Retailers are offering significant discounts on various gadgets for Presidents Day, while the next generation of gaming consoles may be delayed due to memory shortages, and a Best Buy employee in Florida was charged with fraud after using his manager's code to discount items. Additionally, experts are cautioning against purchasing unknown laptop brands on Amazon, and a recent drone incident in El Paso, Texas, highlights the challenges of drone defense.
Presidents Day deals are in full swing, with retailers offering substantial discounts on a range of tech products. According to The Verge, consumers can find deals on earbuds, speakers, TVs, smart home tech, and other gadgets. The outlet noted that discounts have been slow since the holidays, but February has brought a return of strong deals.
Meanwhile, the gaming industry is facing potential challenges. According to The Verge, Sony and Nintendo are reportedly feeling the squeeze of RAM shortages, as demand from AI data centers takes up an increasing share of memory chip production. This could impact the pricing of the Switch 2 and potentially delay the release of Sony's next-generation PlayStation console, possibly pushing its debut back to 2029.
In other news, a Best Buy employee in Florida was charged with fraud after allegedly using his manager's code to heavily discount nearly 150 items. Ars Technica reported that the employee, Matthew Lettera, conducted 97 discounted purchases for himself and 52 additional transactions for others. Some items, including MacBooks, were discounted as much as 99 percent, resulting in a loss of over $118,000 for Best Buy. The manager first became suspicious of strange sales numbers in December 2024.
In the realm of consumer electronics, Wired is advising against purchasing unknown laptop brands on Amazon. The outlet noted that many cheap, low-quality laptops are promoted on the platform, and better alternatives are often available at the same price point.
Finally, a recent airspace closure over El Paso, Texas, due to a drone incident, has raised concerns about the state of U.S. anti-drone defenses. Wired reported that the incident is "stoking unease among pilots and the broader public." As low-cost UAV equipment proliferates, analysts have warned that destructive drone attacks are inevitable, but developing safe countermeasures remains challenging. The Federal Aviation Administration originally set the airspace closure to last 10 days, but ultimately shortened it.
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