News

This year’s Wimbledon tennis championships is set to be the most interactive and exhaustive for sports fans thanks to a major AI upgrade.The iconic tournament, long a mainstay of the British summer, is introducing a range of AI-powered upgrades and services for fans through its Wimbledon.com website and app.This includes an all-new feature allowing fans to explore information about certain matches in almost real-time, and an upgraded tool looking to predict the possible winners of every match.Match Chat and moreIBM has now been the technology partner for the All-England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), tournament organizers for Wimbledon, for 36 years, with 2025 marking another significant milestone for the pair.Following in the footsteps of recent AI-powered innovations such as 2024’s Catch Me Up, which utilized Watsonx's generative AI to create player-based updates in the form of "cards" available on the Wimbledon.com website or mobile app, and AI commentary introduced in 2023, the two organizations hope these new advances will offer fans old and new greater insights into the tournament."The way sports are being consumed is ever-evolving,” Kevin Farrar, Head of Sport Partnerships at IBM UK, told a pre-tournament briefing attended by TechRadar Pro, “our challenge is to see how we tap into that”.(Image credit: IBM / AELTC)New for 2025 is Match Chat - a new conversational interface which lets fans explore info about the match in nearly real-time.The tool is built with technologies on watsonx Orchestrate, taking AI agents and large language models (LLMs), such as IBM Granite, which have been trained on the Wimbledon editorial style and language of tennis - so “Gentlemen’s” and “Ladies’” singles, rather than Men’s/Women’s.Fans will be able to use a number of pre-written prompts, or ask their own questions (such as, ‘who has served the most aces in the match?’, or ‘who is performing better in the match?’), with replies delivered almost immediately.IBM says the Match Chat training also ensures the tool stays focused on the tennis - users will only be able to ask it questions about matches at the tournament, so there’s hopefully no chance it will get distracted if you ask it where the tastiest strawberries are.“Whenever we're designing something new, it always starts with the fan first...we think this is going to be a really engaging experience that addresses a number of different kinds of fans,” noted Chris Clements, Digital Products Lead at the AELTC."At its heart, sport is a human thing, it's an emotional thing - we're using AI to be able to tell these stories to be told more effectively."First introduced in 2024, the “Likelihood to Win” tool is also getting an AI boost, and will now alter its projected win percentage even throughout a single game, generating projections from AI-powered analysis of player statistics, expert opinion and match momentum.The 2025 Wimbledon Championships run from June 30 - July 13, 2025, with the app available to download on Android and iOS now, as well as across the Wimbledon.com website.More from TechRadar ProIt's alive! IBM unveils its most powerful mainframe yet, which it says is fully engineered for the AI AgeIBM plans $150 billion in US investment over next five yearsHome Office picks IBM to deliver UK Emergency Services Network

You can grab a number of games from Amazon at no cost if you have a Prime subscription in the days leading up to Prime Day 2025, which takes place from July 8 to July 11. Starting today, June 17 at 12 PM Eastern time, you can get Dungeon of the Endless Definitive Edition without paying for it through the Amazon Games App. In the roguelike game, you take on the role of a prison spaceship survivor who has to fight off several floors of creatures after your escape pod crashes into a strange planet. Amazon will also give you free access to TOEM, a photography game by Swedish studio Something We Made, through a GOG code. You're a photographer in this game who has to solve puzzles using the character's camera.

In addition to those two, you can also get Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft at no cost through GOG. It includes all the original three Tomb Raider Adventures games, all its expansions and secret levels. Saints Row 2, an open world action-adventure game that's a direct sequel of the first, is free via GOG, as well. In it, you play the same character in the first Saints Row, except you wake up after a coma to find your gang disbanded. You can also claim Saints Row IV: Re-Elected and Star Wars: Rebellion for free via GOG.

Mordheim: City of the Damned, The Abandoned Planet, Station to Station and Death Squared are also all free to claim. Dark Envoy and FATE: Undiscovered Realms will be available on June 19, while Thief: Deadly Shadows, Jupiter Hell and Gallery of Things: Reveries will be available on June 26.

Prime Gaming comes bundled with all your other Amazon Prime membership perks. It gives you access to a rotating selection of free games, in-game content, along with a free monthly Twitch subscription. Prime costs $15 a month or $139 a year, but you can get a free 30-day trial when you sign up if you're unsure about paying for it. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/amazon-is-giving-away-some-great-games-in-the-lead-up-to-prime-day-050012540.html?src=rss

Amazon has officially announced the dates for its next annual shopping event, and there’s a twist this year. Prime Day 2025 will be four days long, running from July 8 through July 11. A departure from previous years in which Prime Day was a 48-hour affair, this year the shopping event will span nearly an entire week, bringing thousands of exclusive, Prime-only deals on everything from electronics to fashion.

In addition to spurring a large number of sales in a short period of time, Amazon Prime Day has always been a way for the online retail giant to increase the overall number of Prime subscribers. Prime Day isn’t necessarily a perk of the $139-per-year service like access to Prime Video content or free two-day shipping are, but it certainly helps that most deals you’ll find on Amazon during the event are exclusively available to Prime members.

With the event being four days long this year, we expect to see some one-day-only deals as well as sales that span the entirety of Prime Day(s) proper. We usually recommend buying things on your list as soon as you see them go on sale just to avoid the disappointment that comes with items selling out, and this time is no different. That's especially true for deals that as listed as "limited time," or any Lightning Deals that only last a few hours.

Prime Day in July has been the main shopping event for Amazon for a decade now, but that hasn’t stopped the company from expanding the event’s reach. “October Prime Day” has become a mainstay in the fall, and Amazon’s Big Spring Sale is a relatively new shopping event that has taken place in March over the past couple of years. No word yet on if October Prime Day 2025 will be a thing, but we believe it’s almost guaranteed at this point.

If you do plan on putting that Prime membership to use next month, you can turn to Engadget to find the tech deals worth your month during the two-day event. Unsurprisingly, Amazon Prime Day is one of the best times of the year to get Amazon devices, since most of them will likely be down to all-time-low prices. But we also expect to see worthwhile sales on headphones, robot vacuums, laptops, SSDs and much more. You can also follow Engadget Deals on X for the latest news during Prime Day.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/amazon-prime-day-2025-dates-officially-announced-the-shopping-event-returns-from-july-8-to-11-050449132.html?src=rss

Now that we know Amazon Prime Day will be coming up soon on July 8 to 11, it’s time to start thinking about what you may want to snag at a discount during the sale. If you pay the $139 annual fee for Prime, sale events like these are a great time to stock up on essentials and cross things off your wishlist while you can save some money. Most discounts will be exclusively available to Prime subscribers, but there are always a few that anyone shopping on Amazon can grab. Similarly, there are always early deals in the days and weeks leading up to Prime Day, and this year is no different. Here, we’ve collected the best Prime Day deals you can shop for right now and we’ll keep updating this post as we get close to Prime Day proper.

Prime Day deals: Early deals to shop now

Prime Day deals under $50

Anker 313 wireless charging stand for $14 (29 percent off): One of our top picks for the best wireless chargers, Anker's 313 stand keeps things simple but effective. Just plop your phone down on its wide stand to get up to 10W of fast-charging power. It supports both portrait and landscape orientation for your phone, and it'll work with cases up to 5mm thick.

Anker 633 10K magnetic battery pack for $43 (28 percent off, Prime exclusive): This 10K battery pack attaches magnetically to the backs of iPhones, making it easy to recharge while on the go. It also has a built-in kickstand for easy video watching or FaceTime calling while powering up.

Soundcore Space A40 wireless earbuds for $45 (44 percent off): The Space A40 are some of the best budget wireless earbuds you can get right now, thanks to excellent ANC performance for their price, a pleasant sound profile, a comfortable fit and multi-device connectivity. They also have a solid eight-hour battery life, plus an extra 40 with their charging case.

Prime Day Apple deals

Apple AirPods 4 for $99 at Amazon ($30 off): Apple’s wireless earbuds don't have the best sound quality or battery life, and this entry-level model lacks wireless charging, Find My tracking and onboard volume controls. But it still gets you tons of Apple-friendly features — from fast pairing with iCloud devices to spatial audio to hands-free Siri — and its lightweight design should fit most ears better than previous AirPods.

Apple iPad (A16) for $299 at Amazon ($50 off): The latest base model iPad comes with a faster A16 chip, 2GB more RAM and 128GB of storage as standard. It earned a score of 84 in our review — if you only need an iPad for roaming the internet, watching shows and doing some lighter productivity tasks, it's a good starter tablet.

Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M4) for $849 ($150 off): The latest MacBook Air is the top pick in our guide to the best laptops, and it earned a score of 92 in our review. It's another spec bump, but that's not a bad thing — the design remains exceptionally thin, light and well-built, with long battery life and a top-notch keyboard and trackpad. Now it's a bit faster. (Though we'd still love more ports and a refresh rate higher than 60Hz.)

Apple Mac Mini M4 for $499 ($100 off): If you prefer desktops, the upgraded M4 Mac mini is one that won’t take up too much space, but will provide a ton of power at the same time. Not only does it come with an M4 chipset, but it also includes 16GB of RAM in the base model, plus front-facing USB-C and headphone ports for easier access.

Apple Watch Series 10 for $299 ($100 off): We consider Apple’s flagship wearable to be the best smartwatch you can buy, period. It's a mostly iterative update, with faster charging, a slightly slimmer design and a marginally larger display than the prior Series 9. That said, it's still a comprehensive fitness tracker, and no other smartwatch can integrate as neatly with iPhones and other Apple devices.

Apple Pencil Pro for $99 ($30 off): The highest-end option in Apple’s confusing stylus lineup, the Pencil Pro supports pressure sensitivity, wireless charging, tilt detection, haptic feedback and support for Apple’s double tap and squeeze gestures. It’s a lovely tool for intricate sketching and note-taking, but the catch is that it’s only compatible with the M4 iPad Pro, M2 and M3 iPad Air and most recent iPad mini.

Prime Day tech deals

Anker MagGo 3-in-1 charging station for $82 (25 percent off): A top pick in our guide to the best multi-device wireless chargers, this Anker power station can charge a phone, pair of earbuds and smartwatch all at once. It's primarily built for Apple devices, with a built-in Apple Watch charger and a neat space for AirPods. It's a solid option for frequent travelers thanks to the fact that it folds up to roughly the size of a deck of cards when not in use.

Amazon Fire TV Cube for $100 ($40 off): Amazon's most powerful streaming device, the Fire TV Cube can play 4K video with Dolby Vision and HDR10+, plus it supports Wi-Fi 6E and has a built-in Ethernet port for those who want a hardwired connection.

Levoit Core 400S air purifier for $185 ($35 off): Our top pick for the best air purifier, Levoit's Core 400S reliably improved air quality in our testing, plus it has easy to use onboard controls and replaceable filters that are not too expensive. We also found it to not be offensively loud, even on its highest setting.

Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 for $200 ($50 off): The latest Powerbeats Pro earbuds have a comfier design and powerful bass performance that's sure to keep you hyped during a workout. These are Apple's first wireless earbuds with built-in heart rate monitoring, too, but that will likely only appeal to those who intend on using these buds primarily while working out.

What is Prime Day?

Prime Day is Amazon's members-only shopping event, which means you’ll have to be a Prime subscriber on Prime Day to take advantage of most of the savings. Amazon still offers a 30-day free trial to new Prime subscribers, so you can start your free trial closer to July and participate in the event.

When is Prime Day 2025?

Amazon Prime Day 2025 will be back this year on July 8 through July 11.

How often is Prime Day?

Amazon Prime Day typically comes around annually in July. In the last few years, Amazon has also had its "Big Deal Days" in October, which is effectively a second Prime Day and the unofficial kickoff to the holiday shopping season.

How does Prime Day work?

Prime subscribers can go to Amazon's site on Prime Day to see all of the exclusive deals they have access to. Prime subscribers do not have to do anything additional to get Prime Day sales: the discounts you see on product pages will show up in your cart automatically. If you're not a Prime subscriber and you go to Amazon to shop on Prime Day, you'll likely see tons of items on sale but only "with Prime;" those discounts will not be available to those who are not active Prime subscribers.

If you don’t pay for Prime and have no intention of doing so, you should still check out Amazon on Prime Day for sales that are available to all shoppers — there are always a few of them. Plus, it’s very likely that other retailers like Walmart, Target and Best Buy will have their own competing Prime Day sales during that time frame, too.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/prime-day-2025-when-amazons-sales-event-begins-early-deals-already-live-plus-everything-else-you-need-to-know-120028256.html?src=rss