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The Morning After: Samsung’s secret war on repair

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  JasonDoiy via Getty Images Manufacturers may hate independent repair stores, but Samsung and Apple appeared to accept the direction the political wind was blowing in. Sadly,  Samsung’s warm-hearted embrace of third party repair may not have been as loving as had originally been suggested . Details of the contract the Korean giant asks repair stores to sign include some pretty user-unfriendly rules. That includes sending your details and device identification to HQ, including all of the details of your repair issue. And, if your phone is found to be using an aftermarket, or non-Samsung part, the store has to instantly disassemble it and raise the alarm. That’s quite problematic, and also probably in violation of US laws around the right to use third-party parts for repair. The repair gurus at iFixit  announced that it was ending its partnership with Samsung  around the same time. iFixit said there were irreconcilable differences between the pair’s philosophies, lik...
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Spotify’s Car Thing will soon transform into Spotify’s Car Brick

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  Billy Steele for Engadget Spotify’s Car Thing, a limited hardware “test” the company  began shipping only three years ago , is about to bite the dust. The company  wrote  on Thursday that the device, which brought Spotify to automobiles without  Apple CarPlay  or  Android Auto , will “no longer be operational” as of December 9. Car Thing  was aimed at drivers who want to listen to Spotify in their cars but don’t have modern systems with built-in streaming apps. The $90 device let you control the service with voice recognition and preset buttons, and it had a four-inch color touchscreen. However, Spotify had already  discontinued it  by mid-2022. In  our 2021 preview , Engadget’s Billy Steele wrote that the gadget seemed unnecessary at first but proved useful after two weeks of use. “While it seems only Spotify die-hards would be interested in something like this, it does offer an upgrade for older cars,” our audio gear expert wrot...
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LG C4 OLED TVs are down to record-low prices ahead of Memorial Day

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  LG LG’s  latest OLED smart TVs  are on sale via Amazon. These are the C4 models and not the pricier G4 flagship displays, but they still boast plenty of bells and whistles for the discerning couch potato. The deals apply to just about every size, from 42-inches all the way up to 83-inches. LG LG 55-Inch OLED evo C4 Series $1,697 $2,000 Save $303 This is 15 percent off.  $1,697 at Amazon The best discount for most people, however,  is for the 55-inch evo C4 . This model is available for $1,697, which is 15 percent off. The 65-inch model  is also 15 percent off , bringing the price down to $2,297. No matter which size you choose, this is a lot of TV bang for your buck. The LG C4 evo series feature powerful Alpha Gen 7 chips, improved brightness when compared to previous generations and plenty of built-in AI for upscaling and the like. They also include gorgeous OLED panels. The brightness levels on these panels hit nearly 1,000 nits, which is a fantastic me...
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