• Sonos on Tuesday unveiled the new Sonos Arc soundbar, a gorgeous reimagining of the Playbar that introduces a completely overhauled design both inside and out.
• The company also took the wraps off new 3rd-generation Sonos Five and Sonos Sub speakers, as well as a redesigned Sonos mobile app and next-generation software platform called S2.
• Along with the two other new speakers Sonos Arc will be released on June 10th for $799 and pre-orders are available beginning immediately on the Sonos website.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

It’s rare that a pioneer in any particular space continues to be a leader even after competition floods the market. This is especially true when much of the competition comes from massive consumer electronics giants like Apple and Amazon. That is exactly what Sonos has managed to do, however, and the company on Tuesday unveiled three new speakers that will be released next month on June 10th.

The star of the show in the new announcement is the Sonos Arc, which is a complete reimagining of Sonos’s Playbar soundbar. Visually, the Arc builds upon the design of the more compact Sonos Beam and is far sleeker than the two-tone Playbar soundbar and Playbase sound base it replaces. Inside, however, the new Arc soundbar is an entirely different beast.

Sonos’s new Arc soundbar features a whopping 11 different drivers in a single enclosure. That enclosure is 10 inches wider than the Playbar, for a total width of 44 inches. It’s designed to complement larger 65+ inch televisions that have become popular in recent years, and it delivers an ultrawide sound stage that Sonos says is unrivaled among competitive soundbars.

The Arc’s 11 individual drivers include two up-firing speakers that help expand the soundstage, especially alongside Dolby Atmos support. The Arc also featured updated Trueplay tuning technology that accounts not just for walls and objects around the soundbar, but also the ceiling and any beams or chandeliers above it. Other new features include Night Sound to automatically adjust for sudden loud sounds like explosions in movies, and a feature that senses when the Arc is mounted on a wall and adjusts frequency response to eliminate unwanted bass resonance.

In addition to the new Arc soundbar, Sonos also announced updates to two of its current speakers. The Sonos Sub (Gen 3) is housed in the same enclosure as the second-generation model, but it has more memory, a faster processor, and a stronger Wi-Fi radio. The Sonos Play:5 is also being replaced by a 3rd-generation model rebranded as the Sonos Five. It has similar internal upgrades to the Sub — more memory and a faster processor — plus some minor design changes. The most notable update is on the white version, which now has a matching white grille on the front instead of the black one on the current Play:5.

Finally, Sonos announced a big overhaul of its mobile app on iOS and Android. The new Sonos app will new replace the current one, which will continue to be supported because some of Sonos’s oldest speakers aren’t compatible with the S2 app. The new app sports a big UI design overhaul and it supports higher resolution audio as well as some other new features. Best of all, users who install the new app won’t need to do anything as far as setting it up because all favorites and settings will transfer automatically from the current Sonos app.

The Sonos Arc will be released on June 10th for $799 and pre-orders are open now on the Sonos website. The Sonos: Sub (Gen 3) and Sonos Five will also be released on June 10th and will be priced in line with their predecessors at $699 and $499, respectively. Finally, the new Sonos app will be made available on iOS and Android beginning June 8th.

Today’s Top Deals

1. Everyone’s swarming Amazon for these coronavirus face masks
2. Today’s best deals: 78¢ face masks, $5 Alexa smart plugs, hand sanitizer, AirPods Pro, Echo Show 8, Roomba 960, more
3. You probably had no idea about these 10 hidden Amazon device deals

Trending Right Now:

1. New coronavirus study makes a startling revelation
2. This could be what determines if you get a mild or severe coronavirus case
3. A leaker might’ve just revealed Sony’s exact PS5 design reveal date

Sonos unveils stunning new Arc soundbar, redesigned S2 app, and more originally appeared on BGR.com on Wed, 6 May 2020 at 16:00:37 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read more here:: Boy Genius Report

• The FDA is tightening some of its lax rules regarding approval of coronavirus testing supplies after initially loosening its regulations back in March.
• Companies will now need to provide proof that their tests work as intended before being rushed to market.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

In the rush to combat the novel coronavirus pandemic, many rules and regulations that were in place have been lifted in the hopes of expediting the approvals of supplies for testing and treating patients. Unfortunately, some have taken advantage of this new “wild west” way of doing things and have pushed products through the FDA’s lax approval process that might not even work.

Now, after coming under increasing scrutiny from lawmakers and healthcare professionals, the FDA has announced that it will require that companies submitting coronavirus testing supplies will have to provide proof that their products work before they can bring them to market. Yeah, this seems like a no-brainer but it wasn’t the case as recently as earlier this week.

Continue reading…

Today’s Top Deals

1. Everyone’s swarming Amazon for these coronavirus face masks
2. Today’s best deals: 78¢ face masks, $5 Alexa smart plugs, hand sanitizer, AirPods Pro, Echo Show 8, Roomba 960, more
3. 10 Amazon deals that are only available to Prime members

Trending Right Now:

1. New coronavirus study makes a startling revelation
2. This could be what determines if you get a mild or severe coronavirus case
3. Best Buy’s huge limited-time Apple sale is packed with deals – here are the 10 best ones

FDA finally demands coronavirus antibody tests that actually work originally appeared on BGR.com on Wed, 6 May 2020 at 15:36:51 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read more here:: Boy Genius Report

• A researcher from the University of Missouri has used computer-aided drug design to find four drugs that could serve as potential treatments for the coronavirus.
• Kamlendra Singh says that remdesivir, 5-fluorouracil, ribavirin, and favipiravir could block the replication of the viral genome, which is essential for the formation of the virus.
• Singh also warns that coronavirus, like any virus, could mutate to make these drugs ineffective, but still believes that they should be tested to determine efficacy.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

It has been almost two months since the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. In that time, the death toll and the infection rate have skyrocketed, even as some countries have managed to contain the virus. According to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, over three and a half million people have been infected as of Wednesday, May 6th, and more than 250,000 have passed away.

While social distancing, personal hygiene, and stay-at-home orders have all helped to mitigate the disaster, we won’t be able to even think about getting back to normal until an effective treatment or a safe vaccine has been developed and widely distributed. We could be waiting months for a vaccine, but treatments might not be quite as far off, as a researcher at the University of Missouri has found four antiviral drugs that could treat COVID-19.

Continue reading…

Today’s Top Deals

1. Everyone’s swarming Amazon for these coronavirus face masks
2. Today’s best deals: 78¢ face masks, $5 Alexa smart plugs, hand sanitizer, AirPods Pro, Echo Show 8, Roomba 960, more
3. 10 Amazon deals that are only available to Prime members

Trending Right Now:

1. New coronavirus study makes a startling revelation
2. This could be what determines if you get a mild or severe coronavirus case
3. Best Buy’s huge limited-time Apple sale is packed with deals – here are the 10 best ones

These 4 drugs could be crucial coronavirus treatments originally appeared on BGR.com on Wed, 6 May 2020 at 15:11:03 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read more here:: Boy Genius Report

• A Twitter user who claims to have inside information about Sony’s PlayStation 5 plans says the console’s design will be unveiled in early June.
• The leaker provided an actual date for the PS5 design reveal, saying the device will be unveiled online via a blog post.
• Pre-orders supposedly won’t start anytime soon and PS5 stock might not meet demand at launch.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

Sony and Microsoft are still on track to launch a brand new generation of consoles this year, although word on the street is that the initial supply of PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles might not meet demand. That’s if the health crisis doesn’t worsen to the point where the release dates of both consoles have to be postponed for 2021.

So far, Microsoft is the unofficial winner of the marketing war over the new consoles. Sony may have had the upper hand a few months ago, but Microsoft’s surprise Series X name and design reveal in mid-December switched things around. Since then, Microsoft has been consistently one step ahead of Sony with new console announcements. Several tech shows were canceled in the past few months and Sony never got to announce the rumored PS5 event that should have happened in February or March. Since then, Sony has only hosted a single PS5 event via YouTube, in what turned out to be one of the most boring keynotes in recent years.

Sony has at least announced the specs of the PlayStation 5 and revealed the brand new design and name of the PS5 controller — that’s DualSense, not DualShock 5. The PS5 design is still a mystery and we have no official word when the console will be unveiled, but a leaker already has a potential announcement date in mind.

Continue reading…

Today’s Top Deals

1. Everyone’s swarming Amazon for these coronavirus face masks
2. Today’s best deals: 78¢ face masks, $5 Alexa smart plugs, hand sanitizer, AirPods Pro, Echo Show 8, Roomba 960, more
3. 10 Amazon deals that are only available to Prime members

Trending Right Now:

1. New coronavirus study makes a startling revelation
2. Here’s when the next round of coronavirus stimulus checks will arrive
3. Best Buy’s huge limited-time Apple sale is packed with deals – here are the 10 best ones

A leaker might’ve just revealed Sony’s exact PS5 design reveal date originally appeared on BGR.com on Wed, 6 May 2020 at 14:46:33 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read more here:: Boy Genius Report

• When Congress passed the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act at the end of March because of the coronavirus pandemic, it included among other things $300 billion meant to support direct emergency cash payments to Americans.
• An estimated 175 million people should receive a payment as a result of this, but if you haven’t received your stimulus check yet, here are some possible reasons why.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

One of the hardest-to-deal-with aspects of the coronavirus pandemic that’s upended daily life in the US (and the rest of the world, for that matter) is the uncertainty. The uncertainty of not knowing who has the COVID-19 virus and where it’s rampaging at the moment; the uncertainty of whether protective measures that you’re taking in your own life are sufficient; and the economic uncertainty wrought by the virus, with tens of millions of Americans now out of work as the pandemic has utterly wrecked demand and catastrophically changed the financial fabric of so many of our lives.

Add to that last example not necessarily knowing when help will arrive. Congress passed a $2.2 trillion emergency stimulus bill at the end of March, but that was more than a month ago now — and despite the fact that the legislation provided funding for direct payments to Americans to help them weather this financial storm, millions of Americans still haven’t received a dime yet. Those payments include a maximum of $1,200 for individuals and $2,400 for married couples (with an additional $500 for each eligible child), and if you haven’t received one yet, here are some possible reasons why.

Continue reading…

Today’s Top Deals

1. Everyone’s swarming Amazon for these coronavirus face masks
2. Today’s best deals: 78¢ face masks, $5 Alexa smart plugs, hand sanitizer, AirPods Pro, Echo Show 8, Roomba 960, more
3. 10 Amazon deals that are only available to Prime members

Trending Right Now:

1. New coronavirus study makes a startling revelation
2. Here’s when the next round of coronavirus stimulus checks will arrive
3. Best Buy’s huge limited-time Apple sale is packed with deals – here are the 10 best ones

Still waiting on your stimulus check? 5 possible reasons it hasn’t arrived yet originally appeared on BGR.com on Wed, 6 May 2020 at 14:21:31 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read more here:: Boy Genius Report

• A protein called suPAR might be a reliable indicator of whether or not COVID-19 patients will develop severe respiratory problems.
• Higher levels of the protein in plasma were associated with a shorter time to intubation in patients who contracted the novel coronavirus and developed a severe case of the disease.
• More research may be required but if these findings are confirmed, suPAR may become a marker for the severity of the disease.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

Remdesivir will become a standard drug for COVID-19 therapy, as current research indicates the medicine that was initially developed for Ebola can reduce the recovery time in patients. Remdesivir isn’t a miracle drug that can prevent the infection, and it can’t reduce mortality. In the absence of a perfect medicine that could reduce the risk of developing complications, or of a vaccine that can prevent novel coronavirus infections altogether, we could benefit from a different tool to help patients. That’s some sort of a marker that might warn doctors of which COVID-19 patients are most likely to develop severe respiratory issues that could ultimately lead to death. Now, a new study claims that such a marker already exists.

Continue reading…

Today’s Top Deals

1. Everyone’s swarming Amazon for these coronavirus face masks
2. Today’s best deals: 78¢ face masks, $5 Alexa smart plugs, hand sanitizer, AirPods Pro, Echo Show 8, Roomba 960, more
3. 10 Amazon deals that are only available to Prime members

Trending Right Now:

1. New coronavirus study makes a startling revelation
2. Here’s when the next round of coronavirus stimulus checks will arrive
3. Best Buy’s huge limited-time Apple sale is packed with deals – here are the 10 best ones

This could be what determines if you get a mild or severe coronavirus case originally appeared on BGR.com on Wed, 6 May 2020 at 13:56:55 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read more here:: Boy Genius Report

• Three of the most popular iRobot Roomba robot vacuum models of all time are on sale right on over at Amazon, and they’re each either at or close to Black Friday pricing from ahead of the holidays last year.
• The star of the show is the Roomba 960 robot vacuum cleaner, which retails for $650 but is on sale right now for $399.
• Other top Roomba deals right now on Amazon include the $300 Roomba 675 for just $219, and the $250 Roomba 614 is all the way down to just $199 today.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

When it comes to robot vacuum cleaners, there are iRobot’s various Roomba models and then there’s everything else. Sure, other top brands continue to get closer and closer to matching different aspects of the Roomba user experience. That said, there’s nothing else on the market that can match Roomba in all aspects of the experience. Most people know that, but Roomba models are expensive so people opt for rival models despite their shortcomings. Thanks to a big surprise sale over on Amazon right now, you can have your cake and eat it too.

Three of the most popular Roomba robot vacuum models of all time are on sale right now with deep discounts, and the biggest news is definitely the return of Black Friday pricing on a longtime best-seller, the iRobot Roomba 960 Robot Vacuum. With a retail price of $650, this model packs wonderfully powerful suction that is five times stronger than 600-series models, and it also has fun bells and whistles like support for Alexa voice commands. Head over to Amazon right now and you’ll find it on sale for $399, matching the price from Black Friday and Cyber Week last year.

iRobot Roomba 960 Robot Vacuum- Wi-Fi Connected Mapping, Works with Alexa, Ideal for Pet Hair,…: $399.00

Next up is the iRobot Roomba 675 Robot Vacuum, which also packs Alexa and Google Assistant support along with plenty more great features. The suction isn’t quite as strong as you’ll find on the Roomba 960, but it’s still more than powerful enough to get the job done. It’s also far better than any low-cost Roomba rivals that you see on Amazon. The retail price on the 675 model is $300, but right now it’s down to $219 for a limited time. That’s the lowest price of 2020 so far.

iRobot Roomba 675 Robot Vacuum-Wi-Fi Connectivity, Works with Alexa, Good for Pet Hair, Carpets…: $219.00

Last but certainly not least, the iRobot Roomba 614 Robot Vacuum is perfect for anyone on the lookout for a powerful Roomba that doesn’t have all the extra fancy features. It’s great for pet hair and more on hard flooring or on low-pile carpet, and it’s down to just $199 right now if you hurry and grab one before they’re gone.

iRobot Roomba 614 Robot Vacuum- Good for Pet Hair, Carpets, Hard Floors, Self-Charging: $199.00

Today’s Top Deals

1. Everyone’s swarming Amazon for these coronavirus face masks
2. Today’s best deals: 78¢ face masks, $5 Alexa smart plugs, hand sanitizer, AirPods Pro, Echo Show 8, Roomba 960, more
3. 10 Amazon deals that are only available to Prime members

Trending Right Now:

1. New coronavirus study makes a startling revelation
2. Here’s when the next round of coronavirus stimulus checks will arrive
3. Best Buy’s huge limited-time Apple sale is packed with deals – here are the 10 best ones

The Roomba 960 everyone loves is back down to Black Friday’s price originally appeared on BGR.com on Wed, 6 May 2020 at 13:27:38 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read more here:: Boy Genius Report

• Apple rolled out iOS 13.5 developer beta 4 and iPadOS 13.5 developer beta 4 on Wednesday.
• iOS 13.5 has the exposure notification API from Apple and Google that health agency developers will use to build apps for contact tracing of people who test positive for the novel coronavirus.
• iOS 13.5 also features improvements to the Facetime app and Face ID.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

One week after Apple dropped the confusingly-named iOS 13.5 beta 3 (despite the previous version of the operating system being iOS 13.4.5 beta 2), another beta has already taken its place. iOS 13.5 is the first version of the software to feature the API for Apple’s contact tracing technology, which the company developed in collaboration with Google. Authorized developers can use the API to build apps of their own to trace people who test positive for COVID-19, which will be a vital step in the process of beating the coronavirus and getting back to normal.

In addition to the API, iOS 13.5 also brought an improvement to Face ID that makes it easier to unlock your iPhone when you are wearing a mask. Once you download the update, your iPhone will automatically skip to the passcode screen rather than trying to scan your face through the mask. You can also disable larger tiles in Group FaceTime video calls, in case you don’t want anyone’s face to dominate the entire screen.

Continue reading…

Today’s Top Deals

1. Everyone’s swarming Amazon for these coronavirus face masks
2. Today’s best deals: 78¢ face masks, $5 Alexa smart plugs, hand sanitizer, AirPods Pro, Echo Show 8, Roomba 960, more
3. 10 Amazon deals that are only available to Prime members

Trending Right Now:

1. New coronavirus study makes a startling revelation
2. Here’s when the next round of coronavirus stimulus checks will arrive
3. Best Buy’s huge limited-time Apple sale is packed with deals – here are the 10 best ones

Apple just released iOS 13.5 beta 4 for developers originally appeared on BGR.com on Wed, 6 May 2020 at 13:11:15 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read more here:: Boy Genius Report

• A black hole was discovered lurking quietly in a system just 1,000 light-years from Earth.
• The black hole, which is part of the system called HR 6819, is the closest black hole scientists have ever spotted.
• The researchers suggest that there are likely other black holes hiding nearby, invisible to us.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

Black holes are interesting things. We know they exist — and only recently had the opportunity to actually capture an image of one — but they’re typically very far away or are obscured from our view. They’re also invisible thanks to the fact that they gobble up light, making them even harder to detect.

Now, a team of astronomers at the European Southern Observatory have announced the discovery of a black hole that is much, much closer than any before it. It’s hiding out in a system just 1,000 light-years from Earth, and initially, it escaped the eyes of scientists.

Continue reading…

Today’s Top Deals

1. Everyone’s swarming Amazon for these coronavirus face masks
2. Today’s best deals: 78¢ face masks, $5 Alexa smart plugs, hand sanitizer, AirPods Pro, Echo Show 8, Roomba 960, more
3. You probably had no idea about these 10 hidden Amazon device deals

Trending Right Now:

1. New coronavirus study makes a startling revelation
2. Here’s when the next round of coronavirus stimulus checks will arrive
3. Best Buy’s huge limited-time Apple sale is packed with deals – here are the 10 best ones

A black hole has been hiding surprisingly close to Earth originally appeared on BGR.com on Wed, 6 May 2020 at 12:48:44 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read more here:: Boy Genius Report

• Amazon is offering plenty of great deals right now on smart home gadgets, but there’s one in particular that everyone should take advantage of while they still can.
• Hurry and you’ll find 4-packs of Aoycocr Mini Smart Plugs on sale for just $19.79 if you use a special coupon at checkout.
• Thanks to this great deal, you’ll pay just $4.95 per plug — that’s one of the lowest prices ever for top-rated Alexa and Google Assistant-compatible smart plugs.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

There is no question whatsoever right now as far as which product is the most popular among BGR Deals readers. Amazon’s best-selling face masks are literally flying off the virtual store shelves, and it’s easy to see why since the CDC recommends that all of us wear face masks like these every single time we have to leave our homes. Sure you can make your own using t-shirts and DIY instructions you find online, but these are far more effective and they’re only $0.80 each. It’s certainly easy to see why they’re so popular.

As important as face masks are right now — though we should note that they’re only effective when used in combination with strict social distancing and good hygiene — there are other things our readers have been buying up as well. One example is smart plugs, which also makes sense. We’re all stuck at home for quite a while, so why not spend some of that time indoors creating cool smart home solutions?

Another reason smart plugs are so popular right now is because of sales like the one we’re about to show you. Aoycocr Mini Smart Plugs are some of the most popular ones we cover, and they’re also very well-rated on Amazon. 4-packs typically cost $33, which is the going rate on Amazon for many brands, but there’s a sale right now that slashes them down to the lowest price we’ve seen in months. Just use the coupon code 40ULRNRJ at checkout and you can pick up a 4-pack of Aoycocr Mini Smart Plugs for just $19.79 total. That’s only $4.95 per plug!

Save 40% Aoycocr Smart Home Mini Wifi Outlets with Alexa and Google – No Hub Required: $19.79 ($4.95 each) (use code 40ULRNRJ by 5/28)

Here are some more key details from the product page on Amazon:

• Voice Control with Ease: Compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT, allowing you to control the outlet through the use of simple voice commands. DOES NOT CURRENTLY SUPPORT SmartThings, Homekit (though you can use them through IFTTT support)
  
• Control from Anywhere: With the Aoycocr Smart app you can access and manage any small appliances from anywhere, creating a truly smart home experience all in one app – A secured 2.4GHz WiFi network is required
• Schedule & Timer: Customized schedule lights, fans, and any home electronics or appliances to turn on and off automatically, or control them remotely when you’re away. Get ready to smart your home stuff and automation
• Simple to set up: Plugin a wall outlet, easily follow instruction steps to connect your smart plug to your existing 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network. Then start using your smart app or voice to turn to control the power
• More Important & Guaranteed: Device sharing allows you to share with your family members. FCC/ROHS Approved and Overload protection provided complete security. No hub required. Offer backed with 90-day money back, 2-year warranty and lifetime support

Save 40% Aoycocr Smart Home Mini Wifi Outlets with Alexa and Google – No Hub Required: $19.79 ($4.95 each) (use code 40ULRNRJ by 5/28)

Today’s Top Deals

1. Everyone’s swarming Amazon for these coronavirus face masks
2. Today’s best deals: 78¢ face masks, $5 Alexa smart plugs, hand sanitizer, AirPods Pro, Echo Show 8, Roomba 960, more
3. You probably had no idea about these 10 hidden Amazon device deals

Trending Right Now:

1. New coronavirus study makes a startling revelation
2. Here’s when the next round of coronavirus stimulus checks will arrive
3. Best Buy’s huge limited-time Apple sale is packed with deals – here are the 10 best ones

How are these Alexa smart plugs on Amazon only $4.95 each? originally appeared on BGR.com on Wed, 6 May 2020 at 12:19:01 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read more here:: Boy Genius Report