WhatsApp is testing new group chat icons for users without profile pictures
People's initials replace the generic silhouette
In its early days, WhatsApp started as a messaging platform for individuals, and later expanded to facilitate group chats, quickly rising to become one of the hottest encrypted messaging apps on the scene. Rival apps like Telegram which were built around group chats have inspired most of WhatsApp’s changes of late. The Meta-owned chat app has been experimenting with different ways to show participant avatars in group chats, especially if they don’t have a profile picture uploaded. Now, we are seeing the company try another approach in this ongoing experiment.
Your favorite emoji are flipping out in these new candidate designs
There are 108 new additions in total
Emoji are the de facto standard for emoting in conversations (and wallpapers) without using words. Thanks to the Unicode Consortium, the body dedicated to maintaining the international standard for symbols used in conversations, we now have an adequate selection of emoji to pick from. The catalog keeps expanding annually, and this year’s draft with 108 new emoji is now under consideration.
Google Messages is testing Magic Compose for regular texts, too
Availability of the RCS-exclusive assistant may soon expand to SMS
Google seems to have an identity crisis of sorts with its AI-based writing assistant tools Magic Compose, Write for Me, Smart Compose, and Smart Reply. Nonetheless, Magic Compose is the way forward for the Google Messages app. It has been available for RCS conversations for some, but we have recently spotted it in testing for regular texts as well.
9 best Prime Day deals that are still going strong
Don’t miss these discounts if you missed Prime Day
If you have been looking for something to buy and only to realize Prime Day is over, you may have to wait until Black Friday. That isn’t the case because some of the best Prime Day discounts are still strong across multiple product categories. Several products are still in stock and selling at low Prime Day discounted prices. We ran the numbers for you and have collected the best deals, which are still going strong. Don’t miss out on them.
Pick up this excellent budget Samsung Chromebook for only $200 today
Save $100 on this fantastic lightweight Chromebook
Selecting the best Chromebook for your usage is no longer as simple as it used to be, mostly thanks to several hardware brands entering the space. Samsung also wanted a piece of the Chromebook pie and launched the Galaxy Chromebook Go to that effect. As the “Go” branding would lead you to believe, this machine is suitable for low-horsepower tasks like editing documents on the cloud, streaming media, and reading your email.
Ditch your cheap cans with these 11 over-ear headphone deals before Prime Day ends
There are headphones for everyone from discerning audiophiles to gamers
Amazon’s Prime Day discounts are still going strong, and while you’re busy sifting through the deals, there’s probably music playing in the background or some annoying sounds you want to drown out. If your headphones are on their last legs or not up to the task, there’s no better time to scope out replacement cans on every budget. We’ve done the digging for you to showcase 11 of the finest headphones with an over-ear design at a discount. There’s something on here for everyone, whether you’re a seasoned audiophile, a Twitch streamer, or a casual music enjoyer who prefers their playlists to the gym’s own. Let's get started.
Make almost any garage door smart with this cheap Prime Day accessory deal
One of our recommended models is selling for 33% off
If you have ever been overwhelmed by a wave of paranoia halfway on the drive to work because you think you left the garage door open, a smart garage door opener could be a great addition to your smart home arsenal. Most of our favorite smart garage door openers are Chamberlain products, and the myQ Chamberlain smart garage control is our pick for its ease of installation and simplicity of operation.
Save big bucks on Rachio’s smart sprinkler controller this Prime Day
Saving on water bills starts with savings on the controller
Nature can comfortably ensure your grass grows at a wild pace on wet days, but that also means staring at golden-yellow blades on dry days. Having a lush lawn is easy as long as you water it every day, but nothing makes the process more convenient than an automated sprinkler system with support for voice assistants like Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa.
The Nothing Phone 2 has nothing to fear in JerryRigEverything's durability test
Setting the standard for how phones should be built
After months of lapping up the slow trickle of leaks, we finally got our hands on the Nothing Phone 2 in all its glory yesterday. This $600 mid-ranger has an iconic glyph design and a rather iPhone-like chiseled shape ready to woo lovers of Android. However, unique designs are no good if they come at the cost of the phone’s structural integrity. In the quest to answer this question, Zach Nelson of the JerryRigEverything YouTube channel took the Nothing Phone 2 through his classic durability test. The results of the test are exemplary, to say the least.
Scoop up the Roomba i4 Evo for half price this Prime Day
A personal, self-learning, robot vacuum for $200 is an unmissable deal
Robot vacuums have advanced significantly in the last decade or so. If your last memory of one is a clunky suction machine on wheels that constantly bumps into furniture, annoys your cat, and falls down staircases, it’s time to revisit the space. iRobot’s Roomba i4 Evo makes for a fine reintroduction to robot vacuums with truly autonomous features like cliff detection, cleanup suggestions based on your usage habits, and the independent ability to focus on frequently dirty areas in your house.
Prime Day has us gawking at these amazing deals on Bluetooth speakers
Take your music outdoors, no strings attached
The consumer audio market is crowded no matter which way you look, be it in pursuit of the best headphones and earbuds or the best portable Bluetooth speakers. However, price plays an important role in deciding which product packs all the features you'll need at a price you’re comfortable paying. Amazon Prime Day is well underway, and there are several mouth-watering discounts on Bluetooth speakers that you ought to check out, especially if you love taking your music outdoors.
Pick up one of the last stylus phones around with this $170 Motorola Prime Day deal
A budget phone, with a stylus, and a discount
You can always buy a generic stylus that works with any touchscreen device, but the touch accuracy and responsiveness are usually abysmal if the device isn’t designed for stylus use in the first place. After the Galaxy Note series died, phones with a stylus have been scarce, but the Moto G Stylus is one of the best Motorola phones around in this niche.
This Prime Day deal drops the 2022 Amazon Kindle Kids to just $75
A small price for a distraction-free gateway to the habit of reading
Reading expands our horizons, enhances our knowledge, and improves our ability to focus. These benefits are particularly beneficial to children. However, in today's digital entertainment and digital education age, getting your children to pick up a paperback can seem like a huge task. Amazon struck gold with the Kindle series of e-readers — an electronic gadget purpose-built for reading and nothing else.
Get Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Live for the lowest-ever price on Prime Day
Get good noise cancellation and the iconic bean shape for 57% off
Good true wireless earbuds are few and far between, and only a few brands seem to have cracked the code to make the best earbuds with noise cancellation. Samsung sits up high on that list, and the Galaxy Buds Live are a big reason why. When they launched in August 2020, they were instantly identifiable by their unique bean-shaped body. The buds offer outstanding features like powerful sound, clear calling, and impressive battery life. They launched at a premium price, but the sticker price has since dropped to $150. You can pick up these earbuds for less than half as much. Amazon Prime Day has dropped their price to just $65, translating into $85 in savings.
Prime Day discounts just made the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite $50 cheaper
Get this versatile e-reader for just $90
If you're an avid reader, you're probably familiar with Amazon and its reputation for making the best Kindle e-readers. These devices have revolutionized the way we devour books, offering a convenient way to carry an expansive library in your backpack, without the weight. And now, there's even more reason to get your hands on the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, as it's currently available at a discounted Prime Day price of $90, down from its usual $140. That's a healthy $50 discount an informed purchaser wouldn’t want to miss.
Grab Amazon’s cheapest Fire TV Stick at half price this Prime Day
Get the Fire TV Stick Lite for the convenience of casting on a budget
Connecting your phone or laptop to a larger external display can be quite a hassle if wires are involved. Thankfully, Chromecast for Google TV and Amazon's best Fire TV streaming devices take the pain out of the process with wireless casting. You can always go for a top-of-the-line Fire TV Stick 4K Max, but there's no denying the budget appeal of a Fire TV Stick Lite. At just $30, it offers great value and all the basic Fire TV features you could ask for. For Prime Day this year, Amazon has sweetened the deal, dropping the Fire TV Lite's price to just $15 — that's 50% off, making it a steal of a deal if a budget casting solution is all you need.
This Bose SoundLink Flex Prime Day deal shaves 30% off our favorite speaker’s price
The perfect balance of sound and flexibility is almost never this cheap
It's so easy to take your music with you nowadays thanks to the best entertainment apps on Android. However, nothing livens up the mood at a gathering like a Bluetooth speaker you can carry with you to poolside parties and boardroom meetings alike. The Bose SoundLink Flex is our top pick in the crop of Bluetooth speakers available right now, and for this Prime Day, Amazon is selling it for just $105 — 30% lower than the usual selling price of $149.
Amazon’s best Echo Studio smart speaker could be yours for just $155 this Prime Day
This deal pricing is the lowest we’ve seen since November last year
Smart speakers are a great addition to a smart home setup because they enable voice commands through assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. However, despite being speakers at the core, we rarely associate these gadgets with powerful, loud, and immersive sound quality. Amazon’s best Alexa-enabled smart speaker, the Echo Studio, is a noteworthy exception with innovative software features and five drivers that join forces for mesmerizing sound, all at an attractive $200 price. Prime Day is upon us, and Amazon is offering a helpful 23% discount on the Echo Studio, bringing the effective price down to just $155.
Save $50 on Bose's best ANC-equipped earbuds this Prime Day
Ultimate comfort and noise cancellation at a better price
best true wireless earbuds on the market come with active noise cancellation (ANC), so you can savor every note, even in the most crowded and noisy places. However, not all ANC buds are created equal, and all offer different cancellation levels. In our testing, we found the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II (QC Earbuds II) right up there with the best in the business, the Sony WF-1000XM4 earbuds.
Buy our favorite Amazon Fire TV Stick for its lowest price in two years this Prime Day
Grab the Fire TV Stick 4K Max for just $25
4K smart TVs are quickly becoming the norm for anyone seeking an excellent content consumption experience. If you already bit the bullet and bought a 4K smart TV, you know the biggest drawback on most of them is the terrible user interface that’s not intuitive to navigate, stutters on the slow processor, and most often, lacks system-level support for voice assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.