Let’s face it: Apple’s slates seem to get all the attention when talking tablets (and understandably so). However, you don’t necessarily need to spend $1,000 on an iPad Pro or even $350 on an entry-level model if all you need is a cheap entertainment device for watching The Boys, reading, or burning through your latest audiobook. Amazon’s latest Fire HD 10 tablet will get the job done for a lot less — especially since it’s currently on sale for Amazon Prime subscribers for an all-time low of $74.99 ($65 off) in its ad-supported base configuration.

The 2023 Fire HD 10 isn’t going to blow you away with an OLED display or a laundry list of premium features, though it is a step up from some of Amazon’s low-end models. The inexpensive tablet features a modest octa-core processor, support for up to 1TB of microSD card storage, and 3GB of RAM, the latter of which should allow for plenty of tabs and some light multitasking should you need it. On the outside, you’ll find 10.1-inch 1920 x 1200 display that’s surprisingly sharp for the price (so long as you’re not in direct sunlight), as well as a USB-C port for charging and a 3.5mm headphone jack for audio. The Alexa-enabled device is also compatible with Amazon’s detachable keyboard case ($49.99) and stylus ($34.99), though I’d argue neither of which is going to turn the budget tablet into a productivity machine.

Like all Fire tablets, the biggest drawback of the Fire HD 10 is that it requires you to spend an additional $15 to remove the lock screen ads and chains you to Amazon’s own Appstore — which is seriously lacking when compared to the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store. But, again, if all you want is to stream Prime Video content or read, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more capable tablet for the price.

An outage was preventing Amazon Kindle users from downloading both new and previously purchased books to their e-readers, as noted on Amazon’s support forums and Reddit, but the company says things should be resolved. “Yesterday, some Kindle customers experienced an issue that impacted their ability to download e-books. The issue was quickly resolved,” writes Amazon devices spokesperson Jackie Burke in an email sent to The Verge.

Good e-Reader reported the problem on Wednesday, noting a response from Amazon support at the time that said it was the result of “server issues” and that “it would be at least 48 hours before ebooks started downloading again, but it could be longer.”

In a post today on Amazon’s support forums, a staff member recommended that a person still seeing problems today should restart their device by holding down the power button for 40 seconds and try again.

The forum post included many reports of Kindles that were only able to download the title and cover art of books before the progress indicator got stuck at 1 percent. The outage also seemed to affect downloading books from Overdrive to Kindle devices using Libby. However, downloading books to the iOS and Android Amazon Kindle apps is not affected.

This latest issue comes a week after several Kindle users on Reddit reported a problem with Amazon’s “Send to Kindle” feature, which allows ebooks and documents to be sideloaded onto the e-readers without having to plug them into a computer. Some users received error messages telling them their files “could not be delivered due to a service error,” while other users in the thread were still seeing problems with the service earlier this week.

Update, July 4th: Added statement from Amazon and updated to note the issue has been resolved.

Google’s upcoming Pixel 9 lineup will reportedly feature a faster, more reliable ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, according to Android Authority. It would replace the optical under-display fingerprint sensor that Google introduced on the Pixel 6 with the newer technology that’s capable of reading even wet or oily fingerprints.

The switch could also address some of the widespread issues that users have experienced when trying to unlock their Pixel devices, with some people saying that light levels and finger dryness can impact the reliability of the previous optical reader. Optical scanners are the oldest method of reading fingerprints. They work by flashing light against the user’s finger and then visually detecting patterns and ridges on the surface — meaning any changes like dirt or blemishes can interfere with the process.

By contrast, ultrasonic sensors read fingerprints with greater accuracy by bouncing ultrasonic pulses off of them, which also spares users from being blinded if they need to unlock their phones at night. According to the reliable leaker Kamila Wojciechowska, the Pixel 9 will use Qualcomm’s 3D Sonic Gen 2 (QFS4008), the same model found on the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.