Tech Boys

When the big shopping events like Prime Day and Black Friday come around, our sights are set on our favorite tech. It's often the only time when they're guaranteed to get a discount. My favorite gadgets? Kindles . It's part of my job to test e-readers , but outside of work hours, you'll still find me and my Kindle attached at the hip. But the thing with Kindles is that they rarely go on sale. Sure, there's the occasional random discount throughout the year, but the best guaranteed price is almost always going to be during Prime Day or Black Friday. So as we look forward to Black Friday, which falls on Friday, Nov. 28, we're already hunting down the best Kindle deals. Already, I've found quite a few decent deals, but none so far on new Kindle devices. Instead, Amazon is discounting like-new, certified refurbished e-readers from the latest generation of Kindles. Plus, I've found deals on some of my favorite Kindle accessories . Keep checking back, as...

Apple will not be granted a preliminary option for appealing a landmark antitrust ruling in the UK. In October, the country's Competition Appeal Tribunal determined that Apple benefited from "near absolute market power" over app distribution and in-app payments and was "abusing its dominant position by charging excessive and unfair prices" as developer commission. At the time, Apple was reportedly planning to appeal, but today, the Tribunal refused to give the company permission to challenge its decision.  That means Apple's next recourse, if it wants to not pony up more than £1 billion in damages, is to take its case directly to the UK Court of Appeal. The company has requested 21 days to file any application with that judicial body.  It has been a busy year for Apple as it faces more regulatory pressure over its rules for the App Store and fees charged to mobile developers. Earlier today, Apple announced a new partner program that would halve the comm...

Pitches for AI assistants that can help you send emails or craft pitch decks may be feeling stale, but what about one designed to help new immigrants navigate the U.S.? How about a digital helper that can connect someone to pressing social services or just help them feel supported in a foreign environment? That's what ALMA, a new virtual assistant designed by the nonprofit International Rescue Committee (IRC), is designed to do. ALMA , which stands for "AI for Life Mapping Assistance," was built in-house by multiple IRC teams and their clients, modeled after a digital learning tool known as aprendIA . It pulls from a vast library of IRC resources — standard client materials, staff training resources, and information offered by trusted external organizations — to provide specialized assistance to refugees, special immigrant visa holders, and others. SEE ALSO: Can AI help nonprofits do more with less? Most notably, ALMA is based on WhatsApp , one of the leading com...

Toy Story 's valiant crew of toys has faced formidable villains in their first four films. Sid and his penchant for mutilating toys got Toy Story antagonists off to a strong start, while Toy Story 3 's Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear cemented himself as one of Pixar 's most evil characters thanks to his daycare reign of terror. SEE ALSO: 'Hoppers' teaser: Pixar puts a human brain in a beaver body But in the upcoming Toy Story 5 , directed by Andrew Stanton and co-directed by Kenna Harris, the toys may just face their biggest threat yet: technology. The Toy Story 5 teaser reveals that a new gift has arrived for young Bonnie Anderson. It's a Lilypad, a frog-themed smart tablet that strikes fear into the hearts of Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tim Allen), and every other toy who lays eyes on it. And who can blame them? Their beloved child is about to become an iPad kid, and where will that leave the non-high-tech toys? Lilypad is vo...

Why make The Running Man a comedy? Stephen King's novel was a furious political thrill ride about a man out of options, forced to fight for his life (and family) against a corrupt government, exploitative media, and cruel capitalist system that turned impoverished people into prey for a ravenous TV show that makes their murders entertainment. Yet when Edgar Wright, who's previously blended horror and comedy with Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World's End , read this book, he apparently thought what was missing from The Running Man was slapstick and an endless supply of jokes, peppered by peculiar product placement.  That's not to say a dystopian movie can't be a successful comedy. Look to Zombieland, Sorry to Bother You , The Lobster , or Tank Girl (but not Electric State ). Yet the very premise of The Running Man novel, from which this movie pulls heavily, is so dark and furious that casting a hunky movie star, Glen Powell, to play silly and sexy while...