Author: News Room

The latest feature update for Google Calendar allows you to block off time for tasks and mark yourself as busy, all in one place, expanding the existing Tasks feature in Calendar. It’s something Workspace users have been specifically requesting and effectively allows tasks to function like meetings, including options to set (and adjust) a specific block of time, turn on “do not disturb,” and automatically reject meeting requests. You can also add a deadline, but only the date — there’s currently no option for a deadline time.Depending on how you use your calendar, this might be what you’ve been hoping…

Traveling during the holidays can be chaotic and loud, but a quality pair of over-ear headphones can provide much-needed peace and quiet on your journey. Fortunately, you can currently snag Bose’s QuietComfort Headphones on sale at Amazon for an all-time low of $169.99 ($180 off) in select colors. That’s more than 50 percent off the MSRP, and handily beats their previous low of $199.99.The QC Headphones are a great option in the company’s broader lineup of headphones and earbuds, which also includes the pricier QC Ultra Headphones, QC Ultra Earbuds, and entry-level QC Earbuds. The standard QC Headphones preserve the…

Are you a red wine drinker? A high spender? Or perhaps you’re a slow eater, the sort who takes up a restaurant’s table for longer than they’d like. You might not even know — but OpenTable does.Those are just a few of the notes that the reservation platform has started serving up to some restaurant staff when you make a booking, all based on the orders you’ve made and money you’ve spent at other restaurants in the past.Kat Menter, a host at a Michelin-starred restaurant who posts about food online as Eating Out Austin, first spotted the new “AI-assisted” tags…

Google users can now describe their next trip to its AI Mode in search and select the option to “Create with Canvas,” which will build out an itinerary in a side panel complete with data on flights and hotels. The document it puts together can lay out potential plans, with suggestions based on the user’s inputs, as well as photos and reviews from Google Maps.You can refine the plan it develops with follow-up questions or additional requests, like requesting hotel suggestions based on pricing and amenities, or activities based on travel time. Users in the US will now have access…

If you’re a film enthusiast or, better yet, a fan of Criterion’s Closet Picks videos, then you’ll want to know about the half-off sale on the Criterion Collection’s DVDs now in progress at Barnes & Noble. The sale, which will last until December 7th, includes, according to the site, “contemporary and classic films from around the world, including cult favorites, psychological dramas, coming-of-age comedies and more from some of the most celebrated directors.” Not to be left behind, Amazon is also offering half off its selection of Criterion DVDs as well.The sale takes in hundreds of the Criterion Collection’s over…

Less than two years ago, TikTok was a crisis situation on Capitol Hill. The chair of the House Select Committee on China called it “digital fentanyl” that brainwashes young Americans into supporting Hamas. A former national security adviser said letting TikTok remain in the US under its Chinese owner “would be akin to allowing Soviet control of several major American newspapers and TV channels during the Cold War.” Lawmakers left classified national security briefings about TikTok sharing grave concerns. All of it culminated in the surprise frenzy of a bipartisan bill forcing Chinese parent company ByteDance to sell the app…

Holiday shopping on a budget can feel constricting, especially if you’ve been invited to a white elephant or need a last-minute stocking stuffer. The good news is that, with this guide, you can leave that stress behind. Whether you’re aiming for something practical or fun, we’ve found plenty of great gifts for under $25 – heck, we found several under $10 – that don’t scream “I bought this at the gas station on my way over.” You might not expect to find a worthwhile Nintendo Switch / iPad-compatible controller, a 4K-ready streaming stick, or a waterproof speaker in this guide,…

Ford will be the next automaker to allow its vehicles to be featured on Amazon’s new online car buying site. Starting today, customers can browse, finance, and purchase certified pre-owned Ford vehicles online through Amazon Autos, with in-person pickup at a local Ford dealership.Ford is the second brand name, after Hyundai, to list its vehicles on the site. But unlike Hyundai, which launched with participating dealerships in 48 cities, Ford’s vehicles will only be available in Los Angeles, Seattle, and Dallas. Amazon says it expects more markets to be added soon.Ford’s dealers still will have enormous sway over these online…

Google officially turned off remote control functionality for early Nest Learning Thermostats last month, but it hasn’t stopped collecting a stream of data from these downgraded devices. After digging into the backend, security researcher Cody Kociemba found that the first- and second-generation Nest Learning Thermostats are still sending Google information about manual temperature changes, whether a person is present in the room, if sunlight is hitting the device, and more.But after cloning Google’s API to create this custom software, he started receiving a trove of logs from customer devices, which he turned off. “On these devices, while they [Google] turned…

X has revealed Chat, an encrypted upgrade to the platform’s direct messaging service. It also includes support for video and voice calls, disappearing messages, and file sharing.The company announced Chat on Friday, and it’s available now on iOS and the web, with an Android version coming “soon.” It replaces X’s existing messaging system, though your old messages should be carried across.X says that Chat supports end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for both messages and files, though a support page notes that this doesn’t cover message metadata — such as who received it, or when it was sent. There’s also no protection against…

Jeff Bezos is getting a new job. He’ll reportedly become co-CEO of Project Prometheus, a new startup that he’s partly funding. The company’s exact plans are still unknown, but its focus is on AI that could improve manufacturing in fields including computing, automobiles, and aerospace.The New York Times reports that Project Prometheus is already one of the better funded early-stage start-ups in the world, with $6.2 billion in investment, in part from Bezos himself. In addition to financing the venture, he’ll help run the company together with co-founder Vik Bajaj. He’s a physicist and chemist who once worked at Google…

That Sky Sports felt the need to launch a TikTok channel specifically marketed towards women and billed as its “lil sis” was questionable enough. But once people got a taste of the content on Halo, it was clear the company had absolutely no idea what it was doing.Halo didn’t focus on women’s sports, nor did it seem to be doing a good job of elevating female voices in a male-dominated business. Instead, it slapped pink sparkly letters on videos, talked about “hot girl walks,” matcha, and posted shipping memes. Unsurprisingly, the backlash was swift and strong.Head of audience development and…