MasterSous can sous vide, simmer, sear, saute, deep fry, and more

Why it matters to you

Single-use appliances add clutter to a clean kitchen. MasterSous can not only sous vide, but also cook food in many other ways too.

Sous vide is a fast-growing trend, but most sous vide appliances can only do that one thing — they are unitaskers. MasterSous bucks that trend with an innovative approach as an all-in-one multi-cooker. Its unique design allows it to sous vide, simmer, sear, saute, boil, steam, slow-cook, and deep-fry.

The MasterSous is designed with a six-quart, non-stick pot. Using an electronic dial, users can choose the cooking method, time, temperature, and several pre-programmed settings. For instance, MasterSous can heat up oil just below the smoking temperature of eight mainstream oils to perfectly deep fry food.

What separates MasterSous from the competition is its patent-pending, variable-speed stirring mechanism. It secures itself to the pot with a powerful magnet, offering a hands-free experience. Depending on the need, there are interchangeable attachments as well as the ability to switch between constant stir and other preset intervals. By combining the stirring mechanism with the insertable food rack, this multi-cooker can easily sous vide without the need for additional appliances.

“MasterSous has been a complete game-changer for my family, giving us delicious, healthy meals, and more time to spend together while they’re being prepared, and I just know that it will improve the quality of life for so many,” MasterSous creator Dr. James Collins said in a statement.

Like many new kitchen appliances, MasterSous features built-in Wi-Fi connectivity. With a companion app, the user has a chance to break free from the kitchen without losing precise control. When the meal is ready, a notification will notify the user through the app.

Single-use appliances are the quickest way to clutter up a small kitchen. Some kitchens, like those found on planes or ships, do not have the luxury of space.

“I have spent 14 years preparing food on board corporate jets in the U.S. Air Force, serving meals to presidents, general officers, senators, and even celebrities in-flight,” Fred Johnson, the senior executive chef for the U.S. House of Representatives, said in a statement. “If I had MasterSous back then, my job would have been exponentially easier, allowing me the freedom to tend to my guests and the peace of mind knowing my food was being precisely cooked.”

MasterSous launches for pre-order on Kickstarter on October 4 for $449. Those interested should act fast as the first 50 buyers can grab it for $299. The next 50 after that get a smaller discount of $399. People are encouraged to sign up to be notified when MasterSous goes up on Kickstarter.

The Wirecutter’s best deals: Save $30 on a Kwikset Kevo smart lock

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.

Kwikset Kevo Smart Lock

Street price: $230; MSRP: $230; Deal price: $200

Here’s a great price on our top smart lock pick in the Venetian Bronze finish. This matches the best price we’ve seen for this smart lock and is only the second time we’ve seen it this low in any of the available finishes. Shipping is free.

The Kwikset Kevo Smart Lock (2nd Gen) is our top pick in our guide to the best smart lock. John Chase, “After more than a year of ongoing tests of more than a dozen leading smart locks, including side-by-side tests and real-world everyday use, we think the new Kwikset Kevo Smart Lock 2nd Gen with the optional Kevo Plus upgrade (a separate $100 in-app purchase) is the best choice for most homeowners. This model takes what was already the fastest, most reliable smart lock in daily use and gives it more-secure all-metal internals and a much smaller, more attractively designed interior portion. The Kevo’s unique tap-to-unlock mechanism uses Bluetooth to sense your presence and introduces far fewer hiccups and compromises compared with competing lock systems.”

Geeni Energi Smart Plug

Street price: $25; MSRP: $25; Deal price: $16

Here’s a nice $9 drop on our budget smart switch, and at $16 it’s a new low. We’ve only seen this smart plug on sale a handful of times before, and all of those sales have been very brief. This deal is unlikely to last longer than a few days, so keep that in mind if you’re interested.

The Geeni Energi is our budget pick in our guide to the best smart switch. Rachel Cericola wrote, “The Geeni Energi makes putting smart plugs into your home a lot more affordable than the competition does. It performed well in our testing, and it has an extremely simple app for iOS and Android users and adds in Amazon Alexa voice control. The brand-new manufacturer has no support or reliability record yet, and the Energi is a bit bulkier than either of our other picks.”

DOSS SoundBox Touch Portable Bluetooth Speaker

Street price: $33; MSRP: $90; Deal price: $24 with code SOUNDBOX

This is an excellent price when you apply promo code SOUNDBOX at checkout on our budget portable Bluetooth speaker in black. The code knocks the price down to $24, around $9 less than the typical street price and matching the low price we’ve seen. The code also works for the Red, White, and Blue colors, knocking them down to a very slightly more expensive $25 if you prefer one of those colors as an alternative. Shipping is free with Prime.

The Doss SoundBox Touch is our budget pick in our guide to the best portable Bluetooth speaker. Brent Butterworth writes, “Whether you need something inexpensive that lets you stream Internet radio in your cubicle at a level just loud enough to hear, or you need something a little louder that’ll cover a living room or a workshop, the DOSS SoundBox Touch is a great choice. The sound sets a new standard for quality in this price range: reasonably full, surprisingly clear, and plenty loud enough for most situations where you’d use a portable Bluetooth speaker. The SoundBox Touch sounds slightly less smooth than the Vava Voom 20, so voices sometimes have a subtly sibilant edge and don’t seem quite as natural, and it doesn’t have the satisfying bass power that the Voom 20 has. Still, it sounds much more natural than the other speakers we’ve tried in this price range.”

ThermoWorks Smoke

Street price: $104; MSRP: $104; Deal price: $80

If you’re a serious grill or smoker enthusiast and looking for a probe thermometer with dual channels that can be operated remotely, the ThermoWorks Smoke is one of a few expensive options. Right now, however, there’s a nice open box deal at Thermoworks that can save you a significant chunk on this probe thermometer. All open-box gear sold from ThermoWorks includes the full 2 year warranty. Shipping is $4, bringing the total to $80, a savings of $24 vs. buying new.

The ThermoWorks Smoke Probe Thermometer is our grill and smoker enthusiasts pick in our guide to the best probe thermometer. Michael Sullivan writes, “Like the ChefAlarm, the ThermoWorks Smoke has a backlit screen and volume controls. However, unlike our other picks, the Smoke can operate via a wireless receiver and has two channels to accommodate multiple probes: one probe to take the internal temperature of the meat, and an air probe for measuring the ambient temperature of the oven, grill, or smoker. In our tests, the Smoke maintained its wireless connection for an unobstructed distance of 350 feet. Since it’s $60 more than our main pick, we recommend it only for grill and smoker enthusiasts.”

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.

Return to ‘Smuggler’s Run’ in the next ‘GTA: Online’ expansion

For the next expansion to GTA: Online, Rockstar Games is looking to its past. “Smuggler’s Run” will task you to move inventory for the perpetually paranoid Nervous Ron by land and air. “Smuggler’s Run opens up the air corridors above Los Santos and Blaine Country, providing new business opportunities while introducing a range of planes, choppers and even ultralights as highly viable options for transporting criminal cargo across the state — simultaneously opening up some creative new methods of dispatching any rival gangs along the way,” a post on the Rockstar Newswire says.

That will launch August 29th. Later this fall, Rockstar teases that it’s going to make some pretty big changes to how races work. “New and strategically placed checkpoints will instantly change your vehicle class to match the portion of the course ahead, creating dynamic racing with ever shifting challenges to take the checkered flag,” the blog post reads.

Beyond that, expect additional game modes/expansions, cars, holiday-themed events and more as the year progresses.

Before Grand Theft Auto III, the developer was doing all sorts of weird stuff, and had a number of (now dormant) franchises under its belt. One of them was Smuggler’s Run, an off-road racing game of sorts where you were transporting illegal goods across borders and under Johnny Law’s radar. Maybe you shouldn’t hope that this expansion is signaling the franchise’s return, though. The last game came out in 2002 on the Gamecube, and Rockstar still has to get Red Dead Redemption 2 out the door.

Source: Rockstar

The new story mode in ‘FIFA 18’ is all about choice

The Journey was one of the best additions to FIFA 17, crafting a dramatic but believable story around a rookie football (sorry, soccer) player in England. With FIFA 18, EA is building on the mode with a “second season” for rising star Alex Hunter. It promises a “global” story with more football clubs, branching pathways and some character customisation, culminating in a campaign that should feel less scripted, but no less cinematic.

At Gamescom, I was able to play a brief snippet from early in the game. Alex has spent his summer in Brazil and completed a brief pre-season tour in Los Angeles, before settling back down in England. The demo started in his apartment with Alex’s grandfather, Jim Hunter, preparing breakfast and his mother, Catherine Hunter, working on a laptop. Soon enough Michael, Alex’s agent, bursts into the room with some big news: he’s been on the phone with someone representing Real Madrid an apparently, ‘Los Blancos’ is interested in signing Hunter. Alex, unsurprisingly, is elated.

Before the deal can go through, however, Hunter needs to play a few games with his current team. In this scenario, it was Chelsea, though that could change depending on your particular playthrough. Soon enough, you’re sat in the locker room, waiting for a match with Manchester United to begin. But the coach, Butler, has bad news: The manager wants Hunter to start on the bench, fearing that his heart and thoughts are no longer with the London club. “Personally, I hope you stay, lad,” Butler says with a sigh.

Deep in the second half, the manager brings you on. Chelsea are 3-0 down and the manager, Antonio Conte, expects you to achieve a rating of 8.5 for the rest of the game. The other match “bonuses,” which affect how the manager sees you, include winning the game and completing 10 passes. No pressure, then. In my game, I was able to score and set up a couple of team mates, drawing the two teams level. While I managed a rating of 9.4, I didn’t complete the passing objective or ultimately win the game.

Then, disaster strikes. I won’t spoil what happens, but the result is that you won’t, it seems, be signing for Real Madrid any time soon.

Still, it’s clear that Hunter will, at some point, get the chance to move abroad. Sam Rivera, lead gameplay producer on FIFA 18, says these moments are a reflection of the game’s fanbase, which stretches all over the world. Soccer is a truly global sport, so it makes sense to show the profession and fan culture from different perspectives. “For people in the UK, they probably liked The Journey last year because it was all based there,” he says. “But, people around the world want to see more places. And even if you’re in the UK, sometimes other places are fun, right?”

You won’t visit every division on the planet, however. The Journey is successful because it balances wish fulfilment with authenticity. Last year, Hunter was able to play in the Premier League, but not before dropping down to a Championship side. The campaign stopped with an FA Cup Final which, while exciting, is far from the sport’s apex. It’s not like Hunter won the UEFA Champions League, or picked up the coveted Ballon d’Or.

“Even if you finished The Journey, you didn’t play against Ronaldo, Messi, or other superstars,” Rivera says. “Because that’s how it goes in real life. It takes time, right?”

At least one of those players will feature in Hunter’s second season, however. Cristiano Ronaldo is confirmed for the second season, alongside Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann, Bayern Munich legend Thomas Muller and Tottenham Hotspur’s Dele Alli. That doesn’t mean you’ll play for their respective clubs — at least, it’s not confirmed — but Rivera promises they’ll impact Hunter’s career somehow. EA visited Ronaldo in Madrid to capture his likeness and dialog, and while that’s no guarantee of acting prowess, Rivera hopes players will be impressed by the results.

“He’s a player-actor,” Rivera says. “He’s doing so many commercials that he probably knows how to act, right? So, having that in The Journey just makes the game richer. It’s all about adding more and we think it’s a nice touch.”

While last year’s game had some choices, they were mostly superficial. You could choose the clubs you played for, but the core narrative was essentially the same. Gareth Walker was always your rival and Danny Williams was your Championship team mate, regardless of which side you decided to join. In FIFA 18, however, there will be genuine branching paths. Your performances on the pitch and decisions away from the turf will influence these pivotal moments. “If you play The Journey and we meet up tomorrow, we might not have anything in common to talk about,” he hints. “Because I went through a different path.”

The path you take and the clubs you join will affect your immediate objectives. Rivera wouldn’t give any examples, but hints that the “expectations” on Hunter will differ. At Real Madrid, hypothetically, you would be expected to win La Liga comfortably, while at Espanyol, a mid-table finish would probably suffice. “At the end of the day, if you fail at the club, you might have to go on loan…” he teases.

The second season of The Journey will also feature short and medium-term objectives. Last year, some people complained that there wasn’t enough direction, or “goals” to complete match-to-match. Sure, there were performance targets, but the game became a slow trudge towards the end of the season and some possible silverware. The story in FIFA 18 has, therefore, been split into “chapters” with distinct milestones, or requirements, that must be completed to unlock the next one.

Hunter will also be customisable this time around. Though you can’t create a character from scratch, or import your previous save Mass Effect style, EA wants players to have a sense of ownership over the game’s central star. You’ll be able to pick his hair style, clothes and soccer boots, as well as whether he has facial hair or tattoos. “There are some very exotic haircuts,” Rivera says. So if you want to look like Paul Pogba, with a streak of color down one side, that’s totally up to you. Personally, I’m praying for a Marouane Fellaini option, if only to see how it looks in cutscenes.

Rivera is promising other surprises. You will be able to control other characters during The Journey, for instance. “A lot of things are being added,” he says cryptically. Maybe they’ll involve a new player?

FIFA’s first attempt at a story mode was a resounding success last year. For casual fans, it was a new way to learn the game’s mechanics and understand English soccer culture. A third season, while not guaranteed, seems likely. “So far, the feedback from people has been really positive,” Rivera says. “And if it’s a popular mode, obviously it’s worth investing in. Short-term, for sure, there are plans in place.” Perhaps future seasons will cover an older Hunter, or a new footballer keen to take his place. As we’ve seen with the Neymar transfer this summer, there are plenty of events, fictional and real, that EA could use to spice up the mode in the future.

Stadium’s 24/7 sports stream is live on Twitter

In May, Twitter announced that among a handful of sports-focused streams that would be coming to the site was a 24/7 livestream from Stadium. Starting today, that all-day sports content hits Twitter via Stadium’s @WatchStadium account.

The stream will air live and on-demand games and events as well as classic games and original studio programming. Three studio shows — Inside the League, Campus Insiders and The Rally — are scheduled to air Monday through Friday. Along with Twitter, viewers will also be able to catch the stream through Stadium’s website and Pluto TV.

Stadium, which just announced a deal with Facebook to livestream college football games through its Facebook page, is also reportedly working on a subscription service that would give viewers access to an additional 500 exclusive games and events, on demand videos and commercial-free, re-aired Stadium TV content. The service, Stadium Plus, will cost $5 per month. The company is also gearing up for its over-the-air sports network that’s set to launch next month.

You can start watching Stadium’s livestream through Twitter now, but it’s only available to US users.

Source: TechCrunch

Judge orders DreamHost to hand over data from anti-Trump site

Earlier this week, after DreamHost challenged its warrant in court, the Department of Justice narrowed what sorts of information it would seek from the website host in regards to activity on the site disruptj20.org. The website was used to help organize protests against Donald Trump on Inauguration Day and the government claims visitors to the site used it to plan violence. Today, a judge ordered DreamHost to comply with the newly refocused warrant.

Along with IP addresses, the DoJ also removed unpublished drafts, images, HTTP requests, error logs and metadata from its search request. While the judge approved the amended warrant request, he also set up additional measures meant to protect innocent visitors to the website. The government will have to disclose the names of the officers who will sort through the data and it will also have to inform the court how it plans to minimize the data collected on innocent site visitors and share its method for going through the data. Further, the DoJ will have to give the court one set of data not covered by the warrant that will be sealed and not reviewed thereafter and a second set of data with the reasoning behind why it’s evidence of a crime.

DreamHost has been instructed to begin handing over its data to the government starting immediately. However, if it decides to appeal the decision — which it hasn’t decided if it will or not — then a stay will be ordered until the appeal process is completed. The government isn’t supposed to begin reviewing the data until DreamHost makes a decision about whether it will appeal.

In a statement to Gizmodo, DreamHost said, “Given the extraordinary privacy and First Amendment issues raised by this case, the court has chosen to effectively shackle the Department of Justice in several key ways, all of which act to limit exposure of sensitive and private user information.”

Source: The Hill, Gizmodo

Recover from your workouts more quickly with the Powerdot

Why it matters to you

Devices like this one suggest that you don’t have to settle for aches and pains after a workout.

As important as your workout may be, equally crucial to helping you achieve your fitness goals is your recovery. After all, there’s a reason your trainer won’t let you off the hook without a good stretch. Now, there’s a new device that wants to help you recover faster and grow stronger — it’s called the Powerdot, and it’s an electric muscle stimulation device that promises to activate your muscle fibers before, during, or after your workout.

With ten different “workouts” and the option to select the muscle group you’d most like to target, the Powerdot allows you to send impulses to different parts of your body, helping increase blood and oxygen flow. That means that even if you’re not recovering from a hard workout, you can use the Powerdot to revitalize your muscles after sitting at your desk for hours on end, getting off a plane, or finishing a road trip.

Different programs are best suited for different activities — for example, there’s the active recovery mode, which claims to help you reduce blood lactate accumulation and targets Type I muscle fibers. And there’s the massage mode, which temporarily increases blood circulation in the area applied, promoting muscle relaxation.

So how do you actually use these programs? Simply attach the Powerdot to the part of your body that needs the treatment, and then use the companion app to select the mode you’re most interested in exploring. The app will also show you where and how to properly place the pre-charged pods and electrode pads on your body. Then, get ready for some serious neuromuscular electrical stimulation NMES.

The PowerDot uses FDA-cleared NMES to help you contract muscle groups you want to target, helping you get the same treatment that many professional athletes enjoy.

Currently available for $249 (for just one PowerDot) or $449 for a duo (which will work both sides of your body at the same time), the Powerdot promises to be “easy to use, convenient, effective, and compact.” So if you constantly find yourself battling aches and sores that come after a hard workout, know that you don’t have to resign yourself to discomfort. Just hook yourself up to a Powerdot and start relieving those pains.

Recover from your workouts more quickly with the Powerdot

Why it matters to you

Devices like this one suggest that you don’t have to settle for aches and pains after a workout.

As important as your workout may be, equally crucial to helping you achieve your fitness goals is your recovery. After all, there’s a reason your trainer won’t let you off the hook without a good stretch. Now, there’s a new device that wants to help you recover faster and grow stronger — it’s called the Powerdot, and it’s an electric muscle stimulation device that promises to activate your muscle fibers before, during, or after your workout.

With ten different “workouts” and the option to select the muscle group you’d most like to target, the Powerdot allows you to send impulses to different parts of your body, helping increase blood and oxygen flow. That means that even if you’re not recovering from a hard workout, you can use the Powerdot to revitalize your muscles after sitting at your desk for hours on end, getting off a plane, or finishing a road trip.

Different programs are best suited for different activities — for example, there’s the active recovery mode, which claims to help you reduce blood lactate accumulation and targets Type I muscle fibers. And there’s the massage mode, which temporarily increases blood circulation in the area applied, promoting muscle relaxation.

So how do you actually use these programs? Simply attach the Powerdot to the part of your body that needs the treatment, and then use the companion app to select the mode you’re most interested in exploring. The app will also show you where and how to properly place the pre-charged pods and electrode pads on your body. Then, get ready for some serious neuromuscular electrical stimulation NMES.

The PowerDot uses FDA-cleared NMES to help you contract muscle groups you want to target, helping you get the same treatment that many professional athletes enjoy.

Currently available for $249 (for just one PowerDot) or $449 for a duo (which will work both sides of your body at the same time), the Powerdot promises to be “easy to use, convenient, effective, and compact.” So if you constantly find yourself battling aches and sores that come after a hard workout, know that you don’t have to resign yourself to discomfort. Just hook yourself up to a Powerdot and start relieving those pains.

‘Minecraft’ for Xbox One finally gets mouse and keyboard support

Why it matters to you

Many players agree that the keyboard and mouse offers the best Minecraft experience and that control scheme is set to be available to Xbox One owners.

At E3 2017, developer Mojang shared plans to bring the various different Minecraft communities across consoles, PC, and mobile devices under one umbrella in the form of the “Better Together” update. That patch is currently being tested by Xbox One players who opted into a beta and the preview confirmed the introduction of a long-requested feature.

The current version of the beta allows Minecraft fans to test Xbox Live multiplayer and other functionality in the new “Bedrock Edition” of the game. On top of that, there is a nifty option hidden away in a menu screen that can be used to select a keyboard and mouse as the primary input device rather than the standard Xbox One controller, according to OnMSFT.

This is pretty big news. Minecraft started out on the PC and as such many players are most comfortable building their creations and navigating the game world with the freedom of control afforded by a mouse. There have been numerous requests from fans for this functionality to be implemented in the console version of the game and it seems that those wishes have finally been granted.

It remains to be seen whether the PlayStation 4 version of Minecraft will also receive official support for keyboard and mouse control schemes somewhere down the line. Sony declined to take part in the Better Together update, so the system is currently positioned separately to the central strand of the game’s development moving forward.

The fact that Minecraft is adding keyboard and mouse support on the Xbox One might suggest that this control scheme will become a more prominent component of the console’s identity. Microsoft has made no secret of its intention to bring Windows 10 and the Xbox One closer together and since so many of its big releases are cross-play and already have keyboard and mouse control schemes established, it should not be too difficult to set up.

The Better Together update for Minecraft will see the Xbox One, Windows 10, Nintendo Switch, and mobile versions of the game drop their platform specific-branding and enable players using different hardware to create alongside one another. There is currently no official release date for the final version of the patch.

The Vinyl Recorder app lets you rip your favorite analog tunes to your phone

Why it matters to you

If you’re a vinyl listener looking to take rips of your favorite records on the go, there is now an app for that.

Fans of analog audio who want to listen to their favorite records on the go now have a new option for putting their coveted collection in their pocket with Convert Technologies‘ new Vinyl Recorder app.

All listeners need is a USB turntable and a micro-USB cable to attach it to their phone, at which point they simply load the Vinyl Recorder app and press record. An integration with Gracenote means that after a few seconds, the service will identify the song from its online database, then add information to your digital vinyl rip — including the artist name, song title, album title, album artwork, and genre tags.

Best of all, the music is recorded to your phone in high-quality 16-bit, 48k FLAC files, which means you will be able to hear CD-quality versions of every track you rip, wherever you go. This makes it an excellent option for record collectors who always listen to vinyl at home but who have yet to settle on a good portable solution. With the Vinyl Recorder app, you can take your rarest and most coveted vinyl wherever you are not willing to risk taking the real thing.

The app itself is free, but Convert Technologies does charge a fee per-track for ripping your favorite analog cuts. Those who plan on ripping just a few of their favorite tracks can do so for cheap — 10 tracks costs around $2.50 — and those interested in backing up more of their library can do so for a reasonably affordable sum as well, with 250 tracks costing about $40.

The application is currently for Android only but the company is planning to port it to iOS as soon as it can, even offering an email sign up for iPhone users on its website. To learn more, be sure to check out the promo video included at the top of this post.

Looking to get into vinyl but don’t know where to start? We have a list of our favorite affordable turntables and the best entry-level phono preamps, as well as a good amount of pointers as to how to start a perfect vinyl record collection.