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SpaceX is gearing up for the 11th flight test of its Starship megarocket, which will launch from its Starbase in Texas as early as Monday. The launch window opens on October 13 at 7:15PM ET. You'll be able to watch live starting 30 minutes before liftoff on the SpaceX website and on X.Starship's latest flight follows a successful test at the end of August, during which it deployed a payload - eight dummy Starlink satellites - in space for the first time following a failed attempt earlier in the year. The company is aiming to carry out another payload demonstration for flight 11, again using eight Starlink simulators. For this flight, SpaceX is using a previously flown Super Heavy booster, with 24 of its 33 Raptor engines being flight-proven. The goals this time around include "flight experiments gathering data for the next generation Super Heavy booster, stress-testing Starship's heatshield, and demonstrating maneuvers that will mimic the upper stage's final approach for a future return to launch site."SpaceX won't attempt to catch Super Heavy in its "chopsticks" back at the launch site this time. The booster is instead expected to end up in the Gulf of Mexico, while Starship will splash down in the Indian Ocean.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/spacex-will-attempt-starships-11th-flight-test-on-monday-204237829.html?src=rss

We can finally answer the question of who wins in a fight between prime Aang and prime Korra. Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game, which is a working title, was announced at New York Comic Con and already has a release date of summer 2026. The developer, Gameplay Group International, revealed a trailer with some "pre-alpha footage" that resembles Street Fighter but with our favorite characters from the Avatar franchise.According to the Steam page, the game will offer 12 characters at launch and introduce more on a seasonal basis. While the gameplay still looks like a rough draft, the developer has already detailed a unique fighting system, which includes a "flow system" and support characters that enable special moves. Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game will also have the "energy of classic fighting games" and was made with a focus on "fluidity, responsiveness, and online integrity." Along with combo trials and a gallery mode, the game will have crossplay and be available on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X and S, Nintendo Switch 2 and Steam.For those not passionate about fighting games,the upcoming release will also feature some original content through its single-player campaign. Alternatively, you can wait for Paramount's "AAA RPG" based on the cartoon with no concrete release date. As for Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game, there's a lot of promise here with the franchise's diverse cast of characters and the developer's experience with other fighting games. At the very least, it's not the same developer that gave us the very forgettable Avatar: The Last Airbender - Quest for Balance game.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/an-avatar-fighting-game-is-coming-out-in-summer-2026-191008728.html?src=rss

Just about a month after being accused of using pirated books to train its AI, Apple is facing another similar proposed class action lawsuit. As first reported by Bloomberg Law, two neuroscience professors from SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn, NY, claimed that Apple used their "registered works without authorization." The neuroscientists, Susana Martinez-Conde and Stephen Macknik, said Apple trained its AI models using "shadow libraries" and "web-crawling software" that provide access to pirated, copyrighted books, including two of their own.In the previous class action lawsuit, a separate pair of authors also alleged that Apple committed copyright infringement when using published works to train Apple Intelligence models without consent. Apple isn't the only tech giant facing copyright lawsuits related to its AI, as OpenAI is in a similar situation after being sued by The New York Times for similar accusations. While these AI models are relatively new, there's already a case that may have set some precedent. Earlier this year, Anthropic settled a class action lawsuit by agreeing to pay $1.5 billion to 500,000 authors involved in the case, which revolved around copyright claims.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/apple-hit-with-another-class-action-lawsuit-for-alleged-copyright-infringement-175242922.html?src=rss

We may only be a few days away from the big reveal of Apple's latest chips. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is getting ready to release its October lineup of new products powered by the M5 chip as soon as this week. In the latest Power On newsletter, Gurman expects announcements for an upgraded iPad Pro, a refreshed Vision Pro with a revamped strap, and the new base model MacBook Pro, all of which will come with the latest Apple silicon.Previously, the expected launch for the M5 MacBook Pro flip-flopped between early next year and its typical fall release. Gurman previously reported that Apple was targeting an early 2026 release for the upgraded MacBook Pro, but more recently revealed that the company was "nearing mass production" for its laptops.Gurman referenced another hint that the entry-level M5 MacBook Pro is on the way, since Apple stores are running low on their M4 MacBook Pro stock, but still have enough inventory with the M4 Pro or M4 Max options. Gurman also noted in a previous edition of his newsletter that the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips wouldn't be "ready in volume" until early next year. As for the October releases, we're not expecting another event like Apple did with its iPhone 17 reveal. Instead, Apple will likely reveal its remaining fall lineup with online announcements, like it did with the current MacBook Pro in October of last year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/the-first-products-with-apples-m5-chip-could-make-their-debut-this-week-163149688.html?src=rss

It seems to be the end of the road for Apple's Clips app. The company said on a support page that it has stopped updating the video-editing app, and new users can no longer download it from the App Store. Existing users on iOS and iPadOS will continue to have access for the time being, but the company hasn't said how long that will last. "If you previously downloaded the Clips app, you can still redownload it from your Apple account in the App Store," the support page notes.Clips was introduced in 2017 and offers a host of editing tools geared toward creating videos for social media. But Clips never really caught on, and many of the features it boasts are pretty much standard fare on the social apps now. Apple has recommended that Clips users save their videos to their photo libraries or elsewhere, so if you are one of the few users hanging on, you should probably go ahead and do that before it's too late.

The controversial preservation order requiring OpenAI to indefinitely keep records of its ChatGPT data has been terminated. Federal judge Ona T. Wang filed a new order on October 9 that frees OpenAI of an obligation to "preserve and segregate all output log data that would otherwise be deleted on a going forward basis."The case kicked off in late 2023, with the New York Times suing OpenAI for copyright infringement, alleging that the AI giant trained its models with the news outlet's intellectual property without proper compensation. In May of this year, OpenAI was ordered to retain all of its chat logs so that the NYT could investigate claims of copyright violation. In response, OpenAI appealed the court order, arguing that the preservation order was an "overreach" and risks its users' privacy.However, this latest decision means the AI giant no longer has to preserve chat logs as of September 26, except for some. The judge in the case said that any chat logs already saved under the previous order would still be accessible and that OpenAI is required to hold on to any data related to ChatGPT accounts that have been flagged by the NYT. Moving forward, the NYT is allowed to expand the number of flagged users, as it continues to comb through OpenAI's preserved records.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-no-longer-has-to-preserve-all-of-its-chatgpt-data-with-some-exceptions-192422093.html?src=rss

After remaking every Game Boy model imaginable, Anbernic is ready to take on the next frontier of classic gaming handhelds: the Nintendo DS. In its usual drip-feed fashion, the handheld maker released a teaser video revealing the Anbernic RG DS. The company didn't offer many details for its Nintendo DS clone, but announced that it would cost less than $100.That price tag isn't surprising for anyone who's been following Anbernic's recipe of recreating iconic handhelds at an affordable price point. However, it's still an attractive price point that's even cheaper than the Nintendo DS' original MSRP of $149.99. Beyond price, Anbernic hinted at a possible new chip and showed off four colorways, including black/red, teal, white and transparent.AnbernicAnbernic hasn't announced a release date yet, but the company often starts selling its devices shortly after the first reveal video. Once available, the Anbernic RG DS will compete against the more premium Ayn Thor that starts at $250. It's important to note that Anbernic paused shipments from its Chinese warehouses to US customers in April following the tariff changes, meaning American buyers were limited to Anbernic's US stock. The previous notice has since been removed, but the Trump administration recently announced another retaliatory tariff on all Chinese goods.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/anbernics-modern-day-nintendo-ds-dupe-is-cheaper-than-the-original-174405199.html?src=rss

One of the most affordable EVs in America, the Chevrolet Bolt, has made its long-awaited comeback. After discontinuing the Bolt in 2023, the American automaker has refreshed the popular EV with a 2027 model that has some key upgrades. Chevy said the new Bolt will be available at dealerships in the first quarter of 2026, starting with a comfort trim that goes for at least $29,990. The updated Bolt will get even cheaper in the coming months when Chevy releases an LT base model that starts at $28,995.That price tag offers an upgraded EV with an estimated range of 255 miles and peak charging speeds of up to 150kW. According to Chevy, the new Bolt can charge 2.5x faster than the previous model, which often saw complaints about charging speed. Now with a new LFP battery, the 2027 Bolt can charge from 10 to 80 percent in 26 minutes and has access to both DC fast charging and Tesla's Supercharger network thanks to a native NACS port. Along with an 11-inch driver display, the Chevy Bolt is built with an 11.3-inch infotainment display that can handle navigation, music, and entertainment with Google built-in. Notably, the refreshed Bolt doesn't have Apple CarPlay compatibility, even though previous models did.ChevroletWhile Chevy revived the Bolt, it returns as a "limited run model." The carmaker said in a statement that it "moved quickly to retain the nameplate in our portfolio for a little longer, after hearing feedback from ending production," and added that the "Bolt will be available for a limited time...as one of our highest volume EVs at Chevrolet."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/the-beloved-chevrolet-bolt-is-back-but-only-for-a-limited-run-161552328.html?src=rss

You'll get access to Windows 10 a little longer by doing this. (Getty Images)You've known it for a while: Microsoft has determined that it's moving Windows 10 to "end of life" status starting on October 14. That means while Windows 10 PCs will continue to work after that date, they'll stop getting important security updates by default. That leaves you with three choices if you want to make sure your computer remains secure:

Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. Some gorgeous new games arrived this week, and we've got some demos and reveals from upcoming projects to take a look at.Later this month, Lorelai and the Laser Eyes studio Simogo is going to celebrate its 15th anniversary with some news and surprises. Perhaps the developer is porting some of its earlier games to more platforms. I'm hoping that we'll learn about Simogo's next game as well.I'm not holding out hope for a sequel to Sayonara Wild Hearts, which is my favorite game of all time depending on the day you ask me (on other days, it's The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, FYI). However, if Simogo announces a live concert of music from the game, I'm going to do my damndest to be there. I'll be tuning in on October 28 to learn what the studio has for me us in any case.Speaking of showcases, Entalto Publishing and developer GGTech ran one of their own this week. The Out of Bounds event shone a spotlight on a dozen indie games, spanning a breadth of genres.Also, a quick reminder that the latest Steam Next Fest starts at 1PM ET on Monday, October 13. As always, the week-long event will have tons of demos for you to check out. It's always worth trying a bunch of them. You never know, you might end up being one of the first few folks to play the next Balatro, Manor Lords or Deep Rock Galactic Survivor.New releasesAbsolum is a beat-'em-up from the folks behind Streets of Rage 4. It's the first original IP from Dotemu, which has found success with the likes of the terrific Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge. It co-developed this game with Guard Crush Games and Supamonks. The art and animation from the latter looks absolutely divine.You can play Absolum solo or with a friend. Since it's a roguelite, you'll gain upgrades to bolster your character on each run while earning experience that goes toward permanent progression. There are multiple paths to explore, so the replayability factor seems strong here. Engadget senior reporter Igor Bonifacic spent some time with Absolum this summer and was impressed by it. The game received strong reviews this week too.Absolum is out now on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PS4 and PS5. Dotemu also has another beat-'em-up, Marvel Cosmic Invasion, coming soon.A few reviews I've read for Bye Sweet Carole (which are fairly mixed) dinged it for having clunky controls and some other quality-of-life problems, such as getting softlocked while trying to complete puzzles. I hope Little Sewing Machine can iron out those issues since the presentation of this game is quite something. It looks like an early-'90s animated movie, with hand-drawn animations and, seemingly, a soundtrack to match.Bye Sweet Carole is a 2D horror-platformer from publisher Maximum Entertainment in which you play as a young girl trying to find her best friend, who disappeared from an orphanage. It's out now on PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch and Xbox Series X/S.Want to see another new game with a unique look that makes it stand out from the crowd? Of course you do.Exploration action game Dreams of Another - which landed on PS5, PS VR2 and Steam this week - sees you creating the environment in a dream-like world by shooting at it. Director Baiyon (PixelJunk Eden) and the team at Q-Games used point cloud rendering technology to create the unusual, but captivating visuals. Dunno why they felt the need to put a clown in this game though. Clowns are rotten things.Dreams of Another arrived on the same day that Q-Games' PixelJunk Eden 2 hit PS4, PS5 and Steam (it's coming to Epic Games Store as well). That game debuted on Nintendo Switch in 2020.Here's yet another lovely-looking project, and this time it's a pixel-art game from Teenage Astronauts and publisher No More Robots. In Little Rocket Lab, you play as aspiring engineer Morgan, who sets out to build factories with the aim of achieving her family's dream of making a rocket ship.It's more build a rocket, girl, than Build A Rocket Boy.This is a blend of a factory builder and life sim, and it looks rather charming. Little Rocket Lab has touched down on Steam and Xbox. It's on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.On the subject of pixel-art games, I couldn't not include one that came out this week from a developer based in my hometown. Cairn: Mathair's Curse is a turn-based RPG. It's set in the early 2000s in the Scottish Highlands and it sees a young lad and his mates dealing with the aftermath of a cult casting an ancient curse on their home.Solo developer Ross McRitchie spent five years making Cairn: Mathair's Curse and his partner, Christine, composed the Celtic soundtrack. It's said to have plenty of Scottish humor, which speaks to me. The game, which Steam reviews have likened to EarthBound, is out on Steam now.UpcomingI'm looking forward to checking out Blackwood, which is slated to hit Steam in the second half of 2026. It has a pretty great pitch:

Instagram head Adam Mosseri has announced that as part of a test, some Instagram users will be able to try a new menu bar in the app with a different arrangement of tabs. Notably, the new menu bar has dedicated tabs for both Reels and DMs, two of the app's most popular features.If you opt-in to the test, Instagram's current tabs for your feed, search, creating a new post, Reels and your profile page will be replaced by a new layout that swaps search and Reels, and switches the dedicated tab for creating a post with a new one for DMs. Meta's test also makes it possible to swipe between tabs. Mosseri's post announcing the test acknowledges that these kinds of changes "can take time to get used to," which is why the new layout is optional for now. Based on recent announcements though, it's clear Meta has wanted to move in this direction for a bit. Setting aside the long-awaited iPad version of Instagram defaulting to Reels, the company has also said publicly it plans to prioritize messaging and short-form videos moving forward. It even tested a similar Instagram tab redesign with Indian users in early October, where the default tab was Reels and the second tab was DMs."Reels and DMs have driven most all our growth at Instagram over the last few years, so we are exploring making them the first two tabs," Mosseri said at the time. Users who joined Instagram when it was an app for sharing photos might be uncomfortable with its slow drift away from photography, but the shift is reflective of Meta's decision to chase larger social media trends.As posting has become more professionalized, chatting and sharing privately has become more popular. If you take Meta at its word, Instagram is increasingly an app for consuming content made by people you don't know, and then talking about it in private group chats with friends. This test just reflects that reality more accurately.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/instagram-tests-new-layout-that-puts-the-spotlight-on-reels-and-dms-215407062.html?src=rss

Apple is partnering with Spectrum SportsNet to stream select Los Angeles Lakers games directly to the Apple Vision Pro during the 2025-2026 basketball season. The games will be filmed in the Apple Immersive video format, the same VR-friendly filming style the company used to capture the Metallica concert film it released earlier this year.Beyond giving you a reason to blow the dust off your $3,500 Apple Vision Pro, watching the games in-headset will showcase "perspectives impossible to capture in traditional broadcasts," Apple claims. Live games will be limited to headset owners living in the Lakers' regional broadcast territory (Southern California, Hawaii and parts of southern Nevada) and will likely require a subscription to view, but Apple says the full replays and highlights will also be accessible in "select countries and regions from both the SportsNet and NBA apps." There's no schedule of games available yet, but Apple and Spectrum say they'll announce their final plans this fall, with the first games streaming early 2026.While the general consensus on the Vision Pro is that it makes for a great media consumption device, sports programming that takes advantage of its unique features has been largely missing. Apple makes it easy to watch things like Friday Night Baseball and Major League Soccer, but the NBA is the only mainstream sports league trying to offer an experience that's specific to the Vision Pro. Beyond playing live games, the NBA visionOS app can display real-time player stats, stream multiple games at once in multiview and show you a tabletop view of games, complete with a 3D court and tiny players.Now that Apple is reportedly prioritizing smart glasses over a lighter and cheaper version of the Vision Pro, the best thing the company can do is supply existing owners with new things to watch. Not everyone loves the Lakers, but if it opens the door to more live sports in the future, that's only a good thing.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/apple-is-bringing-live-nba-games-to-the-vision-pro-in-2026-184941594.html?src=rss

Cybersecurity firm Cleafy just issued a report warning against a rising malware called Klopatra, which infects personal devices by posing as a free VPN app called Mobdro Pro IP + VPN. This is the latest corroboration of a series of warnings delivered by Kaspersky security researchers in 2024 about the increasing number of malware apps pretending to be free VPNs - a warning that's more relevant than ever as VPN usage spikes in response to age-restriction laws.Mobdro is the name of a popular IPTV app that's been taken down by the Spanish government at least once, but the Mobdro Pro IP + VPN app appears to be unrelated, piggybacking on the name to use it as a malware vector. If you download the app, it guides you through what appears to be an installation wizard, but is actually the steps for handing over total control of your device. Once inside, Klopatra abuses accessibility services to pose as you, enter your banking apps, drain your accounts and assimilate your device into the botnet for further attacks.Cleafy believes that Klopatra has already roped around 3,000 devices into its botnet, mainly in Italy and Spain. Its report concludes that the group behind Klopatra is probably based in Turkey, and is actively refining its approach, incorporating innovations and changing with the times. Hence the use of a combined cord-cutting and free VPN app as a mask - it's perfect for exploiting rising frustrations with both streaming balkanization and government clampdowns on web freedom.According to Kaspersky, other free VPNs used as malware vectors in the past year include MaskVPN, PaladinVPN, ShineVPN, ShieldVPN, DewVPN and ProxyGate. With Klopatra's runaway success, Cleafy believes that imitators will spring up. App stores aren't always quick to take down implicated apps, so be very careful to vet any free VPN app before you download it. If you're not sure, you can always go with one of the free recommendations from our best VPN list (Proton VPN or hide.me).This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/vpn/malware-apps-posing-as-free-vpns-are-on-the-rise-175629088.html?src=rss

When Google announced the Pixel Watch 4, it made a point to mention that the smartwatch was "designed with serviceability in mind." Now that it's out, the repair experts at iFixit have taken a look and can confirm Google's claims. The how-to specialist site has called the Pixel Watch 4 the most repairable smartwatch you can buy right now. That's notable, as iFixit points out, because you'd probably expect a sustainability-oriented brand such as Fairphone or Framework to be getting this kind of recognition ahead of Google. (That said, the Fairphone 6 did recently receive a perfect 10/10 repairability review.) But iFixit said it was "truly impressed" with what owners can do to fix Google's latest wearable on their own.The first thing it highlights is the presence of visible screws that don't interfere with the watch's IP68 water and dust resistance rating. Both the vibration motor and battery are also easy to remove, the latter being glue-free and requiring you only to unscrew from its enclosure. As for the display, that's also secured by screws alone (spotting a pattern here yet?) and sealed using a replaceable O-ring gasket that you can easily purchase. iFixit notes that it's harder for square watches to use the same solution, so Google's decision to make the Pixel Watch 4 round boosts its repairability.At the end of its comprehensive video, iFixit awards Google a provisional rating of 9/10 for repairability, calling it "the most satisfying smartwatch teardown" it has performed to date. For transparency, the site points out that it does have an ongoing business partnership with Google, but insists it's completely unrelated to the teardown treatment it gives the Pixel Watch 4.Its perhaps surprising level of repairability isn't the only thing in the Pixel Watch 4's favor. In Engadget's 86/100 review of the device, Cherlynn Low also praised its rapid charging speeds, excellent health and fitness tracking credentials and attractive display.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/ifixit-says-the-pixel-watch-4-is-the-most-repairable-smartwatch-around-171242107.html?src=rss

Chrome is getting a new feature aimed at cutting back on notification overload. If enabled, Chrome can now revoke notification permission for websites that the user hasn't interacted with recently. It's a similar option to the automatic actions taken by Chrome's Safety Check for apps such as the camera or location information. The new feature will roll out to Chrome on both Android devices and on desktop.Chrome revoking notificationsThe browser will, ironically, notify you when a site is no longer going to send notifications. Once a site's permissions have been revoked, a user can re-enable them through Safety Check or by manually re-starting them from the site in question. If you don't want Chrome to ever take these actions for you, you can turn off the permissions revoking option completely.Right now, Google said less than 1 percent of all notifications get any interactions from users. According to the company's internal tests, it found that receiving fewer overall notifications meant people were more likely to click on the alerts they did receive.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/chrome-update-aims-to-automatically-turn-off-unwanted-notifications-170000844.html?src=rss

The FCC has submitted a proposal that would make it harder for consumers to receive itemized bills with accurate information from their ISPs, as spotted by The Verge. The draft would revise previous "unnecessary" requirements on the grounds that a fact-based list of charges "may confuse customers."This comes as a response to complaints by ISPs over a Biden-era transparency rule that went into effect back in 2024. Compliance with this rule mandates that ISPs make it easier for consumers to compare prices and avoid hidden fees. This typically comes in the form or something called a "nutrition label", which shows speeds, fees and data allowances for internet plans.The FCC is planning on examining ways to eliminate "any other label requirements that are unduly burdensome and provide minimal benefit to consumers." Getting an actual list of what we are paying $100 for each month doesn't seem like a minimal benefit to me.The regulatory agency isn't looking to ditch these nutrition labels entirely, at least not yet, but is seeking to eliminate the requirements to itemize location-based fees. "We propose to eliminate the requirement that providers itemize discretionary, recurring monthly fees that represent costs they choose to pass through to consumers and which vary by consumer location," the draft proposal said.It also targets requirements to make this data readily available to all consumers. The proposal has language that would stop forcing ISPs to make this information multi-lingual and to make it available both online and to customers on the phone. It also seeks to decouple these labels from customer account portals. We aren't sure where these nutrition labels would continue to live.FCC head Brendan Carr wrote a cheeky blog about the proposal that seemed more interested in discussing pumpkin spice lattes over ISP regulation. He said that the proposal seeks to "separate the wheat from the chaff" so that consumers can "get quick and easy access to the information they want and need to compare broadband plans." The language of the proposal seems to indicate the exact opposite of that sentiment, but that's politics for ya.A vote on the proposal is scheduled for October 28. This is all part of Carr's "Delete, Delete, Delete" initiative, which seeks to appease President Trump by removing as many government regulations as possible.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/the-fcc-is-trying-to-make-it-easier-for-internet-providers-to-charge-hidden-fees-155305720.html?src=rss

Ford is cutting the price of the 2026 F-150 Lightning by up to $4,000, as confirmed by the automaker to CarsDirect. The price cuts vary by trim, however, and will only apply to more expensive packages for the electric pickup truck. This comes as the $7,500 EV tax credit expired at the end of September.The 2026 model has a starting price of $63,345 for the STX trim, which is the same price as the previous year's entry-level XLT. The STX replaces the XLT and delivers 536 horsepower, up from the XLT's 452, and 290 miles of range, up from 240.The Flash edition will receive the full $4,000 price cut, giving it a new price of $65,995. The Lariat, originally priced at $76,995, will get just a $2,000 haircut and will sell for $74,995. The Platinum edition will be priced at $84,995 and will not cost less.This summer, Ford announced that it would release an affordable midsize all-electric pickup with a starting price of around $30,000 in 2027. The truck would be built on the company's upcoming Ford Universal EV Platform that will be shared by a new family of products. These models would use Ford's upcoming prismatic LFP batteries.As EV-related tax incentives continue to expire, manufacturers will need to reach into their own pockets to deliver value to consumers. This week Tesla announced the Model 3 and Model Y 'Standard' editions, which give up some luxury touches in exchange for price, with both starting at under $40,000. Inflation has also played a large role in car pricing over the last five years, as $40,000 has roughly the same purchasing power as $32,000 in 2020.Ford recently walked back a program that would have enabled dealers to offer a $7,500 tax credit on EV leases even after the expiration of federal subsidies on September 30, as first reported by Reuters. The plan involved having the company's lending arm purchase new EVs out of the brand's dealers' inventory, after which Ford would apply for the tax credit on the vehicles. That credit would then have been considered in the EV lease terms for customers, passing on the savings.GM was set to have a similar program before canceling it earlier this week. According to Reuters sources, GM killed the program after Republican Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio raised concerns about it. It is unclear why Ford followed suit.Update 11:23 EST: Added more context.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/ford-is-cutting-the-price-of-the-2026-f-150-lightning-by-up-to-4000-144241504.html?src=rss

We generally consider Apple's iPads to be the best tablets for most people, but most of them don't come cheap. To help you get the most value possible, we're keeping a constant eye on sale prices and rounding up the best iPad deals we can find each week.

Sonos' Ace headphones didn't get off to the best start, but the brand's first headphones have come a long way since launch, and for $100 off when purchased directly from Sonos or Amazon, they're well worth considering. The Ace are down to $299 from both retailers, and for that price you're getting one of the most feature-packed pairs of noise-canceling headphones on the market right now. When the Ace arrived in the summer of 2024, we praised them for their sound quality, premium design and comfy fit, but had no choice but to ding the headphones for not launching with some of their flashiest features. But that's no longer an issue if you pick up a pair today, as Sonos' TrueCinema spatial audio tech now works as advertised. As a reminder, TrueCinema takes into account the dynamics of your living space when you're using TV Audio Swap to create a virtual 3D audio system in your headphones. The idea is that you feel like you aren't wearing them at all, which is a big claim to make, but there's no denying that True Cinema enhances the experience of watching movies and TV shows while wearing the Ace. Sonos has also improved the Ace's adaptive noise cancellation in updates made available since launch, while phone calls are now clearer than they were when we first reviewed the headphones. They're still expensive at full price, but if you use other Sonos products in your home and think you'll appreciate the Ace's ability to swap audio output with a compatible Sonos soundbar (ideal for late-night movies when the kids are in bed), then it's a very easy recommendation at $299. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/sonos-ace-headphones-are-100-off-right-now-142323913.html?src=rss

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has officially designated Google with strategic market status (SMS) under the new digital markets competition regime. Specifically, it found that Google holds "substantial and entrenched market power and a position of strategic significance" when it comes to general search and search advertising services. The digital markets competition regime came into force on January 1, 2025 and will enable the agency to "promote competition in fast-moving digital markets, while protecting UK consumers and businesses from unfair or harmful practices by the very largest technology firms."So what does getting the "strategic market status" designation mean, exactly? As the CMA clarifies, it doesn't automatically mean Google did something wrong, but it does allow the agency to launch interventions that ensure general search services in the UK are "open to effective competition" and that businesses relying on Google are being treated fairly. The company is expecting to face new rules and regulations on how Search works in the near future. UK's CMA launched an investigation on Google's standing in the search industry on January 14 to confirm its status."We have found that Google maintains a strategic position in the search and search advertising sector - with more than 90% of searches in the UK taking place on its platform," said Will Hayter, Executive Director for Digital Markets at the CMA. To be clear, the designation applies to the company's AI Overviews and AI Mode features, as well, but not to its Gemini AI assistant, at least for now.The CMA said it's expecting to start consulting on possible interventions later this year. In an announcement of its own, Google said that "many of the ideas for interventions that have been raised in this process would inhibit UK innovation and growth, potentially slowing product launches at a time of profound AI-based innovation." The company believes that some of those ideas would "pose direct harm to businesses" and could lead to higher prices for consumers."The UK enjoys access to the latest products and services before other countries because it has so far avoided costly restrictions on popular services, such as Search. Retaining this position means avoiding unduly onerous regulations and learning from the negative results seen in other jurisdictions, which have cost businesses an estimated 114 billion," Google wrote. By "other jurisdictions," Google means the European Union, whose similar Digital Markets Act law designated the company as a gatekeeper in 2023.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/the-uks-antitrust-regulator-will-keep-a-closer-eye-on-google-search-130021994.html?src=rss

After years of trying, a dedicated team has managed to download and archive a fully playable version of the long-lost canceled mobile game, Ratchet & Clank: Clone Home. The story of its search and recovery has been detailed in a new video by YouTuber The Golden Bolt, who helped kick off the search himself back in 2019.Ratchet & Clank: Clone Home has usually been attributed to Handheld Games, which developed a string of mobile titles in 2005 including Spider-Man 2: The Hero Returns and Ratchet & Clank: Going Mobile, the predecessor to Clone Home. Originally set to debut in 2006 for Java phones, it was quietly canceled just prior to release.It wasn't forgotten, though. Rumors persisted that it was a fully playable game, helping elevate it to mythical status among fans. Then, The Golden Bolt heard from one of the original developers that the game was indeed finished and may have found its way to a handful of mobile devices. His 2019 video on the subject helped kick off a new search.The most dedicated fans researching the game were college students "Emily" and "Super Gamer Omega Clank." The latter posted on Reddit four years ago that they found someone with the game on a Sony Ericsson W880i. It was encrypted, though, and as little as a few weeks ago, they said that their quest to extract it from that device was proving to be "hopeless."Then, a breakthrough. The team managed to safely crack the phone's encryption, extract Clone Home and archive it for anyone to download. Miraculously, it's complete and fully playable, if a bit unpolished. Golden Bolt now believes that the game was actually developed not by Handheld Games but a company called JavaGround, which made Sony's last few Java (J2ME) games. It may have been uploaded by accident to mobile networks like Cingular or Sprint for a brief period, then downloaded by a handful of people before being pulled.People who have played the game so far say it's surprisingly good and even better than Going Mobile. It's a wonderfully eccentric entry to the R&C canon (which now counts 17 titles), thanks to the nonsensical plot, solid mechanics, ability to play as two different Lombaxes and a gun called the "Ewezie" that turns your enemies into sheep.So why was Clone Home canceled? It may have been due to potential litigation between Sony and Handheld Games, The Golden Bolt speculated. In any case, it's a gem for game preservationists and an amazing reward for the years of work put in by R&C fans.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/a-long-lost-ratchet-and-clank-mobile-game-has-been-found-123008739.html?src=rss

China's antitrust regulator has opened an investigation into Qualcomm's acquisition of Israeli connected-vehicle chip company Autotalks. The State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) alleges that Qualcomm is suspected of violating China's anti-monopoly laws by not disclosing certain details of the deal.Qualcomm had initially agreed to acquire the fabless chip company in 2023 to expand its Snapdragon portfolio into more automotive applications. Autotalks creates chips, sensors and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication tech centered in part on safety for vehicles. It has been a few months since the acquisition was finalized, with the new probe coming amid trade negotiations between the United States and China.The deal was previously investigated by both the US Federal Trade Commission and the UK's Competition and Markets Authority, with Qualcomm temporarily abandoning the acquisition in early 2024. The exact process of how the deal was reopened is not clear, as the acquisition was only announced once it had been finalized and received regulatory approvalLast month, SAMR said that NVIDIA's $6.9 billion acquisition of Mellanox also ran afoul of national regulations. The regulators also said the deal violated conditional terms outlined by regulators on initial approval. The Financial Times reported that China's regulators held on to that decision for months, purportedly to gain leverage in trade discussions with the US.The bulk of these investigations have come while the US and China are engaged in negotiations around a TikTok deal, tariffs, trade and more. Today China drastically expanded its export controls for rare earth minerals, targeting defense and semiconductor companies outside the country.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/chinese-regulators-are-investigating-qualcomms-acquisition-of-autotalks-121540269.html?src=rss

If you prefer open-ear AirPods but still have an older model, this deal could be worth noting. The AirPods 4 are still on sale for $89, or 30 percent off their usual price. That's also the lowest we've seen them and a sale price that's still hanging on after Prime Day earlier this week. When Apple updated its standard AirPods in 2024, it released two models: one with active noise cancellation (ANC) and one without. We consider the non-ANC models to be the best budget AirPods you can get, so they're an even better buy at this sale price. The ANC versions are also discounted at the moment, so you can pick them up for $120 instead of the usual $180. The AirPods' H2 chip brings a bunch of Pro-adjacent features to the standard model. That list includes Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, Transparency, Personalized Spatial Audio and wireless charging. For calls, it supports Voice Isolation, which helps filter out background noise and make it easier for you to be heard. And if that call is via FaceTime, it supports Apple's 48kHz "cinema-quality" audio. Sound is improved over the AirPods 3. "There's more low-end tone than the previous model right out of the gate, and the punchier treble opens the sound stage so it's wider and more immersive," Engadget's Billy Steele wrote. "The improved frequency response is on full display with Dolby Atmos content (movies, music, and TV), but the AirPods 4 are also more sonically adept with non-spatial tunes and video." You can expect around five hours of battery life on a single charge. With the ANC model, that estimate drops to around four hours with the marquee feature activated. With either version, you can drop them in the charging case to extend their total time to around 30 hours. And hey, it's good to give your ears a rest now and then anyway. There are plenty of other Apple deals to be had at the moment, and there are a few more worthy AirPods deals we've collected below. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/this-89-apple-airpods-4-deal-is-still-live-after-prime-day-130033099.html?src=rss

Control: Ultimate Edition will be available on the iPhone, the iPad and the Apple Vision Pro in early 2026, its developer Remedy has announced. The developer says you can either "tap into the action with touch controls," which presumably includes hand tracking and gestures on the mixed reality headset, or use controllers to play the game. Remedy first made it available for the Apple ecosystem when it released Ultimate Edition for Mac back in February this year.Remedy originally released Control in 2019 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows computers. In the action-adventure game, you take on the role of Jesse Faden, the new director of the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC) who's also searching for her kidnapped brother Dylan. The game is set in the Oldest House, the headquarters of the clandestine US agency that studies and contains paranatural phenomena.Ultimate Edition is the definitive version of the title and bundles the base game with the Foundation and AWE (Altered World Events) expansions. While both are continuations of the main game, AWE is a crossover between Control and Alan Wake, an older title by Remedy about a crime author whose wife disappears during a trip to a small mountain town. Remedy hasn't announced a specific release date or price for the game yet, but it's currently listed for $40 on the Apple Store for Mac computers. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/remedys-control-is-coming-to-iphone-ipad-and-vision-pro-early-next-year-120100226.html?src=rss

Truly good Apple deals can be hard to come by, but right now you can save on one of the company's smallest (and arguably one if its most useful) gadgets. A four-pack of Apple AirTags is down to $65 right now, which is 34 percent off its usual price and a sale hanging on after Prime Day ended earlier this week. That brings each AirTag in the bundle down to $16.25 each. If you're an Apple user, then the AirTag is the best Bluetooth tracker on the market for you. You can put these little discs in your wallet, in a backpack or in your luggage while you're traveling. Your AirTag's location will show up in your Find My app, powered by the vast network of iPhones, iPads and other compatible devices that receive the AirTag's Bluetooth signal. Keep in mind these only work when close enough to participating devices to be located. You can attach AirTags to just about anything thanks to an abundance of available accessories. Their built-in speakers can play a tone, triggered from your iPhone, to help you find them when the object they're affixed to is lost. On iPhone 11 and newer models, you can take advantage of the AirTag's Ultra Wideband capability and have your phone lead you right to your AirTag, complete with directional arrows on your iPhone screen.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/a-four-pack-of-airtags-is-cheaper-than-ever-right-now-143112964.html?src=rss

A little after the launch of the rest of the Pixel 10 family, Google's new foldable is here. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold is a beast - which may not be the first thing you want to hear about a foldable.EngadgetIt's perceptibly thicker than its biggest rival, Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7. But avoiding the race for thinness gives Google's new foldable some advantages. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold has the best cameras of any foldable and enhanced hardiness with the top dust resistance rating. And remember: This thing is $1,800. There's more: It has PixelSnap, Google's version of MagSafe, and a bigger battery compared to its predecessor. Make sure to check out our full review right here.EngadgetIt's a week of heavy-duty gadgets, and I don't mean CAT-branded phones and off-road EVs. We've also tested out Razer's updated 18-inch laptop. Predictably, perhaps, it has all the power you'd want as well as the PC maker's excellent build quality. It's got lots of ports too. Rejoice! Prices start at $2,799.- Mat SmithGet Engadget's newsletter delivered direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!The news you might have missed

Apple is updating its Security Bounty program this November to offer some of the highest rewards in the industry. It has doubled its top award from $1 million to $2 million for the discovery of "exploit chains that can achieve similar goals as sophisticated mercenary spyware attacks" and which requires no user interaction. But the maximum possible payout can exceed $5 million dollars for the discovery of more critical vulnerabilities, such as bugs in beta software and Lockdown Mode bypasses. Lockdown Mode is an upgraded security architecture in the Safari browser.In addition, the company is rewarding the discovery of exploit chains with one-click user interaction with up to $1 million instead of just $250,000. The reward for attacks requiring physical proximity to devices can now also go up to $1 million, up from $250,000, while the maximum reward for attacks requiring physical access to locked devices has been doubled to $500,000. Finally, researchers "who demonstrate chaining WebContent code execution with a sandbox escape can receive up to $300,000." Apple's VP for security engineering and architecture Ivan Krsti told Wired that the company has awarded over $35 million to more than 800 security researchers since it introduced and expanded the program over the past few years. Apparently, top-dollar payouts are very rare, but Apple has made multiple $500,000 payouts.The company said in its announcement that the only system-level iOS attacks it has observed in the wild came from mercenary spyware, which are historically associated with state actors and typically used to target specific individuals. It said its new security features like Lockdown Mode and Memory Integrity Enforcement, which combats memory corruption vulnerabilities, can make mercenary attacks more difficult to pull off. However, bad actors will continue evolving their techniques, and Apple is hoping that updating its bounty program with bigger payouts can "encourage highly advanced research on [its] most critical attack surfaces despite the increased difficulty."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-doubles-its-biggest-bug-bounty-reward-to-2-million-102844667.html?src=rss

Smartwatches do more than just track your steps and deliver phone alerts to your wrist. The best smartwatches go even further, giving you the ability to pay for a cup of coffee, take calls and connect to apps like Spotify all without whipping out your smartphone.

The Programmed Data Processor-1 (PDP-1) is perhaps most recognizable as the home of Spacewar!, one of the world's first video games, but as the video above proves, it also works as an enormous and very slow iPod, too.In the video, Boards of Canada's "Olson" is playing off of paper tape that's carefully fed and programmed into the PDP-1 by engineer and Computer History Museum docent Peter Samson. It's the final product of Joe Lynch's PDP-1.music project, an attempt to translate the short and atmospheric song into something the PDP-1 can reproduce.As Lynch writes on GitHub, the "Harmony Compiler" used to translate "Olson" to paper tape was actually created by Samson to play audio through four of computer's lightbulbs while he was a student at MIT in the 1960s. He used it to recreate classical music, but it'll work with '90s electronic music in a pinch, too."While these bulbs were originally intended to provide program status information to the computer operator," Lynch writes, "Peter repurposed four of these light bulbs into four square wave generators (or four 1-bit DACs, put another way), by turning the bulbs on and off at audio frequencies." The signal from each bulb is then downmixed into stereo audio channels, transcribed via an emulator and merged into a single file that has to be manually punched into the paper tape that's fed into the PDP-1.It's a laborious process for playing even the simplest of songs, but it's worth it to hear Boards of Canada's already nostalgic music from an even older classic computer.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/someone-programmed-a-65-year-old-computer-to-play-boards-of-canadas-olson-220857441.html?src=rss

The Entertainment Software Association has released its Power of Play report, which presents a snapshot of who is playing video games, and why, all around the world. There are a lot of interesting data points here from more than 24,000 respondents, all of whom are older than 16 and play at least weekly. The doubters who think gaming is just for kids may be surprised to learn that the average age of the respondents is 41 years old, and the gender split is nearly even between men and women.One of the most intriguing aspects to the report were the benefits people said they received from playing games. The top answer was that games offered mental stimulation, which 81 percent of the respondents said. Eighty percent said games provided stress relief, 73 percent said games made them feel happier and 64 percent said games connected them with other people which helped them feel less isolated or lonely.ESA Power of Play 2025ESAAnd although having fun was the top reason respondents gave for playing (66 percent), they also said gaming could improve their skills. Seventy-seven percent said gaming increased creativity, 76 percent said it improved problem-solving and 74 percent said gaming upped both cognitive skills and teamwork or collaboration.The report also points to how popular mobile gaming still is. Overall, 55 percent of the respondents said mobile was their favorite gaming platform. Half of the respondents under age 35 play on mobile, and an impressive 61 percent of the over 50 gamers also play on mobile.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-esas-power-of-play-report-paints-a-portrait-of-the-the-worlds-gamers-205105064.html?src=rss

If Hollywood has taught us anything, it's that a blockbuster that makes bank will get a sequel (or seven). Enter A Minecraft Movie, with its surprisingly effective humor and $957 million box office payday. (Who had "Jack Black will anchor a nearly billion-dollar movie" on their 2025 bingo card?) So, it's no surprise that Warner Bros. has officially greenlit a sequel.Variety reports that Warner Bros. has penciled in the sequel for a July 23, 2027, premiere date. That would place it around two years after the original, which is the second-highest-grossing film of the year so far. (Disney's Lilo & Stitch is in first, with a cool $1.03 billion at the box office.)Warner Bros. / XThe sequel will reportedly bring back director Jared Hess. The Napoleon Dynamite creator will also co-write the screenplay with Chris Galletta. Producers are said to include Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Roy Lee, Eric McLeod, Kayleen Walters, Torfi Frans Olafsson and Jason Momoa.Engadget was among the many publications taken aback by how good A Minecraft Movie was. After all, a film about an open-ended building game, starring one of the leads of the crummy Borderlands, didn't sound promising. But we found it surprisingly funny, with just the right degree of winking self-awareness. On top of that, Devindra Hardawar said it "delivers a decent message about championing creativity in a world that wants to beat down free-thinking non-conformists." Amen to that.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/a-minecraft-movie-is-getting-a-minecraft-sequel-203509569.html?src=rss

After announcing its intentions to make an XR device in 2023, and revealing the design and intended use-cases for the headset alongside the announcement of Android XR in 2024, Samsung has shared precious few details about Project Moohan. A new leak from Android Headlines is set to change that, detailing not only the specs of Samsung's new headset, but also a final name and new controller accessories ahead of the device's rumored launch later this fall.Samsung's Project Moohan - officially called "Samsung Galaxy XR" per Android Headlines - is a marriage of sorts between the discontinued Meta Quest Pro and an Apple Vision Pro. It features an adjustable headband, primarily acts as passthrough goggles to the world around you and supports an external battery pack. While Samsung's demos of the Project Moohan focused on the headset's ability to accept voice commands and track eye and hand movements through built-in microphones and cameras, Android Headlines reports the headset will also support two controller accessories that look a lot like Meta's Touch Plus controllers for the Quest 3.Android HeadlinesMore expected are the internals and software experience on the new device. Project Moohan will use a Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chip to power its One UI-ified version of Android XR, just as Qualcomm promised when it announced the new processor in 2024. Samsung appears to be taking a lighter touch when it comes to software. Screenshots shared by Android Headlines show an app grid with the company's browser, photos and camera apps, but the rest lines up with what Google's shown of Android XR.The headset will also reportedly feature one high-resolution 4K micro-OLED screen per eye, as previously rumored by Korean publication The Elec, and around a two hours of battery life, which is comparable to the Vision Pro. Importantly, Project Moohan is also lighter. The headset reportedly weighs 545 grams, a good bit less than the over 600-gram Apple headset.The only thing really missing now is a price for Project Moohan and a release date. Samsung shared in its Q2 2025 earnings that it still expected to ship the headset in 2025, but hasn't announced an event to introduce the new device. Whenever it does launch, it sounds like it'll be expensive. In August 2025, rumors pointed to Project Moohan costing anywhere from 2,500,000 to 4,000,000 Korean won (around $1,700 to $2,800).This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/the-final-details-of-samsungs-android-xr-headset-have-been-all-but-confirmed-200915560.html?src=rss

Artificial intelligence companies have been working at breakneck speeds to develop the best and most powerful tools, but that rapid development hasn't always been coupled with clear understandings of AI's limitations or weaknesses. Today, Anthropic released a report on how attackers can influence the development of a large language model.The study centered on a type of attack called poisoning, where an LLM is pretrained on malicious content intended to make it learn dangerous or unwanted behaviors. The key finding from this study is that a bad actor doesn't need to control a percentage of the pretraining materials to get the LLM to be poisoned. Instead, the researchers found that a small and fairly constant number of malicious documents can poison an LLM, regardless of the size of the model or its training materials. The study was able to successfully backdoor LLMs based on using only 250 malicious documents in the pretraining data set, a much smaller number than expected for models ranging from 600 million to 13 billion parameters."We're sharing these findings to show that data-poisoning attacks might be more practical than believed, and to encourage further research on data poisoning and potential defenses against it," the company said. Anthropic collaborated with the UK AI Security Institute and the Alan Turing Institute on the research.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/researchers-find-just-250-malicious-documents-can-leave-llms-vulnerable-to-backdoors-191112960.html?src=rss

Nintendo just released an odd little game onto the SNES Virtual Console that was previously exclusive to Japan. The simply-titled Mario & Wario is a point-and-click puzzle game that finds the plumber on the search for his brother after his money-obsessed doppelganger drops a bucket on his head. That's the actual plot.Players lead the bucket-headed Mario through 100 levels, each of which are filled with point-and-click puzzles set in a sidescrolling world. The original game was controlled via mouse and this Virtual Console release is no different. Switch owners can simply plug in a USB mouse to get going but Switch 2 owners have a niftier option.You may remember that the new console's Joy-Con controllers can flip over and be used as a mouse. Mario & Wario is another use case for this concept, after Drag x Drive and a minigame in Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour. The game is available right now for Nintendo Switch Online members.That's not the only title that hit Virtual Console today. The SNES platformer Bubsy in Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind is available to play, as is the SNES fighter Fatal Fury Special. That one includes characters from both the original game and Fatal Fury 2.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-just-surprise-dropped-a-japan-only-snes-mario-game-onto-the-virtual-console-183536913.html?src=rss

Lyft is partnering with San Jose-based Tensor Auto. Lyft says it has reserved "hundreds" of Tensor robotaxis and will operate its own fleet. The other piece of the partnership: Tensor will make its Robocar "Lyft-ready" straight out of the factory.Shipping the Robocar with Lyft's platform will allow a futuristic form of passive income for owners in regions with level 4 regulatory approval. "Traditional car ownership means a vehicle loses value as it sits idle most of the time," the companies wrote in a press release. "Tensor Robocars flip this model, turning personal luxury vehicles into productive assets that can generate income around the clock."It's similar to what Tesla plans to do with its yet-to-be-shipped Cybercab. Lyft's rival Uber announced a similar plan in July, involving 20,000 Lucid EVs.That's also a rendering.Tensor / LyftTensor plans to deliver its first Robocars by the end of 2026. The company says the "Lyft-ready" autonomous vehicle (AV) will include over 100 sensors. (That includes 37 cameras, five lidars, and 11 radars.) Eight NVIDIA chips, based on Blackwell GPU architecture, help it interpret sensor data. Tensor says the computer is capable of 8,000 trillion operations per second.This is far from Lyft's first AV partnership. Among others, it teamed up last month with May Mobility to launch an autonomous fleet in Atlanta. Lyft also plans to match users with Waymo rides in Nashville starting next year. However, Bloomberg notes that the Tensor partnership is Lyft's first where it will purchase and operate its own AV fleet.Tensor spun out of the Chinese robotaxi company AutoX. The company says it divested and discontinued its China operations to focus exclusively on the US-based Tensor. The Robocar will be produced in Vietnam through a partnership with VinFast.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/tensors-robocar-will-be-lyft-ready-out-of-the-factory-182010143.html?src=rss

Sora, OpenAI's app and social network for AI-generated videos, has been downloaded over one million times, according to Sora head Bill Peebles. The app reached one million downloads in less than five days, Peebles says, "even faster than ChatGPT did." That's despite OpenAI only making the app available in North America, and its decision to require users to have an invite to actually use it.Like TikTok, Sora offers an endless vertical feed of videos, only Sora's videos are AI-generated rather than uploaded by users. Creating a 10-second video of your own is as simple as writing a prompt to OpenAI's Sora 2 model in the app. And through the Sora's Cameo feature, you can even create videos of yourself and anyone else who's agreed to share their likeness to the service.

Monarch Money is one of our favorite budgeting apps and, fittingly enough, there's a way for newcomers to save money on a subscription right now. If you use the code WELCOME at checkout, you can get an annual plan for 30 percent off. It typically costs $100, but you can get 12 months of access for $70 with this code. There are some key caveats here. The discount is only for new users, and it can't be combined with other offers. The code only works when you sign up through the web. You can't redeem it through the Monarch mobile app. We feel that Monarch has a steeper learning curve than some other budget trackers and that certain aspects of the app are slightly more complex than they probably need to be. But it offers a great deal of customization and granularity, which outweighs our misgivings. On the main dashboard, you'll see your net worth along with your latest transactions, spending versus the previous month, your income so far for the month and details about upcoming bills, your investments and goals you've set. There's also a link to a month-in-review page, which offers an in-depth overview of what's been happening with your money that month. You'll also be able to take a peek at how your net worth has changed over time. Monarch can connect to your bank and track Apple Card, Apple Cash and Savings accounts. It can pull in your transactions and balance history automatically and detect your recurring expenses and income. The app can even keep your car valuation up to date. While it might take a little work to set up Monarch (and you might have to tweak things here and there), it's a detailed budgeting app that can help you keep better track of your income, expenditure and net worth.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/one-of-our-favorite-budgeting-apps-has-30-percent-off-annual-plans-right-now-174011690.html?src=rss

Sony just dropped a new video with Mark Cerny, and it's a big one, with significant implications for the company's next console and AMD's future GPUs. Over nearly nine minutes, Cerny, who was the lead designer for the PlayStation 4 and PS5, chats with Jack Huynh, senior vice president and general manager of AMD's Computing and Graphics Group, about a series of technologies, collectively dubbed Project Amethyst, the two companies are developing together. According to Cerny, those technologies only exist in simulations" right now, but they're broadly designed to make the next PlayStation better at ray tracing, upscaling and other machine learning-based rendering techniques.If you know anything about AMD graphics cards, it's that they've historically offered poor ray tracing performance relative to NVIDIA's RTX GPUs. For years, AMD tried to bridge the gap with cards that outmuscled NVIDIA's offerings with better rasterization performance, an approach the company now admits won't work for modern, graphically intensive games. Trying to brute force [ray-tracing] with raw power alone just doesn't scale," Huynh said. AMD's solution is an entirely new architecture that combines two hardware innovations: Neural Arrays and Radiance Cores.In AMD's older GPUs, the individual compute units are designed to work independently of one another. This approach worked great for a long time, but in modern games - dependent as they are on expensive upscaling techniques likes FSR and Sony's own PSSR to deliver playable framerates at high resolutions - it can lead to inefficiencies. AMD is trying to solve that problem with Neural Arrays, which give the compute units a way to work together and share data between one another.According to Huynh, AMD isn't linking an entire GPU together, as that would create a cable-management nightmare, but it is giving the silicon a way to process a large chunk" of the screen in one go. In practice, he says that should allow the next PlayStation and AMD's future video cards to offer a whole new level of machine learning performance." In turn, that will translate to better and faster upscaling performance, alongside better ray regeneration. The latter is something NVIDIA already offers with DLSS Ray Reconstruction and in games that support the technology, it translates to better-looking ray tracing effects and improved performance.As for Radiance Cores, it sound like AMD is taking another page from NVIDIA. For the uninitiated, the company's RTX cards feature dedicated, fixed-function RT" cores designed to accelerate the math needed to simulate light rays in real-time. Huynh says the Radiance Cores are an entirely new hardware block designed to handle ray and path tracing. It's a brand-new rendering approach for AMD," he added. As a bonus, by taking on this work, the Radiance Cores will free up other parts of AMD's new GPUs to process shaders and textures more quickly, leading to further efficiency gains.Lastly, the two companies are working on new software they're calling Universal Compression. It builds on the PS5 and PS5 Pro's existing Delta Color Compression technique. It will theoretically allow Sony's next console to compress everything that goes through its graphics pipeline, reducing the amount memory bandwidth needed by the GPU and potentially reducing its power consumption.Again, I'll note Cerny said it's still early days" for all the technologies he and Huynh discussed, but it's reassuring to know Sony and AMD are thinking about how to best approach ray tracing performance and upscaling. Techniques like ray-traced global illumination can completely change the look of a game, making for a more immersive experience. If Sony and AMD can find ways to make those technologies less expensive to run, that's a win for everyone.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/sony-and-amd-tease-the-gpu-tech-theyre-building-for-the-next-playstation-172500942.html?src=rss

Last month, Alphabet told the House Judiciary Committee that it would allow some creators who were banned from YouTube for spreading COVID-19 and election-related misinformation to come back to the platform. Now, the company is outlining how that process will work, though it's not clear exactly who will be provided that opportunity,YouTube says that beginning today it will give "some previously terminated creators" the ability to "request" a fresh channel in an effort the company is characterizing as a bid for "second chances" on the platform. The update doesn't reference its COVID-19 or election misinformation policies, which had come under fire from House Republicans. Instead, YouTube says that the "pilot program" will be available to some "qualified creators." It doesn't explain how it will determine who qualifies. Last month, far-right personalities Nick Fuentes and Alex Jones - both of whom were banned from YouTube years before the pandemic - attempted to rejoin YouTube after the letter was made public and were promptly removed."Our goal is to roll this out to creators who are eligible to apply over the coming months, and we appreciate the patience as we ramp up, carefully review requests, and learn as we go," the company wrote. "Not every type of channel termination will be eligible." Among the factors YouTube will consider are "whether the creator committed particularly severe or persistent violations of our Community Guidelines or Terms of Service, or whether the creator's on- or off-platform activity harmed or may continue to harm the YouTube community." People banned for copyright infringement won't be able to apply.All that is still remarkably vague compared to the language Alphabet used in its letter to the House Judiciary Committee last month. "YouTube will provide an opportunity for all creators to rejoin the platform if the Company terminated their channels for repeated violations of COVID-19 and elections integrity policies that are no longer in effect," it said.Importantly, YouTube isn't giving previously banned creators access to their old channels and subscribers. Anyone who is let back on under the program will instead have the opportunity to create an entirely new channel, which means they'll have to rebuild their presence from scratch.

Proton VPN, my favorite VPN service right now, has expanded its free plan in response to surging demand for free VPNs. As Proton's general manager announced by tweeting in French and later in Norwegian, free users now have access to servers in Canada and Norway, joining the existing locations in the United States, the Netherlands, Japan, Poland, Romania and Singapore. Free servers in all eight countries are now visible on the Proton VPN app.As I covered in my Proton VPN review, users of the free plan can't select a location for themselves. Instead, the app picks the fastest available free location whenever you connect. So if you were looking forward to using Proton for free to unblock Netflix in Norway, temper your excitement.Even so, more locations on the free plan still means good news for free users. When a VPN has limited free servers, they get crowded, slowing down speeds for everybody. Adding new locations anywhere should open up some much-needed breathing room. It also means that users living in Canada or northern Europe have access to more free servers nearby - and the closer a VPN server is to you physically, the faster its speeds tend to be.I'm happy to see top-tier VPN providers stepping up to the plate as the world clamors for more free VPN access. ExpressVPN's launch of EventVPN is another good sign. If you need a free VPN for any reason, whether privacy, entertainment or something else, it's always best to go with the free version of a service supported by paid subscriptions - otherwise you risk becoming the product yourself.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/vpn/proton-vpns-free-plan-now-offers-access-to-servers-in-eight-countries-171419026.html?src=rss

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is getting another update to celebrate developer MachineGames 15th birthday. The big news here is the addition of a New Game+ mode, which is always a good time.This mode will be available upon finishing the main story and most of the upgrades carry through, including adventure books (skills) and medicine bottles. Currency also follows from the first playthrough, as do any unspent adventure points. Players who complete this mode will be treated to a new ending sequence after the credits.The update also brings the iconic Cairo outfit that Indy wore in Raiders of the Lost Ark. This outfit can be worn whenever he isn't wearing a disguise. The studio promises more outfits are coming in the near future.There's even a new voice language section tool. This lets people mix and match any of the nine available voice languages with the fourteen text languages. "Prefer to hear the original English performances with subtitles in your native language? Want to try a new combination? The choice is yours," the company wrote in a blog post.There are also plenty of bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements accompanying this update. Finally, the game is adding software to detect the upcoming ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X handhand devices and will automatically adjust the video quality for better performance. The update drops on October 10 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.For the uninitiated, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a first-person adventure that puts players in the shoes of the titular hero. It's a fun game, but likely the best Indiana Jones movie since The Last Crusade. The story and acting are just that good. MachineGames recently dropped some DLC for the game and announced that it's coming to the Nintendo Switch 2 next year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/indiana-jones-and-the-great-circle-is-getting-a-new-game-mode-and-other-goodies-164624275.html?src=rss

Heart Machine will wind down development on the third-person roguelike Hyper Light Breaker, seemingly confirming that it will never make it out of early access. The follow-up to indie darling Hyper Light Drifter was first announced in 2022 and after several delays finally entered early access at the beginning of 2025.But it looks like a 1.0 release won't be arriving, with the studio confirming that it is ending development on the game and has had to lay off an unspecified number of its staff as a result. In a statement, Heart Machine said: "As we wrap up our work on Hyper Light Breaker, we've had to make the difficult decision to part with a number of talented team members. This was not our ideal path, but rather the only one available given the circumstances. While this path will include a conclusion on the project, it reflects broader forces beyond our control, including shifts in funding, corporate consolidation and the uncertain environment many small studios like us are navigating today."The studio said it plans to continue making games with its consolidated workforce - the Devolver-published sci-fi side-scrolling action game Possessor(s)is still due to launch next month - and indicated that Hyper Light Breaker won't meet an entirely abrupt end. The studio said it plans to "deliver something meaningful and as polished and complete as we can given our current circumstances" in January, but added that no further updates are planned for the remainder of 2025.Engadget's Jessica Conditt tried out a build of Hyper Light Breaker in March of last year, and called it the "perfect amalgamation of Hyper Light Drifter and Solar Ash" (the studio's other game), while praising its hoverboarding gameplay.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/hyper-light-breaker-studio-will-end-the-games-development-and-lay-off-staff-162941243.html?src=rss

Who among us hasn't fantasized about escaping hell as a skateboarding demon made of glass? That's the task laid out for you in the offbeat indie title Skate Story. Devolver, always up for creative and subversive risk-taking, announced on Thursday that the game will arrive on December 8.Skate Story has you performing ollies, kickflips and grinds to swallow the moon and free yourself from the Devil and his minions. Do I understand developer Sam Eng's metaphors? Nope. Does it look badass nonetheless? You bet. Just check out the trailer below, where the shattering of your glass body looks just as satisfying as nailing that tailslide.The game was announced way back in 2020 and delayed multiple times. In 2023, Devolver even included it in its tongue-in-cheek Delayed showcase, where it proudly announced titles it was pushing back to 2024. Of course, it missed that window, too.But with its first specific release date, it looks like you'll finally have the chance to play it (on PC, Mac, Switch 2 or PS5) on December 8. And you can try the Skate Story demo on Steam right now.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/skate-story-finally-arrives-on-december-8-160911918.html?src=rss

Although October Prime Day is over, you can still grab some of our favorite deals on brand-name SSDs, portable SSDs and microSD cards, including several storage solutions compatible with the Switch 2. If you've never considered adding a solid-state drive (SSD) to your PC or game console, now is a great time to start - and if you already know what a difference extra storage can make, it's still a fine time to outfit your build. A solid-state drive (SSD) gives your hard drive more bandwidth to process huge chunks of data in parallel, getting everything done faster while keeping your device from running too hot. Some of the best products in the field are still discounted, so let's get into it. Best Prime Day microSD card deals

Foldable phones have gone from futuristic novelties to genuinely useful devices that blend portability with big-screen versatility. Whether you're into multitasking, mobile gaming or just love having a phone that turns heads, the best foldable phones you can buy offer powerful performance, durable designs and impressive displays that unfold to reveal more room for apps, videos and productivity.

The how-to website iFixit posted a teardown of Meta's new Ray-Ban Display augmented reality glasses and came away impressed by the tech but wary of repairability. As a matter of fact, one of the techs said in the accompanying video that it's "very clear that the first iterations of these smartglasses are going to be unrepairable."This repairability issue is relatively unsurprising, given this is a newish technology. The website says there are several factors that contribute to the problem, noting that users would have to split the arms and frame in half to do something as simple as replacing a battery and Meta doesn't provide any way to do that. Any repairs here are going to need specialized skills and specialized tools," the tech concluded. This also applies to the speakers, as they are soldered in.The same goes when looking to replace the lenses, as they are specially-made and would be difficult to source. However, iFixit did come away impressed with the glassmaking skills used to manufacture these lenses.The lenses use a reflective geometric waveguide system that bounce light to the wearer's eyes at specific angles using partially reflective mirrors. This not only creates an augmented reality experience but helps prevent other people from getting a glimpse of the screen when staring at you.iFixitThere's a mini-projector in the right arm, which would also be difficult to repair. This liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) device creates a 600x600-pixel grid image that should be free from artifacts and won't flash the tell-tale "eye glow" at onlookers. Again, this is due to the lenses, as they differ from older diffractive systems.All of this advanced tech adds up and iFixit thinks Meta may be selling these glasses at a loss, as those lenses are particularly expensive to manufacture. Despite this, the website urges Meta to prioritize "replaceable batteries, modular arms and swappable lenses" in the future.The Meta Ray-Ban Display AR glasses are already on digital store shelves and cost $800. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with them during a hands-on, calling them "discrete and intuitive."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/ifixit-calls-metas-ray-ban-display-glasses-unrepairable-but-praises-the-tech-154820301.html?src=rss

As the 7-pound Razer Blade 18 sat on my desk, its all-black unibody case and enormous 18-inch screen towering before me like the monolith from 2001, I couldn't help but think, Who the hell needs such a big-ass computer?" I'm sure they're out there - the gamers with deep pockets and little regard for portability, the video editors who demand as much screen space as possible. But on the whole, the market for the Blade 18 is pretty small, especially whenRazer's Blade 14 and 16 strike a far better balance of price, performance and weight. What the Razer Blade 18 promises, if you choose to accept its gargantuan proportions, is unbridled power and screen real estate. It's running Intel's new Core Ultra 9 275HX processor, a 24-core beast with a maximum speed of 5.4GHz. Its 18-inch screen can reach up to 240Hz at slightly over 4K (3,840 by 2,400 pixels) and 440Hz when downscaled to 1080p+ (1,920 by 1,200). And of course, you can equip it with NVIDIA's fastest mobile GPU, the GeForce RTX 5090. Given everything under the hood, it's honestly impressive it weighs just seven pounds, alongside a 2.1-pound power adapter. (In comparison, the similarly premium 18-inch Alienware Area 51 comes in at 9.5 pounds with a 2.2-pound power adapter.) When we last reviewed the Razer Blade 18 a few years ago, my colleague Sam Rutherford bristled at the laptop's size, battery life and high cost (which could reach upwards of $5,000 when fully decked out). All of those points are absolutely fair, but this time around it's easier to see what Razer is trying to do with the Blade 18: It's simply doing the most for the people who demand it. And it's doing so with the excellent build quality we've come to expect from Razer (albeit with a high $2,799 starting price). If you're still trying to wrap your head around why an 18-inch laptop even exists, the Razer Blade 18 isn't for you. And honestly, the concept isn't even that farfetched. Given the move towards thinner display bezels and other refinements, laptop makers have been able to squeeze in larger screens inside of their typical case sizes. The Razer Blade 16 was a bit heavier than the Blade 15 when it launched, but now Razer has slimmed its case down considerably. The Blade 18 similarly serves as an upgrade to the old Blade 17 - and what an upgrade it is. Razer Blade 18 from the side, viewing a few ports. Devindra Hardawar for Engadget My review unit, which was equipped with that new Intel chip, an RTX 5090, 64GB of RAM and a 4TB SSD tackled Cyberpunk 2077 with all of its settings cranked without a sweat. At its native resolution, which again is a bit higher than 4K, it reached 131 fps with 4X frame generation (which uses DLSS 4's upscaling to interpolate additional frames). That's roughly half as fast as the desktop RTX 5090 running in 4K with the same settings - but don't forget, that GPU alone typically runs between $2,000 to $3,000 these days. Razer charges an additional $1,400 to upgrade the Blade 18 from an RTX 5070 Ti to the 5090. (And for the record, the total cost for our fully decked out testing unit was $4,599.) Beyond frame rates, Cyberpunk 2077 simply looked great on the Blade 18's 240Hz IPS LED display. It's not as bright as the MiniLED screens Razer offers on the Blade 16, and it doesn't offer the insane contrast levels of an OLED screen, but it does the job well. For the price, though, it would have been nice to see more modern screen technology. Like the Blade 16, the 18 also offers a dual-mode display, which is how it reaches those higher 440Hz refresh rates in 1080p+. Razer Blade 18 rear case Devindra Hardawar for Engadget It worked as advertised in Overwatch 2, where I played several matches well above 300fps with high quality settings. The additional visible frames are particularly helpful during fast-paced moments, where you may have the blink of an eye to take out an opponent before they headshot you. I had no doubt the Blade 18 would be fast, but I also noticed that it felt genuinely more immersive than the Blade 16 because of its more expansive display. As I leaned in during Cyberpunk 2077, Halo Infinite and Overwatch sessions, it almost felt like I was in front of a desktop setup. That's ultimately what you're paying for with this machine. When I opened up audio files in Audacity, I also noticed that the additional screen space simply made it easier to sift through my timelines. PCMark 10 3DMark (TimeSpy Extreme) Geekbench 6 CPU Cinebench R23 Razer Blade 18 (Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, NVIDIA RTX 5090) 7,703 12,228 2,733/19,340 1,104/33,150 Razer Blade 16 (2023, Intel i9-13950HX, NVIDIA RTX 4090) 7,364 8,667 2,713/16,245 2,024/15,620 Razer Blade 18 (2023, Intel i9-13950HX, NVIDIA RTX 4060) 7,326 5,009 2,708/12,874 1,900/15,442 When it comes to direct benchmarks, the Core Ultra 9 chip isn't much better than Intel's 13th-gen hardware in single-threaded tasks, and it's sometimes best by AMD's latest batch of hardware. Intel has made significant progress in multi-threaded tests like Geekbench 6, though, and that sort of performance makes the Blade 18 ideal for tasks like video rendering and complex games. The Blade 18 also ran remarkably cool: During a 3DMark stress test, which involved running one demo 20 times in a row, the CPU stayed at 70 degrees Celsius most of the time, with occasional spikes to 85C. During the CPU-heavy Cinebench tests, Intel's chip jumped to 80C on average with some jumps to 90C. The GPU, meanwhile, held a steady 70C and never wavered during 3DMark benchmarks. The fans sure can get loud, though, as you'd expect for a system that's relatively thin and needs to pump out a ton of heat. Razer Blade 18 power, Ethernet, USB 2 and USB-C ports. Razer has been building sturdy and attractive gaming laptops for well over a decade now, so it's not a huge surprise that the Blade 18 feels incredibly solid and premium. Its keyboard has a great depth to it that feels just as good playing shooters as it does while typing, and its trackpad is wonderfully smooth and accurate. (It does get a bit overzealous when detecting multi-touch gestures, though.) Port-wise, the Blade 18 also packs in everything you'd want, including three USB Type-A 3.2 connections, one Thunderbolt 5 USB-C port, a Thunderbolt 4 USB-C port, 2.5Gb Ethernet and a full-sized SD card slot. Personally, if I had to choose between Razer's current lineup, I'd go with the Blade 16 so that I could actually carry it around and occasionally use it as a productivity machine. Not so with the Blade 18 - its short two hour and 17 minute battery life (in PCMark 10's battery benchmark) means you'll always need to lug around its beefy power adapter. After an hour of writing this review, its battery life also dropped from fully charged to 38 percent. But really, nobody is buying this thing just to deal with spreadsheets and emails. You want ultimate power and an enormous screen? Then battery life will suffer. A transparent window along the bottom of the Razer Blade 18 Devindra Hardawar for Engadget To paraphrase The Lord of the Rings, one does not simply choose to live with an 18-inch gaming laptop - not without considering all of the conveniences you're leaving behind. For the sickos who would dare tread that path, the Blade 18 is a solidly built powerhouse that weighs significantly less than rivals like the 18-inch Alienware Area 51. Just be prepared to pay Razer's high price to own one. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/razer-blade-18-2025-review-an-18-inch-gaming-laptop-that-does-the-most-153000136.html?src=rss

The Browser Company's AI-powered browser is now available to download for all macOS users. Dia started rolling out to private beta testers in June, following its initial reveal at the end of last year, but if you're a Mac user you can download it here if you want to try it. Note that you need a Mac with an M1 chip or later running macOS 14 or later.AI is being baked into a lot of web browsers right now, but with Dia it's at the heart of everything you do. It allows you to interact with The Browser Company's chatbot within every tab you have open, where it's able to search the web, compare websites and answer questions about the content displayed on the page you have open. It features an in-line copy editor too, and can summarise text without requiring you to copy-paste it into a separate field. It'll also happily talk you out of an expensive purchase, if prompted.The Browser Company previously worked on the popular Arc browser, but shifted its focus entirely to Dia back in May, after CEO Josh Miller said the former "lacked cohesion, in both its core features and value." Miller said Arc was "too different" for widespread adoption, but committed to providing future security updates for the people who were on board (many of whom were effusive in their praise).The Browser Company was recently acquired by Atlassian in a deal worth around $610 million, which should be finalized by the end of 2025. As part of the agreement, the former was allowed to continue operating independently while it worked on Dia, and wrote in a blog post published at the time that the acquisition would help it roll out its new AI browser more aggressively. At the time of writing, there's no word on plans for a Windows launch. But given Arc eventually made its way to Windows, chances are it'll happen sooner or later.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/the-browser-companys-dia-is-now-available-on-mac-no-invite-needed-150240626.html?src=rss