Our favorite budget streaming stick drops to only $20 for Memorial Day
This particular stick made our list of the best streaming devices, and we particularly recommend it for the budget-conscious. The Fire Stick HD supports 1080p streaming at 60 FPS and includes an Amazon remote that can control the power and volume on the actual TV. This is something the previous iteration, the Fire TV Stick Lite, couldn't do. The days of having to navigate multiple remotes are over.
This is a discount of 43 percent. $20 at Amazon
The remote also integrates with Alexa for voice control. Amazon's Fire TV interface supports all of the major streaming services, including Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu and all the rest. The Fire TV Stick HD ships with the updated interface that includes user profiles and a simpler UI.
On the downside, this is a streaming stick for HD content. It cannot stream stuff in 4K. Also, Amazon's interface is heavy on the ads, especially when compared to rival platforms. Still, the price is right. We enjoyed this streaming stick at the original cost, so we definitely recommend it at $20. Amazon's Fire TV Stick 4K Max is also on sale for $40, which is a discount of 33 percent.
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Tom's Guide
28 minutes ago
- Tom's Guide
'A disaster waiting to happen' — Cybersecurity experts react to UK age verification law
It's been almost a week since the Online Safety Act became law in the U.K. The legislation aims to protect children and vulnerable internet users online and prevent them from seeing content deemed as "explicit material." The law is well-intentioned but has led to some heated debates, with questions being raised surrounding the impact on our online privacy. Age verification checks are required in order to access certain websites. Submitting photo ID, having your credit card checked or AI scanning your face are some of the ways your age can be verified. People are understandably cautious about handing over this sensitive personal data to third parties. As a result, many have been turning to the best VPNs in an attempt to bypass these checks. But how have cybersecurity experts reacted to the age verification law? There is widespread agreement that under-18s need to be protected online. But experts see the law as an online privacy nightmare, full of cybersecurity risks. Tom's Guide has spoken to a number of industry figures to hear their thoughts. NordVPN – our top pick for private browsingAfter testing and reviewing dozens of VPNs, NordVPN came out on top. It's a well-balanced package with great speeds, servers in 126 countries, and excellent privacy credentials. It's also very effective at accessing geo-blocked content on sites like Netflix. One subscription covers 10 devices, and plans start at a reasonable £2.31 / $2.91 per month (£64.56 / $81.36 plus tax up front for 28 months). There's a 30-day refund period in case you don't like it. The main concern experts have is the danger, and potential fallout, of a data breach. A majority of the information people need to submit is highly sensitive and could be easily exploited by hackers should a data breach occur. Windscribe VPN CEO and co-founder, Yegor Sak, described the law as "a disaster waiting to happen." He said requiring people to submit biometric information and IDs to browse the internet is "absurd" and "dangerous." "It creates centralized databases full of sensitive info, which inevitably get breached or abused," Yak said, and cited the recent Tea app data breach as an example. This law is a ticking time-bomb for the privacy of UK citizens Sak added that "policymakers are, once again, trying to fix complex social issues with crude technical mandates. The result is a surveillance framework that punishes everyone in the name of 'protecting' the few." Obscura VPN founder Carl Dong said the collection of sensitive personal data makes people "high-value targets for ransomware criminals." "This law is a ticking time-bomb for the privacy of UK citizens – the question isn't if a site gets breached, but when," he warned. VPN usage in the UK has surged dramatically in the days following the Online Safety Act's introduction. Leading provider Proton VPN saw sign-ups increase by 1,400% over its baseline. Monitoring by recorded overall VPN demand peaking at 1,987% on July 27. According to Google Trends, the search terms "VPN," "UK VPN" and "free VPN" have all increased. NordVPN, Proton VPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark and Mullvad VPN are just some of the VPN providers that have seen search increases. VPN apps have risen to the top of the free app charts on the U.K. Apple App Store. Proton VPN, NordVPN, Surfshark and Opera VPN are reputable providers that have seen a rise. However, suspect VPNs have risen, too. VPN Super Unlimited Proxy, Free VPN by and Free VPN: Unlimited VPN Proxy are apps we'd recommend avoiding. Certain free VPNs collect high amounts of usage data and rely on in-app ads to make their money. If you're after a free VPN, take a pick from our guide on the best free VPNs. The brains behind the law, OFCOM, has discouraged VPN use to avoid age verification checks, but privacy experts see no alternative. A Proton VPN spokesperson said, "the majority of the proposed [age verification] methods outlined by OFCOM pose significant risks to user privacy and security." "While some approaches might seem convenient on the surface, many come with substantial trade-offs regarding user trust and long-term security." Almost all the experts we spoke to stressed the importance of protecting vulnerable internet users. But the act in its current form poses too great a risk. VPN provider IPVanish believed that more effective and less harmful options should be explored. "IPVanish supports efforts to protect children from harmful content online, but the UK's age verification law poses serious risks to privacy, security, and digital rights," the company said. "More secure and less intrusive alternatives exist, including anonymous age tokens and device-level parental controls. These solutions have not been fully explored." IPVanish also said this policy "threatens vulnerable users." It commented that "people in restrictive environments or exploring sensitive topics could face real-world harm if their activity is exposed." Some people – such as those living under internet censorship – cannot afford to have their information leaked. Although this isn't the case in the U.K., it reinforces the risk faced by numerous internet users. "Privacy is a fundamental right, not something to be traded for access," IPVanish continued. "The UK's current approach sets a troubling precedent and fails to strike a balance between safety and individual freedom." Denis Vyazovoy, Chief Product Officer at AdGuard VPN said he fully supports "a safer internet for everyone, especially for children, but it's important to remember that privacy and freedom of access matter, too." Vyazovoy argued that "people just want to protect their privacy," and he believed uploading sensitive documents to be checked was "simply too much for many." However, he hoped "the UK authorities will be able to find the right balance." One expert we spoke to believed a lack of trust was fuelling attempts to bypass age verification checks. Lauren Hendry Parsons, Director of Communications at the Mozilla Foundation, said, "the explosion of VPN downloads following the enactment of the Online Safety Act is not surprising." "What this reflects is that people want continued access to the platforms, content, and communities they care about — and they'll find workarounds when those are disrupted," Hendry Parsons said. Her view is that "people are voicing legitimate concerns about the requirement to share sensitive data." These concerns are raised when "systems are perceived as intrusive or opaque — or where data collection may not be properly handled." "We support protecting minors online, but firmly oppose age verification systems that compromise user privacy." "The root issue here is trust. People turn to workarounds when tools are hard to use, lack clarity, or feel risky," she added. Hendry Parsons called for improved public education and greater transparency around age verification systems, describing it as a "pressing need." She continued by saying, "safety online shouldn't come at the expense of autonomy and privacy — and when trust is low, people will take matters into their own hands." Like IPVanish, Hendry Parsons cited the need for more effective and privacy-focused age verification checks. "I'd push for privacy-preserving, decentralised approaches, like device-based enforcement and anonymous credentials that don't expose personal data or enable surveillance," she said. It's the view of one expert that we could be seeing the "new normal," and he suggested we may have to accept "some compromise of our privacy." Dr Ilia Kolochenko, CEO of security company ImmuniWeb, accepted that there is disagreement over the law's effectiveness. However, he said, "we probably need to accept it as a new reality that will likely become the 'new normal' in many countries pretty soon." "There is a compelling interest to protect our children from harmful content," Dr Kolochenko said. He continued by saying, "it is true that protection of minors will probably require some compromise of our privacy — if properly implemented." Proper implementation would mean securely handling sensitive information, minimal to no sharing and deleting it once age verification checks are passed. If this is done, Dr Kolochenko believed "the mandatory age-verification mechanism may hold water," but other experts are not so sure. Dr Kolochenko addressed the VPN loophole we have seen many Brits taking advantage of, and hypothesized VPN traffic being targeted in the near future. "We will probably see additional legislation pretty soon that will require adult-oriented websites to ban VPN traffic," he said. "Certainly, some VPNs will remain undetected. However, about 90% of most popular free and commercial VPN services can be fingerprinted and will likely be blocked by adult-content providers, closing the loophole." We are yet to see any indication of this or even an outright VPN ban in the U.K. This would be incredibly dangerous and amount to internet censorship. In countries where internet censorship is rampant, VPN providers have to turn to obfuscation. VPN obfuscation is where VPN traffic is disguised, appearing as regular internet traffic. Many leading VPN providers either obfuscate their traffic by default or have dedicated obfuscated VPN protocols. Mullvad VPN is one of the most private VPNs, and its CEO Jan Jonsson said the discussion around the law "raises important questions." He said, "identification should be issued by the state," and it was the role of the government to provide this. "It should be possible for third parties — like websites or service providers — to verify age from such an ID, without needing to know your full identity or store your personal data." "Just as a bartender glances at your ID to confirm you're over 18 and then forgets who you are, digital systems should offer that same minimal and privacy-respecting interaction." I would encourage a broader reflection on the underlying issues. Not just age verification itself, but how we balance safety, privacy and freedom online. "Unfortunately, governments too often lean on private tech companies to build surveillance-based systems in the name of safety," Jonsson said. "Outsourcing identity control and age checks to commercial actors creates serious risks — for privacy, for data security and for civil liberties. There are better, more rights-preserving ways to approach this." The type of age verification checks varies between websites, companies, and third-party providers. Some claim to be more private and secure than others, but regardless of who is collecting our data, and how or where it's being stored, the fundamental issue is that it's being collected in the first place. Users have no control over which third-party age checking service a site uses and don't always know what happens to their data once it's handed over. AgeGO is an age-check service that is being discussed, and Tom's Guide investigated whether it's safe to use. Jonsson wanted to see a wider discussion on the underlying issues should age verification turn out to be ineffective. "I would encourage a broader reflection on the underlying issues. Not just age verification itself, but how we balance safety, privacy, and freedom online," he said. "That conversation needs to involve more than just technical solutions and enforcement measures. Else current and future regulation will cause more harm than good." "VPN services like Mullvad exist to protect fundamental rights, especially the right to privacy, the right to freedom of expression, and the right to access information. These are rights that are increasingly under pressure in the digital age," Jonsson concluded. At the time of writing, 450,000 people have signed a petition calling for the repeal of the Online Safety Act. The U.K. government has said it's not going to do this, and certainly not in the first week. But clearly, there is a strong opinion from all sides on this topic and serious privacy concerns. A majority of experts believe the implementation of the act is wrong, and it poses great risks for the personal data of U.K. internet users. Until these privacy risks have been effectively addressed, people will continue to avoid age verification checks. Doubling down on measures and exploring forms of VPN bans would only create more problems and set a dangerous precedent for internet privacy. We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Amazon: Capex Weighs on Profit Forecast
Key Points Amazon beat top- and bottom-line expectations, posting 13% revenue growth and 33% growth in earnings per share. Amazon Web Services (AWS) revenue grew by 17%, but that falls short of the momentum rivals reported just a day ago. Amazon remains a powerful competitor with a lot of ways to win, but investors were closely scrutinizing profitability forecasts in light of continued spending on capital assets. 10 stocks we like better than Amazon › Here's our initial take on Amazon's (NASDAQ: AMZN) financial report. Key Metrics Metric Q2 2024 Q2 2025 Change vs. Expectations Revenue $148.0 billion $167.7 billion 13% Beat Earnings per share $1.26 $1.68 33% Beat AWS revenue $26.3 billion $30.9 billion 17% Met Advertising revenue $12.8 billion $15.7 billion 23% n/a Amazon's Focus on AI Implementation and Payoff Investors had big expectations for Amazon, and in particular the company's AWS cloud unit, following strong results from Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT). Amazon revenue and earnings were up 13% and 33%, respectively, beating expectations, and AWS sales grew by 17% to $30.9 billion. Amazon's release boasted about its largest Prime Day to date and new partnerships including a Nike (NYSE: NKE) storefront. But the focus was clearly on AI. CEO Andy Jassy in a statement said that "our conviction that AI will change every customer experience is starting to play out," noting the company's moves not just at AWS but across Alexa, robotics, and other areas. Amazon sees more growth ahead, predicting net sales to come in between $174 billion and $179.5 billion in the current quarter. That would be up 10% to 13% from a year ago, and even at the low end is above the $173 billion consensus. But all of that growth is coming at a price. Operating expenses in the quarter were up 11% to $148.5 billion, and free cash flow decreased to $18.2 billion for the trailing 12 months, from $53 billion a year ago. AWS's operating margin for the quarter fell to 32.9%, from 35.5% a year ago. Operating income in the current quarter is expected to come in between $15.5 billion and $20.5 billion. At the midpoint that suggests little growth over last year's $17.4 billion, and is slightly below analyst expectations. Immediate Market Reaction Investors were underwhelmed by the results. Amazon shares fell 3% in aftermarket trading following the release of the report but ahead of the company's call with investors. What to Watch The AWS growth, while impressive, on a percentage basis fell short of Microsoft's reported 34% growth at Azure. Microsoft surged post-earnings because the company successfully articulated the benefit of all of the AI spending. Investors will be eager to hear Jassy and other Amazon execs make the same case on the earnings call. Amazon is a lot more than AWS, posting 11% growth in product sales to $68 billion, while its advertising business was up 23% year over year. The company remains well positioned on many fronts, and is set up well to be a long-term winner. But in an environment where all eyes are on the investment -- and payoff -- of AI, investors have set a high bar on results and outlook. Helpful Resources Full earnings report Investor relations page Additional coverage Should you invest $1,000 in Amazon right now? Before you buy stock in Amazon, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Amazon wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $638,629!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,098,838!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,049% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 182% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 29, 2025 Lou Whiteman has positions in Nike. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon, Microsoft, and Nike. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Amazon: Capex Weighs on Profit Forecast was originally published by The Motley Fool 擷取數據時發生錯誤 登入存取你的投資組合 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Amazon earnings beat across the board, but shares fall as investors fret about trade headwinds
Amazon reported robust second-quarter 2025 financial results on July 31, surpassing Wall Street expectations with sharp revenue growth and notable gains in key business segments. Yet, investor enthusiasm was tempered as the company's shares dropped as much as 3% in after-hours trading, reflecting lingering concerns about retail headwinds and long-term spending plans. For the April-June period, Amazon posted revenue of $167.7 billion, climbing 13% year-over-year and outpacing analyst predictions of $162.1 billion. Earnings per share came in at $1.68, also topping the expected $1.33. Net income for the quarter reached an impressive $18.2 billion, more than a 10% increase from last year. Amazon's financial outperformance stems from strong execution across several areas. Though its sprawling retail operations remain the largest part of its business, the real engine of profit growth continues to be Amazon Web Services (AWS), the company's cloud-computing arm. AWS and AI power profitability AWS generated $30.9 billion in revenue, marking a 17.5% increase year-over-year and landing squarely in line with industry forecasts. The unit contributed $10.2 billion in operating profit—more than half of Amazon's total $19.2 billion operating income for the quarter. This confirms AWS's role as Amazon's financial powerhouse, driven by surging demand for AI and cloud infrastructure as businesses accelerate technology investments. Chief executive Andy Jassy has spotlighted AI as a transformative force for Amazon, with the majority of 2025's planned $100 billion in capital expenditures dedicated to expanding AWS' capacity for generative AI and machine learning. As major clients move more workloads to the cloud and adopt AI-driven services, AWS remains positioned for long-term leadership, despite short-term margin pressures from its heavy investments. Retail and advertising show resilience Despite ongoing concerns about tariffs and consumer spending, Amazon's core online store sales grew 11% to $61.5 billion. The company's third-party seller services also expanded, with revenue rising 11% to $40.3 billion. Physical stores, including Whole Foods, delivered a 7% increase to $5.6 billion, while subscription revenue—such as Prime memberships—rose 12% to $12.2 billion. Amazon's advertising segment was a standout performer, raking in $15.6 billion in revenue, up 23% from the prior year. This ad business is becoming an increasingly critical pillar within Amazon's profit structure, as brands compete for consumer eyeballs on the platform's massive shopping interface. Challenges and outlook The company is navigating a complex macroeconomic climate that includes inflation, changing trade policies, and labor market constraints. Shipping expenses climbed 6% to $23.4 billion, reflecting both global cost pressures and heightened demand for fast delivery. Although Amazon's Q2 earnings don't reflect the impact of July's Prime Day—held after quarter's end—the company remains optimistic, projecting third-quarter revenue in the range of $174 billion to $179.5 billion, above analyst expectations. Operating income is forecast between $15.5 billion and $20.5 billion. Meanwhile, Amazon's headcount inched up 1% year-over-year to 1.55 million, with CEO Andy Jassy signaling further workforce streamlining as automation and generative AI gain traction internally. 'Our AI progress across the board continues to improve our customer experiences, speed of innovation, operational efficiency, and business growth, and I'm excited for what lies ahead,' he said in the earnings press release. Investor response Despite the upbeat earnings report, Amazon stock fell in extended trading, illustrating Wall Street's wariness about continued retail volatility, capital-intensive growth, and competitive dynamics in cloud and AI. Still, analysts remain bullish on Amazon's strategic direction, citing leadership in cloud innovation, resilient retail fundamentals, and an aggressive expansion into the future of artificial intelligence. For this story, Fortune used generative AI to help with an initial draft. An editor verified the accuracy of the information before publishing. This story was originally featured on Sign in to access your portfolio
