All posts tagged: expensive

Here’s What Snap’s Expensive Specs Can Actually Do

Here’s What Snap’s Expensive Specs Can Actually Do

Published by skeptic

Snap representatives have said the Specs “do not record the world to understand it,” noting that the glasses do not use facial recognition to identify people. WIRED found code in Meta’s apps earlier this year indicating the company was experimenting with a facial recognition feature on its smart glasses, but Meta subsequently removed it. Are We Human? Snap also wants in on the AI chatbot game. At its event, the company announced a brand-new AI service called Specs Intelligence. The app releases today and will work on iPhone, Mac, and the Specs glasses. You don’t need the glasses to use the app. Snap calls Specs Intelligence an “anticipatory AI,” meaning it collects data about your day-to-day life and tries to envision what you want to do. The features will sound familiar if you’ve interacted with any AI chatbot that syncs with your calendar, email, or location info. It can help find a hotel, book travel plans, or answer questions. Snap says its AI service organizes information based on “corners” like work, family, and goals. The …

Fed Rate Hike Likely Means More Expensive Credit Cards and Mortgages, but Savers May Rejoice

Fed Rate Hike Likely Means More Expensive Credit Cards and Mortgages, but Savers May Rejoice

Published by Sam Flores

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve just raised the cost of money — bad news for borrowers, good news for savers. The Fed increased its benchmark interest rate Wednesday by a quarter-point, the first rate hike since the summer of 2023. The hike will likely make it even costlier to borrow for homes, autos and other purchases. But if you’ve been socking money away, you’ll probably earn a bit more interest on your savings. The increase boosts the Fed’s target rate to a range of 3.75% to 4.00%. Why is the Fed raising rates? The short answer: inflation. Inflation has remained above the Fed’s 2% target for more than five years. The Labor Department reported Friday that consumer prices rose 3.4% in August compared to a year earlier, while the monthly increase quadrupled from July to hit 0.4%. The Fed’s goal is to slow consumer and business spending by raising the cost of borrowing, thereby reducing demand for homes, cars and other goods and services, eventually cooling the economy and reducing upward pressure on prices. …

Apple hikes price of older iPhones, now more expensive than at launch

Apple hikes price of older iPhones, now more expensive than at launch

Published by skeptic

Apple has raised the prices of its iPhone 16, 17, 17e, and Air, quietly making the changes to coincide with its announcement of the new iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max, and foldable Duo. Some of them are now even more expensive than they were at launch. SEE ALSO: iPhone 18 Pro price report: Apple confirms price hikes Historically, the release of a new iPhone has been accompanied by a price cut on older models, making the devices more attractive to savvy shoppers. Unfortunately, it seems as though their patience has instead been punished this year, with multiple past iPhones getting a $100 bump in price instead. The iPhone 16 had been available for $699 before Apple’s event on Wednesday, having received a $100 price cut when the iPhone 17 was released last year. That reduction has now been reversed, putting the iPhone 16 back up to $799 — the same price it was when it launched two years ago in 2024. Meanwhile, the iPhone 17, 17e, and Air are now more expensive than they …

Apple launches first foldable iPhone – its most expensive to date | Science, Climate & Tech News

Apple launches first foldable iPhone – its most expensive to date | Science, Climate & Tech News

Published by skeptic

Apple has unveiled its first foldable iPhone at the company’s annual launch event in California. The device, called Duo, is the most expensive iPhone to date, with a starting price of $1,999 (£1,476). Roughly the size of a passport when closed, the phone opens to reveal a 7.6in (19.3cm) screen – the largest ever for an iPhone – and allows people to use an Apple Pencil on the device – a capability previously reserved to iPad users. The Duo enables users to split the screen to use two different apps on the device, or two windows of the same website for things like comparison shopping. It will be available on 23 October, while the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max – which were also unveiled at the launch – can be pre-ordered from 12 September and will start at $1,199 (£885) and $1,299 (£959), respectively. Image: The Duo will set customers back close to $2,000. Pic: Reuters John Ternus, Apple’s new CEO, who formally took over from Tim Cook on 1 September, unveiled the …

I debunked the myth that expensive cables are always better, and now my phone charges fine at half the cost

I debunked the myth that expensive cables are always better, and now my phone charges fine at half the cost

Published by skeptic

The standardization of USB-C across smartphones and even computers was supposed to be convenient, but it isn’t that simple. Manufacturers have rolled out their separate fast-charging technologies, and confusing marketing around these cables doesn’t help either. USB-C cables also carry an e-marker chip that handles power and data negotiation — its presence is a good sign of whether the cable is good. With all these confusing elements and specifications, one might think that buying expensive cables is better and sufficient. Still, the reality is far from that, and all you have to do is match specs to your device’s actual wattage. Related I stopped buying cheap USB chargers after learning what “PPS” actually does for my phone Not all USB-C chargers are the same, and most people are unfamiliar with PPS chargers. What determines how fast your phone charges? Wattage, protocol, and e-marker chips all play a part Depending on how much wattage your device needs, you may need different types of USB-C cables. Most off-brand USB-C cables provide 10-15W, which is insufficient for any …

The ten most expensive streets in the NE area – and one postcode features five times

The ten most expensive streets in the NE area – and one postcode features five times

Published by Sam Flores

Ten North East streets all within the NE postcode have been named the most expensive in the region, with one particular location appearing five times. Additionally a Newcastle road with 19 sales in three years records a £6m transaction, yet still ranks second. The North East’s most expensive street has an average house price of more than £1.8m. That’s according to the latest underlying data sourced from the Land Registry which has identified the most expensive streets in the country. Gubeon Wood in the NE61 postcode district, which covers the Morpeth area, has recorded the highest average sale price in the Newcastle region over the past three years, with two transactions averaging £1,875,000 and the highest reaching £2,700,000, according to analysis by Brickview.ai. Gubeon Wood, near Morpeth in Northumberland -Credit:Newcastle Chronicle The most striking figure in the table however belongs to Runnymede Road in NE20 which covers Ponteland and Darras Hall. Known in some circles as “millionaires row”, the popular street has been home to both Newcastle and Sunderland footballers in the past, as well …

What Do Prince Harry, Britney Spears, and Ari Emanuel Have in Common? Expensive Ghostwriters, Of Course

What Do Prince Harry, Britney Spears, and Ari Emanuel Have in Common? Expensive Ghostwriters, Of Course

Published by Sam Flores

The world of journalism was consumed this week by a debate over whether The Wall Street Journal should have published an opinion piece that was written with the help of artificial intelligence. Politicians and business leaders have long used ghostwriters to write their op-eds and memoirs. But when billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller admitted on Tuesday to using AI to write an article critical of Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent’s policies, it prompted the same debates about authorship that arose in 1957 when it was alleged (but never confirmed) that President John F. Kennedy’s Profiles in Courage was ghostwritten—while raising a new one for the people making a living writing in other people’s voices. If Britney Spears can hire ghostwriters to help turn her partial memories into polished prose, why does asking ChatGPT to do the same thing feel like a whole other ball game? Is failing to disclose assistance deceptive? Why does the fantasy of an artist toiling away in solitude have so much appeal? “Huh?” I ask all you critics of Jeff Koons. …

DeWalt has three battery technologies now, and most people don’t need the expensive one

DeWalt has three battery technologies now, and most people don’t need the expensive one

Published by skeptic

DeWalt’s yellow battery packs look like variations on a single product until you check the tags. A standard 5Ah pack works out to around $75 apiece in a two-pack. The premium 5Ah has carried a $219 list price for the same capacity, and nothing on the outside of either pack explains where that money goes. Three different cell constructions hang on that peg. The expensive ones are built to push current out faster, which is a different promise than running longer. My garage is mostly green Ryobi tools rather than yellow Dewalts, and years of figuring out which packs on a platform earn their price taught me to ignore the badge and look at the cells. Enough friends and family run DeWalt that the question keeps finding me anyway. The three cell types inside DeWalt’s yellow packs Standard cylindrical, tabless cylindrical, and pouch Credit: DeWALT The base packs use tabbed 18650 cells, the same cylindrical format that has powered cordless tools for well over a decade. These wear no XR badge. The DCB205 5Ah and its …

The best Roman drama ever made isn’t Gladiator — and it got cancelled for being too expensive

The best Roman drama ever made isn’t Gladiator — and it got cancelled for being too expensive

Published by skeptic

Every few months someone asks me for a Roman epic recommendation, and my answer’s always the same. Skip the movies. Watch Rome — not the city, the HBO series, two seasons between 2005 and 2007 before it got canceled right as it was hitting its stride. It’s streaming on HBO Max now, and nothing else on television has come as close to making ancient Rome feel like somewhere people actually lived and argued and died, instead of a marble backdrop for a sword fight. If it were a motion picture, it would have made our list of sword and sandal epics. Gladiator gets called the serious Roman drama, and fair enough, it’s a great movie. But it’s also a revenge story wearing a toga — one hero, one arc, a shape you can see coming from the opening scene. Rome won’t give you that. Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo are two soldiers who keep landing in the middle of actual historical turning points almost against their will, and while that’s happening, Caesar and Mark Antony …

Is Expensive Bottled Water Actually Better for You?

Is Expensive Bottled Water Actually Better for You?

Published by skeptic

Water is supposed to be the simplest thing we consume. The premium bottled water industry has transformed it into something that requires a backstory. Supermarket shelves now distinguish between glacial, iceberg, volcanic, spring, mineral, and alkaline water. Restaurants are introducing water menus, while trained water sommeliers assess bottles by their mineral composition, mouthfeel and provenance. At the extreme end of the category, Svalbarði Polar Iceberg Water sells Arctic water for as much as €100 (around $116) a bottle. The category’s growth rests on a mixture of verifiable differences and carefully constructed associations. Water can contain different minerals. Those minerals can change how it tastes. But claims about purity, alkaline pH, and remote natural sources can also create the impression that expensive water must be healthier. According to Michael Mascha, who founded the platform FineWaters in 2002 to train water sommeliers and drag premium bottled products out of the commodity aisle, prices often reflect remote sourcing and difficult transport rather than superior health benefits. Luxury water, he argues, is better understood as a dining experience than …