I’ve been a big fan of Anker ever since I picked up the Nano Portable Charger a while back. And now, again, I’m tempted to pick up another of the brand’s power banks thanks to early Prime Day deals. There’s currently a 50 percent discount on an older version of our top pick for iPhones in our best power banks guide. The Anker 633 magnetic battery pack is currently on sale for $40, down from $80 — a new all-time low price.

The MagGo charger has a 10,000mAh battery and offers 20W of high-speed power with a USB-C charging cable (which it includes). The power bank is also a great wireless option, with magnets grabbing hold of your phone and a kickstand keeping it elevated during charging. When you’re on the go or storing it, that kickstand folds right in to create a solid, smooth block.

Anker

On a related note, Anker has just recalled some of its products from January 3 to September 17, 2024. Anker found that some of the lithium-ion batteries it used have a manufacturing defect that can present a fire risk. This power bank on sale is not impacted, but two different magnetic power banks are. You can see exactly which items and specific serial numbers have been recalled here, and thankfully, Anker already scrubbed those listings from Amazon so no one can buy them anymore.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice in the lead up to October Prime Day 2024.

Riot Games announced global music superstars Linkin Park will sing an anthem at the next big League of Legends event.

The group will perform the 2024 League of Legends World Championship anthem, Heavy Is The Crown. This kind of marriage signals the bond between entertainment and games, where one superstar can join with another and drum up far more interest together. In this case, it’s music meets games, and it shows that Riot Games is always prepared to tap top flight entertainers to introduce its esports event.

Fans can watch the music video for “Heavy Is The Crown” on YouTube or stream the track anywhere you can listen to music on Tuesday, September 24 at 8 a.m. Pacific time. Tune in here for the premiere.

Heavy Is The Crown follows Linkin Park’s No. 1 single The Emptiness Machine, which marked the band’s first brand new music in seven years. The song exploded to the top of the charts, tallying over 80 million streams as the band launched straight into a six-date arena tour. Their 8th studio album From Zero releases November 15 on Warner Records.

Heavy Is The Crown is a monumental collaboration for the band with the gaming industry. The League of Legends World Championship, known as Worlds, is the best-known LoL event, drawing more than six million concurrent viewers last year.

“It’s been an amazing experience partnering with Riot to bring this anthem to the global League of Legends community,” said Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park, in a statement. “The song is a real highlight of this new era for us, harnessing our signature sound and infusing it with fresh energy. We’re so excited for players and fans to experience this!”

“The Worlds anthem is the music moment that League players look forward to the most each year, and it has become a highly coveted fixture in music across the world, “ said Maria Egan, global head of music at Riot Games, in a statement. “As the band embarks on this exciting new chapter, we’re honored to partner with them for the 2024 anthem. The lyrics for ‘Heavy Is The Crown’ perfectly capture the narrative for this year’s Worlds and they are a powerful companion to the themes of our music video.”

Billboard calls Linkin Park’s return “triumphant” as they join the ranks of previous Worlds Anthem performers including global superstars Imagine Dragons, Lil Nas X, Zedd, NewJeans and more. These anthems have collectively amassed over 10 billion streams across DSPs.

Most recently, NewJeans’ 2023 Worlds anthem Gods broke the record for the biggest debut in anthem history. It has amassed nearly 270 million global streams across DSPs and its music video has almost 100 million views on the League of Legends YouTube channel.

Strands is the NYT’s latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it’s great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my Wordle today, NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games.

You may be guilty of accelerating up to intersections and slamming the brakes at a red light – this common habit can generate significant carbon emissions each year. But programming modern cars to glide up to intersections instead could significantly reduce annual emissions.

An AI-powered model suggests that if every single gas or diesel-powered vehicle in the US consistently followed certain eco-driving practices, they could cut the country’s yearly carbon emissions by between 62 million and 123 million tonnes.

SpaceX is aiming to launch “about five” uncrewed Starship voyages to Mars in two years’ time, according to a post on X (formerly Twitter) by CEO Elon Musk on Sunday.

Musk said that if the uncrewed missions land safely on the red planet, then the first crewed mission could take place as early as 2028, but he added that “if we encounter challenges, then the crewed missions will be postponed another two years” due to the alignment of Earth and Mars that makes such journeys possible. He continued: “We want to enable anyone who wants to be a space traveler to go to Mars! That means you or your family or friends — anyone who dreams of great adventure. Eventually, there will be thousands of Starships going to Mars and it will a glorious sight to see! Can you imagine? Wow.”

It’s worth noting that Musk’s space-based timelines often slip. In 2016, he said SpaceX was planning to send a rocket to Mars “as soon as 2018,” and in 2022, he said the Starship could make its first flight to the distant planet this year.

His latest comments on his long-held dream to eventually colonize Mars come as SpaceX awaits permission from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to proceed with the fifth orbital test flight of the Starship, which comprises the first-stage Super Heavy rocket and upper-stage Starship spacecraft.

The FAA is currently investigating the environmental impact of the Starship flights, along with the safety measures being put in place for the fifth one, and SpaceX can’t fly until that investigation is complete. Much to SpaceX’s annoyance, the FAA said recently said that it would need until at least the end of November to finish its work.

Responding to recent criticism by SpaceX over the time it’s taking, the FAA explained that SpaceX’s current license authorizing the Starship’s fourth test flight “also allows for multiple flights of the same vehicle configuration and mission profile,” but said that “SpaceX chose to modify both for its proposed Starship Flight 5 launch, which triggered a more in-depth review.”

It added that Musk’s spaceflight company also submitted new information in August “detailing how the environmental impact of Flight 5 will cover a larger area than previously reviewed [and that] this requires the FAA to consult with other agencies,” meaning that more time is needed to complete its investigation than originally expected.

Musk said in Sunday’s social media post that he wants to make human existence multiplanetary “before something happens on Earth to prevent that, for example nuclear war, a super-virus or population collapse that weakens civilization to the point where it loses the ability to send supply ships to Mars.” He blamed what he sees as overregulation by the government for slowing down the Starship testing program, as well as other large engineering projects.

While many may sympathize with Musk’s frustration at not being able to proceed more quickly with the Starship test program, others insist that such regulations are essential to ensure public safety, maintain industry standards, reduce the risk of catastrophic events, and protect ecosystems.

YouTube Premium is a paid subscription service that comes with several perks including YouTube Music. With YouTube Premium, you can enjoy ad-free video streaming on the platform, enjoy background/offline playback, and YouTube Originals. While these are all good features, Google has been increasing the price of YouTube Premium in different countries occasionally.

YouTube Premium price increased yet again in several countries with most from Europe

It seems the price of YouTube Premium is increasing yet again, leaving paid customers affected from at least sixteen countries. The latest increase in the price of YouTube Premium mostly affects users based in Europe. Notably, both Individual and Family plans have seen significant price hikes.

According to a Reddit post, some of the prices have spiked by over 40%. Per the thread, Individual plans in countries like Ireland, Netherlands, Italy, and Belgium have increased by €2 and now cost €13.99. Whereas, the Family plan which previously cost €17.99 in these regions is seeing an increase of €8. Additionally, you can check out this Reddit post to get an idea of YouTube Premium’s revised price in other countries.

If you are living in any of the affected countries, Google may have sent you an email to communicate the price hike. The company reportedly says that this decision will allow it “continue to deliver great service and features” and “support the creators and artists you watch on YouTube.” Last summer, users in the US saw a similar email when Google increased the price of YouTube Premium in the region.

Users who signed up through Apple are seeing an even higher price increase

What’s more surprising is that users who have signed up for YouTube Premium through Apple on its streaming devices are seeing an even higher increase in price. One Redditor from Sweden claimed to have seen a 60% price increase. However, it appears to be a tax for paying through Apple rather than Google.

Well, the sad part is that even if you cancel your subscription through Apple and try to resubscribe via Google, it won’t affect the pricing. You’ll still have to pay the higher price. On the other hand, those who signed up through Google are seeing a much lower price increase.

Several Reddit users residing in the affected countries have announced that they have canceled their YouTube Premium subscriptions. In July when YouTube started cracking down on premium plans purchased using VPNs, many did a similar thing. Time will tell if Google revises the price of YouTube Premium to remain more aligned with the users’ expectations.