Connect with us

Technologies

Best alcohol delivery services in 2021: Drizly, Saucey, Minibar and more

A New Year’s Eve Champagne shortage may be looming. Stock up now with the best on-demand booze delivery services in 2021.

This story is part of Holiday Gift Guide 2021, our list of ideas, by topic, by recipient and by price, to help you discover the perfect gift.

With a dismal Champagne harvest caused by extreme weather including frost and wildfires, there’s talk of a Champagne shortage looming for the holidays. While you shouldn’t panic and the chances of no bubbles being available is slim, to get the bottles that you want it’s better to be safe than sorry. Fortunately, the best online booze and wine delivery services are still flush with the good stuff, so you can get your favorite Champagne delivered now and be ready to pop those corks when the ball drops on New Year’s.

There are a handful of reliable liquor delivery services that make ordering alcohol to your door easy. Plus, ordering booze and liquor online generally means a bigger selection of beer, wine, spirits, hard seltzer or any other adult drinks you want. Many of these booze delivery services function just like Uber Eats or GrubHub, sourcing inventory from local liquor stores and then employing on-demand delivery drivers to get the goods to you, often in an hour or less.

Read more: Best wine clubs and subscriptions in 2021 for your taste

Note that alcohol delivery laws vary by state, so not every service is available everywhere. Many states, however, have deemed liquor stores an essential service during the pandemic, and are allowing delivery of alcohol from restaurants and liquor stores where they may not have in the past. Inventory also varies by store and service, so if something is out of stock now it may come back in stock soon. We update this list periodically.

To stock up on craft beer, fancy booze, great wine and Champagne without ever having to put pants on, check out this list of the best wine and liquor delivery services to try in 2021. Just remember that the same rules that have always applied to alcohol apply now, perhaps more than ever: Enjoy wine and spirits in moderation and never drink and drive, but always tip your delivery person.

Happy ordering! For more, check out our roundup of the best online games to play with friends. You can also find out about the best meal kit delivery services, the best meat delivery and subscription services, the best coffee subscriptions and gourmet food and drink gifts to send to family and friends.

Technologies

White House Joins TikTok With New Account. Here’s What It’s Posted So Far

An official White House account has shown up on TikTok, with one video featuring the caption: ‘We’re so back’.

The White House has officially joined TikTok, even as the administration is trying to help determine the future of the platform in the US.

So far, the TikTok account has four videos, a mix of videos of President Donald Trump speaking, footage of the White House itself over music and the caption: «We’re so back.» There’s also a video of Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responding with hostility to a press conference question from a New York Times reporter, which is one way to set the tone early doors. As of this writing, the account had more than 123,000 followers so far.

The tagline for the account is: «Welcome to the Golden Age of America.»

After a move to ban TikTok in the US due to its Chinese ownership, the administration has delayed a shutdown as it seeks to help the company’s owner ByteDance, transfer ownership to a US company. There are expectations that new ownership could be announced as early as September as the company works on a US-only version of the TikTok mobile app. 

Continue Reading

Technologies

ROG Xbox Ally: Release Date, Specs, Price and How It Compares to Steam Deck

Can Microsoft and Asus give Valve some handheld competition?

The Steam Deck has yet to find a real competitor in the PC handheld gaming device battle. Other hardware companies, including Asus, Lenovo and MSI, have tried, but so far, their devices keep falling short. Asus plans to try to take another swipe at the crown, though, this time with the help of Microsoft.

In June, the two revealed their partnership for a new handheld device: the ROG Xbox Ally. This handheld will come in two variants and will attempt to bring the Xbox console experience to a portable device. Microsoft confirmed the release date for the Xbox Ally of Oct. 16 on Wednesday, but there are still some questions about the handheld. 

Will the Xbox Ally outdo the Steam Deck, or will it wind up being just another wannabe?

How much will the Xbox Ally cost?

Neither Microsoft nor Asus has confirmed an official price yet. One thing for sure is that the Xbox Ally won’t be cheap.

Multiple leaks suggest the price will be 599 euros for the Xbox Ally and 899 euros for a higher-end version, the Xbox Ally X. That does leave the question of what the price will be in the US. Most likely, the price will be the same just in dollars, as that is the typical practice for gaming hardware prices.

Discount social media poster Wario64 tweeted Best Buy listings for the Xbox Ally, Xbox Ally X, charger dock, and case on Wednesday. There’s no pricing on the site for the devices, just a button to be notified when preorders become available. However, Wario64 states the pricing on the back end shows the Xbox Ally at $550 and the Xbox Ally X at $900, while the charging dock is listed on the site $100 and case for $70. The dock and case prices are on Best Buy and are accurate. It’s unclear if Microsoft changed plans at the last minute. 

Microsoft didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about the post. 

The uncertainty about the price of the Xbox Ally is likely due to tariffs. Microsoft recently increased the prices of its Xbox Series consoles and Asus has done the same with its laptops and its current ROG Ally lineup.

When does the Xbox Ally come out?

Microsoft did confirm the release date of the Xbox Ally on Oct. 16. This date was mentioned in previous leaks regarding the handheld device’s price. 

When can I preorder the Xbox Ally? 

Preorders are not available as of yet. In the blog post about the release date, Microsoft says preordering and pricing will be announced sometime in the future. Best Buy does have the listings for the Xbox Ally, Xbox Ally X, charging dock and case, and those interested can request to be notified when preorders become available. 

What’s the difference between the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X?

There are two versions of the Xbox Ally: the lower-priced Xbox Ally and the higher-priced Xbox Ally X.

The key differences between the two are in their processors, storage and memory. The Xbox Ally will have the AMD Ryzen Z2 A Processor, while the Xbox Ally X will use the faster AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme Processor. Memory will be different, with the lower-priced Xbox Ally having 16GB of LPDDR5X-6400 and the higher-cost handheld coming with 24GB LPDDR5X-8000. Both will come with SSD storage but the Xbox Ally will have 512GB and the Xbox Ally X will have 1TB. The Xbox Ally X will also come with a bigger battery but with a faster processor and more memory. It’s not clear if that difference in capacity translates to a longer battery life.

Specs for Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X

ROG Xbox Ally ROG Xbox Ally X
Operating System Windows 11 Home Windows 11 Home
Controls and grip Contoured grips inspired by Xbox Wireless Controllers deliver all-day comfort. ABXY buttons / D-pad / L & R Hall Effect analog triggers / L & R bumpers / Xbox button / View button / Menu button / Command Center button / Library button / 2x assignable back buttons / 2x full-size analog sticks / HD haptics / 6-axis IMU Contoured grips inspired by Xbox Wireless Controllers deliver all-day comfort, complete with impulse triggers for enhanced control.ABXY buttons / D-pad / L & R impulse triggers / L & R bumpers / Xbox button / View button / Menu button / Command Center button / Library button / 2x assignable back buttons / 2x full-size analog sticks / HD haptics / 6-axis IMU
Processor AMD Ryzen Z2 A Processor AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme Processor
Memory 16GB LPDDR5X-6400 24GB LPDDR5X-8000
Storage 512GB M.2 2280 SSD for easier upgrade 1TB M.2 2280 SSD for easier upgrade
Display 7-inch, 1080p, IPS, 500 nits, 16:9; 120Hz refresh rate, FreeSync Premium;Corning Gorilla Glass Victus + DXC Anti-Reflection 7-inch, 1080p, IPS, 500 nits, 16:9; 120Hz refresh rate, FreeSync Premium;Corning Gorilla Glass Victus + DXC Anti-Reflection
I/O Ports 2x USB-C (2 x DP 2.1, PD 3.0), 1x microSD, 1x analog audio 2x USB-C (1x USB4, 1x USB 3.2 both w/ DP 2.1, PD 3.0), 1x micro SD, 1x analog audio
Network and Communication Wi-Fi 6E (2 x 2), Bluetooth 5.4 Wi-Fi 6E (2 x 2), Bluetooth 5.4
Dimensions 29.1×12.2×5.1 cm 29.1×12.2×5.1 cm
Weight 670g 715g
Battery 60Wh 80Wh
Included ROG Xbox Ally 65W charger Stand ROG Xbox Ally X 65W charger Stand

What makes the Xbox Ally different from the Steam Deck?

The most notable difference between the Xbox Ally and the Steam Deck is the operating system. Like the ROG Ally, the Xbox Ally will also use Windows 11, while the Steam Deck uses Valve’s SteamOS.

Even though every PC game works with Windows, handheld gaming devices running Windows have had serious issues, as the OS implementation has been a bit buggy. Portable consoles like the ROG Ally, MSI Claw and Lenovo Legion Go simply don’t run well with full Windows because the OS is designed for laptops and desktops and not handheld devices. SteamOS, however, is designed to run almost every game on Steam without issues and regardless of device size.

The Xbox Ally changes that by giving it an Xbox interface. This would be similar to how the Xbox app on PCs works for running games. It would also be able to download Xbox games directly to it, remote play them off a console or stream them via Xbox Cloud.

Another big difference is the hardware. The Steam Deck came out in 2022 and it was the first mass-produced handheld gaming device for PC. At the time, Valve had to use custom AMD processors but since then, AMD has produced more processors for handheld devices, which are now much more powerful in just a few years. The Xbox Ally would also have faster RAM. Both the improvement in processors and RAM should significantly increase the number of games the Xbox Ally can run versus the Steam Deck, which is already struggling to run newer games at 30fps.

Externally, the Xbox Ally will come with the same size 7-inch display but it will have a higher refresh rate of 120Hz, a brighter screen at 500 nits and increased resolution at 1080p. There will also be some slight differences in the physical size of the Xbox Ally, which will be a little bigger and heavier. Another difference from the Steam Deck is that the Xbox Ally controls will be more similar to the Xbox controller.

Microsoft and Asus have a large hill to climb if they plan to have the Xbox Ally dethrone the Steam Deck. It will be especially tough if Valve decides to announce the Steam Deck 2 soon. 

Continue Reading

Technologies

Sony Raises Prices of PlayStation 5 consoles

Starting Thursday, you can expect to pay more for a new PlayStation, thanks to «a challenging economic environment.»

Sony will increase the prices of its PlayStation 5 consoles in the US, starting Thursday, Aug. 21. This follows the trend of console manufacturers such as Microsoft and Nintendo raising prices for their hardware in response to tariffs. 

The PlayStation-maker posted about the pricing on Wednesday. The jump in price is $50 more than the current price for each model.

The new prices are:

«Similar to many global businesses, we continue to navigate a challenging economic environment,» Sony said in a post about the price increase. 

Back in March, Microsoft increased the price of the Xbox Series consoles back in May, and Nintendo hiked the original Switch console price and Switch 2 accessories earlier this month.

While the companies didn’t point to the tariffs instituted by President Donald Trump as the reason for the hardware price jump, it would explain the trend in recent months. 

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © Verum World Media