This JBL Outdoor Speaker Is $130 Off Ahead of Prime Day

This JBL Outdoor Speaker Is $130 Off Ahead of Prime Day

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The JBL Xtreme 4 is massive, right at the limit of what I would consider a portable speaker, with powerful sound that can handle a large backyard barbecue party. Right now, it's $130 off during Early Prime Day, bringing its price down to $249.95 (originally $379.95). That's a record low price for this particular speaker, according to price tracking tools. Even though Prime Day doesn't officially start until next week, I doubt this speaker will go any lower in price.

I've been using the JBL Xtreme 4 outdoor speaker for months, taking it with me to hang out in my backyard, in my office, and to host soccer games with Street FC. Since I have other JBL speakers, I am able to take full advantage of the Aurocast feature, which lets me connect it to other JBL speakers for a fuller sound. I also find the full EQ customization and presets useful.

The speaker is powerful, which makes sense for a speaker of this size. What stands out the most is its powerful bass, which is typical of JBL speakers. Since it is IP67 rated, it can be submerged underwater and resists dust, making it perfect for the beach. It also comes with a detachable carrying strap that makes carrying it much easier.

The battery can last about 27 hours, depending on your use, but I've managed to stretch it past that point by being conservative with the volume. Speaking of volume, it's a directional speaker, meaning it'll project to wherever it's facing. In my backyard, I try to place it as far back as I can and pump up the volume, which has worked well for my gatherings of about 12 people.



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The Garmin Forerunner 255 Just Dropped to Its Lowest Price Ever

The Garmin Forerunner 255 Just Dropped to Its Lowest Price Ever

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If you're ready to upgrade from tracking your steps to something more performance-driven, investing in a running watch might be your best move. The Garmin Forerunner 255 running watch is designed to help runners optimize training and improve performance, and right now, it’s 43% off on Amazon, the lowest price it’s ever reached according to price trackers. With GPS tracking, comprehensive stats, free training plans, and training evaluations to monitor performance and provide feedback, it’s like a built-in running coach for your wrist.

This discounted model has a larger 46mm screen (compared to the 41mm version) and is the non-music edition, meaning it doesn’t store or play music, so you’ll still need your phone for playlists. It lasts up to 14 days in smartwatch mode and 30 hours in GPS mode, with accurate tracking via multiple satellite systems. At just 1.7 ounces, it’s lightweight despite its size, and features a sweat-resistant silicone band and Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The button-based interface (rather than a touchscreen) may also appeal to runners who want reliable control during a sweaty workout.

The built-in Garmin Coach feature offers free adaptive training plans for 5K, 10K, and half-marathon distances. You can also create custom workouts via the Garmin Connect app. The watch provides training tips and personalized workout suggestions that adapt based on your post-run performance and recovery, tracking heart rate and using SatIQ technology to balance GPS accuracy with battery life. It even evaluates your current routine to help you avoid under-training or overexertion.

When worn overnight, HRV status can track your heart rate during sleep and provide additional insight into your overall wellness. However, given the slightly bulky nature of the watch, it may not be comfortable for some people to sleep with. While it's a favorite among runners, many Amazon reviewers also highlight its accuracy for open water and pool swims, making it a versatile watch for different kinds of fitness lovers.

While it’s ideal for runs and everyday use, its stainless steel casing isn’t as rugged as Garmin’s Fenix or Instinct series, and if you want built-in music, you may want to splurge on the brand’s upgraded model instead. If you don’t need those premium features, the Garmin Forerunner 255 running watch offers solid value with GPS accuracy, in-depth training insights, and a long battery life for runners who want to train smart without overspending. 



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The Garmin Instinct 2 Is at Its Lowest Price Ever Right Now

The Garmin Instinct 2 Is at Its Lowest Price Ever Right Now

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If you spend a lot of time in the wilderness, the rugged GPS-enabled Garmin Instinct 2 smartwatch might already be on your radar—and right now, it’s $130 off on Amazon. With a durable build that withstands the elements and a long-lasting battery, it’s a solid companion for outdoor adventures.

In smartwatch mode, this Garmin model’s battery life can last up to 28 days. In GPS mode, it drops to around 30 hours. While it doesn’t last as long as the brand’s pricier solar-powered alternative (which is also 40% off), it still gives you plenty of runtime out of a single charge for short treks or weekend trips. It holds up to 32MB of storage and connects via USB and Bluetooth. Navigation is a standout feature, with support for GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo satellites, plus a built-in 3-axis compass and barometric altimeter.

The watch also includes all-day health tracking (with the usual caveat that these are estimates), covering sleep, heart rate, respiration, and Pulse Ox in select countries. Built-in sports apps support running, hiking, biking, swimming (it’s water-resistant up to 100 meters), and strength training. Reviewers highlight its activity tracking as a key strength, calling it a reliable tool for anyone looking to monitor or improve physical performance.

That being said, opinions are mixed regarding the ease of use. Although some shoppers consider it user-friendly, others don’t find it as intuitive, saying that the controls and interface are hard to get used to, especially if you don’t use it regularly. The watch is highly customizable though, allowing users to rearrange the main screen and tweak available features to fit their routines.

Construction-wise, the Instinct 2 is described as sturdy yet lightweight, thanks to its fiber-reinforced polymer case and scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass. The monochrome, 1.12-inch display screen is easy to read in direct sunlight, but it lacks bells and whistles like a touchscreen, full color, and video playback, so if you’re looking for something ultra-modern, you may want to upgrade to a different model. 

Still, for outdoor and fitness enthusiasts who want a durable, no-frills GPS watch with excellent battery life and strong tracking capabilities, the Garmin Instinct 2 smartwatch can help take your adventures to the next level.



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Enable This Feature on Your AT&T Phone to Prevent SIM Swapping Attacks

Enable This Feature on Your AT&T Phone to Prevent SIM Swapping Attacks

If you're an AT&T customer, you can turn on a new security feature that prevents your phone number from being moved to a different device without your knowledge, exposing your data to cyber criminals in the process. The feature, called Wireless Account Lock, is now rolling out to all AT&T users.

SIM swapping (also referred to as SIM jacking) is a form of phone hacking—and one that's especially dangerous. In this type of attack, threat actors reroute your cell number to another SIM card on a different phone, meaning all of your calls, texts, and two-factor authentication codes are visible to someone else.(This is one of several reasons why you should avoid SMS authentication whenever possible.)

SIM swaps require convincing your cellular service provider to transfer your number to a new SIM, which hackers accomplish by impersonating you with information they've gleaned from a phishing attack or data breach. They may even attempt to trick or bribe someone at the company to make this switch. As Bleeping Computer outlines, SIM swapping attacks have proliferated over the last few years and affected customers at carriers like T-Mobile and Google Fi.

How Wireless Account Lock protects your data

Wireless Account Lock prevents certain changes from being made on your AT&T account while the setting is active, meaning no one (not even an AT&T employee) can transfer your number to a new SIM card. When enabled, Wireless Account Lock prevents the following:

  • Upgrading a device

  • Changing a SIM card or eSIM

  • Initiating a phone number transfer

  • Adding a new line

  • Changing billing info

  • Changing authorized users

  • Changing phone numbers

If you have a business account, the account administrator can choose to exempt lines or select specific lock functions to turn on or off.

How to enable AT&T Wireless Account Lock

You can turn on Wireless Account Lock via the myAT&T app under Services > Mobile Security > Wireless Account Lock. Select Continue, choose the account you want to lock or unlock, and swipe to complete. AT&T Prepaid customers can choose the number they want to lock from the myAT&T app, select Continue, then go to Profile & Settings > Account Info & Preferences > Wireless Account Lock > Turn on or Turn off. You'll need to validate the change with an SMS code.

The setting applies to all devices and lines on your AT&T account, including phones, tablets, wearables, hotspots, and laptops.

Note that both T-Mobile and Verizon already offer security features—called SIM Protection—to prevent SIM swapping attacks to both prepaid and postpaid customers. If you use either of these carriers, you can enable this feature on your line via the appropriate website or app.



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I Previewed These Emotion-Tracking Smart Glasses, and They Seem Weirdly Useful

I Previewed These Emotion-Tracking Smart Glasses, and They Seem Weirdly Useful

We know smart glasses can play podcasts and put an AI assistant in your ear, but what if they knew what you were feeling? That's the idea behind Emteq Lab's Sense glasses. They're not on the market yet, but the end goal is a lightweight pair of specs equipped with sensors that read minute changes in users' facial muscles, all with the goal of detecting real-time mood shifts to unlock insights into health, eating habits, and more.

Emteq is one of a growing number of companies in the field of "affective computing," technology designed to recognize, interpret, process, and/or simulate human emotions. For good or ill, the future is likely to be packed with the stuff.

How do emotion-sensing glasses work?

Smart Sense Facial Expression Readout
Credit: Emteq

The technology behind Emteq's emotion-tracking glasses is sophisticated, but the concept is straightforward: the glasses' inward-facing sensors monitor the electrical activity of your zygomaticus muscle group (smiling muscles), the corrugator supercilii group (forehead muscles), as well as the muscle groups that control your brow, and combines that information with heart-rate and head movement data, then puts it all together into a real-time record of your emotions you can access on your smart phone.

That's the idea, anyway. Whether any machine can accurately interpret what emotions for everyone through facial muscle movement is a complex question. Research indicates that basic emotions like happiness, sadness, surprise, and disgust are expressed facially in similar ways across cultures, but cultural influences and individual differences affect how we display emotions. Some people have poker faces. Some people laugh when they're scared. And anyone can smile when they're feeling blue.

Use cases for emotion-sensing glasses

I recently spoke with Emteq's CEO Steen Strand and saw a demo. The Sense glasses prototype seems to work as advertised in a normal-looking pair of eyeglass frames. The eventual vision for the technology spans everything from virtual meetings to mental health monitoring to dietary tracking.

Making virtual meetings more "natural"

"When we're in a conversation, you want to see my face, I want to see yours. We can react to each other," Strand said. "If you want to do that virtually, you have to know what my face is doing." The idea is that expression-sensing glasses could make avatars and virtual interactions more "real" by putting what's on your real face onto your digital face.

For some kinds of virtual conversations, this would be amazing, but what if I want to not look bored during a meeting? Either way, existing VR technology can do something similar, but according to Strand, Emteq's tech provides a better solution. "A lot of existing technology, particularly in VR, is just more heavy on power and computing," Strand said. "We're using these very lightweight, low-power sensors that just look at a little tiny part of your face, and from that we can infer what your whole face is doing."

Mental health

A constant monitor of real-life emotions could provide an additional diagnostic tool for mental health professionals, according to Strand. "The gold standard for diagnosing depression right now is a questionnaire," he said. "Not only does that have inherent bias, it's also a sliver in time. How you feel at one moment could differ from how you feel an hour later," but a constant record of emotions would, presumably, be more revelatory of one's mental state.

For people who have trouble knowing what emotion their face is displaying, whether because of a physical condition like facial paralysis or a mental health concern like autism, emotion-sensing glasses could provide a window to a sense that most of us take for granted.

Healthier eating

Maybe the most concrete application for Sense glasses involves monitoring eating habits. These specs can track chewing patterns, bite frequency, and eating speed—metrics that research links to weight management and digestive health. "You can tell how many chews you had that meal, how many bites, the spacing between your chews and bites," Strand said. Some research has tied the speed of eating to calorie consumption at meals, so in theory micromanaging your chewing could help with weight loss goals, if it doesn't drive you crazy first.

For people struggling with healthy eating or who have medical conditions requiring careful dietary monitoring, this could be useful. But it risks turning every meal into a performance review.

The bigger questions: privacy and humanity

Emteq Sense Glass
Credit: Emteq

With any novel technology, a logical question is "how might this be used to further enshittify our daily lives?" There's no shortage of dystopian hypotheticals here, as this is with any kind of affective computing. Imagine what advertisers and marketers would do with a record of how consumers feel about everything they see and experience, all day, every day. How much worse would algorithms get if they knew exactly how you felt about that TikTok? What if an employer had a real-time readout of which workers are smiling and which are furrowing their brows? Imagine how an oppressive government could use this tech against its citizens.

It's probably unfair to pin those big ideas onto a smart glass monitor technology, and Strand says Emteq isn't pursuing the collection and selling of general emotional data. "Our philosophy now is, that's medical grade personal data that doesn't get shared," Strand said. But promises about data handling have a way of "evolving" as companies grow and face financial pressure.

When will Sense glasses be available to the public?

As for when you'll be able to get your own chewing-and-feeling-monitoring specs, the short answer is, in the future, maybe. "Sometime next year, you'd expect us to put something out," Strand said. "We're still debating whether or not we're gonna go straight to consumer. There are lots of different ways to go to market with the tech. And so we're still balancing some of that out."



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In My Spin Class, Playlists (and BPMs) Are More Important Than You'd Think

In My Spin Class, Playlists (and BPMs) Are More Important Than You'd Think

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The other day, I got a fun email from cycling app Join, announcing that after analyzing over 13,000 publicly available spinning playlists, the company had gained some insights into just how crucial beats per minute (BPM) are for cycling workouts. As a spin teacher, I know all about that, but I still found it fun to see which songs crop up most often for people who are creating their own playlists. In the past, I've written about crafting a great cardio playlist, but a spin playlist is another beast entirely. If you want to replicate the spin class or Peloton experience yourself, here's what you need to know.

What's the deal with BPMs?

When I started teaching four years ago, I was purely a vibes-based instructor. I found songs that were fun, engaging, and loud, then compiled them into a 45-minute playlist, choreographed a little movement to go with them, and thought I was killing it. But I started paying more attention in other people's classes when I took them and joined a few online communities for instructors and, before I knew it, I was thinking much harder about beats per minute, cardio zones, and the overalls goals of every class. Did you know that many major gyms actually pay their instructors for an extra hour every week to account for the time it takes us to come up with our playlists? I didn't until I started teaching and at first, I thought it was nice, but excessive. Now that I do spend serious time applying science to my playlists, though, I think it's quite fair.

Science? Yes, science! Studies have been pretty clear about the effects of faster music on exercise duration, intensity, and efficiency: When BPM is up, so is heart rate, especially in a spin class, where you can more easily match, as I am always reminding my students, "your feet to the beat." On a treadmill, you can't always smack your sole down on the belt with every beat; it could be dangerous. Strapped into the humble, low-impact stationary cycle, though, you absolutely can, which means you can push your heart rate up into different cardio zones. There's even a word for this: Entrainment is the phenomenon that occurs when your body naturally syncs up with rhythmic stimuli.

Everyone's cardio "zones" are a little different, but the way I like to think of it, Zone 1 is 50% to 60% of your maximum heart rate, Zone 2 goes up to about 70%, Zone 3 goes up to about 80%, Zone 4 to 90%, and Zone 5 to 100%. Warming up in Zones 1 and 2 before spending serious time in 3 and 4 and a few teeny-tiny bursts into Zone 5 is just perfect.

To be clear, you're not expected to smash your foot down on every single beat. You can go half-time or double-time. So, you might want to aim to sustain a BPM around 130, but that won't consistently translate to 130 revolutions per minute (RPM) of the pedals. Instead, it'll be about 65 RPM. That's normal. According to the studies linked above, even hearing faster-paced music while you work out can increase your exertion and perception of it.

All together, then, I try to keep the bulk of my playlist songs within a range of 120 to 180, varying the resistance I'm asking for with each (which impacts the RPM). You might find that you can go a lot faster for a longer period of time or that you are struggling to keep up in those ranges. Taking a standard spin class can help you out, since instructors tend to design their playlists to meet people right in the middle of the different fitness abilities that might be represented in the room.

Choosing the best BPM for your workout

If you're crafting your own playlist, start with slower songs, stuff the middle of your playlist with faster ones (and keep your resistance low) and medium-slow ones (for high resistance), and throw in a super-fast track that you can match the beat of in 10- or 15-second intervals. Program in some recovery periods, too. I like to choose songs in which the chorus gets faster and the verses are a little slower, so we move back and forth while keeping—you guessed it—our feet on the beat. The recovery periods are built-in that way. Finish up with some slower songs.

You'd think it would be easy to hear a song and recognize if it's "fast" or "slow," but that's not always the case. You can use websites to help you identify the BPM of a given song. I like the aptly named SongBPM.

You can also find inspiration from other people. That investigation I mentioned before is a good place to start. Join found that the most popular spinning song is "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC. According to SongBPM, it has a BPM of 137. The average BPM of the most popular songs in that dataset is around 127.98. My participants really love when we do "Money on the Dash (Sped Up)" by Elley Duhé (150 BPM) or "Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!!" by Vengaboys (138). In fact, if you're stuck, you can follow my personal spin playlist, which I update every other day.

Things to keep in mind

Don't freak yourself out about all of this. As long as you're on the bike and moving, you're doing great—and I remind my participants of that all the time. If you get too caught up in your BPM, RPM, and all the science and zones, you can get distracted from the relatively simple task of just working out, and that's not ideal. If you're struggling to create a playlist that works for you, take a few spin classes to see what instructors are doing—but again, don't worry too much. It's more important that you find songs you enjoy riding to and that actually get you on your bike than targeting the ideal heart rate zone and crafting a science-driven playlist. That will all come in time.



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The Best Early Prime Day Deals on Tools Right Now

The Best Early Prime Day Deals on Tools Right Now

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Summer is DIY season, and if you have some projects planned, you might have noticed that the price of tools can add up quickly. Luckily, whether you’re working on a vehicle or a rain collection system, there are some good deals from Amazon on tools ahead of Prime Day.

Cordless tools

A good cordless tool set will make DIY projects easier to accomplish and save you some time as well. If you already have a set and are looking to expand, or you want to start a tool set, these will keep your DIY momentum going through the summer.

  • The DeWalt 20-volt cordless drill set is on sale for $99, 38% off its regular price. This set comes with a drill, a 2-amp-hour battery, a charger, and a tool bag. This is a perfect starter set, as this tool can be used for drilling holes as well as driving hardware, and it comes with a battery so it’s ready to use straight out of the box.

  • The DeWalt 20-volt cordless impact driver set is on sale for $99, 38% off its usual price. This set comes with a quarter-inch impact driver, a 2-amp-hour battery, a charger, and a tool bag. This is a good addition to your cordless set if you already have a driver, as it allows you to drive fasteners into tougher material with less effort because of the impact assistance. You can also use this tool as a drill with a bit designed for a quarter-inch impact chuck, making it a versatile tool for a home DIY kit.

  • The Makita 12-volt material cutter is on sale for $98, 58% off its typical price. The set comes with a material-cutting multitool, a 12-volt, 2-amp-hour battery, a charger, and a tool bag. This tool can be used to cut rubber, vinyl, and carpet, making it great for flooring, heavy-duty upholstery, and arts and crafts projects.

  • The Milwaukee cordless 18-volt random orbital sander is on sale for $102.20, 37% off its regular price. This is a “bare tool” deal, so it doesn’t come with a battery or charger, but it does have a dust collection attachment and a couple of medium-grit sanding discs to get you started. This is a good tool for finishing woodworking projects.

  • The DeWalt 20-volt cordless tire inflator/compressor is on sale for $109.94, 39% off its typical price. It’s a tool-only deal, so it doesn’t come with a battery. This is a good addition to a home garage shop or roadside emergency kit, and can be used to inflate car and bike tires.

Bits, wrenches, and drivers

You never truly appreciate the power of having the right-sized wrench or socket until you’ve gotten 90% of the way through removing a panel on your HVAC system to perform some maintenance, only to discover that you can’t undo the last three nuts. A good socket set can help you get through most common home and vehicle maintenance, and is indispensable if you want to save money on handyman costs by tackling chores yourself.

  • The Craftsman 159-piece mechanics tool set is on sale for $99, 41% off its regular price. It comes with three ratchet handles, a set of metric sockets and wrenches, a set of SAE sockets and wrenches, a hand driver with an assortment of bit types, a set of bit extensions and adapters, and a toolbox. This is a good set to start out with for most DIY auto maintenance, as well as for projects around the house like changing filters or assembling furniture.

  • The Craftsman 230-piece mechanics tool set is on sale for $99, 50% off its regular price. This set comes with a range of both metric and SAE sockets, a set of metric and SAE wrenches, three ratchet handles, a hand driver with an assortment of bits, ratchet extensions and adapters, a set of socket-drive fastener bits for screws, a set of hex wrenches, and a three-drawer tool box. This is a good set to build a top-notch DIY tool kit for your home shop, and can work for driving most types of fasteners.

  • The Craftsman two-driver set is on sale for $4.98, 50% off its typical price. This set is just one Philips head and a flat head screwdriver. This is a basic set, good for building a home maintenance kit or a go bag for when you want to DIY on the road.

  • The Makita 100-piece impact driver bit set is on sale for $24.99, 55% off its regular price. The set comes with a variety of driver bit types, including Phillips, flat head, and star tip, as well as a bit extension for reaching into tight spaces. This is a good set to cover most common hardware types and sizes you will come across for woodworking, repair, and maintenance projects.





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