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Sonos soundbars and speakers are up to $250 off for the Super Bowl

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Sonos soundbars and speakers are up to 0 off for the Super Bowl

I would have preferred any other Super Bowl matchup than another showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, but the world doesn’t revolve around me. Regardless, I love a good championship football game, especially one enhanced by an immersive sound system. If you’re in need of a home theater audio upgrade yourself, Sonos might be the play, as it’s offering up to $250 off its connected soundbars and speakers through February 8th.

The Sonos Arc, for example, is on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart starting at just $649 ($250 off) right now, which is the lowest price we’ve seen on the high-end soundbar. It was the most impressive soundbar in the Sonos lineup before the Sonos Arc Ultra showed up. Although it doesn’t have the expanded soundstage offered by the Ultra’s extra virtual channels and Sound Motion tech, it’s still terrific as a standalone Dolby Atmos soundbar with eight woofers, two tweeters, and two upfiring speakers. It supports Apple’s AirPlay 2 and does the Sonos trick of offering voice-activated control using Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, too.

The Arc could still use a bit of bass help, though, assuming you want to get the most out of movies and games after the final whistle blows. You can get that by pairing it with a Sonos Sub Mini, which is matching its all-time of $343 ($86 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Sonos’ online storefront right now. It’s a compact wireless subwoofer that should be much easier to find space for in tighter home theaters than the fourth-gen Sonos Sub. The latter is bigger and more powerful, but also pretty expensive. Thankfully, it’s available for $679 ($120 off) from Sonos as part of the company’s ongoing Super Bowl promo.

If these pairings would stretch your budget too much, Sonos also makes several budget-friendly soundbars. The second-gen Sonos Beam is available for $399 ($100 off) from Amazon, Best Buy, and Sonos, which is $30 more than its lowest price to date. It’s more compact than the Arc, but still offers good sound, an eARC HDMI port, and support for Dolby Atmos with virtualized surround sound channels (though, no up-firing Atmos speakers).

Amazon, Best Buy, and Sonos are also discounting the entry-level Sonos Ray to $179, which is $100 off and $30 more than its all-time low. It can’t match the sound coming out of the Sonos Arc or the latest Beam, but it’ll surely trump what most TVs can output. Plus, at 22 inches wide, it’s the ideal size if your entertainment center doesn’t have much space. That said, you’ll need an optical cable for audio from your TV as it doesn’t have an HDMI eARC port like the other soundbars do.

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If you prefer a smart speaker over a soundbar, the Sonos Era 100 is also currently matching the record low of $199 ($50 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Sonos’ online storefront. With a pair, you can add rear surround sound to make it feel as though you’re in the stands hearing cheers and jeers. That said, the Era 100 doesn’t support Dolby Atmos like the beefier Sonos Era 300 does. The latter is the only Atmos-supporting Sonos speaker, and it also happens to be on sale for an all-time low of $359.99 (about $89 off) at Best Buy.

The Era 100 does well on its own as an all-around music speaker, though. Like the Era 300, it offers both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, AirPlay 2 support, and Amazon Alexa compatibility (with a dedicated switch to disable the microphone). It also supports Sonos’ handy Trueplay tuning feature and USB-C line-in, which lets you connect wired devices using an optional 3.5mm to USB-C adapter.

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Microsoft says it’s recovering after Azure outage took down 365, Xbox, and Starbucks

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Microsoft says it’s recovering after Azure outage took down 365, Xbox, and Starbucks

Starting at approximately 16:00 UTC on 29 October 2025, customers and Microsoft services leveraging Azure Front Door (AFD) may have experienced latencies, timeouts, and errors. We have confirmed that an inadvertent configuration change was the trigger event for this issue.

Affected Azure services may have included, but were not limited to:

App Service, Azure Active Directory B2C, Azure Communication Services, Azure Databricks, Azure Healthcare APIs, Azure Maps, Azure Portal, Azure SQL Database, Azure Virtual Desktop, Container Registry, Media Services, Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management, Microsoft Entra ID (Mobility Management Policy Service, Identity & Access Management, and User Management UX), Microsoft Purview, Microsoft Sentinel (Threat Intelligence), and Video Indexer.

The AFD service is now operating above 98% availability. While the majority of customers and services are mitigated or seeing strong improvement across affected regions, we are continuing to work on tail-end recovery for remaining impacted customers and services. We have revised our mitigation time and are currently tracking toward full mitigation by 00:40 UTC on 30 October 2025, though we will communicate if mitigation is achieved sooner.

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AI truck system matches top human drivers in massive safety showdown with perfect scores

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AI truck system matches top human drivers in massive safety showdown with perfect scores

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

A new safety evaluation shows the Kodiak Driver, an autonomous system from Kodiak AI, tied for the top safety score among more than 1,000 commercial fleets run by human drivers. The evaluation came from Nauto, Inc., creator of the Visually Enhanced Risk Assessment, or VERA Score. This system uses AI to measure fleet safety on a scale of 1 to 100.

The Kodiak Driver earned a remarkable score of 98. That result placed it beside the safest human fleets in Nauto’s global network. The findings sparked discussion across the trucking industry and raised new questions about the role of automation in freight transport.

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WILL AUTONOMOUS TRUCKS REPLACE DRIVERS BY 2027?

The Kodiak Driver, an autonomous trucking system powered by AI, earned a top VERA Score of 98 in a new safety evaluation. (Kodiak)

Kodiak Driver’s autonomous truck safety evaluation results

Kodiak’s VERA Score of 98 matched the highest rating among all fleets evaluated. Fleets with Nauto’s safety technology average a score of 78, while those without the technology average only 63.

The Kodiak Driver achieved perfect scores of 100 in inattentive driving, high-risk driving and traffic violations. Its lowest score, 95, came in aggressive driving. The VERA Score combines over 20 vision-based AI variables into one clear safety rating.

Nauto found that every 10-point increase in VERA Score cuts collision risk by about 21%. A near-perfect score like Kodiak’s represents a strong improvement over typical human performance on the road.

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The strong results didn’t come as a surprise to Kodiak’s leadership. Don Burnette, founder and CEO of Kodiak, told CyberGuy: “Achieving the top safety score among more than 1,000 commercial fleets in Nauto’s Visually Enhanced Risk Assessment (VERA Score®) proprietary safety benchmark is a testament to the Kodiak’s focus on safety. Safety is at the foundation of everything Kodiak builds. Our core value is ‘safety first and always.’ We believe independent safety evaluations like Nauto’s help to validate what we already know: the Kodiak Driver is already among the safest drivers on American highways. They also help to establish and build public awareness around how safe our technology truly is.”

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The growing impact of AI on truck driving safety

Nauto equipped the trucks with advanced monitoring and hazard detection systems. These tools track both the driving environment and vehicle behavior in real time. Removing human factors such as distraction, fatigue and delayed reaction directly improves safety.

Burnette said in a company statement that the system “is never drowsy, never drunk, and always paying attention.” That constant awareness allows the Kodiak Driver to operate defensively and predictably, two traits linked to safe driving.

The VERA Score also gives fleets a consistent way to measure safety. Companies can now shift from reacting to crashes to preventing them.

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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration data support the trend. U.S. commercial truck crashes dropped from more than 124,000 in 2024 to roughly 104,000 this year. Fewer crashes mean fewer fatalities and safer highways overall.

A red Kodiak self-driving semi-truck drives on a highway under a blue sky near an exit sign.

Kodiak’s self-driving trucks combine AI vision and real-time data to reduce risky behavior and improve on-road performance. (Kodiak)

THE ROAD TO PROSPERITY WILL BE PAVED BY AUTONOMOUS TRUCKING

Concerns about autonomous truck safety

Not everyone is ready to hand over the wheel to artificial intelligence. Some industry experts point out that while systems like the Kodiak Driver perform well in controlled evaluations, real-world roads can still pose unpredictable challenges. Weather, human drivers and mechanical issues remain complex variables for autonomous systems to manage.

Others worry about the impact on jobs. As AI takes on more driving responsibilities, professional drivers wonder what the shift will mean for employment and pay across the trucking industry.

Safety advocates also call for clearer regulations and public transparency.

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Even supporters of the technology agree that continued oversight, testing and gradual rollout are essential. Progress is promising, but trust takes time.

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What this means for you

If you work in logistics, fleet management or transportation tech, this news hits close to home. The Kodiak Driver’s near-perfect score proves that autonomous systems aren’t just catching up to human drivers; they’re starting to edge ahead in safety.

Businesses could see big gains. AI-powered safety tools help cut liability, lower costs and keep fleets running smoothly. The technology doesn’t need rest breaks or reminders to stay focused, which makes every mile more efficient.

Regulators are also paying attention. Verified data like this builds trust and clears the way for safer, wider use of autonomous trucks. It’s proof that technology can deliver real-world safety, not just promise it.

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Drivers on everyday roads benefit too. Fewer crashes mean safer highways and more reliable deliveries. When trucks drive smarter, everyone shares the reward. Human drivers aren’t going anywhere soon, but AI is quickly becoming their most reliable partner. It helps prevent fatigue, distraction and those risky split-second decisions that lead to trouble.

A semi truck on a road

AI-driven fleets are proving that technology and human expertise can work together to make highways safer for everyone. (PlusAI)

TESLA’S SELF-DRIVING CARS UNDER FIRE AGAIN

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Kurt’s key takeaways

This study marks a major step in redefining what safe driving means. An autonomous system equaling the best human fleets signals that automation is moving from theory to reality. Still, the shift raises questions. How soon will public trust catch up with technology? Can regulations evolve fast enough to support widespread adoption? Will drivers adapt to sharing the road with machines that never tire or lose focus? What remains certain is that safety innovation is transforming transportation. Autonomous systems like the Kodiak Driver are proving that technology and safety can move forward together.

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So here’s something to think about: If AI-driven trucks already match the safest human fleets, are we ready to let them take the wheel on our highways? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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Withings’ urine scanning health tracker is now available for $350

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Withings’ urine scanning health tracker is now available for 0

Withings first announced its U-Scan, a non-invasive device you install in your toilet to track various health metrics, at CES 2023 two years ago. Unlike Kohler’s Dekoda, which uses a camera to analyze your poop, the U-Scan detects and samples your urine, tests it using replaceable cartridges, and sends the results to the Withings app, where you’ll get tips on how to improve your health if needed.

The device is finally launching in the US and Europe today with two different cartridges. The U-Scan Nutrio monitors nutrition by measuring four urinary biomarkers — including hydration, ketones, and vitamin C — while the U-Scan Calci tracks parameters such as calcium levels to monitor kidney health and the potential for developing kidney stones. The cartridge for tracking reproductive health that was announced alongside the U-Scan at CES 2023 won’t be available at launch, and while the device was originally waiting for FDA clearance, Withings now classifies it as a “wellness product,” so clearance isn’t necessary.

Pricing starts at $349.95 for the Proactive option, which includes the U-Scan itself, a charging and cleaning station, access to the Withings Plus service, and a single Nutrio or Calci cartridge with 22 tests that will last up to three months with just two weekly measurements. The $429.95 Intensive option instead includes two cartridges and 44 tests, facilitating more tests per week. Replacement cartridges, which can be shipped regularly as part of a subscription plan, are $99.95 each or $179.95 a pair.

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