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Samsung's latest slate of Galaxy devices arrives on August 11, but there's still time to lock in a pre-order to get free perks like a storage upgrade and gift card. The company's new flagship foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold 5, is included in the offer. If you pre-order one, you can get double the storage (jumping from 256GB up to 512GB) and a $200 Amazon gift card at no extra cost. That should take some of the sting out of the $1,800 price.In our review of the Galaxy Z Fold 5, we gave the device a score of 86. We feel that Samsung is still making the best foldable out there. However, the company could be doing more with the format (such as trying to bring down the price) as its momentum in the space seems to be slowing.The big change this year is the new Flex Hinge. It's smaller than the hinge in previous Fold devices and it helps make the handset slightly thinner. That's because it allows the phone to close properly and get rid of the gap between the two halves.Samsung has upgraded many other components. There's a brighter main display and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 that helps to improve the performance. Two new gestures could make it easier to get the phone to do what you want. Battery life is solid as well - the Galaxy Z Fold 5 lasted for nearly 20 hours on a single charge in our video rundown test.Although Samsung has stuck with the same camera setup as last year's model, you can still take good quality photos with the Galaxy Z Fold 5. It's also disappointing that there's no option to store an S Pen inside the device and that it's still fairly bulky. Still, if you're looking for a foldable phone, we reckon this is the best one out there.In case the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is more compelling to you, there's a pre-order offer for that device too. Again, you'll get 512GB of storage rather than 256GB, as well as a $150 Amazon gift card if you pre-order the $1,000 foldable.Our review of the Z Flip 5 is in progress, but we felt it had some promise after our initial hands-on. The device has a larger and more useful external display compared with the previous models. It should be easier to carry out actions like controlling media playback and dashing off a text without having to open up the main screen. The Z Flip 5 has the new Flex Hinge as well.Elsewhere, pre-order the Galaxy Tab S9+ and you'll get (you guessed it) the same free storage upgrade. The tablet - which includes a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, a 12.4-inch AMOLED display and protection from dust and water - costs $1,000. Those interested in the Book Cover Keyboard can also save 50 percent when they buy it through Amazon.As for the Galaxy Watch 6, that doesn't come with a free storage upgrade. However, if you lock in a pre-order now, you'll get a $50 Amazon gift card and fabric band at no extra cost. The deal applies to both the Bluetooth model (which costs $300) and the $350 LTE version.Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-pre-orders-on-amazon-include-free-gift-cards-and-storage-upgrades-144922818.html?src=rss

In 2019, Samsung released the original Galaxy Fold, the first phone with a flexible display (not counting pretenders like the Royole Flexpai). And even though it had more than its fair share of flaws, you could see its potential. Over the next couple of years, Samsung refined its flagship foldable with things like IPX8 water resistance, a more durable design and native stylus support. More recently, however, the pace of innovation has started to slow as more iterative improvements and fewer major upgrades have come to fill out the spec sheet. It's a similar situation on the new Galaxy Z Fold 5: While many of its upgrades including the brighter main screen are nice to have, they're also kind of superfluous. Even the one big change for 2023 - Samsung's new Flex hinge - doesn't really change the way you use the device; it just makes it a bit thinner. When you consider that the price still sits at $1,800, it feels like Samsung's Z Fold line - and possibly the category as a whole - is losing momentum.Design and displayThe Z Fold 5 was built on the same basic blueprint as its predecessors. It packs a skinny but tall exterior Cover Screen and opens up to reveal a big main display with a fingerprint sensor built into its power button. The major change this year is Samsung's Flex hinge, which is based on a two-rail internal structure that's not only smaller than before, but also eliminates the gap between the phone when closed.This is something Z Fold users have been requesting since the original. In addition to slimming the phone down to just 13.4mm, losing that gap also reduces the chance that dust or rocks can get inside and ruin that fancy flexible screen. But that's not all. Samsung says its Flex hinge creates a new waterdrop-shaped crease that puts less stress on the display, which is good for long-term durability. It also helps keep the factory-installed screen protector in place, which was an issue on previous models.The new hinge also makes the device more pleasant to use and hold. The thinner hinge fits better in your hand when the phone is closed and it opens more smoothly, too. I just wish it hadn't taken five generations to get here. Meanwhile, Samsung managed to increase the brightness of the main display to 1,750 nits, which is the same as the S23 Ultra and brighter than the Pixel Fold (1,450 nits). So while the flexible display on Google's foldable is good, the Z Fold 5's is better. It's the perfect size and orientation for reading ebooks or browsing comics, and I'd argue that Samsung's flagship foldable is the best device for playing Marvel Snap. You can still use a stylus to draw or take notes and the Z Fold 5's new S Pen is 40 percent thinner than before. But since there's still no room inside the phone to stash it when it's not in use, you'll probably want to pair it with one of Samsung's new Slim S Pen cases.Performance and multitaskingPhoto by Sam Rutherford/EngadgetLast year's model was far from slow, but thanks to a new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chip, the Z Fold 5 is now even faster. In traditional benchmarks, it posted notably higher multicore scores in Geekbench 6 than the Pixel Fold (5,362 vs 3,226). The Z Fold 5 feels incredibly responsive and in games, graphics and animations are downright silky. That means if you're the kind of power user who demands an abundance of speed regardless of what you're doing, the Z Fold 5 is the better pick over the Pixel Fold, whose Tensor G2 chip reserves more horsepower for AI tasks.Samsung has also enhanced mobile productivity in three ways. To make it faster and easier to launch into side-by-side app mode, a new gesture lets you swipe in from the side of the screen with two fingers to instantly switch into dual-pane mode. Alternatively, if you want to turn a full-screen app to a windowed one, just swipe diagonally down from one of the top two corners. Both gestures are super handy and they're a breeze to use. But they're not on by default, so remember to activate them in the Advanced features tab in settings.Photo by Sam Rutherford/EngadgetThe other update is that the Z Fold 5's taskbar can now show up to four recent apps instead of two. It's a simple but straightforward change that takes better advantage of the width of the Z Fold 5's big main display. My only gripe is that the expanded taskbar and the added gestures are software updates, so we didn't need a brand new device to get them. That said, compared to the Pixel Fold, which takes a more streamlined approach to multitasking, Samsung's desktop-like taskbar remains the best for anyone who wants to use their phone like a PC. And don't forget that Samsung's handy Dex mode is still around, too.CamerasThe Z Fold 5 has the same imaging setup as its predecessor: a 50-megapixel main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide and a 10MP telephoto with a 3x optical zoom in the back, plus a 10MP selfie shooter and a 4MP camera beneath the main display. In a vacuum, they're more than capable of taking a good picture in practically any environment. However, when you consider that the S23 Ultra costs $600 less and comes with a 200MP main sensor and a 10x optical zoom lens, that puts Samsung's most expensive phone in a weird position.Sam Rutherford/EngadgetWhat makes things even more awkward is that the Pixel Fold sports a longer zoom (5x vs 3x) and better overall image processing. In my testing, that made the Pixel the more adept shooter across a variety of conditions.In bright light, the Z Fold 5 captured images with Samsung's typical rich, saturated color profile. The downside is this sometimes results in a small loss of detail, occasional blown-out highlights and slightly less accurate hues. Meanwhile in low light, Samsung's Night Mode does a good job of improving exposure without a ton of side effects. That said, thanks to Google's Night Sight, photos from the Pixel Fold are often just a touch brighter and sharper. A good example is a shot I took of some flowers at night, in which the Z Fold 5's picture boasts more vivid colors while missing some of the finer texture on the petals.Battery lifeDespite having a smaller battery than the Pixel Fold (4,400 mAh vs 4,800 mAh), the Z Fold 5 lasts longer. In our video rundown test, Samsung's phone lasted 19 hours and 48 minutes when using its main display and an impressive 23:10 with its Cover Screen. On both counts, that's better than Pixel Fold, which posted a time of 15:22 with its internal screen and 22:21 with its exterior panel.Photo by Sam Rutherford/EngadgetThe Z Fold 5's charging speed has stayed the same with 25-watt wired charging, 15-watt wireless charging and 5-watt power sharing (aka reverse wireless charging). That's serviceable, but once again, the less expensive S23 Ultra can do better, with the ability to go up to 45 watts when plugged in.Wrap-upAs someone who's still optimistic about foldable devices and has owned the last three generations of Samsung's flagship flexible phone, I can't help but like the Z Fold 5. It's faster and sleeker, with a brighter main display and even longer battery life than before. The question I wrestle with is how many tweaks and updates should we really expect from a device now in its fifth generation.Photo by Sam Rutherford/EngadgetThe Z Fold 5 has matured a lot since that initial concept device came out back in 2019, and Samsung's new Flex Hinge is an important milestone that people like me have been waiting for. But in the end, there's not a ton the phone can do now that it couldn't before. It's just a bit leaner, as if the old model spent the last 12 months in the gym. And with a price that's still extremely high, I don't think the Z Fold 5 is doing enough to woo anyone who's not already sold on foldables.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/galaxy-z-fold-5-review-five-years-in-samsung-is-treading-water-140002461.html?src=rss

Slack is getting a new look starting today. The service is rolling out a redesign aimed at helping folks stay focused and get things done by streamlining the interface.Perhaps the most obvious change is to the sidebar. On the far left, you'll no longer see a tile for each of your workspaces if you're logged in to more than one. Those have been collapsed into a single tile, and Slack is using the freed-up space for new navigation options.SlackThe sidebar now includes buttons for Home, DMs (direct messages), Activity, Later and More sections, along with a search icon and a new Create button. The Home view is much like the Slack you'll be used to. From here, you'll be able to access your various channels, unread items, drafts, apps and more.It looks like the DMs section will neatly bring together your direct message conversations and make them easier to access. Your DM list will show the most recent message from each chat, and you can choose whether to see only unread messages.SlackThe Activity feed combines your threads, mentions and reactions into a single view, though each of those has a dedicated tab within the Activity section. The Later section, meanwhile, has tabs for in-progress, completed and archived actions. The More section is where you'll find tools such as apps and workflows, canvases and huddles.As for the Create button, that replaces the draft message option. From here, you can whip up a message, huddle, canvas or new channel. Elsewhere, there's a new feature that allows you to hover over an icon for one of the dedicated views (i.e. DMs or Activity) to take a peek at what's happening without having to drift away from your current task.Slack says it's rolling out some device-specific updates as well. In the iPhone, iPad and Android apps, you'll see tiles at the top of the screen that will take you to the likes of your unreads and threads with a single tap. You'll also be able to swipe through all your unreads and perhaps catch up on things more quickly. Last but not least, Slack is enabling new themes with a more detailed and customizable color scheme.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/slacks-latest-redesign-has-a-dedicated-dm-tab-and-a-discord-style-activity-view-130032154.html?src=rss

At its Stream On event earlier this year, Spotify announced a partnership with Patreon that would bring subscriber-only podcasts from the creator platform to its streaming service. Today, that integration launches for all creators and users globally, allowing patrons to listen to exclusive content alongside other episodes on Spotify. If you stumble upon a show that you don't yet support monetarily, you can get access with a few taps from the show's page inside the streaming app.Patreon podcasters only need to sync their account with Spotify to get started. Afterwards, all patron-exclusive content will be on a dedicated page on their Spotify show profile. Creators will have the option of adding promotional banners on their free episodes page to help drive subscription numbers. The integration of Patreon is powered by Spotify's Open Access, which was first announced in 2021. This technology allows shows that host subscription content on other platforms to use their existing log-in credentials to bring those podcasts to the streaming service. Other integrated platforms include Supporting Cast, Supercast and more. Additionally, Spotify has been offering paid podcast subscriptions through its audio production platform Anchor for over two years.Just like that Anchor setup, any subscriber-only Patreon podcasts that you don't have access to will show up with a lock icon in the Spotify app. There's also a small "paid" tag next to the publish date and runtime info. When you tap the lock, a pop up will ask if you want to hear more from the creator before sending you to their Patreon page to view subscription info.Spotify doesn't take a cut of subscriptions that are generated through Open Access. Patreon and Spotify both explain that creators will retain "full control" over their audiences, content and revenue while using the streaming service to expand their reach. There's no additional cost to integrate Patreon with Spotify either, and creators publishing both free and paid episodes can use the setup.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/patreon-creators-can-now-publish-subscriber-only-podcasts-on-spotify-130016901.html?src=rss

Sony has published its earnings report for the first quarter of the year (PDF) ending on June 30th and an adjusted forecast for the fiscal year, and they paint a picture of mixed results for the company. Its overall operating profit for the period was down 31 percent year-over-year, from 364.9 billion yen ($2.54 billion) to 253 billion ($1.76 billion). The company's revenue was up 33 percent, however, thanks to significant increase in sales by its game and network services, music, imaging and financial services businesses.Sony believes its game and music segments will continue to do well and has raised (PDF) its sales and revenue forecast for the fiscal year ending on March 31st, 2024 by 6.1 percent due to higher-than-expected sales for those businesses. It also expects its net income to be 2.4 percent higher than its previous forecast, from 840 billion yen ($5.86 billion) to 860 billion ($6 billion).For its game division, in particular, Sony has tweaked its forecast, because it's anticipating an increase in sales for non-first-party PlayStation titles, including add-on content. Several much-awaited games are coming out for PlayStation gamers this year, such as Spider-Man 2, Assassin's Creed Mirage, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty Expansion, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandoraand EA Sports FC.This expected increase in sales for non-first-party titles will be aided by a decrease in costs and expenses. That said, they will also offset by a "deterioration in profitability of PlayStation 5 hardware." Sony has dropped the PS5's pricing in several regions around the world recently. While that translates to lower overall earnings from the console, it could also get people on the fence to finally purchase the PS5, which in turn could lead to more game purchases.To note, Sony has shipped 3.3 million PS5 units in the first quarter of the year. That's almost half of the previous quarter's sales of 6.3 million units, though that figure was for the holiday season, when businesses typically do better than usual. This is Sony's best-performing first quarter for PS5 sales so far, bringing the total number of units sold to 41.7 million.Despite adjusting its outlook with better numbers for the year overall, Sony has lowered its expectations for the sales of mobile sensors due to the continuing downward trend in smartphone sales. Sony Pictures' earnings was also down year-on-year despite the success of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. The company doesn't foresee a recovery for the business, as well, and believes it will perform worse than what was predicted last April due to the impact of strikes by the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sony-raises-its-annual-forecast-on-the-strength-of-its-playstation-sales-113514305.html?src=rss

NASA has regained contact with Voyager 2, only one of two human-made objects to leave the solar system. The agency lost touch with the probe on July 21st after a series of planned maneuvers pointed it two degrees away from Earth. It would have reset its orientation in October, but agency officials didn't want to wait that long to get back in touch.The Voyager 2 team used a network of ground-based transmitters to shout" a command to the probe, telling it to turn back toward Earth. This bellowed order took 18.5 hours to reach the apparatus, and it would take just as long before NASA would learn it was successful. It's a testament to human ingenuity, but also a vital reminder to not miss a second of data coming from Voyager 2 since NASA believes it may not function properly after 2025.- Dan CooperYou can get these reports delivered daily, direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!The biggest stories you might have missedThe best PS5 games for 2023Marvel's visual effects workers vote to unionizeGM will enable vehicle-to-home charging on all Ultium-based EVsValve sells refurbished Steam Decks for around 20 percent offWhy humans can't use natural language processing to speak with the animalsThe complexities of speech are nothing compared to birdsong.Surely computers, as powerful as they are these days, are smart enough to decode simple animal calls? That's the question at the heart of Andrew Tarantola's latest feature, which asks why we don't yet have Google Translate for animal speech. Turns out, as simple as a bird call may sound to our ears, it's one of the most complex vocal systems ever developed. Read on to learn why, in fact, we're the plain-speaking simple folk, not our pets.Continue Reading.Apple is reportedly testing M3 chips for new Macs arriving this fallThe company may wish to speed up its release schedule for new machines.Photo by Nathan Ingraham / EngadgetAs night follows day, Apple releases new products with a name one integer higher than one it presently sells. It's no surprise we're hearing M3 chips are currently being tested in anticipation of a refresh later in the year. What might surprise, however, is the hint Apple may speed up its release schedule to refresh its computer offerings faster than it does now.Continue Reading.Kamado Joe Konnected Joe review: A highly versatile smart grillIt's a smart charcoal-burning grill for your preferred meat season.Photo by Billy Steele / EngadgetThere are plenty of smart grills, but one that burns charcoal rather than pellets is a slightly taller task. Kamado Joe's Konnected Joe has been in Billy Steele's possession for the last few weeks as he tests out this versatile and, crucially, charcoal-burning smart grill. There's still plenty of summer left, so find out if you wanna snag one of these by reading his review.Continue Reading.PayPal introduces its own stablecoin pegged to the US dollarPayPal USD will help you make purchases or pay other users.PayPalStablecoins pegged to a real-world asset are meant to be a necessary counter to the volatile world of cryptocurrency. PayPal has introduced its own in the form of PayPal USD, a currency pegged to the US dollar, which you can use to buy stuff or pay your friends. It's not clear, however, if regulators have given their blessing or if PayPal is about to get a few thousand sternly worded letters from the Federal Reserve and the SEC.Continue Reading.Amazon Prime Big Deal Days: Here's what to expect this October Prime DayPrime Day comes but onc... twice a year.Amazon is once again planning a second Prime Day-style shopping event in October. This Amazon Prime Big Deal Day, aside from being a mouthful to say, will offer a bonanza of deals both on Amazon's own hardware - and everything else. If you've got an eye on snagging some bargains ahead of the holiday shopping season, check out our guide to prepare for what's to come.Continue Reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-voyager-2-is-alive-111534452.html?src=rss

Dead by Daylight has a new Killer in town, and it's one all horror fans know (and likely fear): the Xenomorph. Behaviour Interactive has released all of the details of its new Alien collaboration following a teaser that provided a glimpse into the new Nostromo Wreckage Map. The announcement confirmed not only the Xenomorph's role as Dead by Daylight's latest Killer but also the introduction of Ellen Ripley as a Survivor.This edition introduces seven Control Stations, a new Map feature that allows Survivors to get a Remote Flame Turret (another addition), which they can use to stagger the Xenomorph - though the Killer can destroy the tool. It can also stop the Xenomorph's unique Power known as Runner Mode, which lets it walk on four legs and shrinks its Terror Radius.The control stations sit on top of tunnels that the Xenomorph can enter and exit through. "Creating the Xenomorph's Tunnel system was very challenging as we had never created a sublevel that could only be accessible to the Killer. This new mechanic grants it Map-wide mobility and definitely amps up the scare factor - which feels very connected to the original character," said Janick Neveu, Game Designer on Dead by Daylight.You don't have to wait long to wander through the Nostromo Wreckage in total fear (a perfect nighttime game, right?) as Dead by Daylight: Alien will be available across platforms starting August 29th. Impatient? You can already download the game's Public Test Build and try it out early.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/alien-is-coming-to-dead-by-daylight-105502420.html?src=rss

There's good news if you felt thrown by the $50 price tag for 13-year-old Red Dead Redemption's Nintendo Switch and PS4 release: Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick says the cost is right. Seriously, IGN reports that Zelnick had his reasons, which he clearly laid out after the company's Q2 earnings report, "That's just what we believe is the commercially accurate price for it." Satisfied now?Points of frustration around Red Dead Redemption's sticker price are extensive, including the lack of a multiplayer option and a complete lack of a quality update since its 2010 release (no 4K visuals in sight). There's also the small matter that the game is already available on Xbox Series X in 4K for $40.Take-Two is leaning on the inclusion of Undead Nightmare, a Red Dead Redemption expansion, in the port as a rationale for the higher price. Zelnick called Undead Nightmare "a great standalone game in its own right when it was originally released, so we feel like it's a great bundle for the first time, and certainly a great value for consumers."If the words of a CEO have convinced you to pay $50 for Red Dead Redemption, you can buy the digital version for the Nintendo Switch or PS4 starting August 17th, with a physical release to follow on October 13th.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/take-two-ceo-says-50-for-red-dead-redemption-port-is-great-value-093553782.html?src=rss

On August 4th, Northrop Grumman's 19th resupply mission for the ISS arrived on the orbiting lab, carrying not just necessities for its inhabitants, but also an experiment that could greatly benefit future human colonies outside our planet. Specifically, the mission was carrying a module with hardware that could help us understand how heating and air conditioning systems can operate in reduced gravity and in the extreme temperatures observed on the moon and Mars. Daytime temperatures near the lunar equator, for instance, reach 250 degrees Fahrenheit, which is higher than the boiling point of water. At night, temperatures reach -208 degrees Fahrenheit. The lowest recorded temperature on Earth was -128.6 degrees Fahrenheit back in 1983.The hardware was designed and built by scientists and engineers from Purdue University and NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. It will allow Purdue scientists to conduct the second part of their Flow Boiling and Condensation Experiment (FBCE), which has been collecting data aboard the ISS since 2021. They've already finished gathering data for the first part of their study that focuses on measuring the effects of reduced gravity on boiling. This part will now focus on investigating how condensation works in a reduced-gravity environment.Issam Mudawar, the Purdue professor in charge of experiment, explained: "We have developed over a hundred years' worth of understanding of how heat and cooling systems work in Earth's gravity, but we haven't known how they work in weightlessness."His team has published over 60 research papers on reduced gravity and fluid flow from the data they've collected so far, and they're in the midst of preparing more. They believe that in addition to providing the information needed to enable human colonies to live on the moon and on the red planet, their experiment could also provide the scientific understanding to enable spacecraft to travel longer distances and to refuel in orbit.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/iss-experiment-will-help-scientists-work-out-how-to-keep-astronauts-cool-in-space-081822506.html?src=rss

The Apple TV+ film Tetris was copied from a book written years ago, according to a lawsuit filed against the tech giant and the Tetris Company. Dan Ackerman, the editor-in-chief of Gizmodo, has accused the plaintiffs of ripping off his book The Tetris Effect, which tells the history of the game in the form of a Cold War-era thriller. In his lawsuit (PDF, via Reuters), Ackerman said he sent the Tetris Company and its CEO Maya Rogers a pre-publication copy of his book back in 2016. Later that year, his agent received a "strongly worded Cease and Desist letter" to stop him from pursuing film and TV opportunities.Ackerman accused Rogers of working with screenwriter Noah Pink to develop a screenplay using content taken from his book without his knowledge or consent. Apparently, numerous producers showed interest in adapting his book, but the Tetris Company refused to license its IP for the project. "This was done at the direction and behest of Ms. Rogers so that she and the Tetris Company could pursue their own project and opportunities based on Mr. Ackerman's book without compensating him," the lawsuit reads.In his complaint, Ackerman explained that for writers, the option to license their work for film and TV is typically a major source of revenue. That's why he takes the Tetris Company's actions not as a means to prevent the unauthorized use of its IP, but as an "economic attack" on his business. To drive the point home, Ackerman included quite a lengthy list of "glaring similarities" between his book and the film in his lawsuit. Several items in the list explain how scenes in the movie mirrored his versions of events. That said, those events were based on scenarios that happened in real life, so it remains to be seen if the court will agree with him. Ackerman is asking for actual, compensatory and punitive damages equivalent to 6 percent of the film's $80 million production budget.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/author-says-the-apple-tv-tetris-movie-ripped-off-his-book-061744399.html?src=rss

X is giving advertisers new ways to have some control over what type of content can appear near their ads. The company formerly known as Twitter introduced new sensitivity settings" that allow advertisers to choose between different types of content filtering for their ads.The new controls arrive as X is increasingly desperate to win back advertisers. The company's ad revenue has dropped 50 percent since Elon Musk took over as brands cut spending on the platform amid concerns about the rise of hate speech and other unsavory content. Since then, watchdog groups have reported several instances of ads from major brands being placed near neo-Nazi accounts, Holocaust deniers and other previously suspended users.With the new tool, X says it will use machine learning to reduce adjacency to varying levels of content according to a brand's sensitivity threshold in an upcoming campaign." For now, the two settings available to advertisers include conservative" and standard." The company notes that all rule-breaking content is meant to be excluded from ads regardless of what advertisers have opted into.XUnder the most restrictive conservative" setting, ads would be excluded from appearing near targeted hate speech, sexual content, gratuitous gore, excessive profanity, obscenity, spam and drugs" in the for You" timeline. The standard" option would avoid the same topics, but allow spam and drug-related content, according to an example shared by X. The company also plans to add a relaxed" setting for advertisers who want to maximize reach" of their ads with the fewest limits on what can appear nearby.The update isn't the first time X has introduced tools to promote brand safety. The company previously added other keyword-based adjacency controls" that were also meant to limit ad-buyers' exposure to problematic content. But those changes, introduced in December, seem to have had little effect on X's ad business.Though the company has repeatedly claimed that it has successfully limited the reach of hate speech on its site, researchers have said otherwise. Last month, Bloombergreported that researchers at the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) indicating hate speech has surged, both in terms of sheer volume and in engagement, since Musk's takeover of the company. X disputed the findings and is now suing CCDH, alleging the group illegally" scraped data.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/x-hopes-sensitivity-settings-will-bring-back-advertisers-215439809.html?src=rss

YouTube announced today that it's changing how its home page works if you have your watch history disabled. Starting today, the video service's home feed will stop appearing for those with their viewing history turned off and no significant prior watch history." The change will provide a more streamlined browsing experience, showing only the search bar and guide menu.Starting today, if you have YouTube watch history off and have no significant prior watch history, features that require watch history to provide video recommendations will be disabled - like your YouTube home feed," the company wrote in a blog post today. This means that starting today, your home feed may look a lot different: you'll be able to see the search bar and the left-hand guide menu, with no feed of recommended videos, thus allowing you to more easily search, browse subscribed channels and explore Topic tabs instead."YouTube says the changes will appear slowly, over the next few months." The company describes the move as making it more clear which YouTube features rely on watch history to provide video recommendations and make it more streamlined for those of you who prefer to search rather than browse recommendations."YouTube says, once the change rolls out to your account, you can change your watch history settings to switch views at any time. The toggle is in a dedicated section on the My Google Activity settings page.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/youtube-will-show-a-minimalist-home-page-if-your-watch-history-is-turned-off-204126043.html?src=rss

Valve announced today that it's offering certified refurbished" Steam Deck units. The renewed devices shave around 20 percent off the prices of their new counterparts, allowing you to pick one up for cheaper than Steam Summer Sale prices. The consoles include the same one-year warranty as new models. In addition, Valve announced that GameStop is now selling Steam Deck refurbs in select stores, although its models are refurbished at GameStop facilities and will come with their own warranty."At the time of publication, Valve has all three Steam Deck tiers in stock. The 64GB model costs $319, the 256GB variant is $419 and the 512GB one is sold for $519 - the same systems in new condition retail for $399, $529 and $649, respectively.Valve says it thoroughly tests each unit before certifying it for resale. Every device goes through a complete factory reset, software update, and an extensive examination involving over 100 tests at one of Valve's facilities," the company wrote. Among the tests are all controller inputs, the audio system, the screen, and internals. Battery health is also assessed to ensure proper functionality and longevity."The company cautions that the renewed units may have minor cosmetic blemishes," but it promises a reliable, high-quality gaming experience at a lower cost." In addition to offering the same warranty as new consoles, the refurbished models include a power supply (also refurbished), carrying case and quick-start guide. Valve says refurbished Steam Deck stock is limited and may fluctuate over time." The company recommends checking its refurbished stock regularly if they're sold out.Meanwhile, GameStop's refurbished Steam Decks are also available today. They're sold in select retail locations for up to 20% less than new models" and are only available for customers with a GameStop Pro membership, which costs $25 annually.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/valve-begins-selling-refurbished-steam-decks-for-around-20-percent-off-201808966.html?src=rss

After months of testing, Google has announced that all group chats that have RCS enabled in its Android and Wear OS Messages app now have end-to-end encryption (E2EE) enabled by default. That should help keep prying eyes away from your chats as only the group participants will be able to read your messages, as long as they're not sharing screenshots or showing their phone to someone next to them (there's not much you can do about that, unfortunately).Google notes that RCS will now be enabled by default for new and existing users, as long as they haven't previously switched off RCS in their settings. So, maybe make sure that no one in your group has opted out of RCS before you start sharing your most private information.E2EE has been available in one-on-one chats for some time and enabling it for group conversations is a welcome move. However, Android and iOS don't exactly play nicely together on this front. Google has been trying in vain to get Apple to support RCS, but the latter is quite content with using its own iMessage service for encrypted messaging. So, you'll only be able to embrace E2EE chats if every member of your group is on either Android or iOS, unless you opt to use a third-party app like Signal.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-says-all-group-rcs-chats-are-now-fully-end-to-end-encrypted-200337049.html?src=rss

Sony has reportedly begun rolling out a cloud streaming beta for PS Plus Premium subscribers - and it supports up to 4K resolution. Announced in June as being in the early stages" of development, the feature will support PS Plus catalog titles, game trials and supported digital PS5 titles that players own." The feature could help PlayStation owners avoid lengthy downloads that take up precious storage.An alleged PlayStation email to an invited tester, posted on Reddit, reads, We're excited to unveil PS5 cloud streaming, and your help testing it means a lot to us." The beta period uses exclusive invite codes that can't be shared with other users. The email notes that features could change before cloud streaming's official launch.User ArashiGames wrote on ResetEra that they tested God of War: Ragnarok at 2160p with no issues so far." They described resolution options ranging from 720p to 2160p for that title, and they said Returnal streamed in 4K. There's a new section in the PS+ menu that is for Streaming PS5 Games," the beta-tester wrote. Just click the game and it loads in a few seconds." They listed Horizon Forbidden West, Fortnite, Destiny 2 and Death Stranding (among others) as streaming options. 4K resolution could prove a competitive advantage against Xbox Cloud Gaming, which maxes out at 1080p resolution and 60fps.Sony's upcoming Project Q" streaming handheld will have an 8-inch, 1080p screen with a 60Hz refresh rate. The accessory is confirmed to use Remote Play (streaming directly from a console rather than the cloud) but could theoretically support cloud streaming as well. The device is set to launch later this year for an as-yet-unknown price.Game streaming will be exclusive to PS Plus Premium members. The $18 / mo. service already supports cloud gaming for PS4, PS3 and select classic" titles. It lets you stream available games to PS5, PS4 or PC.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ps5-cloud-game-streaming-begins-rolling-out-to-beta-testers-190938931.html?src=rss

The Pokemon Company had a bunch of updates to share during its latest Pokemon Presents stream. For one thing, it shared a new trailer for Detective Pikachu Returns, a long-awaited sequel that's coming to Nintendo Switch on October 6th.For the uninitiated, Detective Pikachu Returns recasts the franchise's mascot as a hard-boiled, tough-talking detective. Detective Pikachu and his current partner Tim Goodman (who can actually understand Pikachu) get to the bottom of a string of unusual incidents with the help of some other Pokemon and humans, who live side-by-side in Ryme City. In between, Pikachu is drinking coffee or trying to find out just what happened to his missing partner, Harry (Tim's dad).The cute trailer offers a look at some gameplay. You'll need to get your thinking cap on as you look for clues and use a casebook to solve cases. Other Pokemon will help you out by sniffing out clues or punching through walls. If the latest clip has you excited to play the game, you may be pleased to learn that pre-orders for Detective Pikachu Returns are now open.Elsewhere, The Pokemon Company revealed that the first half of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's major paid expansion will arrive on September 13th. In "The Teal Mask," you'll go on a school trip to the land of Kitakami and meet Pokemon that aren't available in the Paldea region. The second half of the DLC, titled "The Indigo Disk," is slated to arrive this winter.On top of that, Mew and Mewtwo are coming to Scarlet and Violet as part of an event. You'll be able to add Mew to your team and battle the formidable Mewtwo.Meanwhile, a couple more Pokemon games are now available on Nintendo Switch Online. Those with the base membership can now play Pokemon Trading Card Game, which hit Game Boy Color back in 2000. If you're a Nintoendo switch Online + Expansion Pack member, you should also now have access to Pokemon Stadium 2 from the Nintendo 64.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/detective-pikachu-returns-trailer-shows-the-coffee-drinking-pokemon-in-action-184410764.html?src=rss

Security makes money. Every day companies hawk their latest privacy and security features, be it on a billboard, an internet ad or a commercial in your favorite show. Like Apple's Privacy. That's iPhone" campaign, browsers like DuckDuckGo using privacy to set itself apart or the targeted Google cybersecurity ads on social media that I probably get because of my job. That's good for consumer awareness on privacy, but adds new jargon and complexity to purchasing decisions.This resurgence of privacy-focused ads has a lot to do with the popularity of data laws. That's not to say advertising privacy is new, it dates back as far as these companies themselves, but regulation made compliance a selling point. The General Data Protection Regulation, the California Consumer Privacy Act and various other local laws popping up forced companies into prioritizing data privacy at the same time that consumers honed in on it, too.Whitney Parker Mitchell, CEO and founder of Beacon Digital Marketing, told Engadget that behind the scenes, when the regulations get put in place, compliance folks get hired for buying decisions and privacy and security get a new emphasis. From there, companies make the decision to advertise or not advertise privacy and security compliance based on the target buyer in mind.Where you emphasize that and how much information you put forward within your marketing materials really depends on how important that is to that primary buyer," Mitchell said. Like a cell phone that feels very personal may make security front of mind, but you may value convenience more than anything in a product like your robot vacuum.Still, privacy and security are dense and complex, making the concepts less-than-ideal for pithy slogans. Oftentimes when marketers try to reduce it to something catchy, the important nuance gets lost or buzzwords blur reality. The advertising campaigns can make the issue seem more simple or overly simplistic than it actually is," Aaron Massey, technologist and senior policy analyst for advertising technologies and platforms at the Future of Privacy Forum said.It's similar to the market for lemons - used cars, not the fruit - Massey told Engadget. It's easy to make a marketing claim, but it's very hard for the buyer to confirm that it's true because they don't have the specialized skill set to verify it.So, to go along with the ad campaigns, more consumer-friendly privacy awareness is cropping up on our devices. Companies are recognizing that privacy policies are not enough to really help consumers understand what is really happening with the data," Cobun Zweifel-Keegan, DC managing director of the International Association of Privacy Professionals said. That includes efforts like privacy check ups that direct you to update your settings with a pop up at login.It's been a net positive for privacy and security. More regulation and consumer education has ultimately driven these ads. Still, there are things you should look out for before taking them at face value. While every ad can't be a well-rounded and detailed approach to the topic, subjective claims like We're the most secure' should raise skepticism. It's best to look for claims that the company can clearly stand behind," Zweifel-Keegan told Engadget, and the high-level staffing like chief privacy or security officers to back it up.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tech-companies-data-privacy-ads-marketing-183049670.html?src=rss

Netflix's push into video games continues, as the company just dropped a dedicated controller app for iOS devices. The app, simply called Netflix Game Controller," lets you use your phone or tablet as a gamepad once you pair the device with your TV. This will allow you to play games available through Netflix's service on the TV, while controlling things from your mobile device.Though the app is already available for download, further news remains scant. For instance, we don't know what games it will support or any details surrounding the pairing process. We also don't know if and when this will be followed up by an Android app. The app's description just teases that the gamepad functionality is coming soon to Netflix."This isn't a huge surprise, given the company's expanding growth as an indie game publisher. Netflix Games has published or hosted nearly 70 titles in the past two years, some of which are accessible via the regular Netflix streaming app with others available on mobile devices and gaming consoles. These aren't throwaway titles, either, as games like Oxenfree II: Lost Signals released to critical acclaim. Oxenfree developer Night School has gone on to become Netflix's first in-house studio. Other titles coming to the Netflix platform in the coming months include indie standouts like Storytellers, Paper Trail and the Monument Valley series. There's also an Assassin's Creed game in the works, along with a port of the mobile title LEGO: Legacy Heroes Unboxed. It's a safe assumption that you should be able to use the recently-launched controller app to play some of these games. Engadget reached out to Netflix to inquire about compatibility and the possibility of an Android release. A company spokesperson said that it isn't making comments at this time.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/netflix-just-released-a-game-controller-app-for-the-iphone-181609420.html?src=rss

Since last year, Netflix has run a Discord bot that helps people find shows and movies to watch together based on what's available in their location. The company is expanding the "Hey, Netflix" bot's capabilities today with a text-based game.This is the first time Netflix is bringing a game along these lines to Discord. As you might imagine, it ties into something that you'll be able to stream on Netflix soon, an action movie called Heart of Stonethat stars Gal Gadot and Jamie Dornan. The film will land on Netflix this Friday.In Heart of Stone: Maze of Odds, you'll take on the role of a double agent (similar to Gadot's character in the film). Netflix says you'll need to quickly make decisions in "action-driven situations." Based on some details that Netflix shared in advance, it seems that you'll need to choose between some preset options, much like the interactive TV shows and movies it has released in the past.Intriguingly, Netflix says Heart of Stone: Maze of Odds will be different each time you play it. The Discord bot randomly chooses scenarios from a bank of situations. Additionally, you'll be able to play it solo or ask friends to join in for multiplayer action. The game includes collectibles for you to pick up along the way too. Lastly, while Discord users around the world can check out the game, it's worth noting that it's only available in English.Netflix has been making a big push into games in general over the last couple of years. Last month, it released Oxenfree II, the first game from one of its in-house studios. The company also just debuted a game controller app for iPhone and iPad. As such, you'll soon be able to play its games (which are typically included with a Netflix subscription) on compatible TVs as well as phones and tablets.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/netflix-adds-text-based-heart-of-stone-game-to-its-discord-bot-174216893.html?src=rss

Apple is testing variants of the M3 chip, according toBloomberg, with the first Macs running the new Apple Silicon potentially arriving as early as October. The high-end laptop chip, the M3 Max, will reportedly have four more high-performance CPU cores and at least two additional graphical cores compared to the M2 Max, which only arrived in January.The company is reportedly testing new iMacs, 13-inch MacBook Pros, 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Airs and Mac minis - all running the M3 chip and expected within the next 12 months. Updated 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M3 Pro and M3 Max chips won't likely arrive until 2024.The company could move on an aggressive Mac release schedule as its desktop and laptop computer line struggles to regain its sales footing after a pandemic-era boom. Although it launched a 15-inch MacBook Air in June and new models of the MacBook Pro and Mac mini in January, we could see more new Mac hardware this fall. (The company hinted in its earnings call last week that new Macs wouldn't arrive until after the fiscal fourth quarter, which concludes at the end of September.) Bloomberg reports Apple is indeed planning an October product launch.The base M3 chip will reportedly use the same configuration as the M2: eight processor cores and up to 10 graphical cores. However, the M3 Pro will start at 12 CPU cores and 18 graphical cores, and test logs suggest the M3 Max will include 16 CPU cores and 40 graphics cores. Of course, Apple is likely testing multiple variants of core-count options, and we don't yet know which versions will make it to consumers.The M3 chip has been long-rumored to shift to TSMC's upcoming 3-nanometer process for expected performance and efficiency improvements over the 5nm process used in the M2. Apple is also widely expected to use the 3nm process for the A17 chip in the upcoming iPhone 15 series.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-is-reportedly-testing-m3-chips-for-new-macs-arriving-this-fall-173457588.html?src=rss

GM says it will support vehicle-to-home (V2H) bidirectional charging on all of its electric vehicles with Ultium battery technology by model year 2026. The first vehicles that will support the tech include the 2024 model year Chevrolet Silverado EV RST, GMC Sierra EV Denali Edition 1, Chevrolet Blazer EV, Chevy Equinox EV, Cadillac Lyriq and Cadillac Escalade IQ - the company is set to reveal the latter on August 9th. There's no indication as to when the upcoming Ultium-based Chevy Bolt will support V2H.Severalautomakers are adopting V2H technology, which enables owners to power their home in a pinch using their EV. It's an option that can come in very useful during a blackout or even to save money by drawing from the EV's battery when electrical grid prices are high. You can still charge your EV by connecting it to your home's power supply, of course.Last year, GM announced a spin-off business called GM Energy that includes a division focused on home energy management solutions such as V2H. In June, GM Energy revealed some of its residential hardware, which includes systems with V2H support, so it was only a matter of time until GM started enabling the tech on its vehicles.Owners of Ultium EVs will be able to manage the transfer of energy between their vehicle and home using the GM Energy Cloud software platform. GM says it will reveal more details about when it will start enabling the tech in its vehicles at a later date.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gm-will-enable-vehicle-to-home-charging-on-all-ultium-based-evs-164248583.html?src=rss

The beta version of Spotify's AI-enhanced DJ feature is coming to 50 new countries, after soft-launching in the US and Canada back in February. In recent months, it's rolled out in the UK and Ireland, but now the robotic Wolfman Jack is headed to more countries in Europe, Asia and Africa, in addition to Australia and New Zealand.There's a caveat, but it depends on some initial understanding of what this tool actually does. The Spotify DJ is available to premium subscription members and provides algorithmic recommendations of what to listen to, just like any music streaming app. However, these recommendations are accompanied by AI-generated DJ commentary on what you're listening to. So what's the rub? The DJ, based on Spotify's Xavier Jernigan, only speaks English, no matter where you live. This is not a big deal for Australia and New Zealand, but an annoying constraint for listeners in Ghana, Singapore and most other parts of the world. A Spotify spokesperson told Engadget that the company has no more news to share on new languages at this time."Despite the language limitation, it's still a nifty toolset. It combines OpenAI's proprietary large language model (LLM) technology, which powers ChatGPT, with Sonantic's AI voice generation platform. Spotify bought Sonantic last year, largely due to its focus on generating realistic speech. In addition to the AI-enhanced speech, the platform also gives for written information as to why a particular song was chosen.This tool is available today for Spotify Premium users across the world, but this is a beta, so expect changes and improvements in the short-term and long-term future. Spotify says that it is continuing to iterate and innovate the experience."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/spotifys-new-ai-dj-expands-to-50-countries-162852829.html?src=rss

The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation into Adobe's planned $20 billion purchase of design rival Figma. The EU said it's concerned about the acquisition diminishing competition for interactive design software and digital asset creation tools.The EU Commission has until December 14th to make a decision. With our in-depth investigation we aim to ensure that users continue to have access to a wide pool of digital creative tools to choose from," European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager said in a statement to Reuters.The move echoes a similar move from the UK last month when its Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched its own in-depth investigation into the transaction. The UK has until December 27th to complete its phase two" review.The transaction would be the largest-ever purchase for Adobe. The San Francisco-based Figma, founded in 2012, quickly grew in popularity and became a go-to tool for vector design and remote collaboration. The company's products compete directly with Adobe XD and Illustrator. Adobe has previously said it wants to incorporate Creative Cloud suite features into Figma while adding some of Figma's collaborative capabilities to its core products. It said at the time of the acquisition's announcement that it was deeply committed" to keeping Figma independent and said there was no plan" to change its pricing or remove its free tier.The combination of Adobe and Figma will deliver significant value to customers by making product design more accessible and efficient, reimagining creative capabilities on the web and creating new categories of creativity and productivity," Adobe said in a statement to Engadget. We have been delighted to hear overwhelmingly positive feedback from customers worldwide and are excited about the economic benefits the deal will bring. We remain confident in the merits of the case as Figma's product design is an adjacency to Adobe's core creative products and Adobe has no meaningful plans to compete in the product design space."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/adobes-20-billion-purchase-of-figma-is-being-scrutinized-by-the-eu-160532767.html?src=rss

The UK's Electoral Commission has revealed that some personal information of around 40 million voters was left exposed for over a year. The agency - which regulates party and election finance and elections in the country - said it was the target of a complex cyberattack." It first detected suspicious activity on its network in October 2022, but said the intruders first gained access to its systems in August 2021.The perpetrators found a way onto to the Electoral Commission's servers, which hosted the agency's email and control systems, as well as copies of the electoral registers. Details of donations and loans to registered political parties and non-party campaigners were not affected as those are stored on a separate system. The agency doesn't hold the details of anonymous voters or the addresses of overseas electors registered outside of the UK.The data that was exposed included the names and addresses of UK residents who registered to vote between 2014 and 2022, along with those who are registered as overseas voters. Information provided to the commission through email and web forms was exposed too."We know that this data was accessible, but we have been unable to ascertain whether the attackers read or copied personal data held on our systems," the commission said. The agency confirmed to TechCrunch that the attack could have affected around 40 million voters. According to UK census data, there were 46.6 million parliamentary electoral registrations and 48.8 million local government electoral registrations in December 2021.The Electoral Commission says it had to adopt several measures before disclosing the hack. It had to lock out the "hostile actors," analyze the possible extent of the breach and put more security measures in place to stop a similar situation from happening in the future.Data in the electoral registers is limited and much of it is in the public domain already, the agency said. As such, officials don't believe the data by itself represents a major risk to individuals. However, the agency warned, it's possible that the information "could be combined with other data in the public domain, such as that which individuals choose to share themselves, to infer patterns of behavior or to identify and profile individuals."The Electoral Commission also noted that there was no impact on UK election security as a result of the attack. "The data accessed does not impact how people register, vote, or participate in democratic processes," it said. "It has no impact on the management of the electoral registers or on the running of elections. The UK's democratic process is significantly dispersed and key aspects of it remain based on paper documentation and counting. This means it would be very hard to use a cyber-attack to influence the process."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/hack-left-majority-of-uk-voters-data-exposed-for-over-a-year-150045052.html?src=rss

We've been wondering what goes on inside the minds of animals since antiquity. Dr. Doolittle's talent was far from novel when it was first published in 1920; Greco-Roman literature is lousy with speaking animals, writers in Zhanguo-era China routinely ascribed language to certain animal species and they're also prevalent in Indian, Egyptian, Hebrew and Native American storytelling traditions.Even today, popular Western culture toys with the idea of talking animals, though often through a lens of technology-empowered speech rather than supernatural force. The dolphins from both Seaquest DSV and Johnny Mnemonic communicated with their bipedal contemporaries through advanced translation devices, as did Dug the dog from Up.We've already got machine-learning systems and natural language processors that can translate human speech into any number of existing languages, and adapting that process to convert animal calls into human-interpretable signals doesn't seem that big of a stretch. However, it turns out we've got more work to do before we can converse with nature.What is language?All living things communicate," an interdisciplinary team of researchers argued in 2018's On understanding the nature and evolution of social cognition: a need for the study of communication. Communication involves an action or characteristic of one individual that influences the behavior, behavioral tendency or physiology of at least one other individual in a fashion typically adaptive to both."From microbes, fungi and plants on up the evolutionary ladder, science has yet to find an organism that exists in such extreme isolation as to not have a natural means of communicating with the world around it. But we should be clear that communication" and language" are two very different things.No other natural communication system is like human language," argues the Linguistics Society of America. Language allows us to express our inner thoughts and convey information, as well as request or even demand it. Unlike any other animal communication system, it contains an expression for negation - what is not the case ... Animal communication systems, in contrast, typically have at most a few dozen distinct calls, and they are used only to communicate immediate issues such as food, danger, threat, or reconciliation."That's not to say that pets don't understand us. We know that dogs and cats can respond accurately to a wide range of human words when they have prior experience with those words and relevant outcomes," Dr. Monique Udell, Director of the Human-Animal Interaction Laboratory at Oregon State University, told Engadget. In many cases these associations are learned through basic conditioning," Dr. Udell said - like when we yell dinner" just before setting out bowls of food.Whether or not our dogs and cats actually understand what dinner" means outside of the immediate Pavlovian response - remains to be seen. We know that at least some dogs have been able to learn to respond to over 1,000 human words (labels for objects) with high levels of accuracy," Dr. Udell said. Dogs currently hold the record among non-human animal species for being able to match spoken human words to objects or actions reliably," but it's difficult to know for sure to what extent dogs understand the intent behind our words or actions."Dr. Udell continued: This is because when we measure a dog or cat's understanding of a stimulus, like a word, we typically do so based on their behavior." You can teach a dog to sit with both English and German commands, but if a dog responds the same way to the word sit' in English and in German, it is likely the simplest explanation - with the fewest assumptions - is that they have learned that when they sit in the presence of either word then there is a pleasant consequence."Tea Straii for Engadget/Silica MagazineHush, the computers are speakingNatural Language Programming (NLP) is the branch of AI that enables computers and algorithmic models to interpret text and speech, including the speaker's intent, the same way we meatsacks do. It combines computational linguistics, which models the syntax, grammar and structure of a language, and machine-learning models, which automatically extract, classify, and label elements of text and voice data and then assign a statistical likelihood to each possible meaning of those elements," according to IBM. NLP underpins the functionality of every digital assistant on the market. Basically any time you're speaking at a smart" device, NLP is translating your words into machine-understandable signals and vice versa.The field of NLP research has undergone a significant evolution in recent years, as its core systems have migrated from older Recurrent and Convoluted Neural Networks towards Google's Transformer architecture, which greatly increases training efficiency.Dr. Noah D. Goodman, Associate Professor of Psychology and Computer Science, and Linguistics at Stanford University, told Engadget that, with RNNs, you'll have to go time-step by time-step or like word by word through the data and then do the same thing backward." In contrast, with a transformer, you basically take the whole string of words and push them through the network at the same time."It really matters to make that training more efficient," Dr. Goodman continued. Transformers, they're cool ... but by far the biggest thing is that they make it possible to train efficiently and therefore train much bigger models on much more data."Talkin' jive ain't just for turkeysWhile many species' communication systems have been studied in recent years - most notably cetaceans like whales and dolphins, but also the southern pied babbler, for its song's potentially syntactic qualities, and vervet monkeys' communal predator warning system - none have shown the sheer degree of complexity as the call of the avian family Paridae: the chickadees, tits and titmice.Dr. Jeffrey Lucas, professor in the Biological Sciences department at Purdue University, told Engadget that the Paridae call is one of the most complicated vocal systems that we know of. At the end of the day, what the [field's voluminous number of research] papers are showing is that it's god-awfully complicated, and the problem with the papers is that they grossly under-interpret how complicated [the calls] actually are."These parids often live in socially complex, heterospecific flocks, mixed groupings that include multiple songbird and woodpecker species. The complexity of the birds' social system is correlated with an increased diversity in communications systems, Dr. Lucas said. Part of the reason why that correlation exists is because, if you have a complex social system that's multi-dimensional, then you have to convey a variety of different kinds of information across different contexts. In the bird world, they have to defend their territory, talk about food, integrate into the social system [and resolve] mating issues."The chickadee call consist of at least six distinct notes set in an open-ended vocal structure, which is both monumentally rare in non-human communication systems and the reason for the Chickadee's call complexity. An open-ended vocal system means that increased recording of chick-a-dee calls will continually reveal calls with distinct note-type compositions," explained the 2012 study, Linking social complexity and vocal complexity: a parid perspective. This open-ended nature is one of the main features the chick-a-dee call shares with human language, and one of the main differences between the chick-a-dee call and the finite song repertoires of most songbird species."Tea Straii for Engadget/Silica MagazineDolphins have no need for kingsTraining language models isn't simply a matter of shoving in large amounts of data. When training a model to translate an unknown language into what you're speaking, you need to have at least a rudimentary understanding of how the the two languages correlate with one another so that the translated text retains the proper intent of the speaker.The strongest kind of data that we could have is what's called a parallel corpus," Dr. Goodman explained, which is basically having a Rosetta Stone for the two tongues. In that case, you'd simply have to map between specific words, symbols and phonemes in each language - figure out what means river" or one bushel of wheat" in each and build out from there.Without that perfect translation artifact, so long as you have large corpuses of data for both languages, it's still possible to learn a translation between the languages, but it hinges pretty crucially on the idea that the kind of latent conceptual structure," Dr. Goodman continued, which assumes that both culture's definitions of one bushel of wheat" are generally equivalent.Goodman points to the word pairs 'man and woman' and 'king and queen' in English. The structure, or geometry, of that relationship we expect English, if we were translating into Hungarian, we would also expect those four concepts to stand in a similar relationship," Dr. Goodman said. Then effectively the way we'll learn a translation now is by learning to translate in a way that preserves the structure of that conceptual space as much as possible."Having a large corpus of data to work with in this situation also enables unsupervised learning techniques to be used to extract the latent conceptual space," Dr. Goodman said, though that method is more resource intensive and less efficient. However, if all you have is a large corpus in only one of the languages, you're generally out of luck.For most human languages we assume the [quartet concepts] are kind of, sort of similar, like, maybe they don't have king and queen' but they definitely have man and woman,'" Dr. Goodman continued. "But I think for animal communication, we can't assume that dolphins have a concept of king and queen' or whether they have men and women.' I don't know, maybe, maybe not."And without even that rudimentary conceptual alignment to work from, discerning the context and intent of a animal's call - much less, deciphering the syntax, grammar and semantics of the underlying communication system - becomes much more difficult. You're in a much weaker position," Dr. Goodman said. If you have the utterances in the world context that they're uttered in, then you might be able to get somewhere."Basically, if you can obtain multimodal data that provides context for the recorded animal call - the environmental conditions, time of day or year, the presence of prey or predator species, etc - you can ground" the language data into the physical environment. From there you can assume that English grounds into the physical environment in the same way as this weird new language grounds into the physical environment' and use that as a kind of bridge between the languages."Unfortunately, the challenge of translating bird calls into English (or any other human language) is going to fall squarely into the fourth category. This means we'll need more data and a lot of different types of data as we continue to build our basic understanding of the structures of these calls from the ground up. Some of those efforts are already underway.The Dolphin Communication Project, for example, employs a combination mobile video/acoustic system" to capture both the utterances of wild dolphins and their relative position in physical space at that time to give researchers added context to the calls. Biologging tags - animal-borne sensors affixed to hide, hair, or horn that track the locations and conditions of their hosts - continue to shrink in size while growing in both capacity and capability, which should help researchers gather even more data about these communities.What if birds are just constantly screaming about the heat?Even if we won't be able to immediately chat with our furred and feathered neighbors, gaining a better understanding of how they at least talk to each other could prove valuable to conservation efforts. Dr. Lucas points to a recent study he participated in that found environmental changes induced by climate change can radically change how different bird species interact in mixed flocks. What we showed was that if you look across the disturbance gradients, then everything changes," Dr. Lucas said. What they do with space changes, how they interact with other birds changes. Their vocal systems change."The social interactions for birds in winter are extraordinarily important because you know, 10 gram bird - if it doesn't eat in a day, it's dead," Dr. Lucas continued. So information about their environment is extraordinarily important. And what those mixed species flocks do is to provide some of that information."However that network quickly breaks down as the habitat degrades and in order to survive they have to really go through fairly extreme changes in behavior and social systems and vocal systems ... but that impacts fertility rates, and their ability to feed their kids and that sort of thing."Better understanding their calls will help us better understand their levels of stress, which can serve both modern conservation efforts and agricultural ends. The idea is that we can get an idea about the level of stress in [farm animals], then use that as an index of what's happening in the barn and whether we can maybe even mitigate that using vocalizations," Dr. Lucas said. AI probably is going to help us do this."Scientific sources indicate that noise in farm animal environments is a detrimental factor to animal health," Jan Brouek of the Research Institute for Animal Production Nitra, observed in 2014. Especially longer lasting sounds can affect the health of animals. Noise directly affects reproductive physiology or energy consumption." That continuous drone is thought to also indirectly impact other behaviors including habitat use, courtship, mating, reproduction and the care of offspring.Conversely, 2021's research, The effect of music on livestock: cattle, poultry and pigs, has shown that playing music helps to calm livestock and reduce stress during times of intensive production. We can measure that reduction in stress based on what sorts of happy sounds those animals make. Like listening to music in another language, we can get with the vibe, even if we can't understand the lyricsThis article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/why-humans-cant-use-natural-language-processing-to-speak-with-the-animals-143050169.html?src=rss

Typically, smart grills equal pellet grills. While pellet models played a key role in popularizing connected outdoor cooking, there are plenty of other options for controlling and monitoring things from the comforts of your living room. After introducing a smart controller for its ceramic grills in 2018, Kamado Joe released its own connected pellet version in 2020. Earlier this year, the company combined its add-on controller with its popular charcoal-burning red cookers, resulting in the Konnected Joe.At first glance, the Konnected Joe looks like any other ceramic grill in Kamado Joe's lineup. However, the bottom half is black where most of the company's other options are solid red. The display (or Kontrol Board) also sets the Konnected Joe apart, and it's situated beside three food probe jacks, the power button and a temperature dial. Here, you can see temperature graphs, select a cook mode and receive alerts. The grill will also advise you on how to adjust the vents based on your selected temperature. Buttons on the left allow you to set timers and reconnect to WiFi, in addition to adjusting the display to show grill or food temperatures in large numbers visible from afar.The Konnected Joe retains a lot of the features that make the company's ceramic grills great for your deck or patio. The Kontrol Tower top vent, Air Lift hinge and heavy-duty cart all make using the grill easier. Inside, the company's two-tier Divide & Conquer design allows you to cook different foods at different temperatures by changing the proximity of the stainless steel grates to the fire. You can also set up one side for direct grilling while using a heat deflector for indirect on the other. Most of the components for the grill are semi-circular, which makes the Konnected Joe just as versatile as a regular Kamado Joe. The folding side shelves are modestly sized, but they're enough to hold a plate, tray or small cutting board.Kamado Joe's latest smart grill is compatible with all of the accessories for the Classic Joe grill, except for the charcoal basket. This means you can add a rotisserie (JoeTisserie), pizza stone (DoJoe) and more to expand the capabilities of the Konnected Joe. There's a ton of options here, ranging from the affordable half-moon reversible griddle ($70) to the pricey JoeTisserie ($300), with some bundles going for even more. You don't need to purchase anything extra to get started with the Konnected Joe, though. The grill ships with grates, heat deflectors for low-and-slow cooking and all you need for that optional two-tier configuration.Photo by Billy Steele/EngadgetJust under the three food probe jacks is a dedicated button for the Automatic Fire Starter (AFS). WiFi connectivity may get the bulk of the attention on this Kamado Joe, but the AFS is the real star. It's essentially a heating element at the bottom of the cooking chamber where you load your charcoal and wood chunks. When you turn it on, it runs for 15 minutes to light your charcoal without any additional lighter fluid or fire starters. I've used this every time I've cooked with the Konnected Joe, even when I'm otherwise running the grill in Classic Cook Mode without the automatic temperature control. It consistently, completely lit up the charcoal. See ya later, charcoal chimney.In addition to built-in WiFi, another key aspect of smart grilling is a mobile app. The Kamado Joe App allows you to adjust time and temperature without being directly in front of the grill. During my tests, changes were typically quick although there have been a few times I had to input the desired temperature twice to get it to stick. Those temperature graphs from the onboard display are here as well, alongside the ability to browse recipes and monitor food probe temps. However, where Kamado Joe currently lags behind the competition is its library of recipes and how they're presented.Right now, there are over 150 recipes available in the Kamado Joe app, organized by food type and cooking method. For comparison, the Traeger app currently houses over 1,000. The Kamado Joe app is also missing a few glaring items, like pulled pork, but the company says it continuously adds new recipes. It also said it's working to bring recipe videos and step-by-step guidance to the app sometime next year. These are two more items that both Traeger and Weber offer in their apps and they can be a big help when you're trying a new recipe or are a beginner griller. Still, the app does a solid job with the basics of monitoring and controlling the grill.Photo by Billy Steele/EngadgetAnother area the Kamado Joe app could offer guidance is preparing the grill to cook. There are some tips in recipes, like waiting for clean smoke when you add wood chunks before putting any food on, but there aren't any tips on how much charcoal to add in the first place. This is a lesson I learned the hard way, as the Konnected Joe would consistently overshoot the set temperature during low-and-slow smoking in my initial tests.After consulting with the company, I determined I was using too much charcoal and the extra fuel was igniting before I needed it during the longer sessions. Using less at the start fixed my problem, but extended cooking times may require you to add more. This means moving your food and any racks to the side to access the bottom of the chamber. It's not ideal, but it's hardly a dealbreaker.None of this means much if the grill can't produce great-tasting food, and the Konnected Joe does an excellent job in that regard. Since this is mostly a Kamado Joe ceramic grill with some smart-cooking bits added on, its performance is similar to those non-WiFi models. You get the flavor of charcoal, which has a more pronounced smoky essence than pellet grills produce. Sure, you can impart plenty of smoke with wood pellets, but what you get from charcoal is just different. And, at least to me, it's slightly more intense. You also get the flavor of charcoal through direct cooking for a true grilled essence as opposed to hot-and-fast searing on a pellet grill.Photo by Billy Steele/EngadgetOver the course of testing, I did a mix of high-heat grilling and slow-smoked barbecue. This included a lot of steaks, a Boston Butt for pulled pork, baby back ribs and more. I was consistently impressed by the charcoal smoke flavor present in all of my cooks, especially in the longer sessions for the pork shoulder and ribs. What's more, the Konnected Joe allows you a bit more room to experiment with types of wood as you add chunks to supplement the charcoal. There are different kinds of pellets intended for different foods, but sometimes those aren't a single type of wood even if they're labeled as such. For example, Weber's Cherry pellets are 60 percent Maple. With the Konnected Joe, you can grab a bag of a single type of wood chunks (I use Kingsford) and change them up based on what you're cooking.Another thing you need to be aware of (and this applies to ceramic grills in general) is the long cool-down period. Due to the nature of the materials, these models retain heat a lot more efficiently than a kettle or gas grill - or even most pellet options. This is great while you're cooking, but it also means you need to plan for an extended time for the grill to cool off before you can put the cover on. As an example, I finished cooking ribs around 5PM at a temperature of 275 degrees (a five-hour cook). When I locked up for the night around 11PM, the grill was still warm to the touch, so I couldn't cover it yet. High-heat searing required even more time to cool off, and in most cases, I had to leave the grill uncovered until the next day.Photo by Billy Steele/EngadgetOne area where the Konnected Joe surpasses WiFi-enabled pellet grills is the ease of cleanup. You only need to use the included ash tool to scrape debris through the holes in the bottom of the cooking chamber, leaving larger pieces of used charcoal for the next cook. A tray inside the bottom vent slides out for easy disposal. If there's a large amount of ash, you may need to use the tool to scrape that slot, but you shouldn't need to get out the shop vac like you do for a pellet grill. Of course, the accessories may require a thorough scrubbing after use, but that's nothing some grill cleaner or soapy water can't handle.If you're looking for a charcoal-burning alternative to the Konnected Joe, you don't have to go far. Parent company Middleby Outdoor also owns the Masterbuilt brand that has the Gravity Series smart grills we tested in 2020. While the Gravity Series 560 was the first version, the company has since introduced the larger Gravity Series 800 that comes with a griddle insert and the Gravity Series 1050 with the largest cooking capacity of the trio.The design is the same across all three models: a gravity-fed hopper on the right side funnels charcoal down to a digitally-controlled fan to maintain temperatures. You can add wood chunks to the ash bin to produce more smoke. The Gravity Series is capable of hot-and-fast searing, low-and-slow smoking and everything in between, all with the ability to monitor temperatures from your sofa. One key issue with those grills is they can be difficult to light when you have used charcoal at the bottom of the hopper, so it's best to cycle through and have fresh fuel to light, mixing any used bits mid-chamber.Photo by Billy Steele/EngadgetIf ease of use is your top priority, a pellet model is worth considering when shopping for a smart grill. In addition to full-featured apps for monitoring and controlling the grill from afar, Traeger and Weber both offer easy-to-follow recipe guidance. Both companies also give you estimated completion times in their apps (via Meater for Traeger) so you have an idea of when to have the sides ready (and to keep hungry guests informed of the situation).What's more, pellet grills don't require you to futz with components to add more fuel as you simply refill the hopper outside of the cooking area if you start to run low. Cleanup is a little more involved, but for longer cooks that don't require any spritzing to keep the meat moist or wrapping to expedite cooking, this type of grill is truly set it and forget it. Weber's most recent model is the SmokeFire Sear+, which offers over 1,000 square inches of cooking space for $1,599. The best new Traeger for most people is the recently redesigned Ironwood, the smaller version of which is $1,800.At $1,699, the Konnected Joe is very expensive for a charcoal grill. However, it's more affordable than the Classic Joe Series III, which offers the same cooking area without the connectivity and AFS igniter. A comparably sized Big Green Egg is around $1,100, but again, you'll need a secondary device for any kind of temperature monitoring. When you pit it against WiFi-equipped pellet grills, the Konnected Joe isn't that far off. In fact, it's slightly cheaper than Kamado Joe's own Pellet Joe. A connected grill and all the convenience that it affords has never been cheap, but the Konnected Joe pairs all the versatility of a ceramic cooker with the advantages of charcoal and performs well. If the company can expand and refine its companion app, this grill will be a complete package - even if it commands a steep investment.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/kamado-joe-konnected-joe-review-a-highly-versatile-smart-grill-140043770.html?src=rss

Marvel's visual effects employees have voted in favor of joining a union in their fight for better pay, overtime compensation, more benefits and better treatment. According to Vulture, a supermajority of the company's 50 on-set VFX employees have filed a petition for an election with the National Labor Relations Board. They're hoping to join the Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), which also represents hair and makeup artists, wardrobe, lighting and prop personnel, among other workers. Because apparently, despite Marvel's reliance on visual effects to make its universe(s), superheroes and supervillains look real on the big screen, its VFX artists aren't represented by a union. IATSE has also been campaigning broadly to expand its membership into VFX and animation workers in recent months.Several current and former VFX employees for the company previously spoke out about grueling schedules and breaking down under pressure while working on shows and movies for the studio. Sources told IGN that people were being given tasks that were impossible to finish within the timeframe allowed to complete them. Some VFX artists told Vulture that the hectic production schedule for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, for instance, led to rushed work and an end product that many reviewers had described as "bland."VFX coordinator Bella Huffman said: "Turnaround times don't apply to us, protected hours don't apply to us, and pay equity doesn't apply to us. Visual effects must become a sustainable and safe department for everyone who's suffered far too long and for all newcomers who need to know they won't be exploited."Vulture says a strike by Marvel's VFX artists is not out of the question. It is a common tactic employed by workers seeking to organize, after all - plus, both the Writers Guild and the Screen Actors Guild are currently on strike to demand better pay, streaming residuals from successful shows and regulation of AI use in Hollywood.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/marvels-visual-effects-workers-vote-to-join-a-union-123036176.html?src=rss

Taking a screenshot comes in handy for multiple reasons, which is why it's so easy to do on several devices, including Macs. When it comes to saving what's on your display, the answer lies in your keyboard. All you need to remember are a few keyboard shortcuts and you'll be able to take a screenshot on Mac easily - and there are even ways to save only portions of your display and screen record, too. Here are all of the ways to take a screenshot on a MacBook or Mac desktop.How to take a screenshot of your entire screenIf you just want a screenshot of your entire screen, just press: Command (), Shift and 3. By default, that image will appear on your desktop for easy access.Photo by Julia Mercado / EngadgetHow to capture a portion of your screenIf you want to save a portion of your screen, hit Command + Shift + 4. A crosshair cursor will appear and you can select which part of the screen you want to capture within the gray box.If you hold the Spacebar after selecting a portion of the window, then you can move your cursor to choose what part of the screen you want to capture.To take a screenshot of an entire window, select Command + Shift + 4, hover over the window in question and then tap the Spacebar. A camera icon will appear and the window will turn gray to show it's selected. Click on the screen and you will get an image of the window you chose. (Select option () in order to get rid of any border edges.)How to customize your screenshot experienceIf you can't remember the keys to screenshot an entire window or a certain portion, Macs have an even easier way to screenshot. Press Command + Shift + 5 to bring up the toolbar (or simply open the screenshot tool from Spotlight).Photo by Julia Mercado / EngadgetThis will give you several options, such as taking screenshots of videos and even recording the screen. For a more customized experience, click on Options in order to set a timer for your screenshot and select the folder in which you want to save the image or video. This toolbar also allows you to do the basics like take a screenshot of the entire screen or just a specific window.A bonus for Touch Bar MacBooksPhoto by Julia Mercado / EngadgetMacBooks with a Touch Bar have the ability to screenshot the bar itself: hit Command + Shift + 6 to do so.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/how-to-take-a-screenshot-on-mac-120034155.html?src=rss

Here's a series of words that'll send any sane person sighing themselves into oblivion. ( Sorry in advance.) Elon Musk has announced he may need to postpone his potential brawl with Mark Zuckerberg over a medical issue. The Xitter owner Xeeted he needs to get an MRI of his neck and upper back, which may lead to surgery before any date is set in stone.Plenty of folks are hinting Musk's medical issue may be as conveniently timed as Frasier Crane's clarinet lesson. And this wouldn't be the first time Musk has talked a good game and then spent the next few months doing his best to avoid following through. After all, that's how he wound up owning Xitter in the first place - and look how well that's gone.I don't know what's worse: That billionaire CEOs are making lame jokes about punch-fighting one another or that some people are taking this stuff seriously. Or that this weird mix of idiotic bravura and unrestrained id means, in this increasingly dumb world, there's a tiny but real chance it might actually go ahead.- Dan CooperYou can get these reports delivered daily, direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!The biggest stories you might have missedThe next Call of Duty game is Modern Warfare III The best power banks for 2023The original Red Dead Redemption is coming to PS4 and Switch The best laptops for college studentsScientists have reproduced last year's nuclear fusion breakthroughMrBeast's burger company countersues the YouTube megastar for over $100 millionThe pair should obviously resolve their dispute with a cage match.YouTube star MrBeast teamed up with Virtual Dining Concepts (VDC), a ghost kitchen operator, to produce MrBeast-branded burgers. But customers quickly started saying the food was inedible, which prompted MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) to sue the company. Now, VDC has filed a countersuit, saying Donaldson has materially damaged its reputation and needs $100 million or more in compensation.Continue Reading. Google Search now has an AI-powered grammar checkerIt's another useful tool baked into the search bar.There are plenty of hidden features baked into Google Search that lets you solve tricky problems in a hurry. Now, the company has parked itself on Grammarly's lawn by adding a machine learning-powered grammar checker into its search bar. All you need to do is type Grammar Check" before a rough sentence and it'll offer a correction if it thinks one is required.Continue Reading.Colorado education department discloses data breach spanning 16 yearsIt's time the government took education data security seriously.Colorado's Department of Higher Education (CDHE) has started notifying students of a potential data leak after a ransomware attack struck in June. Officials believe the attack exposed vital personal information, including names and social security numbers. Worse, the attack exposed data across several programs, from public schools to adult education schemes, going back 16 years. Education agencies have become an easy target for hackers, with nearly 200 attacks taking place since 2021.Continue Reading.PS5 USB ports reportedly melted' at Evo 2023 esports tournamentBe careful what you plug into a PS5 in a hot, sweaty events room.Photo by Aaron Souppouris / EngadgetThere's no question the PlayStation 5 is great, but even its most ardent fans admit its thermals are a problem. At the Evo 2023 esports tournament, attendees reported issues with their USB accessories, including connectors coming away full of melted plastic from the PS5's rear. The console may not be entirely at fault here, given the variable nature of most USB accessories and the unusually high temperatures these events can reach. But it does serve as a reminder to keep your console in a cool, well-ventilated area - and if you don't already have one, you can grab a disc-based PS5 for $449 right now.Continue Reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-elon-musk-says-a-medical-issue-may-postpone-his-cage-match-111506580.html?src=rss

If you're running out of storage on a device like your phone or computer, but want to pay less for more, then now is your chance. A range of Samsung's Memory Chips and Drives are currently on sale, including the Samsung PRO Plus 512GB MicroSD. This new storage device is currently down to $35 from $60 - a 42 percent discount. It reads content at about 180MB per second and writes at 130MB per second. It also stores premium 4K video with UHS-I, V30-rated speed and A2 rating. We like it so much that we named it one of the best SSDs to buy this year.Other notable Samsung items on sale include the 970 EVO Plus SSD 2TB and the T7 Shield 1TB. The 970 EVO plus is more advanced than the PRO Plus microSD, reading at a rate of 3,500MB per second and writing at 3,300MB per second. It also has the latest V-AND technology backing it up and a Dynamic Thermal Guard. The 970 EVO Plus SSD 2TB is down to $80 from $100 - a 20 percent discount.The TV Shield 1TB is also $80, but with a standard price of $160, it's a solid 50 percent discount. The device keeps cool in warmer temperatures and also comes outfitted with a Dynamic Thermal Guard. It's dust and water-resistant and available across PCs, consoles, tablets and more. You can check out the entire list of Samsung Memory Cards and Drives on sale here to find the best one for your lifestyle.Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-ssds-and-memory-cards-are-up-to-50-percent-off-095536914.html?src=rss

Almost three years after PayPal started supporting cryptocurrency for all US accounts, the fintech company has launched its own stablecoin that's pegged to the US dollar. PayPal USD, the payment processor said, is "100 percent backed by US dollar deposits, short-term US Treasuries and similar cash equivalents." The company first confirmed that it was "exploring a stablecoin" back in January last year after a developer found code and images for a "PayPal Coin" in its app. It said back then that it will work with relevant regulators "if and when [it] seek[s] to move forward."In its announcement, PayPal explained that its coin is a token issued on the Ethereum blockchain by the Paxos Trust Company, which is subject to the regulatory oversight of the New York State Department of Financial Services. The company also obtained a BitLicense, or a business license of virtual currency activities, from the NYDFS in June 2022.Users can buy and sell PayPal USD coins for $1 each. They can send the coins to other users as payment or use them to purchase goods and services by selecting the option during the checkout process. They can also transfer PayPal USD to compatible external wallets or convert other cryptocurrencies in their account to and from the stablecoin.As Reuters notes, authorities previously thwarted attempts by major companies to introduce stablecoins of their own. Meta, for instance, spent two years trying to launch a stablecoin, but the project collapsed after repeated delays due to regulators' concerns that it could be used for money laundering and other nefarious purposes. Ian Katz, managing director of Capital Alpha Partners, told Reuters that PayPal USD could soon attract the attention of the Federal Reserve and the Securities and Exchange Commission. For now, PayPal is focusing on rolling out the new currency and all the things people can do with it in the US.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/paypal-introduces-its-own-stablecoin-thats-pegged-to-the-us-dollar-091019012.html?src=rss

NASA has reestablished connection with Voyager 2 after a tense two weeks of not hearing anything from the probe. On July 21st, the agency lost contact with Voyager 2 following a series of planned commands that mistakenly pointed it two degrees away from our planet. While it is scheduled to automatically reset its orientation on October 15th, it's not surprising that NASA scientists didn't just wait for that date to know whether the spacecraft is still running. Voyager 2 was launched way back in 1977, and it's one of the only two probes sending us back valuable data on interstellar space.For a few days after July 21st, NASA wasn't even sure what the spacecraft's condition was. It wasn't until August 1st that multiple ground antennas from the Deep Space Network (DSN) were able to detect a carrier signal from the probe. A carrier signal is what a spacecraft uses to beam data back to the ground, but NASA said the one DSN detected was too weak to be able to transmit any information. Still, it was enough to confirm that Voyager 2 was still working and that it hadn't deviated from its trajectory.Instead of simply waiting for October, Voyager's ground team decided to take action. They concocted a plan to "shout" a command to the spacecraft across over 12.3 billion miles of space using the DSN, telling it to turn its antenna back to Earth. The whole process illustrated just how vast outer space truly is: It took 18.5 hours for that message to reach the probe, and another 18.5 hours for NASA to start receiving science and telemetry data again, indicating that Voyager 2 had received the command.This isn't the first time NASA has had issues with the spacecraft. In 2020, it had to provide tech assistance from billions of miles away after it tripped a system that shut off its scientific gear to conserve electricity. Voyager 2 entered interstellar space - that means it exited the plasma bubble created by our sun - back in 2018, becoming the second human-made object to do so after Voyager 1. Although NASA believes that both Voyager 1 and 2 could remain in contact with the DSN until 2036, it also says that "science data won't likely be collected after 2025." The spacecraft could only be providing us information on interstellar space for less than two years, so it stands to reason that scientists don't want to waste a single day it can send data back to Earth.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nasa-regains-contact-with-voyager-2-after-it-went-dark-for-two-weeks-074447578.html?src=rss

Apple has quietly launched a new feature for its music streaming service that could help you expand your playlists and find new artists to listen to. It's a personalized radio station called "Discovery Station," which picks the songs it thinks you'd be into from Apple Music's catalog. As Apple Insider notes, the tech giant's music service hasn't gone all in on algorithmic recommendations like Spotify, which has several playlists that can generate mixes based on your listening habits.An Apple spokesperson told us that Discovery Station will only play music you haven't played on the service before from both familiar artists and potentially unfamiliar ones it thinks you might like. And since its main purpose is to help you discover new music, it will never play the same song twice and will play continuously until you stop it. Like other playlists that use algorithms to recommend tracks, Discovery Station also bases its suggestions on your activity and will keep changing as your taste evolves.The feature is now live around the world. If you're an existing subscriber, you can access it by going to your Listen Now page and checking out the Stations for You section. If you don't have a subscription, it will cost you at least $5 a month in the US for an audio-only plan or at least $11 a month if you want access to Apple Music's video programming and other features, such as lossless audio and Dolby Atmos.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-music-will-help-you-find-new-songs-and-artists-with-discovery-station-051205049.html?src=rss

Late last year, Nikkei Asia reported that Japan was planning to add thousands of personnel to its military cyber defense unit. Now, we might know why - according to a report from the Washington Post, hackers in China had "deep, persistent access" to Japanese defense networks. When the National Security Agency is said to have first discovered the breach in late 2020, NSA Chief and Commander of US Cyber Command General Paul Nakasone flew to Japan with White House deputy national security advisor Matthew Pottinger to report the breach to officials.Despite briefings that reached as high as Japan's prime minister, the Washington Post reports that hacking from China remained an issue for several months, persisting through the end of the Trump administration and well into early 2021.US Cyber Command initially offered Japan assistance in purging its systems of malware but were reportedly rebuffed because the country was not comfortable with another nation's military accessing their systems. Instead, Japan elected to use domestic commercial security firms to find vulnerabilities, relying on the US only for guidance on what those firms found. Japan would eventually adopt a more active national security strategy, which is said to include a new cyber command to monitor networks around the clock, and as many as 4,000 active cybersecurity personnel.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/china-reportedly-had-deep-persistent-access-to-japanese-networks-for-months-233516478.html?src=rss

Zoom has made changes to its terms of service after online blowback over recent updates to the company's fine print allowing AI training on customer data. A report from StackDiary over the weekend highlighted how the changes, which rolled out in March without fanfare, appeared to grant the company sweeping control over customer data for AI training purposes. In response, Zoom published a blog post today claiming it wouldn't do what its terms said it could do; the company then updated its terms in response to the continued blowback. It now says it doesn't train AI models on consumer video, audio or chats without customer consent."At least part of the issue stemmed from Zoom's experimental AI tools, including IQ Meeting Summary (ML-powered summarizations) and IQ Team Chat Compose (AI-powered message drafting). Although account owners have to provide consent before starting a meeting using these tools, additional participants are only presented with two options: accept the terms and join the meeting, or reject them and leave the meeting.What raises alarm is the explicit mention of the company's right to use this data for machine learning and artificial intelligence, including training and tuning of algorithms and models," Alex Ivanovs wrote for Stack Diary. This effectively allows Zoom to train its AI on customer content without providing an opt-out option, a decision that is likely to spark significant debate about user privacy and consent." Ivanovs highlighted how the terms give it the right to redistribute, publish, import, access, use, store, transmit, review, disclose, preserve, extract, modify, reproduce, share, use, display, copy, distribute, translate, transcribe, create derivative works, and process Customer Content and to perform all acts with respect to the Customer Content."In the company blog post published today, Zoom's Chief Product Officer Smita Hashim stressed that account owners and administrators indeed have to provide consent before choosing to share their data for AI training, insisting it's used solely to improve the performance and accuracy of these AI services." Hashim added that even if you chose to share your data, it will not be used for training of any third-party models." Continuing, she wrote, We have permission to use this customer content to provide value-added services based on this content, but our customers continue to own and control their content. For example, a customer may have a webinar that they ask us to livestream on YouTube. Even if we use the customer video and audio content to livestream, they own the underlying content."We will not use customer content, including education records or protected health information, to train our artificial intelligence models without your consent," the blog post reads. A new section added to Zoom's terms today makes it clearer: Notwithstanding the above, Zoom will not use audio, video or chat Customer Content to train our artificial intelligence models without your consent."Our goal is to enable Zoom account owners and administrators to have control over these features and decisions, and we're here to shed light on how we do that and how that affects certain customer groups," Hashim wrote.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/zoom-reverses-policy-that-allowed-it-to-train-ai-on-customer-data-212230598.html?src=rss

Boeing has rediscovered just how hard space can be in recent months, as its ambitious Starliner program has been repeatedly sidelined by lingering technical issues. However, the company announced at a press conference Monday that it is confident that it will have those issues ironed out by next March and will be ready to test its reusable crew capsule with live NASA astronauts aboard.Based on the current plans, we're anticipating that we're going to be ready with the spacecraft in early March. That does not mean we have a launch date in early March," Boeing VP and Starliner manager Mark Nappi stressed during the event, per CNBC. We're now working with NASA - Commercial Crew program and [International Space Station] - and ULA on potential launch dates based on our readiness ... we'll work throughout the next several weeks and see where we can get fit in and then then we'll set a launch date."The Starliner has been in development for nearly fifteen years now, first being unveiled in 2010. It's Boeing's entry into the reusable crew capsule race, which is currently being dominated by SpaceX with its Dragon 2.The two companies were actually awarded grants at the same time in 2014 to develop systems capable of transporting astronauts to the ISS with a contract deadline of 2017. By 2016, Boeing's first scheduled launch had already been pushed from 2017 to late 2018. By April 2018, NASA was tempering its launch expectations to between 2019 and 2020.The first uncrewed orbital test flight in late 2019 failed to reach orbit, which further delayed the project. NASA, however, did agree to pay for a second uncrewed test in August of 2021. That test never made it off the launch pad due to a "valve issue." Fixing that problem took until the following May when the follow-up test flight completed successfully.The two subsequent preparatory attempts for a crewed flight, did not. The scheduled July 21 flight was scrubbed after faults were discovered in both the parachute system and wiring harnesses. Which brings us to March, which is when Boeing is confident its Starliner will successfully shuttle a pair of NASA astronauts to the ISS for a weeklong stay. To date, Boeing is estimated to have incurred around $1.5 billion in project cost overruns.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/boeings-starliner-could-be-ready-for-crewed-flights-by-next-march-210222245.html?src=rss

Scientists at a federally funded research center in the US have successfully conducted a second nuclear fusion reaction experiment that resulted in a net energy gain. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) said scientists at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) generated a higher energy yield than in their December breakthrough, as Reuters reports.The nuclear fusion approach is very similar to the process that results in stars being able to emit light and heat. The scientists used a laser aimed at fuel to combine two light atoms into a denser one. This releases a great deal of energy. The process is said to have a lot of potential as a source of sustainable, low-carbon energy that could help combat climate change.In the initial experiment in December, the laser delivered 2.05 megajoules to the target. The scientists achieved fusion ignition by generating 3.15 megajoules of energy output. That's a net yield of around 1.1 megajoules, which is equivalent to 0.31kWh - enough energy to power a 50-watt LED TV for six hours.It's not yet clear exactly how much of a net energy yield was obtained from the latest successful experiment, which was carried out on July 30th. An LLNL spokesperson told Reuters that researchers are still analyzing the final results.There's quite some way to go until fusion ignition becomes a viable option for mainstream energy production with the capability of powering homes. For one thing, scientists will have to scale up the system substantially. In any case, showing that it was possible to repeat the experiment and surpass the previous results is a positive step forward for clean energy.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/scientists-have-reproduced-last-years-nuclear-fusion-breakthrough-200611282.html?src=rss

Microsoft wasn't subtle in announcing its plans to add AI functionality to any and all of its existing products. On Monday, the company announced that, in addition to its availability on the Edge mobile browser, as well as standalone Android and iOS apps, Microsoft's Bing Chat AI chatbot will now be accessible through third-party browsers like Safari and Chrome.The news comes as part of Microsoft's six-month commemoration of Bing Chat's public availability. The company also notes that in that time, users have engaged in more than a billion conversations with the AI and have had it generate three-quarters of a billion images."This next step in the journey allows Bing to showcase the incredible value of summarized answers, image creation and more, to a broader array of people," the company release reads. Features like "longer conversations [and] chat history" remain Edge mobile exclusives, however.Microsoft began opening access to Bing Chat in late July, when it became available on 3rd-party desktop browsers. That version is limited as well, offering only 2,000 words per prompt on Chrome and Safari versus 4,000 on Edge.Bing Chat is powered by ChatGPT-4 from OpenAI but offers more up-to-date information than the system its built on, thanks to Bing Chat's access to Bing Search, which allows it access to information on events that have happened since the model was trained. In addition to the third-party browser access, the newest version of Bing Chat will also offer multimodal search, meaning users will be able to upload a photo and have the AI answer specific questions about its contents, as well as a dark mode for after-hours AI queries.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsofts-bing-chat-is-available-in-chrome-and-safari-mobile-191240880.html?src=rss

Amazon will reportedly meet with the FTC next week before the filing of a possible antitrust lawsuit against the online retailer. The New York Timesreports that FTC chair Lina Khan and commissioners Rebecca Kelly Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya will sit down with Amazon representatives as the government agency nears a decision on whether to sue the company for antimonopoly laws. The scheduled conversation is viewed as a last rites" meeting: Amazon's final chance to persuade the FTC to back off before filing a suit.The FTC began investigating Amazon in 2019 for using its influence to hurt competition. Investigators reportedly began the probe by interviewing third-party marketplace vendors, asking how their earnings on Amazon compared to those on competing platforms like eBay and Walmart. Politicoreported in July that the potential lawsuit will likely challenge a host of Amazon's business practices" and could lead to a court-ordered restructuring of the $1.3 trillion empire." This suit is separate from one the FTC filed in June against the retailer, accusing it of tricking customers into Prime subscriptions and making it hard to cancel the service.Khan has been a longtime Amazon critic. While a law student at Yale, she wrote a paper suggesting the rethinking of antitrust laws in response to the company's dominance. Her report criticized US antitrust laws for focusing too much on consumer prices while dismissing other ways companies can break the law to gain competitive advantages. As consumers, as users, we love these tech companies," she toldThe New York Times in 2018. But as citizens, as workers, and as entrepreneurs, we recognize that their power is troubling. We need a new framework, a new vocabulary for how to assess and address their dominance." Amazon has argued for Khan's recusal from the case based on her academic work and previous statements.The Biden administration has reportedly grown increasingly concerned" about the influence of Big Tech companies. Bloombergdescribes the executive branch as seeking to reverse what it has viewed as decades of lax oversight over corporate consolidation and market power." The DOJ has sued Meta and Google multiple times (although a federal judge recently narrowed the scope of one of those cases).This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-will-reportedly-meet-with-the-ftc-ahead-of-potential-antitrust-lawsuit-190316632.html?src=rss

If you've been meaning to stock up on Sony's DualSense controllers for your PS5, today is a good day to shop. The massively-popular gamepad is on sale for $49 via Amazon and other retailers, matching the previous low price. In other words, you likely won't get a better deal than this. DualSense controllers typically sell for around $70, so this is a discount of more than 30 percent. The sale ends on August 20th.This is the same deal for the DualSense that pops up around Black Friday, so you'll likely have to wait until then to nab a controller at this price if you miss the sale. The deal is available in just about every color option, from white to red, and even camouflage, though the deal doesn't apply to the fancy DualSense Edge gamepad.This is the same controller that comes with the PS5 and is generally considered one of the preferred gamepads on the market, along with other fantastic accessories for the console. There's haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, a built-in microphone, an integrated headphone jack and that iconic Sony button/control stick layout. If you are looking for the perfect controller for couch co-op sessions, this will certainly get the job done.As previously mentioned, the sale is for the OG DualSense, and not the revamped DualSense Edge controller. The Edge brings some new features to the table, like adjustable trigger buttons, removable rear paddles and joysticks, a cable-locking mechanism and a nifty hardshell case. However, it costs $200, which is a far cry from $49. As for the console itself, the disc-based PS5 is currently on sale for $450, a discount of $50.Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/playstation-dualsense-controllers-are-on-sale-for-49-190046996.html?src=rss

The ghost kitchen company that runs MrBeast Burger has countersued Jimmy Donaldson, aka YouTube megastar MrBeast. Virtual Dining Concepts (VDC) alleges that Donaldson and his Beast Investments (BI) company failed to abide by contractual obligations, such as carrying out promotional work, and that they "materially damaged" its reputation. VDC is seeking over $100 million in damages according to Variety, which first reported the news.VDC alleges that Mr. Donaldson's and BI's actions have materially damaged the reputation of MrBeast Burger and VDC, turned away customers, and shattered hard-won relationships with vendors and suppliers, damaging the bottom lines of hundreds of restaurants across the country and around the world, and causing damages to VDC that, according to VDC's evidence and Mr. Donaldson's own estimations are in the nine-figure range," VDC told Nation's Restaurant News in a statement.Donaldson filed suit against VDC and its parent company last week. He sought to end his partnership with them, citing issues including "disgusting" and "inedible" food. The original suit claimed VDC caused material, irreplaceable harm" to the MrBeast brand. Donaldson also alleged that VDC had generated millions of dollars in revenue but he had not received a dime."In its countersuit, VDC claims that Donaldson made disparaging comments" against the company and MrBeast Burger. It cites several tweets (some of which seem to have been deleted) from the YouTube sensation, including claims that he wanted to shut down MrBeast Burger and that the company I partnered with won't let me stop even though it's terrible for my brand."This case is about a social media celebrity who believes his fame means that his word does not matter, that the facts do not matter, and that he can renege and breach his contractual obligations without consequence," VDC's countersuit claims. He is mistaken."MrBeast Burger primarily uses a ghost kitchen format, which VDC specializes in. Ghost kitchens don't have dedicated storefronts (though some operate out of existing brick-and-mortar restaurants) and only fulfill orders for delivery or pickup. When the first physical MrBeast Burger location opened in New Jersey with Donaldson and his crew in attendance last September, more than 10,000 people showed up.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mrbeasts-burger-company-countersues-the-youtube-megastar-for-over-100-million-183859754.html?src=rss

Evo 2023 fighting game tournament attendees reported problems with damaged PlayStation 5 USB ports over the weekend. Participants took to social channels (viaKotaku) to show and tell accounts of USB accessories that seemingly got too hot and melted" when plugged into the event's numerous PS5 consoles.Current Google (and former Meta and Microsoft) AR engineer Eduardo Cuervo, who said he attended the event for the first time this year, posted on X (formerly Twitter) the photo below of a controller's USB plug that included melted pieces of the PS5's blue port. Mine was not the only controller that [melted] down," he wrote. This is just terrible. You need to do something about that lack of heat dissipation, especially if you are going to use PS5s in tournaments."Eduardo Cuervo / XThe incident appeared common enough that multiple users echoed his complaints. After my [Street Fighter 6] set, my opponent courteously took out my cord for me and out came with it the PS5 USB receiver," Reddit user u/SyrupyCereal posted. Broke my Junkfood cable right then and there! Didn't find out until I had my first match for [Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising], and feeling like an idiot that I couldn't plug in my cable to the PS5. Lo' and behold, the guy took who yanked it out earlier also took a souvenir from the other PS5."It isn't clear what was behind the apparent overheating. This is far from the first esports tournament to use PS5 systems, and there haven't exactly been similar widespread complaints about melting ports before. Of course, competitions like Evo include highly unusual conditions that most console owners will never face, including countless systems lined up nearby with rear USB accessories (located next to the console's exhaust vents) plugging in and out throughout the frantic weekend. In addition, some attendees speculated that people plugged in unsupported USB converters, allowing them to use incompatible controllers, which may have damaged the console ports.

We're not too far away from the fall, which of course means there's a new Call of Duty game on the horizon. Activision has confirmed long-standing rumors that this year's entry is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III from Sledgehammer Games. The publisher also revealed that the latest game in the rebooted series will hit PC and consoles (perhaps including Nintendo Switch) on November 10th.There aren't many other confirmed details yet beyond a teaser video. However, Activision recently implied that, for the first time, players will be able to carry over items like operators, weapons and bundles from one year's Call of Duty game (in this case, Modern Warfare II) to the next. That was a pretty strong indication that the next entry would be Modern Warfare III and not, say, a return to a World War II setting.At one point, it seemed like there wouldn't be an entirely new Call of Duty game this year. Reports in early 2022 suggested that Activision would slow things down a bit and instead deliver a significant expansion for Modern Warfare II while continuing to update Warzone and working on the next mainline game. Ultimately, the publisher decided to stick with its cadence of releasing a full-price Call of Duty game every year.In February, Bloomberg reported that Modern Warfare III was set to include maps and modes from last year's game while still feeling like a standalone full-price title. We'll learn just how Activision is making the transition into Modern Warfare III as it reveals more details in the coming weeks and months.Meanwhile, it's looking increasingly likely that Microsoft will close its pending $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard very soon. If so, that could result in Modern Warfare III becoming the first Call of Duty title to hit Xbox Game Pass on its release day.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-next-call-of-duty-game-is-modern-warfare-iii-165748261.html?src=rss

After years of speculation, Red Dead Redemption is set to launch on PS4 and Nintendo Switch. This is the original 2010 release, and not the long-rumored remaster. The western-themed third-person shooter goes on sale August 17th, just three days after revered lawman and huckleberry spokesperson Doc Holliday's birthday.This is the digital version, but a physical release follows on October 13th. Though this is a straight port, the release does include the Undead Nightmare DLC, the zombie campaign that was added to the Game of the Year edition back in the day. The combo pack costs $50, which seems like a lot for a straight port of a 13-year-old game that hasn't been updated to allow for 4K visuals or a faster framerate. Also, the ports won't support multiplayer.As for the potential next-gen refresh, it looks to be dead in the water. Kotaku reports that Rockstar has shelved the project after the debacle surrounding the subpar performance of the GTA Trilogy remake, which was an absolute buggy mess. The company is focusing on new titles, like the forthcoming GTA VI, instead of remakes.For the uninitiated, the original Red Dead Redemption is both a spiritual successor to an older game called Red Dead Revolver, but actually takes place after the events of Red Dead Redemption 2. It follows former outlaw John Marston as he rounds up some of the gang members that take center stage in the sequel. It's still a sprawling open-world adventure game, like RDR2, but with a more focused narrative and structure. There's no swimming, which is a bummer, but you can still tie people to train tracks, which is the opposite of a bummer.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-original-red-dead-redemption-is-coming-to-ps4-and-switch-165058354.html?src=rss

Call Devolver Digital whatever you want - except a liar. The indie publisher's inaugural Devolver Delayed showcase delivered on its promise, featuring five games whose release windows have been pushed out of 2023 and into 2024. Which, of course, kind of means Devolver was lying when it initially announced these games, but let's live in the now.So, here's the list of Devolver games that are now due out next year, minus the maniacal corporate joy that underpinned the actual showcase: Skate Story, The Plucky Squire, Stick it to the Stickman, Anger Foot and Pepper Grinder.Skate Story is the hardest delay to swallow, personally speaking. Developed by Sam Eng, Skate Story is a highly stylized skateboarding game set in a dark, neon-streaked hellscape and starring a demon made of glass. It looks trippy and fast-paced, and I was very much looking forward to playing it this year. Skate Story is now coming to PC in 2024 and it's available to wishlist on Steam.Stick it to the Stickman and Anger Foot are both products of Free Lives, the studio behind Broforce, Gorn and Genital Jousting, and a longtime Devolver partner. Both Stickman and Anger Footare coming to PC next year and are available to wishlist right now.The Plucky Squire looks to be an extraordinarily cute platforming adventure that swaps between 2D and 3D visuals. This one comes from All Possible Futures and it's heading to PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch (in 2024, of course). Last on the delay list, Pepper Grinder is a 2D platformer featuring a character with a big drill, and it's being developed by Oregon-based studio Ahr Ech for PC and Switch.The Devolver Delayed showcase also provided some relief, in the end. A handful of the publisher's games have decidedly not been delayed and are still targeting 2023 release windows, including Gunbrella, Wizard with a Gun, KarmaZoo, The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood and - most notably, in my book - The Talos Principle II. A sequel to the 2014 award-winning game from Croteam, The Talos Principle II promises more first-person laser-based puzzles, philosophical pontification and existential dread, and it's all still coming out in 2023 for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is actually due out on August 16, just over one week from today. It's the latest game from Deconstructeam, the Spanish studio behind Gods Will Be Watching and The Red Strings Club, and the preview had me happily building tarot decks and flirting with immortal beings.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/skate-story-and-four-other-devolver-games-have-been-delayed-to-2024-162331587.html?src=rss

The battle of the bloviating billionaires could be on hold for the foreseeable future. Elon Musk says he may need surgery, casting more doubt on his proposed cage match with Mark Zuckerberg.Musk noted on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday evening that he's receiving an MRI on his neck and upper back today. He'll find out later this week whether he'll need surgery before going toe-to-toe with Zuckerberg, which is definitely not an attempt to get a doctor's note to weasel out of the duel.

Google is taking aim at the likes of Grammarly with a feature it added to Search recently. The service now includes a grammar checker, which can analyze the construction of a phrase or sentence and offer suggestions if it something seems off.Punching in a phrase like grammar check," check grammar" or grammar checker" will make sure the tool activates, as 9to5 Google points out. But Search might still offer grammar suggestions if you don't include one of those phrases with your query.If the tool notices an error, including a spelling mistake, Google will rewrite the sentence and indicate what's different. You'll easily be able to copy the corrected phrase or sentence by hovering over it. If your grammar is spot on, the tool will give you a dopamine-inducing green checkmark, but not, sadly, a gold star.Unsurprisingly, the tool is powered by artificial intelligence. It might not always be accurate, especially if you ask it to review a phrase or fragment instead of an entire sentence. If you spot something wrong with a suggestion (or want to help the system understand that its correction was helpful), you can provide feedback.The tool will only be available in English for the time being, but it's worth noting that it won't run if the phrase or sentence violates Search policies. It won't check the grammar for dangerous, harassing, medical, sexually explicit or terrorist content, or anything to do with violence and gore. You might have to look elsewhere to make sure that a phrase or sentence containing profanity or vulgar language is grammatically correct too.Google has, of course, offered grammar tools in Gmail and Google Drive for a long time now. Bringing one to Search makes a lot of sense, given that it has a dictionary tool in its extensive bag of tricks. It'll save you having to open Google Docs or another app. You won't necessarily have to bust out a dusty copy of The Elements of Style either.However, many people just focus on the keywords when they search for something on Google and don't write complete sentences or grammatically correct phrases (e.g. "hard boiled egg how long"). The AI will have to make an educated guess as to whether someone wants their grammar to be checked or not. Otherwise, Search could push the information they're looking for even further down the page.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-search-now-has-an-ai-powered-grammar-checker-144539934.html?src=rss

After a ransomware attack in June, the Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE) notified students on Friday of a potential data leak. In June, "unauthorized actor(s)" not yet publicly identified accessed CDHE systems in a ransomware attack. While authorities continue to investigate the full extent of the damage, the department has disclosed that the attack breached personally identifiable information like names and social security numbers."The review of the impacted records is ongoing and once complete, CDHE will be notifying individuals who are potentially impacted by mail or email to the extent we have contact information," CDHE wrote in a Notice of Data Incident. But the department warns students that the impact of the breach reaches across programs, from public schools to adult education initiatives, over a 16 year time period.In response, CDHE is offering free access to Experian credit monitoring and identity theft protection to protect their data. The department recommends impacted groups keep an eye on their account statements and credit reports for suspicious activity.Education systems are a popular target for ransomware attacks. In 2022, at least 44 colleges and 45 school districts reported ransomware attacks, compared to 88 total education departments in 2021, according to data from Emsisoft. The Government Accountability Office recommended that the Department of Education and the Department of Homeland Security coordinate to evaluate school cybersecurity efforts across the country.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/colorado-department-of-education-data-leak-personal-information-143001196.html?src=rss

Amazon is running another sale on its Fire TV Stick media streamers, with the Fire TV Stick 4K Max available for $27. We've seen the 4K streaming stick fall as low as $25 in recent weeks, but this deal is still roughly $20 below the device's average street price. The standard Fire TV Stick is also on sale for $25, but since the Max brings a performance boost for only a couple dollars more, we recommend getting the higher-end model instead.Though it's a couple years old, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max is still relatively fast to load menus and switch between apps. Its remote has Alexa support baked in, so it can tie neatly into other Alexa-compatible smart home devices. It supports just about all the major streaming services and HDR standards, as well as Dolby Atmos audio. Unlike the base Fire TV Stick 4K, it also includes a WiFi 6 radio, though you'll need a compatible router and a particularly fast internet connection to see any advantage from that.The main caveat, as with most Fire TV devices, is software. Compared to similarly-priced streamers from Roku and Google, Amazon's Fire OS is generally more aggressive about displaying ads on the home screen and nudging you toward the company's own services throughout the UI. You'll get the most out of it if you already use services like Prime Video on a regular basis. There's also no support for Google Cast (unlike Google's Chromecast) or Apple AirPlay (unlike various Roku streamers).We broadly recommend the Roku Streaming Stick 4K and Google Chromecast to most people in the market for an affordable streaming stick for those reasons. Right now, though, both of those devices cost about $20 more. If all you need is a cheap and quick way to get more streaming apps on your TV, the Fire TV Stick 4K is still a fine value at this price.Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-amazon-fire-tv-stick-4k-max-is-back-on-sale-for-27-141556027.html?src=rss

It's early August and that means the back-to-school season is closing in on us fast. For those looking to invest in a new laptop for the upcoming semester, Amazon has a sale on the latest 15-inch MacBook Air that brings many models down to their lowest price yet. At the time of writing this, every color of the 256GB MacBook Air M2 is $200 off and down to $1,099, and the 512GB model in starlight is also $200 off and down to $1,299. Regardless of the size you get, the Air M2 is one of our favorite laptops at the moment, and it's even better when you can grab it on sale like this.The 15-inch MacBook Air takes everything we loved about the 13-inch model and make it just a little bit bigger. Like it's smaller sibling, the 15-inch laptop has impressive performance thanks to Apple's M2 chipset, a comfortable keyboard and trackpad and a battery life that exceeded the 18 hours that the company promised in our video playback testing.The bigger screen has a 2,880 x 1,864 resolution, but it shares the same pixels per inch (224) as that of the 13-inch version. Although it's not a mini LED display like you'll find on the MacBook Pros, it's still a lovely Liquid Retina panel with 500 nits of brightness and a 60Hz refresh rate. The extra screen space will definitely come in handy in a lot of different workflows, and since the 15-inch MacBook Air is nearly as thin and light as the 13-inch model, it's remains quite portable.The biggest gripe with the 15-inch Air that we should call out, especially now, is that Apple's M2 chipset is one year old at this point and there's a possibility that we see new, M3-powered Macs debut this fall. This time of year, it's worth waiting to pick up a Mac if you absolutely must have the latest and greatest. However, it's likely that Apple will not retire the M2 MacBooks even if it launches M3 machines in the fall; the company currently sells the M1 MacBook Air alongside the M2 laptops, so we expect the M2 machines to stick around for a while even after the latest devices come out.Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-15-inch-macbook-air-m2-models-are-up-to-200-off-right-now-135843112.html?src=rss