Technologies

Noise-Canceling Beats Studio Buds Return to All-Time Low Price of $90

These true wireless Beats earbuds are $60 off for a limited time.

A decent set of noise-canceling earbuds doesn’t have to break the bank these days. And with solid sound quality, active noise cancellation and a transparency mode, the Beats Studio Buds are a great option to consider. Right now, the true wireless earbuds are back on sale at Woot where they’re seeing a 40% discount. At $90, this is a return to the best price we’ve ever seen them hit and the first time they’ve gone this low since holiday sales late last year.

See at Woot

Beats Studio Buds are small, lightweight, comfortable to wear and fit most ears securely. Despite being made by Apple these days, Beats products work great with both iPhones and Android phones and there are plenty of features to love, including quick pairing. CNET’s David Carnoy said their sound quality beats out AirPods Pro and Powerbeats Pro in his review.

Unlike some other Apple-made Beats products, the Studio Buds lack a few of the fanciest features like in-ear detection and the ability to pair to all of your Apple devices via iCloud and switch between them automatically. That probably won’t be a deal-breaker for most folks, especially given the price difference between the Studio Buds and something like the AirPods Pro.

The Beats Studio Buds provide up to 8 hours of listening time on a single charge, with up to 24 hours when combined with the charging case. They are also IPX4-rated sweat and water-resistant, so they’re a solid option to use on your commute or at the gym.

While Beats recently released the improved Studio Buds Plus, the upgraded model — with better noise-canceling and battery life — debuted at $170, which might be more than you’re prepared to spend.

If the Studio Buds aren’t quite the right fit for you, check out the other Beats headphones deals currently available, as well as our list of best wireless earbuds.

Technologies

Waymo’s Driverless Vehicles Are Hitting Tokyo Streets. Here’s Everything to Know About the Robotaxi Service

Here’s where Waymo’s self-driving vehicles are available now — and where they’re arriving soon.

Technologies

Amazon Scrubs Wednesday Rocket Launch for Its Starlink Satellite Service Rival

The weather hampers Project Kuiper’s launch, and no new date has been scheduled for its first full-scale satellite launch.

Amazon will soon launch 27 low-Earth orbit satellites as part of its Project Kuiper. The original launch window was set for Wednesday between 7 and 9 p.m. ET (4 to 6 p.m. PT), but poor weather forced the rocket launch to be scrubbed for the day.

«Weather is observed and forecast NO GO for liftoff within the remaining launch window at Cape Canaveral this evening, according to Launch Weather Officer Brian Belson,» United Launch Alliance said in its live updates Wednesday night. «The stubborn cumulus clouds and persistent winds make liftoff not possible within the available window.»

There’s no word yet on when it’ll be rescheduled, but there’s a mission page for updates on the launch and plans to livestream the takeoff. You can watch the rocket launch live on that page or YouTube.

The launch mission, KA-01 or Kuiper Atlas 1, will be on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket and will take place at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

It’ll be a big step forward for the project, which Amazon announced in 2019 with promises of a $10 billion investment. Now the company is poised to enter the race to provide satellite internet service, a space currently dominated by SpaceX’s Starlink, which has about 7,000 satellites. Amazon’s plans call for 3,200 satellites to be deployed over 80 launches. The company intends to provide internet service with this technology later this year.

More competition will improve internet services

The literal space race, which includes Starlink, Amazon and other companies such as Viasat, Hughesnet, Eutelsat and China’s SpaceSail, could mean more internet service availability in far-flung and rural areas with limited broadband options. Though Starlink is the leader in space, some of these other companies are continuing to launch satellites and working to deploy high-speed internet in more markets, such as Brazil. With more players in the market, that could mean faster and cheaper internet in more areas, although whether that actually bears out for consumers remains to be seen.

Mahdi Eslamimehr, executive vice president at Quandary Peak Research and adjunct professor at the Department of Computer Science at USC, said Amazon is well poised to compete with Starlink. «Amazon has made extensive launch agreements with major providers such as ULA, Arianespace, Blue Origin, and even SpaceX itself, positioning Kuiper as a major challenger due to its expansive infrastructure and significant resources.»

He said, «While Starlink currently enjoys clear market leadership, it faces increasing competition from well-capitalized and strategically agile competitors, specifically from China, suggesting the market will become considerably more competitive in the near future.»

So far, Eslamimehr said, Amazon’s satellite efforts have been promising and successful, at least in the prototype stages. The company has also been testing Amazon Web Services in space. «These developments collectively underscore Amazon’s robust entry into the satellite internet market and reflect positive early momentum in its overall space strategy.»

Beyond how it fares against Starlink and other companies, the Amazon satellite launches are significant in other ways. Eslamimehr said, «Project Kuiper isn’t just about competition; it’s positioned as a critical step toward closing the global digital divide, promising to deliver high-speed internet to underserved communities worldwide.»

Correction, April 4: An earlier version of this story misspelled the name of the USC professor and Quandary Peak Research executive vice president. His name is Mahdi Eslamimehr.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for April 10, #199

Hints and answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, No. 199, for April 10.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Connections: Sports Edition might be tough today. But if you’re tuned in to a specific tournament happening this week, the blue category should be easy for you. Read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta after making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s app. Or you can continue to play it free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Whoops!

Green group hint: Hut-hut!

Blue group hint: Fore!

Purple group hint: More than two.