In Final Prime Day Hours, Our Favorite Smart Soundbar for Music Streaming Gets a Massive $130 Discount
This compact soundbar (about 25 inches wide) offers four elliptical midwoofers, a central tweeter and three passive bass radiators. In his Sonos Beam 2 review, CNET's Ty Pendlebury said, "For people looking to explore Dolby Atmos who want built-in voice assistant(s) and best-in-class whole-home music streaming, the Sonos Beam Gen 2 is a great choice."
Pendlebury went on to say, "The idea of any home cinema system, Atmos or otherwise, is to create a bubble of sound. The Beam managed to do so despite the fact that all of its speakers are housed in a from a single enclosure." It's not exactly surround sound, but it's about as close as you can get with a soundbar like this.
The upgraded features include HDMI eARC passthrough capabilities, and your choice of Alexa or Google Gemini, plus Spotify Connect and Apple AirPlay 2 support. There are also a couple of fun added features, like a Night Mode to quiet things down when necessary
Sonos Beam Gen 2
Ty Pendlebury/CNET
Why this Sonos deal really matters
Sonos speakers tend to be pricey and packed with high-end features. Finding one on sale may be the top priority for anyone who wants a serious sound upgrade, and Prime Day one of the few perfect times to nab one. Plus, the Beam 2 is a particularly versatile pick, as at home on a shelf as in front of your TV, and HDMI eARC is a massive entertainment system upgrade if you don't have it yet.
Don't forget to check the very last of the Amazon Prime Day deals before they disappear for good.
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Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Summer just got hotter: Zillow debuts five powerful new features
AI-powered, data-driven tools supercharge the home shopping experience, from immersive tours to buying power insights SEATTLE, July 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The hottest tour of the summer is here, and it's only on Zillow®. Zillow's Summer Launch debuts five new features to make home shopping, selling and renting easier — and it's headlined by SkyTour, a first-of-its-kind, user-guided view of a home's exterior from above. Additionally, new tools like Offer Insights, Rentals Costs & Fees Breakdown, Tour Itineraries and BuyAbilitySM upgrades empower users to explore listings, understand costs and schedule tours — all in one place. These updates simplify home shopping headaches, such as hidden costs and budget uncertainty, while making it easier (and more fun) to browse, plan and tour. With these tools, Zillow is leading the category for the kind of smart, seamless digital experience people expect throughout their real estate journey. SkyTour: Explore homes like never before — from aboveAvailable now on eligible Zillow Showcase℠ listings, SkyTour puts home shoppers in the pilot's seat with a dynamic, drone-like 3D view of a home's exterior. With simple, intuitive controls, buyers can fly around a property virtually to get a sense of the exterior layout, lot and area surrounding the property — right from their phone or computer. Powered by Gaussian splatting, an emerging rendering technology used in gaming, virtual production and more, SkyTour transforms drone footage into a smooth, interactive 3D experience. SkyTour is available on Showcase listings when drone footage is captured through the Zillow Media Experts premium package. As the most visited real estate app and website in the U.S., Zillow is among the first in the industry to implement and scale Gaussian splatting technology, redefining the online home tour experience. Offer Insights: Empowering buyers to make stronger, more confident offersOffer Insights is a new feature that gives buyers and their agents a clearer picture of how different offer prices might perform in today's market. Available on for-sale listings, the tool lets home shoppers toggle between various offer levels to see how strong their offer might be. By combining the Zestimate, recent sales and local market data, Offer Insights allows home shoppers to see the estimated likelihood of their offer being accepted, empowering them to move forward with confidence. For agents, Offer Insights brings more move-ready buyers to the surface — those who are using real-time data to explore viable paths to making an offer. It sets the stage for productive, informed conversations about how to approach an offer based on current market conditions. Agents remain essential in helping buyers understand pricing, weigh affordability and discuss personal factors, such as contingencies and timing. Rentals Costs & Fees Breakdown: Transparent pricing for rentersZillow now includes a detailed cost breakdown of move-in expenses, monthly charges and any extra fees on rental listings when that information is provided by the property manager. Rental listings now also feature a custom calculator that renters can use to get personalized estimates. This fee transparency helps renters plan, compare options and avoid surprise costs. Hidden fees remain a top frustration for renters. Nearly all renters (94%) want listings to show all costs upfront, yet many still face unexpected expenses. More than half of U.S. households that rent are cost-burdened, spending at least 30% of their income on rent — a challenge that hits Black and Hispanic renters especially hard. By bringing total costs within the listing to light, Zillow is helping to give renters the clarity they need to make informed, confident decisions. Tour Itineraries: Streamlined home touringTour Itineraries makes it easy for buyers and their agents to plan and manage home tours. After connecting with an agent, buyers can add homes to a shared tour list and coordinate logistics from a centralized tab on Zillow's app and website. Both parties get a clear view of upcoming and past tours, keeping the home search organized and moving efficiently. With 94% of buyers using online tools to search for homes and 64% preferring to schedule tours online, Tour Itineraries delivers on the growing demand for digital convenience and control. BuyAbility: Affordability at a glanceBuyAbility, an affordability tool powered by Zillow Home Loans, gives home shoppers a real-time, personalized estimate of the home price and monthly payment they can afford — along with their likelihood of qualifying for a loan. Home shoppers simply enter their income, credit score, monthly debts, down payment savings and preferred monthly payment. 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From browsing and budgeting to touring, renting and making an offer, these tools bring more clarity, confidence and convenience to every step of the real estate journey. About Zillow Group:Zillow Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: Z and ZG) is reimagining real estate to make home a reality for more and more people. As the most visited real estate app and website in the United States, Zillow and its affiliates help people find and get the home they want by connecting them with digital solutions, dedicated real estate professionals, and easier buying, selling, financing, and renting experiences. Zillow Group's affiliates, subsidiaries and brands include Zillow®, Zillow Premier Agent®, Zillow Home Loans℠, Zillow Rentals®, Trulia®, Out East®, StreetEasy®, HotPads®, ShowingTime+℠, Spruce®, and Follow Up Boss®. All marks herein are owned by MFTB Holdco, Inc., a Zillow affiliate. Zillow Home Loans, LLC is an Equal Housing Lender, NMLS #10287 ( © 2025 MFTB Holdco, Inc., a Zillow affiliate. (ZFIN) View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Zillow
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
How Will Trump's Tariffs Impact K-beauty?
K-beauty brands are bracing themselves for the possibility of increased U.S. tariffs. Earlier this month, U.S. President Donald Trump began informing America's trading partners about their new duty rates under his tariff regime. First mentioned were Japan and South Korea, which from Aug. 1 will be subject to 25 percent across-the-board duties. More from WWD EXCLUSIVE: Brad Pitt's Skin Care Brand Beau Domaine Introduces New Planet-friendly Packaging There's Now a Tool for Predicting How Your Skin Could Age With Versus Without SPF Use EXCLUSIVE: Chipotle and Wonderskin Revive Fan-favorite 'Lipotle' Lip Stain Kit These changes are poised to impact South Korean beauty exports — which have long entered the U.S. free of duty thanks to the Korea Free Trade Agreement established in 2012 — in a big way. 'The tariffs would drive up the cost of goods, which will lead to higher prices for U.S. consumers and contribute to inflation significantly,' said David Chung, founder and chief executive officer of contract manufacturer iLabs, and Morae Packaging, which manufactures in South Korea. 'Recovering from these new costs would be extremely difficult not only for the beauty industry but the broader economy.' In recent years, K-beauty has experienced a boon all over again in the U.S. Brands like Beauty of Joseon, TirTir, Medicube, Anua and Mixsoon have risen to virality on TikTok as a new generation of consumers discover the allure of Korean skin care and makeup. Thanks to its viral assortment of SPFs, Beauty of Joseon's sales soared from $31 million in 2020 to more than $100 million in 2023, cofounder Sumin Lee previously told WWD. This month, the brand will make its Sephora debut. Many other next-gen K-beauty brands are breaking into U.S. retail, too: Ulta Beauty announced last week it will add 13 new brands in the category to its own assortment this summer, including Fwee, TirTir, Kaja, Rom&nd and more. Even on TikTok Shop, K-beauty dominates, with Medicube ranking as the number-two brand by sales on the platform in May, netting $4.1 million during the period, per And though U.S. consumers' appetite for K-beauty is in part because of the category's general affordability, increased tariffs threaten to impact that accessibility. 'Our key concern is how much prices are going to be raised, and how we can support our customers on this impact — our last choice is raising prices,' said Winnie Zhong, cofounder of New York based Asian beauty retailer Senti Senti, which operates locations in Williamsburg and Chinatown. She added that since Senti Senti is an import business, it will now have to forecast even more inventory, which can be difficult given storage space and rental costs in New York City. Charlotte Cho, founder of e-tailer Soko Glam and skin care brand Then I Met You, said many brands are still treading carefully as they await more certainty on the tariffs front. 'It's a bit fresh — brands are not sure of how to react to this potential threat,' she said, adding the tariffs would 'negatively impact the K-beauty U.S. market, which is a big focus for Korean brands right now; U.S. retailers or distributors would also be squeezed, or expect the brands to contribute to the tariff tax. In the end, unfortunately it's the customers who will lose as this will just lead to an increase in prices across the board.' Cho added that because many brands ship their packaging and raw materials from parts of Asia, it's not only Asian beauty brands that will be affected by such changes. Nevertheless, Medicube, known for its sculpting Age-R Booster Pro skin care wand and, more recently, its salmon DNA skin care creams and serums, anticipates it may be able to avoid implementing significant price increases. 'Most K-beauty products, including Medicube's, have a final retail price around $10 to $20, and due to their relatively low production costs — even when tariffs are applied — these products can remain competitively priced,' said Junehee Nam, U.S. director of media relations of Medicube USA. 'With that being said, we do not anticipate that any price increases will be large enough to meaningfully impact consumer demand.' She did say, however, that 'we do expect tariff changes to impact corporate profitability…The greatest challenge brands currently face is not the tariff itself, but the uncertainty surrounding it; sudden shifts require brands to redesign profit forecasts, marketing campaigns and global strategies.' Said Joey Chung, director of communications at Sungboon Editor Skincare, known for its overnight sheet masks: 'Although higher tariffs could temporarily raise costs, we think that K-beauty's global competitiveness extends well beyond price advantages; it is rooted in continuous product innovation, distinctive and effective formulations, and an exceptional ability to adapt swiftly to emerging beauty trends — all of which contribute significantly to strong consumer trust and loyalty in international markets.' Best of WWD Which Celebrity Brands Are Next for a Major Deal? Lady Gaga, Beyonce and More Possible Contenders for the Next Corporate Prize The Best Makeup Looks in Golden Globes History A Look Back at Golden Globes Best Makeup on the Red Carpet, From Megan Fox to Sophia Loren [PHOTOS] 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
New York Times
30 minutes ago
- New York Times
Club World Cup prize money: Where did the $1billion prize pot go?
President Donald Trump's apparent reluctance to leave the stage during the trophy lift bemused plenty, not least the Chelsea players surrounding him. Yet, in many ways, Trump being front and centre offered a perfect human avatar for FIFA's revamped Club World Cup: ostentatious, brash, money never too far from the conversation. Advertisement That money has flowed in torrents this summer, via an intriguing route. Like it or not, the end result is clear and headline-grabbing. Across 32 competing teams over the last month, FIFA have doled out a $1billion (£744m) prize pot. Sunday evening's final between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain saw each side earn $30m just for getting there, before Chelsea's 3-0 victory banked them a further $10m. There were reasons beyond football for both the team and the club's owners — chairman Todd Boehly looked plenty happy alongside Trump after full time — to rejoice. Through winning the 2025 iteration of a tournament previously ignored by much of the footballing world, Chelsea earned themselves an estimated $114.6m (£84.5m). Reece James & Co will enjoy chunky bonus payments from this latest success. PSG were the only other club to top $100m, but their presence atop the prize money table was in keeping with football's existing power structure. Semi-finalists Real Madrid, those paupers, earned $82.5m, the third highest in the competition. For all the talk of the Club World Cup having redistributive potential, $623.1m of the $1bn on offer has wound up in the hands of 12 European clubs. Of the seven highest-earning clubs this summer, six hailed from UEFA territory. The main interlopers were Fluminense. Their run to the semi-finals translated to $60.8m in prize money, or 82 per cent of the club's entire revenue in 2024. Fluminense were only the sixth highest earning club in Brazil last year, so such a mammoth boost to their finances should help them better compete for a domestic title they last won 13 years ago. But any advantage will be tempered by the fact Flamengo and Palmeiras, Brazil's richest two clubs, were also invited to this summer's jamboree; they picked up $27.7m and $39.8m apiece. Botafogo's $26.7m rounded out Brazilian earnings. While Fluminense might find their status elevated, there's also the potential that the money will just worsen the gap from the top to the rest. Their earnings from the Club World Cup were more than the annual income of 12 Brazilian top-flight clubs last year. Crossing the border into Argentina, neither Boca Juniors nor River Plate improved much on their $15.2m participation fee, earning just $5m in 'performance' money between them as neither side made it beyond the group stage. Advertisement Despite that, the six teams from South America ensured CONMEBOL was the second-highest-earning confederation this summer, collecting $190.5m between them. While that figure trailed UEFA's takings by over $400m, it was also more than the other four confederations combined; the 14 competing clubs from the Concacaf, CAF, AFC and OFC confederations amassed just $186.4m, or $13.3m per team — lower than the participation fee of all but one European team. UEFA teams earned over $50m each on average, even as Atletico Madrid, Porto and Red Bull Salzburg failed to progress beyond the group stage. Of course, that average figure rather belies the split of payments to European clubs, where takings ranged from Chelsea's $114.6m to just $15.8m going to Salzburg. Of those 14 teams from the four confederations outlined above, only three made it to the knockouts. For the other 11, performance-based payments totalled just $11m. Ninety per cent of those clubs' prize money came from participation fees, with the actual football played contributing little to their respective coffers. One of the clubs that did get to the round of 16 were Inter Miami. Their $21.1m prize money won't make up a huge proportion of revenues at a club expected to be earning around $200m annually now, but it won't hurt matters either. An interesting point of reference is, as ever, one Lionel Messi. His $20.4m guaranteed salary has been usurped by this summer's earnings. Elsewhere in Major League Soccer, LAFC and Seattle Sounders scarcely added to their participation fees, taking home $10.6m and $9.6m respectively. Fluminense offer the most glaring example of the Club World Cup boosting an individual club's revenues, but there are some others worth noting too. Reliable financial information for a number of the competing clubs is hard to come by, but there's enough out there to show the impact this summer has had. Advertisement In Japan, Urawa Red Diamonds' most recent turnover was $59.5m. They earned $9.6m from the tournament, all in participation fees as they failed to pick up a point, or around a sixth of their annual revenue. Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa fared a bit better, managing a win and a draw in Group F. That took their total earnings to $12.6m, or a third of their usual turnover. How the earnings from this summer's tournament impact world football will take time to become clear. In Brazil, clubs already emboldened by loosening ownership rules in recent years have received a further boost, which may prove helpful in retaining young talent — or driving a higher premium from richer buyers across the Atlantic. There's the potential that the money won will distort domestic competitions. Clubs earning big relative sums is great for them, but there's a level of uncertainty around how much is too much; if one club is able to take its earnings from the Club World Cup and dominate back home, it raises the question of how healthy the distribution of money to less affluent football nations has really been. While the focus has been on prize money, it's easy to forget clubs had to get to the United States to compete in the first place. Auckland City, 10-0 losers vs Bayern Munich but also draw-getters against Boca Juniors, spent a significant amount just on travel costs, though their $4.6m earnings will help. They will also pay for a new all-weather pitch which will serve nearby schools at their home in New Zealand. Chelsea's bonus payments to players won't be so vast as to gobble up the sizeable amount they've banked this summer, and they'll be more than happy to enjoy the financial spoils as well as the plaudits, such as they are, for winning the tournament. The west London club recently entered into a settlement agreement with UEFA, with the aim of improving the club's finances and bringing them into line with the European governing body's regulations. Over $100m in extra revenue won't hurt.
