Amazon Fire 7 (2022) review: You don’t get much for $60

If you want a tablet just for browsing the internet, watching videos and playing games, you won’t need anything fancy. Amazon’s Fire tablets are exactly that. Most of them are under $200, and the Fire 7, which has been updated for 2022, starts at just …

Facebook’s latest home feed focuses on recommended content

There’s increasing pressure on Meta to show more content in chronological order, and the company is responding — if not quite in the way you might have expected. Facebook has launched Home and Feeds tabs that simultaneously offer more control while giving the social network more opportunities to push recommendations. The Feeds tab shows posts from friends, groups and Pages in a linear timeline, but the Home tab uses Facebook’s discovery engine to recommend posts, Reels and other content, including from people you don’t follow.

The tabs will appear in the shortcut bar of Facebook’s Android and iOS apps starting today, and should roll out worldwide this week. The Home tab will open by default, but you can pin the Feeds tab to the shortcut bar to make sure it’s always available.

The social media giant has previously made concessions to people who prefer chronological viewing. In March of last year, it gave users quick access to a “Most Recent” setting for the News Feed. As The Vergenoted, though, this appears to be an effort to compete with TikTok’s recommendation-driven approach to videos without dropping the usual focus on friends and Pages. Meta lost daily Facebook users for the first time in the third quarter of 2021, and has struggled to return to its previously rapid growth. In theory, this shift toward recommendations will keep users coming back without alienating those who just want to interact with their friends.

Framework’s first major laptop upgrade lets you swap your system’s brain

Framework launched last year with the promise of building laptops that you could upgrade yourself with little more than a screwdriver and some patience. Now, 12 months after making its debut, the company is shipping out its first round of upgrade kits …

Ford will use new battery tech to help it build 600,000 EVs per year

Ford is refining its plans to expand EV production, and it will partly lean on new battery materials to achieve those goals. The automaker now expects to hit a global production rate of 600,000 EVs per year by late 2023 thanks in part to lithium iron phosphate battery packs in some of its vehicles, starting with Mustang Mach-Es sold in North America (in 2023) and F-150 Lightnings (in early 2024). The chemistry will expand Ford’s capacity, allow for “many years” of use with little range loss, cut manufacturing costs and reduce the dependence on shortage-prone materials like nickel.

At that 600,000-EV rate, nearly half (270,000) of the vehicles produced will be Mustang Mach-Es destined for China, Europe and North America. The F-150 Lightning in North America will account for 150,000 EVs, while the rest include 150,000 electric Transit vans and 30,000 units of a still-unnamed European SUV. Ford said it has secured all the yearly battery capacity it needs to make this target, and 70 percent of the capacity it needs to reach a more ambitious objective of 2 million EVs per year by late 2026.

The news comes just hours after a report that Ford may cut up to 8,000 jobs to help fund its EV plans. The brand recently split into combustion and EV divisions to help with the electric transition, and has committed to spending $50 billion on electrification.

Ford had floated the 600,000-EV production target before. However, the battery developments and narrower timeframe paint a clearer picture of how that growth will take place. As it stands, there’s mounting pressure on the company to ramp up its manufacturing. It only built 27,140 EVs in 2021, and has a significant backlog — you can’t even place a standard retail order for the 2022 Mach-E “due to high demand.” To some extent, the improved scale is as much about catching up as it is preparing for an all-electric future.

Warner is the first major label to adopt SoundCloud’s fan-powered royalties model

SoundCloud has found a powerful partner for its unusual royalty system that ensures lesser-known artists and indie acts are getting the money they deserve. The service has signed a global licensing agreement with Warner Music Group, making the company the first record label to adopt its Fan-Powered Royalties model. Some of the record label’s most popular acts are Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, Cher, Gorillaz, Hayley Kiyoko, Kelly Clarkson and Lizzo. However, it’s most likely the artists who aren’t quite as well-known who would benefit the most from the scheme.

This deal ensures every artist across the label’s roster gets paid based on users’ listening habits. Most streaming services’ pro-rata model puts their ad earnings and their customers’ subscription payments in one big pot used to pay artists based on their share of total plays across the service. SoundCloud’s system, however, sends listeners’ subscription money directly to the artists they’re listening to. 

The service launched the new model in 2021 and implemented it for performers using SoundCloud Premier, Repost and Repost Select. Back then, it said artists could collect as much as five times their previous royalties under the scheme. Company President Eliah Seton said in a statement: “Warner Music Group is known for developing some of today’s biggest superstars and helping them build long-term careers by investing in technologies and models which grow and support their fan communities. This makes them an ideal partner for SoundCloud… [The company] is known for our community of music-loving fans and this partnership aligns with our commitment to a fan-powered, artist-centric business.”

When SoundCloud introduced the fan-powered royalties model, critics noted that it might potentially be expensive to operate and, while it looks good on paper, it may not work well in practice. Warner signing the deal adds weight to the royalties scheme, though, and other major labels might be more inclined to follow suit.

Is it worth importing the Nothing Phone 1?

It’s tempting to import the Nothing Phone 1. The combination of eye-catching design, well-rounded performance and a reasonable price can make it more appealing than other mid-range smartphones, and even some pricey flagships. But is it really worth the…

Solo Stove knocks up to 45 percent off fire pits in its summer sale

Despite the summer heat, a fire pit can elevate your backyard’s environment. Solo Stove makes some of our favorite fire pits, and now the company’s brought back some of its best discounts on all three of its devices. You can get up to 45 percent off Solo Stove fire pits right now, which translates to $100 off the Ranger, $180 off the Bonfire and a whopping $350 off the Yukon.

Shop fire pits at Solo Stove

You might be hesitant to get a fire pit for your backyard, but Solo Stove’s machines don’t produce the smokiness that you might associate with normal fire pits. Instead, they channel smoke away from you using a double-walled design that pulls hot air through vent holes and back into the fire. In addition to reducing smoke, this also creates a fine ash and keeps the fire hot.

That’s one of the main reasons we’ve recommended Solo Stove fire pits in the past, and another is their relatively portable designs. The 15-pound Ranger and the 20-pound Bonfire can be moved round your backyard pretty easily, and they can go in your trunk before you head out on a camping trip or family outing. The 38-pound Yukon, on the other hand, should probably be left in a semi-permanent spot on your property. As we’ve mention in guides before, we recommend splurging for a bundle that includes a stand and a weather-proof cover so you’ll have everything you need to use and protect the fire pit of your choosing.

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