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 Amazon on Tuesday unveiled Amp, a new app that makes DJs of users’ own radio shows, as a growing number of companies jump into the live audio space. Demand for the services surged during the pandemic, and tech companies have raced to launch features to capitalize on the trend. Audio app Clubhouse last year spurred attention and investments from Silicon Valley, while Twitter, Facebook, Spotify and Discord feature content around live conversations. It’s not the first live-content play for Amazon, which owns livestreaming subsidiary Twitch and through Audible has beefed up its podcast library. Amp could provide additional content for users to access through Echo smart speakers, and it could potentially give a boost to the company’s fast-growing advertising business.

 Amazon has signed up popular artists including Nicki Minaj, Pusha T and Tinashe, as well as social media influencers and radio hosts, to create content for the app, the company said. The app is currently available for iPhone in beta, which requires an invitation to join, but people can sign up to join a waiting list for access. Apple’s new Mac Studio computer goes on sale on Friday. I’ve been testing it for over a week, and it’s a good pick for video and photo professionals for whom cost is no issue and who want a Mac desktop that will be able to handle anything thrown at it for years. But, with a starting price of $1,999 that doesn’t include a screen, it’s not the computer for people who just want to browse the web and watch Netflix. They’re better served by the $699 Mac Mini.

 More cost-sensitive buyers who don’t need all the power of the Mac Studio should consider a Mac Mini if they need a desktop computer, or a MacBook Air laptop, which is more portable and can easily power a desktop experience with a compatible monitor, such as the Studio Display, which is a solid option if you want a 5K screen with good speakers and a great webcam. Apple’s new $599 iPad Air launches on Friday. I’ve been testing it for the past several days and think it’s the best iPad for most people. It’s more powerful and is better than the regular $329 iPad in almost every way, the best mix of features and price for people who want to play the latest games and do some video and image editing. But power users may be disappointed by the skimpy 64GB of storage in the base model and could find that the $799 entry-level iPad Pro is a better deal.

 But, if Apple adds an always-on display to its next iPhone, it will allow you to just glance over at your new lock screen on your phone while it’s sitting on your desk. That’s something Samsung, Google and other Android phone makers have been including for years. Apple has been resistant to adding that option, perhaps to instead focus on longer battery life. An always-on display can slowly sap battery, even if the screen is much dimmer. TechGuide provides actionable information to help readers make data-driven decisions on the best tech-related educational and career opportunities.

 From medicine to entertainment and from school to sports, technology is changing how we live and how we relate. It is also changing the way we work — and where we work. TechGuide is a culmination of research, writing, interviewing, and personal experiences gleaned from experts in the field. The site references papers and journals as much as it will reference years of experience of people that have gone through degree programs, bootcamps, certification courses — all to land a first job in tech, or level-up their career.

 All of this points to one of the most interesting corners of the Apple ecosystem — a growing suite of financial products within the Wallet app. Many of these features aren’t designed to make money for Apple directly, but they do make Apple Pay more attractive for people who haven’t tried it yet. (Apple takes a tiny percentage of every Apple Pay transaction, so the more people using it, the better it is for Apple.) Like most major new iOS features, it’s also another mechanism to keep customers locked into Apple’s ecosystem and upgrading to a new iPhone when they’re ready. But Apple’s new Wallet features are also coming at a time of great economic uncertainty. Inflation is still going wild. Gas prices continue to hit record highs. And there are plenty of very real fears about an upcoming recession. It could be a tough time for Apple to launch a new product designed to get people to buy more stuff if those trends persist throughout the year.

 The iPhone SE isn’t really made for power users, and that shows in the battery life. It’ll get you through a day if you’re making phone calls and surfing the web, but don’t expect it to last all day if you’re doing a ton of gaming or more processor-intensive tasks. It looks the same as the iPhone SE from 2020, which looked the same as the iPhone 8 from 2017. It does look dated, and there are lots of phones with nicer screens that reach the top and bottom of the phone. The screen is adequate, but won’t wow you like the brighter and faster screens on Apple’s more expensive phones.

 Finally, while it’s not as water-resistant as Apple’s other iPhones, it can still survive a dunk in the bath or a spill without any worry, and has the same strong glass as other iPhones to help prevent shattering if you drop it. It doesn’t feel cheap like some low-cost Android phones, which often use plastic instead of glass and metal.

 We got our first look at games like Aliens Dark Descent, Fort Solis, Routine, Stormgate, Goat Simulator 3, Midnight Fight Express, One Piece Odyssey, Honkai Starrail and several others. Though many of these games are of the indie variety, it's good to see we're getting some new titles in what has been an otherwise dry year for gaming. While Summer Game Fest 2022 had its fair share of commercials (did we really need to see a trailer for Black Adam during a games show?), the ads didn't feel as blatant as they have in years past. Most of the focus was on game trailers and announcements. And even obvious commercials like the one for Mario Strikers: Battle League were tolerable since they at least announced new games or add-ons.

 On the fintech side, however, Apple is building a foundation to provide a boost to its payments business by layering more functions into Apply Pay and Wallet beyond just using your iPhone, instead of your credit card, to pay for things. And because of Apple’s scale with more than a billion devices in use, a lot more people are about to be exposed to these products. Apple recently announced its new iPhone software, iOS 16, during its developers conference. The new lock screen customization options suggest that at least one of this year’s new iPhones will get a feature Android phones have had for years: an always-on display.

 This project is an ever-expanding look at what kinds of opportunities are available today, and how to best prepare for what is coming tomorrow. We hope you find it useful. Whether you're new to computer science or an experienced coder, there’s something for you here in Google’s Tech Dev Guide. We’ve carefully curated materials from various sources, including some made by Google, that you can use to grow your technical skills, supplement your coursework, and prepare for interviews.

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 It’s got the same body design as the iPhone 8 from 2017, which looks a bit out of date but also means it’s the only iPhone you can still buy with a fingerprint-reading home button instead of Apple’s Face ID unlock system, which is only now getting support for face masks. I love the size. I normally carry Apple’s much bigger iPhone 13 Pro Max, which feels a bit like a brick next to the iPhone SE. I’d turn to the iPhone SE to toss in my pocket for a run, and it was a lot easier to use to watch movies with one hand while lying down without worrying about it dropping on my face. The stereo speakers are good, too. But if you have the budget, the iPhone 13 Mini is the same size with a way better screen, slightly longer battery life, and nicer cameras.

 The key to the transition was Apple’s move to dump Intel chips for its own silicon. Apple has succeeded here — I do not recommend Macs with an Intel processor, such as the Mac Pro or some Mac Mini models, because they are getting dated and won’t last as long. The Mac Studio is a new slot in Apple’s lineup for creative pros who are charging the computer to their company, or for people who want the fastest Mac available and don’t care how much it costs. Reminder, you’re spending $1,999 before you even add in the $1,599 screen. Combined, you’re spending $3,598 before taxes. But you know what you’re getting if you spend that much, and I think you’ll like it.

 If you've recently joined the ranks of Apple fandom, make sure to take advantage of all the intricacies of your Macbook Pro, iMac, or Mac Mini with these tutorials on new Apple features and connecting to USD's network: What if you prefer your Apple products a little more mobile? Here are a few basic tutorials to make sure you have full network connectivity on your Apple mobile device, and a few others to help you make the most of these amazing pieces of technology: As appreciators of diversity, we recognize that not all mobile devices are the same, which is why we've included a series of tutorials and FAQs for Android and other non-Apple mobile devices. If you're one of the many who values the customization, versatility, and cost-efficiency of Android mobile devices, these tutorials will help you both with connecting to USD's network and acclimating to the learning curve of Android:

 But the selling point for Mac Studio is not its design: It’s the speed, and in particular, the performance of its Apple silicon chip. I tested a $3,199 version of the Mac Studio with 64 gigabytes of RAM and 2 terabytes of storage space powered by an M1 Max processor with a 10-core CPU and a 32-core GPU. Upgraded versions can include an even more powerful M1 Ultra chip. I was able to load and edit high-resolution video in Final Cut Pro quickly and could instantly batch edit dozens of photos in Lightroom. It can render complicated 3D environments and images, in professional apps such as Houdini FX, which requires more performance than 2D video. Everything was speedy, and I’m confident the chip can perform this kind of work for years.

 Amp allows users to launch their own live show, where callers can join and request to speak. Hosts can play music in real time with their audience, as well as preplan and schedule their shows. DJs can choose from a library of millions of songs licensed by Amazon. The company said in a blog post that Amp gives users the chance to “reimagine radio.” “Amp infuses what listeners love about radio with what’s made possible by today’s technology,” John Ciancutti, vice president of Amp, said in the post. “People are looking for an evolution in how they discover and share music; Amp is reinventing how fans can go deeper into the experience of live audio, while giving the millions of people creating and sharing playlists today a new way to turn their love of music into live shows.”

 The M1 chip gives you the option to do a lot more than you can with the regular iPad. You can edit photos and videos faster in apps such as Adobe Photoshop or LumaFusion or play all of the latest games, including some that don’t run on the regular iPad, such as “Divinity: Original Sin 2.” I own the regular iPad Pro and didn’t notice any performance difference in using the more affordable iPad Air. I think of the M1 chip as future-proofing more than anything else, though, since there’s enough power here to run the latest apps for years. Center Stage was first introduced on the iPad Pro last year and has since made its way to the regular iPad, but it’s one of my favorite new features in Apple’s tablets. It helps keep you in the frame during video calls, which means you can move back and forth around the room while chatting on FaceTime and the camera will follow you. I love using it for video chats with my toddler and his grandparents because it helps keep him in the frame as he bounces around the room.