logo
Prime Day deal: It's the last day to get the Fire TV Stick 4K Max for only $35

Prime Day deal: It's the last day to get the Fire TV Stick 4K Max for only $35

Engadget11-07-2025
Amazon Prime Day can be a good time to upgrade your home theater setup thanks to all the tech deals we usually see. As was to be expected, Amazon has discounted nearly all of its own streaming devices, including the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, which is on sale for only $35 right now. That's nearly a record-low price and it represents a 42-percent discount, and today is the last day you can get it at that price.
While we still prefer Amazon's Fire TV Stick HD as a budget streaming option, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max could be worth the upgrade for you. Amazon's device supports 4K video, Dolby Atmos, HDR10+ and if you have a newer router, Wi-Fi 6E. It's the best option if you're committed to the dongle-lifestyle — the even-more-powerful Fire TV Cube needs a TV stand to rest on — and a surprisingly great choice if you're looking for a capable retro game console.
Amazon's also added in several features to the Fire TV Stick 4K Max that take it beyond a basic streamer. The built-in Ambient Experience lets the dongle display art and widgets when you're not using your TV, not unlike Samsung's The Frame and The Frame Pro. The Fire TV Stick 4K Max can also stream games from Xbox Game Pass using the Xbox app or Amazon Luna.
The only real reasons to not consider Amazon's platform is if you don't like using Alexa, which acts as the main voice interface for all Fire TVs, don't want to be pushed towards Amazon's services or your subscriptions are tangled up in another platform. You can buy subscriptions to a variety of streaming services and live channels through Amazon Prime Video, but if you've already done that on Apple TV+ for example, you might want to wait out your subscription before jumping ship.
This is just one of a few Fire TV deals you can snag for Prime Day. Others include the Fire TV Cube for $90 and the Fire TV Stick HD for $18.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Want Alexa to do more? Here's how to make your own skills
Want Alexa to do more? Here's how to make your own skills

Tom's Guide

time13 minutes ago

  • Tom's Guide

Want Alexa to do more? Here's how to make your own skills

Just picked up an Amazon Echo device? Then you'll be itching to discover what it can do. Play music? Check. Answer questions? Check. But as the 30 best Alexa skills (skills being similar to apps), there is so much more available. With Alexa, you can wind down for bed, get weather reports, discover deals and make donations. Just learn how to set up the Amazon Echo and discover how to use Alexa and you'll be well on your way. But did you know that you're not restricted to skills that others have made? With Skill Blueprints, you can create your very own bespoke, personalized skills and you don't need any programming knowledge or technical know-how to do it. The process is surprisingly simple. Amazon simply gets you to fill in forms which tailor a whole bunch of skills to your needs. There are loads of suggestions from countdowns and school schedules to activities for kids and games that can be tailored. You can even create quizzes and work on producing adventures that include the names of people you love. And, if you create something that you feel would be of wider benefit to the Alexa community, there's an option to publish the skill for all to use. Let's check it out. To create skills for your Amazon Echo, you need to visit Skill Blueprints and sign in using the account that's associated with the device. You can then browse the many Blueprints, whether that's the featured set or those separated into categories. It's simply a matter of looking for a skill that interests you — the idea is that you will be able to personalize it by making tweaks to a template. In our case, we're going to look at the Custom Chart skill. This allows you to schedule and track chores for each member of your household. You can select any skill, of course, but this is as good as any to demonstrate how the skills are set up. To get started, click the skill, check out the description which details how it works and the work involved, and select Make Your Own. The 4th Generation Echo is the latest entry in Amazon's mid-range speaker lineup. Its sphere shape houses a large woofer and two powerful tweeters to wrap your room with crisp audio. It's the ideal smart home hub because it has built-in Matter and Zigbee radios to connect to devices both locally and over Wi-Fi. You can now go through the screens that make up the skill — you are, in effect, going to be filling in a form. Change placeholder text, use dropdown menus and select the device that you wish to use if you're asked to choose one. Then select the button in the top-right corner to continue. In many cases, you will be able to change how you experience the skill — you may find you can customize the messages, sounds and responses, for example. You will also be given the opportunity to name your skill. You should choose something memorable and catchy, something that rolls off the tongue so that it's easy to say. The skill name has to be short so stick to two or three words, and they cannot be the same as other skills you use and make otherwise it will cause confusion. Skill Blueprints advises that you don't use Alexa, Echo, Amazon, skill, app or computer in the name. The Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) is one of the best smart home devices you can get for under $50. Not only is it a speaker, but it has a built-in motion sensor, temperature reader and eero extender, too. When you have finished developing a skill, select Create Skill. Wait a couple of minutes then say: 'Alexa [skill name]' to try it out. You can select Skills You've Made if you wish to view and edit a skill. You can allow other people to use your skill. To send it to specific people, select Share With Others. You may be asked if the skill is intended for use by kids under the age of 16 and then you can share via email, Facebook, X, Pinterest or by copying the link and using your own method. You can also select Publish to Skills Store if you want all Alexa users to access your skill. You will be asked to fill in a form assigning the skill a category, describing the skill and the keywords that will help users to find it. You will be asked to add a skill icon too. When you're ready, review and submit it. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. And there you go. You now know how to create your own skills on your Amazon Echo device. But don't go just yet. There are other things you can do. Discover how to use Amazon Alexa to find your phone and find out how to make Amazon Alexa understand your voice if you're struggling to be heard. And if you're not a big fan of Alexa, no worries. You can learn how to replace Alexa with ChatGPT on your Amazon Echo.

Forgot to pay that bill? Samsung Now Brief now comes to your rescue.
Forgot to pay that bill? Samsung Now Brief now comes to your rescue.

Android Authority

timean hour ago

  • Android Authority

Forgot to pay that bill? Samsung Now Brief now comes to your rescue.

Joe Maring / Android Authority TL;DR Samsung now offers custom reminder cards in Now Brief via the Routines Plus app. This allows you to create reminders in Now Brief that appear at your desired time, complete with a link to open a specific app. The feature will eventually come to Galaxy phones without Now Brief support. Samsung's Now Brief feature debuted on the Galaxy S25 series, giving you a summary of relevant info several times a day. We had mixed impressions after first using it, but Samsung continues to improve the feature. The Galaxy maker isn't stopping here, as it's just introduced another handy feature to Now Brief. Samsung announced on its Korean-language community forum (via SammyGuru) that the Routines Plus Good Lock module has received a One UI 8 update. This update lets you create a routine that reminds you via Now Brief. Check out the machine-translated screenshots below. The screenshots reveal that you can choose a reminder time and description, whether it repeats (and how often it repeats), link the Now Brief card to a specific app, and specify an image. The ability to link the info card to an app should be pretty useful, as it theoretically means you can quickly accomplish the task without looking for the app first. In any event, this could be handy for small tasks you sometimes forget to do, such as buying something, calling someone, making a payment, and more. Samsung also says devices without Now Brief will benefit from this feature as the reminder will pop up via your notifications instead. So you don't need a recent flagship phone to take advantage of this functionality. For what it's worth, we aren't seeing this feature on our Galaxy Z Fold 7 running One UI 8. It's not the first time we've heard about this feature, either. We first heard about custom Now Brief cards in June, and that leaked feature seems identical to this newly announced capability. We're just glad Samsung is updating Now Brief with more features. This latest feature joins new info cards like YouTube recommendations, parking spot reminders, battery alerts for wearables, and smart home updates. Samsung has also brought audio playback functionality, so you can have your Now Brief cards read to you. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.

Synchrony Financial (SYF) Q2 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Strong Earnings Amidst Strategic ...
Synchrony Financial (SYF) Q2 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Strong Earnings Amidst Strategic ...

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Synchrony Financial (SYF) Q2 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Strong Earnings Amidst Strategic ...

Net Earnings: $967 million or $2.50 per diluted share. Return on Average Assets: 3.2%. Return on Tangible Common Equity: 28.3%. Purchase Volume: $46 billion, with dual and co-branded cards accounting for 45%. Net Revenue: Decreased 2% to $3.6 billion. Net Interest Income: Increased 3% to $4.5 million. Net Interest Margin: Increased 32 basis points to 14.78%. Provision for Credit Losses: Decreased $545 million to $1.1 billion. 30-plus Delinquency Rate: 4.18%, a decrease of 29 basis points from the prior year. Net Charge-off Rate: 5.70%, a decrease of 72 basis points from the prior year. Allowance for Credit Losses: 10.59% of loan receivables. Deposits: Decreased by approximately $310 million. CET1 Ratio: 13.6%, 100 basis points higher than last year. Shareholder Returns: $614 million, including $500 million in share repurchases and $114 million in dividends. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 10 Warning Signs with RTX. Release Date: July 22, 2025 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Positive Points Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) reported strong financial performance with net earnings of $967 million or $2.50 per diluted share. The company achieved a return on average assets of 3.2% and a return on tangible common equity of 28.3%. Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) added or renewed more than 15 partners, including Walmart and Amazon, enhancing its strategic partnerships. The company launched new products with two of its top 5 partners and announced a new partnership with a previous top 5 partner. Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) is investing in technology and innovation, including a new partnership with OnePay to launch a credit card program with Walmart. Negative Points Purchase volume decreased by 2% year-over-year, reflecting the impact of previous credit actions and selective consumer spending behavior. Ending loan receivables decreased by 2% to $100 billion due to lower purchase volume and higher payment rates. Net revenue decreased by 2% to $3.6 billion, primarily due to higher RSAs driven by program performance. The payment rate increased, impacting the mix of promotional financing loan receivables, which generally carry a lower payment rate. Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) faces an uncertain macroeconomic environment, which could impact future growth and performance. Q & A Highlights Q: Brian, you noted some encouraging signs in the portfolio and mentioned selectively unwinding some credit actions. Can you elaborate on these signs and actions? Also, with Walmart and Amazon partnerships, do you see a path back to mid- to high single-digit growth? A: Brian Doubles, President and CEO, responded that the consumer remains in good shape, with strong spending and better-than-expected credit performance. Co-brand growth was up 5% versus the prior year, and there are positive trends in retail, cosmetics, and electronics. Synchrony started to open up credit selectively in the health and wellness space and is optimistic about further growth in the second half. The launch of Walmart OnePay, Pay Later at Amazon, and PayPal's physical card are expected to drive growth into 2026. Q: On the outlook, you mentioned minor modifications to PPPC. Can you discuss how these discussions with partners have gone and what modifications have been made? A: Brian Doubles explained that any rollbacks are partner-specific, with no major rollback plan in place. Discussions with partners are minimal, with only a few changes impacting less than $50 million in net revenue. These are normal pricing discussions aimed at driving sales and growth at attractive returns. Brian Wenzel, CFO, added that discussions have focused on promotional financing, with some partners shortening durations to manage costs. Q: Regarding the NIM guide for the second half of 15.6%, what are the drivers for this increase, and can you reach the pre-pandemic average of 16% NIM? A: Brian Wenzel stated that the increase is driven by a higher percentage of average loan receivables, the impact of PPPC on loan yield, and lower interest expense as CD books reprice. The pre-pandemic NIM of 16% is achievable as promotional financing decreases and credit aperture normalizes, with PPPC contributing to higher yields. Q: On loan growth, is it fair to assume that growth expansion from loosening credit standards and Walmart's contribution are not fully baked into guidance? A: Brian Doubles confirmed that while credit standards have started to loosen, it takes time for these actions to impact growth metrics. Most benefits, including Walmart OnePay and Pay Later, will be reflected in 2026. Brian Wenzel added that positive trends in purchase volume and green shoots in various platforms support a positive outlook for 2026. Q: Can you discuss the impact of new products with existing large customers and how they contribute to growth? A: Brian Doubles highlighted the Pay Later launch at Amazon and the renewal of long-term partnerships as key growth drivers. The multiproduct strategy allows Synchrony to offer tailored products to customers, enhancing growth opportunities. These initiatives are expected to primarily impact growth in 2026. For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store