Technology Simplified

Star Wars fans were thrilled about The Mandalorian the second it was announced as the flagship show of Disney Plus , but few could've predicted that Baby Yoda would steal the show. The first live-action TV series to come out of the Star Wars universe features a guy who dresses a lot like Boba Fett with his own interesting background story, but The Child, as he's known, is arguably the real star.  Since making his debut in The Mandalorian in November, Baby Yoda has been a sensation. A cuter, younger version of the ancient Jedi master, he’s one of the most endearing creatures ever seen in the Star Wars universe, and has since become the talk of the internet – a walking merchandising opportunity, and the source of wholesome memes. But what is Baby Yoda? How does he fit into the Star Wars universe? And what will we learn about him in The Mandalorian season 2 ? We unleash the Bothan spies to find out. Watch The Mandalorian with a free 7-day Disney Plus trial What do we know...

By BY NOAM SCHEIBER from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2ZB7BcG

A content delivery network (CDN) works to accelerate almost any website by caching its files in servers around the world. Whether your visitors come from Europe, North America, Asia or anywhere else, content is automatically served from the nearest location for the fastest possible speeds. If you're new to the technology then it might seem intimidating, and there's no doubt that prices can be high, but don't let that put you off. A CDN is not just for massive corporations. You can set up the simplest services in less than five minutes, and if you choose your plan wisely, it might not cost you anything at all. Whatever your website, from a simple blog to a sprawling site for a big business, we've picked out some of the best services around to help point you in the right direction. If you find anything that looks interesting, give it a try – you can explore many of these CDNs for free, without handing over payment details or signing up for any contract. We’ve also rou...

As we round out 2019, retailers like Walmart, Amazon, and Best Buy are having massive year-end sales on leftover holiday stock. You can find record-low prices on a number of best-selling items which include TVs, laptops, appliances, smartwatches, and more. To help you sort through all the offers, we've rounded up the very best year-end sales below. Our top bargains include the Fitbit Alta HR on sale for $98 , the Apple Watch 5 on sale for $384 , the Vizio 50-inch 4K  Smart TV  on sale for $288 , and the Echo Show 5 on sale for $59.99 . You can also find today-only discounts on Amazon's digital services like select best sellers for $4.99 or less on Kindle . Shop more of the best end-of-year sales below – and make sure to bookmark this page, as we'll be continuously updating it with all the top deals leading up to the new year. Last-minute deals Quick Links Amazon.com : Year-end deals Walmart.com : End-of-year clearance  BestBuy.com: Top end-of-year deals Adidas...

A proposed class action filed last week claims that Amazon's Ring video cameras have inadequate cybersecurity, leaving consumers vulnerable to cyberattacks. According to the filing, Amazon should compensate existing Ring owners who have had their Ring systems compromised, as well as ensure security is improved for the product. Amazon Ring doorbells could let hackers hijack your Wi-Fi Over 1,500 Ring passwords have been found on the dark web Find the best smart home devices Class action John Baker Orange, who filed the suit in Los Angeles, complained that his own Ring security system had been exploited by an attacked to watch his children. Complaints from other Ring owners have made the press recently,  “A company that sells a device that is supposed to protect occupants of a home shouldn’t become a platform for potentially endangering those occupants,” John Yanchunis, a lawyer for Orange, said in an interview. Ring was bought in 2018 by Amazon, in a deal said to be wort...

By BY KEVIN ROOSE from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2MHjTv7

It’s the slowest week of the year for gadget news. Christmas is in the rearview, and it’s a few days until the new year. After that, it’s a straight shot to CES and then MWC. Meantime, best we’ve got going for us are a handful of rumors, including a peek at what Google’s next budget might could potentially possibly conceivably look like. Per renders from OnLeaks and 91Mobiles , a vision of the Pixel   4A has appeared — or, a render, rather. The handset will no doubt be an important one for Google. After all, the 3A (pictured at top) helped the company recover from some lackluster sales last year. A couple of pieces jump out at first glance. The display appears to finally buck the company’s longtime notch dependency, in favor of a hole punch camera on the front. Perhaps even more compelling, the device seems to hold the torch for the headphone jack. In 2020, that could well be a standout feature even among mid-range handsets. As the company eloquently put it around the time of...