Sprint pushes Tidal again with six months of free HiFi streaming

We’ve been wondering why Sprint bought a third of music streaming service, Tidal. While the respective companies didn’t discuss details at the time, the team-up is starting to make a bit more sense. Sprint is currently offering all of its customers six months of Tidal’s HiFi top of the line streaming tier for no extra charge. Tidal usually charges $20 per month in the US for this service.

This isn’t the first time new Sprint customers have gotten free Tidal HiFi, but the new deal includes existing Sprint users, too. After the initial six months of Tidal, the folks who sign up for the deal will be downgraded automatically to the regular $10 per month Premium service. Sprint will also donate $2 to its 1Million Project — an initiative to equip low-income US high school students with internet at home — for every new line acrtivation and device purchase or lease.

The advantage here seems twofold. First, number 4 US wireless carrier Sprint gets to offer a premium subscription to a high-end streaming service like Tidal. According to the wireless provider, more than two-thirds of their mobile subscribers stream music for an average of 45 minutes per day. Offering customers Tidal HiFi could both attract new subscribers as well as keep current ones. Second, Tidal now has access to Sprint’s 58.5 million wireless customers, which considerably more than the music company’s own reported 3 million paying users (which may, in fact, be an inflated figure).

Source: Sprint

Spotify’s Summer Rewind collects your favorite warm weather jams

Spotify’s known for excellent playlist curation and music discovery, and now they’re extending that expertise to your favorite summer music. Starting today, Spotify users can find their most-listened to songs of past summers on the new “Your Summer Rewind” playlist.

To find your own favorite past songs of the summer, visit the Home screen of the Spotify iOS or Android app, or simply log onto Spotify’s website. If you’ve been a subscriber for at least a year, you’ll be treated to your own personalized playlist. Mine is accurate, yet predictably embarrassing, populated by artists such as Shakira, U2 and (thankfully) MS MR. Spotify knows my mostly terrible music tastes haven’t matured much since high school.

You can also share tracks from your personalized summer playlist with your friends. If you receive Spotify emails, you will be sent your top three summer songs on a shareable card that you can then send to friends or post on Instagram. If you receive such a card, open Spotify, select the camera icon and scan the card to listen to your friend’s top songs.

If you haven’t had an account long enough to have your own playlist, you can also listen to the new 50 Years of Songs of the Summer playlist. It includes every top song of the summer from 1967 to 2017, based on Billboard data. It’s probably a good thing that earworm isn’t actually fatal, because otherwise this playlist might kill you.

Source: Spotify

Stream live performances from Bonnaroo this weekend on RedBull TV

Music festival season is in full swing, and this weekend another one of the big events goes down. The 2017 installment of Bonnaroo kicks off this evening, bringing several stages of live tunes to attendees in Manchester, Tennessee. If you couldn’t make the trip in person, don’t worry: RedBull TV is streaming dozens of acts live so you can watch from the comforts of home.

While big names like U2, The Weeknd and Chance the Rapper are scheduled to perform, the livestream won’t include every artist who’s set to take the stage. However, you can expect to watch the likes of Lorde, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tegan & Sara, The Head and The Heart, Glass Animals, Greensky Bluegrass and many more from afar. A Bonnaroo pre-show kicks things off at 8:15PM ET tonight followed by a handful of live performances, and as you might expect, the bigger names won’t hit the stage until later this weekend.

RedBull TV has apps on a range of devices including Android, iOS and Windows 10. It’s also available on Apple TV, Android TV, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV (and Fire TV Stick), Roku, PlayStation and Xbox. If you have a smart TV, the livestream will be available on Samsung and LG models as well as on Samsung’s connected Blu-Ray players. Of course, if you want to watch on the web, you can do so at redbull.tv or Bonnaroo.com.

Source: RedBull TV

The Wirecutter’s best deals: Save $100 on a Sonos subwoofer

This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer’s guide to the best technology. When readers choose to buy The Wirecutter’s independently chosen editorial picks, they may earn affiliate commissions that support their work. Read their continuously updated list of deals here.

You may have already seen Engadget posting reviews from our friends at The Wirecutter. Now, from time to time, we’ll also be publishing their recommended deals on some of their top picks. Read on, and strike while the iron is hot — some of these sales could expire mighty soon.

Sonos Play:1 wireless speaker (2-Pack)

Street price: $400; MSRP: $400; Deal price: $350

Here’s a nice deal on our top pick for best multiroom wireless speaker system. We’ve only seen a couple of deals on this speaker in the past. Outside of Black Friday holiday sales, this just beats the normal deal price of $180 per speaker we’ve seen once before. This deal will be available until June 14th.

The Sonos Play:1 is our top pick in our guide to the best multiroom wireless speaker system. Chris Heinonen writes, “The Sonos system is the best multiroom wireless speaker system because it supports the most services, and has a wide selection of great-sounding speakers, great search features, and a well-organized app that runs on almost all major platforms. Sonos keeps its platform up to date by adding more services all the time, introducing new features like Trueplay room-correction technology, and updating its models. The Sonos user experience is the best of any of the multiroom wireless speaker systems currently available. The Play:1 sounds great on its own and is an affordable entry point to the Sonos system. A pair in stereo mode sounds even better.”

Sonos Sub wireless subwoofer

Street price: $700; MSRP: $700; Deal price: $600

A new best price on our subwoofer pick for best wireless multiroom speaker system from Sonos. We’ve only seen this subwoofer go on sale from it’s $700 street price down to $650 in the past, so this $100 drop makes for the best deal we’ve seen to date. Like the Sonos Play:1 deal, this subwoofer will be on sale until June 14th.

The Sonos Sub is our subwoofer pick in our guide to the best multiroom wireless speaker system. Chris Heinonen writes, “Sonos’s tight control of its ecosystem means you’re mostly limited to buying its speakers, but those speakers come at a variety of prices and all sound excellent. The Sub pairs with any other Sonos to add deep bass with no wires.”

Heinonen continued, “The best part about a multiroom wireless speaker system compared with a series of Bluetooth speakers is that it connects directly to the Internet instead of relying on your phone or computer—this means calls, texts, and other notifications won’t interrupt playback. And you can play different music in different rooms, or group them together, all while maintaining independent volume control on each unit. Sonos has made these setups for longer than anyone, and its experience shows at every level of its product. Sonos’s apps are among the most polished available and offer unified search across every service you subscribe to—including Apple Music. And Sonos supports its products for as long as you own them. This includes adding new features via firmware updates to maintain its lead in the face of stiffer competition, like Trueplay room-correction technology.”

GoPro Hero5 Black

Street price: $400; MSRP: $400; Deal price: $350

This is a new low price on our top pick for best action camera, the GoPro Hero5 Black. This is the first big drop we’ve seen on this action cam in the relatively brief time it has been on the market.

The GoPro Hero5 Black is our top pick in our guide to the best action cameras. Ben Keough writes, “The Hero5 Black builds on the success of its predecessor (and our previous pick), the Hero4 Silver, with new features that significantly enhance its usability. The built-in waterproofing is the most important addition, since it means you can shoot anywhere, anytime, without fiddling with a case. But owners will also appreciate the camera’s intuitive touchscreen interface, image stabilization, and voice control. And it’s a relative bargain, too: Despite the expanded feature set, the new flagship GoPro costs $100 less than the old Hero4 Black.”

Accell Home or Away Power Station

Street price: $18; MSRP: $20; Deal price: $12

A new low on this portable surge protector at $12 for either the black or white colors. This surge protector, while always affordable, usually sits between $15 and $20, so this is a nice pickup if you find yourself working away from home with any regularity.

The Accell Home or Away Power Station is our top pick in our Best Portable Power Strip With USB guide. Nick Guy writes, “The best power strip for travel in North America is the Accell Home or Away Power Station, which sells for $20 or less and comes in black or white. This is our pick for the second year in a row, a decision we made after researching dozens of models, extensively testing the eight best specified and designed, and using the Home or Away for more than a year. With three outlets and two USB power ports, it should be able to keep a couple’s devices charged on the go. It’s smaller and lighter than any other travel model we tested, but will still fit even the bulkiest AC adapters, and unlike a surprising number of other models, it covers only one socket in a duplex wall outlet.”

Because great deals don’t just happen on Thursdays, sign up for our daily deals email and we’ll send you the best deals we find every weekday. Also, deals change all the time, and some of these may have expired. To see an updated list of current deals, please go to The Wirecutter.com.

Hackers swipe designs for ‘The Witcher 3’ developer’s cyberpunk game

If you’re developing a cyberpunk game, apparently you have to watch out for real-life hackers. According to a tweet from CD Projekt Red, “an unidentified individual or individuals” have acquired some internal documents that relate to the company’s upcoming title, Cyberpunk 2077. The persons responsible then demanded a ransom for the material, promising to release the material to the general public if their demands weren’t met. While this might seem like an elaborate marketing ploy, the company replied to our email for confirmation with an unambiguous, “This is real.”

pic.twitter.com/eP2OatjZZW

— CD PROJEKT RED (@CDPROJEKTRED) June 8, 2017

CD Projekt Red’s roster of games includes the open-world role-playing game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which won several awards when it was released in 2015. Aside from a name change and a trailer, however, details about Cyberpunk 2077 have been kept relatively under wraps. As the current data taken is reportedly “old and largely unrepresentative of the current version of the game,” the tweet cautions fans to ignore any information from non-company sources. The team also plans to inform the “appropriate legal authorities” about the situation.

If nothing else, the Warsaw-based game developer’s public reply to this unauthorized access could help raise the game’s profile as well as garner a sympathetic reaction from the gamers who have been looking forward to the games eventual release.

Source: CD Projekt Red/Twitter

Here’s How Apple’s New MacBook Pro Compares to Last Year’s Model

Apple refreshed its MacBook Pro lineup this week with Intel’s seventh-generation Kaby Lake processors and faster standard graphics options from Intel and AMD. There’s also a cheaper 13-inch MacBook Pro with function keys starting at $1,299 with 128GB storage, compared to $1,499 for the previous base model.

Beyond that, the 2017 MacBook Pro is nearly identical to the 2016 MacBook Pro in both design and other tech specs.

The update arrives just eight months after Apple redesigned the MacBook Pro with features such as the Touch Bar, Touch ID, Thunderbolt 3 ports, and a shallower keyboard with a second-generation butterfly mechanism. Prior to then, the MacBook Pro had gone over 500 days without an update.

For prospective buyers of the 2017 MacBook Pro, here’s how the new models stack up against the 2016 MacBook Pro.

Mobile users: tap this link to view the full-size image
Geekbench results suggest the 2017 MacBook Pro is up to 20 percent faster than the 2016 MacBook Pro in CPU performance, but the difference is likely lower in real-world usage and given the apparent optimizations that Apple has made to last year’s MacBook Pro between its launch and now.

Apple began accepting online orders for the new MacBook Pro on Monday, and delivery estimates currently range between June 12 and June 22 in the United States. The notebooks are also available today at most Apple Stores, and customers have the option to reserve a model for in-store pickup on Apple’s website.

Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Buyer’s Guide: MacBook Pro (Buy Now)
Discuss this article in our forums

Apple’s AirPods Pair Automatically With Apple TV in tvOS 11

tvOS 11, the newest version of the operating system that runs on the fourth-generation Apple TV, didn’t receive any air time during Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference keynote, but it includes a handful of new features, including auto-pairing with Apple’s AirPods.

AirPods currently pair automatically with iPads, Macs, and Apple Watches thanks to iCloud support and an Apple-designed W1 chip, but that automatic pairing doesn’t extend to the Apple TV. That’s set to change in tvOS 11.

In the first tvOS 11 beta, as 9to5Mac points out, AirPods appear as a new speaker option on the Apple TV when a user with AirPods is signed into their Apple ID on the Apple TV. As with any iOS devices or Mac, when connected to an Apple TV, sound will play through the AirPods.

Prior to tvOS 11, AirPods worked with the Apple TV, but had to be paired manually, a process that’s not as seamless or as quick as the automatic switching baked into Apple’s wireless earbuds.

According to Apple’s release notes for the first tvOS 11 beta, other features new to the operating system include automatic switching between light and dark mode based on local time, Home screen syncing between multiple Apple TVs, new background modes and notification support, and a few other under-the-hood changes.

In a few months, tvOS 11 and the fourth-generation Apple TV will be gaining a much-desired Amazon Prime Video app for the first time, which was announced on stage at the Worldwide Developers Conference.

tvOS 11 is only available for registered developers at the current point in time, but Apple plans to make a version available for public beta testers in the future.

Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 10
Buyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Don’t Buy)
Discuss this article in our forums

Dragon Hills (Father-Daughter Review)

This review was done in conjunction with my nine-year-old daughter. She provided her own perspective apart from mine in order to show how both children and adults perceived the Google Play game Dragon Hills.

Proper Introduction

Dragon Hills is an endless-runner style game from Rebel Twins that allows you take control of a raging dragon in a revenge mission against the mischievous knights of the land. Simple controls paired with overall basic gameplay mechanics are at heart here. My daughter recommended this game and I was so surprised by the initial presentation and gameplay from the start so naturally, I had to play (and learn) more.

What’s so Fun?

Dragon Hills smartly integrates the endless style running that’s become so popular on smartphones with a hefty amount of upgrading and collecting. My daughter really enjoyed the upgrading aspect–she was always looking for the next power-up. Dragon Hills allows you the ability to upgrade by spending coins within the game, which are accumulated throughout each level during gameplay by collecting or by using real-world money to purchase coin packs.

Dragon Hills allows you to do some major destruction later on, which my daughter found to be very rewarding

The gameplay within Dragon Hills is so simple that it’s instantly fun. Controlling the dragon is similar to other games of this genre, but instead of having the dragon jump or fly from screen presses, he instead dives down onto, and even under, the ground. As your dragon continues on his wrecking rampage, he’ll destroy things in his path, collect coins, eat animals and knights, as well as bust through barricades, trees, and rocks. The goal is to navigate carefully through each level by avoiding deadly obstacles and collecting as much loot in your destructive path as possible.

As you gain coins by playing through the levels, you’ll learn new tricks and how to efficiently navigate through the game world. The coins you gain can be used to spend in the shop for upgrading your dragon’s abilities and armor. More than once my daughter asked if she could just spend real-world money to upgrade, which I guess is what the developer essentially wants in a game like Dragon Hills.

My daughter and I both had a lot of fun playing Dragon Hills (even without investing any money). We would often watch each other play to discover new techniques and my daughter would always check to make sure she stayed ahead of me in the overall progress. The challenges in Dragon Hills aren’t necessarily designed for multiple players, but playing on two separate accounts naturally brought forth some fun challenges.

Royal Presentation

Dragon Hills has art that is incredibly inviting. The characters are drawn and animated in a way that’s clean and distinct. My daughter really likes the way the dragon causes havoc and the way characters within the environment reacted. She was always amused by the crazy sound effects and goofy animations that play throughout each zany level. I found that the overall presentation was spot-on and only interrupted by the occasional, annoying advertisement.

Upgrading your dragon is one of the best parts of Dragon Hills–it really is quite addicting

Music and sound effects are much better than your average Google Play game here. I really felt engrossed in the experience while listening to the tiny humans scream for their lives as the crashing sound of their homes echoed from my little mobile speaker. The catchy tunes accentuate the action as they play in the background–it’s mostly memorable fare without being annoying in a way where it’ll get stuck in your head for days.

The environments in Dragon Hills are great eye candy. As you drive your dragon through each level and cause havoc and destruction, you may notice objects Domino and bounce dynamically with everything in the playable game space. It really is neat to watch the interactions play out. There’s a lot going on here with the dynamic weather effects, particle effects, animated characters and multiple interactions.

The gameplay from level to level is super fun, fast and furious, and there’s 200 to complete!

Rebel Twins did a fine and dandy job of packaging Dragon Hills as a worthwhile presentation in so many respects. The entire game is filled with character: in music, art style, sound effects, and animation–something I’d expect from the likes of EA or Ubisoft but not necessarily a smaller indie studio. Simply marvelous.

Final Approach

In closing, Dragon Hills is a wonderful game that creates an enjoyable experience by allowing the player to fully control a maniacal dragon in his quest for vengeance. The whimsical nature of the game perfectly blends this quest into a light-hearted venture that anyone of any age can truly enjoy. Although the premise remains simple, the level design and pick-up-and-play controls had me and my daughter returning for more at nearly every opportunity. My daughter played even more than I did as she was always looking to upgrade as much as possible and complete the next mission.

If you like humor, flare, and pure, entertaining gameplay in your mobile games, you really can’t go wrong with Dragon Hills. Precision control is what allows gameplay to come to the forefront in every step of the way as you guide your dragon through the wonderfully created and magical hills of the kingdom. We had so much fun with Dragon Hills that we recommended it to family members and friends alike.

‘The End is Nigh’ is the new platformer from the co-creator of ‘Super Meat Boy’

Why it matters to you

Super Meat Boy and The Binding of Isaac are generally considered two of the best indie games of recent years, and The End is Nigh looks set to continue Edmund McMillen’s strong track record.

Edmund McMillen, best known for the games Super Meat Boy and The Binding of Isaac, has announced a new project that he’s working on in collaboration with Tyler Glaiel, best known for Bombernauts and Closure. The duo’s new title is called The End is Nigh, and it’s a post-apocalyptic platforming adventure.

The End is Nigh stars Ash, one of the few entities unlucky enough to have survived the end of the world. All he wants to do is make a friend — which, in keeping with McMillen’s previous output, has something of a dark subtext. He’ll be constructing a pal from bits and pieces that he finds over the course of his quest, according to a report from Eurogamer.

Of course, this won’t be easy, as there are some other survivors of the apocalypse to worry about. An army of hideous beasts stands in his way, made up on animal-like creatures that have been horrifically mutated, and are now decaying as a result of the sorry state that the planet is in.

As well as collecting body parts, Ash will be able to find a host of video game cartridges that grant access to playable minigames. These games will apparently be rather well fleshed out, even featuring their own achievements.

Like both Super Meat Boy and The Binding of Isaac before it, The End is Nigh looks set to be positively packed with content. McMillen pledges that the game will be comprised of over 600 sections, with more than 20 minigames to discover and unlock, and a variety of alternative endings to uncover.

The End is Nigh is scheduled to hit Steam on July 12. Continuing the system’s growing reputation as an indie stronghold, the game is set to be released for the Nintendo Switch at a later date, and other console versions are also being considered.

Google updates Maps with subway station layouts for desktop and mobile

Why it matters to you

If you live in a big city and frequently use Google Maps’ transit services, you’ll now receive more helpful information about subway stations.

Using Google Maps to get around by subway is about to become a bit easier, based on findings from users on Reddit. Google has begun to add subway station layouts to its maps in certain cities, such as New York and Tokyo.

Many stations are still missing this feature, but the ones that have received it — like several in midtown Manhattan and Shinjuku, Yokohama, and Osaka in Japan — show outlines for platforms as well as entrances. Users must be in transit view to see the additions, though it appears the results differ depending on whether you’re on mobile or desktop web.

Apple Maps has had station layouts for some time now, making it one of a few features that Google has lagged behind in. Zooming into the stations reveals some fine details, like the locations of stairs and escalators — though payment terminals are not currently visible.

Reddit

Station layouts are one of a number of new features that have landed on Google Maps in recent months. Just this week, Google announced it had begun collecting pollution data via its Street View vehicles in a partnership with the Environmental Defense Fund. And in May, the Android app received an update combining Street View imagery with navigation to give drivers a physical representation of where they’ll need to make their next turn.

Meanwhile, the company has cracked down on fake and inaccurate location listings. Google says the number has been reduced by 70 percent since the summer of 2015. In many cases, these were extortionists posing as plumbers, locksmiths, and the like, while a tenth of them were actually real businesses that scammers were imitating.

Google has not yet made an official announcement regarding the station maps feature, so at this time it is unclear how many locations will ultimately be represented, and when users might expect to see them. We will update this article as we hear more.