers struggling to deal with the gifts and curses they handed down to their children. The show keeps implying that theres less hope in these kids because theyve spent so long in their parents shadow. Sidney LaForge isnt speaking to her father, who grouses to Picard how hard it was to raise her. The show has already hamfistedly tried to cover Rikers grief over Thaddeus, while Picard has given his son a terminal case of Irumodic Syndrome. When Jack gets the idea of stealing the Bountys cloaking device, he and Sydney cant get it working without Geordies resentful help. Come on kids, get out of the way while dad, once again, picks up your mess and fixes the things you cant cope with. The subtext is one of disappointment, of darn kids with their avocado lattes and oat milk toast who cant do anything as well as their baby boomer forebears.Its an interesting perspective from a franchise that has always worried about its own coolness, fretting that its too thoughtful, too middle-aged. Chekov joined The Original Series cast because producers wanted to woo a younger crowd with a Davy Jones-type mop-topped pretty boy. This anxiety is most visible in the Next Generation movies, which are constantly battling each other in attitudes around age, aging and relevance. Generations leaves Picard at peace with his own age, but everything that follows repudiates that position, mostly as Patrick Stewarts behind the scenes power grew, so did his desire to remake the character in his own image. The vest-clad man of action in First Contact, the romantic lead of Insurrection and the off-roading petrolhead in Nemesis all stem from this desire. Rather than a desire to become the wise, elder statesman of the Star Trek universe, Picard raged against the dying of his own light. And rather than lay the table for his successors, he judged them all and found them unworthy.This mistrust of youth goes hand-in-hand with a fetishization of the past that goes beyond nostalgia and into paraphilia. The Bounty has not one, but two trips to space museums so that the fans can gawk at objects of desire, stripped of their context, there for nothing but fan service. Riker, Worf and Raffi beam onto Daystrom Station, home of Starfleets most off the books tech, experimental weapons, alien contraband, which when you think about it is really daft. Maybe Im wrong, but I dont think the US Navy stores secret chemical weapons at MIT, which is, or was, the best point of comparison for a civilian robotics research institute. Along the corridor, theres the Genesis Device! (Why? It was blown up when the Reliant combusted and turned into the Genesis Planet, its existence makes no sense) A Tribble! And James Kirks Corpse!... Wait, that seems weird, why do that? That seems weirdly perverse, why would you store a decorated officers dead body in a site for military weapons when theres nothing special about his physiology in this timeline? Oh, thats why, because our heroes dont get to gracefully die in Star Trek any more, they just become objects of fetishization.We get a brief cameo from Daniel Davis Moriarty as part of Daystroms not-quite security system before we hit the big reveal of the episode: Data!. Or, something else, a Soong-type android with the brains of Soong, Lore, B-4 and Data all mashed up in one body. (Why B-4 and Lore? Why would you put the unworkable prototype and the psychotic brains in there with the two functional ones? Because well need an inevitable betrayal two or three episodes down the line, not because it makes sense.) And then were off to the fleet museum for a brief interlude of spaceship porn and, wouldnt you know, the ships deemed worthy of preserving are almost all hero vessels from the Star Trek franchise. I mean, look, Im a starship porn type of guy, and any loving shot of Andrew Probert and Richard Taylors Enterprise model will always have my heart soaring. But it just feels all so soulless, like the characters in Star Trek are now behaving like Star Trek fans.The conclusion of the episode reveals the changelings stole Picards corpse from Daystrom Station for reasons as-yet unknown. Meanwhile, Riker has been captured by Vadic and taken to the Shrike, where hes shown that the baddies have also captured Deanna. But not before the 70-year-old Riker is given a dose of good old 24-style face punching, to match the rest of the series Bush-era politics.The biggest problem with this sort of all-the-characters-grew-up-watching-Star Trek nostalgia, of course, is that it collapses the size of your narrative universe. Star Trek is big and broad enough to sustain a massive trans-media ecosystem covering every corner of its fictional universe. But Star Trek: Picard makes out that Starfleet is made up of five ships not called Enterprise, none of which are worth remarking upon. The notion that the Enterprise is just one of hundreds, or thousands, of starships having wild and crazy adventures on the frontiers of space is beyond comprehension. In a way, Im glad nobody in TV-land is familiar with Star Trek: New Frontier, lest it turned out that someone at Daystrom has collected Mackenzie Calhouns eyeballs on a shelf for the lolz.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/star-trek-picard-3-6-the-bounty-review-130030243.html?src=rss
You can grab Samsung SSDs and microSDs at a discount right now from Amazon if you're looking to expand the storage space of your computers, consoles or mobile devices. To start with, Samsung's 1TB T7 Shield portable SSD is down to $80. At 50 percent off retail, it's now available for the lowest price we've seen it sell for on the e-commerce website. We named the non-rugged (or non-Shield) T7 as one of our best SSDs for 2023, and this has similar specs and features. Take note that the beige, blue and black color choices are all on sale, and the 2TB T7 Shield is also listed for a discounted price of $140.The T7 Shield was designed to be durable, to be dust and water-resistant and to have the ability to endure being dropped for up to 9.8 feet. It has a read/write speed of 1,050/1,000 MB/s and is compatible with PC, Mac, Android devices and consoles. If what you need is an internal SSD, though, Samsung's 980 PRO 1TB SSD is also on sale for $80. Like the T7, that's the lowest price we've seen for the component, which retails for $110. You can also get its 2TB version for $160 in case you want a drive with a bigger capacity. The model was specifically designed for gamers and tech enthusiasts and offers high-performance bandwidth that can help make heavy-duty applications run smoothly. The Amazon sale has other SSDs to choose from, but if you're looking to buy a memory card, there's Samsung's EVO Plus 256GB Micro SDXC. It's currently listed for $23, which is an all-time low for the microSD card that retails for $50. Need even more space? The 512GB version of the model is also on sale for $51.80, or 48 percent lower than its usual price.Buy Samsung SSDs and memory cards at Amazon - up to 53 percent offFollow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-ssds-and-memory-cards-are-up-to-54-percent-off-at-amazon-122019880.html?src=rss
