IKEA’s new outdoor LED lamp is also a Spotify-enabled Bluetooth speaker

IKEA has unveiled the Vappeby Bluetooth speaker with a Spotify Tap button that doubles as an outdoor lamp, confirming an FCC filing we saw last year. With IP65 dust and water splash resistance, it’s designed to illuminate outdoor parties, barbecues, etc. with LED light while delivering 360 sound, the company said. 

When you press the Spotify Tap button, it will start streaming from wherever you left off and another press will play a different recommendation based on your Spotify history. It also works with other streaming services or any media stored on your smartphone or other connected device. 

Vappeby offers up to 12 hours of music streaming, presumably without the light turned on. It charges via USB-C with a cable, but not a charger, included in the package. The lamp offers two LED light modes (IKEA didn’t specify which), and has a grip and lantern-like design.

IKEA's Spotify Tap Bluetooth speaker doubles as an outdoor LED lamp
IKEA/Miguel Perez

Spotify Tap rolled out in September last year and was available at launch on Bluetooth headphones from Samsung, Microsoft Surface, Bose, Skullcandy, and Jabra, Spotify said at the time. The company already has a range of Vappeby Bluetooth speakers (known as Eneby in the US) priced from $25 to $90. It also offers the Symfonisk bookshelf speaker build in collaboration with Sonos, available for €99 in Europe only. 

The company said that Vappeby is “an important step on IKEA’s journey to democratize music… increase user experience, lower the thresholds and make music and light easily accessible.” The new model is now available to order for $65 in blue or grey, though as mentioned, the USB power adapter is sold separately. 

Samsung’s speedy T7 Touch SSDs fall to new all-time lows

With great speed, security and reliability, Samsung’s T7 Touch SSDs are among the best storage expansion options for PCs and mobile devices alike. Now is a great time to pick one up, as both the 1TB and 2TB models are available on Amazon at all-time low prices. You can pick up the 1TB model in silver or black for $130 (a savings of $60), or grab the 2TB version for $260, or $110 off the regular $370 price.

Buy Samsung 1TB T7 Touch SSD at Amazon – $130Buy Samsung 2TB T7 Touch SSD at Amazon – $260

When it launched, the T7 Touch SSD won a CES Innovation Award thanks to its built-in fingerprint scanner feature with 265-bit AES hardware encryption. It supports read and write speeds of 1,050 MB/s and 1,000 MB/s thanks to the USB 3.2 connectivity, considerably faster than most portable SSDs. In addition, it comes with an LED status indicator and can withstand shocks from drops up to six feet. 

Fingerprint setup is relatively simple thanks to the included software. And while some portable SSDs are stingy with cables, the T7 Touch includes both USB Type C-to-C and Type C-to-A cables so you can connect it to PCs, Macs and portable devices. Finally, it offers a sleek and compact style, fitting in the palm of your hand and weighing just 2 ounces or 57 grams. As mentioned, these are the lowest prices we’ve seen on the T7 Touch models, so if you’ve been looking, now’s the time to act.

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

Sony confirms VRR will arrive on PS5 in the coming months

Variable refresh rate (VRR) is coming to the PlayStation 5 in the “coming months,” Sony announced. If you have an HDMI 2.1-compatible TV or PC monitor, it will dynamically sync the refresh rate of the display to the PS5 console’s graphical output, Sony explained in a blog post. The feature is long overdue, as VRR has been available on the Xbox Series X and Series S consoles since they debuted. 

As you’re no doubt aware, VRR helps minimize visual artifacts like screen tearing. “Gameplay in many PS5 titles feels smoother as scenes render instantly, graphics look crisper, and input lag is reduced,” Sony explained. “Previously released PS5 games can be fully optimized for VRR through a game patch and future games may include VRR support at launch.”

Sony confirms VRR is coming to PS5 in the coming months
Sony

You’ll also be able to apply VRR to PS5 games that don’t support it, something that “may improve video quality for some games,” Sony said. The results may vary depending on the TV and game you’re playing, it added.

Sony only recently unlocked VRR on its HDMI 2.1-equipped TVs in the US and Europe. The PS5 offers 4K at 120Hz, but it’s arguably not as well implemented as the Xbox Series X/S consoles. 

Sony didn’t specify an exact date for the VRR patch, but will share more details as the feature gets closer to release. In the meantime, the latest PS5 release includes a few other new features. That includes the ability to test drive a Voice Command feature that lets you control media playback or find open games, apps and settings; join open or closed parties through the PS App; and enable a dark mode on PS Remote Play. All of those are rolling out later today.

YouTube makes thousands of TV show episodes available to stream for free

For the first time, YouTube is letting users in the US stream thousands of free, ad-supported TV shows like Hell’s Kitchen, Heartland and Unsolved Mysteries, it announced. That will put it into competition with OTA (over-the-air) TV and streaming services with ad tiers including Peacock, the Roku Channel, Tubi and others. 

YouTube will offer around 4,000 free TV episodes on top of the 1,500 movies already available. This month, it added a raft of new movie titles including Gone in Sixty Seconds, Runaway Bride and Legally Blonde, now available to stream for free (in the USA only) with ads.

With the new TV offerings, YouTube is no doubt hoping to keep American users glued to its platform. Having dozens of episodes from multiple series will allow users to binge like they do on Netflix and other platforms, though most of the content on offer is not what you’d call prestige TV. One of its biggest rivals in that regard is Roku TV, which had a very public dispute with YouTube that was only recently resolved.

Until last year, YouTube had been trying to fill content holes with its own programming via YouTube Originals. Earlier in 2022, however, it announced that it was largely abandoning those ambitions and would focus strictly on its Black Voices and YouTube Kids Funds. The program had some success with shows like Cobra Kai, but didn’t pose much of a threat to services like Amazon Prime Video and Netflix. 

Tesla delivers the first vehicles from its German Gigafactory

Tesla has delivered the first 30 Model Y cars manufactured at its $5.5 billion Grenheide, Germany Gigafactory that officially opened today, Reuters has reported. “Excited to hand over the first production cars made by Giga Berlin-Brandenburg tomorrow!” tweeted Tesla CEO Elon Musk yesterday. 

The event, delayed from last year due to environmental and other complaints, is being attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz. “Some people didn’t trust Germany could do this,” regional finance minister Joerg Steinbach told RBB radio yesterday. “We showed the world.”

Tesla came close to losing its water supply contracts following a complaint by local environmental groups. It addressed them by promising to minimize water usage, and also said it would plant more trees than it removed during construction. 

The company received final approval to start production on March 4th. Steinbach said that there was currently enough water for the plant, but added that Tesla will have to tap additional sources a longer distance away for any expansion. 

Tesla plans to produce 5,000 to 10,000 vehicles per week by the end of 2022, and the plant will eventually have a production capacity of 500,000 vehicles per year and 50 gigawatt hours (GWh) of battery power, more than any other German factory. Volkswagen produced around 450,000 EVs globally last year, and is planning a €2 billion EV plant in Wolfsburg that’s set to open in 2026.

Chosen buyers will receive the €63,990 ($70,370) Model Y Performance EV with 320 miles of range. Tesla has released several stories marking the occasion, showing several shots of the Gigafactory’s interior and exterior. 

Apple’s AirTag 4-pack falls to $89

Apple’s AirTags don’t go on sale often, but we’re now seeing a solid deal from two separate retailers. You can pick up a four-pack at Amazon and Best Buy for $89, just a dollar higher than the best deal we’ve seen so far. The offer helps if you have multiple items you want to track, and unlike with the previous Woot deal, both companies have generous return policies.

Buy Apple AirTag 4-pack at Amazon – $89Buy Apple AirTag 4-pack at Best Buy – $89

If you’re in Apple’s ecosystem, AirTags give you some big advantages over rival trackers from Tile and others. The ultra-wideband functionality offers precise tracking with iPhone 11 (and up) devices when you get close, so you can tell whether your missing object is under a couch cushion or behind a chair, for example. Meanwhile, the AirTag network enabled by al Apple device users allows you to find a missing bag that might be a longer distance away. 

The coin-sized design is nice and simple and you’ll get a seamless experience thanks to the Find My App. You can also force the AirTag to emit a chime to help you more easily locate your item if you’re close to it. However, it doesn’t have a built-in keyring like rival devices, so you’ll need to buy additional accessories like the $35 leather keyring. 

The main drawback is that it only works with Apple devices, so Android users will have to look elsewhere, and battery life is also limited. Still, if you’re in Apple’s ecosystem, you can now pick one up for an extra discount with no worries about returns or the warranty. 

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

Amazon’s Kindle sale brings the Paperwhite back to an all-time low

Amazon’s latest Kindle Paperwhite is one of the nicest (and newest) e-readers out there, and you can now pick one up at an all-time low. It’s on sale for just $105, for a savings of $35 (25 percent) off the regular $140 price. You’ll also find deals on the regular Kindle with a built-in front light, Kindle Paperwhite Kids and Kindle Kids models. 

Buy Kindle Paperwhite at Amazon – $105

Amazon refreshed the Kindle Paperwhite last September, with the biggest change being a larger 6.8-inch, 300 ppi glare-free screen. The idea is that it’s supposed to look as much like real paper as possible, allowing for “easy reading in all conditions, even in direct sunlight,” according to Amazon. It’s also faster, allowing for quicker page turns, and comes with 8GB of storage, USB-C fast charging and an IPX8 water-resistant rating.

Amazon's Kindle Paperwhite returns to an all-time low in new sale
Steve Dent

If you’re looking for a cheaper model, the regular Kindle with a built-in front light is on sale for $55, for a savings of $35 off the regular $90 price. Though several years old, it’s still competitive thanks to the touchscreen with front illumination, high-contrast 167 ppi display and compact design. It comes with 8GB of storage and a single battery charge “lasts weeks, not hours,” Amazon says.

Buy Kindle with built-in front light at Amazon – $55

Finally, Amazon has also discounted two reader models for children, the Kindle Paperwhite Kids available near an all-time low at $115 or 28 percent off, and Kindle Kids ($65 or 41 percent off). The latter model is similar to the regular Kindle, but comes with a kid-friendly cover, 1 year of Amazon Kids+ and a “worry-free guarantee.” The latter, meanwhile, bundles the Kindle Paperwhite with the same options.

Buy Kindle Kids at Amazon – $65Buy Kindle Paperwhite Kids at Amazon – $115

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

New SEC rules would require companies to disclose climate goals and emissions

Public companies would be required to disclose greenhouse gas emissions they produce under new rules proposed by the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The move is part of the Biden government’s push to identify climate risks and cut emissions as much as 52 percent by 2030. The SEC’s three Democratic commissioners voted to approve the proposal, while Republican commissioner Hester M. Peirce voted against it.

“I am pleased to support today’s proposal because, if adopted, it would provide investors with consistent, comparable, and decision-useful information for making their investment decisions, and it would provide consistent and clear reporting obligations for issuers,” said SEC Chair Gary Gensler.

Under the new rule, companies would need to explain how climate risks would affect their operations and strategies. They’d be required to share the emissions they generate and larger companies would need to have those numbers confirmed by independent consulting firms. They’d also need to disclose indirect emissions generated by supplies and customers if those are “material” to their climate goals. 

In addition, any companies that have made public promises to reduce their carbon footprint would need to explain how they plan to meet those goals. That includes the use of carbon offsets like planting trees, which have been criticized as being a poor substitute for actually slashing emissions, as Greenpeace said in a recent report. 

The SEC already allows for voluntary emissions guidance, but the new rules would make it mandatory. Many companies like Ford already share emissions date from factory production as well as vehicle fuel usage. However, “there are lots of companies that won’t do it unless it’s mandatory,” task force chief Mary Schapiro told The Washington Post ahead of the report’s release. 

After the proposed rule is published on the SEC’s website, the public will have 60 days to comment. The final rule will likely head to a vote in several months, and would be phased in over several years. The ruling will likely be challenged in court by Republicans in states like West Virginia, along with business groups, on the grounds that climate change is not a material issue for investors in the near future. 

However, experts have warned that time is of the essence. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently issued a report stating that many of the impacts of global warming are “irreversible” and that there’s only a brief window of time to avoid the worst. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called it a “damning indictment of failed climate leadership.” 

Apple’s 2022 iPad Air gets its first discount at Amazon

Apple’s new M1-equipped iPad Air arrived just a few days ago, but we’re already seeing our first discounts. You can now pick up both the 64GB and 256GB WiFi models for $570 and $720 respectively, or $29 off Apple’s direct prices. While the reductions aren’t huge, it’s unusual to see any at all on brand new Apple products, particularly ones like this that have generated considerable buzz. 

Buy Apple iPad Air 64GB (2022) at Amazon – $570Buy Apple 256GB iPad Air (2022) at Amazon – $720

The M1 chip provides a big performance boost over the previous model, making it a great option for creative, gaming and other demanding apps. You’ll get another dose of extra speed via the 10Gbps USB-C ports that have double the bandwidth over the previous iPad Air. At the same time, you still get the same excellent 10-hour battery life of the last model. All of those things make the 2022 iPad Air future-proof and helped it garner a top-notch 90 score in our Engadget review.

It has more than speed going for it. You get a 10.9-inch “liquid Retina” LCD display with Apple’s True Tone feature for optimizing the screen’s color temperature based on ambient light, to start with. It also comes with an improved 12-megapixel ultra wide front camera and supports the same accessories as the last model (keyboard cases, Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil). 

The main downsides are the relatively miniscule 64GB storage on the budget model, lack of Face ID and pricey accessories. Still, it’s a huge leap over the previous model with a nice little discount to boot. 

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

The Nintendo Wii and DSi stores have been down for days with no explanation

Nintendo stopped selling DSi and Wii games in 2017 and 2019 respectively, but it has continued to allow users to download games they already own. Now, both stores have gone completely offline with no explanation from the company, Eurogamer has reported. If you try to select the Wii Shop channel, you’ll just see a blank white screen and error code — a situation that has persisted for around four days.

When it initially shuttered those stores, Nintendo said that you’d still be able to download purchased games for an unspecified period of time. However, it warned that the servers would eventually be shut down completely, meaning folks wouldn’t be able to download or transfer purchased games using the Wii System Transfer Tool.

Nintendo has kept these stores running for a long time (since 2006 in the case of the Wii), but folks would rightfully be upset if Nintendo shut off access with no heads up whatsoever. Many would no doubt have liked at least a few months notice so they could download or transfer their games. The servers do appear to still be up, though, as some folks have found they can use third-party tools like NUSDownloader to access games. 

Sony was recently forced to backtrack on a decision to close the PS3 and Vita stores after a consumer backlash. The situation isn’t quite same for Nintendo, but it should probably provide some kind of explanation if the stores don’t come back online soon.