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Samsung's take on the Vision Pro is here - and you can already order it. Costing just over half as much as Apple's reality machine, the Galaxy XR has a 4K micro-OLED screen and a 100-degree horizontal field of view. The $1,800 mixed reality headset is available now for pre-order on Samsung's website.The Galaxy XR isn't only a Samsung product. The company developed the long-rumored headset alongside Google and Qualcomm. It's the first Android XR product, a line that will eventually include AI glasses "and beyond." You can read more about the headset and its ecosystem in Engadget's news coverage.Given Google's connection to the Galaxy XR, it isn't too surprising that the company has bonuses for early orders. If you buy the headset before the end of 2025, you'll get "The Explorer Pack." That includes a year of access to Google AI Pro, YouTube Premium and Google Play Pass. Also included until the end of the year is the "XR Pack." This adds three months of YouTube TV, a year of NBA League Pass, NFL Pro Era, Adobe's Project Pulsar, Asteroid and Calm.You can order the Galaxy XR now from Samsung's website and in Samsung Experience Stores. The headset costs $1,800. An optional Galaxy XR Controller costs $250. And somehow, the official Galaxy XR travel case also costs $250, which is - yikes - a lot. Perhaps consider waiting for third-party alternatives on the case front.Samsung is offering a 24-month financing plan for the headset ($75.01 monthly) on its website. Meanwhile, Samsung's stores have that plan as well as a 12-month one ($149 monthly).This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/how-to-order-the-samsung-galaxy-xr-headset-020008173.html?src=rss

We've known for a while that the first extended reality (or XR) headset from Samsung and Google would debut in 2025. During an event on Tuesday night, Samsung at long last shared more details about the first Android XR device that you'll be able to purchase.The company got really wild and original with the headset's name. You're truly not going to believe what it's called... Actually, it's got the most unsurprising name of all time: Galaxy XR. What's more, you can buy the headset right now in the US and Korea for $1,800. That's just over half of what the Apple Vision Pro costs.Aside from an Android-powered headset that looks very much like an Apple Vision Pro, you might be wondering exactly what you'll be getting in return for forking over 1,800 smackeroos. As expected, Galaxy XR is powered by the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 chipset. Qualcomm worked with Samsung and Google on the headset.The micro OLED display has 29 million pixels (6 million more than the Apple Vision Pro), a resolution of 3,552 x 3,840 and 96 percent of the DCIP3 color gamut - four percent more than the Vision Pro. Where Apple does have Samsung beat on the display front is with the refresh rate: the Galaxy XR tops out at 90Hz and the Vision Pro can hit 120Hz.Galaxy XR has dual high-res passthrough cameras to support mixed reality use, six other external cameras for tracking things in the environment and two eye-tracking sensors. The device supports iris recognition for unlocking the headset and entering passwords in some apps. As with the Vision Pro, you can capture 3D photos and video using the headset.Sam Rutherford for EngadgetThe cameras allow for hand tracking and gesture control, though it's possible to operate Galaxy XR with physical controllers as well. If you prefer, you can pair a keyboard and mouse to the headset or link it to your PC and access your desktop that way.The dual speakers support Dolby Atmos and there are six microphones built in. As for battery life, Samsung says you'll get up to two hours of general use and 2.5 hours of video playback on a charge. That matches the original battery life promises of the original Vision Pro, but Apple said its latest model (which has the new M5 chipset) offers an extra 30 minutes or so of usage.The interpupillary distance of the Galaxy XR's optics is 54~70mm, and it's possible to buy insertable prescription lenses if needed. As for connectivity, the headset supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. Even with a forehead cushion attached, Galaxy XR weighs 545g (1.2lbs), while the latest Apple Vision Pro has a minimum weight of 750g (1.7lbs). The Galaxy XR's battery pack - as with competitor's offerings, the battery is external - weighs 302g (0.7lbs).Samsung claims the Galaxy XR was designed with comfort in mind. "The headset's ergonomically balanced frame distributes pressure across the forehead and the back of the head, minimizing facial discomfort while providing steady support," the company said in a press release. There's also a detachable light shield that you can employ to block out external light.Google/UnityWhat you can actually do with Galaxy XRThere are no prizes for guessing that Google's generative AI chatbot Gemini is at the heart of Android XR. "Android XR is the first Android platform built entirely for the Gemini era, and we are incredibly excited to take a significant leap forward today with the launch of Galaxy XR," Sameer Samat, Google's president of Android Ecosystem, said.Every Google Play Store app works out of the box on the headset, though of course Google has reworked some for mixed reality. You can use Gemini to navigate Google Maps and ask for personalized recommendations while checking out 3D visuals with Immersive View. Google Photos can bring an extra dimension to 2D photos and videos via auto spatialization.On YouTube, you can ask Gemini to find videos and tell you more details about what you're watching. And, while using the passthrough mode, you can look at any object in your environment and use Circle to Search to look up more info about it. Google has also made new versions of Google TV, Chrome and Meet (because what is mixed reality for if not conference calls?) for Android XR.Multitasking is a factor here as well. The operating system allows users to have multiple, resizable apps open at once. These can be arranged in a virtual space, or you can simply ask Gemini to do that for you.On the entertainment front, you'll be able to stream shows and movies in 4K in a virtual theater setting. You'll have access to a library of 180-degree and 360-degree VR content, and you can view 3D content via a "spatial" tab. Some streaming platforms have reworked their apps for Android XR, including Crunchyroll, HBO Max and Peacock.There's a multi-view option for watching sports, with apps from the likes of MLB and Fox Sports available. With Adobe's Project Pulsar (an immersive video editing app), you'll be able to add 3D depth to videos and seemingly place captions behind subjects with ease, if that's something you're interested in.Sam Rutherford for EngadgetGalaxy XR has games too. NFL Pro Era - an NFL-licensed virtual reality title that's also on Meta Quest, PlayStation VR and Windows - is available for Android XR. So too is Inside [JOB] by Owlchemy Labs (Vacation Simulator, Job Simulator). For compatible games, Samsung says Gemini can offer real-time coaching, tips and "enhanced gameplay experiences."The arrival of Galaxy XR is an important next step for Google and its grand vision of an Android XR ecosystem. But the company isn't stopping with headsets. It's also making smart glasses, a product category that Meta has been trying to conquer. Samsung and Google are working with Warby Parker on Android XR smart glasses. At I/O earlier this year, we got some hands-on time with a prototype of Google's Android XR glasses.Once again, Galaxy XR will run you $1,800, and Samsung is offering financing options. The Galaxy XR Travel Case and Galaxy XR Controller will each run you $250 - at those prices, they almost need financing options too. Ouch.Anyone who buys Galaxy XR by the end of this year will get an Explorer Pack at no extra cost. This includes 12 months of access to Google AI Pro, YouTube Premium and Google Play Pass. The NFL Pro Era, Project Pulsar, Calm and Asteroid apps are bundled in too. You'll also get NBA League Pass access for the 2025-26 season in the US or 12 months of the Coupang Play Sports Pass in Korea. Charging $1 for each of the first three months of YouTube TV seems a little cheap considering the outlay for Galaxy XR, but it's still a decent perk. YouTube TV typically costs $83 per month.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/google-and-samsungs-first-android-xr-headset-is-the-1800-galaxy-xr-020004449.html?src=rss

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri and Snap CEO Evan Spiegel will have to testify in an upcoming trial that deals with social media safety and whether the executives' platforms are addictive. A Los Angeles judge ruled that the three men will need to testify in the trial set to begin in January, according to CNBC."The testimony of a CEO is uniquely relevant, as that officer's knowledge of harms, and failure to take available steps to avoid such harms could establish negligence or ratification of negligent conduct," Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl wrote. As CNBC points out, the January trial will be closely watched as it's the first of many lawsuits alleging harms to young social media users that will head to trial.Lawyers for Meta and Snap had argued that the executives should be spared from testifying at the upcoming trial. Meta's lawyers reportedly argued that forcing testimony from Zuckerberg and Mosseri would "set a precedent" for future trials. Meta is currently facing numerous lawsuits over alleged harms to younger users of its platforms. The company didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.Snap is also facing a number of lawsuits over alleged safety issues. In a statement, the law firm representing Snap said that the judge's order "does not bear at all on the validity of Plaintiffs claims" and that they "look forward to the opportunity to explain why Plaintiffs' allegations against Snapchat are wrong factually and as a matter of law. "This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/mark-zuckerberg-adam-mosseri-and-evan-spiegel-ordered-to-testify-in-trial-over-social-media-addiction-190500907.html?src=rss

Players aren't the only ones facing higher price tags from Xbox. According to a report by The Verge, Microsoft has upped the cost of the Xbox Development Kit from $1,500 to $2,000. That's a 33 percent jump in cost for these custom hardware kits, which are essential for devs to make and test games for release on the console."The adjustment reflects macroeconomic developments," Microsoft said in an email sent to Xbox devs and seen by The Verge. "We remain committed to providing high-quality tools and support for your development efforts." Although the macroeconomics in question are almost certainly the tariffs enacted by the US, it appears this is a blanket increase that will impact developers in other countries as well. The new kit costs appear to be effective immediately.The change caps off a series of price increases for the Xbox ecosystem. Game Pass prices recently rose, with the Ultimate tier now costing $30 a month compared to the previous $20. And Microsoft has upped the cost of the Xbox twice this year, once in May and again in September. Between these additional expenses and the little matter of cutting thousands of gaming jobs earlier this year, a lot of us are giving up on Xbox before Microsoft can disappoint us yet again.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/microsoft-increases-the-price-of-xbox-dev-kits-by-500-190000419.html?src=rss

Netflix, no stranger to adapting games into streaming hits, has announced that it's partnering with game publisher Asmodee to create new TV shows and films based on the board game Catan, with multiple projects already in development. While the streamer has primarily specialized video game adaptations, the belief in post-Barbie Hollywood is that any recognizable IP could be the source of a future TV show or movie.In Catan, players are tasked with collecting resources and building out a civilization on a remote island, with multiple ways to win or obstruct fellow players from doing the same. It's not too hard to imagine the game being converted into some kind of competitive reality TV show, though apparently animated and live-action narrative projects are also on the table. "Anyone who has played Catan knows [that] the intense strategy and negotiation at the core of the game has endless opportunities for some serious drama," Jinny Howe, Netflix's head of scripted series for the US and Canada, shared in the press release announcing the deal.Whichever Catan project ultimately heads into production, Netflix says it'll be produced by Darren Kyman from Asmodee, Pete Fenlon from Catan Studio, and Guido and Benjamin Teuber, the sons of Catan creator Klaus Teuber. If Asmodee sounds familiar, it might be because Netflix has partnered with the publisher in the past. Exploding Kittens, another Asmodee published game, was adapted into both a mobile game for Netflix Games and an animated series with the help of its original creators.Catan joins a Monopoly adaptation and several shows based on video games at Netflix, including the recently released Splinter Cell: Deathwatch and an upcoming series based on the Assassin's Creed franchise.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/netflix-is-adapting-catan-into-movies-and-tv-shows-185133712.html?src=rss

GM is ending production of the Chevy Brightdrop electric van, according to portions of a transcript of a recent earnings report published by The Verge. The decision was made due to slowing demand in the EV market, as hundreds of Brightdrop vans have begun piling up in dealer lots.This is not a decision we made lightly because of the impact on our employees," CEO Mary Barra said in the earnings call. However the commercial electric van market has been developing much slower than expected, and changes to the regulatory framework and fleet incentives has made the business even more challenging."Those changes to the regulatory framework she mentions likely refer to the recent disappearance of the federal EV tax credit. The policy offered prospective buyers a $7,500 tax credit and was supposed to wind down in 2032, but the Trump administration killed it back in September as part of the so-called Big, Beautiful Bill. Brightdrop vans were also eligible for a $7,500 rebate for commercial EVs under 18,000 lbs, which went away along with the tax credit.In other words, Brightdrop electric vans are simply too expensive for most consumers. They started at $74,000. The double discount brought the starting price down to $59,000, but that's gone now. Additionally, rival Ford's E-Transit van starts at $51,600.GM first launched the Brightdrop vans back in 2021, and this seemed to be a serious attempt to capture the commercial EV market. The company made its own fleet management software and inked deals with Walmart, FedEx and others. Money is money, however, and not too many commercial customers have an extra $15,000 laying around to make up for those lapsed credits and rebates.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/gm-to-end-production-of-its-chevy-brightdrop-electric-vans-183622673.html?src=rss

When AI tools first began proliferating around the web, worries about deepfakes quickly rose alongside them. And now that tech such as OpenAI's recently released Sora 2 is getting more capable and more widely available (and being used exactly as irresponsibly as you might have guessed), both famous and ordinary people may want more control over protecting their likenesses. After teasing the feature last year, YouTube is starting to launch a likeness detection tool to combat unwanted deepfakes and have them removed from the video platform.Likeness detection is currently being rolled out to members of the YouTube Partner Program. It's also only able to cover instances where an individual's face has been modified with AI; cases where a person's voice has been changed by AI without their consent may not be caught by this feature. To participate, people will need to submit a government ID and a brief video selfie to YouTube to ensure they are who they say they are and give the feature source material to draw from in its review. From there, it works similarly to YouTube's Content ID feature for finding copyrighted audio, scanning uploaded videos for possible matches that the person can then review and flag infringing videos for removal.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/youtube/youtube-is-rolling-out-likeness-detection-tool-to-combat-deepfakes-175917315.html?src=rss

Apple's war of words with Europe over its Digital Markets Act (DMA) is bleeding into the court system. Bloomberg reports that the company criticized the regulations at the General Court in Luxembourg. The European Commission is currently conducting its first formal review of the law. Apple lawyer Daniel Beard told the court reviewing the DMA that it "imposes hugely onerous and intrusive burdens."The language echoes Apple's go-to framing of the regulations as an anti-consumer, anti-privacy hardship on the nearly $4 trillion company. "Over time, it's become clear that the DMA isn't helping markets," the company wrote in a September blog post. "It's making it harder to do business in Europe." Apple even cited porn as one of the law's alleged dangers. "For the first time, pornography apps are available on iPhone from other marketplaces - apps we've never allowed on the App Store because of the risks they create, especially for children."Apple also claimed the DMA caused it to delay several features. These include AirPods Live Translation, iPhone Mirroring in macOS, and the Visited Places and Preferred Routes features in Maps.The iPhone maker asked the EC to repeal the law in September. In response, the commission essentially told the company to shove it. "Apple has simply contested every little bit of the DMA since its entry into application," EU spokesperson Thomas Regnier said. He added that the EC had "absolutely no intention" of ditching the law.Bloomberg reports that Apple is challenging the DMA on three fronts. First is its requirement that rival hardware (like earbuds and smartwatches) work with the iPhone, which Apple claims is a security risk. The company also objected to the App Store's inclusion under the rules and a probe into whether iMessage should have been included.In response, EC lawyer Paul-John Loewenthal highlighted Apple's immense power in Europe. He said the company's "absolute control" over the iPhone has led to "supernormal profits" in markets where competitors can't possibly compete on equal footing."Only Apple has the keys to that walled garden," Loewenthal told the court. "It decides who gets it and who can offer their products and services to iPhone users. And through such control, Apple has locked in more than a third of European smartphone users."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-steps-up-its-attacks-on-europes-dma-regulations-175332390.html?src=rss

OpenAI's long-rumored browser has a name, and you can try it out today - provided you're an Apple user. ChatGPT Atlas is available to download on macOS, with the company promising to bring it to Windows, Android and iOS soon. Atlas integrates ChatGPT directly within the browser interface, allowing users to engage with the chatbot while they're surfing the web - no need to jump between different tabs or copy and paste content.When you select a text field, an icon will appear that allows you to prompt ChatGPT. OpenAI demoed this feature in Gmail where an employee asked the chatbot to polish an email he was writing to a colleague. Naturally, a prompt bar will also appear when you open a new tab, and you can open a sidebar where you can converse with ChatGPT at any time.The more you use Atlas, the more ChatGPT will "remember" about your preferences. One of the benefits of this is that you'll be able to more easily filter through your search history. For instance, you can write "re-open the shoes I looked at yesterday," and ChatGPT will know the specific website you want to look at again. Browser memories are optional, and if you decide to enable the feature, you can manage them through the settings menu, and just like any other browser, you can delete your history or go surf the web using an incognito mode. OpenAI also says it won't use the content users browse to train its future models.Atlas also includes an agent mode where ChatGPT can surf the web for you and complete tasks. The feature builds on the Operator tech debuted at the start of the year, and is currently available as a preview within the browser that Plus, Pro and Business accounts can try out. "It can help you book reservations or flights or even just edit a document that you're working on," said Adam Fry, product lead for ChatGPT Search, during the livestream where OpenAI announced Atlas."Tabs are great but we haven't seen a lot of browser innovation since then," OpenAI CEO Sam Altman at the start of the livestream. This is just a great browser all-around - it's smooth, it's quick, it's really nice to use."Rumors that OpenAI was working on its own web browser first surfaced in July. With today's announcement, the company joins an already competitive market. A number of companies, including Opera and Perplexity, released their own "agentic" browsers earlier this year. Of course, then there's also Google, which plans to integrate its Gemini AI assistant more deeply into Chrome, the world's most popular browser, over the coming months.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openais-ai-powered-browser-chatgpt-atlas-launches-on-macos-today-170735742.html?src=rss

Google just announced several updates for its digital telecom provider, Google Fi. It's introducing AI-enhanced audio for better sound quality during calls. The company says this will ensure "optimized audio quality for every call, so you can confidently take calls from a windy park or busy cafe." This feature rolls out sometime in November.Google Fi is getting HD/HD+ calling, which should also improve the overall audio quality. The service will soon automatically connect to Wi-Fi when available, with the company touting "seamless, secure switching." As for security, each call and text goes through a VPN. There's no extra cost for this service and it doesn't count against the pre-existing data allocation.The platform will also soon let users make calls and send texts from any web browser. This is coming in December and will feature a new interface with full RCS support, allowing folks to add hi-res photos and videos to message threads.Finally, Google is integrating Gemini into the platform to create an AI-powered billing summary. The company says this offers "simple, easy explanations of all your billing statements." The feature has been in a beta for a while and Google says users have given it "high positive sentiment."These tools are accompanied by a limited-time promo for new subscribers, amounting to 50 percent off for 15 months when bringing in a phone. The discount is only available for the Unlimited Premium and Unlimited Standard plans.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/google-fi-will-start-using-ai-to-make-calls-sound-better-170025805.html?src=rss

There was no massive event announcing the M5 MacBook Pro, not even a short promotional video for social media. Instead, Apple dumped all of its new M5 devices on us with a few press releases, a clear sign that there's not much to celebrate this year. But while the new 14-inch MacBook Pro appears to be more of the same on the surface, it also features an impressive graphics upgrade that makes it a decent choice for gaming. And it retains everything I already love about the MacBook Pros: It's still a well-designed machine that's sturdy, fast and offers tons of battery life. What's new in the M5 MacBook Pro The star of the show is Apple's new M5 chip, which sports a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU and 16 Neural Engine cores. While the company claims it's 20 percent faster than the M4 for multi-threaded applications, the biggest upgrade is the GPU, which is up to 60 percent faster when it comes to games and professional apps. The M4 was no slouch when it came to gaming and media rendering, but the M5 is a more tempting upgrade for anyone using an M1 MacBook Pro or older. Otherwise, it's like I said: more of the same. There's the 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display which offers up to 1,000 nits of full-screen brightness and 1,600 nits of HDR, as well as ProMotion's smooth 120Hz refresh rate. (Unfortunately, we'll likely have to wait until next year for an OLED option.) The aluminum case is still rock solid, and the excellent keyboard and trackpad haven't changed a bit. Last year's 12MP Center Stage webcam also makes a return, along with the superb six-speaker sound system. The port situation is also solid. On top of the MagSafe 3 charging connection, there are three Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, a full-sized SDXC card reader, HDMI and a headphone jack. (It would be nice to see a gigabit Ethernet port though. That's the one accessory I still regularly connect to almost every laptop.) Devindra Hardawar for Engadget In use: The best gets even better Before I get to the benchmarks and other performance metrics, it's worth pointing out just how pleasant the 14-inch MacBook is to use. Its aluminum frame is smooth to the touch, its screen is bright enough to use in direct sunlight and it always feels blazing fast. While its 3.4-pound frame is noticeably heavier than the 2.7-pound MacBook Air, it's still easy to travel with. And you can certainly tell that the additional weight translates into raw power, especially as you start to stress the MacBook Pro and hear its fans gently spin up. While the MacBook Air is built to be as thin as possible, the MacBook Pro is built to get work done (and look good while doing so). Based on my testing with popular benchmarks and a few games, the M5 MacBook Pro is noticeably faster than the M4 model in tasks that rely on the GPU and NPU. Otherwise, though, it's hard to tell a difference when it comes to basic tasks like booting into macOS, browsing the web and dealing with email. My review unit was equipped with 32GB of RAM, so it had a bit more breathing room than the base model with 16GB of memory. (Pro tip: If you're planning to keep the MacBook Pro for four years or more, it makes sense to get at least 32GB of RAM. You can't upgrade the memory down the line like older laptops, since it's baked directly into the M5 chip.) Computer Geekbench 6 Geekbench 6 GPU Cinebench 2024 Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5, 2025) 4,310/18,003 48,840 197/1,034 | GPU: 6,143 Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4, 2024) 3,797/14,571 37,869 172/979 GPU: 3,770 Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) 3,925/22,456 70,197 178/1,689 GPU 9,295 Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M3 Max, 2024) 3,202/21,312 92,344 143/1,686 GPU 13,182 In Geekbench 6, the M5 MacBook Pro was around 500 points faster than the M4 model in single-threaded tasks, and nearly 3,500 points faster for complex multi-threaded work like video rendering. Thanks to the M5's new graphics hardware, it also tested far better in the Geekbench 6 GPU test, reaching around 11,00 points faster than the M4. I noticed a similar result in Cinebench 2024: The M5 MacBook Pro's CPU scores were slightly better than before, but the GPU score was nearly twice as fast as the M4. For real-world gaming performance, I turned to Lies of P, which also surprised me with some major leaps. With the M4 MacBook Pro, I could only get a steady 60 fps with the highest graphics settings in 1080p. With this M5 model, I was able to play at the highest resolution (3024 by 1890) between 70 and 75 fps. It was even smoother as I scaled down the resolution: The MacBook Pro hit 85 to 95 fps in 1,440p and up to 140 fps in 1080p. Those results are in line with what I'd expect from a gaming notebook that costs well over $2,000, which is in line with the $2,200 retail cost of our review unit. Devindra Hardawar for Engadget I still wouldn't recommend a MacBook Pro for anyone who wants to play tons of games, but it's heartening to see Apple making progress on that front. There are more new AAA games hitting the app store, and the M-series chips are fast enough to run most of them well. But the M5 is the first time I'd consider Apple's hardware equivalent to a PC running a video card like NVIDIA's RTX 5070. The M5 MacBook Pro retains the impressive battery life from the previous model, reaching 34 hours and 30 minutes while looping an HD video. I could also use it for more than two full days of work with nothing much stressing the GPU. And once again, the MacBook Pro never feels very hot, even under an intensive workload. The fans are audible, but they don't get as annoying as the helicopter-like fans from the old Intel MacBook Pros. Devindra Hardawar for Engadget Should you buy the M5 MacBook Pro? If you're looking for a powerful laptop that can handle most heavy-duty workloads, the MacBook Pro will certainly suit your needs. But the difficult choice now is deciding between this 14-inch M5 model, the existing M4 Pro and Max systems, or waiting a few months for the upcoming M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. If you're rendering video and 3D content all day, you're likely better off working with Pro and Max chips, but you'll have to wait several months to see the new M5 options. If you absolutely need a workhorse MacBook Pro today, you'll have to settle for the M4 Pro and M4 Max (which are still far faster than the base M5 chip). But for most creatives, the M5 MacBook Pro offers an impressive balance of power and portability.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/apple-macbook-pro-m5-14-inch-review-a-huge-graphics-upgrade-for-creators-and-gamers-170009179.html?src=rss

Aura just announced the Ink, a 13-inch color e-ink photo frame. The company says it's the "thinnest e-paper frame available" that is "designed to join a gallery wall or stand alone." Aura isn't kidding here. This thing is just 0.6-inches thick. One of the primary pain points of traditional digital photo frames is that many require constant power via an outlet. This creates an aesthetic problem, as one has to figure out a place to tuck away a power cord. Some modern frames operate via battery, but they don't last all that long. The Aura Ink, however, features a rechargeable battery that powers the device for three full months. That's a really good metric and is likely due to the decreased power demands of e-ink. There's another problem that Aura looks to have solved here. Color e-paper has a limited palette with access to just six different hues. That's just the nature of the technology. This doesn't always make for the most pristine images. The company is getting around this limitation via a proprietary dithering algorithm that "expands the appearance of the display's six-color ink system into millions of tones, creating the illusion of full-color photographs." I haven't gotten a look at this frame in real life, but the marketing images look gorgeous. Aura There's also an integrated front light that highlights photos. The company says this light has been designed to boost contract and automatically adjusts to ambient conditions. It also shuts off at night because the opposite would be kind of creepy. The Aura Ink ships with a wall-mount and a tabletop stand. Now onto the bad news. This is high-end technology with a high-end price tag. The frame costs $500. Aura is a reputable company, however, as its Carver Mat model topped our list of the best digital picture frames. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/aura-just-announced-an-incredibly-thin-color-e-ink-photo-frame-163734237.html?src=rss

It felt like half of the internet was dealing with a severe hangover on October 20. A severe Amazon Web Services outage took out many, many websites, apps, games and other services that rely on Amazon's cloud division to stay up and running. That included a long list of popular software like Venmo, Snapchat, Canva and Fortnite. Even Amazon's own assistant Alexa stuttered, and if you were wondering why the internet seemed to be against you - you weren't imagining it. The good news is that, Amazon announced by 6:53PM ET on October 20 that it resolved the "increased error rates and latencies for AWS Services."The company said it "identified the trigger of the event as DNS resolution issues for the regional DynamoDB service endpoints." It ran into more problems as it tried to solve the outage, but it was eventually able to fix everything. "By 3:01 PM [PT], all AWS services returned to normal operations," it said.At about 4:30PM ET on October 20, things seemed to be returning back to normal. Apps like Venmo and Lyft, which were either slow to respond or completely nonresponsive before, were appearing to behave smoothly.As of 1:15PM ET on October 20, multiple services were unavailable, including asking Alexa for the weather or to turn off lights in your home. The Lyft app was also slower to respond than usual, and Venmo transactions were not completing.According to the AWS service health page at the time, Amazon was looking into "increased error rates and latencies for multiple AWS services" in the US-EAST-1 region (i.e. data centers in Northern Virginia) as of 3:11AM ET on Monday. By 5:01AM, AWS had figured out that a DNS resolution issue with its DynamoDB API was the cause of the outage. DynamoDB is a database that holds info for AWS clients.At about 12:08PM ET, the company posted a small statement that reiterated the above and added that the "underlying DNS issue was fully mitigated at 2:24 AM PDT." According to the notice, some Amazon "customers still continue to experience increased error rates with AWS services in the N. Virginia (us-east-1) Region due to issues with launching new EC2 instances." Amazon also said Amazon.com and Amazon subsidiaries, as well as AWS customer service support operations have been impacted.Amazon had the data safely stored, but nobody else could find it for several hours, leaving apps temporarily separated from their data," Mike Chapple, a teaching professor of IT, analytics and operations at University of Notre Dame, told CNN. It's as if large portions of the internet suffered temporary amnesia."As of 6:35AM, AWS said it had fully mitigated the DNS issue and that "most AWS Service operations are succeeding normally now." However, the knock-on effect caused issues with other AWS services, including EC2, a virtual machine service on which many companies build online applications.At 8:48AM, AWS said it was "making progress on resolving the issue with new EC2 instance launches in the US-EAST-1 Region." It recommended that clients not tie new deployments to specific Availability Zones (i.e. one or more data centers in a given region) "so that EC2 has flexibility" in picking a zone that may be a better option.At 9:42AM, Amazon noted on the status page that although it had applied "multiple mitigations" across several Availability Zones in US-EAST-1, it was "still experiencing elevated errors for new EC2 instance launches." As such, AWS was "rate limiting new instance launches to aid recovery." The company added at 10:14AM that it was seeing "significant API errors and connectivity issues across multiple services in the US-EAST-1 Region." Even once all the issues are resolved, AWS will have a significant backlog of requests and other factors to process, so it'll take some time for everything to recover.Many, many, many companies use US-EAST-1 for their AWS deployments, which is why it felt like half of the internet was knocked offline on Monday morning. As of mid-morning, tons of websites and other services were sluggish or offering up error messages. Outage reports for a broad swathe of services spiked on Down Detector. Along with Amazon's own services, users reported issues with the likes of banks, airlines, Disney+, Snapchat, Reddit, Lyft, Apple Music, Pinterest, Fortnite, Roblox and The New York Times - sorry to anyone whose Wordle streaks may be at risk.Sites like Reddit have posted their own status updates, and though they don't explicitly mention AWS, it's possible that the services' paths may cross somewhere in the pipelines.AWS offers a lot of useful features to clients, such as the ability for websites and apps to automatically scale compute and server capacity up and down as needed to handle ebbs and flows in traffic. It also has data centers around the world. That kind of infrastructure is attractive to companies that serve a global audience and need to stay online around the clock. As of mid-2025, it was estimated that AWS' share of the worldwide cloud infrastructure market was 30 percent. But incidents such as this highlight that relying on just a few providers to be the backbone of much of the internet is a bit of a problem.Websites affected by Amazon Web Services outageSites and services that were affected by the AWS outage include:

Nintendo has another livestream planned for the upcoming Switch 2 exclusive Kirby Air Riders. This one takes place on October 23 at 9AM ET. That's less than a month before the game will be available for purchase.The company also says the stream will be a full hour, which is a heck of a long time to spend on just one game a few weeks before launch. It's worth noting, however, that Kirby Air Riders is a Masahiro Sakurai title.

Amazon is reportedly moving towards an era of unprecedented automation that would put half a million jobs in the US at risk. According to a series of interviews and internal documents referenced in an extensive report from The New York Times, Amazon executives expect to sell twice as many products by 2033. But by scaling up its robotics operations believe it could avoid the 600,000 hires it would otherwise have to make to keep up with the demand.According to the report, documents show that the ultimate aim of Amazon's in-house robotics department is to automate 75 percent of all operations, and if it is successful in making 160,000 fewer hires by 2027, the company would reportedly save 30 cents on each item it packs and delivers to customers in the US. Amazon recently celebrated deploying its 1 millionth robot, a fleet it has been adding to since unveiling its first fully autonomous mobile robot in 2022.Despite already pushing ahead with building warehouses that employ few humans, the NYT report claims that Amazon is planning for the eventual impact on affected communities and the potential backlash by participating in local events to establish a reputation as a "good corporate citizen." The internal documents also discuss the avoidance of terms such as "automation" and "AI" in relation to robotics, suggesting instead that executives use terms like advanced technology" instead. They even consider replacing using "cobot" instead of "robot" as the former implies a collaborative relationship with humans.In a statement to the NYT, Amazon called the plans it cited incomplete and not reflective of its overall hiring strategy. It denied that its community efforts were related to its automation plans and said it's not insisting that its executives refrain from using certain terms. The company added that it planned to hire 250,000 people for the imminent holiday season, but wouldn't say how many of these would be permanent hires.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/new-report-leaks-amazons-proposed-mass-automation-plans-144822790.html?src=rss

Yet another streaming platform is asking people to dig deeper into their wallets and pay more to keep using the service. Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) has jacked up the prices of all HBO Max plans, 16 months after the last increase to the ad-free offerings.The entry-level, ad-supported plan is now $11 per month (an extra $1) or $110 per year ($10 more). HBO Max Standard will run you an extra $1.50 per month at $18.49 or $15 per year at $185 for the annual plan. As for the HBO Max Premium option, subscribers will now have to pay $23 per month (up by $2) or $230 for an annual plan (an increase of $20).The new prices kick in immediately for newcomers. Existing monthly subscribers will start paying more as of November 20 (whenever their next billing cycle starts on or after that date). Yearly subscribers will be notified about the price changes 30 days before their plan renews.WBD CEO David Zaslav suggested in September that price increases were on the way, along with a stricter crackdown on password sharing. "The fact that this is quality - and that's true across our company, motion picture, TV production and streaming quality - we all think that gives us a chance to raise prices," Zaslav said. "We think we're way underpriced."The company announced the price increases on the same day that Disney is making several Disney+ plans more expensive. As it happens, some of the Disney+ bundles that are going up in price include HBO Max.News of the price hikes comes just as WBD sticks a For Sale sign out on its lawn. It was reported this month that the company turned down an acquisition offer from Paramount Skydance for being too low. WBD has now confirmed that "multiple parties" have expressed interest in buying some or all of the company, and that it's now conducting "a review of strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value."In June, WBD announced plans to split into two companies. As things stand, Warner Bros. will retain the namesake film, TV and game studios, as well as New Line Cinema, DC Studios, HBO and HBO Max. Discovery Global will have all of the other live cable channels, such as CNN, HGTV, Cartoon Network, Discovery and TLC (it will also be saddled with the lion's share of WBD's debt). That split is slated to take place by mid-2026, but WBD said on Tuesday it would consider other options."The Warner Bros. Discovery Board will evaluate a broad range of strategic options, which will include continuing to advance the company's planned separation to completion by mid-2026, a transaction for the entire company or separate transactions for its Warner Bros. and/or Discovery Global businesses," WBD said in a press release. "As part of the review, the company will also consider an alternative separation structure that would enable a merger of Warner Bros. and spin-off of Discovery Global to our shareholders."WBD hasn't set a deadline or timetable for completing this review. But given the whole HBO Max naming debacle, it might take the board quite a while to make its mind up.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/hbo-max-is-getting-even-more-expensive-starting-today-143939446.html?src=rss

Samsung is partnering with Perplexity to bring the startup's AI Search engine to its smart TVs. If you own a 2025 Samsung TV, you can start using the app today. The company will bring the software to older 2024 and 2023 sets later this year via an OTA update. As part of today's announcement, Perplexity is also offering free 12-month subscriptions to its Pro plan. To redeem the offer, you'll need to scan the QR code that appears within the new app.As mentioned, Perplexity is an AI search engine. Before OpenAI, Anthropic and others added similar capabilities to their chatbots, Perplexity's offering was novel, giving users a way to search the web more deeply than even Google allowed at the time. Things have gotten even more competitive in recent months, with Google going all in on AI Mode in Search. Still, if you want to try different, it's worth seeing what Perplexity has to offer. The company's Samsung TV app allows users to both type and use their voice to ask questions.No matter how you slice it, this is a curious partnership. Perplexity doesn't have a great reputation, even when you consider the broader AI industry. In August, Cloudflare accused the company of scraping websites it wasn't supposed to be. Later that same month, two of Japan's largest media companies sued the company for copyright infringement, alleging it not only stole information from them but also attributed falsehoods to them. And just last month, Merriam-Webster sued Perplexity as well, again alleging copyright infringement.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/perplexity-made-a-tv-app-and-its-coming-to-samsung-sets-143000479.html?src=rss

Apple is back with the latest version of the iPad Pro, and like the iPad Air earlier this year the surface-level changes are minimal. Like that iPad Air, there's a new chip on board here. It's the M5, which was also added to the 14-inch MacBook Pro and Vision Pro. There are new Apple-designed networking chips: the N1 handles Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread, while the C1X handles 5G connectivity. Both of those chips debuted in the iPhone Air last month, so this is the first time they're in an iPad. Finally, the iPad Pro supports fast charging for the first time; you can get to a 50 percent charge in about 30 minutes using a 60W power adaptor. Compared to the redesign Apple introduced with the M4 iPad Pro in 2024, this is very much a minor spec bump. It makes sense for Apple to ensure the iPad Pro has its most performant chips as soon as they are released. If you're charging customers upwards of $1,000 for an iPad Pro, it had better be on the bleeding edge. (The 13-inch iPad Pro I'm testing with 1TB of storage and 5G connectivity costs $2,099, plus the $349 Magic Keyboard.) As such, the iPad Pro M5 is fairly easy to understand. Want a new iPad Pro? You're now getting exactly what Apple offered a week ago, plus some impressive performance gains for specific tasks. Almost no one who bought an M4 iPad Pro should upgrade to this one, but anyone using an older model will find a ton to appreciate here. And while the hardware hasn't radically changed, iPadOS has. The recent iPadOS 26 release introduced an entirely new multitasking system, a significantly improved Files app and more support for background processes, to name just a few of the highlights. Those things are best appreciated on a powerful device with a large screen like the 13-inch iPad Pro M5 I'm reviewing here. For years, the question that has dogged the iPad Pro is when its software would match up to its undeniably impressive hardware. I think the combo of iPadOS 26 paired with this hardware is a winner, but as always the price is going to be a sticking point. M5 As mentioned, the M5 chip is the big change for the iPad Pro, and if you're coming from a device older than last year's M4 model you can expect a big performance increase when you start pushing the envelope of what you can do. Before getting into the nitty gritty, here's a rundown of what's different from last year. Probably the most significant change is that the M5's GPU now includes a neural accelerator" on each of its 10 cores, an architectural tweak that'll unsurprisingly give the chip more muscle when using the GPU for AI-related tasks. Beyond the neural accelerators, the GPU is also up to 30 percent faster in graphics performance, and the third-generation ray-tracing engine here is up to 45 percent faster in apps using ray tracing. Nathan Ingraham for Engadget The standard CPU cores (four performance, six efficiency) are also faster than last year's model, though less dramatically so. That's not a surprise, as each successive M-series chip has gotten similar modest performance gains over the years. (Note that the iPad Pros with 256GB or 512GB of storage only get three performance cores. They also come with 12GB of RAM compared to the 16GB in configurations with more storage, but that's more than the 8GB of RAM in the last generation's equivalent options.) The Neural Engine has been upgraded, as well. Apple is also promising big gains in memory bandwidth, which now hits 153GB/s (nearly 30 percent higher than on the M4). Finally, read/write speeds to storage are up to two times faster than in last year's model. Doing some benchmarking with the Geekbench 6 and Geekbench AI apps show the expected major gains for GPU and AI performance. Single-core and multi-core CPU tests with Geekbench 6 come in at about 15 percent and 10 percent better than the iPad Pro M4, but GPU performance has increased more than 32 percent. Things are more dramatic when you look specifically at the Geekbench AI results. The app offers three scores (single precision, half precision and quantized) and can be run on three different chip backends (CPU, GPU and Neural Engine). When running the CPU- and Neural Engine-based benchmarks, the M5 only bested the M4 by single-digit percentages. But when using the GPU, the M5's single-precision score was 22.4 percent better than the M4. Half precision and quantized performance was even more impressive - the M5 scored 85 percent and 101 percent better than the M4, respectively. The story this tells is that unless you're hitting your GPU hard with AI tasks, the M5 isn't massively better than the M4. Not a huge surprise, and most people who shelled out for an iPad Pro in the last 18 months should still be plenty happy with their purchases. But those GPU scores show off exactly where the M5 can stretch its wings compared to its predecessor. As I've only had the iPad Pro M5 for less than a week, I'm still comparing the M4 to M5 iPad Pro on specific AI-focused tasks and in certain apps and will update this review with more details later this week. The caveat with all of this is that while the M5 is incredibly powerful, it's also overkill for most things that people are going to use an iPad for. An iPad Pro with the M2 chip from 2022 still feels plenty responsive for most standard tasks that don't require exceptional speed or power. Yes, there are definitely people buying an iPad Pro and maxing out its impressive capabilities, and those who do so will appreciate the performance here. But for everyone else, the M5 alone isn't going to change how you use the iPad Pro on a day-to-day basis. Apple's 13-inch iPad Pro M5 is on the left; the 11-inch iPad Pro M4 is on the right. Nathan Ingraham for Engadget Hardware and display are still stunning Anyone upgrading from an iPad Pro older than last year's M4 model is in for a treat far beyond sheer performance. The iPad Pro M5 is physically identical to the prior one, but that doesn't matter because I think this is still the single most impressive device Apple makes. I went deep into the many changes Apple made last year in my review of the iPad Pro M4, and everything I said there still applies. But to recap, the iPad Pro is extremely portable despite its performance chops. Apple made it about 20 percent thinner and about a quarter-pound lighter than the iPad Pro models Apple sold from 2018 through 2023. This radically improves the experience of using it. If you're holding it like a tablet, the 13-inch model is now light and thin enough to be comfortable for extended use without having to put it down. Doing anything with the on-screen keyboard while holding it is still pretty awkward and the 11-inch option still feels like the best size for hand-held tasks. But the 13-inch iPad Pro I'm reviewing is noticeably easier to hold than the iPad Air because of its reduced weight and slimmer profile. The only complaint I might have about that thinness is it prevents Apple from shoving a bigger battery in here. The iPad Pro M5 gets the same 10-hour battery life rating (for surfing the web or watching videos) that every iPad has gotten since the tablet was released in 2010. But in recent years, Apple has, to some degree, stopped focusing on making every device as thin as possible at the potential expense of things like performance or battery life. Clearly, performance isn't an issue here. But the same people who value extended battery life in a thicker device when using things like the MacBook Pro might feel the same here. Nathan Ingraham for Engadget That's a valid opinion, but a tablet is meant to be held in your hands and carried around with you even more so than a laptop, so I understand why Apple values portability over extending the iPad Pro's battery life. Plus, the iPad Pro M5's fast-charging capabilities make it pretty easy to extend its life. Using Apple's new 40W Dynamic Charger that can automatically step up to 60W, I got from 23 percent to 70 percent in 35 minutes. That's a tad slower than the 50 percent charge in 30 minutes Apple claims, but we're well within the close enough" range. One thing I didn't get to test last year with the iPad Pro M4 was its durability. The tablet's extremely thin design reminded people of past Apple devices that had had some issues with flexing. After over a year with the previous iPad Pro, I'm not at all worried about this one. I've taken an iPad Pro M4 all around the US and internationally with no issues. Granted, it's usually in its keyboard case, but I've also traveled with it in the basic Smart Folio Apple sells and have seen no evidence of bending. I also don't remember seeing any reports about durability issues from owners over the last 18 months, so I wouldn't worry about its long-term durability. I don't have a great read on how long the iPad Pro M5 lasts away from its charger just yet - in the first few days with a new device it's often downloading a lot of data from backups and doing some optimizing, thus not giving you a great feel for how long it'll usually last. But so far, performance seems similar to the iPad Air M3 and iPad Pro M4 I've reviewed recently. I was getting between seven and eight hours while using the Magic Keyboard, and I'm guessing that I'll blow past the 10-hour estimate when watching locally-stored video. More details on that to come. Nathan Ingraham for Engadget Performance, check. Design, check. The third thing that continues to impress me about the iPad Pro is its screen. It quite simply has the nicest display I have ever seen on a portable device, be it a laptop, phone or tablet. Apple's tandem OLED display (two OLED panels layered on top of each other) is the same in all respects as it was last year. That means the 13-inch screen has a 2,752 x 2,064 resolution (264 ppi) and standard brightness that can hit 1,000 nits, or up to 1,600 nits peak for HDR content. Aside from the OLED display, the only display improvements the iPad Pro has that the iPad Air doesn't is ProMotion support for 120Hz refresh rates as well as a nano-texture glass option for the 1TB and 2TB models. To be clear, though, the iPad Pro's screen is in a completely different ballpark than the one on the iPad Air. Between the much faster refresh rate, high brightness levels, completely dark blacks and wonderful contrast, there's no question this screen far surpasses what you'll find on any other iPad. Professionals who do detailed work in video, photography, drawing with the Apple Pencil Pro or graphic design will appreciate all of these features. But it also makes something like kicking back on a plane to watch a movie more enjoyable. Nathan Ingraham for Engadget iPadOS 26 In last year's iPad Pro M4 review, I wrote: Apple has shown no indication it's going to make iPadOS more like a Mac." As such, I recommended people not buy an iPad Pro unless they were happy with the limitations that have been inherent to iPadOS for a long time. It took Apple until this summer, but its latest updates rendered my earlier words invalid. With iPadOS 26, Apple pretty much said screw it" and addressed nearly every big software complaint users have had. As a quick refresher: apps still open in full screen by default, but you can now grab the corner and resize it to any shape you see fit; you can then stack up as many windows as you want in that view. Apps are also much better at remembering their size and position on your screen than ever before. If you swipe up and dismiss all the apps you're working with and then re-open one, it's right in the same place you left it. If you want to throw something back in full-screen, the familiar stoplight" controls from the Mac are available for easy window management. You can swipe up and hold for a second from the bottom of the screen to enter Expose, which shows every open window in your view. Swiping right shows all the full-screen apps you have open. If you have an app in full screen, you can switch back to a windowed app that'll just float on top of what you're working in. There's also a menu bar at the top of the screen that makes it easy to access advanced controls for whatever you're using. As I said when I first started testing out iPadOS 26 in the summer, the end result of all these changes is that your iPad (no matter which kind) will feel significantly more capable with this software update. And there are other features that power users will appreciate, like a significantly improved Files app. Since it's easier to have multiple windows, moving things around or dragging and dropping things into apps is a lot simpler. And there are improved sorting options as well, while PDFs finally open in the new Preview app rather than within Files . Background task capabilities have also been significantly expanded. For example, Final Cut Pro can now render video in the background, whereas before, switching to a different app would put the lengthy and intensive process on pause. And developers can tap into this API to use it for their own apps, too. I can't say for sure that this will answer all the complaints of various iPad Pro owners out there, but I think Apple has gotten about as close as it can without just putting macOS on the device and calling it a day. Even with the big updates to iPadOS, an iPad Pro isn't for everyone. Plenty of people will still choose a traditional laptop. But the iPad has always offered a pretty unique blend of power and portability, and with better software it's a more viable option than ever. Nathan Ingraham for Engadget Wrap-up My viewpoint on the iPad Pro hasn't changed since last year. I still find it a wildly impressive device that is unlike much else you can buy. Just like the last model, it has Apple's newest chip, the best display Apple has made (aside from its $5,000 Pro XDR monitor) and a physical design that feels almost impossible given how much technology is crammed inside. It's truly delightful, and it's even more capable than before thanks to the combination of iPadOS 26 and the M5 chip. However, I still can't stomach that price. $1,299 for a 13-inch iPad with 256GB of storage, no 5G connectivity and no Magic Keyboard is a lot of money, even if it is as capable as a similarly-priced laptop. Given the incredible technology inside of the iPad Pro, I can understand why it's so expensive. And it's powerful enough that some buyers will be able to use it for three, four, even five years before they feel the need to update, which makes the up-front investment a little less burdensome. It's not the kind of device you need to replace annually, that's for sure. But unless you are going to use it as your main computer -all day, every day -and know exactly what benefits you'll get from the iPad over a more traditional laptop, you're probably better off buying an iPad Air and saving yourself a lot of money.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/ipad-pro-m5-review-speed-boost-130046249.html?src=rss

Meta is launching new tools aimed at trying to protect Messenger and WhatsApp users from potential scams. The company says its teams have "detected and disrupted" nearly 8 million accounts associated with scam centers in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, the United Arab Emirates and the Philippines since the beginning of 2025. It has also taken action on over 21,000 Pages on Facebook pretending to be customer support services of legitimate companies. But much still needs to be done to squash scams, specifically those targeting the elderly who may not be as tech-savvy or may not be aware of the scammers' latest schemes.On WhatsApp, the company will start showing users warning notices if they attempt to share their screen with someone not on their contacts list during a video call. Scammers sometimes get their targets to share their screens in order to steal sensitive information. In the warning window pictured below, Meta tells users outright to only share their screens with people they trust, since they will be able to see anything displayed on their phones, including their banking info.MetaThe company is also testing advanced scam detection tools in Messenger chats for mobile. When a user receives a potentially scammy message, a warning notice will pop up, telling them the message is suspicious and that they can forward it to Meta for an AI review. If Meta AI detects a potential scam, it will show the user a list of common scam signs, such as job offers in exchange for money, job offers promising fast cash and work from home offers for jobs that can't possibly be done remotely. It also reminds users not to wire transfer money or send gift cards, which are very common methods scammers use to steal money from their victims. At the bottom of the page, users will have the option to report and block the account that sent them the message.Meta didn't say when the new Messenger warning tool will roll out widely. For now, it's encouraging users to set up passkeys for quick identity verification and to run Security Checkup to review their security settings and get recommendations, including updating their passwords.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-will-warn-whatsapp-and-messenger-users-against-scams-120048067.html?src=rss

If you're not a big fan of the, well, glass in iOS 26's Liquid Glass interface, Apple has apparently heard you. The latest iOS 26.1 Beta 4 has a new toggle that lets you apply a "tinted" setting to boost the opacity of elements and add contrast, making them stand out better against the background, MacRumors reported. "Choose your preferred look for Liquid Glass. Clear is more transparent, revealing the content beneath. Tinted increases opacity and adds more contrast," the description states.The new toggle (Settings > Display and Brightness on iPhone or iPad and System Settings > Appearance macOS) is a rare instance of Apple altering course on a design based on user input. The company said the setting was added as many beta users desired a more opaque option for Liquid Glass. That's putting it mildly, as you may have noticed on social media or Reddit.AppleThe setting is more noticeable on some areas of iOS than others. Toggling it from clear to tinted changes everything throughout iOS and affects apps and lock screen notifications as well. Other new changes in the latest beta include a Camera swipe toggle, a new slide-to-stop feature for alarms and timers, Settings updates, new Apple Intelligence languages and a new Apple TV app icon. If you're in the beta program, you can download the latest version now.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/ios-261-beta-4-lets-you-make-liquid-glass-frosted-110021700.html?src=rss

A decent-sized chunk of the internet stopped working after a fairly massive Amazon Web Services (AWS) outage. This included Venmo, Snapchat, Canva and Fortnite - even Amazon's own products went on the fritz. Your humble narrator's Ring Chimes started turning their night lights on and off entirely at random, with no prompting from yours truly.The company has already fixed the DNS issue that caused the outage, but a failure like this, which knocks out so damn much of the internet, should serve as a reminder. After all, having so many critical systems in the same basket means that when something goes wrong, a lot of the internet stops working. All at once.- Dan CooperGet Engadget's newsletter delivered direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!The news you might have missed

AI is the star of Yelp's fall product update. The review site has updated Yelp Assistant, its chatbot to answer users' questions, rolling the tool out for all business categories. Its responses will draw on information from the business' website as well as posts by other Yelp users. The chatbot will also remember past queries and preferences when it's used for finding services. Saved information can be managed in the Yelp app under Yelp Assistant memory settings.Yelp has been pushing more artificial intelligence into its platform, adding Review Insights in December and announcing calling features in April. The AI-powered calling is rolling out in the company's fall update as Yelp Host and Yelp Receptionist. Yelp Host is specifically for table-service restaurants, and promises the ability to take reservations, change bookings and capture special requests. It is available now starting at $149 a month, or $99 a month for customers with a Yelp Guest Manager plan. Yelp Receptionist can manage calls for any "eligible local businesses." Subscriptions to this AI-powered service start at $99 a month and will begin rolling out this week.There are several other updates from Yelp, but one of the more interesting ones is Menu Vision. With this resource, pointing your camera at a restaurant's menu will show photos of the dish in question along with reviews about that particular item. Menu Vision will arrive on the iOS and Android apps this week.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/yelp-is-getting-more-ai-including-an-upgraded-chatbot-110051320.html?src=rss

Whether you're into adventure sports or just want to log your day-to-day activities, an action camera is the way to go. On top of regular models from the likes of GoPro, DJI and Insta360, you can film your adventures with 360-degree models and a new class of tiny cams that can even be attached to kids or pets. In other words, there are more options than ever for types of action shooting or vlogging.

Home products company Kohler is launching a new Kohler Health division, and its first product is a $599 camera for your toilet. The item, dubbed Dekoda, is equipped with sensors that analyze whatever liquid or solid waste goes into the toilet bowl with "validated machine learning algorithms." The data, which can offer insights on hydration and gut health as well as detecting the presence of blood, then goes to Kohler Health's iPhone app, although Android support is in the works. It comes with a magnetic charging pad and a wall-mounted remote that can optionally use Bluetooth fingerprint authorization so that you don't learn way more than you want to about your guests.I must salute the PR person who came up with this gem from the release: "By turning the bathroom into a connected, data-informed health and wellness hub, Kohler Health empowers individuals to turn ordinary routines into proactive, personalized experiences." Because who doesn't want to be proactive about pee? Health data is great, no arguments here. But this seems like a pretty extreme and expensive way to figure out if you're drinking enough water. Maybe I'm in the minority with my skepticism, however, because this isn't the first instance we've seen of toilet-bowl tech for better health. Withings introduced a monitor a few years back for analyzing urine streams, which you can buy for a mere $500.If you're just that passionate about tracking your biometrics, Dekoda products are expected to ship starting tomorrow. You'll also need to sign up for a Kohler Health subscription on top of the product cost, and there are individual and family plan options.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/kohlers-dekoda-is-600-camera-for-your-toilet-225942144.html?src=rss

X is finally following through on its long-rumored plans to sell old user handles, and some of the most sought-after usernames could fetch millions of dollars. The company shared more details about and opened a waitlist for its "handle marketplace," that will enable paying subscribers to request and buy "inactive" handles.According to the company, X will make two types of "inactive' handles available: "priority" usernames that may include "full names, multi-word phrases, or alphanumeric combinations" and "rare" handles that consist of "short, generic, or culturally significant names." Subscribers to X's Premium+ and Premium Business tiers will eventually be able to request some "priority" handles as part of their subscription. The company says @PizzaEater and @GabrielJones are possible examples of such handles. Notably, this process requires what essentially amounts to an indefinite subscription to X Premium, as the company says it will revoke priority handles if an account's subscription lapses.

Bed bugs: the nightmare of any city dweller, frequent traveler, and now Google employee. The team at the company's Chelsea campus were notified on Sunday that a possible bed bug infestation had been discovered in the building and were told to remain at home so the location could be treated. As if working over the weekend wasn't enough of a bummer. Fortunately, exterminators collected their bug bounty, and employees were allowed to return to the building on Monday morning.Google told employees to file a report if they had symptoms of bed bug bites or saw evidence of bed bugs on site, according to an email sent by the company and obtained by Wired. They were also told to contact professional exterminators if they accidentally brought bed bugs home; hopefully Google foots the bill for those unlucky people.According to Wired's sources, the infestation may have been caused by "a number of large stuffed animals" in the Google office, but the publication wasn't able to confirm that. It's always the ones you least suspect.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/one-of-googles-new-york-offices-needs-literal-debugging-194029103.html?src=rss

You'll get access to Windows 10 a little longer by doing this. (Getty Images)Are you still using Windows 10 on your desktop or laptop? If so, you need to know this: As of October 14, Microsoft moved the software to its "end of life" phase. What that means is that while Windows 10 PCs will continue to work, they'll stop getting important security updates by default. That leaves you with three options to make sure your computer remains secure:

Five years after the release of the Galaxy S20 FE, Samsung has settled into a predictable pattern with its "Fan Edition" line of phones. Each new phone doesn't offer much new or different from its immediate predecessor, with the company opting to offer iterative updates instead. That might have been fine before, but with the arrival of the Nothing Phone 3a Pro and Pixel 10 - devices that changed the value proposition in their respective categories - the S25 FE feels woefully out of touch with a market that's changing to meet people's demands. There's not much here that makes the new Galaxy S25 FE stand out, and any "upgrades" aren't substantive. Hardware and display Igor Bonifacic for Engadget When I first took the S25 FE out of the box, I thought Samsung had played a cruel trick on me. The phone looks identical to its predecessor, sporting the same brushed aluminum frame that's been the company's go-to for years now. I had to dig the S24 FE out of my gadgets drawer to compare the two phones before I confirmed they were in fact different devices. The physical differences are minor. Samsung has tweaked the dimensions of the new phone, making it slightly shorter, wider and thinner. Specifically, the S25 FE measures in at 6.35 x 3.02 x 0.29 inches, while its predecessor was 6.38 x 3.04 x 0.31 inches. The new phone is also protected by Samsung's "enhanced Armor" aluminum frame. More noticeable is that the S25 FE is lighter than last year's model, coming in at 6.7 ounces, down from 7.51 ounces. This is despite the fact the new device has a higher-capacity 4,900mAh battery. Together, these changes don't make the S25 FE easier to hold if you have small hands (just ask my girlfriend), but it does feel better balanced than its predecessor. One issue with the size of the S25 FE is the placement of the in-display fingerprint sensor. It's right at the bottom of the screen. I found this made it awkward to unlock the phone with my thumb - and I'm someone with big hands. Another slight difference is the finish on the back of the phone. This time around, Samsung has gone with a matte coating, instead of the glossy finish it used on the S24 FE. It's a welcome change since it makes the new model less prone to smudging and attracting fingerprints. I just wish Samsung had decided to offer the S25 FE in more fun colors. At release, it's available in four colorways: white, icy blue, jet black and navy (pictured). So, if you don't like blue, I'm sorry. Amid the slight design tweaks, Samsung has gone with the same screen it did last year. The S25 FE has a 6.7-inch AMOLED display, with a panel that offers a 120Hz refresh rate and 1080p resolution. The S24 FE's vibrant screen was one of the best parts of last year's model, and it's the same with S25 FE. It's easy to see the screen in bright sunlight, thanks to the fact it can push 1,900 nits of peak brightness. It's also vibrant, and with HDR10 support included, great for watching videos on YouTube, Netflix and elsewhere. Cameras Igor Bonifacic for Engadget Samsung made a single tweak to the Galaxy S25 FE's camera hardware. Like last year's model, the new phone has a 50-megapixel main camera with optical image stabilization (OIS) and a fast f/1.8 aperture lens. Once again, it also has an 8MP telephoto camera with a 3x optical zoom and a 12MP ultrawide angle that offers a 123-degree field of view. The one addition is a higher resolution 12MP front-facing camera with a faster f/2.2 aperture lens. For selfies, the S24 FE made do with a 10MP sensor and f/2.4 lens. If the new front-facing camera included phase detection autofocus (PDAF), it would be the same one that's available on the Galaxy S25. Unfortunately, it doesn't and that's a shame because PDAF greatly increases the likelihood your photos will come out sharp and in focus. It's also a shame Samsung decided not to update the FE's telephoto camera. Before the Nothing 3a Pro, that was one of the features that made the S24 FE stand out in its price range. In 2025, however, the S25 FE's telephoto feels outdated. It doesn't offer the 5x optical zoom of the Pixel 10 nor the 50MP of resolution and periscope zoom you get with the 3a Pro. Coming from the former, the FE's telephoto camera felt limiting. With only 8MP of resolution, trying to snap a photo at anything beyond 5x zoom was pointless; it would just turn out a blurry mess. As for FE's other cameras, they're decent if uninspiring. The 50MP camera is the best of the bunch, capable of capturing detailed, good-looking photos even in low light. The ultrawide, meanwhile, is mostly forgettable. It does an okay job of capturing big scenes, but it's lacking in dynamic range and detail. The selfie camera is a noticeable upgrade from the one that came with last year's model, and produces pleasing photos that are on par with what you can expect from the S25's front-facing camera. Otherwise, snapping pictures with the S25 FE feels like using a flagship phone from a few years ago. The one thing that saves it from being a complete blast from the past is the inclusion of Samsung's generative photo editing software, which you can use to remove distracting objects from photos. Of the AI photo apps I've tested, Samsung's is among the best at editing out objects without smearing the background. You can also use the generative edit to add things to a photo, but as you might expect, this doesn't work as well as removing them. Performance and battery life Igor Bonifacic for Engadget On paper, the S25 FE should offer better performance than its predecessor, thanks to Samsung's decision to equip the phone with its Exynos 2400 chipset over the cut-down Exynos 2400e it used on last year's model. In practice the two are about on par with one another. On Geekbench's processor test, the Exynos 2400 delivered a 2,144 single-core score and a 7,059 multi-core score. That's not much better than the 2,140 and 6,690 I recorded last fall on the S24 FE. Still, it's a more impressive showing than either the Pixel 9a and Nothing 3a Pro had when my colleague Sam Rutherford and I put their Tensor G4 and Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chips through Geekbench earlier this year. For comparison, the former delivered a modest 1,665 on single-core performance and 4,294 on multi-core performance. The latter scored an even less impressive 1,115 and 3,082 respectively. In real-world use, the Exynos 2400 feels snappy. Scrolling is fast and fluid, as is opening apps and switching between them. Gaming performance is also impressive, with the chip able to handle the 60 fps modes in graphically demanding games like Diablo Immortal and League of Legends: Wild Rift without dropping frames. Last year, Samsung said it redesigned the S24 FE's vapor chamber to make it bigger and improve cooling. With the S25 FE, that component is an additional 10 percent larger. However, if the new vapor chamber made a difference to the phone's thermals, I had a hard time telling. Both the S25 FE and S24 FE got warm after about 15 to 20 minutes of gaming. The new phone never got hot to the point I couldn't hold it anymore, but it also didn't feel noticeably cooler than the S24 FE running the same games. As mentioned at the top, the S25 FE has a larger 4,900mAh battery. That's about four percent more capacity than the S24 FE offered. As a result, any difference in battery life is minimal. I'm sure there are some scenarios the S25 FE may last longer than its predecessor, but in my testing the two phones were equal in terms of longevity. With three to four hours of active screentime, I managed to get a full day of battery life from the S25 FE, with enough power left over to get the phone through the night before charging it in the morning. That's similar to the experience I had last year. Speaking of charging, the S24 FE, with a 25 watt wired limit, was painfully slow at it. Going into this review, my hope was the S25 FE would do better and I had good reason to be hopeful. Samsung lists the new phone as capable of charging at 45 watts. However, in my testing the S25 FE was only slightly faster than its predecessor. Plugged into a 130 watt Razer GaN charger, it took the phone about an hour and 14 minutes to charge to full from a battery at 10 percent life. When I replicated that same test with a 25 watt charger, it took the S25 FE just over an hour-and-a-half to charge back up. Either way, if battery life is important to you, the Nothing 3a Pro and Pixel 9a are better bets. Both come with bigger batteries (5,000 and 5,100mAh, respectively), and with the former, you also get 50 watt charging. Software Igor Bonifacic for Engadget The S25 FE ships with Android 16 and Samsung's One UI 8 out of the box. Samsung has promised to support the phone with at least seven generations of platform updates, so it should stay current with Google's yearly release schedule up until at least Android 23 in 2032. Notably, this means the S25 FE may end up on a more recent version of Android than the S25, S25 Edge and S25 Ultra, all of which released with Android 15. With One UI 8, the S25 FE has access to all of the latest AI features from both Samsung and Google. Some of these tools are useful; others replicate functionality that has been present in Android for a long time. For example, Google's Circle to Search is great. It makes it easy to do a visual search of anything on the phone's screen. On the other hand, I could do without Samsung's Now Brief, which offers much of the same utility you'll find on Android's Discover page (a feature that comes standard on every Android phone). Each S25 FE also comes with six months of free access to Google AI Pro. Normally priced at $20 per month, the service gives you access to some of the company's best models, including Gemini 2.5 Pro, inside of the Gemini app. Within Flow, Google's AI filmmaking app, you also get limited access to Veo 3.1, Google's latest video generation system. Some other perks include 2TB of cloud storage and higher rate limits when using NotebookLM. Wrap-up Igor Bonifacic for Engadget With changes that amount to window dressing, I can't recommend anyone buy the S25 FE at full price. There's just enough here to justify spending $650 on a phone that is barely an upgrade over its predecessor. If you're a Samsung fan, I'm sure the S25 FE will be frequently discounted, but why reward the company for a lazy effort? Besides, the S25, following a $200 discount for Prime Day, was only $10 more than the FE earlier this month. Over the past few years, Google and Nothing have shown midrange phones don't need to be boring, iterative affairs. For Samsung, I think it's time to rethink its FE strategy. If these phones offered something different - say actual fan favorite features like a headphone jack - there could be compelling reasons to recommend them. But as things stand, there's just no reason to buy a new FE phone when the company's flagships see steep price discounts within months of their release.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/samsung-galaxy-s25-fe-review-iterative-to-a-fault-183026577.html?src=rss

At the end of February, Anthropic announced Claude Code. In the eight months since then, the coding agent has arguably become the company's most important product, helping it carve out a niche for itself in the highly competitive AI market. Now, Anthropic is making it easier for developers to use Claude Code in more places with a new web interface for accessing the agent.To get started, you'll need connect Claude to your GitHub repositories. From there, the process of using the agent is the same as if it had direct terminal access. Describe what you need from it, and the agent will take it from there. Claude will provide progress updates while it works, and you can even steer it in real-time with additional prompts. Through the web interface, it's also possible to assign Claude multiple coding tasks to run in parallel."Every Claude Code task runs in an isolated sandbox environment with network and filesystem restrictions. Git interactions are handled through a secure proxy service that ensures Claude can only access authorized repositories - helping keep your code and credentials protected throughout the entire workflow," said Anthropic.In addition to making Claude Code available on the web, Anthropic is releasing a preview of the agent inside of its iOS app. The company warns the integration is early, and that it hopes "to quickly refine the mobile experience based on your feedback."Pro and Max users can start using Claude Code on the web today. Anthropic notes any cloud sessions share the same rate limits with all other Claude Code usage.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/anthropic-brings-claude-code-to-ios-and-the-web-180023611.html?src=rss

The Sims Mobileis going away as EA will shut it down on January 20, nearly eight years after its debut in March 2018. An update that went live on Monday is the final one and the company is delisting the game on October 21. Since the game requires online servers (game progress is stored there), it'll no longer be possible to play The Sims Mobile in three months' time."The Sims Mobile and The Sims community as a whole are full of creativity, kindness, and imagination," EA said in a blog post. "You've amazed us with your stories, builds, and Sims. We're proud to have shared this journey with you, and as a token of our appreciation, we've prepared a few surprises as we head into TSM's final chapter."EA will run 14 events, including limited-time quests and treasure hunts, in The Sims Mobile over the next few months. It's no longer possible to spend any real money in the game, though players can use their existing in-game currency. As of today, players also have unlimited energy, which "should make it easier to complete projects and enjoy the last few months of play," EA said. On January 6, EA will unlock all of the Build Mode and Create A Sim items so players can fully customize their homes and sims' looks for a couple of weeks before the grim reaper shows up for The Sims Mobile.Back in 2022, EA and Sims studio Maxis announced Project Rene, a game that will run across multiple platforms, including mobile. So it's maybe not too surprising that the company wants to focus its Sims mobile efforts there.In any case, the shutdown stinks, especially for those who have spent money on The Sims Mobile as well as for the sake of game preservation. The decision to scuttle the game won't exactly allay concerns that fans of the series, which has a significant LGBTQ+ fanbase, have about the future of The Sims if and when the planned sale of EA to a group that includes Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund goes through.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ea-will-shut-down-the-sims-mobile-in-january-173958279.html?src=rss

There's a lot to like about NordVPN, as I covered in my full NordVPN review. It's one of the fastest among the best VPNs, and it's got a bunch of cool, specialized servers for various VPN tasks. But the apps can be frustrating, and beyond that, no VPN is perfect for everyone. If you've decided NordVPN isn't for you, here's how to cancel your subscription and get your money back.How to turn off auto-renewal on NordVPNEven though you've decided to part ways with NordVPN, you may want to keep your subscription active while you pick out a replacement service. If that's the case, you can simply cancel automatic renewal and let your subscription expire at the end of the billing period. If you change your mind before then, you can turn auto-renew back on. Here's how to do it.

Oura has redesigned its official app with a refreshed visual interface and new health-tracking insights. The company boasts that the app refresh offers "modern visual language with deeper personalization."To that end, there are now three main and easily identifiable tabs. The "Today" tab includes only the most relevant data to help inform daily decisions. The "Vitals" tab offers "at-a-glance views of core health pillars." This includes data on sleep, stress and cardiovascular trends. Colors change based on various biometric indicators to offer quick visual cues.The "My Health" tab is more interested in long-term health, offering cumulative data on a user's strengths, traits and opportunities for proactive care. This tab also includes a section about habits and routines to link "daily behaviors to measurable outcomes."The new Oura app also offers some increased health-tracking capabilities. The previous version of the app included a view that showed a month of data regarding menstrual cycles and fertility window predictions. This has been increased to a full year. Members also now get personalized cycle phase data from a single night of sleep instead of having to wait two months like before.The app is launching "in the coming weeks," but there's a spot of bad news. It'll only be available for the Oura Ring Gen3 and the Ring 4. The Ring 4 recently got a hardware update, with an option for a durable ceramic coatingThis article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/ouras-new-app-brings-enhanced-health-insights-and-longer-fertility-window-predictions-171329174.html?src=rss

Spotify just introduced a feature that lets users follow their favorite concert venues. This will provide people with updates and details about upcoming concerts.Once a venue is selected as a favorite, it gets saved in a user's library. Browsing each venue provides information on scheduled concerts, general announcements and other stuff. Folks can even filter upcoming shows by genre. Clicking on a specific spot will also pull up "tailored suggestions for other venues" in the vicinity.Spotify's new venue-tracking platform will offer links to each location's "official ticketing partner" to make it easier to scoop up some tickets. The company says it currently tracks over 20,000 venues throughout the globe, from "iconic arenas to beloved independent clubs."Spotify also announced a change to its live event feed. This will now update daily instead of weekly. For the uninitiated, this tool tracks when artists are touring and lists nearby live events.The platform recently added yet another tool for concert discovery in the form of custom playlists that highlight artists with upcoming shows in the area. These playlists update every week and include 30 songs.These are welcome tools, as artists don't get paid a whole lot from streaming platforms, instead relying on live ticket sales. The features could also help stem some of the bad press that's been coming Spotify's way lately, thanks to CEO Daniel Ek's involvement with a weapons manufacturing company and the platform going running recruitment ads for controversial government entities like ICE.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/spotify-now-lets-people-follow-venues-to-find-out-about-concerts-153836816.html?src=rss

It's official: Microsoft has officially ended support for Windows 10. Thankfully, there's a free and easy way to get another year's worth of Extended Security Updates (which will take you to mid-October 2026). But even if your computer meets the minimum system requirements for a free Windows 11 upgrade, anything older than a year won't be ableto take advantage of Microsoft's Copilot+ AI PC features, like Windows Recall or Studio Effects for video chats. So if you've already been feeling that your current aging PC is on the verge of dying - slow performance, whining fans, batteries that barely keep a charge - it's probably time to consider replacing it with a new system.We've already done the legwork of researching and selecting new hardware in our best laptop and best Windows notebook guides (we've also covered more powerful gaming and schoolwork systems), but here are some suggestions if you're just looking to snap up something quickly.The best Windows 10 laptop replacementsSurface Laptop 13.8-inchIn many ways, the Snapdragon-powered Surface Laptop is emblematic of where Windows PCs are headed. It's incredibly light, surprisingly powerful for something with a mobile chip and its battery lasted over 17-and-a-half hours in our testing. While you may run into some compatibility issues if you're running ancient Windows programs, for most people the Surface Laptop is one of the best PC experiences they can have today. If you're looking for something smaller and cheaper, there's also a $700 13-inch model, and the $1,200 15-inch version is worth it if you need a bigger screen. (Check out our full review of the Surface Laptop 13.8-inch.) Dell 14 Premium laptop Sam Rutherford for Engadget Dell 14 PremiumWe loved last year's XPS 14, and now that it's been renamed as the Dell 14 Premium, it's still a fantastic machine. It looks and feels luxurious, and it has one of the best screens around. You may just need some time getting used to its invisible trackpad (which is blended into the palm rest), and its capacitive function key row. (Check out our full Editor's Choice review of the Dell 14 Premium.)ASUS ZenBook S 14The ZenBook S14 wowed us with its powerful hardware, excellent battery life (of over 16 hours) and solid construction. It's a sign of how far ASUS has come from simply copying Apple. The S14 is also lighter than the MacBook Air, and it includes more useful ports (two USB-C, one USB-A, HDMI and a headphone jack). Its Ceraluminum case (a unique ceramic material) also feels surprisingly polished, and its OLED screen looks simply amazing. (Check out our full review of the ASUS ZenBook S 14.)Apple MacBook AirDon't yell at me - Apple's new computers are so good that Windows users should seriously consider jumping ship to Macs. While the software may take some getting used to, it's worth the struggle for the speed and incredible battery life from Apple's M-series chips. The MacBook Air remains one of the best computers around, with an incredibly thin and fan-less case and far more power than you'd think. And if you're an iPhone user, you'll also have access to features like phone mirroring that are tough to replicate on Windows. (Check out our full review of the M4 MacBook Air.) Dell Slim Desktop Dell The best Windows 10 desktop replacementsDell Slim desktopIf you're just looking for a basic desktop replacement, it's hard to go wrong with the Dell Slim. While we haven't reviewed this specific model, the specs on even the entry-level configuration have all of the power you need for basic computing, despite housing everything in a frame that's notably smaller than older tower PCs. And if you need a bit more performance, consider the slightly more expensive Dell Pro, which can squeeze in up to 32GB of RAM and a handful of dedicated graphics cards.Apple Mac MiniApple's Mac mini is one of the most powerful mini-desktops around, it's adorably small and it starts at just $599 (look for the frequent sales that drop the price by as much as $100). Just as I argued above for the MacBook Air, it's worth considering the jump to MacOS simply because Apple's hardware is so impressive now. And don't worry, you can connect any monitor to it, and you won't have to replace your existing PC keyboard and mouse.Geekom A6 MiniWhile I haven't tested the Geekom A6 Mini yet, it's widely considered one of the best Windows mini-desktops around $400 to $500. The A6 Mini features a very capable AMD Ryzen 7 6800H processor with a bit of gaming power, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. You honestly don't need much more for basic productivity work.Frequently Asked QuestionsDo I need to upgrade to a new computer if my current Windows 10 PC still works fine for me?Your computer will still continue to run following the Microsoft's termination of default support for Windows 10 on October 15, 2025, but that's not a wise longterm strategy. The free Extended Security Updates will buy you another year, but that's effectively a limited life support: After that, Windows 10 PCs won't receive security updates or any sort of improvements, so they'll be vulnerable to hacking and malware. And if you've still got an old Windows 10 machine, there's a good chance that its components may wear out soon. If you choose to continue using a Windows 10 PC, be sure to back up your important data and try not to rely on it for critical tasks.Can a Mac run native Windows software?Virtualization software like VMWare and Parallels can let you run Windows apps inside of macOS, but be aware that also involves buying a copy of Windows and dedicating a large chunk of disk space for it. These days, most major apps are available across both platforms, so be sure to check if there's a Mac version of your favorite Windows app.Can a Chromebook or iPad replace a Windows 10 PC?Chromebooks and iPads both have very specific purposes: Chromebooks are great budget-friendly machines for accessing the web and running online apps. iPads are a handy way to upgrade your mobile internet experiences, since their large screens are better for browsing the web, running apps and watching media. But neither are ideal replacements for a Windows 10 PC, which can access the full breadth of Windows software in addition to the web. If either one works for you, great; but we think the options listed above are better full-service PC replacements.I have a ton of PC games. What's my best upgrade option?It's easy to find a decent gaming desktop from a reliable computer maker these days, just make sure you're equipped with at least 32GB of RAM (new titles can be pretty memory intensive), and an NVIDIA RTX 40-series or AMD Radeon RX 9000-series GPU.As for CPUs, I'd recommend sticking with Intel's 13th-gen chips or AMD's Ryzen 8000-series processors at a minimum. Don't count out gaming laptops either, as they've come a long way over the last decade. It's not hard to find a gaming notebook that's powerful, portable and useful for multimedia and productivity work as well.Update, October 20 2025, 9:30AM ET: This story has been updated to reflect that the Windows 10 end of support date has now passed, and we've included a link to an explainer on how to extend support for another year for free.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/the-best-new-computers-to-replace-your-old-windows-10-pc-134500000.html?src=rss

There's yet another streaming bundle in town, and it will be ideal for fans of Ted Lasso and The Office. Apple and Peacock have teamed up to provide both of their streaming services together in a bundle starting at $15 per month. The new Apple TV + Peacock bundle is officially available now for $15 monthly for the ad-supported tier. This is a mighty fine deal, given that Apple TV recently changed both its name and price. The platform costs $13 per month now on its own. Peacock starts at $11 per month. In other words, this is a discount of around $9 each month. In this economy, we'll take any savings we can get. As mentioned previously, the only caveat is that the base tier includes ads. The subscription shoots up to $20 per month for an ad-free version. However, a standalone subscription to ad-free Peacock is $17 on its own. Additionally, Apple One subscribers will get a 35 percent discount on Peacock Premium Plus plans. It's always nice when two lonely corporations find friendship, isn't it? For the uninitiated, Apple TV is the company's big-wig streaming platform. It's primarily known for sci-fi like Severance, For All Mankind and the upcoming Pluribus. The platform is also host to plenty of comedy, like The Studio, Shrinking and Ted Lasso. Peacock is NBC's streaming service. It streams old-school network programming like The Office, Grimm and Superstore. The service features a stable of original programming like Poker Face, Twisted Metal and the underrated Mrs. Davis. The platform also recently premiered a little show called The Paper, which is a spinoff of The Office. Against all odds, this is actually a great little sitcom and a worthy successor to the original. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-new-apple-tv-and-peacock-streaming-bundle-is-officially-available-170403587.html?src=rss

Beats devices have been the more colorful, full-of-personality complements to Apple's clean-and-minimal gear ever since Apple bought the company back in 2014. Beats earbuds and speakers are the more flexible alternatives to things like AirPods and HomePods, and the new Beats Powerbeats Fit keep that tradition alive. Some six months after the Powerbeats Pro 2 debuted earlier this year, Beats now has an updated version of the Fit Pro to offer folks looking for many of the conveniences of an Apple device in something with slightly more character and versatility. Rather than reinventing the wheel, Beats made small changes on the Powerbeats Fit that ultimately make for a more polished version of its predecessor. What's new If you're familiar with the Beats Fit Pro, you'll be familiar with the Powerbeats Fit. Beats kept much of what worked with its previous $200 earbuds here (including the price), making very minor changes to improve the comfort and the overall design. The new buds have 20 percent more flexible wingtips and the charging case is 17 percent more compact than that of the Beats Fit Pro. More on the wingtips in a moment, but first I have to commend Beats for making the charging case feel ever so slightly more premium this time around - and since it's smaller than before, it's less cumbersome to tuck in your back pocket. The buds also fit snugly into the charging case with a satisfying snap every time; they always align properly to recharge, something I cannot say about past pairs of the AirPods Pro I've owned. When it comes to the wingtips on the Powerbeats Fit, they appear to be a hair shorter than those on the Beats Fit Pro, and certainly more malleable. I felt the biggest difference in flexibility at the base of the wingtip where it meets the earbud - those on the Powerbeats Fit have a bit more give than those on its predecessor. These small changes make it easy to pop the Powerbeats Fit into your ears and really not fuss with the wingtips at all. They're present just to provide a more secure fit during intense workouts, and they do just that. I wore them during strength training, 5K runs and leisurely walks and I didn't have to adjust them at all once I popped them in. When Beats announced these new buds, the company claimed its design tweaks would also make the Powerbeats Fit more comfortable to wear all day long, not just during workouts. I'll admit that I didn't find the previous Beats Fit Pro uncomfortable to wear when not at the gym or on the trail. Yes, the Powerbeats Fit are marginally more comfortable now and the wingtips are more supple, but the change is subtle. If you jibe with the wingtip design to begin with, you'll safely be able to use the Powerbeats Fit as daily drivers in addition to workout companions. Notably, the Powerbeats Fit come with one extra pair of eartips in the box (four instead of the previous three), so once you find the eartips that are your best fit, you'll be off to the races. There are also two new bold colors to choose from, orange and pink, in addition to gray and black. Valentina Palladino for Engadget What's the same Thankfully, Beats didn't mess with all of the good things about the Fit Pro when developing the Powerbeats Fit. The new buds have an IPX4 water resistance rating, which isn't the highest level of protection out there, but more than enough to withstand your sweatiest training sessions. Onboard controls in the form of physical buttons remain the same, although I didn't accidentally trigger the buttons on the Powerbeats Fit nearly as much as I did with the Fit Pro. That might be because all the small changes Beats made in the design paid off - I didn't fuss with the new buds in my ears as much as before, therefore I didn't accidentally press the buttons as much. The Powerbeats Fit also have Apple's H1 chip inside, which enables features like hands-free Siri, automatic switching between devices, Adaptive EQ, Audio Sharing and Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking. Transparency mode returns here as well, and it remains one of the standout features of any Apple-associated wireless earbuds. And if you do decide to wear the Powerbeats Fit all day long, you'll likely make even more use of transparency mode as you need to jump in and out of conversations happening around you. In addition, you can keep track of the new earbuds in Apple's Find My app. Beats didn't bill any improvements in sound quality on the Powerbeats Fit, and after listening to them alongside the Beats Fit Pro, I can say they sound almost identical. While listening to some tracks with the Powerbeats Fit, I noticed an almost imperceptible increase in the clarity of vocals, but that's about it. Bass remains punchy and strong, and the buds get decently loud. Active noise cancellation (ANC) is also the same on the new buds: strong enough to block out ambient noise around you and people's voices. While running outside, I still heard the loudest disturbances like passing trucks and oddly sonorous cackling of nearby wildlife, but that's arguably for the best. If you're exercising outside, be it in a park or on city streets, you should be at least somewhat aware of your surroundings. Valentina Palladino for Engadget Battery life is consistent here as well, with Beats promising up to seven hours on a single charge (or six with ANC turned on) and up to 30 hours total when employing the Powerbeats Fit charging case. Anecdotally, after a week of using the Powerbeats Fit for an average of one hour each day, the charging case still had 75 percent battery left. If you're using these all day, every day, you'll obviously need to power it up more frequently. But if these are primarily your workout companions, you could get a week or two before needing to plug them in. Wrap-up The Powerbeats Fit are a fitting update to the Beats Fit Pro. The latter was one of the best devices in the Beats lineup to begin with, and the latest model only improves upon the winning formula. They offer a solid balance of a comfortable, secure design, good sound quality and ANC and handy additional features at a decent price. The latter is arguably just as important as the buds' ability to withstand a sweaty training session: folks looking for many of the conveniences found in AirPods will find them here in an alternative design, and in a pair of buds that also works just as well with Android devices. If you're willing to pay more, you could shell out $250 for either the Powerbeats Pro 2 to get that full over-ear hook style, or AirPods Pro 3 - both of which have built-in heart rate tracking But that feature in particular will be more of a nice-to-have than a necessity for most.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/beats-powerbeats-fit-review-deja-vu-in-a-good-way-120058332.html?src=rss

You might already have a good idea of which smartphone you want to be your next one. But there are more solid options available now than ever before, making the decision not as cut-and-dry as it used to be. While the decision is a bit easier if you know you want an iPhone, there's even enough variation between those new models that you may have to think about it longer than you anticipated. If you're an Android person, you have even more options to choose from - including foldables - and more questions to answer before you spend any money.

Links have proven to be a tricky thing when it comes to social media engagement. On platforms like Threads, data suggests that people often don't click the links in posts, and creators on X have complained that posts including links don't get as much visibility. X is now trying to solve that. Head of product Nikita Bier shared that the platform is "testing a new link experience" that lets people open a link without leaving the original post entirely, so they can still view the Like, Repost and other buttons. The test is rolling out to iOS users first.

As political tensions between the two global superpowers grow, China's State Security Ministry accused the US' National Security Agency of a cyberattack operation that took place between 2023 and 2024. As first reported by Reuters, the Chinese agency posted on WeChat that the NSA targeted the country's National Time Service Center. As part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the center is tasked with generating, maintaining and transmitting its national standard of time, which is provided to important sectors across the country, including communications, defense and finance.The state ministry said the operation used around 42 types of "special cyberattack weapons" to infiltrate the National Time Service Center which could have led to the disruption of network communications, financial systems and power supply. The WeChat post also claimed that the NSA exploited vulnerabilities in a foreign mobile phone brand's messaging system to steal sensitive info from staff devices, without naming the brand.The NSA has yet to respond to the accusation. On the other hand, the US Treasury Department said it was targeted by a "China state-sponsored actor" in a December cyberattack.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/china-claims-the-nsa-conducted-cyberattacks-on-its-national-time-center-201852066.html?src=rss

We still have a few months to wait before the next Cult of the Lamb DLC, Woolhaven, arrives, but the Massive Monster team just shared a closer look at one of the new experiences the expansion will bring and, oh boy, I cannot wait to play this. In addition to adding a new mountain area with two new dungeons, Woolhaven will introduce ranching, so you can raise animals - the regular, non-anthropomorphic kind - to keep as pets, shear for wool or slaughter for meat (you know, if you have no heart).Based on the overview video, we'll get to raise cows(ish), goats and sheep as well as some more unexpected critters like crabs, snails, spiders and turtles. I, personally, am very excited about the snails. You'll be able to form bonds with and name the animals, and you'll have to tend to their wellbeing, feeding them healthy foods and cleaning them. Followers will also be able to bond with the animals and have their own pets. As wholesome as that all sounds, this is Cult of the Lamb we're talking about, so I'm already bracing myself for the inevitable heartbreak of when some unruly follower kills my favorite animals at some point. The video notes that you'll have to keep them safe from predators.Woolhaven will be a paid expansion, but we don't know yet how much it will cost or when exactly it drops. The team has so far only said early 2026.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/this-is-how-the-new-ranching-system-will-work-in-cult-of-the-lamb-woolhaven-194324041.html?src=rss

Violent video games have found themselves in the crosshairs of politicians yet again, but this time with Mexico's government. Earlier this week, Mexico's Chamber of Deputies approved a comprehensive financial package that includes an eight percent tax on video games with mature content. As first reported by Insider Gaming, the proposed tax covers games that have a C or D rating under Mexico's video game age classification system, which is similar to ESRB in the US. The C rating is for players who are at least 18 years old and allows for extreme violence, bloodshed and moderate graphic sexual content, while the D rating is reserved for adults only and allows for prolonged scenes that include similar content.The proposed law was first introduced in September, when the country's Treasury Department claimed that "recent studies have found a relationship between the use of violent video games and higher levels of aggression among adolescents, as well as negative social and psychological effects such as isolation and anxiety." The report cited a study from 2012 in a footnote, which also observed some positive associations with video games, including motor learning and building resilience.The current interpretation of the proposal that's been approved by the Chamber of Deputies would apply to digital and physical copies of affected games, as well as any in-game purchases or microtransactions. The proposal still has to go through Mexico's other congressional chamber, the Senate, where it will be debated before a November 15 deadline to submit a budget proposal.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/mexico-is-considering-slapping-an-eight-percent-tax-on-violent-video-games-184101628.html?src=rss

Nearly four years after the release of Halo: Infinite, the sixth installment in the franchise has failed to live up to its name. Instead, the studio behind the sci-fi series may be working on a "live service, long-term updating multiplayer" Halo game that could do just that. According to YouTuber Rebs Gaming, a source claimed that Halo Studios, previously known as 343 Industries, is working on a multiplayer Halo title that could borrow Fortnite's model of constantly pushing out content updates. The report also noted that there aren't any mentions of Fortnite's battle royale style for the upcoming game.While live service games are becoming the norm, veterans of the Halo franchise may not have much faith in Halo Studios after failing to deliver on Halo: Infinite's longevity. Back in March, another report revealed that Halo: Infinite was meant to be supported with a 10-year plan of consistent updates, but this roadmap was scrapped following leadership issues and a switch to Unreal Engine. While Halo: Infinite's multiplayer mode has received notable updates since its initial release, the game still sits at a Mixed rating on Steam.Along with this upcoming live service Halo title, the report claimed that the studio is working on a remake of the first game in the series, Halo: Combat Evolved. According to John Junyszek, the senior community manager at Halo Studios, we could hear more about either project during the Halo World Championship that takes place from October 24 to 26.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/the-next-game-in-the-halo-franchise-could-be-live-service-multiplayer-171036206.html?src=rss

Techtober is a busy time for our reviews team as a deluge of new devices arrive before the holiday season. We've been hard at work conducting our in-depth testing, but it's understandable if you missed a review or two over the last few weeks. Read on to catch up all the reviews you might've missed, including the latest trio of Google Pixel devices. Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold, Pixel Watch 4 and Pixel Buds 2a Earlier this month, a trio of new Pixel devices arrived for us to put through their paces. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold headlines the group, but the Pixel Watch 4 and Pixel Buds 2a are also highly capable devices in their own categories. Senior reviews writer Sam Rutherford wrote that Google has removed one of the last remaining issues with foldable phones: durability. The addition of proper dust and water resistance on the Pixel 10 Pro Fold has removed one of the last two shortcomings of modern foldables, which is no mean feat," he said. However, at $1,799, the price barrier is still hard to overcome for most folks." Meta Ray-Ban Display The second-gen Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses may be the best option for most people right now, but the Meta Ray-Ban Display is the more exciting product for many. If you can get past the chunky look and in-progress features, you still have to contend with limited availability and a $800 price tag. The Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses, on the other hand, still look very much like a first-gen product," senior reporter Karissa Bell wrote. There are some really compelling use cases for the display, but its functionality is limited." ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X Microsoft's collaboration with ASUS has produced a compelling gaming handheld that's decidedly Xbox. The combination of familiar controls and a full-screen Xbox experience give this device an advantage over its Windows-based competition. While Microsoft's first real foray into PC gaming handhelds isn't upending the status quo and it's way too early to say if this gadget will save Xbox as a whole, it is bringing some notable advancements," Sam said. The new full-screen experience makes launching and playing games on Windows-based devices so much more seamless that it's kind of wild it took so long to get here." Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd gen) Bose never leave the top few spots on our best noise canceling headphones list, but its refresh of the QC Ultra Headphones put the company firmly back in first place. Updates to active noise cancellation, sound performance, battery life and power management are enough to recommend this model over the previous version and the Sony WH-1000XM6. Similar to the second-gen QC Ultra Earbuds over the summer, Bose didn't make huge upgrades for the updated version of the QC Ultra Headphones," I explained. But what you do get here is a decent improvement over its predecessor." Razer Blade 18 (2025) Razer's massive 18-inch gaming laptop has impressive performance, but it's size and limited battery life don't offer a lot of convenience. 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," senior reviews editor Devindra Hardawar wrote. 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."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/engadget-review-recap-new-pixel-devices-meta-ray-ban-display-asus-rog-xbox-ally-x-and-more-130000215.html?src=rss

Here are some recently released titles to add to your reading list. This week, we read Near Flesh, a collection of short stories by the late Katherine Dunn, and 30 Days of Night: Falling Sun, the revival of the hit horror series. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/what-to-read-this-weekend-near-flesh-and-the-return-of-30-days-of-night-215141747.html?src=rss

NVIDIA has taken a big step towards strengthening its domestic chip manufacturing, revealing the first Blackwell wafer made in the US. The hardware company assembled the wafer, which is the base material for NVIDIA's AI chips, in TSMC's semiconductor manufacturing facility in Phoenix, Arizona.NVIDIA revealed its Blackwell platform last year, boasting a goal of revolutionizing the AI industry through tech giants like Amazon, Google, OpenAI and others who already committed to adopting the next-gen architecture. NVIDIA said the latest platform was more powerful and translated to 25x less cost and energy consumption compared to its predecessor. Now that Blackwell wafers can be made at the TSMC plant, NVIDIA can better insulate itself from the ever-evolving tariff situation and geopolitical tensions."It's the very first time in recent American history that the single most important chip is being manufactured here in the United States by the most advanced fab, by TSMC, here in the United States," Jensen Huang, NVIDIA's founder and CEO, said at the celebration event.With NVIDIA's Blackwell architecture ready for the volume production stage, the company is still working on expanding its manufacturing footprint across the US. Earlier this year, NVIDIA said it had plans to funnel half a trillion dollars towards building AI infrastructure in the US through partnerships with TSMC, Foxconn and other companies.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/nvidia-shows-off-its-first-blackwell-wafer-manufactured-in-the-us-192836249.html?src=rss

It's been 40 years to the day since the Nintendo Entertainment System made its US debut, and to celebrate, gaming accessory maker 8BitDo has unveiled a line of NES-themed products. The NES40 collection includes a limited edition version of the company's Ultimate 2 controller that comes with an NES Retro Receiver, so it can be used with the classic console. There's also the NES-inspired Retro Cube 2 speaker and Retro 68 Keyboard, the latter of which sports a full aluminum alloy build and an eye-watering $500 price tag. All are available for pre-order now. The Ultimate 2 controller is one of our favorite controllers for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, and the NES40 version comes with all the same features, including TMR joysticks, Hall Effect triggers with mode switching and lots of customization options. But with this one, you also get the NES Retro Receiver (a transparent black version that's exclusive to this drop), four custom joystick caps and a robot keychain that pays homage to Nintendo's R.O.B. toy robot. The controller set costs $80 and will ship November 18. It's compatible with Switch 1, 2 and Windows, as well as the original NES using the receiver accessory. The Retro 68 Keyboard is 8BitDo's first 68-key keyboard, and it's made entirely of aluminum alloy. That includes the shell, keycaps and buttons, according to the company. It uses Kailh Box Ice Cream Pro Max switches. The keyboard features the NES colorway (like its similar, much less expensive Retro Mechanical Keyboard) and comes with programmable wireless dual Super Buttons. 8BitDo says it gets up to 300 usage hours on a charge thanks to its 6500mAh battery. It's compatible with Windows and Android, and is expected to ship in January 2026. The Retro Cube 2 speaker isn't just a cosmetic update to the original Cube Speaker, but brings some improvements in battery life and functionality too. The dual-speaker system has three connection modes - Bluetooth, 2.4G wireless and wired USB - and comes with a charging dock. It has a 2000mAh battery that gets up to 30 hours of use between charges. Like the earlier version, it has D-pad controls for volume, playback and pairing. The $50 speaker ships on December 12. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/8bitdo-drops-an-nes-inspired-collection-for-the-consoles-40th-anniversary-183932844.html?src=rss

To meet its massive energy demand for its AI and cloud services, Amazon is investing in nuclear power as a cleaner option. After signing agreements to help build nuclear energy projects last year, the tech giant revealed plans for an upcoming small modular reactor, or SMR, in Richland, Washington. Amazon is working with Energy Northwest, Washington state's utilities agency, and X-energy, an SMR developer, to build the Cascade Advanced Energy Facility.The SMR has a smaller footprint than traditional nuclear reactors, but will still offer a modular design that can pump out up to 960 megawatts of power. Amazon is planning to help develop four SMRs in the first phase of the Cascade facility that will provide an initial power capacity of 320 megawatts. After that, the facility has the option to expand to 12 units for the maximum energy output. According to Amazon, construction on the project will start sometime before the end of the decade, while operations are expected to start in the 2030s.Amazon isn't the only big tech company to lean into nuclear energy to power its AI operations. In October of last year, Google partnered with a nuclear energy company called Kairos Power to construct seven SMRs across the US. A month later, Meta was also looking to build an AI data center powered by nuclear energy, but reportedly ran into a discovery of a rare bee species that held up plans.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/amazon-reveals-what-one-of-the-us-first-modular-nuclear-reactors-will-look-like-180721637.html?src=rss

Texas could have a serious legal battle on its hands thanks to an age verification law for app stores that it recently enacted. In response to the Texas App Store Accountability Act, the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) filed a lawsuit that argues the new order goes against First Amendment rights. The not-for-profit trade association has Amazon, Apple and Google amongst its members.The law goes into effect on New Year's Day and requires app store users to verify their age before downloading apps or making in-app purchases. If underage, users have to get parental consent each time they want to download an app or make another in-app purchase. Along with those stipulations, the suit claims that there's an additional burden on developers, who have to "age-rate" their apps for different age groups."This Texas law violates the First Amendment by restricting app stores from offering lawful content, preventing users from seeing that content, and compelling app developers to speak of their offerings in a way pleasing to the state," Stephanie Joyce, senior vice president and chief of staff for the CCIA, said in a press release.Along with CCIA, a student advocacy group called Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT) filed a similar lawsuit objecting to Texas' upcoming app store requirements. Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, the firm representing SEAT and the two high school students named in the lawsuit, said the law "violates the First Amendment by imposing sweeping restrictions on access to protected speech and information." The law firm also noted the potential dangers associated with collecting personal information, like government IDs, when it comes to verifying identity.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/texas-hit-with-a-pair-of-lawsuits-for-its-app-store-age-verification-requirements-164940290.html?src=rss

US District Judge Phyllis Hamilton has reduced the damages Meta is getting from the NSO Group from $167 million to $4 million, but she has also ordered the Israeli spyware maker to stop targeting WhatsApp. If you'll recall, Meta sued the NSO Group in 2019 over its Pegasus spyware, which it said was used to spy on 1,400 people from 20 countries, including journalists and human rights activists. Meta said at the time that Pegasus can infect targets' devices even without their participation by sending text messages with malicious codes to WhatsApp. Even a missed call is enough to infect somebody's device.According to Courthouse News Service, Hamilton reduced the damages because they would need to follow a legal framework designed to proportionate damages. However, she has also handed down a permanent injunction on the NSO Group's efforts to break into WhatsApp. In her decision, she took note of statements made by NSO's lawyers and its own CEO revealing that it hasn't stopped collecting WhatsApp messages and trying to get around the messaging app's security measures. The defendants previously said that the injunction Meta was requesting would "put NSO's entire enterprise at risk" and "force NSO out of business," since WhatsApp is one of the Pegasus spyware's main ways to infect targets' devices."Today's ruling bans spyware maker NSO from ever targeting WhatsApp and our global users again," said Will Cathcart, Head of WhatsApp. "We applaud this decision that comes after six years of litigation to hold NSO accountable for targeting members of civil society. It sets an important precedent that there are serious consequences to attacking an American company."Hamilton wrote that the proposed injunction requires the Israeli company to delete and destroy computer code related to Meta's platforms, and that she concluded that the provision is "necessary to prevent future violations, especially given the undetectable nature of defendants' technology." It's not quite clear how Meta will ensure that the NSO Group doesn't use WhatsApp to infect its users' devices again. Notably, the NSO Group was recently acquired by an American investment group that invested tens of millions of dollars into it to take controlling ownership.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/court-reduces-damages-meta-will-get-from-spyware-maker-nso-group-but-bans-it-from-whatsapp-163016648.html?src=rss