The Astros proclaimed Altuve an “Astro for life” with the extension.
February 2024
‘Astro for life’: Altuve agrees to reported 5-year extension
Jose Altuve, an 8-time All-Star and 2017 AL MVP who has led Houston to seven straight ALCS appearances, will reportedly be paid $125 million.
All Apple AirPods Are on Sale Right Now
All three models of Apple’s AirPods are discounted on Amazon right now, with two of them matching the lowest price they’ve ever been. The 2nd Generation AirPods Pro are $189.99 (originally $249), which is the lowest I’ve ever seen them. The 3rd Generation AirPods are $139.99 (originally $169) and are also matching the lowest price I’ve ever seen after looking at price comparison tools. 2nd Generation AirPods are $89.99 (originally $129) after a 30% discount. This isn’t the lowest price they’ve been, but it’s still a decent discount.
If you’re not sure which type of AirPods to pick, we have a breakdown of all three to make the choice a little easier.
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Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) $189.99 (originally $249), matching lowest price ever
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Apple AirPods (3rd Generation) $139.99 (originally $169), matching lowest price ever
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Apple AirPods (2nd Generation) $89.99 (originally $129)
The AirPods Pro are the best one of the bunch, if you have the funds for them. This newest model, which came out in September, is the first to feature charging via USB-C as opposed to a lightning cable. They have a few new features, like adaptive transparency, but the change in charging port is the biggest difference. You can expect solid battery life, with Apple claiming up to 30 hours of listening time on a single charge.
Fired ‘Mandalorian’ actor sues Disney with funding from Elon Musk
Fantasy football lessons from NFL postseason: Ready for the Jameson Williams hype train?
The most important NFL games are played in January and February, so Jorge Martin passes along what we should know for 2024 fantasy drafts.
Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson progressing, to start on-court activities after All-Star break
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau gave a promising update on Mitchell Robinson and his potential return.
It’s actually not that hard to see a path to Mets contention
A path is becoming clearer to how David Stearns and his newly-assembled front office group might have actually built a significantly better Mets team than the one that hobbled to the finish with 75 wins last year.
‘Daylighting,’ a new law that California drivers must know to avoid a ticket next year
How to Choose Between Alexa and Google Home
If you have yet to wade into the smart home world, or if you’re simply considering the best voice assistant and speaker combination to add to your space, you’re probably looking at an Amazon Alexa vs. Google Home showdown. Both ecosystems integrate with thousands of smart home devices, from video doorbells to lightbulbs, and both smart assistants can perform basic functions like playing music, scheduling alarms, and reading weather reports.
However, while these two platforms are closely matched across the board, there are a few differences to consider before buying.
Alexa vs. Google Home: Devices
Amazon’s Alexa-enabled hub is the Echo, which comes in several models: the Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Pop, and Echo Studio are all smart speakers, while the Echo Show (5, 8, and 15) and Echo Hub are smart displays. Google offers a similar lineup of assistant-enabled devices, including the Nest Mini and Nest Audio (speakers) and the Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max (smart displays). The price points are similar for comparable products. Note that there are also plenty of third-party devices (such as Sonos speakers) that work with Amazon Alexa and/or Google Assistant.
Alexa vs. Google Home: Compatibility
Smart home control is a primary use case for Alexa and Google Home. Google’s assistant works with more than 50,000 smart home devices, and while there’s no firm number from Amazon on how many are compatible with Alexa, it’s at least double that. This may seem like a significant advantage for Alexa, but if you’re choosing a hub for your smart home, it doesn’t matter how many tens of thousands of devices you could connect—rather, you’ll care whether the specific devices you own or plan to add are compatible. Note that the Alexa ecosystem includes products from Blink and Ring, while Google integrates seamlessly with Nest.
Both Alexa and Google (alongside many other smart home players) have also signed onto Matter, an interoperability standard meant to boost device compatibility.
Alexa vs. Google Home: Features
On the surface, Alexa and Google Home have a lot of similar features: The hubs can play audio, respond to commands, and control your smart home devices. However, there are a few differences that could sway your choice:
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Google Assistant is a little bit better at natural language recognition than Alexa, and you can ask multiple questions without having to repeat the wake word thanks to a feature called Continued Conversation.
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Google Assistant pulls from, well, Google for search, while Alexa uses Bing by default.
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Google Assistant supports more languages than Alexa, but both offer multilingual support (with some restrictions).
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Alexa has more “skills” than Google has “actions,” but both support major third-party platforms and services like Spotify and Netflix.
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Google is a great choice for YouTube fans, while Alexa offers more robust voice and video calling.
Alexa vs. Google Home: Bottom line
Alexa and Google Home are comparable in terms of form, function, and compatibility, so the choice comes down to which ecosystem is the best fit for your needs. For example, if you already have Ring devices, Alexa will work seamlessly versus Nest products that pair with Google Home. You may also prefer the specific features or aesthetic of one hub over another, which can help you narrow down your choice. While Alexa has a slight advantage for smart home integration thanks to its broad device compatibility and skill range, Google Home’s voice assistant and search capabilities are a bit more polished (and it’s native to Android devices). Neither is a bad choice.
Andrew Wiggins appears to be Warriors’ biggest trade chip, but a deal remains a challenge
Wiggins has generated the most significant trade chatter around the league and remains in consideration for the Dallas Mavericks and Milwaukee Bucks, league sources told Yahoo Sports.