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At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Affordably priced 360-degree pan and 180-degree tilt will cover an entire room Smooth and reliable motion tracking Cons Requires continuous power (no battery option) Smart features locked behind an Arlo Secure subscription Our Verdict A strong budget buy for pet and child monitoring, the Essential Pan Tilt Indoor Camera offers wide coverage and solid performance at a price that makes this 2K model an easy pick. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Arlo Essential Pan Tilt Indoor (model VMC3073-100NAS) Retailer Price $49.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices The Arlo Essential line of home security cameras is meant to make the company’s tech more accessible, with budget-friendly cameras that are simple to install but still deliver the features most people actually use. The lineup already covers indoor, outdoor, and battery-powered models, and now there are pan-and-tilt options. The Essential Pan Tilt Indoor Camera is the newest member of that family, slotting in as an affordable way to get full-room coverage without stepping up to Arlo’s pricier Pro or Ultra gear. Note that this is an indoor-only camera; we reviewed the indoor/outdoor Arlo Essential Pan Tilt Camera on October 17. (Editor’s note: Yes, the very subtle difference in product names confuses us, too, which is why we also include the full product SKU above.) Design and features The Essential Pan Tilt Indoor Camera has a small, unassuming design that won’t stick out on a bookshelf or side table. The motorized head can sweep a full 360 degrees or tilt 180 to cover floor to ceiling. You can also save shortcut positions, so instead of swiping around the room every time, a tap takes you straight to points of interest; say a crib or the front door. Motion tracking is built in, so once it spots a person or pet, the camera will follow them until they leave the frame. The camera comes in two flavors: a budget HD version ($34.99) and the sharper 2K model ($49.99) reviewed here. The difference shouldn’t be dramatic at close range, but 2K’s extra pixels give you clearer edges and preserve more detail when you zoom in on a clip. That can mean recognizing a face more easily, catching the logo on a delivery driver’s shirt, or spotting what your pet has in its mouth. If pulling extra detail from the image matters to you, the 2K model is worth the modest $15 jump. Arlo’s camera pans 360 degrees and tilts 180 degrees with motion tracking to follow subjects as they move.Michael Ansaldo/Foundry Arlo rounds out the package with the kind of features you’d expect in a modern security cam. Dual-band Wi-Fi helps maintain a steady connection, a one-tap privacy mode disables both video and audio when you want downtime, and standard security perks like night vision, two-way audio, and an integrated siren are all built in. To unlock the camera’s smarter features, you’ll need an Arlo Secure subscription. The Plus plan costs $7.99/month when billed annually for a single camera or $17.99/month for unlimited cameras. If you pay month to month instead of annually, the rates are $9.99 and $19.99. Upgrading to Premium (about $24.99/month, billed annually) gives you 24/7 professional monitoring, emergency response, and cellular/battery backup so your Arlo Home Security System can stay online even if Wi-Fi fails (that service tier is probably not worthwhile if you only have Arlo cameras). With a paid plan, you also get AI alerts that detect people, vehicles, animals, or packages, animated preview notifications, and event captions, along with and more precise filtering to cut down on false alarms. Arlo offers a 30 day free trial with purchase of the camera. Setup and performance Getting the Essential Pan Tilt Indoor Camera up and running is about as painless as it gets. Plug it in, open the Arlo Secure app, add the device, and follow the prompts. The app walks you through connecting to Wi-Fi and pairing the camera in just a few minutes. The home screen shows a live preview of your camera feed, and tapping it gives you quick access to pan and tilt controls. They are responsive and the camera tracks smoothly, though it tends to glide past your stopping point. Because of that I found it easier to use custom positions for spots I wanted want to check often, like my front and patio doors. These are easy to set by nudging the camera with a joystick-style control in the app and saving the position for later. In everyday use, the camera works well for its price. Video streams smoothly and provides enough detail to make out faces across a room. The night vision feature adequately captures video in dimly lit hallways or bedrooms, though you won’t get the same clarity as with Arlo’s pricier models. The Arlo Secure app makes it easy to view the live feed, arm and disarm the camera, and set custom positions for the pan-and-tilt feature. Michael Ansaldo/Foundry Motion-detection tracking worked well in my testing and notifications were timely and accurate. Each one includes an AI-generated event caption describing the captured activity: instead of a vague “motion detected,” I’d get alerts like “Person detected at Home” or “Animal detected in room.” These were handy for triaging alerts quickly, but the captions are pretty basic. As an Arlo Secure subscriber, you can also enable Person Recognition, which identifies familiar faces and lets you know when specific people are seen. The feature isn’t turned on by default—you’ll find it in a separate settings menu marked with a “person” icon on the top left-hand side of the app—and you train it by adding photos from your phone’s camera roll or tagging people as they appear in clips. If you’re getting too many notifications, the app lets you define activity zones, so the camera only reacts to motion in the areas you care about. This helps cut down on unnecessary alerts. Detected events are easy to find in the Feed tab, which collects recordings in a simple timeline. From there, you can tap into a clip, scrub through motion events, or check animated previews–provided you’re on an Arlo Secure plan. Arlo also bakes in security modes. You can set the system to Arm Away, Arm Home, or Standby, depending on whether you want full coverage, selective coverage, or nothing armed at all. Automations let you take it further, allowing you to schedule the camera to arm when you leave the house, for example. Everything is straightforward and doesn’t require digging through menus. Should you buy the Arlo Essential Pan Tilt Indoor Camera? At less than 50 bucks, the Arlo Essential Pan Tilt Indoor Camera feels like an easy buy for anyone who wants to keep tabs on kids, pets, or general activity indoors. The 2K model is the better deal for the modest price bump, but either version should deliver solid performance for the money. If you don’t mind plugging it in and can live with Arlo’s subscription model, it’s one of the best budget-friendly indoor cameras you can pick up right now. This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best home security cameras. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Highly automated and effective data removal Extremely easy to use Transparent removal tracking and progress Strong privacy standards Cons Verification of data removals is limited Ultimate plans are expensive Our Verdict Incogni’s automated data removal service expertly leverages privacy laws to compel data brokers to delete your personal information across hundreds of sites. The service is easy to use, secure, and effective at large-scale data deletion, though users must extend some level of faith in its confirmation process and pay a premium for the full feature set. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today 1 month$15.98/month12 months$95 ($7.99.mo)See all plans & pricing at Incogni Incogni in brief: Data removal sites: 420+, plus an additional 2,000+ custom removals Data removed information: Yes, for every site Identity monitoring: No Free version available: No Cost: $15.98 per month, or $95 for one year Most people are unaware of just how much of their data is out on the web available for anyone to buy and sell. Most of this is done by data-aggregator and data-broker websites which hoover up as much info as possible about as many people as possible. They then match this data to each individual to create personal profiles that are then packaged and sold online. There are so many of these data-broker sites now that it’s nearly impossible to remove your data from each on your own. As a result, a number of personal data-removal services have cropped up to help customers with this process. Incogni, from the famous VPN Surfshark, is probably the most famous and popular data-removal service—at the time of this writing it has processed over 245 million removal requests It makes the entire process of removing your data from these sites easy and effective. All requests are automated and the service even continually sends new requests to make sure your data never reappears in the future. What are Incogni’s features and services? Incogni is a personal data-removal service that delivers in an easy and automated format. Using its database of more than 420 data-broker websites, it sends removal requests on your behalf and requests that your data be added to suppression lists so it doesn’t reappear, and follows up every 60 to 90 days for as long as you’re subscribed. The service takes advantage of privacy laws in both the U.S. and EU to force data brokers into compliance. It leverages these legal frameworks in a really clever way too—the removal of your personal data is not only a request, but actually a compulsory legal requirement. All of the removal requests and their progress can be found under the Dashboard in your Incogni account on its website. Each request is shown as “In progress” or “Completed” based on whether the data broker has processed and confirmed the removal. Incogni shows detailed information relating to each removal request including when it was processed and completed, plus what data was removed. Sam Singleton You can click on the drop-down next to each request to see more detailed information including the data removed and a summary of the data-broker site itself. Each request comes with a unique ID and shows the last time it was updated and the average resolution time for the request as well. Incogni will follow-up with additional removal requests periodically to ensure your data doesn’t reappear on that site in the future. If you opt for the Ultimate or Family Ultimate plans, you’ll also gain access to Incogni’s Custom Removals feature. With this tool you can manually add your own data broker or public search sites not covered by the service’s automatic removals. When I reached out to Incogni about this tool, a representative assured me that each individual Custom Removal request is personally handled by an Incogni agent. As far as I know, there is no other service on the market that gives its customers the same individualized attention. That alone should be applauded. Incogni’s Custom removals are easy to set up and each request receives individualized attention. Incogni Custom removals can also cover sites outside of data brokers and traditional public search sites. This includes business and company information sites, legal resources, limited court record sites, and more. Not everything can be removed, but Incogni will give it a try if it can. As you are allowing Incogni to handle a lot of highly personal data, you want to make sure your data is in safe hands. According to its privacy policy, Incogni only shares your personal data to process a removal request with each data broker.  It does not sell, nor ever has sold, the personal data of customers. It complies with all personal rights according to U.S. and EU data protection laws. Customer data is only retained for a maximum of 12 months after you cancel the service. Finally, Incogni underwent a third-party security audit by Deloitte in August 2025 and the firm gave it a successful third-party assurance rating. These all lead me to believe that Incogni is doing its part to maintain the integrity of the vast user data it’s privy to. How much does Incogni cost? Incogni offers four subscription tiers: Standard, Unlimited, Family, and Family Unlimited. Each tier is offered in either a monthly plan or annual plan.  The Standard and Family plans are nearly identical, as are the Unlimited and Family Unlimited. Opting for the “family” versions of each provides the same service for up to five members on a single plan. The Standard plan is offered for $15.98 per month or $95 annually (at $7.99 per month), which is a 50 percent discount. With the Standard plan you get access to automated removal requests for over 420 data broker sites, up to three different emails, phone numbers, and addresses per person, plus recurring removals as long as your subscription lasts. The Ultimate plan is $29.98 per month or $179 annually (at $14.99 per month). If you opt for the Ultimate plan, you’ll get everything from the Standard plan plus unlimited custom removal requests for over 2,000 additional sites, plus live phone support. While the monthly price does seem expensive, the annual plans are much more affordable. Additionally, while data brokers have between 30 and 45 days to respond to a removal request, Incogni will continue to finish up any outstanding removals even if your subscription runs out.  Incogni also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on all plans, which is even more incentive to give it a try if you’re curious. Incogni: Getting started You can add up to three emails, addresses, and phone numbers to your Incogni profile. Incogni Getting started with Incogni is pretty straightforward. After sign-up you can create your account and begin entering your personal data. This includes emails, addresses, phone numbers, and names or aliases you may be associated with, plus your birth date.  The service allows each user to enter up to three emails, phone numbers, and home addresses—each email needs to be verified though. I would recommend that everyone take advantage of this and fill up these extra data points, even if you haven’t used these old addresses or numbers in a long time. Old data has a funny way of following you around years or even decades later. After you enter in this information, Incogni will ask you to grant it the power to make requests on your behalf and away you go. Incogni will take over at this point and begin automatically sending out removal requests to known data-broker sites. You can see each request and its progress on the dashboard. The number of requests will balloon quickly. Just on my first day alone Incogni had sent out 585 requests, and each time I reloaded the page more and more were marked as completed. I received a few emails such as this directly from data brokers confirming my data was removed.Sam Singleton Once the requests begin, you may receive some emails from data brokers themselves verifying that they have removed your data from their sites. For me personally, I only received two or three over the course of a few weeks. The vast majority of these verification emails are sent directly to Incogni so you won’t be spammed. How are Incogni’s results over time? From day one Incogni was showing results. This honestly surprised me as data brokers have a month or more to respond to data removal requests. Additionally, Incogni itself shows the “Average resolution time” for each data broker under the Requests tab and most of them have averages in the two to three week range. Still, after just 24 hours I already had multiple pages of completed removals. Flash forward to a month later and I now have 743 requests sent, 662 removals completed, and 81 still in progress.  The Incogni Dashboard shows a graph displaying requests, time saved, and suppression list entries. Sam Singleton A neat little addition that Incogni includes on the dashboard is the amount of “Time saved” which is based on an estimate of how long it would take to submit each request manually. In just this short amount of time it claims to have saved me over 496 hours—which amounts to an insane amount of overtime I’d have had to put in just to do this myself. Another useful thing that Incogni does is request not only that your data be removed, but also a request to suppress your data. This means that a data broker has agreed to never re-collect any of your personal information in the future.  As of the time of writing, I have 102 suppression list entries, meaning that I’ll never have to worry about those sites collecting my data again. This is, at least, in theory. While I can dig into the requests page and see which brokers are suppressing my data, I would need to individually reach out to each to confirm this. Something that I, and most other people don’t have the time to do. It should be noted that while Incogni does not verify that your data has been removed on private data broker sites, it does verify removals on public search sites. In fact, this is the inherent problem with Incogni’s service: As most removal confirmations are sent to Incogni, you have to trust that the data it claims it removed has actually been removed. Of course, Incogni isn’t the only personal data-removal service that has this problem—it’s inherent to the entire industry.  To Incogni’s credit, they do this on purpose so that you aren’t spammed with hundreds, or even thousands, of removal confirmation emails. Out of curiosity, I visited a few public search sites at random from the list of those confirmed to be removed by Incogni just to check if my data was truly wiped.  All except one, Spokeo, had indeed removed any trace of me from their website. Spokeo still had a profile on me, but due to it being behind a paywall I wasn’t able to verify what data it had. This isn’t exactly an issue with Incogni’s service, rather these public search sites that don’t agree to suppression often re-add profiles over time.  Incogni tries to keep these recurrences to a minimum by periodically resubmitting new removal requests. And indeed, a new pending request by Incogni was already underway for Spokeo when I checked. Incogni occassionally asks you to verify records it found that may be associated with you in order to further enhance its services. Sam Singleton At the top of the Incogni Dashboard, I occasionally found a red banner indicating that Incogni found additional records that might belong to me. When I clicked on the banner, it took me to a “Verify your record” screen where I was asked to double-check some possible aliases that Incogni had identified as potential matches.  Most of these were only tangentially related to me—same first name, similar ages, etc. Some of them were obviously not me with completely different info that left me baffled as to why they would be potential matches.  When I questioned Incogni about this they said that the record verification tool is constantly learning and improving upon itself. As it’s still relatively new, it may produce results that seem puzzling. They assured me that over time—and with enough user input—the tool would become much more precise. So for now, users have an incentive to sort through the head-scratchers in order to improve the algorithm and receive more accurate results in the future. What data does Incogni remove? Incogni checks for personal data on both public search sites as well as private data brokers. As mentioned previously, this list currently totals over 420 sites.  The type of information that Incogni sends removal requests for include any current or former names, physical addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers associated with you. The more information you provide to Incogni, the more effective it is at removing all of your data. This is why it’s always a good idea to fill in all available physical address, email, and phone number slots allowed on your profile in Incogni.  For public search sites, Incogni checks for your information first, then sends a removal request. Once the removal has been confirmed, Incogni verifies the removal and provides you with all of the information removed. As for private data brokers, the process is a little trickier. These companies have the ability to stock up a lot more data on an individual user and generally keep their practices (and clients) hidden. Consequently, it’s next to impossible for Incogni to verify your data with these sites. Instead, it takes a shotgun approach by sending out mass removal requests to all the private data brokers it tracks, requesting that your data be removed. It doesn’t check that your data has been removed; it just marks the status as “Completed” when the broker confirms the removal. While this might seem unreliable, most of these data brokers are located in the U.S. or EU where there are massive fines for mishandling removal requests thanks to laws such as the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and the CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act). Therefore, it’s safe to assume that these removal confirmation responses that Incogni receives are true. Is Incogni worth it? Yes, Incogni is absolutely worth using for anyone who values their privacy. Keeping personal info off the internet is an important step in combating identity theft, scammers, harassment, and more. Incogni automates the entire process making it dead simple to use—it’s as easy as just setting and forgetting. It can be hard to justify another monthly (or yearly) subscription in today’s world, but the payoff in privacy with Incogni can be huge. I do wish that there was a way to see removal confirmations from each site rather than just trusting Incogni that it received them on your behalf. Still, that’s a minor gripe and if you put in the legwork you can probably verify this yourself. Overall, the service works quickly and efficiently to remove and suppress data brokers from collecting and selling your personal information. When it comes to data-removal services, Incogni is the one to beat. Editor’s note: Because online services are often iterative, gaining new features and performance improvements over time, this review is subject to change in order to accurately reflect the current state of the service. Any changes to text or our final review verdict will be noted at the top of this article. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros The simplicity of an Xbox All the possibilities of a Windows PC Well-built and comfortable Acceptable performance Cons Just a slight upgrade in performance No case or other accessories Our Verdict It’s not the purely handheld Xbox that many had hoped for, but something better. The simplicity of an Xbox, without losing the flexibility of a Windows PC. The AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme isn’t what I was hoping for, but it does the job. A more comfortable, easier to use, and more affordable handheld choice than the MSI Claw 8 AI Plus. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Asus ROG Xbox Ally X Retailer Price Check Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Asus Rog Xbox Ally X specs: Processor: AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme, 3 x Zen 5 up to 5 GHz, 5 x Zen 5c up to 3.3 GHz NPU: AMD XDNA NPU, 50 TOPS Graphics: AMD RDNA 3.5, 16 CU Memory: 24 GB lpddr5x Storage: 1 TB SSD, micro-SD slot Display: 7-inch glossy IPS, 1920 x 1080p, 120 Hz, 500 cd/m2 Connections: USB-C 4 with DP 2.1 and PD 3.0, USB-C 3 gen 3 with DP 2.1, headset Wireless: Wi-Fi 6e, Bluetooth 5.4 Operating system: Windows 11 Home Battery: 80 Wh, 2 hrs (high load, high brightness, 120 Hz) to 19 hrs 40 mins (low load, low brightness, 60 Hz) Size: 11.45 x 4.78 x 1.99 inches Weight: 1.58lbs The two new handheld gaming computers from Asus, the ROG Xbox Ally and the ROG Xbox Ally X, have been the focus of a lot of controversy. Most of it has to do with the name. They are called Xbox, and are promoted by Microsoft as an Xbox. But they cost much more than the desktop consoles do. “It’s too expensive!” xbox fans shout, complaining about Microsoft, which shrugs it off by saying that Asus sets the prices. As a PC-based gamer, I look at the fuss and don’t get it. Is this expensive? The top-of-the-range ROG Xbox Ally X that I tested here is not expensive compared to other handheld gaming PCs. It’s almost double the price of its predecessor, but there are clearly more expensive alternatives, and the new model has more memory, double the storage, and of course a new, faster processor. It has the Xbox name, Xbox-style gamepad, a separate Xbox button, and an Xbox interface. But it’s a regular, compact Windows 11 PC just like all the other handheld gaming PCs from Asus, Lenovo, and MSI—and costs accordingly. Well-placed and well-built buttons.Mattias Inghe More than just Xbox In the Xbox app, running in a new “Full Screen Experience” mode, you can buy Xbox games or sign up for Gamepass. It’s not the Xbox dashboard you get on the TV with a console, but the Windows app interface, adapted for mouse control. Regardless, it works well to navigate with the device’s D-pad, trackballs, and buttons. Or with the screen’s pointer. Even though Microsoft has recently raised prices for Gamepass, it’s still a good deal for an active gamer. However, you can jump out of the Xbox box, head over to Windows desktop, and do whatever you want on the computer. Plug in a mouse, keyboard and external monitor and surf the web, stream movies, run Office, talk to Copilot, edit photos, or cut video. Nothing stops it. The big stores are even nicely integrated with the Xbox interface. I tried installing some Steam games and they show up (after a reboot) in the Xbox app under “My Games”. That makes this the only “Xbox” that can run Playstation games that are otherwise console-exclusive to Sony—a potential selling point on its own. 3DMark, installed from Steam, on an Xbox? Yes, it can.Mattias Inghe Well thought out, well built and comfortable Asus and Microsoft have done a great job of kicking you right into the Xbox interface from startup, and after I’m signed up with my Microsoft account, I never really have to leave that interface. There’s a quick panel with performance, light, sound, and screen settings that comes up as an overlay. You can also manage the microphone, Xbox friends list, screenshots, and Gaming Copilot, a beta-stage AI service that will provide strategy tips and recommend new games. The device is built with high quality materials and provides just the right control. Two extra buttons on the back are unusually small, but well placed. The screen, a seven-inch IPS, is sharp, attractive and produces good colors. There’s good contrast, short response times and up to 120Hz frame rate with VRR. Clean and distinct sound from the built-in stereo speakers isn’t bad either. But it could be more powerful. I liked the 8-inch MSI Claw 8 AI Plus I tested this spring, but it has a few more pixels to push on its 1200p screen, which affects performance slightly. And it’s a heavier and clunkier machine, so as a whole I prefer the ROG Xbox Ally X which is lighter and more compact—and more affordable to boot. Most games run smoothly as long as I don’t enable ray tracing. Mattias Inghe Fast enough, but no more So, what about the most important thing, the performance? Is this the handheld gaming machine to beat? Well, AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme gives a slight boost in CPU and graphics performance compared to Ryzen Z1 Extreme, and in some measurements it beats Intel’s Arc solution sitting in MSI Claw 8 AI Plus. But is it enough? When I tested the MSI Claw 8 AI Plus, I complained that a desired performance boost was missing compared to Ryzen Z1 Extreme machines. MSI disagreed and said they had better performance, but the difference is likely due to the games I was testing and not optimizing them with the correct settings. The boost didn’t feel as obvious as two years of development should though. I feel the same here. The Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme performs better in synthetic performance measurements with Geekbench and 3DMark. That makes it a smoother docked desktop PC, but it doesn’t immediately convert to better frame rates in games. But certainly not bad Not that it’s slow. I test a wide range of games from both Steam and Xbox Gamepass, and can fly around throwing copters in Control, hike Night City in Cyberpunk 2077, and ride around the prairie in Red Dead Redemption 2 with acceptable frame rates and stability of 30 fps or more. Nothing for a hardcore PC gamer, but at a stable console level—at least without ray tracing. Less demanding games like Celeste, Hades, and Silksong run with even better results. With Wi-Fi 6e you get a fast connection with little lag, and can stream games via Gamepass Ultimate. Or why not even Geforce Now? As I said, it’s a completely open PC. Not quite the familiar Xbox interface, unless you’re running Xbox on Windows – then you’ll recognize it.Mattias Inghe You can also connect Asus’ external graphics card XG Mobile via usb-4 port if you play with the device docked. Then you can get full Xbox Series X-level performance, and play on a 4K TV with high framerates. But that all costs quite a bit extra. Minimal hassle The CPU cores are more energy-efficient than the previous generation, reducing cooling requirements and extending battery life. Total TDP with the graphics circuit lands between 13 and 25 watts on battery or up to 30 watts with a power adapter. You can seamlessly choose between Turbo, Performance, and Quiet modes, with different energy consumption. You can also quickly and smoothly switch between 720p and 1080p resolution to maximize frame rates in games. It’s one thing that Asus and Microsoft have achieved for Xbox fans: Xbox games are so well customized that the need for settings is minimal. I don’t know if that’s specific to the ROG Xbox Ally X or general to Xbox games on Windows, but it provides a smoother “buy and run” feel than I’m used to. Select the performance mode and resolution in the context menu, and most things are taken care of automatically. The battery lasts between 90 minutes and 5-6 hours depending on the games I play. Especially for less demanding games, it’s clearly more power efficient than previous models. If you want to do something simpler, like streaming a film or surfing, it can last all day without any problems. Obviously, it’s the graphics circuit that saps the most energy. Performance benchmarks: Cinebench 2024, multi-core CPU: 745 pointsCinebench 2024, single core CPU: 113 pointsGeekbench 6, multi-core CPU: 12,885 pointsGeekbench 6, single core CPU: 2,796 pointsGeekbench 6, gpu: 48,463 points3DMark Fire Strike (DirectX 11): 9,183 points3DMark Time Spy (DirectX 12) 4,406 points3DMark Steel Nomad (Vulkan): 777 points3DMark Port Royal (Ray Tracing): 1,978 pointsDisk, read: 3,233.75 MB/sDisk, write: 2,960.25 MB/s Read...

The dirty secret with Amazon’s Fire TV Sticks is that they’re great for piracy, but maybe not for much longer. Amazon confirmed this week that it will block Fire TV apps that provide access to pirated content, including apps that users sideload onto their devices from outside Amazon’s Appstore. Amazon is working with Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), an anti-piracy coalition for the entertainment industry, to identify offending apps. The news was first reported by The Sun and confirmed by AFTVNews. If you’re not using a Fire TV device for anything illicit, you might not see the problem. But the move is also part of a broader push by Amazon to lock down what people can do with their devices, for legitimate purposes or not. Those who bought a Fire TV with the expectation of an open platform may soon wind up with a different kind of device entirely. What’s a piracy app, anyway? Neither Amazon nor ACE has disclosed which specific apps they plan to block or how they will define a piracy app. One concern is that apps with legitimate uses could become collateral damage. In 2015, for instance, Amazon removed the popular media player app Kodi from its Appstore, deeming that it could be “used to facilitate the piracy or illegal download of content.” Although the Kodi app itself does not distribute pirated content, its third-party add-on system allows users to connect with sources of piracy. Still, Kodi also has a wide range of legal uses, such as playing media files, tuning to internet radio stations, and recording over-the-air channels. In those regards, it is functionally similar to other media player and server apps that Amazon welcomes into its Appstore, including Plex, Emby, and VLC. For now, Kodi is still available on Fire TV devices via sideloading—that is, installing the app from outside Amazon’s official app store—but it’s unclear whether that will continue under Amazon’s new policy. Amazon and ACE did not respond to questions on whether they’ll target Kodi in particular or media player apps in general. So far, the only examples of blocked piracy apps on Fire TV are Flix Vision and LiveNet TV, which Amazon temporarily disabled in June due to malware-like behavior. Amazon unblocked both apps a month later, though they are likely the kinds of apps that the company will target for removal in the future. Clamping down Regardless of which apps Amazon decides to block, Fire TV is becoming less hospitable to sideloading overall. While most Fire TV devices still support sideloading for non-piracy uses, an Amazon spokesperson said the feature is meant for developers to test their apps. Those who sideload apps for other purposes are misusing the feature, the spokesperson added. Meanwhile, Amazon’s new Fire TV 4K Select streaming dongle has more explicit sideloading restrictions. The device, which runs on a new Linux-based operating system called Vega, only offers the feature to registered developers. Amazon’s new Fire TV 4K Select limits sideloading to registered developers.Ben Patterson / Foundry In the past, sideloading has allowed users to make Amazon’s devices more useful by addressing gaps in the company’s app catalog. During Amazon’s eight-month fight with NBCUniversal over distribution terms for Peacock in 2020, for instance, subscribers were able to sideload the Android TV version of the app. HBO Max required the same workaround for nearly two months after its own launch that same year. Users of Amazon’s Fire tablets have also sideloaded Google’s Play Store to access a significantly broader app selection, and retro game enthusiasts have sideloaded popular emulation apps such as RetroArch. It’s no surprise that Amazon wants to clamp down on this behavior. The company likely earns little from the actual sale of its Fire TV devices, and instead relies on ad-supported content, subscription sales, on-demand content purchases, and aggressive home screen advertising to make money. The company already blocks apps that modify its home screen or remap its remote control buttons, so cutting off apps that exist outside of its monetization purview would be the next logical step. What it means for you Amazon’s crackdown on piracy apps isn’t all bad news. Over the years I’ve heard from non-tech-savvy readers who’ve paid hundreds of dollars for “fully loaded” Fire TV devices, only for them to stop working with no recourse. I also get earnest questions from folks who see ads for inexplicably cheap streaming services, not realizing they’re too good to be true. Those services should be harder to access by folks who don’t know any better. But for those who want access to more open streaming platforms—for piracy or not—the options are becoming more limited. Devices that run on Google’s Android TV platform, such as Walmart’s inexpensive Onn boxes, don’t have the same sideloading restrictions, though Google’s plan to make developers verify their identities could change that calculation. Roku players and Apple TV devices don’t support sideloading at all. In the end, if you really want full control over your streaming experience and all the software that runs on it, you might just have to use an actual computer. Sign up for Jared’s Cord Cutter Weekly newsletter for more streaming TV advice. Read...