Have you ever just wished you could watch Instagram Reels right on a TV? Maybe? Well, if so, you're in luck. Meta has launched an Instagram app exclusively on Fire TV. It will be solely for "short-form video content," so Reels. TikTok launched an app on Fire TV in 2020 before rolling it out to other platforms. 

Instagram and Fire TV users can download the former through Amazon's App Store. It can either link to an existing account or have a separate account just for TV. The app can hold up to five different Instagram accounts — and time spent factors into any limits on teen accounts. 

"Our mission is to get you to the world’s best content fast, and we’re thrilled to welcome Instagram to Fire TV," Fire TV vice president, Aidan Marcuss, said in a statement. "We’re committed to keep pushing the boundaries of entertainment on customers' biggest screens — the Instagram team has built an awesome experience, and we’re excited to be the first place to offer it. We can’t wait to see what customers think."

For now, Reels are separated into different channels, such as sports highlights or hidden travel gems. Reels also play automatically, so you don't have to swipe between content on the screen. According to Meta, the app is still being tested, so these formats might change in the future. 

Instagram users in the US can now get the TV app on Amazon's Fire TV Stick HD, 4K Plus and 4K Max (first and second generation). It's also available on the Fire RV 2-Series, 4-Series, and Omni QLED Series. However, Meta says that the Instagram App for TV should be available on more devices and in other countries after this initial testing round.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/instagram-launches-a-fire-tv-app-for-reels-160003710.html?src=rss

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If you're still debating what gifts to get the important people in your life, sales can be a good starting point. Take Apple's 2024 Mac mini M4, which is down to $479, from $599. The 20 percent discount brings the device back down to its all-time low price seen over Black Friday. 

Apple released the Mac mini M4 in late 2024 and we were impressed with how something so small could be so powerful. We gave it a 90 in our review, thanks to features like its speed and standard 16GB of RAM. The — currently — $479 base model also comes with 256GB of SSD. We were also happy to see it had front-facing USB-C and headphone ports. 

If you really want to go all out for someone's gift (or for yourself) then you can buy one of the Mac mini M4's higher memory or storage options. You can pick up the Mac Mini M4 with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD for $690, down from $799 — a 14 percent discount. Meanwhile, the 24GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD model is 11 percent off, dropping to $890 from $999.

Check out our coverage of the best Apple deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-mac-mini-m4-is-back-on-sale-for-a-record-low-price-150041509.html?src=rss

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© Devindra Hardawar for Engadget

PayPal is the latest company looking to become a bank in the US. On Monday, the company announced it had submitted applications for PayPal Bank to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Utah Department of Financial Institutions (UDFI). PayPal is already a bank in Europe, based in Luxembourg. 

According to PayPal, it has provided "over $30 billion in loans and working capital" for more than 420,000 business accounts globally. PayPal puts its focus on small businesses in pitching the need for a US bank. "Securing capital remains a significant hurdle for small businesses striving to grow and scale," Alex Chriss, president and CEO of PayPal, said in a release. "Establishing PayPal Bank will strengthen our business and improve our efficiency, enabling us to better support small business growth and economic opportunities across the US." 

PayPal also plans to provide "interest-bearing saving accounts" as a bank. If approved, it would be chartered in Utah. 

Applications to become a bank have popped up left and right this year, with approval odds increasing under the Trump administration. On Friday, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) announced that five cryptocurrency companies, including BitGo, Circle and Ripple, received conditional approval to become federally charted trust banks.  

"New entrants into the federal banking sector are good for consumers, the banking industry and the economy," the OCC's comptroller Jonathan V. Gould stated in the announcement. "They provide access to new products, services and sources of credit to consumers, and ensure a dynamic, competitive and diverse banking system."

Other companies such as Nissan and Sony have also submitted applications to form a bank. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/paypal-applies-to-become-a-bank-under-trumps-looser-financial-rules-143025772.html?src=rss

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© Reuters / Reuters

China has taken another step forward in the self-driving car market. The country's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has made its first approval for cars with level-3 autonomous driving capabilities. The two electric sedans come from state-owned automakers Changan Auto and BAIC Motor.

The US National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) defines level-3 driving as "the system handles all aspects of the driving task while you, as the driver, are available to take over driving if requested. If the system can no longer operate and prompts the driver, the driver must be available to resume all aspects of the driving task."

According to a translation of MIIT's announcement, the Changan vehicle can drive autonomously in single lanes of both highways and urban expressways in traffic congestion. It is allowed solely in certain areas of Chongqing at a maximum speed of 50 km/h (31 mph). The BAIC electric sedan can also function autonomously on the same roads, but only in areas of Beijing at a maximum speed of 80 km/h (50 mph). 

"The team strictly followed the standards and procedures to conduct preliminary review, selection, testing, and safety assessments," MIIT stated. "Both automotive companies have completed and passed the product testing and safety assessments as required." They didn't present a timeline for when the models would become available. 

The US approved its first certified level-3 car in January 2023, a Mercedes.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/china-approves-two-level-3-autonomous-evs-134548316.html?src=rss

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My boyfriend texted me those dreaded four words: "Is your Spotify down?" Sure enough his, mine and thousands of other users' Spotify accounts appear to be down and out at the moment, with Downdetector recording over 10,000 reports from users. 

Spotify is apparently working on the problem. The account, Spotify Status, shared an update on X at 9:45 AM on Monday, "We’re aware of some issues right now and are checking them out!" About an hour later, the company shared an update saying that the outage was resolved as of 10:34 AM ET.

Update, December 15, 2025, 10:48AM ET: This story and its headline were updated to indicate that Spotify’s outage has been resolved.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/spotify-was-down-this-morning-for-thousands-of-users-updates-on-the-widespread-outages-150453379.html?src=rss

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© Anadolu via Getty Images

It was a big day in gaming history when Nintendo finally released its Switch sequel. But the Nintendo Switch 2 lacked many options for microSD Express cards. Samsung helped change that this fall, with the release of its P9 Express series of microSD Express cards, and now one of them is on sale.

Currently, you can pick up the 256GB Samsung P9 Express microSD Express Card for $33, down from $55. The 40 percent discount brings the microSD down to a new all-time low price. That means your new Nintendo Switch 2 gets a lot more memory with transfer speeds reaching 800MB/s. The specs are on par with some of our other favorite microSD cards for the Nintendo Switch 2. 

Samsung's new microSD also comes with the company's Dynamic Thermal Guard, which should keep things from heating up too much during gameplay. It also works with devices other than the Switch 2, including other gaming consoles, computers, Steam Deck, cameras and more. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/samsungs-p9-microsd-express-card-for-switch-2-is-40-percent-off-right-now-141947128.html?src=rss

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The holiday season is very much upon us and, whether you're traveling or need a last-minute present, noise-canceling headphones are a great purchase for this time of year. This is made all the more true when they're on sale. Take the Bose QuietComfort Headphones, which are down to $170 from $359. The 53 percent discount brings these headphones to a new record-low price — even better than their Black Friday deal. 

Bose released its new QuietComfort Headphones in October and they're an incredible option, especially for the sale price. It offers ANC with two modes: Quiet and Aware. It also has up to 24 hours of battery life and should give you two and a half hours of juice after just 15 minutes of charging.  

Looking for something a bit more high-tech? The second-generation Bose QuietComfort Ultra Bluetooth Headphones have also been on sale for some time now. An 11 percent discount brings them down to $399, from $449 — an all-time low price since they came out in September. We gave the second-gen Quiet Comfort Ultras a 90 in our review, thanks to incredible active noise cancelation and upgraded sound quality. They also overtook Sony's WH-1000XM6 headphones (also great and 12 percent off) for the top spot in our best noise-canceling headphones for 2025 list. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/boses-new-quietcomfort-headphones-are-53-percent-off-122332817.html?src=rss

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It has been two months since Google released the Pixel Watch 4 and now the company is introducing new updates to the wearable. In our review, Engadget managing editor Cherlynn Low was impressed enough with the watch to give it an 86, but called out the lack of gesture-based interactions. The new one-handed gesture features, like double pinch and wrist turn, should make up for that. 

In an industry that involves constant borrowing of ideas, it should come as no surprise that these features are very similar to those available on the Apple Watch. Double pinch works much the same to the Apple Watch's double tap. Pixel Watch 4 users should be able to pinch their fingers together twice on the same hand to do things like answer or end a call and pause timers. The Pixel Watch will also offer "context hints" on its screen about when a person should consider using double pinch. 

Then there's wrist turn, Google's answer to Apple's wrist flick. It should allow Pixel Watch 4 users to take actions like dismissing incoming calls by turning their wrist. 

Currently, users can rotate their wrist to scroll through notifications. They can also summon Gemini by bringing their wrist to their mouth, but it's a bit finicky, requiring them to start at the homepage and be extremely accurate in their movements. Google is rolling out a new step-by-step tutorial for this raise to talk feature, so hopefully it becomes a bit easier to use moving forward. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/google-pixel-watch-4-gets-double-pinch-and-wrist-turn-features-170024210.html?src=rss

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© Sam Rutherford for Engadget

If you're traveling for the holidays, there are few things more useful to take with you than a portable charger. Whether you're using your phone for music and navigation on a long drive or music and logistics before, during and after a flight, you'll want it to stay alive for the entire door-to-door journey. A number of our favorites — like this Anker MagGo 10K bank — are on sale right now for record-low, or close to them, prices.

Even better, the Anker MagGo power bank is currently on sale for $60, down from $90. This 34 percent discount brings the power bank to only $5 more than its all-time low price. We're big fans of Anker's MagGo power bank — one of the first and best Qi2-certified products available. You can get about 1.7 iPhone 15 charges out of it and bring your phone from five percent to 60 percent in a little more than 45 minutes. Plus, the stand makes it easy to keep using your phone while it charges. 

Two of our other picks for best MagSafe power bank are also on sale — and down to record-low prices. The Baseus Picogo 25W Power Bank is 24 percent off and down to $53 from $70. Meanwhile, the Ugreen MagFlow 10,000mAh 25W Power Bank has dropped to $60 from $90 — a 33 percent discount. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/pick-up-our-favorite-anker-magsafe-power-bank-while-its-on-sale-for-34-percent-off-151039668.html?src=rss

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© Amy Skorheim for Engadget

Google is no stranger to scrutiny from government bodies such as the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), and the European Commission. Now it can add another probe to its list: The European Commission has opened an antitrust investigation into the company surrounding the content used for its AI tools. Namely, the Commission is looking into two things, starting with whether Google used web publisher's content for its AI Overview and AI Mode services — without "appropriate compensation" or the option to "refuse" the use of their materials. 

"The Commission will investigate to what extent the generation of AI Overviews and AI Mode by Google is based on web publishers' content without appropriate compensation for that, and without the possibility for publishers to refuse without losing access to Google Search," the EU executive body stated in its announcement. "Indeed, many publishers depend on Google Search for user traffic, and they do not want to risk losing access to it."

The second prong of the Commission's investigation similarly looks into Google's potential misuse surrounding AI. It's digging into whether Google has used content uploaded to YouTube for training its generative AI models. As in the first case, the Commission "is concerned" that YouTube creators are not receiving proper compensation or the option to opt out of Google using their content. 

In it's overview of the investigation, the Commission noted that creators have to allow Google to use their data in return for uploading media on YouTube. It added that Google's rival AI developers are unable to use any YouTube content for training their models. 

"AI is bringing remarkable innovation and many benefits for people and businesses across Europe, but this progress cannot come at the expense of the principles at the heart of our societies," Teresa Ribera, EVP for clean, just and competitive transition at the European Commission, said in a statement. "This is why we are investigating whether Google may have imposed unfair terms and conditions on publishers and content creators, while placing rival AI models developers at a disadvantage, in breach of EU competition rules." 

A Google spokesperson told Engadget that the investigation "risks stifling innovation in a market that is more competitive than ever. Europeans deserve to benefit from the latest technologies and we will continue to work closely with the news and creative industries as they transition to the AI era."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/eu-opens-antitrust-investigation-into-googles-ai-practices-133015762.html?src=rss

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© Reuters / Reuters

If you're still on the hunt for gifts, or simply good holiday deals for yourself, you can find them on the internet. Just because Black Friday and Cyber Monday have ended doesn't mean the deals have dried up. One of the best deals available that we're tracking is on the latest Apple Watch Series 11, which you can get for a record low of $299. 

We gave the Apple Watch Series 11 a score of 90 when it came out in September. That's thanks, in part, to an upgraded 24 hours of battery life — which lasted closer to a day and a half — compared to the 18 hours promised by the Series 10. It also features a thin, light design and a wrist flick gesture for everything from dismissing a notification to ending calls. Plus, it has Apple's new hypertension tracker and comprehensive health monitoring. 

This deal is available for the Apple Watch Series 11 with a 42mm case and a small to medium band. Also on sale right now in the Apple Watch space is the Apple Watch SE 3, which is down to $199.

Check out our coverage of the best Apple deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-apple-watch-series-11-is-100-off-and-cheaper-than-ever-130006005.html?src=rss

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© Cherlynn Low for Engadget

Cyber Monday may be long gone, but there are still some deals floating around on the internet today. One deal that wasn't available on Black Friday but made an appearance on Cyber Monday was a discount on the Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundle. It's back again today at both Amazon and Walmart — you can get the bundle for $50 off, bringing the final price down to $449.

For Amazon, you have to add the bundle to your cart to see the discounted price. For Walmart, you'll need to be signed in to a Walmart account (which is free to make) and add the bundle to your cart to see the sale price.

The long-awaited Nintendo Switch 2 came out in June and somehow beat our expectations. We gave it a 93 in our review thanks to features like its larger 7.9-inch LCD screen with HCR and very polished design. We were also impressed by its 256GB of base storage, magnetic Joy-Con and overall much improved performance. 

Nintendo introduced Mario Kart World alongside the new Switch and we're big fans. It brings wall riding and rail grinds to the Mario Kart franchise in a bright, colorful space. The game is extremely replayable and a great option for anyone looking to quickly pass the time during their travels this holiday season. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-nintendo-switch-2-mario-kart-world-bundle-is-still-on-sale-for-50-off-right-now-150612988.html?src=rss

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