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Brave souls who pick up Google's Pixel Fold and eventually discover an issue with the hardware will be able to try and fix the problem themselves. Google will offer official tools, parts and self-repair guides for the foldable through iFixit.Since last year, those willing to try and fix issues with other Pixel devices at home have been able to get the parts and knowledge they need from iFixit. Google told 9to5 Google the program will include the new foldable.You'll still be able to mail in a Pixel Fold for repair or take it to a shop when the foldable is out of warranty (or if you damage it accidentally). If you feel up to the task of repairing it yourself, though, you'll be able to buy several parts from iFixit. Those include charging ports, batteries, adhesives and, yes, the 7.6-inch inner folding display. You can obtain step-by-step guides from iFixit too.Foldables are notoriously fragile and finicky, even compared to more typical smartphones. That's perhaps why, as 9to5 Google notes, no other major manufacturer has an official foldable self-repair program. While Samsung also offers parts and manuals for other devices through iFixit, you'll need to let a technician handle a Galaxy Z Fold or Z Flip repair - unless you really know what you're doing and are comfortable using components sourced from elsewhere.We've yet to see a Pixel Fold teardown from iFixit to get a sense of just how tough it might be to repair the device yourself. While we had positive impressions of the Pixel Fold in our review, it's too early to tell how well Google's first foldable will hold up over time. In any case, at least you'll have an extra repair option if things go pear-shaped.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/brave-pixel-fold-owners-can-try-to-repair-hardware-issues-with-ifixits-help-143528112.html?src=rss

Insta360's thumb-sized Go 2 action cam already impressed us with its versatility, but it's about to be upstaged by its successor with some surprises. The new Insta360 Go 3 comes with a larger, more rectangular "Action Pod" detachable body, thus giving the overall look a stronger resemblance to a conventional action cam. Not only does this new model offer a longer combined battery life (more on that later), but the Action Pod body also doubles as a 2.2-inch flip touchscreen, meaning you won't need to whip out your phone as often. The whole package is essentially a 2-in-1 action cam and a wireless display.The Go 3's camera itself has some significant upgrades as well. Video resolution has been bumped up from 1440p to 2.7k (2,720 x 1,536), meaning you'll get more out of Insta360's renowned "FlowState" video stabilization trick. Audio quality has been improved by the addition of a second microphone, thus solving an old pain point. The camera is also certified as waterproof at up to 5 meters deep instead of just 4, but note that the "Action Pod" is only IPX4 water resistant, so do not submerge that part under water.Insta360The camera's own battery life has been extended from 30 minutes to 45 minutes (1080p@30fps), and when mounted onto the "Action Pod," you'll get up to 170 minutes. The Go 3 also represents an improvement in Insta360's heat dissipation design, so the only limitations on maximum video length are battery life and data storage. Say goodbye to the old 30-minute cap on each clip. This is also probably why the Go 3 comes with a new 128GB flavor, though you may still consider the 64GB or 32GB options to suit your budget.In addition to the usual timelapse, "TimeShift" (Insta360's take on hyperlapse) and slow motion (up to 4x) features, the Go 3 comes with three new video modes: pre-recording, loop recording and timed capture. Timed capture in particular is handy for setting up auto capture for a sunrise, without you having to wake up to turn on the camera.Insta360Much like its predecessor, the Go 3 comes with a handful of accessories for various mounting methods. You still get a magnet pendant for first-person point-of-view shots from chest level, though I personally prefer using the included clip mount with a hat to match my eye level. There's also a pivot stand with a reusable sticky base - the latter can be detached if you want to switch to a 1/4-inch mount instead. If needed, you can buy a quick release mount for action sports, or a monkey tail mount for casual captures anywhere you want. Dog owners may also consider getting the "Fetch Stick" to get some goofy close-ups of their petsThe Insta360 Go 3 is now available via the official online store or Amazon, with the 32GB, 64GB and 128GB models priced at $379.99, $399.99 and $429.99 respectively.

TikTok has told users that it's discontinuing TikTok Now, effectively a clone of last year's social media sensation BeReal, The Verge reported. According to screenshots posted by various users, parent ByteDance is "updating the TikTok experience and discontinuing TikTok Now."BeReal was Apple's iPhone app of the year for 2022, but buzz around the social media app has tapered off of late. The app took an interesting approach compared to rivals, sending notifications at a different time each day that prompted you to quickly share photos taken with your device's front and rear cameras at the same time. The idea was to create more spontaneous content, while keeping the experience centered on friends.TikTok Now had a nearly identical approach, also requiring users to take front and rear photos simultaneously. However, it added the ability to take 10-second TikTok-like videos instead of photos. When it launched, the company said it aimed to create "authentic and spontaneous connections on TikTok."The feature was part of the main app in the US, but is also available as a standalone TikTok Now app in other regions. The message sent to TikTok users in the US indicated that the feature was being killed in the main app, but there's no word on the separate TikTok Now app.Shortly after it launched, BeReal was successful enough to inspire dual-camera features from Instagram (Candid Stories), SnapChat and others. Since then, however, the number of users has dropped, according to a report from The New York Times in April. BeReal refuted an analytics report behind the story, though, saying it still had 20 million daily active users.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tiktok-is-jumping-off-the-bereal-bandwagon-by-killing-tiktok-now-125023950.html?src=rss

In a series of messages on his Telegram channel, Pavel Durov has revealed that the instant messaging service is launching its own take on Stories next month. He shared that users have been asking for the feature for years but the company has initially been against it "since Stories are already everywhere." Telegram ultimately decided to listen to its users, though, and has created a version of its own that seems to be more customizable than other platforms'.The messaging service's Stories feature looks just like Messenger's in that they show up as expandable bubbles at the top of the conversation list. Users will be able to define who sees their posts and can choose to make them viewable to the public, only to their contacts (with exceptions), just a few selected contacts or to list of Close Friends. They can add captions and links to their Stories, and they can tag other people. Users can also share photos and videos captured by the front-facing and the rear cameras simultaneously, similar to posts found on BeReal.If users don't want to see posts from a certain contact, they can move them to the "Hidden" list in their contacts section. But what's perhaps the best thing about Telegram's take so far is that users will be able to choose when their Stories expire. They can set them to disappear in 24 hours like in other services, but they can also choose to make them disappear within 6, 12 or 48 hours. Users can even permanently display their Stories on their profile page. If they do, they won't be forced to make them viewable to anybody and can still choose the privacy setting for each post.Durov said Telegram has been testing the feature internally and that it's in the last stages of the testing phase. The company plans to make Stories available on its app sometime in early July.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/telegram-stories-with-customizable-expiration-times-are-coming-next-month-113535087.html?src=rss

Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold line is the undisputed champion of big flexible phones. But - outside of China - it holds that title by default. With the Pixel Fold, Google has created a foldable challenger that directly addresses some of Samsung's (and foldables') weaknesses. Google says that over 50 first-party apps have already been optimized for use on devices like the Pixel Fold. Some of the enhancements we've seen before, like tabletop mode in YouTube. But, by virtue of being made by the same company that makes Android, there are more features here. That even includes third-party apps like WhatsApp, where you can share images from Google Photos just by dragging and dropping.EngadgetAccording to Engadget's Sam Rutherford, the Pixel Fold's clever hinge and slim chassis make it easy to use and carry, while its wider body makes the phone's exterior screen much more usable. With better cameras and UI tweaks to make multitasking a tiny bit simpler, the Pixel Fold more than holds its own against Samsung's Z Fold 4. The main challenge: that $1,799 price. Check out the full review here.- Mat SmithThe biggest stories you might have missedThe best free games for 2023 Lucid is going to power Aston Martin's future EVs Urtopia's Chord e-bike aims to blend tech with styleVirgin Galactic will start commercial spaceflight on June 29thA 5G deadline could ground some US flights starting July 1stThe Biden administration's $42 billion broadband program is finally getting underwayThe Morning After isn't just a newsletter - it's also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.Netflix is removing its 'basic' plan in CanadaUsers will have basic with ads, standard or premium tiers available.Netflix announced its basic plan would no longer be an option for Canadian subscribers. Anyone already on a basic plan doesn't have to worry about being kicked off it, but if they choose to move to another option or close their account, they can't get back on that tier. In Canada, the basic tier is $9.99 (CAD) per month, while the basic tier with ads, launched last year, costs $5.99. Now with the decision to remove its basic option, the streamer is pushing more of its customers towards an ad-filled viewing experience. It's making the company money: In the first quarter of 2023, Netflix saw its basic with ads tier bring in more money per user than its standard plan.Continue reading.Amazon will use small businesses to help deliver packages in the USYour local bodega could bring shipments to your door.Amazon is launching a new hub delivery system that uses small businesses in 23 states (including California, New York and Washington) to complete customer shipments. Those businesses need secure storage areas and must deliver an average of 30 packages daily outside of major holidays. Amazon debuted an "I Have Space" system in India in 2015, and expanded it to both Japan and Spain. A US pilot program began in late 2020, although it focused on improving delivery for rural customers. This new system covers over 20 major cities, including Boston, New York City and Los Angeles.Continue reading.Meta's Quest+ subscription offers two VR titles per monthThe plan costs $8 per month or $60 per year.EngadgetMeta is making its own Xbox Game Pass-like subscription service for VR titles. Meta Quest+, grants users access to "the best titles on the platform" for $8 per month or $60 per year. The subscription is available starting today on Quest 2 and Quest Pro. It's also coming to Quest 3 when that headset arrives this fall. The first two are the hit first-person shooter Pistol Whip and Pixel Ripped 1995. Like PlayStation Plus Essential, you'll retain access to the games as long as you remain a member.Continue reading.NASA is creating a ChatGPT-like AI assistant for astronautsAn early version is planned for the Lunar Gateway space station.Has 2001: A Space Odyssey taught us nothing? Yes. NASA is developing an AI chat system allowing astronauts to perform maneuvers, conduct experiments and more using a natural-language ChatGPT-like interface.NASA aims to deploy the system on its Lunar Gateway, a space station that will orbit the Moon and support NASA's Artemis mission. It would use a natural language interface that allows astronauts to seek advice on experiments or conduct maneuvers without diving into complex manuals.Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-the-verdict-on-googles-pixel-fold-111523236.html?src=rss

Lordstown Motors is having an eventful day, to say the least. The Ohio-based EV startup has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in hopes of finding a buyer and is suing its investment partner, Foxconn Technology, for breach of contract and fraud. In its suit, Lordstown claims Foxconn's actions "had the intended effect of destroying the business of an American startup."Foxconn, primarily known for assembling Apple's iPhones, bought Lordstown's Ohio factory in late 2021 (around when General Motors jumped ship) and a year later agreed to invest another $170 million through the purchase of common shares and newly created preferred shares. But, in April, Foxconn threatened to terminate the deal, claiming that Lordstown's stock dropping below $1 per share for 30 trading days in a row represented a breach in their agreement. The car manufacturer said the claims had no merit and accused Foxconn of acting in "bad faith" to get control of the factory and its workers without intending to support Endurance, its first pickup EV.The decision to declare Bankruptcy doesn't exactly come as a surprise - in May, Lordstown said production would likely stop "in the near future" and that the company would file if its deal with Foxconn didn't proceed. Lordstown also reported a $171.1 million loss for 2023's first quarter.Endurance has also faced continual problems from production to the final product. Even after Foxconn bought the factory, Lordstown failed to meet its forecasted vehicle production numbers for 2022, cutting it from 500 to 50 trucks. Then came an underperformance in miles, with the Environmental Protection Agency recently rating the pickup's range as just 174 miles versus its promised 250. Its competitors, the Ford F-150 Lightning and the Rivian R1T, can go 240 and 289 miles, respectively.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/lordstown-motors-sues-foxconn-and-declares-bankruptcy-100549575.html?src=rss

TikTok has recently faced scrutiny over child safety issues in the US and elsewhere due to its youth-skewing userbase and reams of inappropriate content on the platform. Now, the company (owned by China's ByteDance) has announced that it's is giving parents more control over what their teens can see. It's adding new content filtering controls to its "Family Pairing" feature, letting parents filter out videos containing specific words or hashtags - while still keeping kids in the loop.TikTok introduced Family Pairing back in 2020 as a way to let parents link directly to their kids' accounts then remotely disable direct messages, set screen time limits and enable a "restricted content" mode. And last year, it added a tool that automatically filters out videos with words or hashtags users may not want to see in their For You or Following feeds.The new controls essentially combine those two features, giving parents the option to remotely filter out videos from their kids accounts in For You or Following with specific words or hashtags. "We're bringing this [content filtering] tool to Family Pairing to empower caregivers to help reduce the likelihood of their teen viewing content they may uniquely find jarring," TikTok wrote.TikTokAt the same time, kids will be alerted to their parents' selected filters and can choose not to opt-in, the company told Sky News. "By default, teens can view the keywords their caregiver has added and we believe this transparency can also help to prompt conversations about online boundaries and safety," the company wrote. "We also wanted to make sure we respect young people's right to participate."At the same time, TikTok announced that it will form a global Youth Council later this year. The aim, it said, will be to "listen to the experiences of those who directly use our platform and be better positioned to make changes to create the safest possible experience for our community."TikTok has been criticized for exposing children to videos showing self-harm, eating disorders and other inappropriate content, often disguised by slightly altered hashtags designed by bypass moderation. The company is facing new content regulations in UK via the Online Safety Bill, and US lawmakers are working on a Kids Online Safety Act that would force social media companies like TikTok to add online safeguards for children. TikTok was recently banned in Montana, but the company is suing the state on the grounds that the ban violates the First Amendment and other laws.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tiktok-gives-parents-even-more-control-over-what-their-teens-see-093558339.html?src=rss

Meta has added new tools to its Family Center that will allow parents to see and control how their teenage kids are using Messenger. They'll now be able to view how much time their kid spends on the app, along with their privacy and safety settings. Parents and guardians will be able to see who can message their child and who can see their stories. In addition, they can get notifications for changes to their teen's contact list and for any changes their kid makes to their privacy and safety settings. If their child reports a user to Meta, parents can also get notified if their teen chooses to share the information with them.The social networking giant said these are but the first batch of parental supervision tools coming to Family Center, and that it plans to add more over the next year. While they're only rolling out for users in the US, UK and Canada at the moment, Meta intends to expand their availability to other regions around the world in the coming months. Take note that Facebook has had parental controls for Messenger Kids for years, and these tools are for the main Messenger app, meant for parents with teens 13 to 18 years old.Facebook/MetaAside from these new parental tools, Meta will now show teens a notification when they've already spent 20 minutes on Facebook to urge them to set daily time limits. For Instagram, it's exploring a new nudge feature that will ask teens to close the app if they've been scrolling Reels at night. Meta has also expanded its parental controls for Instagram to show parents how many friends their teen has in common with accounts they follow and are followed by. Plus, teens will get a new notification after they've blocked someone, encouraging them to add their parents to supervise their account.Instagram/MetaThe company has a few safety updates that aren't teen-focused, as well. It's rolling out Quiet Mode, which mutes all notifications and changes a user's profile status, on Instagram around the world over the coming weeks. It's also currently testing a couple of new features meant to protect Instagram users from unwanted DMs. Users must now send an invite to connect to someone who doesn't follow them before being able to send a message. Further, they can only send one invite at a time and can't send more until the recipient accepts it. These message request invites are text only, prohibiting users from being able to send photos, videos or voice messages to other users they're not connected to.InstagramThis article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/facebook-adds-parental-control-tools-to-messenger-090034344.html?src=rss

Congress apparently has strict limits on the use of ChatGPT and similar generative AI tools. Axiosclaims to have obtained a memo from House of Representatives administrative chief Catherine Szpindor setting narrow conditions for the use of ChatGPT and similar large language AI models in congressional offices. Staff are only allowed to use the paid ChatGPT Plus service due to its tighter privacy controls, and then only for "research and evaluation," Szpindor says. They can't use the technology as part of their everyday work.House offices are only allowed to use the chatbot with publicly accessible data even when using Plus, Szpindor adds. The privacy features have to be manually enabled to prevent interactions from feeding data into the AI model. ChatGPT's free tier isn't currently allowed, as are any other large language models.We've asked the House for comment and will let you know if we hear back. A use policy like this wouldn't be surprising, though. Institutions and companies have warned against using generative AI due to the potential for accidents and misuse. Republicans drew criticism for using an AI-generated attack ad, for instance, while Samsung staff supposedly leaked sensitive data through ChatGPT while using the bot for work. Schools have banned these systems over cheating concerns. House restrictions theoretically prevent similar problems, such as AI-written legislation and speeches.The House policy might not face much opposition. Both sides of Congress are attempting to regulate and otherwise govern AI. In the House, Representative Ritchie Torries introduced a bill that would require disclaimers for uses of generative AI, while Representative Yvette Clark wants similar disclosures for political ads. Senators have conducted hearings on AI and put forward a bill to hold AI developers accountable for harmful content produced using their platforms.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/congress-is-reportedly-limiting-staff-use-of-ai-models-like-chatgpt-195454777.html?src=rss

If you're a fan of psychological horror, you should mark August 22nd on your calendar. That's when an intriguing new game called Fort Solis arrives. Developer Fallen Leaf describes its debut as a psychological sci-fi thriller. The game casts players as Jack Leary, an engineer sent to investigate a remote mining base on Mars. Roger Clark, best known for his role as Arthur Morgan in Red Dead Redemption 2, voices Leary, with Tory Baker (The Last of Us, Death Stranding) and Julia Brown (The Last Kingdom, World on Fire) rounding out the cast.Watching the trailer for Fort Solis, you might get the sense Fallen Leaf was inspired by Dead Space, but the studio says it was most directly influenced by narrative titles like Firewatch and Until Dawn. Fallen Leaf notes there are no camera cuts or loading screens to break up the game's story, which can be binged in one intense session." If nothing else, Fort Solis should be a technical showcase. Alongside Layers of Fear, it's one of the first Unreal Engine 5 games to arrive since Epic first teased the tech back in 2020. Fort Solis will be available on PlayStation 5, PC (via Steam and the Epic Games Store) and Mac.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sci-fi-thriller-fort-solis-arrives-on-playstation-5-pc-and-mac-on-august-22nd-191021189.html?src=rss

One of the most influential scientists in technology has passed away. The University of Texas at Austin has confirmed that Dr. John Goodenough, widely credited as the creator of the lithium-ion battery, has died at the age of 100. While you might not have heard of him, he's effectively responsible for making cellphones, laptops and electric vehicles practical.Researchers had been exploring lithium batteries before. Dr. M. Stanley Whittingham, for instance, produced a design combining lithium with titanium disulfide. However, The New York Timesnotes it was Goodenough who achieved a major breakthrough in 1980 while at the University of Oxford. He made a cathode with layers of lithium and cobalt oxide that produced a stronger voltage while greatly improving safety. It had much more capacity than previous batteries, such as lead acid (used in cars) and nickel-cadmium (found in many portable electronics).The technology didn't flourish until Dr. Akira Yoshino scrapped raw lithium in favor of safer lithium ions. The scientist produced a practical design for Asahi Kasei Corporation, and Sony delivered the first consumer-friendly rechargeable lithium-ion battery in 1991. You know what happened next - the improved performance enabled mobile devices that were either more portable or simply hadn't been an option before. Cellphones and laptops could become sleeker, faster and longer-lasting, while electric cars were finally viable.Goodenough was responsible for much more, however. During his stint at MIT in the 1950s and 1960s, he helped pioneer the technology that would eventually become the random access memory (RAM) you see in many computing products. He routinely shared patents with colleagues. He was also an active researcher into his 90s, and until a few years ago was developing next-generation battery tech that promised breakthrough performance for renewable energy and EVs.While relatively unknown in public circles, Goodenough did receive recognition for his work. He received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2019 and the US National Medal of science in 2011, among other accolades.Industries are slowly moving on from lithium-ion batteries. Automakers are planning EVs with solid-state batteries that deliver higher densities, faster charging and lower costs. However, it's safe to say the modern tech landscape wouldn't be what it is without Goodenough's efforts, and his legacy will likely be felt for years to come.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/lithium-ion-battery-creator-john-goodenough-dies-at-100-171553322.html?src=rss

For the past few years, Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold line has been the undisputed champion of big flexible phones. But it holds that title almost by default thanks to a lack of real contenders - especially outside of China. But with the Pixel Fold, Google has created a legitimate challenger with an innovative design that directly addresses some of Samsung's weaknesses in the space. So even though its $1,799 price will be a nonstarter for most, Google's first flagship foldable phone is still a notable rival.Design and displaysThe Google Pixel Fold features a 5.8-inch exterior screen that opens up to reveal a flexible 7.6-inch interior display, both of which are 120Hz OLED panels. On paper, that sounds very similar to what Samsung offers on the Z Fold 4, but Google has played around with the phone's build and dimensions to create what might be the best showcase of the company's design chops to date.Instead of something like Samsung's skinnier baton-like form, Google chose a wider 17.4:9 aspect ratio for the Pixel Fold's 2,092 x 1,080 exterior display, resulting in a device shaped more like a passport. The benefit is you don't need to switch to the bigger interior screen as often. And while this might seem like a minor tweak, it makes a huge difference.The Z Fold 4's cover display is so skinny that typing feels cramped. It's really only usable for basic things like looking up directions or checking notifications. But on the Pixel Fold, everything just kind of works. The screen is small enough that someone with medium-sized hands like me doesn't have trouble reaching the corners of the screen, yet big enough that apps look and behave normally. Andbecause you don't need to open the device as often, the battery can actually last a little longer.Photo by Sam Rutherford/EngadgetPerhaps more importantly, Google has done some nifty things with the Pixel Fold's hinge and chassis so there's essentially no gap between the phone's halves while still being extremely thin. It measures less than 6mm thick and around 12.1mm when closed, so despite being a touch heavier than the Z Fold 4, it feels more balanced. Unless your jeans are painted on, you shouldn't have much trouble fitting the Pixel Fold in a pocket. And unlike so many other flexible phones, the Pixel Fold has an IPX8 rating for water resistance, so you don't need to fear an accidental splash or submersion.One side effect of having a wider screen on the outside is that when you open the Pixel Fold, you get a landscape orientation that's great for watching videos. After starting a clip on the outside screen, you can just unfold the phone, expand it and voila, no need to rotate. Instead of going for a completely bezel-less design like most traditional phones, Google gave the Pixel Fold slightly larger love handles. This means there's no need for a low-res under-display selfie camera like on the Z Fold 4. There's actually room for an 8-megapixel camera in the top right corner. And that extra space around the hinge lets you hold the Pixel Fold like a paperback book, which is especially satisfying when you're using it as an e-reader.Photo by Sam Rutherford/EngadgetIt's about time I addressed the elephant in the room: Yes, there's a crease. You can feel it with your fingers and, depending on the angle, you can see it too. But Google has managed to minimize how distracting it is. That said, I've been using a foldable phone as my daily driver for the last three years, so I may be more used to it than most.DurabilityWhile foldables have been around for a few years, now that Google is getting into the game, there are some things that potential first-time flexible phone buyers should be aware of. When you first open the Pixel Fold's box, there's a warning that calls attention to the phone's display. Google notes that flexible screens are softer than traditional phone screens, so avoid contact with sand, crumbs, fingernails or sharp objects." Additionally, Google says that the owners should not remove the pre-installed screen protector," and that users should avoid installing third-party screen protectors." In short, you have to be a little more gentle with foldable phones than your standard glass-and-metal handset.Photo by Sam Rutherford/EngadgetSo far, I haven't had any issues with the Pixel Fold's display or its pre-installed screen protector. That said, I've owned three Galaxy Z Fold phones with similar screen protectors that bubbled up six to eight months after purchase, so it's possible the Pixel Fold may exhibit similar issues over time. When questioned further about durability and customer support, a Google spokesperson told Engadget: We have rigorously tested the screen protector to stand up to normal wear and tear. If you do encounter an issue, it can be repaired at our service centers for a fee ($29 for preferred care customers or $129 for customers out of warranty)."Software and appsWe can't talk about the phone's interior display without mentioning some of the tweaks Google has made to the apps and UI. Similar to the Z Fold 4, Google created a taskbar for the Pixel Fold, except that this one is a bit more transient. On the home screen, you get your standard row of icons along the bottom. But when you're in an app, you can swipe up to see the taskbar, and from there you can drag an icon to open it in multi-window mode.Photo by Sam Rutherford/EngadgetThe gesture for summoning the taskbar is like a shorter version of swiping up and holding to see recently used apps. Once you select the apps you want, resizing windows is as easy as dragging the divider left or right. If you'd like your apps to switch sides you can double-tap the middle of the split-screen divider. The idea is for the taskbar to appear when you need it and get out of your way when you don't. When combined with the App Suggestion feature in Android (which are the apps that have a ring around the icon), it makes for a simple but effective way of multitasking.You can also use the Pixel Fold's dual displays to do stuff like take selfies using the phone's high-res rear cameras or show your subjects a live preview of what they look like when you're taking their photo. But we've seen that before on devices like the Z Fold and the new Razr+. Unfortunately, one of the Pixel Fold's coolest new features - Dual-Screen Interpreter mode - isn't available yet, as it's based on features in Android 14, which won't be out until sometime in the fall.Photo by Sam Rutherford/EngadgetGoogle says that over 50 first-party apps have already been optimized for use on devices like the Pixel Fold. Some of the enhancements we've gotten a taste of before, like tabletop mode in YouTube. But there are a number of refined examples, including those from third parties like WhatsApp where you can share images from Google Photos just by dragging and dropping. With this much real estate to work with, you really do feel empowered when switching from the outside to the interior display. And after playing games like Asphalt 9 that support adaptive resolutions, I'm really hoping more developers get on board.CamerasPhoto by Sam Rutherford/EngadgetOne of my biggest gripes with the Z Fold 4 is that Samsung wasn't able to deliver the same level of image quality that you get on the Galaxy S Ultra. But the Pixel Fold doesn't feel as compromised. It features a 48MP main sensor, a 10.8MP ultrawide and a 10.8MP telephoto with a 5x optical zoom. Combine that with Google's excellent photo processing and the result is cameras that are just flat-out better.In daylight, the Pixel Fold's pics were consistently a touch sharper than Samsung's while often delivering more detail with better shadows and highlights. Even with Samsung's food mode activated, the Pixel Fold made my taco dinner look more appetizing too. Google's Night Sight continues to reign supreme when it comes to capturing clearer and more well-exposed photos in the dark.Performance and battery lifePowering the Pixel Fold is Google's Tensor G2 along with 12GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage. It's not an overflowing well of speed, and as people have experienced on other Pixel devices, the Fold sometimes runs a little warm. But even when I was multitasking or trying to push it, the phone never felt lethargic, which is all I can really ask for.Photo by Sam Rutherford/EngadgetMeanwhile, even though Google's 4,820mAh battery is a tiny bit smaller than on the Z Fold 4, there wasn't a big difference in overall longevity, which is to say it's pretty good. I ran our video rundown test on both their external and internal displays. On the former, the Pixel Fold outlasted Samsung's big foldable, posting a time of 22 hours and 21 minutes versus the latter's 20:45. Using their larger screens, though, the Z Fold 4 came out ahead with a time of 17:13 compared to the Pixel's 15:42.Wrap-upFor Google's entry into the world of flexible phones, the Pixel Fold feels like a win. Its clever hinge and slim chassis make it easy to use and carry, while its wider body delivers on Google's promise of making the phone's exterior screen a lot more usable. Featuring strong water resistance, better cameras and UI tweaks to make multitasking a tiny bit simpler, the Pixel Fold more than holds its own against Samsung's Z Fold 4. And that's before considering all the great Pixel-specific features like Call Screener, Recorder and more.Photo by Sam Rutherford/EngadgetMy main gripes (you know, aside from its price) are that it occasionally feels like the phone is never fully open. Sometimes I feel like I have to put more pressure on it than I'd like to make it completely flat. And while it would be nice if the Pixel Fold came with stylus support like the Z Fold 4, I'm happy to wait till Samsung, Google or whoever finds room to store a pen inside the device.Admittedly, some people may say that the Pixel Fold isn't really advancing the overall capabilities of flexible phones, as many of its features like dual-window multitasking are already available on devices like the Z Fold 4. The issue is that until we get a critical mass of big foldables, developers aren't going to consider tweaking or optimizing their apps. That's why this phone had to come first. With the Pixel Fold, Google brought its style and rhythm to a title fight and didn't come up short. But, perhaps most importantly, Google now has a device it can use to shape the future of Android beyond typical glass bricks.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-pixel-fold-review-the-challenger-that-samsung-needs-specs-price-170003458.html?src=rss

Meta is getting into the games subscription business. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced Meta Quest+, a plan that grants users access to "the best titles on the platform" for $8 per month or $60 per year. The subscription is available starting today on Quest 2 and Quest Pro. It's also coming to Quest 3 when that headset arrives this fall. Those who sign up to Meta Quest+ by the end of July will only pay $1 for their first month.You'll get access to two curated titles on the first day of each month. The first two are the hit first-person shooter Pistol Whip and Pixel Ripped 1995. August's titles are Walkabout Mini Golfand Mothergunship: Forge. As with services like PlayStation Plus Essential, you'll retain access to the games as long as you remain a member. If you cancel Meta Quest+ and sign up again later, you'll once again have access to the games from your original membership period.Meta has been embracing subscription models as of late. Along with Meta Quest+, the company this year introduced Meta Verified, which is a verification service for Facebook and Instagram. In addition to a checkmark, the subscription includes extra protection against impersonation and "direct access to customer support."This isn't the only subscription service for a VR headset, however. HTC has offered access to hundreds of VR games, apps and videos through its Viveport Infinity service since 2019.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/metas-quest-subscription-offers-two-vr-titles-per-month-153724017.html?src=rss

Urtopia may be a relatively new name in the e-bike world, but it makes a strong first impression. With its 4G, GPS, mmWave sensors and even light projection turn indicators, the Carbon 1 felt like the Inspector Gadget of two-wheeled travel, but its exotic design and road-bike leanings meant it wasn't for everyone. The company's second bike, the Chord ($1,799), has a much less divisive aesthetic and - unlike its sibling - practicalities like gears and a more upright (and city-friendly) ride. Importantly, the Chord contains all the wireless connectivity of the Carbon 1 at a cheaper price, possibly making it a more compelling package overall.The Chord feels like Urtopia's attempt at a stylish city bike in the vague style of Cowboy or VanMoof. The Chord is apparently inspired by pianos, with its black and white colorway and the melodic notes that play when you cycle through the power modes. At 46 pounds (21 kilograms), it's noticeably heavier than the Carbon 1 (33 pounds/15 kg), but it's on par with other models in the same category.The motor is a pretty straightforward 350W hub powered by a removable 360Wh battery. Top assisted speed is 20MPH over four modes: Eco, Comfort, Sport and Turbo. The maximum range is an estimated 75 miles, but that will obviously depend on how much assistance you use. As a Class 1 ebike, there's no throttle mode here; instead, there's a Turbo mode with barely any need to pedal to get you up to that maximum speed. As mentioned, the Chord comes with an 8-speed Shimano gear system which, combined with the assistance modes, make for a flexible ride in terms of speed and effort.Photo by James Trew / EngadgetThe more interesting features with Urtopia bikes come from its connectivity: WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and 4G. Combined with an accelerometer and a gyroscope the Chord has a surprising amount of situational awareness, which I'll get to later. Oh, you can also speak to the bike to change settings and use it as a Bluetooth speaker as you ride while receiving visual directions on the dot-matrix screen contained in the smart box" bike computer. Did I mention there's a comprehensive app with ride tracking, navigation and deeper settings, too?Taking the Chord out for the first time, it was hard to ignore the extra weight compared to the aforementioned Carbon 1, but also the similarly pitched Tenways. It's not chonky in the same way something like the 63-pound (28-kilogram) Velotric Discover 1 is but those extra pounds were noticeable the first time I tried hustling it (upright) into the elevator in my apartment block. Thankfully, it's not something you'll notice so much while pedaling.The riding position is naturally more upright and it makes for a comfortable cruise around town. It's not designed for off-road, but if you find yourself on uneven pavement or even a short stint on a dirt trail it does a decent job considering. The motor uses a torque sensor to decide when to kick in; it's a very common system right now and does a good job of delivering power just as you need it.Now, about that power. In the scheme of things, a 350W motor is a pretty standard entry-level option; it's not about to pull your wrists out of their sockets when it kicks in, but it's gets you to that 20MPH max speed in good time, as long as you're willing to do the your part on the pedals. The three power modes are spaced adequately for whether you just want a little help or just wanna surprise that weekend warrior as you pass them barely pedaling. Turbo mode will reach max power without you really trying too hard - it's a good option for if you're feeling really pooped, and it doesn't feel like the bike is pulling away from you, which can sometimes be the case with similar modes on higher-powered bikes.Photo by James Trew / EngadgetUtopia's heavy-tech approach made the Carbon 1 stand out, but it also felt a little unpolished, at least in the first iteration of the app. The built-in GPS and 4G are meant to automatically record your rides and serve them up in the app with a map and statistics. Initially this felt a bit hit-and-miss. The fingerprint reader in the Carbon 1 was a nice touch, too, and it even doubled as an electric bell, but unfortunately it would often sound about half a second after I needed it. With the newer Chord, the software feels more finished from the get-go.For starters, the bell is still digital (you can even change the sound), but it's triggered by a much clickier button that's much more responsive. More importantly, the app feels more refined now and I haven't seen any rides go missing during my time with it. In fact, they appear almost instantly once I finish.Of course, automatically mapping rides is cool, but it's not the primary purpose of the 4G/GPS. That would be the ability to track your bike if someone steals it. As long as the Chord's within cell coverage, you'll be able to see its last known location via the app. You can also set it so you receive notification the moment the bike moves - potentially giving you a heads up before a thief can ride off with it. Of course, if the battery runs out or the GPS can't see the sky it won't update the app, but the cell lasts for a good amount of time in standby and it only fully turns off if you remove the battery, which requires a key (or bike-breaking brute force).A quick note on the battery: Its placement under the top tube is a cunning way to semi-hide it, but also provides a little more protection from the elements. On the flip side, there's no way to fully turn the bike off, so the 4G connection will gently drain the power between rides unless you remove it. In my testing, I also found that the estimated max range of 75 miles feels a little optimistic. It might be possible under optimal conditions, but even on shorter rides of 11 miles, with mixed use of modes and terrain, I had used up a claimed 25 percent of the cell. So if very long rides are your thing, take note.If, upon hearing about all this 4G data you'll be using, your first question was how much that'll cost, the answer is nothing for the first year and then $29 annually after that. While it feels like everything has a subscription attached to it these days, this feels reasonable for the functionality you get out of it - especially if your bike does go missing and this helps you find it.Beyond knowing where the bike is, the Chord can also guide you to your destination via built-in navigation. To be clear, it's handled by the app, but when your phone is connected to the bike, the directions will appear on the dot-matrix style display. This also means you can keep your handset safely in your pocket or bag - unlike some bikes that make your phone the bike's computer, forcing it to remain exposed to the elements.Photo by James Trew / EngadgetWith the Carbon 1, I thought the option to play music through the built-in speaker was a novelty at best. The Chord hasn't changed my mind either. Your music is going to sound pretty bad, but it's a fun party trick nonetheless. Perhaps it's more useful for podcasts and audiobooks? Just know that it's something you can do (but not necessarily something you should). The voice control is a little more practical, but I rarely find a moment where I'd rather lean into the bike and talk to it instead of using the app's controls.Another interesting change from the Carbon 1 is that the smart box (formerly, smartbar) is no longer built into the bike. On the Chord it's a separate unit that you attach manually, opening the door for some level of modularity. Urtopia hints at this in its press materials, suggesting that in the future you could upgrade to a different smart box with a better display, or new features which is an interesting concept if nothing else.With just its second bike, Urtopia is showing a promising mix of consistency and growth (where needed). The Chord is a pretty enough bike that, if it's to your taste, would serve as a good general purpose city e-bike. It's not the most powerful, nor the most longevous in terms of range at this price point. But it's possibly one of the most tech-laden and featureful if that's what you're looking for. Sometime's it feels like there's a little too much focus on the tech features and less on the ride itself. The fact that the door for feature upgrades further down the line, via the modular smart box, though, shows some welcome initiative on the company's part. For the price, though, it's an easy recommendation if you love a quantified ride and rarely go off-road.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/urtopia-chord-e-bike-151547121.html?src=rss

Qualcomm just revealed its new budget-friendly mobile chipset, Snapdragon 4 Gen 2. This refresh brings plenty of improvements that will kick lower-tier smartphones up a notch. The platform is designed for excellent battery life, with the company promising all-day use." Qualcomm also promises fast CPU speeds, 5G connectivity and the potential for upgraded visuals via integrated cameras.The chips feature the proprietary Qualcomm Kryo CPU, with peak speeds up to 2.2 GHz, which is a slight increase over the previous generation. Qualcomm's latest and greatest also boasts quick-charging technology, with the company stating that you get a 50 percent charge in just 15 minutes at the plug.The platform offers support for modern FHD+ displays with frame rates up to 120fps. Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 also allows for some serious camera upgrades, like electronic image stabilization, faster autofocus, enhanced blur reduction and more. The chipset even provides multi camera temporal filtering (MCTF) for drastic reduction in noise when making videos.Of course, this is a modern product announced in the year 2023, so there's gonna be a focus on AI. This comes in the form of more camera upgrades, with AI-based lighting adjustments for snapping photos in dim environments and an AI-enhanced background noise removal tool.As for connectivity, there's the proprietary X61 5GB Modern-RF system that promises blazing-fast speeds" with increased network and frequency support. These chips aren't in budget-friendly smartphones yet, but they'll start showing up later in the year. OEM brands like Redmi and vivo have already pledged to begin adding the chipset to their lineups.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/qualcomm-introduces-new-snapdragon-4-gen-2-chipsets-for-budget-friendly-phones-150023133.html?src=rss

President Joe Biden today announced how $42 billion in funding to bolster broadband internet access will be allocated. The investment, which was funded by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, aims to give all Americans access to high-speed internet by 2030.Texas is getting the largest slice of funding with $3.3 billion. Eighteen other states are receiving over $1 billion, including Alabama, California, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Virginia and Washington. Every state is getting at least $107 million. Several US territories are included in the program, with $27 million allocated to the US Virgin Islands receiving and $334 million earmarked for Puerto Rico."With these allocations and other Biden administration investments, all 50 states, DC and the territories now have the resources to connect every resident and small business to reliable, affordable high-speed internet by 2030," the White House said in a statement.Last year, the White House announced an initiative that would allocate at least $100 million to each state through the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program. The remainder of the funding was on hold until the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) drew up a more detailed coverage map showing which homes and businesses lacked high-speed internet access. The funding will be allocated based on the map.The FCC released its first draft of the overhauled map, which incorporates more granular data, in November. Still, politicians on both sides of the aisle were concerned it left out millions of businesses and homes and urged the White House to delay the broadband funding efforts until issues were resolved.After taking feedback from the public and states, the FCC unveiled an updated version in May. According to The Washington Post, the updated map addressed around 4 million mistakes, resulting in approximately half a million more homes, businesses and other locations without any internet access being identified. In all, the FCC determined that more than 8.3 million homes and businesses lack access to high-speed internet.States will first focus on bringing broadband to locations that have no access at all. If they have any funding left over, they can use it to improve internet access for those with slow speeds.It could take up to two years for the government to dole out all the funding. States, Washington DC and other territories will have until the end of the year to submit their initial proposals for how to run their grant programs. Once the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration approves the initial plans, states will be able to request access to at least 20 percent of their allocation. However, they might not obtain access to all of their funds until the plans are finalized, which may take until 2025, according to Reuters.Many of the locations that lack broadband access are in rural areas. By and large, major providers have shied away from rolling out broadband in these locales due to their smaller populations and the high cost of installing infrastructure.Update 6/26 12:06PM ET: Added details about the fundingThis article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-biden-administrations-42-billion-broadband-program-is-finally-getting-underway-143625721.html?src=rss

After years of development, Virgin Galactic is finally ready to take paying customers. The company has confirmed that its first commercial spaceflight, Galactic 01, will launch June 29th. This inaugural mission will carry three people from Italy's Air Force and National Research Council as they conduct microgravity research. Virgin had anticipated a late June start, but hadn't committed to that window until now.The company already has follow-up flights scheduled. Galactic 02 is expected to launch in early August and will carry a private crew. Virgin will fly on a monthly basis afterward, although details of future missions aren't yet available. At least the first two flights will stream live through the company's website.Virgin conducted its last pre-commercial flight test, its fifth spaceflight of any kind, in late May. The company faced numerous delays and incidents getting to that point, however. The company completed its first SpaceShipTwo test flights in 2013, but paused its efforts after the deadly 2014 crash of VSS Enterprise. Flight testing didn't resume until VSS Unity's glide test at the end of 2016. The firm finally reached space in 2018, but had to wait until 2021 to complete its first fully crewed spaceflight with founder Richard Branson aboard. It pushed back commercial service multiple times due to varying factors, most recently delays in upgrading the VMS Eve "mothership" that carries SpaceShipTwo vehicles to their launch altitude.The debut is important for Virgin's business. Virgin has operated at a loss for years, losing more than $500 million just in 2022. Commercial service won't recoup those investments quickly even at $450,000 per ticket, but it will give the company a significant source of revenue.This isn't the start of space tourism for Virgin. In that sense, it's still trailing Blue Origin. Galactic 01 will put Virgin ahead of SpaceX, though, as that company's Starship rocket has yet to reach space and isn't expected to launch its first lunar tourist flights until late 2024 at the earliest. While Virgin is less ambitious than Elon Musk's operation, it's also achieving its goals sooner.Update 6/26 9:35AM ET: Virgin has confirmed a June 29th launch date after originally providing a window between June 27th and June 30th. We've updated the story accordingly.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/virgin-galactic-will-start-commercial-spaceflight-as-soon-as-june-27th-214515616.html?src=rss

A local shop might deliver your next Amazon order. The company tellsAxios it's launching an Amazon Hub Delivery system that uses small businesses in 23 states (including California, New York and Washington) to complete shipments to customers. Those businesses need secure storage areas and must deliver an average of 30 packages every day outside of major holidays. However, Amazon isn't fussy about business types for this program - bodegas, coffee shops, florists and other locations can all qualify.Hub Delivery is ultimately an expansion of previous initiatives. Amazon debuted an "I Have Space" system in India in 2015, and expanded it to both Japan and Spain. An American pilot program began in late 2020, although it focused on improving delivery for rural customers. The new approach covers over 20 major cities, including Boston, New York City and Los Angeles.The incentives are clear. Amazon gets more reliable deliveries by offloading "last mile" shipments to small businesses rather than relying solely on dedicated couriers. Partners in turn can grow their businesses and supplement their income, Amazon VP Beryl Tomay says. Axios estimates that, at $27,000 in earnings per year, Amazon is paying about $2.50 per package. The online retailer hopes to team with 2,500 small business drivers by the end of 2023.The strategy comes months after Amazon announced mass layoffs as the pandemic recovery and a rocky economy ate into profits. It also comes amid labor complaints that include past allegations of misusing Flex drivers' tips. Hub Delivery theoretically helps Amazon not only trim costs, but minimize the labor disputes that might come with using its own workers for shipping. Not that the tech giant is completely averse to using its own staff. It's still committed to buying about 100,000 Rivian delivery vans that will bring packages to customers.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-will-use-small-businesses-to-help-deliver-packages-in-the-us-132503498.html?src=rss

NASA has achieved a technological milestone, announcing the International Space Station's Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) is now recycling 98 percent of all water astronauts bring onboard. Advanced dehumidifiers capture moisture from the station's crew breaths and sweats, while urine processor assembly recovers water from astronauts' urine through vacuum distillation.According to NASA, the distillation process produces water and a urine brine that still contains reclaimable H20. Now, a new device can extract the remaining water in the brine, increasing the water recovery rate from 93 to 98 percent. If the idea is making you gag, it shouldn't, says Jill Williamson, NASA's ECLSS water subsystems manager. The crew is not drinking urine; they are drinking water that has been reclaimed, filtered and cleaned such that it is cleaner than what we drink here on Earth." I'll pass.- Mat SmithThe Morning After isn't just a newsletter - it's also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.The biggest stories you might have missedEngadget Podcast: Reviewing the Moto Razr+ and Pixel Tablet'Simpler Times' is the coziest game I've played in a long time The best Amazon Prime Day early access deals for 2023 'The Elder Scrolls VI' is 'likely five-plus years away,' says Xbox chiefYouTube is reportedly testing online games for mobile and desktopThe gaming product could be called Playables.Google is looking at online games as a new source of income for YouTube, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. The video hosting platform has reportedly invited employees to test a new product called Playables, which gives users access to online games right on YouTube. Users can play them on the YouTube website on a browser or through the app, on an Android or an iOS phone. While the report insinuates there are currently several games available for testing, it only mentioned Stack Bounce, an ad-supported arcade game that gets players to smash layers of bricks with a bouncing ball. (It's not exactly Elden Ring.) Playables could be more akin to Netflix's gaming product, which gives paying users access to casual games on mobile.Continue reading.Apple's Vision Pro headset may not come with a top strap in the boxWill it cost as much as those Mac Pro wheels?EngadgetWhen we previewed the Vision Pro in early June, the prototype unit featured an extra Velcro strap not seen in any of Apple's promotional material. At the time, a company spokesperson said the handset would support additional straps if necessary.According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple created the strap, which goes over the wearer's head, after some employees complained the Vision Pro felt too heavy" after a couple of hours of use. In a move Apple has made a fewtimes in the past with other products, the company is now reportedly considering selling the strap as an optional accessory rather than including it in the box.The Vision Pro could arrive as late as May 2024, and Gurman says the company has already reassigned some employees to work on a more affordable headset and a second-generation Vision Pro.Continue reading.Moto Razr+ phone reviewFinally, some real competition for Samsung's Flip foldable.EngadgetThe Moto Razr+, a foldable phone like a standard 6.9-inch handset when open, has a large 3.6-inch screen closed. That addresses one of the most common complaints about the Galaxy Z Flip 4 - the size of its cover display. The Razr+, meanwhile, pretty much runs full Android with some tweaks.However, anyone thinking of getting the Razr+ should probably wait. Samsung has announced its next Galaxy Unpacked will be in Korea in late July, when it's widely expected to launch new foldables. If you can hold off, it's worth seeing what the next Z Flip will offer before picking your next-gen flip phone.Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-nasa-is-recycling-98-percent-of-astronaut-pee-on-the-iss-into-drinkable-water-111541147.html?src=rss

Pokemon might be a Japanese franchise, but, like people around the world, South Korean conglomerate Samsung continues to show a kinship to the series with its latest Pokemon-themed products. The electronics company has announced the release of its new Pokemon Packs, with three new Galaxy Buds 2 cases designed to look like Jigglypuff, Ditto and Snorlax. Along with the adorable case, the packs feature corresponding stickers and a choice of the Galaxy Buds 2 for KRW 129,000 ($99) or the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro for KRW 199,000 ($152).Samsung had started off this series of sorts with a classic option, launching Poke Ball cases for its Galaxy Buds 2 Pro and standard edition headphones in May 2022. The limited edition item sold out within an hour, so it's no surprise the company wanted to release a few more Pokemon-themed options. The Pokemon edition of Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 3 foldable smartphone had a similar response, with the KRW 1,280,000 ($979) device selling out within minutes.The Galaxy Watch 5 and the Galaxy Z Flip 4 smartphone have also previously gotten the Pokemon treatment courtesy of a Poke Ball-covered watch strap and phone case. As for Jigglypuff, Ditto and Snorlax, these adorable cases are only available in Samsung's native South Korea and, like the Poke Ball edition, probably on eBay soon.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsungs-latest-pokemon-themed-galaxy-buds-are-too-cute-105522706.html?src=rss

Aston Martin plans to build "ultra-luxury high-performance" EVs using Lucid's electric motors, batteries and other technology, Lucid announced in a press release. It's the first deal for Lucid to supply parts to other automakers - much like Rimac, which itself developed batteries and other components for Aston Martin, along with Koenigsegg and others. Lucid recently released its own debut electric car, the Air, in multiple versions starting at around $87,400."The supply agreement with Lucid is a game changer for the future EV-led growth of Aston Martin," said Aston Martin executive chairman Lawrence Stroll. "Based on our strategy and requirements, we selected Lucid, gaining access to the industry's highest performance and most innovative technologies for our future BEV products."Aston Martin said it selected Lucid through a "competitive process" and will use Lucid's proprietary electric powertrain technology, including its ultra-high performance twin motor drive unit, battery technology, and onboard "Wunderbox" charging unit. The technology will allow for features like torque vectoring, heat exchanger tech and a battery system upgraded for higher power.In 2020, Aston Martin scrapped plans to manufacture an all-electric Rapide E, saying it wouldn't release any EVs until it's "financially stable." Stroll, a Canadian billionaire who also owns the Aston Martin F1 team, took a 25 percent ownership in Aston Martin back in 2020. Mercedes-Benz, meanwhile, currently owns 9.4 percent of Aston Martin, and previously said it plans to increase that to 20 percent by 2023.As part of that deal, Mercedes-Benz granted Aston Martin access to its hybrid and electric powertrains, but it's not clear how Lucid and Mercedes will interact. Aston Martin's F1 team currently uses a Mercedes-Benz power unit, though it plans to switch to Honda in 2026. "Along with Mercedes-Benz, we now have two world-class suppliers [with Lucid] to support the internal development and investments we are making to deliver our electrification strategy," Stroll said.Rimac has supplied technology, including a lightweight battery system, to Aston Martin's 1,160 HP Valkyrie hypercar. Back in 2015, Aston Martin joined forces with LeEco to build an electric version of the Rapide, but LeEco bowed out with its own financial issues. To complete the circle, LeEco originally had a stake in Lucid, but founder Jia Yueting was forced to sell it due to a liquidity crisis.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/lucid-will-power-aston-martins-future-evs-101040684.html?src=rss

Users in Canada are once again serving as involuntary first adopters of Netflix's new policies. Following its February decision to charge more for account sharing between houses in the country, the streamer has now announced its basic plan will no longer be an option for Canada's subscribers, The Winnipeg Free Press reports.Anyone already on a basic plan doesn't have to worry about being kicked off it, but if they choose to move to another option or close their account, they can't get back on that tier. New users can no longer choose the basic option, while current subscribers on other plans will lose the opportunity to switch over "in the near future." In Canada, the basic tier is $9.99 (CAD) per month, while the basic with ads tier is $5.99, the standard is $16.49 and the premium is $20.99.After claiming it would never offer an ad-supported option, Netflix did just that in November 2022, launching the new tier in Canada, the US and ten other countries. Now with the decision to remove its basic option, the streamer is pushing more of its customers towards an ad-filled viewing experience. The rationale is simple: Ad-supported plans can be highly beneficial to Netflix's bottom line. In the first quarter of 2023, across the US, Netflix saw its basic with ads tier bring in more money per user than its standard plan. This dichotomy held even though its ad tier is $6.99, compared to its standard plan costing $15.49.There's no indication that Netflix will remove the basic tier in the US anytime soon, but if you want to avoid paying more or watching ads, now might be the time to pick it. In the US, the basic plan is $9.99, and the premium is $19.99.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/netflix-is-removing-its-basic-plan-in-canada-092535002.html?src=rss

Despite our intrinsic distrust of AI in space taught to us by movies like 2001: A Space Odyssey ("I'm afraid I can't do that, Dave"), it offers large advantages to both manned and unmanned missions. To that end, NASA is developing a system that will allow astronauts to perform maneuvers, conduct experiments and more using a natural-language ChatGPT-like interface, The Guardian reported."The idea is to get to a point where we have conversational interactions with space vehicles and they [are] also talking back to us on alerts, interesting findings they see in the solar system and beyond," said Dr. Larissa Suzuki, speaking at an IEEE meeting on next-gen space communication. "It's really not like science fiction anymore."NASA aims to deploy the system on its Lunar Gateway, a space station that will orbit the Moon and provide support for NASA's Artemis mission. It would use a natural language interface that allows astronauts to seek advice on experiments or conduct maneuvers without diving into complex manuals.On a dedicated page soliciting small business support for Lunar Gateway, NASA wrote that it would require AI and machine learning technologies to manage various systems when it's unoccupied as well. Those include autonomous operations of science payloads, data transmission prioritization, autonomous operations, health management of Gateway and more.For instance, Suzuki outlined a scenario in which the system would automatically fix data transmission glitches and inefficiencies, along with other types of digital outages. "We cannot send an engineer up in space whenever a space vehicle goes offline or its software breaks somehow," she said.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nasa-is-creating-a-chatgpt-like-assistant-for-astronauts-081903604.html?src=rss

The New York City Department of Education has become the latest organization to disclose it had private data stolen as part of the far-reaching MOVEit file transfer software hack. In an email sent to parents on Sunday, the agency said the personal information of approximately 45,000 students, including in some cases social security numbers and birth dates, had recently been compromised. The Education Department said the personal information of staff was also accessed but did not share how many teachers and other personnel were affected.The safety and security of our students and staff, including their personal information and data, is of the utmost importance for the New York City Department of Education. Our top priority is determining exactly which confidential information was exposed, and the specific impact for each affected individual," the department said Sunday. When that determination is made, we will begin preparing notifications to individuals whose confidential information was compromised. Along with the notification, individuals will be offered access to an identity monitoring service."The Education Department is one of many organizations affected by the MOVEit hack. Clop, a ransomware gang with suspected pro-Russian ties, claimed responsibility for the cyberattack in early June. The group took advantage of a zero-day vulnerability in the enterprise file transfer software to breach the servers of hundreds of companies," including the largest US pension fund. The scale of the New York City Department of Education breach is small compared to some of the other victims caught up in the hack but is notable for including the personal information of minors. In an interview with Bleeping Computer, the Clop gang claimed it would erase any data it obtained from governments, the military and children's hospitals. It's unclear if the group includes student data in that final category.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/clop-ransomware-gang-obtained-personal-data-of-45000-new-york-city-students-in-moveit-hack-204655820.html?src=rss

NASA has achieved a technological milestone that could one day play an important role in missions to the Moon and beyond. This week, the space agency revealed (via Space.com) that the International Space Station's Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) is recycling 98 percent of all water astronauts bring onboard the station. Functionally, you can imagine the system operating in a way similar to the Stillsuits described in Frank Herbert's Dune. One part of the ECLSS uses advanced dehumidifiers" to capture moisture the station's crew breaths and sweat out as they go about their daily tasks.Another subsystem, the imaginatively named Urine Processor Assembly," recovers what astronauts pee with the help of vacuum distillation. According to NASA, the distillation process produces water and a urine brine that still contains reclaimable H20. The agency recently began testing a new device that can extract what water remains in the brine, and it's thanks to that system that NASA observed a 98 percent water recovery rate on the ISS, where previously the station was recycling about 93 to 94 percent of the water astronauts were bringing aboard.This is a very important step forward in the evolution of life support systems," said NASA's Christopher Brown, who is part of the team that manages the International Space Station's life support systems. Let's say you collect 100 pounds of water on the station. You lose two pounds of that and the other 98 percent just keeps going around and around. Keeping that running is a pretty awesome achievement."If the thought of someone else drinking their urine is causing you to gag, fret not. The processing is fundamentally similar to some terrestrial water distribution systems, just done in microgravity," said Jill Williamson, NASA's ECLSS water subsystems manager. The crew is not drinking urine; they are drinking water that has been reclaimed, filtered, and cleaned such that it is cleaner than what we drink here on Earth."According to Williamson, systems like the ECLSS will be critical as NASA conducts more missions beyond Earth's orbit. The less water and oxygen we have to ship up, the more science that can be added to the launch vehicle," Williamson said. Reliable, robust regenerative systems mean the crew doesn't have to worry about it and can focus on the true intent of their mission."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nasa-is-recycling-98-percent-of-astronaut-pee-and-sweat-on-the-iss-into-drinkable-water-184332789.html?src=rss

If you had hoped to play Diablo IVthis weekend, it appears someone was intent on ruining those plans. Since at least the early hours of Sunday morning, Blizzard's Battle.net online service had been the target of an apparent DDoS attack, making it difficult, if not impossible, to play Diablo IV,World of Warcraft and other Blizzard titles before the company eventually resolved the issue. "We continue to actively monitor an ongoing DDoS attack which is affecting latency/connections to our games," Blizzard's customer support account tweeted at 10:24AM after it originally said it was investigating an authentication issue.As of 12:30PM ET, the issue was unresolved. "We are currently experiencing a DDoS attack, which may result in high latency and disconnections for some players," states a notification that appears when you launch Battle.net on PC. "We are actively working to mitigate this issue." When I tried to log into Diablo IV, I was briefly able to play the game before I was disconnected. Over on Reddit, some players say they weren't able to play Blizzard's latest for at least 10 to 12 hours. At the very least, you can bet this incident will renew calls for Blizzard to add an offline mode to Diablo IV.Update 1:36PM ET: As of 1:18PM ET, Blizzard says the DDoS attacks it was experiencing earlier in the day are over. If you still can't connect, the company recommends following the troubleshooting advice on its website.

When Engadget Senior Editor Devindra Hardawar previewed the Vision Pro in early June, the prototype unit he tried featured an extra velcro strap not seen in any of Apple's promotional material. At the time, a company spokesperson told him that the handset would support additional straps if necessary.According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple created the strap, which goes over the wearer's head, after some employees complained the Vision Pro felt too heavy" after a couple of hours of use. In a move that feels reminiscent of the company's decision to sell the Pro Display XDR's stand as a separate $999 purchase, Apple is reportedly considering selling the strap as an optional accessory rather than including it in the box.Perhaps that shouldn't come as a surprise seeing as Apple said Vision Pro would start" at $3,499 when it arrives in 2024, but considering most previews mentioned the headset's weight as a potential concern, it feels strange to hear the company won't go out of its way to ensure consumers have a comfortable experience out of the box.Given the Vision Pro's hefty price, you might think the company will market the device only to developers, but Apple seems intent on selling it to consumers as well. Gurman reports the company plans to create dedicated areas within its retail stores where people will have the chance to demo the device. He adds Apple has developed an iPhone app that its retail workers will use to scan a customer's face so that they can ensure the person leaves the store with the correctly sized bands and light seal for their headset.With the Vision Pro not slated to go on sale until early next year, the headset could arrive as late as May 2024, giving Apple almost a year to alter its plans. In the meantime, Gurman says the company has already reassigned some employees to work on a more affordable headset and a second-generation Vision Pro.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-vision-pro-headset-may-not-come-with-a-top-strap-in-the-box-160601556.html?src=rss

As anyone who regularly games online can attest, DDoS (dedicated denial of service) attacks are an irritatingly common occurrence on the internet. Drawing on the combined digital might of a geographically diffuse legion of zombified PCs, hackers are able to swamp game servers and prevent players from logging on for hours or days at a time. The problem has metastasized in recent years as enterprising hackers have begun to package their botnets and spamming tools into commercial offerings, allowing any Tom, Dick, and Script-kiddie rental access to the same power.It's a big internet out there, and bad actors are plentiful. There are worse things than spammers and scammers swimming in the depths of the Dark Web. In his new book, Fancy Bear Goes Phishing: The Dark History of the Information Age, in Five Extraordinary Hacks, Dr. Scott J Shapiro, Professor of Law and Philosophy at Yale Law School traces the internet's illicit history through five of the biggest attacks on digital infrastructure ever recorded.Farrar Straus GirauxFANCY BEAR GOES PHISHING: The Dark History of the Information Age, in Five Extraordinary Hacks by Scott J. Shapiro. Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Copyright (C) 2023 by Scott J. Shapiro. All rights reserved.Crime as a ServiceNot all Denial of Service attacks use botnets. In 2013, the Syrian Electronic Army (SEA)-the online propaganda arm of the brutal Bashar al-Assad regime-hacked into Melbourne IT, the registrar that sold the nytimes.com domain name to The New York Times. The SEA altered the DNS records so that nytimes.com pointed to SEA's website instead. Because Melbourne IT contained the authoritative records for the Times' website, the unauthorized changes quickly propagated around the world. When users typed in the normal New York Times domain name, they ended up at a murderous organization's website.Conversely, not all botnets launch Denial of Service attacks. Botnets are, after all, a collection of many hacked devices governed by the attacker remotely, and those bots can be used for many purposes. Originally, botnets were used for spam. The Viagra and Nigerian Prince emails that used to clutter inboxes were sent from thousands of geographically distributed zombie computers. In these cases, the attacker reaches out to their army of bots, commanding them to send tens of thousands of emails a day. In 2012, for example, the Russian Grum botnet sent over 18 billion spam emails a day from 120,000 infected computers, netting its botmaster $2.7 million over three years. Botnets are excellent spam infrastructure because it's hard to defend against them. Networks usually use block lists": lists of addresses that they will not let in. To block a botnet, however, one would have to add the addresses of thousands of geographically disbursed servers to the list. That takes time and money.Because the malware we have seen up till now - worms, viruses, vorms, and wiruses.- could not work together, it was not useful for financially motivated crime. Botnet malware, on the other hand, is because the botnets it creates are controllable. Botmasters are capable of issuing orders to each bot, enabling them to collaborate. Indeed, botnet malware is the Swiss Army knife of cybercrime because botmasters can tell bots in their thrall to implant malware on vulnerable machines, send phishing emails, or engage in click fraud allowing botnets to profit from directing bots to click pay-per-click ads. Click fraud is especially lucrative, as Paras Jha would later discover. In 2018, the ZeroAccess botnet could earn $100,000 a day in click fraud. It commanded a million infected PCs spanning 198 countries, including the island nation of Kiribati and the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan.Botnets are great DDoS weapons because they can be trained on a target. One day in February 2000, the hacker MafiaBoy knocked out Fifa.com, Amazon.com, Dell, E*TRADE, eBay, CNN, as well as Yahoo!, then the largest search engine on the internet. He overpowered these web servers by commandeering computers in forty-eight different universities and joining them together into a primitive botnet. When each sent requests to the same IP address at the same time, the collective weight of the requests crashed the website.After taking so many major websites off-line, MafiaBoy was deemed a national security threat. President Clinton ordered a countrywide manhunt to find him. In April 2000, MafiaBoy was arrested and charged, and in January 2001 he pled guilty to fifty-eight charges of Denial of Service attacks. Law enforcement did not reveal MafiaBoy's real name, as this national security threat was only fifteen years old. MafiaBoy later revealed himself to be Michael Calce. You know I'm a pretty calm, collected, cool person," Calce reported. But when you have the president of the United States and attorney general basically calling you out and saying, We're going to find you' . . . at that point I was a little bit worried." Calce now works in the cybersecurity industry as a white hat - a good hacker, as opposed to a black hat, after serving five months in juvenile detention.Both MafiaBoy and the VDoS crew were adolescent boys who crashed servers. But whereas MafiaBoy did it for the lulz, VDoS did it for the money. Indeed, these teenage Israeli kids were pioneering tech entrepreneurs. They helped launch a new form of cybercrime: DDoS as a service. DDoS as a service is a subscription-based model that gives subscribers access to a botnet to launch either a daily quota or unlimited attacks, depending on the price. DDoS providers are known as booter services or stressor services. They come with user-friendly websites that enable customers to choose the type of account, pay for subscriptions, check status of service, launch attacks, and receive tech support.VDoS advertised their booter service on Hack Forums, the same site on which, according to Coelho, Paras Jha spent hours. On their website, www.vdos-s.com, VDoS offered the following subscription services: Bronze ($19.99/month), Silver ($29.99/month), Gold ($39.99/month), and VIP ($199.99/month) accounts. The higher the price, the more attack time and volume. At its peak in 2015, VDoS had 1,781 subscribers. The gang had a customer service department and, for a time, accepted PayPal. From 2014 to 2016, VDoS earned $597,862, and it launched 915,287 DDoS attacks in one year.VDoS democratized DDoS. Even the most inexperienced user could subscribe to one of these accounts, type in a domain name, and attack its website. The problem is that this kind of firepower is available to literally anyone willing to pay thirty dollars a month," Allison Nixon, director of security research at business-risk-intelligence firm Flashpoint, explained. Basically what this means is that you must have DDoS protection to participate on the internet. Otherwise, any angry young teenager is going to be able to take you off-line in a heartbeat." Even booter services need DDoS protection. VDoS hired Cloudflare, one of the largest DDoS mitigation companies in the world.DDoS as a service was following a trend in cybercrime known as malware as a service." Where users had once bought information about software vulnerabilities and tried to figure out how to exploit those vulnerabilities themselves, or had bought malicious software and tried to figure out how to install and execute it, they could now simply pay for the use of malware and hack with the click of a button, no technical knowledge required.Because customers who use DDoS as a service are inexperienced, they are particularly vulnerable to scams. Fraudsters often advertise booter services on public discussion boards and accept orders and payment, but do not launch the promised attacks. Even VDoS, which did provide DDoS service, did so less aggressively than advertised. When tested by Flashpoint, VDoS botnet never hit the promised fifty gigabits/second maximum, ranging instead from six to fourteen gigabits/second.The boards that advertise booter services, as Hack Forums once did, are accessible to anyone with a standard browser and internet connection. They exist on the Clear Web, not on the so-called Dark Web. To access sites on the Dark Web you must use a special network, known as Tor, typically using a special browser known as the Tor Browser. When a user tries to access a website on the Dark Web, the Tor Browser does not request web pages directly. It chooses three random sites-known as nodes-through which to route the request. The first node knows the original sender, but not the ultimate destination. The second node knows neither the original source nor the ultimate destination-it recognizes only the first node and the third node. The third node knows the ultimate destination, but not the original sender. In this way, the sender and receiver can communicate with each other without either knowing the other's identity.The Dark Web is doubly anonymous. No one but the website owner knows its IP address. No one but the visitor knows that they are accessing the website. The Dark Web, therefore, tends to be used by political dissidents and cybercriminals-anyone who needs total anonymity. The Dark Web is legal to browse, but many of its websites offer services that are illegal to use. (Fun fact: the U.S. Navy created the Dark Web in the mid-1990s to enable their intelligence agents to communicate confidentially.)It might be surprising that DDoS providers could advertise on the Clear Web. After all, DDoS-ing another website is illegal everywhere. In the United States, one violates the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act if one knowingly causes the transmission of a program, information, code, or command, and as a result of such conduct, intentionally causes damage without authorization," where damage includes any impairment to the . . . availability of data, a program, a system, or information." To get around this, booter services have long argued they perform a legitimate stressor" function, providing those who set up web pages a means to stress test websites. Indeed, booter services routinely include terms of service that prohibit attacks on unauthorized sites and disclaim all responsibility for any such attacks.In theory, stressor sites play an important function. But only in theory. Private chats between VDoS and its customers indicated that they were not stressing their own websites. As a booter service provider admitted to Cambridge University researchers, We do try to market these services towards a more legitimate user base, but we know where the money comes from."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/hitting-the-books-how-hackers-turned-cybercrime-into-a-commercial-service-153050866.html?src=rss

Bethesda announced The Elder Scrolls VI five years ago at E3 2018, but the new fantasy RPG is still five-plus years away," according to Phil Spencer. The chief of Microsoft's Gaming division revealed the game's potential release timeframe during day two of the hearing where the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is seeking an injunction to block the company's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard.I think we've been a little unclear on what platforms it will launch on given how far out the game is. It's difficult for us right now to nail down exactly what platforms that game will launch on," Spencer said in response to questioning by an FTC lawyer, as reported by IGN. "As I said with Elder Scrolls VI, it's so far out it's hard to understand what the platforms will even be at this point. It's the same team that's finishing Starfield, which comes out this September. So we're talking about it being likely five-plus years away."If you've been following any bit of news Bethesda has shared about The Elder Scrolls VI, the game's distant release date should come as no surprise. Back in 2020, Pete Hines, the publisher's senior vice president of marketing and communications, said Bethesda wouldn't have anything substantial to share about the title for another few years. "It's after Starfield, which you pretty much know nothing about," he tweeted at the time. So if you're coming at me for details now and not years from now, I'm failing to properly manage your expectations." Based on Spencer's comments, The Elder Scrolls VI may skip the current generation of consoles entirely. Last week, Bethesda Game Studios Creative Director Todd Howard said the Elder Scrolls VI may be the last game" of his career.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-elder-scrolls-vi-is-likely-five-plus-years-away-says-xbox-chief-220526727.html?src=rss

On Friday, a federal court sentenced Joseph James O'Conner to five years in prison for his involvement in the 2020 Twitter hack. Last month, the 24-year-old, known as PlugwalkJoe online, plead guilty to a host of cyber crimes, including carrying out a SIM-swapping attack that targeted a TikTok account with millions of followers. The 2020 Twitter hack saw O'Conner and his co-perpetrators obtain access to the company's backend and subsequently the accounts of Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Barack Obama and more than 100 other high-profile users. O'Conner netted $794,000 in the crypto scam that followed."After stealing and fraudulently diverting the stolen cryptocurrency, O'Connor and his co-conspirators laundered it through dozens of transfers and transactions and exchanged some of it for Bitcoin using cryptocurrency exchange services," the Justice Department said. "Ultimately, a portion of the stolen cryptocurrency was deposited into a cryptocurrency exchange account controlled by O'Connor." In 2021, Graham Ivan Clark, the alleged teenage mastermind behind the breach, plead guilty in return for a three-year prison sentence. In addition to his five-year sentence, O'Conner also faces three years of supervised release after his prison term. He must also forfeit the $794,000 he defrauded during the hack.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/twitter-hacker-and-crypto-scammer-sentenced-to-five-years-in-prison-205649771.html?src=rss

If you're a Star Trek fan and haven't watched Prodigy yet, you may want to do so before next week. According to The Hollywood Reporter (via io9), Paramount+ has canceled the series alongside a handful of other shows, including Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies and The Game. Taking a page from Disney and Max owner Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount Global is also removing Star Trek: Prodigy, and the other shows it canceled on Friday, from Paramount+ in exchange for a tax writeoff. Fans have until sometime next week to watch the series before its fate becomes uncertain.As we prepare to combine Paramount+ and Showtime later this month in the US, we are refining our content offering to deliver the best streaming experience for subscribers," a Paramount+ spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter. This is consistent with our content strategy since launch and across our business, which ensures we make smart, efficient choices, informed by audience data and insights. We are removing select programming as we look to optimize Showtime's robust slate of premium originals."The cancelation comes after Paramount+ previously greenlit a second season of Star Trek: Prodigy. The show could find another home. The Hollywood Reporter notes Prodigy producer CBS Studios plans to complete postproduction on season two and shop both seasons to a new streaming platform. The announcement won't affect other Star Trek series, with Paramount+ set to remain the home of ongoing entries like Strange New Worlds.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/star-trek-prodigy-will-be-pulled-from-paramount-next-week-191704393.html?src=rss

Apple makes some of the best earbuds you can use with an iPhone, and now you can buy a pair of AirPods Pro for less than you would typically pay for them. The second-generation model has dropped back to its all-time low price of $200, or $50 off the AirPods Pro's usual $250 price.Similar appearances aside, the 2022 AirPods Pro are a significant upgrade over the original 2019 model. Thanks to a more powerful H2 chip, the new AirPods Pro boast better audio quality and improved ANC capabilities. They also offer one of the best transparency modes on any set of wireless earbuds on the market right now. The AirPods Pro aren't perfect, however. Battery life is so-so and the new touch controls could be more intuitive. But for $200, you'll be hard-pressed to find another pair of Bluetooth headphones that offers the mix of features and convenience that the AirPods Pro do.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-second-generation-airpods-pro-are-back-on-sale-for-200-174134027.html?src=rss

Russian internet service providers have cut off access to Google News after President Vladamir Putin accused Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner paramilitary group, of organizing an armed rebellion." According to internet monitor NetBlocks (via The New York Times), at least five Russian telecoms, including Rostelecom, U-LAN and Telplusl, are blocking web users inside the country from accessing the news aggregator. Google did not immediately respond to Engadget's comment request.

Google is looking at online games as a new possible source of income for YouTube, according to a new report by the Wall Street Journal. The video hosting platform has reportedly invited employees to test a new product called Playables, which gives users access to online games right on YouTube itself. Based on the internal email the Journal saw, it wouldn't even matter what device they're using: Apparently, the games are accessible both on mobile and on desktop.Users will be able to play them on the YouTube website using a web browser or on the app, whether on an Android or an iOS phone. While the report insinuates that there are currently several games available for testing, it only mentioned Stack Bounce in particular. It's an ad-supported arcade game that gets players to smash layers of bricks with a bouncing ball. As the publication notes, YouTube already earns money from gaming livestreams, but this product will give it another way to generate revenue from the industry in the midst of a decline in advertising spending.While Google failed to grow its defunct Stadia games streaming service and ultimately shut it down, this endeavor is a different thing altogether. YouTube already has a massive audience regularly visiting the site, so getting eyes on the new product wouldn't be a problem. Playables is perhaps more akin to Netflix's gaming product that gives its paying users access to casual games on mobile. Netflix has big ambitions for its gaming initiative, as well, and is reportedly working on an expansion that goes beyond mobile devices by testing TV games that use phones as controllers.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/youtube-is-reportedly-testing-online-games-for-mobile-and-desktop-130105426.html?src=rss

Motorola clearly read reviews of Samsung's Z Flip series and took notes. The Moto Razr+, a foldable phone that's like a standard 6.9-inch handset when open, offers a large 3.6-inch screen when closed. That addresses one of the most common complaints about the Galaxy Z Flip 4 - the size of its Cover Display. It's a cramped 1.9-inch window with a limited selection of widgets that you can use. The Razr+, meanwhile, pretty much runs full Android with some tweaks. There's something about using the outer display that feels almost pager-like and sent me into nostalgic delight. The Moto Razr+, which goes on sale today for $999, might appeal to both old souls and early adopters alike.DesignCurrently in its fourth generation (if you count the 5G model released in 2020 as a second-gen), the Razr+ has two notable differences from its predecessors. The first is the larger display. The second is something only people over 30 might notice: The Razr+ doesn't have a chin cupping the bottom like on the iconic original Razr. I don't mind it, but it does cost it some nostalgia points.When folded, there is no gap between the two halves of the main screen. It's a squat square, and its matte back reminds me of the case that my dad's pager sat in. Sadly, only the Viva Magenta model comes with a vegan leather back, while the blue and black models use Corning Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and rear. Our review unit is black, and the matte finish lends a more premium feel and helps fight smudges.The folded Razr+ is thinner than the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and fits comfortably in my palm, and it's slightly larger than the Samsung phone when open. The Razr+ has a slightly less rigid hinge than the Flip 4, too. The Samsung phone can hold itself up at pretty much any position, but Moto's hinge yields and opens all the way when you push it past 150 degrees.Finally, at 188.5 grams (6.6 ounces), the Razr+ is lighter than the iPhone 14 Plus and the Galaxy S23 Plus, which both have slightly smaller screens. It's just a tad heavier than the Z Flip 4, though. Both Motorola and Samsung's devices are rated for water-resistance, with the Razr+ meeting IP52 standards while the Flip hit IPX8.External displayNext to the Moto Razr+, using the Z Flip 4's Cover Display feels unusable, especially when trying to frame a selfie. Not only is there barely enough space to contain everything, but it's also hard to see. When shooting the video for this piece, our producer Joel Chokkattu struggled to get a usable shot of the camera preview on the Z Flip 4's exterior display in sunlight.Motorola's larger pOLED panel also allows for a more full-fledged Android experience, while Samsung is a glorified notification widget. On the Moto, you can swipe down from top to see all your quick settings toggles and the brightness slider, swipe up slowly to show your open apps and switch between them, and swipe in from the side to go back. In comparison, the Z Flip 4 only lets you swipe sideways to rotate through widgets, and dragging down from top shows you just a single row of toggles.Photo by Cherlynn Low / EngadgetThe main difference between Moto's external display and the complete Android experience is the home screen. Motorola has designed it so that you can only have the clock widget, date, weather info and a row of six shortcut buttons. Tapping each of the latter takes you to the respective panel. You can also swipe sideways to see them sequentially, and you can arrange them in the order you prefer.The widgets themselves are very similar to Samsung's offerings. You'll find an app launcher, dialer, calendar, games, media controls, steps tracker and the day's headlines. On the Moto, the latter two are supplied by Google services like Fit and News. Because the Razr+ has more real estate, it can display more information or use a larger font. Both of these are an obvious improvement over Samsung's teeny tiny panel, especially for those with bigger fingers, less dexterity or vision-related challenges.The widgets aren't the scene stealers here. For the most part, they're simple - a calculator, media controls, et cetera. The Spotify playback widget doesn't do more than let you pause, skip tracks, rewind and change playlists, which is frustrating. But even the fact that it offers that last option is already better than the Z Flip 4.You can't pick a specific song in a playlist, though. It's a mild annoyance and not a dealbreaker, especially since there are two viable alternatives here. One: I can just open the phone and use the main Spotify app to go to a different playlist and pick a song. Two - and this is where the Razr+ truly shines - any Android app can run on the outside screen, as long as you've enabled it. This is a continuity feature so you can keep running whatever you're doing on the main display on the outside panel after you close the phone.To use Spotify (or any other app) on the small screen, I'd open it on the inside, shut the device, and continue outside. Even if I go on to do something else, I can find the app on the exterior display by swiping up from the bottom to see open apps.You'd think that there would be issues with apps breaking and elements either not showing or being blocked by the two cameras on the bottom right of the screen. But Motorola has some workarounds. You can either have apps take up the whole screen and the sensors block parts of it. Or you can swipe up and select a layout that forces the content to sit within a rectangle above the cameras similar to how Android phones used to treat camera notches.This should work with any app, but there are some scenarios where the experience is broken. When you're navigating a drive with Google Maps and playing music at the same time, for example, you won't be able to see the directions or your route. And, just because you can see your Instagram feed on the 3.6-inch panel, doesn't mean you'll want to.Photo by Cherlynn Low / EngadgetEven better, because the screen is so small (basically the size of the original iPhone), it's easy to use with one hand. You can pull up a full QWERTY keyboard to reply to messages, and I was able to reach the letter Q or A with my thumb stretching across from the right.CamerasOne other advantage of a larger external screen is how much more useful it is as a viewfinder. Both Samsung and Motorola let you use the outside display to preview what you're shooting with the rear cameras, as well as show your subject what they look like. On the Z Flip 4, you can only see a portion of the scene and will have to guess where it will get cut off. With the Razr+, no guesswork is necessary - WYSIWYG.Both phones offer similar gestures like holding up your palm to trigger a countdown till the photo is shot, so you can step away and take your picture when you're ready and posed. You can also have the foldables bent at 90 degrees and placed on a surface with the inside screen facing out, and the layout will change so the top half is your viewfinder and the bottom shows controls.Unfortunately, on the Z Flip 4 you have to choose between a bigger viewfinder with an inferior 10-megapixel camera or a smaller window and better cameras. On the Razr+, you can use the roomy outside screen and the exterior cameras instead of having to sacrifice quality or visibility while shooting.Photo by Cherlynn Low / EngadgetMoto opted for a 32 MP sensor inside, with a 12 MP main camera and 13 MP wide-angle system. Initially, I thought the Razr+ delivered decent shots. But after comparing them to samples from the Z Flip 4 and a Pixel 7 Pro, Motorola's images are clearly washed out and less vivid. Samsung did a better job at exposure and retained the blue skies peeking through green leaves. In the same scene, the Razr+ blew out the sky. And when I snapped portraits of my friends' adorable dogs, it struggled to get a clear shot due to slower focus and overall lag.The Moto also struggled in low light and was susceptible to lens flares in my nighttime cityscapes and selfies. Though the Flip 4 fared slightly better, overall flip-style foldables lag flagship phones when it comes to camera performance.As a regular phone: Main screen, performance and battery lifeUnlike most high-end Android phones released this year, the Moto Razr+ uses a year-old Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, which is the same processor inside the Z Flip 4. It's worth pointing out at this point that the Flip 4 is also nearly a year old and presumably about to be replaced by a newer model. So if having the absolute latest specs matters to you, you shouldn't even be considering the Razr+.Photo by Cherlynn Low / EngadgetIf you're not picky about the exact generation of processor in your phone, you'll likely be satisfied with the Moto's performance. I played endless rounds of Solitaire, messaged friends, set up custom gestures, changed wallpapers and it never flinched. The few hiccups I did encounter, like not being able to hit the X button at the outermost corners of an ad in a game, had more to do with specific apps and bad design than horsepower.Thanks to its 165Hz refresh rate and 1080p resolution, the Razr+'s main OLED display is a solid canvas for activities like scrolling through Instagram and Reddit. Pictures and Stories I looked at were vibrant, and yes, there is still a bit of a crease where the screen folds, but it's negligible. It doesn't get in the way of actually interacting with apps or websites, and I mostly forgot it was even there.When I needed to unlock the Razr+, it was as easy as using the fingerprint sensor embedded in the power button. Motorola also continues to offer nifty features that have been in its phones since the Moto X, like twisting your wrist or doing a chopping action while holding the handset to launch the camera or flashlight. It was also surprisingly easy to install the company's Ready For app to use the Razr+ on my PC. While I was initially put off by the amount of Moto-branded software, thankfully most of it was useful and didn't feel like bloatware.Though the company promises three years of OS upgrades and four years of bi-monthly security patch updates, historically it hasn't had the best track record on that front. And that's less than the four years of OS updates and five years for security releases that Samsung offers. That, together with Samsung's experience in foldables, gives me slightly more confidence in its devices' longevity.Photo by Cherlynn Low / EngadgetMoto managed to squeeze a 3,800mAh battery in the Razr+, which is slightly higher than the Flip 4's 3,700 mAh setup. I haven't had the time to run our video rundown battery test, which I want to do on both the 6.9-inch and 3.6-inch panels. But I've been able to play about five to eight hours of nonstop Solitaire on the internal screen so far before needing to plug the Razr+ in. It's also worth noting that since the exterior display is so much more useful, you can do more on the phone without having to tap the larger, more energy-intensive screen during the day. That way, the Moto actually manages to last longer than most phones.Wrap-upI am in love with that front screen - how it works, how easy it is to use with one hand, and how much more power efficient it is. It's almost like I want a small phone again. But the main thing preventing me from switching to the Moto Razr+ is camera performance. This isn't a problem unique to Motorola - any flip-style foldable today suffers from this.Anyone thinking of getting the Razr+ should also wait. Samsung has announced that its next Galaxy Unpacked will be taking place in Korea in late July, and it's widely expected to launch new foldables then. If you can hold off, it's worth seeing what the next Z Flip will offer before spending your money.Photo by Cherlynn Low / EngadgetI also want to point out that long-term durability remains a concern for any device with a flexible screen. Two of my colleagues have used a Z Flip 4 for a year and they've reported seeing cracks and bubbles in their displays and/or screen protectors. While the Razr+ uses a different panel from Samsung, there is still a possibility it won't stand up to the wear and tear of daily use.I can't tell you how well the Moto Razr+ will hold up over time. But I can say that, for the first time in the US, there is serious competition for Samsung's Z Flip 4. It's time to call it: Flip Boi Summer is here and I'm excited for it.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/moto-razr-review-finally-some-real-competition-for-samsungs-flip-foldables-203033514.html?src=rss

Google Assistant vanished on many smartwatches when the Wear OS 3 update arrived, leaving just the Pixel Watch and Samsung's newer Galaxy Watches supporting the feature. Thankfully, you no longer have to switch brands just to talk to Google on your wrist. Fossil is rolling out an update this month that adds Assistant to Gen 6 watches running Wear OS 3. This includes both Fossil's own models as well as counterparts from Diesel, Michael Kors and Skagen, although you'll need to be paired with a phone running standard Android with Google apps (Android Go and many Chinese phones won't count).The functionality will be familiar if you've used either Google or Samsung wristwear. You can invoke the AI helper by saying "hey Google," holding a button or tapping a watch face complication. The feature lets you answer texts, control music or otherwise handle tasks that would normally require your phone. Unlike many alternatives, though, you'll also have Alexa on hand. You won't be locked into one ecosystem for speaking commands.This won't be much help if you're using a Wear OS 3 watch from another brand, like Mobvoi or Montblanc. Fossil is one of the most popular names in Google-powered smartwatches, though. Support here ensures that many more wearable owners can use Assistant and avoid tapping a minuscule screen.You might want to wait before purchasing if you're new to smartwatches. Fossil historically introduces new Wear OS models in late summer, with the exception being this year's mildly upgraded Gen 6 Wellness Edition in January. While there's no word on when Gen 7 will arrive or what it might entail, it's likely to be a significant upgrade if and when it appears - we wouldn't buy Gen 6 just because Assistant is ready. The update is more for existing owners who lost functionality last year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/fossil-finally-gets-google-assistant-on-its-wear-os-3-smartwatches-194519611.html?src=rss

A group of Reddit volunteers who transcribe media from other subreddits are shutting down their community, in part due to changes the company is making to its API. The community, r/TranscribersOfReddit, will close its doors on June 30th, which is one day before Reddit starts charging for API access.The group transcribes media from around 100 subreddits. Its aim was to provide some temporary solutions for accessibility features that are missing from Reddit, such as alt text, while imploring the company to address such "inadequacies," according to Rebekah Ginsburg, a Transcribers Of Reddit moderator. As The Verge reports, Ginsburg (aka u/halailah) is also the chair of the Grafeas Group, a nonprofit that provides the technology powering much of the community's transcription work."In light of recent events, we now recognize that Reddit corporate has demonstrated a severe lack of willingness to fix core issues with the platform," Ginsburg wrote. "It is clear that these problems are coming from the top, and we do not believe they can be fixed. Unfortunately, while this was an extraordinarily difficult decision for us, these circumstances mean that we can no longer operate this project."Ginsburg added that "the API changes and the realistic limits on how much work we can take on and our lack of trust in Reddit as a platform and the clear disregard for accessibility from Reddit corporate" made it "impossible" for the team to continue the project.While Reddit has said it will exempt some third-party accessibility apps from having to pay for API access, members of the community say apps such as RedReader, Dystopia and Luna don't have "sufficient moderation functions" for blind and visually impaired moderators.Reddit declined to comment to The Verge on these issues. A spokesperson previously said the company was "exploring a number of things" related to accessibility across its platform. In the meantime, it seems that it'll soon be more difficult for some people to use Reddit.Some communities I'm a member of have volunteers that will add alt text for an image in the comments or transcribe a short video. Still, the loss of a larger, coordinated effort to make Reddit more accessible is a blow.Reddit said last month that it would start charging for access to its API, which third-party developers have used to build apps (such as ones for moderation and accessibility) that hook into the platform. The move caused an uproar in the community, and several third-party apps, including ones that tens of thousands of people use to access Reddit, are shutting down as a result of the changes.However, Reddit is pressingahead with the new policy. CEO Steve Huffman also said he was planning changes that would allow members of a subreddit to more easily vote out a moderator who makes unpopular decisions. Some moderators have taken similar comments from a Reddit administrator as a direct threat, after thousands of subreddits went private to protest the API changes.Reddit also reportedly removed moderators from subreddits that were suddenly labeled as not safe for work. Not only did those communities allow porn for the first time in protest against the API changes, making them NSFW meant Reddit was unable to monetize them due to its ad policies.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/a-reddit-transcription-community-will-shut-down-over-a-lack-of-trust-in-the-platform-191008889.html?src=rss

Those who run fan accounts on YouTube will soon have to make it clear to viewers their channels are not affiliated with the original artist, creator or brand. If it's not already evident from the channel name or handle that they're running a fan account, they'll have to update that information. Adding fan account" to the channel description alone won't cut it. The rule will take effect on August 21st.The directive was announced as part of broader changes to YouTube's impersonation guidelines. As TechCrunchnotes, channels that claim to be fan accounts but instead mimic another channel and upload the same content are prohibited, as are channels that appear almost identical to another only with a minor name change (such as adding a space). Users are not allowed to comment on videos while pretending to be another person, nor can they impersonate an existing news channel.These new guidelines for fan accounts should help YouTube clamp down on impersonators. This update should also ensure that viewers won't be misled by the channels they interact with and follow, and creators won't have their name and likeness used for malicious purposes," a YouTube blog post reads.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/youtube-fan-accounts-will-soon-need-a-disclosure-in-the-channel-name-or-handle-035015131.html?src=rss

Warm afternoon sunlight streams through the bay windows. A tree beyond the panes throws shadows across a plush rug, partially covered by an open cardboard box. The bedroom is compact and bright, and it's filled with the remnants of youth: books and family photos line the walls, and the desk drawers are stuffed with drawing paper and school supplies. A skateboard pokes out from under the bed and stuffed animals are tucked into the room's spare spaces. The record player spins soothing, lo-fi music, and you have a long, lazy afternoon to sit in this room, box up its memories, and move on.Simpler Times provides this peaceful environment and invites players to get lost in it. There's a story to unravel just by picking up objects, interacting with them and putting them away for good - the protagonist, Taina, is moving on from her childhood home, onto the next phase of her life, and her past and future come into focus as players explore her bedroom.Even if Simpler Times' idyllic setting doesn't accurately reflect your own childhood bedroom, the developers at Transylvania studio stoneskip have designed a supremely comforting space. Everything about Taina's room feels welcoming and safe: safe to explore, safe to get lost in, safe to fall fully into your thoughts.Simpler Times is a first-person game with an emphasis on music and mood. The soundtrack is a series of original, lo-fi pieces that players control on the room's record player, in a ritual familiar to vinyl owners. Each album runs for a set amount of time before it has to be reset or swapped out: Move the needle to the side, lift the record and carefully put it away, and then reverse the process with a new album. It's a series of intentional actions designed to ground players in the moment, highlighting the beauty of anticipation and slow gestures. It's an effective sequence and emblematic of the game's pace overall.iam8bitSimpler Times' soundtrack is composed by George Pandrea and it includes moments of lyrical poetry written and performed by Taina's voice actor, Maeve Kroeger. There are other static points of interaction around the bedroom, including an instant camera and a scrapbook that provides backstory and suggests areas to clean next, advancing the larger narrative. There is no fail state in Simpler Times and no clock on any action. Dialogue floats in and and out as players explore, the rolling music encouraging reflection as Taina's story passively unfolds.On the surface, Simpler Times sounds similar to Gone Home, the original indie walking simulator," but this comparison isn't quite accurate. For starters, there's no walking in Simpler Times; the bedroom is small and players navigate by looking around and clicking on points of interaction. The game itself was conceived during the pandemic, when developers found themselves trapped in small spaces, with ample time for self-reflection. Simpler Times is a contained, meditative game that actually feels closer to a calming, repetitive experience like Threes than a narrative adventure.iam8bitThe full game takes place over four seasons, in four time periods of Taina's life, but the demo I played at Summer Game Fest was an introduction to her bedroom in present-day, just as she's starting to pack up. The demo left me relaxed and intrigued, and it was a welcome, cozy break from the chaos of a large (but not, like, E3-large) video game event.Simpler Times is being published by iam8bit and it's due to hit Steam in 2024.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/simpler-times-is-the-coziest-game-ive-played-in-a-long-time-173000140.html?src=rss

If the ease of repairs influences your choice in handheld gaming PCs, you might want to consider the ROG Ally. iFixit just finished a teardown of ASUS' machine, and it's noticeably easier to open than Valve's Steam Deck. For one, the battery is much less painful to remove - it mostly involves removing screws where Valve's power pack is glued in. It's also relatively trivial to remove the thumbsticks and their circuit boards on the Ally, so you might have a solution if stick drift becomes a problem. As on the Steam Deck, SSD upgrades are simple if you find a sufficiently tiny drive.The only truly repair-hostile component is the display, iFixit says. There's a lot of adhesive that could make removal difficult without the right tools. That's not a major issue if the entire screen breaks, but may be a hassle if you're trying to put a screen in a new cover.There's one catch: ASUS hasn't committed to offering replacement parts for the ROG Ally. We've asked the company for comment. For now, at least, you'll have to source parts from other users willing to give up working components from otherwise broken devices. iFixit currently sells some official Steam Deck parts, such as screens, button assemblies and storage.While teardowns indicate that the Steam Deck is easier to maintain than you'd expect, Valve discouraged repairs early on. It was concerned that merely opening the system created risks, and that third-party components could cause problems. ASUS isn't inviting do-it-yourself repairs as of this writing, but the modularity may be useful when right to repair policies are becoming more commonplace.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ifixit-teardown-reveals-asus-rog-ally-is-easier-to-pry-open-than-the-steam-deck-165911557.html?src=rss

If younger generations are more likely to feel the effects of climate change, shouldn't they have a say in related government policies? The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) thinks so. It's officially forming its "first-ever" National Environmental Youth Advisory Council. The agency is inviting 16 people aged 18 to 29 to have them influence the agency's approach to environmental issues that affect youth communities.In keeping with the EPA's increasing focus on environmental justice, at least half of the council's overall membership will come from, live in or do most of its work in "disadvantaged" communities where clean air, land and water aren't guaranteed. Youth interested in the panel will have until August 22nd at 11:59PM Eastern to apply, with webinars for would-be applicants on June 30th and August 7th.Agency head Michael Regan argues that it's not practical to address environmental issues without the help of younger people who are often at the "forefront of social movements." The council makes sure that youth play a role in decisions, the administrator adds.Plans for the council were originally unveiled in June 2022, and come several months after the EPA created an Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights. That new division is meant to include "underserved communities" in the regulatory process, Vice President Kamala Harris said at the time. In that light, the youth council is an extension of last year's strategy.The Biden's administration has made the environment a key element of its policy. The wide-ranging Inflation Reduction Act includes $3 billion in environmental justice grants as well as revised (if sometimes stricter) EV tax credits. The youth council won't necessarily lead to major changes in policy, but it makes sense when young adults are more likely to deal with the most severe effects of rising global temperatures than the official rule makers.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/epa-creates-youth-council-to-advise-the-agency-on-climate-change-policy-154558548.html?src=rss

Learn to code." That three-word pejorative is perpetually on the lips and at the fingertips of internet trolls and tech bros whenever media layoffs are announced. A useless sentiment in its own right, but with the recent advent of code generating AIs, knowing the ins and outs of a programming language like Python could soon be about as useful as knowing how to fluently speak a dead language like Sanskrit. In fact, these genAIs are already helping professional software developers code faster and more effectively by handling much of the programming grunt work.How coding worksTwo of today's most widely distributed and written coding languages are Java and Python. The former almost single handedly revolutionized cross-platform operation when it was released in the mid-'90s and now drives everything from smartcards to space vehicles," as Java Magazine put it in 2020 - not to mention Wikipedia's search function and all of Minecraft. The latter actually predates Java by a few years and serves as the code basis for many modern apps like Dropbox, Spotify and Instagram.They differ significantly in their operation in that Java needs to be compiled (having its human-readable code translated into computer-executable machine code) before it can run. Python, meanwhile, is an interpreted language, which means that its human code is converted into machine code line-by-line as the program executes, enabling it to run without first being compiled. The interpretation method allows code to be more easily written for multiple platforms while compiled code tends to be focused to a specific processor type. Regardless of how they run, the actual code-writing process is nearly identical between the two: Somebody has to sit down, crack open a text editor or Integrated Development Environment (IDE) and actually write out all those lines of instruction. And until recently, that somebody typically was a human.The classical programming" writing process of today isn't that different from the process those of ENIAC, with a software engineer taking a problem, breaking it down into a series of sub-problems, writing code to solve each of those sub-problems in order, and then repeatedly debugging and recompiling the code until it runs. Automatic programming," on the other hand, removes the programmer by a degree of separation. Instead of a human writing each line of code individually, the person creates a high-level abstraction of the task for the computer to then generate low level code to address. This differs from interactive" programming, which allows you to code a program while it is already running.Today's conversational AI coding systems, like what we see in Github's Copilot or OpenAI's ChatGPT, remove the programmer even further by hiding the coding process behind a veneer of natural language. The programmer tells the AI what they want programmed and how, and the machine can automatically generate the required code.Building the tools to build the tools allowing any tool to build toolsAmong the first of this new breed of conversational coding AIs was Codex, which was developed by OpenAI and released in late 2021. OpenAI had already implemented GPT-3 (precursor to GPT-3.5 that powers BingChat public) by this point, the large language model remarkably adept at mimicking human speech and writing after being trained on billions of words from the public web. The company then fine-tuned that model using 100-plus gigabytes of GitHub data to create Codex. It's capable of generating code in 12 different languages and can translate existing programs between them.Codex is adept at generating small, simple or repeatable assets, like a big red button that briefly shakes the screen when clicked" or regular functions like the email address validator on a Google Web Form. But no matter how prolific your prose, you won't be using it for complex projects like coding a server-side load balancing program - it's just too complicated an ask.Google's DeepMind developed AlphaCode specifically to address such challenges. Like Codex, AlphaCode was first trained on multiple gigabytes of existing GitHub code archives, but was then fed thousands of coding challenges pulled from online programming competitions, like figuring out how many binary strings with a given length don't contain consecutive zeroes.To do this, AlphaCode will generate as many as a million code candidates, then reject all but the top 1 percent to pass its test cases. The system then groups the remaining programs based on the similarity of their outputs and sequentially test them until it finds a candidate that successfully solves the given problem. According to a 2022 study published in Science, AlphaCode managed to correctly answer those challenge questions 34 percent of the time (compared to Codex's single-digit success on the same benchmarks, that's not bad). DeepMind even entered AlphaCode in a 5,000-competitor online programming contest, where it surpassed nearly 46 percent of the human competitors.Now even the AI has notesJust as GPT-3.5 serves as a foundational model for ChatGPT, Codex serves as the basis for GitHub's Copilot AI. Trained on billions of lines of code assembled from the public web, Copilot offers cloud-based AI-assisted coding autocomplete features through a subscription plugin for the Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio, Neovim, and JetBrains integrated development environments (IDEs).Initially released as a developer's preview in June of 2021, Copilot was among the very first coding capable AIs to reach the market. More than a million devs have leveraged the system in the two years since, GitHub's VP of Product Ryan J Salva, told Engadget. With Copilot, users can generate runnable code from natural language text inputs as well as autocomplete commonly repeated code sections and programming functions.Salva notes that prior to Copilot's release, GitHub's previous machine-generated coding suggestions were only accepted by users 14 to 17 percent of the time. Which is fine," he said. "It means it was helping developers along." In the two years since Copilot's debut, that figure has grown to 35 percent, and that's netting out to just under half of the amount of code being written [on GitHub] - 46 percent by AI, to be exact."[It's] not a matter of just percentage of code written," Salva clarified. It's really about the productivity, the focus, the satisfaction of the developers who are creating."As with the outputs of natural language generators like ChatGPT, the code coming from Copilot is largely legible, but like any large language model trained on the open internet, GitHub made sure to incorporate additional safeguards against the system unintentionally producing exploitable code.Between when the model produces a suggestion and when that suggestion is presented to the developer," Salva said, we at runtime perform [...] a code quality analysis for the developer, looking for common errors or vulnerabilities in the code like cross-site scripting or path injection."That auditing step is meant to improve the quality of recommended code over time rather than monitor or police what the code might be used for. Copilot can help developers create the code that makes up malware, the system won't prevent it. We've taken the position that Copilot is there as a tool to help developers produce code," Salva said, pointing to the numerous White Hat applications for such a system. Putting a tool like Copilot in their hands [...] makes them more capable security researchers," he continued.As the technology continues to develop, Salva sees generative AI coding to expand far beyond its current technological bounds. That includes taking a big bet" on conversational AI. We also see AI-assisted development really percolating up into other parts of the software development life cycle," he said, like using AI to autonomously repair a CI/CD build errors, patch security vulnerabilities, or have the AI review human-written code.Just as we use compilers to produce machine-level code today, I do think they'll eventually get to another layer of abstraction with AI that allows developers to express themselves in a different language," Salva said. Maybe it's natural language like English or French, or Korean. And that then gets compiled down' to something that the machines can understand," freeing up engineers and developers to focus on the overall growth of the project rather than the nuts and bolts of its construction.From coders to gabbersWith human decision-making still firmly wedged within the AI programming loop, at least for now, we have little to fear from having software writing software. As Salva noted, computers already do this to a degree when compiling code, and digital gray goos have yet to take over because of it. Instead, the most immediate challenges facing programming AI mirror those of generative AI in general: inherent biases skewing training data, model outputs that violate copyright, and concerns surrounding user data privacy when it comes to training large language models.GitHub is far from alone in its efforts to build an AI programming buddy. OpenAI's ChatGPT is capable of generating code - as are the already countless indie variants being built atop the GPT platform. So, too, is Amazon's AWS CodeWhisperer system, which provides much of the same autocomplete functionality as Copilot, but optimized for use within the AWS framework. After multiple requests from users, Google incorporated code generation and debugging capabilities into Bard this past April as well, ahead of its ecosystem-wide pivot to embrace AI at I/O 2023 and the release of Codey, Alphabet's answer to Copilot. We can't be sure yet what generative coding systems will eventually become or how it might impact the tech industry - we could be looking at the earliest iterations of a transformative democratizing technology, or it could be Clippy for a new generation.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/natural-language-programming-ais-are-taking-the-drudgery-out-of-coding-140015594.html?src=rss

Google's entry-level Pixel phone is already a good value, but it's now a much better deal if you're also looking for wireless audio. Amazon is selling a bundle that combines the Pixel 7a with free Pixel Buds A-Series for the same $499 you'd pay for the phone by itself. The promo doesn't cover the Sea blue model and lasts until July 9th at 2:59AM Eastern, but there are otherwise no catches - this may be just what you need to soundtrack your commute or a long summer walk.The Pixel 7a is our favorite midrange Android phone, and it's not hard to see why. You're getting nearly the same capabilities as the standard Pixel 7 for $100 less, including the Tensor G2 chip, a smooth 90Hz display and wireless charging. While the cameras aren't quite on par, you'll still get exceptional photo quality that beats some more expensive rivals. Add a healthy OS update policy and long battery life and you might not need anything more. The only catches are the slow wireless power and the lack of storage options beyond 128GB.The Pixel Buds A-Series, meanwhile, are surprisingly impressive even at their usual price. They provide well-balanced sound, a comfortable fit and tight Google Assistant integration (such as translating conversations). There's no wireless charging or active noise cancellation, but that's expected in this price class. For free, they're virtually unbeatable.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/google-pixel-7a-bundle-with-pixel-buds-a-series-is-100-off-at-amazon-132623671.html?src=rss

The original free-to-play battle royale game Call of Duty: Warzone (now known as Warzone Caldera) will shut down definitively on September 21st. That will allow developers to focus on "future Call of Duty content including the current Warzone (originally called Warzone 2.0) free-to-play experience," Activision wrote in a blog post.All gameplay, player progression, inventories and online services will expire on that date. However, any Caldera content purchased in Modern Warfare, Black Ops Cold War or Vanguard will still be accessible in those games.Warzone came along in 2020, featuring two gameplay modes (battle royale and plunder) plus a single map called Verdansk that supported up to 150 players at a time. It shared a battle pass, weapons and cosmetics with 2019's Modern Warfare. It was an immediate success, reportedly hitting 30 million players just 10 days after launch.The game was renamed Call of Duty: Warzone Caledera (after the 2021 Caledera map) following the release of Warzone 2.0 in November of 2022. Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 was recently renamed simply to Warzone, and Activision is encouraging original Warzone players to jump ship to that title. "Expect a vast amount of gameplay choices across three Battle Royale maps (including Season 04's new map Vondel), as well as Ranked Play, the DMZ Beta featuring five different Extraction Zones, BlackCell offerings, and more," it wrote.Some players aren't pleased, though, citing the fact that earlier battle royale games like Blackout from Black Ops 4 still have operating servers, while the original Warzone won't. Others are displeased that resources are being shunted to Warzone: Mobile, and some have pointed out that they'll lose all their Warzone cosmetics, according to Kotaku.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-original-call-of-duty-warzone-battle-royale-will-shut-down-in-september-125949437.html?src=rss

This episode, Cherlynn is joined by senior reporter Jess Conditt and special guest Michael Fisher to talk about the week of reviews. From the Moto Razr+ to the Pixel Tablet, we look at how these devices fit into our lives and make them better (or worse). Then, we go over the highlights from Summer Games Fest and dig into that Titanic situation.Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!Subscribe!

The July 4th weekend is a time to stand around outside, eating and watching distant fireworks from a backyard. A fire pit is a mighty fine accessory for these festivities, and industry leader Solo Stove just announced a major sale on its line of products to celebrate Independence Day. The sale covers the popular Bonfire 2.0, the extra-large Yukon 2.0, the portable Ranger 2.0 and a whole bunch of bundles and standalone accessories.This is the best sale to-date for Solo Stove fire pits, beating a previous 45-percent off discount back in May to celebrate that other big summer holiday. The sale extends to sets which typically include a fire pit, a stand, a cover or shield, a handle, a lid and various tools for roasting and grilling over an open flame. You'll find the steepest discounts on the Bonfire Backyard Bundle and the Bonfire Ultimate Bundle, both of which are just about half off. Solo Stove products are consistently well-reviewed, so if you want to stand around an open flame this summer, this might be your best bet.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/solo-stove-fire-pits-and-accessories-are-up-to-50-percent-off-for-july-4th-123018163.html?src=rss

You may be able to pay for purchases and get into train stations without having to physically touch your phone to an NFC terminal in the future. The NFC Forum, which defines the standards for NFC, has revealed a roadmap for key research and plans for near field communication through 2028. Apparently, one of the main priorities for the future of the technology is to increase its range. At the moment, NFC only works if two enabled devices are within 5 millimeters from each other, but the group says it's currently examining ranges that are "four to six times the current operating distance."That's 30 millimeters or 1.18 inches at most, but it could enable faster transactions and fewer failed ones overall, seeing as a longer range also means there's a lower precision requirement for antenna alignment. In addition, the forum is looking to improve the current NFC wireless charging specification of 1 watt to 3 watts. The capability will bring wireless charging to "new and smaller form factors," the forum said, but didn't give examples of what those form factors could look like.Another potential future NFC capability will support several actions with a single tap. Based on the sample use cases the forum listed - point-to-point receipt delivery, loyalty identification and total-journey ticketing - we could be looking at the possibility of being able to validate transit tickets or venue tickets for the whole family with just one tap or a single device. NFC-enabled smartphones could have the power to serve as point-of-sale devices in the future, as well. Apple's Tap to Pay feature already lets iPhone owners use their phones as payment terminals. But a standardized capability would allow more people, especially in developing countries where Android is more prevalent, to use their devices to offer payments for their small businesses and shops.These plans are in varying stages of development right now, with some further along than others. The forum doesn't have a clear timeline for their debut yet, but it said that the timeframe for its plans spans two to five years.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nfc-tech-could-get-faster-and-go-fully-contactless-within-the-next-five-years-120519452.html?src=rss

It's something that's drilled into you from the first essay you write in school: Always check your sources. Yet, New York attorney Steven Schwartz relied on ChatGPT to find and review them for him - a decision that's led a judge to issue a $5,000 fine to him, his associate Peter LoDuca and their law firm Levidow, Levidow and Oberman, The Guardian reports. Schwartz used it for a case in which a man was suing Colombian airline Avianca alleging he was injured on a flight to New York City. In this case, ChatGPT produced six cases as precedent, such as "Martinez v. Delta Airlines" and "Miller v. United Airlines," that were either inaccurate or simply didn't exist.In the decision to fine Schwartz and co., Judge P Kevin Castel explained, "Technological advances are commonplace and there is nothing inherently improper about using a reliable artificial intelligence tool for assistance. But existing rules impose a gatekeeping role on attorneys to ensure the accuracy of their filings." Basically, you can use ChatGPT for your work but at least check its claims. In not doing so, the lawyers had "abandoned their responsibilities," including when they stood by the fake statements after the court questioned their legitimacy.Examples of ChatGPT and other AI chatbots inaccuracies are widespread. Take the National Eating Disorder Association's chatbot that provided people recovering from eating disorders with dieting tips or ChatGPT wrongly accusing a law professor of sexual assault using a non-existent article from The Washington Post as proof.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/us-lawyers-fined-5000-after-including-fake-case-citations-generated-by-chatgpt-114041179.html?src=rss

Would you watch two billionaires tussle in a cage match? What if it was the owners of Facebook and Tesla? This all started when Elon Musk said he was "up for a cage match if he [Zuckerberg] is," in response to tweets about Meta's incoming Twitter rival. Musk responded. Mark Zuckerberg posted a screenshot of the exchange as a story on his Instagram account with the note: "Send Me Location." Zuckerberg has been training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu for around a year now, and his efforts have been well documented - he even competed in a tournament back in May and won gold and silver medals. Musk: he said he has a great move called The Walrus. Hmm.- Mat SmithThe Morning After isn't just a newsletter - it's also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.The biggest stories you might have missedHow to make the most of that Instant Pot you just boughtThe best iPhone accessories for 2023 Nintendo's new WarioWare game wants you to move your whole bodyMeta pulls news content from Canadian Facebook and InstagramGoogle's Duet AI can generate custom templates in Sheets E3 2024 and 2025 aren't canceled (yet)An LA commission said the in-person shows were done, but the ESA says otherwise.The Electronic Entertainment Expo hasn't been held in person since 2019. Now, it may not be returning for 2024 or 2025 - at least not at the Los Angeles Convention Center. According to an LA City Tourism Commission planning document shared on ResetEra, the video game trade show has canceled its live event for the next two years.The Electronic Software Association (ESA) seems hesitant to confirm the entire event is canceled: "ESA is currently in conversation with ESA members and other stakeholders about E3 2024 (and beyond)," the group told Engadget. You can still catch up on everything not-E3 from this year at Summer Game Fest, including our first impressions of Sand Land.Continue reading.The next version of Stable Diffusion won't produce spaghetti hands in AI imagesIt was a bit jarring.The next version of the prompt-based AI image generator Stable Diffusion will produce more photorealistic images and be better at, well, making hands look less like a horror show. The announcement appeared in a since-deleted blog post. SDXL 0.9, a follow-up to Stable Diffusion XL, produces massively improved image and composition detail over its predecessor," the blog post read. SDXL can be run locally on your PC if you have a powerful enough machine. It requires a minimum of 16GB of RAM and a GeForce RTX 20 (or higher) graphics card with 8GB of VRAM.Continue reading.Sony plans to keep making smartphones for at least a few more yearsQualcomm has a deal to power Sony handsets in a multi-year deal.SonyYou might not be buying them, but Sony will continue to make them. Sony has struck a multi-year deal with Qualcomm to use Snapdragon platforms to power its handsets. This is an extension of an existing agreement. Sony revealed its latest phone, the Xperia 1 V, just last month. The smartphone's target audience is, once again, photographers and vloggers. Those are relatively niche use cases, though Sony can tap into its camera technology to offer something at least unique. The Xperia 1 V even works as a monitor for compatible Sony Alpha cameras.Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-zuckerberg-v-musk-the-cage-fight-111558709.html?src=rss