January 2024 – Page 19 – Tech News Feed

Fitbit denies that Charge 5 update has bricked some of its fitness trackers

The reported Charge 5 issues aren’t caused by a recent firmware updated, according to Google and Fitbit.

A growing number of Fitbit Charge 5 owners are complaining that a recent software update has bricked their fitness tracker – but Fitbit has now denied that the issue is firmware-related.

A pinned post at the top of the official Charge 5 forum for the device’s most recent firmware (version 194.91) now has over 400 comments, with many owners complaining that their updated tracker now loses charge overnight or is even “completely unresponsive”.

We’ve asked Google, which has owned Fitbit since 2019, for an up-to-date response on the issues and what might be causing them. So far, Google has only issued a statement to the BBC denying that the Charge 5’s firmware update is causing the problems.

In that statement, a Google spokesperson said: “We’re still investigating this issue, but can confirm it is not due to the recent firmware update.” The tech giant added that “users should continue to update their devices to the latest firmware and contact Fitbit Customer service at help.fitbit.com if they encounter any issues.”

But this is unlikely to quash the growing frustration on Fitbit forums, where some users are understandably regretting updating their Charge 5 and have even (in the case of forum user ‘Gevans1388’) been offered a 35% discount off a new Fitbit when they reported the issues.

Some users have suggested restarting the Fitbit or doing a factory reset, which involves going to Settings > Device Info > Clear User Data, then pressing the ‘Hold 3 Sec’ button for three seconds and releasing. But this isn’t something Google or Fitbit has recommended and it isn’t an option if your device is unresponsive.

We’ll update this article as soon as we hear back from Fitbit.

Another Fitbit furore

(Image credit: Future)

These Charge 5 issues are the latest in a long line of controversies and calamities that have taken place since Google acquired Fitbit in 2019. Most recently, Fitbit has had to extend a fig leaf to furious fans in the form of several highly-requested app fixes.

This followed some widely-reported issues in 2022 about the Charge disconnecting from Bluetooth, which wrecked many users’ sleep-tracking graphs. Also, in October 2022, Fitbit ended the ability to download music files onto smartwatches like the Versa 3 and original Fitbit Sense. This led us to conclude that Google’s slow destruction of Fitbit was everything that’s wrong with modern tech.

It should be stated that not all Charge 5 owners are having issues following the 194.91 software update. For example, forum user ‘bbunge’ said they updated “without a hitch” and that battery life was actually “better by a couple of days” with the new firmware. Google’s current stance is also that the firmware isn’t causing any of the reported issues.

Yet the overwhelming consensus from the hundreds of Fitbit forum comments is that various issues, from battery drain to a completely unresponsive device, have arisen following that most recent firmware update. And while last year’s app redesign was more of an inconvenience, these seemingly software-driven problems are understandably causing more anger.

We’ll be following up again with Google and Fitbit soon and will update this article as soon as we hear any further advice about what you should do if you’ve been hit by any of these Charge 5 issues.

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The best Super Bowl 2024 TV deals we could find

Super Bowl LVIII is right around the corner, which means it’s a solid time to go TV shopping. To help those looking for a new set, we’ve rounded up the best Super Bowl 2024 TV deals we could find from Amazon, Best Buy and other retailers. Most of the discounts stem from the natural pricing cycle of the TV market more than Super Bowl-specific sales, as most sets are released in the spring and gradually drop in price until they’re discontinued the following year. That’s happening again now, and after several TV makers unveiled their 2024 lineups during CES last month, last year’s TVs are likely to fall even further as the year rolls along. Still, if you want a new living room centerpiece in time to watch the San Francisco 49ers take on the Kansas City Chiefs, a number of well-regarded TVs have returned to the all-time lows we saw during the holiday shopping season, including 55-, 65- and 77-inch sets from Samsung, TCL and Hisense. While we don’t typically review TVs at Engadget, we’ve scoured reviews from other professionals we trust and double-checked price histories to ensure you get a good deal.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-best-super-bowl-2024-tv-deals-we-could-find-164515222.html?src=rss

Super Bowl LVIII is right around the corner, which means it’s a solid time to go TV shopping. To help those looking for a new set, we’ve rounded up the best Super Bowl 2024 TV deals we could find from Amazon, Best Buy and other retailers. Most of the discounts stem from the natural pricing cycle of the TV market more than Super Bowl-specific sales, as most sets are released in the spring and gradually drop in price until they’re discontinued the following year. That’s happening again now, and after several TV makers unveiled their 2024 lineups during CES last month, last year’s TVs are likely to fall even further as the year rolls along.

Still, if you want a new living room centerpiece in time to watch the San Francisco 49ers take on the Kansas City Chiefs, a number of well-regarded TVs have returned to the all-time lows we saw during the holiday shopping season, including 55-, 65- and 77-inch sets from Samsung, TCL and Hisense. While we don’t typically review TVs at Engadget, we’ve scoured reviews from other professionals we trust and double-checked price histories to ensure you get a good deal.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-best-super-bowl-2024-tv-deals-we-could-find-164515222.html?src=rss

Add Bacteria To the List of Things That Can Run Doom

An anonymous reader shares a report: In a somewhat groundbreaking yet bizarre scientific feat, MIT biotechnology PhD student researcher Lauren “Ren” Ramlan has coaxed a simulation of the humble E. coli bacteria into a rudimentary screen capable of displaying the iconic video game. However, before you get too excited about playing games in a petri dish, there’s a catch. According to Ramlan’s simulation, displaying a single frame of Doom on these bioluminescent bacteria — should anyone attempt to do this with the real thing — would take roughly 70 minutes, with a full reset to the bacteria’s original state taking a whopping eight hours and 20 minutes.

Dubbed a step into the world of biological screens, Ramlan engineered a system where the bacteria would function as 1-bit pixels, toggling between light and dark states. This bio-display utilizes a well plate in a 32×48 array, each containing genetically modified E. coli that can be induced to fluoresce, creating a grid of pixel-like structures.