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Amazon has announced the dates for its next annual shopping event. Prime Day 2023 will be on July 11th and 12th this year, beginning at 12AM PT/ 3AM ET on Tuesday, July 11th, and concluding at the end of Wednesday, July 12th.Prime Day isn't necessarily a perk of Amazon's subscription service, like access to Prime Video content, but most deals on Amazon during the two-day event are exclusively available to Prime members. The cost of Prime has increased quite a bit since its launch in 2005, and even in the past few years. An annual membership will set you back $139 right now, $20 more than its previous price. (Then again, maybe free phone service could soon sweeten the deal?).Prime Day is typically the best time of the year to get Amazon devices - I'm keeping an eye out for the Kindle Scribe - but we also expect to see worthwhile sales on headphones, robot vacuums, laptops, SSDs and much more. I suggest following Engadget Deals on Twitter for the latest news during Prime Day and sign up for the new Engadget Deals newsletter to get the best deals delivered right to your inbox.- 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 missedEA's 'Immortals of Aveum' is delayed until August 22nd The best immersion blenders you can buyPresident Biden meets with AI tech leaders in San Francisco The best sleep apps and gadgets for a better night's sleep Panasonic S5 IIX camera reviewPower and value in one vlogging packageEngadgetPanasonic launched the S5 II and S5 IIX full-frame cameras, finally embracing phase-detect autofocus to put it on par with rivals. We've already tested the S5 II but now we're looking at what I think is the more interesting model, the S5 IIX. It has an identical design and many of the same features as its sibling, like the new autofocus system and highly effective in-body stabilization. However, it adds a key function: the ability to record high-quality, easy-to-edit ProRes video internally. The new autofocus is good but not quite up to the Sony A7 IV, and it lacks the full-frame 4K 60p video of the Canon R6 II, but it's far better for video than both models, thanks to the ProRes option and other features not in either rival model. Engadget's Steve Dent tests it out.Continue reading.AI-generated music won't win a Grammy anytime soonBut human-written songs with some AI-generated elements might.The Recording Academy CEO, Harvey Mason Jr., said this week that although the organization will consider music with limited AI-generated voices or instrumentation for award recognition, it will only honor songs written and performed mostly by a human."At this point, we are going to allow AI music and content to be submitted, but the Grammys will only be allowed to go to human creators who have contributed creatively in the appropriate categories," Mason said in an interview with Grammy.com. On the other hand, it raises questions about artists like Holly Herndon, who used an AI version of her voice to cover Dolly Parton's Jolene." Or, for that matter, there's the upcoming final" Beatles track that Paul McCartney says will use AI to isolate a garbled recording of John Lennon's voice.Mason acknowledged AI would upend the music industry. AI is going to absolutely, unequivocally have a hand in shaping the future of our industry," Mason said. So, we have to start planning around that and thinking about what that means for us."Continue reading.Apple's expanded self-repair program covers the iPhone 14 and newer MacBooksAnd you won't have to call Apple to finish repairs.Apple is widening its Self Service Repair program to cover its more recent devices. From June 21st, you can get the parts, tools and manuals to fix the iPhone 14 range and the M2 versions of the 13-inch MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. Apple has even expanded component repairs on older models: You can fix the TrueDepth camera and top speaker on iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 models in the US, UK and seven European countries. Crucially, you won't have to call Apple to finish your repairs. The System Configuration tool, which verifies and authenticates fixes with official parts, now works simply by putting a device into Diagnostics mode and following instructions.Continue reading.The best midrange smartphones for 2023Who says greatness has to be expensive?A great smartphone doesn't have to cost a fortune. Features once exclusive to high-end devices - including big batteries, multi-camera arrays and high refresh rate displays - are moving down to their more affordable siblings. While there are still some things you'll only find on flagship smartphones, you don't have to compromise as much anymore. If you have less than $600 to spend, you still have some decent options.Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-amazon-prime-day-kicks-off-july-11th-111557870.html?src=rss

You can get your kid a new e-reader or tablet at a discount from Amazon right now if you're looking to stoke their love of reading or just simply want to get them a new toy. The 8GB Kindle Paperwhite Kids is currently on sale for $90 for Prime members, which is 44 percent off its list price of $160. That's a new all-time low for the e-reader that only sold for as low as $100 in the past. Paperwhite for Kids is simply just the ordinary version of the e-reader that comes bundled with a cover, a screen protector and a year-long subscription to Amazon Kids+. The company's subscription service for children gives them access to thousands of child-friendly books, including the complete Harry Potter series.If you want a multi-purpose device instead, Amazon's Fire tablets for kids are also on sale for Prime members for up to 50 percent off. You can get the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Pro tablet for only $75 instead of $150 and the Amazon Fire 7 Kids Tablet for $55 instead of $110. The 8-inch Pro tablet comes with 32 GB of internal storage, while the latter comes with 16GB. All the Fire tablets ship with sturdy covers, and all of them come bundled with a year-long subscription to the Amazon Kids+ service, where children could find age-appropriate apps, videos, books and games. They also have parental controls you can use to filter content based on your kid's age.Finally, you can also pick up an Echo Dot with a cool dragon or owl design for $28. That's also the lowest we've seen the smart speaker go for on the website, where it usually sells for $60. Alexa will automatically switch to kid-friendly responses on this speaker, though your children could choose to customize the assistant so that it speaks in pretend dragon or owl voices. The device also comes with a year-long subscription to Amazon Kids+, giving your children access to age-appropriate Audible books, interactive games and educational Alexa skills. All the devices on sale ship with a two-year worry-free guarantee - simply put, if it breaks within two years, Amazon will replace it.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/amazon-sale-drops-the-kindle-paperwhite-echo-dot-and-fire-tablets-for-kids-to-all-time-lows-105536967.html?src=rss

Twitch has overhauled its mature content policies, switching from a general toggle to specific categories describing what viewers can expect. The new Content Classification Labels are mature-rated games, sexual themes, significant profanity or vulgarity, gambling, violent and graphic depictions and, lastly, drugs, intoxication or excessive tobacco use.The ratings apply to both the game and you. For example, if you're playing a mature-rated game, Twitch will automatically label it as such. But, if you're playing an E-rated game and excessively swearing, you will need to mark your stream as having significant profanity or vulgarity. In general, it's pretty obvious when to use a label based on their names, but Twitch's Content Classification Guidelines break down when to use each one in incredible detail (from pose examples to categorizing swear words). The rules around what's not allowed on streams have stayed the same.You can access Content Classification Labels in the Stream Manager's "Edit Stream Info" section below the language control. A pull-down menu will show the six options with a short description following each. All you need to do is click whichever applies to your current stream and, if it changes, add or remove them as you go.TwitchKeep in mind that whatever labels remain checked when you end a stream will be automatically applied to your next one unless you unclick them. You can report users to Twitch (and vice versa) for not including required labels, and if Twitch agrees, they will issue a warning.While these new Content Classification Labels are already available to use, Twitch is giving everyone an adjustment period of sorts. You can still get warnings, but Twitch will only start tallying them after July 20. At that point, "repeated warnings" will likely still not get you suspended with Twitch, instead opting to lock certain classifications onto your account for a set amount of days or weeks.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/twitch-replaces-its-mature-content-mode-with-more-granular-labels-100501056.html?src=rss

TikTok has enjoyed a significant advantage over Instagram Reels in that anyone can download a TikTok video and post it to another social media network - something that helps draw new users to the platform. Now, Instagram has finally gained that ability, according to a post by CEO Adam Mosseri (using the new broadcast channels feature) spotted by TechCrunch.The feature is only available to US users on mobile for now, and only for public and not private accounts. At the same time, users with public accounts can choose a setting that blocks users from downloading their Reels. To use the feature, you tap on the "Share" icon for a given Reel and select "Download."EngadgetAn image posted by Mosseri (top) appears to show that downloaded Reels will be watermarked with the Instagram logo and name of the account, much as TikTok does. YouTube also started adding watermarks to Shorts videos created on desktop, likely also as a way to bring attention to its short video feature.Instagram now appears to be taking the same tack, likely also seeing it as a way to ensure people see Reels on other social media networks. It's not going out of its way to accommodate videos from rival platforms, though. The Meta-owned company allows TikTok and other videos to be uploaded, but its algorithms stopped promoting any watermarked videos from rivals back in 2021.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/instagram-finally-lets-users-download-reels-093425845.html?src=rss

While most subreddits that went dark to oppose the website's API changes are now live and active again, some moderators aren't done protesting the changes on the platform. As The Verge reports, several popular subreddits that historically prohibited porn have started allowing users to post NSFW or Not Safe For Work content. These communities include r/interestingasfuck, r/TIHI (Thanks, I Hate It), r/mildlyinteresting and r/videos.In r/TIHI's case, for instance, a stickied post says the subreddit is removing a rule that forbids extreme NSFW content and will now welcome them, as long as they're legal under US law. A similar post on r/interestingasfuck lists a smaller and less restrictive set of new rules, including labeling whether a post is NSFW or not and prohibiting sexual content with minors. By allowing their subreddits to be filled with posts deemed not safe for work, the moderators have made sure that Reddit can't monetize them. NSFW subreddits haven't been eligible for ad targeting in years, and the website doesn't allow ads for adult-oriented products, as well.Reddit's response to the situation has been swift - administrators have reportedly removed whole moderating teams for communities that have labeled themselves NSFW. If you take a look at the r/interestingasfuck and r/TIHI subreddits, you'll see that their moderator boxes are empty, save for a note that says "This subreddit is unmoderated. Visit r/redditrequest to request it." Reddit spokesperson Tim Rathschmidt told The Verge: "Moderators incorrectly marking a community as NSFW is a violation of both our Content Policy and Moderator Code of Conduct."The other subreddits mentioned now have a full moderating team and no longer have explicit posts. It's unclear whether the mods themselves decided to go back to regular programming or whether they were forced to do so. Several r/mildlyinteresting moderators told the publication that while it's true they were locked out of their subreddits by a Reddit admin, they were reinstated by a different administrator. Said admin reversed the seven-day suspension they got, as well.All these events stemmed from Reddit's decision to start charging access to its API. Reddit was originally targeting companies scraping the website for content used to train Large Language Models for generative AI, but its decision also affects thousands of third-party clients and apps that tie into the platform, including ones with moderation tools. Thousands of communities protested the move by setting their subreddits private and making them inaccessible.Reddit CEO Steve Huffman, however, was unmoved by the protest and told the NPR: "It's a small group that's very upset, and there's no way around that. We made a business decision that upset them." He also told NBC News that he plans to allow ordinary users to vote moderators out more easily based on their decisions. A company representative echoed that sentiment in a post on the website and added: "If a moderator team unanimously decides to stop moderating, we will invite new, active moderators to keep these spaces open and accessible to users"This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/popular-subreddits-welcomed-porn-content-to-protest-reddits-api-changes-061033337.html?src=rss

It looks like Fake Drake won't be taking home a Grammy. Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said this week that although the organization will consider music with limited AI-generated voices or instrumentation for award recognition, it will only honor songs written and performed mostly by a human."At this point, we are going to allow AI music and content to be submitted, but the Grammys will only be allowed to go to human creators who have contributed creatively in the appropriate categories," Mason said in an interview with Grammy.com. If there's an AI voice singing the song or AI instrumentation, we'll consider it. But in a songwriting-based category, it has to have been written mostly by a human. Same goes for performance categories - only a human performer can be considered for a Grammy. If AI did the songwriting or created the music, that's a different consideration. But the Grammy will go to human creators at this point."The CEO's comments mean the fake Drake / The Weeknd song Heart on My Sleeve," which went viral earlier this year before getting wiped from streaming platforms over copyright takedowns, wouldn't be eligible. Another AI-generated scammer sold fake Frank Ocean tracks in April for a reported CAD 13,000 ($9,722 in US dollars), while Spotify has been busy purging tens of thousands of AI-made songs from its library.On the other hand, it raises questions about artists like Holly Herndon, who used an AI version of her voice for a cover of Dolly Parton's Jolene." (The AI-generated performance would suggest not, but would the fact that it's her own voice make a difference?) Or, for that matter, there's the upcoming final" Beatles track that Paul McCartney says will use AI to isolate a garbled recording of John Lennon's voice. And would Taryn Southern, who (also transparently) used AI to co-produce her 2018 debut album, be eligible? We reached out to the Recording Academy for clarification about these examples and will update this article if they respond.Awards or not, Mason acknowledged that AI would upend the music industry. AI is going to absolutely, unequivocally have a hand in shaping the future of our industry," Mason said. So, we have to start planning around that and thinking about what that means for us. How can we adapt to accommodate? How can we set guardrails and standards? There are a lot of things that need to be addressed around AI as it relates to our industry." The CEO added that the Recording Academy recently held a summit with industry leaders, tech entrepreneurs, streaming platforms, and people from the artist community" to discuss AI's future. We talked about the subject and discussed how the Recording Academy can be helpful: how we can play a role and the future of AI in music."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai-generated-music-wont-win-a-grammy-anytime-soon-211855194.html?src=rss

A US Senate committee is investigating Amazon's warehouse safety practices. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, sent a letter to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy today, initiating the probe. Sanders urged Jassy to address health and safety issues at the company's warehouses and requested additional information about its response to various safety issues. In a statement to Engadget, Amazon said, We've reviewed the letter and strongly disagree with Senator Sanders' assertions," while adding that it has extended an invitation for the Senator to tour one of its facilities.Sanders' nearly 2,400-word letter takes the retailer to task for reported injuries and unsafe practices at its warehouses. The company's quest for profits at all costs has led to unsafe physical environments, intense pressure to work at unsustainable rates, and inadequate medical attention for tens of thousands of Amazon workers every year," Sanders wrote. At every turn - from warehouse design and workstation setup, to pace of work requirements, to medical care for injuries and subsequent pressure to return to work - Amazon makes decisions that actively harm workers in the name of its bottom line."The letter contrasts Amazon's history of warehouse injuries and safety complaints with its $1.3 trillion market value, founder Jeff Bezos' net worth of nearly $150 billion and Jassy's $289 million in compensation over the last two years. It cites figures from the Strategic Organizing Center (SOC), a coalition of North American labor unions, that paint the company's patterns as uniquely dangerous." In 2022 alone, Amazon warehouse workers suffered nearly 39,000 injuries, 95 percent of which were so serious that they required workers to either lose time at work or switch to modified duty," Sanders wrote. Amazon's rate of serious injuries at its warehouses, at 6.6 injuries per 100 workers, was more than double the rate at non-Amazon warehouses. And despite constituting only a little more than a third of the warehouse workers in the country, Amazon workers suffered more serious injuries than all of the other warehouse workers in the United States combined."In an email to Engadget, Amazon disputed SOC's data. There will always be ways for our critics to splice data to suit their narrative, but the fact is, we've made progress and our numbers clearly show it. Since 2019, we've reduced our rate of recordable injuries across our global network by more than 23%, and we've reduced our Lost Time Incident Rate by 53%. This is easily verifiable by examining the data we report to OSHA." In addition, the company highlighted a report detailing its meaningful and measurable progress," while pointing us to a blog post regarding its efforts to help combat the effects of summer heat.ASSOCIATED PRESSSanders' letter asks Jassy to explain why Amazon's injury rates are significantly higher than the warehouse industry average" despite regulators repeatedly identifying measures Amazon could take to improve safety. It also asks the company to address why Amazon's claims of robotics improving safety don't align with data that says its robotic facilities have 28 percent higher injury rates than non-robotic ones. Finally, it asks for communications about a connection between workers' pace of work and the prevalence of injuries.In addition to his letter, the Senator created a website for current and former Amazon workers to submit stories about their experiences with the company. Sanders asked Jassy to respond by July 5th.This is far from the first complaint about Amazon's safety practices. A company warehouse collapsed in December 2021, spurring Congressional action that described Amazon's response as disappointing" and part of a wholly inadequate safety culture." In response to the collapse, Amazon tweaked its severe-weather strategy but refused to build storm shelters at its warehouses. In addition, federal prosecutors and the US Department of Labor announced an investigation last year over the company's workplace conditions - a move that included OSHA inspections. In April, the SOC said Amazon was responsible for 53 percent of all severe warehouse injuries in the US despite employing around one-third of the country's warehouse workers.When faced with worker injuries, Amazon provides minimal medical care while hiding those injuries from regulators and workers' compensation programs," said Sanders. This system forces workers to endure immeasurable long-term pain and disabilities while Amazon makes incredible profits from their labor. That cannot be allowed to continue."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/us-senate-is-the-latest-to-look-into-amazons-warehouse-safety-practices-200029313.html?src=rss

Roblox has traditionally been most popular among kids and pre-teens, despite it claiming to be a platform for all ages." Now, in a departure from its family-friendly reputation, the company says it will allow creators to make content specifically for users 17 and older. This isn't an insignificant portion of Roblox's user base either - the platform said in its press release Tuesday that in 2022, 38 percent of its daily active users were over 17.In particular, Roblox says that creators will be able to feature more mature themes and storylines in TV shows and stand-up comedy." According to the company, this may include violence, blood, crude humor, romantic themes and alcohol. Players may see unplayable" gambling content as well, though it is not immediately clear what that would entail. We have asked Robox to clarify.To access this content you'll need to verify your age by uploading a photo of your driver's license or ID along with a selfie to verify that you are who you say you are. Roblox says that this system will provide greater confidence in people's age and identity," and that more age verification methods may be added in the future.Eligible creators can start making these experiences starting today. These experiences will start rolling out to eligible" users in the coming weeks. Roblox says that its goal is to provide a safe and engaging experience for people ages 17 or older. The company isn't being specific on what qualifies as an eligible" creator or user. We've reached out to Roblox for comment and will update this story if we've heard back.Roblox has traditionally marketed itself to younger audiences. For example, earlier this year, the company partnered with Razer to release kid-specific Roblox Edition gaming gear. But with a little over a third of that user base being over the age of 17, it makes sense that the company wants to provide more content geared toward adults.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/roblox-now-allows-creators-to-build-content-for-people-17-and-older-195024163.html?src=rss

Apple is widening its Self Service Repair program to cover its more recent devices, and it's reducing some of the hassles in the process. As of June 21st, you can get the parts, tools and manuals needed to fix the iPhone 14 range as well as the M2-based versions of the 13-inch MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. You can also fix the TrueDepth camera and top speaker on iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 models in the US, UK and seven European countries. M1-based desktops like the iMac are also included, Apple says.Crucially, you won't have to call Apple to finish your repairs. The System Configuration tool, which verifies and authenticates fixes with official parts, now works simply by putting a device into Diagnostics mode and following instructions. While staff will still be on hand if needed, they're now strictly optional. The tool is vital for a fully functional device as it not only calibrates parts, but ties biometrics (such as Face ID and Touch ID) to the Secure Enclave.The program effectively gives users many of the repair resources previously limited to Apple technicians. You can buy necessary components and either buy or rent necessary tools. While it's potentially expensive, it may be more viable than conventional support if you're comfortable with fixing electronics and don't want to send your hardware to someone else. This may be particularly helpful if you don't live close to an Apple-certified repair shop.As before, Self Service Repair isn't an entirely altruistic gesture. The company is facing increasing pressure from national and state governments that are passing Right to Repair laws and regulations. The European Union wants to mandate replaceable batteries, for instance. Apple's program potentially heads off legal trouble alongside efforts that include easier-to-repair devices.Apple isn't alone. Samsung, Google and others have similar initiatives either in-house or through alliances with do-it-yourself companies like iFixit. Although self-repair isn't practical for many people, the option is now relatively commonplace.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-expanded-self-repair-program-covers-the-iphone-14-and-newer-macbooks-193435980.html?src=rss

Spotify has really let its desktop app go in recent years, throwing most of its resources at the mobile apps and certain vaccine-hating podcasters. However, the desktop side of things just received a major overhaul in what the company is calling one of the biggest revamps yet" to bring the standalone app and web app up to speed with more popular smartphone-based cousins. After all, Spotify was originally a browser-based experience even before it made its way to fancy phones.The main content area remains unchanged, with the same access to browsing and recommended songs and podcasts, but the left-side of the app window now features the recently-launched Your Library" feature, which the company started testing a few months back. This gives you immediate access to saved music and podcast collections, helping to save time when switching between playlists. You can now collapse the library for a compact view, which is always nice.There's also a new Now Playing" view on the right side of the screen that displays the current content you are listening to, complete with biographical information on the artist. Additionally, this field gives you access to purchase merchandise directly from the artist and take a peak at any upcoming tour dates. Some podcasts will also automatically populate a transcript via this field as you listen.The Friend Activity" feed moved to make room for the new stuff, but you can move it back. Just look for the friends" icon next to your profile picture at the top-right corner of the main content area and drag and drop to bring the feed back to its former glory. You can also completely remove both the "Friends Activity" and "Now Playing" windows for a streamlined look.All of these changes come with an eye-catching splash of paint to make everything look and feel like the smartphone versions of the app. The update rolls out today to all desktop users worldwide. This is a big day for the streaming service, as it just announced that comedian Trevor Noah signed a deal for a weekly talk show and rumors continue to swirl regarding a forthcoming hi-fi audio tier. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/spotify-desktop-app-gets-a-new-look-and-upgraded-library-features-184540624.html?src=rss

While lawmakers in the House (and soon, the Senate) call for a "blue-ribbon commission" to study the potential impacts of AI on American society, President Biden on Tuesday met with leaders in the emerging field to discuss and debate the issue directly. The President met with Tristan Harris, executive director of the Center for Human Technology; Fei-Fei Li, Co-Director of Stanford's Human-Centered AI Institute; and Jennifer Doudna, Professor of Chemistry at UC Berkeley, among others, at the Fairmont hotel in San Francisco.Staying atop the growing swell of AI technology advancements in recent months and years, specifically the emergence of generative AI systems, has become a focal point for the Biden administration. Generative AI systems hold the promise to revolutionize many sectors of the economy and drastically reimagine the nature of modern office work. However, those same systems could just as likely wipe out entire professions, as the fields of digital art and journalism are now experiencing.The White House announced a $140 million investment in May to establish seven new National AI Research Institutes and has begun investigating the technology's use in business. As the White House chief of staff's office toldAP, top White House staff meet regularly on the subject, two to three times each week. Biden himself has reportedly met with multiple subject matter experts and technical advisors on the subject to discuss, "the importance of protecting rights and safety to ensure responsible innovation and appropriate safeguards."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/president-biden-meets-with-ai-tech-leaders-in-san-francisco-182140363.html?src=rss

Immortals of Aveum, a fantasy first-person shooter that EA is publishing under its Originals umbrella, was one of our highlights at Summer Game Fest earlier this month. Unfortunately, you'll need to wait a bit longer than expected until you can dive into Ascendant Studios' upcoming game. The developer has delayedImmortals of Aveum until August 22nd, a month after it was previously scheduled to arrive."In order to realize our full vision, we are going to take a few extra weeks, making our new launch date Tuesday, August 22nd," game director Bret Robbins and the Ascendant team wrote in a blog post. "This will give us time to further polish the game, finish optimizing all platforms and deliver a strong launch. We owe it to ourselves and to you to get this right."Ascendant, which counts several former EA and Telltale developers among its ranks, started work on its first project as a self-funded studio five years ago. Although Immortals of Aveum is a first-person shooter, it eschews guns for magic. You'll have an array of spells at your disposal.Immortals of Aveum is one of the first major games built in Unreal Engine 5 (UE 5.1, to be precise) to be released and the visuals certainly look impressive. However, during our hands-on preview at Summer Game Fest, Engadget Senior Editor Jessica Conditt ran into a bug that temporarily broke the game when a door failed to open. Here's hoping Ascendant can use the extra time to squish that bug and work out any other kinks.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/eas-immortals-of-aveum-is-delayed-until-august-22nd-180133135.html?src=rss

Did you ever get to the end of Wizard of Oz and have notes - the nagging intuition that you could have taken down all those pesky flying monkeys or handled the backstabbing intricacies of Munchkin guild politics more effectively than Dorothy and her band of misfits did in the books? Thanks to the new AI storytelling platform Hidden Door, which plops players into TTRPG-like adventures based in their favorite literary universes, you'll soon have the chance to walk the Yellow Brick Road however you see fit.What's behind (hidden) door number oneHidden Door is both the company and the game. Hidden Door, the company, was co-founded by Hilary Mason, who is also CEO, and Matt Brandwein in 2020 with a mission to inspire creativity through play with narrative AI." The staff is split nearly evenly between machine learning engineers and traditional game designers, Mason told Engadget.Hidden Door, the game, is the company's currently-in-development social roleplaying narrative AI project. [We are] trying to take all the joys of a tabletop game and allow you to play it without all the friction [of having to do it physically], and AI is the technology enabling that," Mason said.Leveraging the capabilities of large language models and procedural generation systems, Hidden Door creates immersive RPG campaigns using the player's preferred IP - it could be Wizard of Oz, as was released on Monday, or Star Trek, Old Man's War, Dungeon Crawler Carl or Agatha Christie's assembled murder mystery library. (Just so long as the IP owner agrees to license their proprietary universe for use, which the latter four have not, the former of which has been dead long enough for it to no longer matter.)We solve a fundamentally different, technical problem than what you would see if you were just plugging content into an LLM like ChatGPT," Mason said. There, what you do is take an unstructured text prompt and put it into a model which is largely a black box."GPT-3 came out a few months into our project and it was clearly incredibly biased - uncontrollable and ... not useful in doing something like keeping a story on the rails," she explained. The core of our design came from that initial desire to build a safe, controllable system for telling amazing stories.We realized that if we were able to accomplish our safety goals," she continued, we would also be able to create something controllable enough that authors would be comfortable allowing people to play in their worlds."The building blocks of a cursed villageTake The Wizard of Oz, for example - a public domain series originally written in 1904 by L. Frank Baum that spans 14 books in total. Hidden Door has adapted that corpus of text into an immersive in-game universe that the user, and up to three teammates, can explore. The system does so by taking unstructured inputs from the players and mapping them to the Hidden Door game state, which is essentially a game engine that represents in a database the characters, locations, items, relationships, and their conditions," Mason explained.Each player starts out making a character sheet to establish their avatar's stats and backstories. From there, the system will incorporate that data, as well as the users' responses to in-game prompts to generate a story. Rather than create each scenario for each story from scratch every time, the story engine works on what are essentially pre-computed tropes, Mason explained, We call them 'story thread templates' and they're at the level of things like ... a cursed village. Your objective for the scene is to figure out where the curse is coming from and resolve it."Hidden DoorThe templates serve as the basic building blocks of the story, establishing the narrative, providing structure for the players to explore and interact with the scene, and ultimately helping define when the story ends. The village curse, you don't know what it is," Mason said. You don't know who has cursed the village or why, so it sets those things up and then it lets you loose so you explore, you interact, you set things up."Every template is either handwritten or generated and hand-edited by a person. The team has already created thousands of such templates. By stringing three or four such templates together, the game can create a compelling narrative arc that allows players to deeply explore these universes but while maintaining strong content and safety guardrails.Safety (and inclusivity) firstWe've already seen way too many examples of what goes wrong when you let a chatbot off its leash. Whether it's spouting Nazi propaganda or making incorrect claims about space telescopes, today's large language models are highly susceptible to veering unbidden into hate speech, hallucinating" facts, and on occasion, bullying people into suicide. These are all issues you don't want popping up in an all-ages game, so there are many things you cannot say while playing.You cannot submit anything you want," Mason said. The system will generate suggested actions based on what the player writes, but will not accept the written input directly. The system will even give feedback and comment on what the player is suggesting, it might say, Oh, no one's ever tried that before' or that's gonna be really hard for you,'" she continued, but any action suggested by the system can be pre-approved.There is no word ever in one of those constructed sentences that's not in our dictionary," Mason said. That gives us control, both for safety and for preventing inappropriate content - like, if you were to type in, I joined the Nazis,' it would reply with, you get a bowl of nachos.' We're not gonna let you do that - and also, for keeping the story inside the bounds of believability for the in-game world."Hidden DoorThe company's adherence to inclusivity is also easily recognizable in the character creation process. We made a very deliberate decision to pull things out where we thought a model might inject bias [like a character's pronouns]," Mason said, such that they are essentially on a pre-computed distribution."That is, there is no machine learning associated with it, they're hard coded into the gameplay. Things like roles are in no way coupled to your avatar, your skills or anything like that. You decide your pronouns and they're respected throughout the system," she said. There's no machine learning model that is deciding that a doctor should be a he and a nurse should be a she. It'll be randomly assigned."Go ahead, snoop aroundAside from committing war atrocities, telling aristocrats jokes and other forms of mass violence, players can do most anything they want once the game starts. In Oz, each instance starts at the same point in the story, right when Dorothy splatters the Wicked Witch of the East under her house. The players aren't part of Dorothy's direct story but exist in the same time and space. It's the moment most of us think about when we think about that world, which is why we chose it," Mason said.But from there, the player's decisions and actions make the Land of Oz their own. "We think of the world almost as its own character that is collectively growing as people play the story," Mason said. You're discovering new locations that get generated as you're playing these stories and the world grows."And nothing says that you have to follow the conventional off to see the Wizard" storyline. If a player gets to the Munchkin village, looks around and decides to declare themselves mayor, the game will absolutely adapt the story to those new conditions. Instead of completing quests of battling flying monkeys and tipping pails of water, players will be tasked with running political campaigns and winning support from key members of the community. But again, you wouldn't be able to walk into town, declare yourself Warlord and begin summary dissident purges - because those words aren't in Hidden Door's dictionary.We have thread templates that would be, you're persuading a bunch of people to support you in a political race,'" Mason said, And once you are a mayor, you would be able to tell stories that just start in a different place."Those decisions are also persistent within the game instance. Deciding to help (or not) an NPC will impact their opinion of the player and influence their future interactions, for example. What's more, those generated NPCs will reappear in subsequent playthroughs as recurring characters within your specific game instance.You can play as many stories in the same world as you want," Mason said, and everybody's version of the Wizard of Oz will be really different depending on how they play over time." NPCs and other generated assets aren't sharable between groups yet, but that is something the team might look at implementing in the future.In order to prevent playthroughs from getting bogged down in side quests, the Hidden Door team has developed a design philosophy that Mason refers to as Chekhov's Armory." It's basically where the system keeps track of all of the player's in-game decisions and their influences on other assets within the story. Whenever the system needs to move the plot forward, or inject some additional drama to keep the players engaged, it can dip back into the Armory to pull out an earlier plot thread or previously wronged enemy. This also helps the system maintain continuity of the overall storyline and prevent catch-22s from forming.The idea was to create this feeling of the story, where your choices matter, where you have that full agency, but also there are rails moving you forward," Mason said. That's been one of our most frequent design challenges, to adjust how much freedom versus how much we should motivate the story forward."16 secret herbs and language modelsHidden Door's LLM differs significantly from the likes of ChatGPT in that it is not a monolithic model but rather 16 individual ML algorithms, each specialized to address a specific sub-task within the larger generative task.We use a variety of models, some of them were building on open source models, some of them are proprietary," Mason explained. It's not just one big LLM, it's decomposing it into an interpretable system where we can use the best [AI] at the right moment." It also enables the team to quickly plug in and benchmark newly released AI models against the existing system to see if it can improve game quality. Frankly, we design these engines so that game designers and narrative designers can be the ones to come in and tune it, which means we have to give them those knobs"One big question we worked on for a while was a plot-prediction algorithm," Mason continued. So, what should happen next based on the series of actions that is just happened?'" Interestingly the team quickly found that they could generate incredibly dull stories simply by consistently choosing the system's top recommendation - because that choice is invariably, the most obvious thing," that could happen. Conversely, if the system works in too many twists and surprise reveals, the story quickly turns into chaos.This granularity is what enables the designers to tweak the underlying game architecture to work for (example) a light-hearted Pride and Prejudice RPG as well as a grimdark Pride and Prejudice and Zombies version. We think a lot about how our creative colleagues are going to be able to use this system to create the story experiences," Mason said.Gore and smooching are A-OK (but only if it's canon)While the game is designed to be family friendly, Hidden Door's target demographic is the 18-35 age range and, as such, more mature themes are very much on the table top for designers, so long as they make sense within the existing story. For Wizard of Oz, violence is both ok and a major plot point.We work directly with authors and creators and can use as little, or as much, written material as they have," Mason said. We extract the characters, the types of plots, the vocabulary, the elements, the writing style, the locations."Hidden DoorThe team also uses what it calls a sub-genre based model" that helps to generate the formula" of the story. The Wizard of Oz is largely fantasy that has a few additional rules to it, like animals can talk, but there are no dragons or other sort of fantastical creatures." Essentially, the system takes a more general fantasy tale" template and molds it into the specific form of the story, down to the specific rules of the Wizard of Oz universe," Mason said. Authors that license their works for use in the game will be able to dictate not just the initial starting plot points of the story, but the specific behaviors of NPCs and inclusion of story arcs.There is no Adult" story module currently available but in-game physical affection is allowed. You can make them kiss," Mason said. We have a very tasteful fade to black and then you're on to the next scene. The NPC may also reject you if they don't like you or you don't have the kind of relationship. That is something that's very tunable but we try to keep it at the level of relationship in the core material."The future of interactive fandomIt raises the floor for creation dramatically," Mason said of generative AI's broader promise to the game industry, but it doesn't raise the ceiling." We're just beginning to see gen AIs used for improving NPC dialog, Mason points out, and could be as little as a year or two away from seeing a game fully realized" using generative AI. The brilliance of a human with a creative vision is not something we see generally out of these systems and that is in part because of what they are: a compression of a large amount of data and an aspiration to the median."I do think there's a lot of excitement in being able to raise the floor. I think it makes creativity more accessible to a large number of people who may then decide to pursue it in their own way or use it as a tool in their process," she continued. I also think it makes it possible for more people to be fans of things and to have some autonomy in the way they want to interact with creativity that we don't currently have."If you want to try Hidden Door for yourself, you can sign up for the waitlist ahead of future test runs.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/how-do-you-prevent-an-ai-generated-game-from-losing-the-plot-170002788.html?src=rss

Gannett, a news publisher accused of monopolistic behavior, is suing Google for monopolistic behavior. It's the latest in a string of lawsuits against the search giant, and it repeats many of the arguments made by the Department of Justice in its second lawsuit against Google, filed earlier this year. Gannett is the US' largest news publisher. Google has monopolized market trading to their advantage and at the expense of publishers, readers and everyone else," Gannett CEO Mike Reed said toCNBC. Digital advertising is the lifeblood of the online economy. Without free and fair competition for digital ad space, publishers cannot invest in their newsrooms."Gannett, which owns USA Today and various local papers, says Google has overly broad control over the online ad business, leading to diminished ad spending despite growing online readership. The crux of the complaint is that Google owns the largest ad exchange and ad server - both acquired rather than built organically - and that arrangement has led to diminished industry revenue.Content providers, including hundreds of our local news outlets, create enormous value but see none of the financial upside because Google, as middleman, has monopolized the markets for important software and technology products that publishers and advertisers use to buy and sell ad space," Gannett CEO Mike Reed wrote today. Google trades on that conflict of interest to its advantage and at the expense of publishers, readers and everyone else. Our lawsuit details more than a dozen significantly anticompetitive and deceptive acts by Google, starting as early as 2009 and persisting to present day."In a statement to Engadget, Google insisted that its services are popular because they're the best - not due to a lack of competition. These claims are simply wrong. Publishers have many options to choose from when it comes to using advertising technology to monetize - in fact, Gannett uses dozens of competing ad services, including Google Ad Manager," VP of Google Ads Dan Taylor said. And when publishers choose to use Google tools, they keep the vast majority of revenue. We'll show the court how our advertising products benefit publishers and help them fund their content online." Google says the average large publisher will use six different platforms to sell ads on its websites, while advertisers and media agencies will use over three platforms to buy ads. The search giant describes its ad tech fees as transparent and consistent with industry rates.ASSOCIATED PRESSHowever, Gannett's complaints are similar to those of the DOJ, which filed a suit in January (alongside eight states) to break up Google's advertising business. Google's anticompetitive behavior has raised barriers to entry to artificially high levels, forced key competitors to abandon the market for ad tech tools, dissuaded potential competitors from joining the market, and left Google's few remaining competitors marginalized and unfairly disadvantaged," the Justice Department alleged at the time. It was the DOJ's second lawsuit against Google, following one filed in 2020 under former Attorney General Bill Barr, accusing the company of having a monopoly over search and search-related advertising.Gannett's and the DOJ's most recent lawsuits claim Google has stifled competition in the space through acquisitions. Whenever Google's customers and competitors responded with innovation that threatened Google's stranglehold over any one of these ad tech tools, Google's anticompetitive response has been swift and effective," the DOJ said.Gannett is no stranger to monopolistic accusations. Although the company is over 116 years old, it was acquired by New Media Investment Group and merged with GateHouse Media (taking on the Gannett brand) in 2019. Since the merger, Gannett has laid off over half its workforce and shut down numerous local news outlets. In the period immediately following the acquisition, Gannett owned 261 daily and 302 weekly newspapers," according toNieman Lab. By the end of 2022, those totals were 217 daily and 175 weekly newspapers," although some were due to selling papers to local buyers. In addition, the company went from about 25,000 employees at the time of the acquisition to 11,200 in its most recent filing report.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/news-publishing-giant-gannett-sues-google-for-monopolizing-ad-tech-164602826.html?src=rss

Cruise has finally launched an Android app for ridehailing, giving potential customers in San Francisco the option to call one of its robotaxis even if they're not iPhone users. The self-driving car company told Engadget that 20 percent of its waitlisters are on Android, and an app for the platform is one of people's most-requested updates on social media. Cruise's new Android app will come with all the upgrades the iOS app has received since it launched, including the ability to drop a moveable pin on the map by long pressing on the screen.CruiseThe company recently started operating in all areas of San Francisco 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Employees have been able to hail robotaxi rides from across the city at all hours for months, but Cruise opened daytime rides to public "power users" in specific portions of the city back in April. To note, when Cruise secured the first ever driverless deployment permit issued by the California Public Utilities Commission last year, it was only given permission to operate in select areas of San Francisco from 10PM to 6AM.Passengers with Android phones who become power users, or customers who sign up to test beta features and to send feedback to Cruise for free rides, will be able to hail daytime rides. A spokesperson also told us that Cruise is continuing to expand the availability of daytime rides in San Francisco, so even paying customers will eventually be able to use the service. When the company announced its 24/7 operations, Kyle Vogt, its CEO, said that we'll soon see Cruise "open up full operations in other cities." He said "operating robotaxis in SF has become a litmus test for business viability," and that if the technology can work there, "there's little doubt it can work just about everywhere."

You no longer have to hop between apps just to perform some common tasks in Chrome on your iPhone. Google is updating Chrome for iOS with the option to see Maps addresses, create Calendar events and translate specific text without switching to the relevant app. You can find the location of a restaurant, remind yourself to visit that restaurant and decipher the menu all from one place.A future upgrade will also make Google Lens considerably more useful. You'll have the option of searching with your camera, whether to take new pictures or draw from your camera roll. As on Android, this might be helpful if you spot a flower or must-have jacket and want to identify it on the spot. The functionality will be available in the "coming months."You'll still need to use Google's dedicated apps for more advanced functions, such as driving directions in Maps or managing the rest of your itinerary. However, the additions should make Chrome more of a do-it-all app that saves time (and battery life) versus running multiple apps at once. That, in turn, may make Chrome more alluring than Safari as your iPhone's default browser.The expansion comes soon after Google introduced Chrome Actions, or text-based shortcuts for popular browser tasks like clearing your browsing data and checking settings. Google has even been experimenting with using its own web engine in Chrome for iOS if and when Apple loosens its app policies. Simply put, the company is making Chrome more of a power user's tool.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/chrome-on-ios-can-now-show-maps-and-create-calendar-items-without-switching-apps-160028132.html?src=rss

The wheels of government have finally begun to turn on the issue of generative AI regulation. US Representatives Ted Lieu (D-CA) and Ken Buck (R-CO) introduced legislation on Monday that would establish a 20-person commission to study ways to mitigate the risks and possible harms" of AI while protecting" America's position as a global technology power.The bill would require the Executive branch to appoint experts from throughout government, academia and industry to conduct the study over the course of two years, producing three reports during that period. The president would appoint eight members of the committee, while Congress, in an effort "to ensure bipartisanship," would split the remaining 12 positions evenly between the two parties (thereby ensuring the entire process devolves into a partisan circus)."[Generative AI] can be disruptive to society, from the arts to medicine to architecture to so many different fields, and it could also potentially harm us and that's why I think we need to take a somewhat different approach," Lieu told the Washington Post. He views the commission as a way to give lawmakers - the same folks routinely befuddled by TikTok - a bit of "breathing room" in understanding how the cutting-edge technology functions.Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) plans to introduce the bill's upper house counterpart, Lieu's team told WaPo, though no timeline for that happening was provided. Lieu also noted that Congress as a whole would do well to avoid trying to pass major legislation on the subject until the commission has had its time. I just think we need some experts to inform us and just have a little bit of time pass before we put something massive into law," Lieu said.Of course, that would then push the passage any sort of meaningful Congressional regulation on generative AI out to 2027, at the very earliest, rather than right now, when we actually need it. Given how rapidly both the technology and the use cases for it have evolved in just the last six months, this study will have its work cut out just keeping pace with the changes, much less convincing the octogenarians running our nation of the potential dangers AI poses to our democracy.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/lawmakers-seek-blue-ribbon-commission-to-study-impacts-of-ai-tools-152550502.html?src=rss

We've already had a ton of gaming news this month but we're far from done. Annapurna Interactive is hosting its own showcase on June 29th, for one thing. Before that, though, there's the small matter of a Nintendo Direct. The second full-fledged Direct of 2023 will stream on June 21st at 10AM ET on Nintendo's YouTube channel.The showcase will run for around 40 minutes and it will primarily focus on Switch titles that will arrive this year. With Nintendo not planning to release a Switch successor until at least next spring, it makes sense to start padding out the release slate for the rest of 2023. Currently, the only first-party games on the horizon are Everybody 1-2-Switch! (which will arrive on June 30th) and Pikmin 4. We'll learn more about Pikmin 4, which has a release date of July 21st, during tomorrow's Direct.

You no longer need to be at a fixed address if you're craving pizza. Domino's is introducing a Pinpoint Delivery feature in the US that, as the name implies, will send pies to a GPS pin you drop on the map. You can get pizza at the beach, or feed the soccer team without leaving the field. The company tells Engadget that deliveries are available anywhere a restaurant serves, so long as the driver can safely pull over. You won't get a pie while you're at the top of a mountain during a hike, then, but you could have Domino's bring the pie to the trailhead when you've returned to your car.You'll have to pre-pay for your order online and agree to text updates on your driver's status. You can track the delivery person's GPS location as you would with regular deliveries. Sorry, you can't pay cash once the driver arrives. Once they do, you can turn on a "visual signal" on your phone (like you do with some ride-hailing services) to flag them and complete the pickup.The company claims it's the first "quick-service" restaurant chain in the US to offer GPS pin-based deliveries. That's a narrow category, and some delivery apps like Instacart at least offer the option to modify your location once you pick an address. Still, it's clear the company is betting that a rideshare-style approach to delivery could help it win business. You're theoretically more likely to pick Domino's if you know you can get it virtually anywhere, not just at your home or office.Domino's frequently uses technology as a marketing hook. You can already order pizza from your car, or fetch your food from a self-driving delivery vehicle. In that sense, Pinpoint Delivery is just a logical extension of the company's strategy - it's a way to reel in tech enthusiasts who may order from whichever restaurant is the most convenient or novel.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/dominos-can-now-deliver-pizza-almost-anywhere-using-gps-pins-143013196.html?src=rss

Rivian is joining GM and Ford in gaining access to Tesla's Supercharger network. The automaker will offer R1T and R1S owners an adapter to connect their EVs to Supercharger stations as soon as spring of next year. Rivian will also adopt North American Charging Standard (NACS) charge ports as standard in R1 vehicles starting in 2025, as well as in the upcoming R2 platform.The move means that Rivian owners will soon be able to top up their vehicle's battery at more than 12,000 Tesla Superchargers across the US and Canada. Rivian plans to keep expanding its Adventure Network of DC fast chargers too.

Here is your first peek at Cadillac's Escalade IQ. The brand has started to tease the upcoming EV, which it will formally unveil on August 9th. As you might expect, the first glimpse doesn't reveal much about the Escalade IQ. It appears to have LEDs in the grille, including a stylized, digital version of the Cadillac badge.This will be Cadillac's first full-size, completely electric SUV. It follows the mid-sized Lyriq and the Celestiq sedan. The brand is introducing the Escalade IQ as part of its transition to an entirely electric lineup by the end of this decade. The EV is widely expected to use GM's Ultium battery technology.Parent company GM will build the Escalade IQ at its Factory Zero plant in Michigan. GM says $2.2 billion was spent on renovating the facility for an EV-focused future. It's not clear exactly when the first Escalade IQ is expected to roll off the factory floor, but Cadillac has said the vehicle will arrive later this year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cadillac-teases-the-electric-escalade-iq-ahead-of-an-august-9th-reveal-140045265.html?src=rss

Earlier this year, Panasonic launched the S5 II and S5 IIX full-frame cameras, finally embracing phase-detect autofocus that puts it on par with rivals. I've already tested the S5 II and found it to be one of the company's best cameras yet for content creators. Now, we're looking at what I think is the more interesting model, the S5 IIX.It has an identical design and shares many of the same features as its sibling, like the new autofocus system and highly effective in-body stabilization. However, it adds a key function: the ability to record high-quality, easy-to-edit ProRes video internally onto SSDs via the USB-C port. With a bit of rigging, you can record hours of 4K or even 6K video to a relatively inexpensive drive.What's surprising is that the S5 IIX only costs $200 more than S5 II. ProRes RAW is also included for free, whereas it's a $200 upgrade on the S5 II. To see if it's worth that, I shot photos and videos in Paris, Brittany and elsewhere around France.Body and HandlingI've already looked at the S5 II's body and controls, and the S5 IIX has an identical layout - but it's worth revisiting them briefly - particularly in the context of video and content creation.One key difference is the general appearance. The S5 IIX has a distinctive dark design, with a black logo and subtle gray graphics on the controls. The only dash of color to be found is the red record button. Quite a number of bystanders have oohed and aahed over the black-on-black look.Like the S5 II, the X model is a nice handling camera. The grip is large and uses relatively tactile materials, and features a ridge at the ring finger so it won't slip out of your hands. The controls are spot on, with the record button in an easy-to-find location on top. That said, it would've been nice to have another one on the front like the GH6. The menus are also among the best among camera companies (and nearly the same as the GH6), with most settings easy to find.It weighs 714 grams, a bit more than Sony's A7 IV and the Canon EOS R6 II. An external SSD can also add 100 grams or more, making it a bit heavy if you're holding it out at the end of your arm while vlogging.The screen fully articulates for self-shooting and has a sharp 1.84-million-dot display. It features a 3.69-million dot electronic viewfinder with resolution that's comparable to rivals and easily enough to check focus when shooting on a bright day. It has a full-sized HDMI port that's key for a camera with RAW video output, and USB-C for capturing internal video.The S5 IIX also includes dual UHS-II SD card slots, headphone and mic ports, plus the same battery as the original S5, GH6 and other models. You can get about 370 shots on a charge by CIPA stands, fewer than most of its rivals. For video, you can shoot for about 45 minutes at 4K 60p, again, a touch less than rivals.If you're planning to rig the S5 IIX to use SSDs, many folks are using the SmallRig universal holder with a hotshoe mount, though any clamping type device will work (I'm using a smartphone tripod mount from Joby). If you need to use a shotgun microphone along with the SSD, you may need to mount it elsewhere on the camera, though, or use a cage. As for SSDs, Panasonic lists models from Samsung and SanDisk compatible with the GH6 (which has the same USB-C feature) and those should work for the S5 IIX as well. Other high-speed models should work as well.VideoYes, the S5 IIX is a hybrid camera, but video is the main attraction. With high-quality ProRes capture to an SSD, plus RAW video over the HDMI port, it offers a lot of capability for the price.First, let's look at capture via the USB-C port. It supports internal 10-bit ProRes capture to supported SSDs, which is a huge benefit to videographers. Media is relatively cheap, and there's no need to transcode or even transfer footage - you can just hook up an external drive to a PC or Mac and start editing.Image by Steve Dent for EngadgetIn ProRes USB-C mode, there's a strange mix of recording formats. It captures 5.8K 17:9 30p footage in either ProRes HQ (1.6Gbps) or regular ProRes (1.1Gbps), but not at 16:9. It can only capture 17:9 C4K at 60p with a crop, or 30p supersampled video without a crop. But again, not 16:9 Ultra HD. The 17:9 part isn't a huge deal as you can crop the edges, but it's odd considering most vloggers shoot 16:9 UltraHD. Perhaps that's something Panasonic can address in a future update.Luckily, you can capture 16:9 5.9K 25p footage and 4K 60p and 30p at 16:9 in the .MOV format. The latter supports All-I with data rates up to 800Kbps when capturing to USB-C, which is nearly as good as ProRes quality-wise though a bit slower for editing.On top of that, you can record 12-bit ProRes RAW or Blackmagic RAW files to Atomos or Blackmagic recorders via HDMI. It supports recording up to 5.9K 30p at 16:9 and not 17:9, or the rather odd 4.1K 4,128 x 2,176 17:9 format. Again, not a huge issue as you can crop the sides, but also a bit weird.Image by Steve Dent for EngadgetAs with other Panasonic models, you can capture open gate" 6K 3:2 footage that uses every pixel on the sensor. That allows content creators to easily output both horizontal and vertical formats, but also to capture anamorphic video with supported lenses.Finally, you can record to regular old SD UHS-II cards. Where the S5 II is limited to recording longGOP files that aren't very easy to edit, the S5 IIX can do most formats using an All-I codec at up to 600Mbps.So how is the quality of all the video? Mostly excellent, depending on the format. 4K 30p video is supersampled, so it's extremely sharp. Panasonic's colors are accurate, quite natural and easier to work with than Sony's files, I find. Skin tones aren't as flattering as Canon offers, though.4K 60p video is cropped to an APS-C size which isn't ideal, considering Canon's like-priced R6 II has uncropped 4K 60p. Sharpness also drops a hair, as it's pixel-for-pixel instead of supersampled. 5.9K video is also captured on a pixel for pixel basis, but I like that format as it allows for a lot of cropping options.Compared to other mirrorless cameras with the same resolution, it has good low-light capability. The Dual ISO system does a good job keeping noise down at ISOs as high as 12,800 or even 25,600.Image by Steve Dent for EngadgetPanasonic's V-Log delivers extra dynamic range, particularly with ProRes. Of course the best option, quality-wise, is V-Log RAW video. That lets you edit video just as you would with RAW photos, with a lot of room to recover highlights and shadow details. With those things together, the S5 IIX delivers results in line with expensive, professional video cameras.Pros will also appreciate the new hybrid phase-detect autofocus. It's designed to eliminate the wobble inherent in Panasonic's past contrast-detect AF camera, and it does that very effectively.The S5 IIX offers continuous AF modes along with subject tracking, for both humans and animals. It's not quite up to Sony and Canon models like the A7 IV and R6 II, as subject tracking isn't quite as fast or reliable. However, it's as good or better than Nikon and Fujifilm's latest models.Image by Steve Dent for EngadgetThe S5 II has updated in-body stabilization borrowed from the GH6, and it's powerful and impressive - the best on any camera on the market for video. It can't match a gimbal, of course, but the electronic mode smooths out steps much better than the S5, despite some side-to-side sway.It also has a Boost IS" for handheld video with no movement, keeping shots locked off like the camera's on a tripod. One cool feature not seen on too many other cameras is full stabilization support for anamorphic lenses (most types) via a setting.And finally, it supports high audio quality either through the mic port or an XLR adapter that attaches to the hotshoe.PhotographyIf you need to use the S5 IIX for photography from time to time, it's not bad at all. You can shoot at up to 7 fps with the mechanical shutter or 30 fps in electronic mode. The buffer is quite impressive, as it allows for 200 shots in RAW before throttling. Oddly though, a USB-C drive doesn't improve that number much compared to an SD card.The autofocus can keep up as well, but as with video, it's not quite as fast or smart as the AF on recent Sony cameras. It's particularly noticeable when using the AI subject modes - for example, it can lose a subject's eyes if they turn their heads. Tracking is also a bit more limited than Sony and Canon models. Still, for vlogging and most types of content creation, it performs well.The stabilization system is rock solid for photos. And photo quality is outstanding, with dynamic range comparable to Sony and Nikon's latest models. You also get natural looking colors and skin tones. It also shines in low light situations thanks to the stabilization, dual ISO system and relatively large pixels.Wrap-upImage by Steve Dent for EngadgetWhen I reviewed the S5 II earlier this year, I said that its biggest competition would be the X version, and now I'm sure of that. Simply put, this is a $2,200 near-professional camera with the image quality and most of the features a content creator needs.The new autofocus is good but not quite up to the Sony A7 IV, and it lacks full-frame 4K 60p video like the Canon R6 II. It's far better for video than both of those models, though, thanks to the ProRes and other features nowhere to be found in either rival model. And the AF is as good or better than you'll find on like-priced Nikon and Fujifilm models, with the focus wobble of past models a thing of the past.One thing that might give you pause is the L-Mount lens choice and value. However, Panasonic recently lowered the prices on key lenses, including this 24-70m f/2.8 model. It now has 14 of its own lenses, on top of 31 from Sigma. All told, if I was looking for a new camera system for around $2,000, I wouldn't hesitate to grab the S5 IIX.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/panasonic-s5-iix-review-power-and-value-in-one-vlogging-package-133058128.html?src=rss

Rumors about a Spotify HiFi tier have been around since at least 2017, and the company even announced plans to launch such a feature in 2021 - only to back off the next year. Now, the company may finally be ready to launch a high-fidelity plan (dubbed "Supremium" internally) that would be its most expensive tier, according to Bloomberg.The aim would be to drive more revenue and address investor demands that it raise its prices. Spotify reportedly delayed rolling out the plan back in 2021 as two of its primary rivals, Apple Music and Amazon Music, started including the feature for no charge in their standard plans.In addition, Spotify may enhance its regular Premium offering with expanded audiobook access, either through a certain number of free hours per month or a specific number of books (with an option to purchase more). Audiobooks are currently only available on Spotify via individual purchases.There's no word on whether audio would be lossless at up to 24-bit and 192kHz, as it is on Apple Music and Amazon Music. Lossless audio generally doesn't work on Bluetooth speakers or headphones (including Apple's AirPods and AirPods Max), due to the high bandwidth, so users need a wired or WiFi setup.Pricing hasn't been revealed, either. Spotify has kept its Premium plan at $9.99/month in the US, unlike Apple and Amazon, which raised their rates to $10.99. CEO Daniel Ek said in a recent earnings call that the company tries to balance subscriber growth with revenue, so pricing varies by region depending on which of those it's trying to boost. Earlier this month, the company announced that it would cut its staff by two percent, after laying off six percent of its workforce in January.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/spotify-may-finally-be-ready-to-launch-a-premium-hifi-audio-tier-123847826.html?src=rss

You can grab a power bank, a power strip and other charging accessories you may need at a discount right now from Anker's ongoing sale at Amazon. If you're looking for a small every day power bank or one that won't weigh down your bag too much when you travel, then you may want to check out Anker's 511 PowerCore Fusion 5K. The 5,000mAh power bank is currently on sale for $22.49, or 44 percent less than its retail price of $40. It's shaped like a tube of lipstick, though a bit bigger, with a built-in foldable plug that eliminates the need to carry a charger with you.The 511 PowerCore Fusion 5K comes with Anker's PowerIQ 3.0 fast charging feature, and the company says it can charge an iPhone 13 Pro in just 1.3 hours. Also, based on Anker's data, it can retain its maximum battery capacity of 90 percent even after 20 months of being charged once every two days.Anker's Amazon sale also has something for you if you're looking for a magnetic portable battery for your iPhone. The upgraded version of the Anker 622 Magnetic Battery (MagGo) model in Misty Blue is currently on sale for $40, which is 43 percent less than its retail price of $70. It has a 5,000mAh capacity and is only 0.5 inches thick, so you can still use your iPhone with one hand. Plus, it has a built-in kickstand that can prop up your mobile device.If what you really need is a new compact charger, then there's Anker's 521 Charger aka the Nano Pro. It has a 40-watt output and can charge a MacBook Air at full speed - it can also charge an iPad and an iPhone at full speed at the same time. The Nano Pro's list price is $37.67, but you can get it right now for $25.19. Finally, if you're looking for some USB-C-to-Lightning cables with a hard-wearing nylon exterior, Anker has a two-pack for sale, as well. The two-pack bundle for the six-feet cables will set you back $16, or 41 percent less than usual.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/ankers-charging-accessories-are-up-to-44-percent-off-in-amazon-sale-120519469.html?src=rss

Following his departure as host of The Daily Show last December, Trevor Noah is partnering with Spotify to launch a podcast, Variety first reported. Weekly episodes of the yet-to-be-named series should feature "in-depth and freewheeling" discussions with influential figures across the globe.The announcement came during a conversation between Noah and Spotify co-founder and CEO Daniel Ek at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity about connecting with audiences as a creator. Noah said he is excited to "engage in interesting and meaningful conversations with some of the world's most fascinating people. We'll also probably fix every single issue humankind has ever faced so you definitely want to join us for every episode."Noah credited the ability to record a podcast from anywhere in the world as one of the things that attracted him to the medium. The sentiment reflects part of his reasoning behind leaving The Daily Show after seven years: "I miss learning other languages and going to other countries and putting on shows. I miss just being everywhere, doing everything."The news comes only days after Spotify and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex parted ways. The reported $25 million deal led to the creation of a single podcast in three years, Archetypes. Over 12 episodes, Meghan Markle interviewed well-known figures - including Noah - about the stereotypes women face. Unlike Archetypes, which was exclusive to Spotify, Noah's upcoming podcast will be available on other platforms.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/trevor-noah-is-launching-a-weekly-talk-show-podcast-on-spotify-113516329.html?src=rss

Maybe Android tablets aren't dead after all. Maybe they just needed a smart display dock and a beguiling kickstand/hanger... thing to make them more functional. According to Engadget's Cherlynn Low, the $500 Pixel Tablet is not a particularly exciting tablet, but it is an intriguing smart display.EngadgetWith its charging speaker dock and $80 case, Google presents a far more compelling proposition. There are some unusual quirks, especially with Chromecasting, but it's a stylish hybrid display with a lot going for it. Check out the full review right here.- 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 missedApple Watch Series 8 is back on sale for $329The best smart scales for 2023 Opera's generative AI-infused browser is ready for the masses The FCC is preparing to take a 'fresh look' at internet data capsIt's also looking to see if it can legally 'take actions' against them.Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairperson Jessica Rosenworcel wants to open a formal Notice of Inquiry into the impact of internet data caps on consumers. The regulator will also consider "taking action" to ensure data caps don't harm competition or impact access to broadband services."Internet access is no longer nice-to-have, but need-to-have for everyone, everywhere," Rosenworcel said. "When we need access to the internet, we aren't thinking about how much data it takes to complete a task, we just know it needs to get done." Rosenworcel would be unable to take any action on data caps at the moment, though. The FCC currently has just four members (two Democrats and two Republicans), as the Senate refused to confirm President Biden's first nominee, Gigi Sohn, and she subsequently withdrew her name for consideration.Continue reading.The best E Ink tablets for 2023Scribble to your heart's content.EngadgetE Ink tablets combine the feeling of writing in a regular notebook with many of the conveniences of digitized documents. With them, you can take with you and scribble all of your notes on one device. Unlike regular tablets and styli, though, E Ink tablets are nowhere near as ubiquitous - they remain a worthwhile purchase to only a very select group of people. Is that you? And if so, what are your best options?Continue reading.Black Mirror' finds new life in our modern hellscapeSeason six brings plenty of old and new elements to the series.In the three years since Black Mirror's previous season, we've had a global pandemic, watched a US president trigger a mob attack on the Capitol and we're talking about AI everywhere. According to Engadget's Devindra Hardawar, season six of Black Mirror, which hit Netflix last week, is the series at its best: shocking, incisive and often hilarious.Continue reading.Samsung brings its self-repair program to the UKGalaxy S20, 21 and S22 owners can replace the screen, back glass and charging ports.Samsung has announced its self-repair program is now available in the UK and other European countries, after launching in the US last year. Users can access tools and parts needed to fix supported devices, namely the Galaxy S20, S21 and S22 smartphones, along with the Galaxy Book Pro regular and Galaxy Book Pro 360 laptops.In addition to the UK, the program will be available in Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden. Samsung collaborated with iFixit in the US, but parts distributors ASWO and 2Service will handle sales and distribution of the repair kits in Europe.Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-the-verdict-on-googles-pixel-tablet-111558309.html?src=rss

Philips Hue is introducing some new features that make it easier to match brightness levels on different lights and fine-tune motion sensor automation, manufacturer Signify announced. The company also unveiled three new lighting products, including a bulb and two panels, though only in the UK, it appears.The first update is called brightness balancer, developed in response user requests. If you have multiple lights in the same room with different brightness levels, the feature makes it easier to balance them by dimming bright lights more than dim lights. That allows users to create even lighting or "decide which part of the room gets the spotlight when you are syncing to your TV, movies, games or music," Philips said.The other feature enhances the functionality of Philips Hue motion sensors. Right now, the Philips Hue bridge app only supports two time slots for automating light conditions when a sensor detects movement, for instance cool in the morning and warm in the evening. With the update, you'll be able to customize lighting conditions based on motion sensors with a total of 10 times lots when motion is detected. "The natural light scene can be selected as part of these time slots, to mimic the sun throughout the day," the company noted.PhilipsIn the UK, Philips also introduced the E14 luster bulb (30 for a 1-pack or 55 for a 3-pack), based on its smallest golf ball-sized bulb, offering millions of shades of white and color light. It also has a pair of new panel lights, the Surimu panel starting at 210 for the 300x300mm model, along with the Aurelle (above) in black, priced at 150 for a 300x300 panel. All of the lights arrive today in the UK, and the new Hue Bridge features are set to launch in Q3 2023.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/philips-hue-lights-are-getting-brightness-balancing-and-better-motion-sensor-automations-105005772.html?src=rss

Terraform Labs founder Do Kwon is wanted in South Korea and the US for a scheme that lost investors $40 billion when the company's cryptocurrency plummeted last year - but, for now, he will sit in a Montenegrin prison. Kwon has been found guilty on charges of forging official documents and sentenced to four months in jail after a late March arrest while trying to board a flight to Dubai from Podgorica Airport with fake Costa Rican passports, local newspaper Vijesti reported. Han Chang-joon, Terraform Labs' former finance officer, was also charged and sentenced on the same count. The pair were also found to have forged Belgian passports in their luggage, as well as computers sought by both the South Korean and US authorities.Kwon and his associates marketed TerraUSD and Luna as stablecoins pegged to the US dollar, purportedly giving them more, well, stability. They collapsed in May 2022 and took many of their investors' life savings along with them, with these individuals subsequently filing complaints that Kwon had run a Ponzi scheme. South Korea first announced an arrest warrant against Kwon and five associates last September, but he, his family and some of Terraform Labs' finance employees had already fled to Singapore, where the company had registered. Interpol soon put Kwon on the "red notice" list at the request of Korean authorities, signaling law enforcement worldwide to arrest him. Montenegrin authorities cited this as another reason for arresting Kwon.The US Securities and Exchange Commission charged Kwon in February with failing to "provide the public with full, fair, and truthful disclosure as required for a host of crypto asset securities, most notably for LUNA and Terra USD. We also allege that they committed fraud by repeating false and misleading statements to build trust before causing devastating losses for investors." The US District Court in Manhattan publicly released an indictment against Kwon with eight counts, including securities fraud and conspiracy, following his arrest.Though Montenegro doesn't have extradition treaties with the US or South Korea, the idea is still on the table. The four-month jail sentence comes shortly after Montenegrin authorities increased their custody stay by six months while determining if and how to proceed with the two nation's extradition requests.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/terraform-labs-founder-do-kwon-handed-four-month-sentence-in-montenegro-100507468.html?src=rss

Vimeo is one of the latest companies to launch AI-powered tools of its own, and as you'd expect, they're geared towards making it easier for creators to edit their videos. The video hosting platform says most people "lack the skills, time, or resources to effectively create and edit videos," and these features are meant to eliminate those barriers.Perhaps the most useful of the three new AI tools is the text-based video editor that can automatically delete long pauses and parts of the video with filler words, such as "um" and "ah," with just a single click. Users will also be able to easily remove any part of the video they want by searching for certain words in the transcript that the tool generates and then clicking delete. If they want to create short clips for social media, they can search the transcript for a specific word, highlight and right-click on the word, sentence or paragraph, and then select "keep only this."Vimeo has also launched a script generator that can conjure a full script based on a text prompt written by the user, the intended video length and the "tone" (such as confident, funny or casual) they choose. According to TechCrunch, it's powered by OpenAI's GPT technology, made into a part of the editing suite through its API. Finally, the company has introduced an on-screen teleprompter that can display scripts with the font size and the pacing the user sets. It could help creators stay on script while maintaining eye contact with the camera.All three tools will be available in July as part of Vimeo's Standard and Pro subscription plans. While users can test them as part of those plans' seven-day trial period, they ultimately have to pay at least $20 a month (when billed annually) to be able to keep using them.VimeoThis article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/vimeos-new-ai-powered-editing-tools-are-designed-for-beginners-091529203.html?src=rss

With a new update, WhatsApp wants to make spam calls less annoying and let users select the optimal privacy settings, the company announced. The first feature, called Silence Unknown Callers, does exactly that - the calls won't ring on your phone, but will appear in your call list, in case the call is important but you have to respond. For most users, that should offer a decent blend of practicality and privacy.And speaking of privacy, WhatsApp also introduced a feature called Privacy Checkup. "Selecting Start checkup' in your Privacy settings will navigate you through multiple privacy layers that strengthen security of your messages, calls, and personal information," the company said. Doing so provides options like "Choose who can contact you," "Control your personal info," "Add more privacy to your chats" and "Add more protection to your account."WhatsAppWhatsApp also released an emotional new video encouraging users to check in on friends they may be concerned about. The company even provides a template: "Hey, I've been thinking about you. I'm here if you need to chat. No one else can see this but us. And you can also turn on disappearing mode or use the chat lock feature." It's a way for WhatsApp to promote key privacy features - chat lock was just introduced last month, for example. It could also be counterprogramming to the notion that chat lock is tailor made for cheaters, as many commenters pointed out when it launched. The new features are now rolling out.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/whatsapp-can-now-automatically-silence-unknown-callers-082512152.html?src=rss

The Pixel Tablet is like an emotionally unstable partner. On good days, it's reliable and helpful, always ready to listen and support me. Every now and then, though, I feel gaslit and annoyed by its inconsistencies and mixed messages. This might be because Google's latest tablet/smart-display hybrid straddles two product categories: one at which it excels and another where it's just adequate. As a smart display, the Pixel Tablet mostly shines. It has a useful dashboard, an easy-to-read interface and impressive audio quality. As a tablet, it's decent, but doesn't blow me away. Throw in the case that Google made though, and it immediately becomes more versatile. At $500 with an included charging speaker base, the Pixel Tablet is a compelling marriage of two products with a reasonable price.Hardware and designIf we do the math, since you can buy additional speaker docks for $120 each, this means the tablet basically costs $380. But it certainly doesn't feel like a sub-$400 device. While the nano-ceramic coating isn't outstanding to look at, it lends a glass-like sensation to the back that makes it feel more expensive. Impressively, the Pixel Tablet manages to weigh just 1.09 pounds (493 grams), making it lighter than the Galaxy Tab S8 and the OnePlus Pad. Though, it's still heavier than the iPad Air.The review unit Google sent was the Rose color option, which is pleasant and inoffensive. It's the most exciting out of the three colors (black and white being the other two, so that's not saying much), and it blends (or blands) well with my living space. I prefer the green hue of the OnePlus Pad, but it's worth noting that when I handed the Pixel Tablet to my colleague Nathan Ingraham, who recently reviewed the $480 OnePlus Pad, he thought Google's device felt more premium.Photo by Cherlynn Low / EngadgetWhat really sets the Pixel Tablet apart from other recent Android slates is the fact that it's designed to attach to a charging speaker base and double as a smart display. Now, let's not forget other devices do this, primarily numerous Amazon and Lenovo tablets with a Show mode that turns them into Alexa-enabled screens. But it's a first for the Google ecosystem.Before I get to how the Pixel Tablet works as a smart display, though, a quick word on its appearance. If you've seen one Google Home product, you've basically seen them all. The Pixel Tablet, when docked on the speaker, looks almost exactly like the Nest Hub Max. It has the same rounded rectangle shape, white bezel surrounding the 11-inch screen and the base has a similar mesh fabric covering to the rest of the company's smart home products. Again, it's inoffensive and pleasant but doesn't stir my heart the way a West Elm or Article ornament does. (I know, I'm basic.)As a smart displayI was excited to stick the Pixel Tablet on the chest of drawers (from Article) in my bedroom so I could watch shows on it instead of having to buy a second TV or play them on my phone. Google cautioned against having multiple Assistant-enabled devices in one room, and I should have disconnected the Nest Mini speaker I already had on my nightstand. But it didn't create too many problems during the few days I had them both in there - when I said Hey Google" while standing nearer the small speaker, the volume of the video playing on the Pixel Tablet dipped so I could be heard more clearly.After a week, I can now confidently remove the Nest Mini. Not only is the Pixel Tablet adept at hearing my commands, it also offers much better audio quality and is simply more useful. That's kind of an obvious statement - of course, a display would be more versatile than a speaker alone. But I'm surprised at the improvement in sound from the speaker dock, since it's not much bigger than the Mini. It provided ample bass in my endless binging of The Weeknd and Jay Chou playlists, while trebles and voices sounded crisp.Photo by Cherlynn Low / EngadgetI'm not the sort of person to hover in front of a smart display to fiddle with my connected home controls, nor do I have people over often enough that I need some kind of guest-friendly interface to turn on my lights. For those who do, though, the Pixel Tablet's Hub Mode is likely very useful. Tapping on the house icon at the bottom left of the lock screen brings up a dashboard showing all devices in your home, and you'll be able to monitor your camera feeds, switch lamps on and more. Guests will also be able to ask the Assistant to set timers, alarms, play music and more without needing to unlock your tablet, as long as you've set the permissions properly.Lack of visitors aside, it's easy to see things on the Pixel Tablet's screen whenever I set foot in my room, no matter how dark or bright it is. At night, the display goes into a dim mode that shows the time in large font but isn't so bright that it burns your retinas. Since my dresser is in the furthest corner away from the door, it's nice not to have to squint to see info like the time, countdowns or the temperature. And like a true narcissist, I also set the Pixel Tablet to show a rotating stream of photos of my favorite people (mostly me).Not that any of this is unique to the Pixel Tablet, by the way. The Nest Hub Max has similarly larger fonts for timers and other info, and the photo frame feature is basically a staple of any smart display.Back to the main thing I wanted to use this tablet for, though: as a TV substitute. Since it's the first tablet to be a Chromecast receiver, the Pixel Tablet can be controlled remotely with your phone as it streams from apps like YouTube, Disney+, Hulu and more. Of course, other larger smart displays like the Nest Hub Max can also do this, and since this doesn't work on the Pixel Tablet when it's not docked, it's not really a tablet you can cast to. We're getting really technical with definitions here, but in practical use, it means you can't cast to the Pixel Tablet when you have it hanging or propped up elsewhere in your home, for example. It's not a problem, but it limits the versatility of this feature.Photo by Cherlynn Low / EngadgetInterestingly, Netflix doesn't support Chromecasting to the tablet, unlike the other apps. It's all the more strange considering it works on Google's other larger smart displays. I also encountered a bug where YouTube refused to cast videos from a specific channel, saying they weren't allowed when I was in Restricted mode. But none of the devices I was logged into had that setting enabled. Other reviewers I spoke to didn't have this issue, so this might be a bug specific to my setup.It did infuriate me though, because it's easier to Chromecast my favorite commentary videos since I can skip ads or add more titles without having to drag myself out of bed. Sadly, I had to do just that since I ended up playing them via the native YouTube app. My hatred for this bug grew each time I had to get out and hit Skip ads" on the screen. (No, you won't convince me to get YouTube Premium.) This small bug aside, though, Chromecasting is a nice touch on the Pixel Tablet, even if it isn't unique.I have multiple Google Home products in my apartment, and some of my issues with the Pixel Tablet as a smart display are ecosystem-wide instead of specific to the device. For instance, when I set up an Automation through the Home app, I wanted it so that saying I'm home" would start a playlist on the pair of Nest Audios in my living room. However, at the moment only the device that heard you can be the one playing the music. You can't decide which of your connected speakers does the action.Depending on the way your home is set up, like if you have a Mini in your entryway and prefer your beefier living room system to be the output, this might be frustrating. Luckily for me, the correct devices heard me most of the time, and I almost always got my desired outcome.Photo by Cherlynn Low / EngadgetThat's more of a complaint about Google's smart home system instead of just the Pixel Tablet, which frankly I am pretty happy with. Not only is it a good connected display, but it's also useful as a second screen when sat next to my laptop.Since it runs full Android, I can have apps like Solitaire or Slack open on it while I work on a review. You can also take video calls through Meet, Zoom, Teams or more, using the 8-megapixel webcam up top. The angle at which the speaker dock props up the tablet makes for a very unflattering shot, though. To mitigate that, Google built in an auto-framing feature that kicks in whenever you take a Meet call while connected to the base. It only works with Meet, though, so you'll have to rely on third-party apps to provide their own solutions.I found that removing the tablet and propping it up with the kickstand on Google's case made for the best view. In fact, I'm pretty much in love with this accessory.As a tabletLook, a kickstand on a tablet isn't a groundbreaking concept. Lenovo made tablets with built-in stands that also worked as hangers years ago, while Surface devices have featured similar mechanisms for ages. But neither Lenovo's Yoga Tablet nor any of the Surfaces doubled as smart displays. Google was also thoughtful enough to build the kickstand so that it wouldn't get in the way of attaching the tablet to the speaker. In fact, the ring-shaped kickstand almost perfectly encircles the dock when folded into the case.What I love about the kickstand-hanger-combo is that it allows you to place the Tablet pretty much anywhere. So when I want to hang it off a kitchen cabinet to follow along with a recipe video or keep watching Love Is Blind for example, I can. And though the 2,560 x 1,600 LCD panel isn't as vibrant as the OLED on Samsung's Galaxy Tabs, it still produced crisp details and colorful images.I've waxed poetic about the case, but it's not without flaws. The way it wraps around the power button makes accessing the fingerprint sensor difficult. The cases Google sent us for review are pre-production samples, though, so it's possible the company will improve this before launch.I also played endless rounds of Solitaire with the tablet propped up on my table while I had dinner and watched TV. That's honestly what most tablets are good for - entertainment - , but often not much else. Google does offer some multitasking features in Android, but it doesn't make a keyboard specifically for the Pixel Tablet.Photo by Cherlynn Low / EngadgetYou can connect your own Bluetooth keyboard, of course, but Android L still isn't the best platform for productivity. Yes, you can run two apps side by side or drag and drop pictures between things like WhatsApp and Gmail. And plenty of first-party and third-party apps support this feature and are now optimized for larger screens. But quirks persist.When you drag the vertical divider to resize apps, for example, you'll sometimes need to relaunch them. It happens often when you shrink something down from taking up half the screen to about a third. The system will ask you to tap a button to re-open it, at which point it changes to the smartphone version. Thankfully, relaunching an app doesn't take long, and when I had to do this with the New York Times crossword, it opened again exactly where I left off instead of forcing me to start over from the home page.The new taskbar that Google introduced on the Pixel Tablet makes it easier to launch apps in split screen, though the gesture takes a bit to get used to. Like the row of predicted apps in the Android app drawer, this taskbar will study your habits and over time, start to surface things it suspects you want.Another thing that the Pixel Tablet might be good for, in theory, is drawing and taking notes. Though Google does make a $30 stylus for the device, it did not send samples along with review units, so I wasn't able to test it for this review.Here's the thing: I barely used the Pixel Tablet undocked. I rarely felt the need to pick it up, unless my phone was dead and I wanted to play more Solitaire. The upside of always placing the Tablet on its dock is that when I do want a larger screen for reading, more immersive gaming or watching movies on the go, the Tablet is always charged and ready for me.Photo by Cherlynn Low / EngadgetBecause of that, it was challenging to get a real sense of the day-to-day battery life. Whenever I was done with the few moments I needed the device, I instinctively placed it back on the dock, where it would slowly juice back up.When you do need the tablet to last you longer than a few moments in your home, though, it's more than up to the task. On our video rundown battery test, the Pixel Tablet clocked 21 and a half hours at 50 percent brightness, which is more than the longest international nonstop flights.If you ever do run out of juice, it takes the Pixel Tablet about three hours to get back to fully charged if you use a cable. On the speaker dock, Google optimizes charging to preserve battery life, maintaining it at about 90 percent instead of fully topping it off. I haven't measured if the charging speed here is slower than with a wire, especially since I'm not usually in a hurry to pick the tablet back up after docking it.Wrap-upMaybe Android tablets aren't dead after all. Maybe all they needed was a dock to call home and kickstand/hanger that made them more functional. But, despite its name, the Pixel Tablet is far less exciting as a tablet than a smart display. With its charging speaker dock and $80 case, Google presents a far more compelling proposition for its latest product. And despite some quirks, I've found life with the Pixel Tablet to be enjoyable, and most of its problems seem solvable. I can only hope Google keeps working on it and doesn't unceremoniously cast the Pixel Tablet into its graveyard of unloved products. With some software updates, there's a potentially bright future for the Pixel Tablet.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-pixel-tablet-review-clever-accessories-transform-an-unexciting-tablet-070147119.html?src=rss

Opera says its generative AI-infused browser is ready for public consumption. Opera One is now out of early access. It's more broadly available on Windows, Mac and Linux. You can download it from the company's website.Opera features an integrated AI called Aria that you can access from the sidebar. You can use a keyboard shortcut (CTRL or Command and /) to start using Aria as well. The AI is also available in Opera's Android browser starting today.The AI stems from Opera's partnership with ChatGPT creator OpenAI. Aria connects to GPT to help answer users' queries. The AI incorporates live information from the web and it can generate text or code and answer support questions regarding Opera products. In addition, Opera One can generate contextual prompts for Aria when you right click or highlighting text in the browser. If you prefer to use ChatGPT or ChatSonic, you can access those from the Opera One sidebar too.Opera says users don't have to engage with the browser's AI features if they don't want to. For one thing, you'll need to be logged into an Opera account to use Aria.Additionally, Opera One has a fresh look based on modular design principles. Opera says this will help the browser adapt to users' needs by surfacing key features. "The relevant modules within Opera One will adjust automatically based on context, providing the user with a more liquid and effortless browsing experience," it wrote in a blog post.Opera is hoping to clean up tab clutter as well with a feature it calls tab islands. Opera One uses context to group related tabs together such as hotels and routes you might be looking at for a trip itinerary, or all the Google Docs you have open for a work project.Meanwhile, Opera has retooled the browser under the hood. It employed a new architecture with a multithreaded compositor in the aim of offering a faster and smoother user interface. The company says this approach will also help it add new features and make Opera One stand out from other browsers based on Chromium. It said more AI-focused updates are in the pipeline for later this year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/operas-generative-ai-infused-browser-is-ready-for-the-masses-070013098.html?src=rss

Sennheiser is the next big brand to offer over-the-counter hearing aids, and it's clearly aiming at people who are already fans of its personal audio hardware. The newly introduced All-Day Clear (shown below) and All-Day Clear Slim (above) both include a charging case that behaves much like those you'd get with the Momentum True Wireless line or other Bluetooth earbuds. While the aids last up to 16 hours on a charge, this should save you hassles when it's time to top up.Not surprisingly, Sennheiser claims strong audio quality with smart scene detection that optimizes voices based on the environment. You can customize the sound for your hearing levels through a mobile app within five minutes, the company says. And if you're ready to tune others out, you can listen to music like you would with regular wireless earbuds.SennheiserYour choice mainly comes down to dimensions and price. The hearing aids will be available in mid-July starting at $1,400 for the standard All-Day Clear, and $1,500 for the All-Day Clear Slim. An In-Clinic Care Package will also be available if you'd still like professional help.These aren't the most affordable or compact over-the-counter hearing aids. Sony's CRE-C10, for instance, is billed as one of the smallest options on the market and delivers up to 70 hours of battery life. Lexie's Bose-powered B1 currently costs $849. Sennheiser's devices are still far less expensive than prescription models (typically $1,000 or more per ear), mind you, and may be worth the extra outlay if the quality matches the brand's reputation.The launch isn't surprising, at least. Sennheiser sold its consumer audio business to Sonova, a hearing aid specialist, in 2021. This was meant to expand Sonova's audience to a younger crowd while giving Sennheiser the chance to focus on its pro products. From now on, the two companies are working together - products like the All-Day Clear can theoretically benefit from the expertise of both firms.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sennheisers-first-over-the-counter-hearing-aids-come-with-a-modern-charging-case-050001207.html?src=rss

This is a good moment to get an Apple smartwatch if you're more concerned about price than anything else. Amazon is once more selling the Apple Watch Series 8 with a 41mm case and GPS for $329, or a steep $70 discount that's very nearly a record low. This applies to all but the Product Red color, and you'll also see bargains for cellular and 45mm models.The Apple Watch Series 8 may be an iterative update, but it remains our favorite overall smartwatch. You can expect brisk performance, an exceptional display, solid fitness tracking and robust health features that include ECGs, blood oxygen monitoring, crash detection and a temperature sensor for sleep and reproductive cycle tracking. More importantly, there's a strong ecosystem that includes a wide range of third-party apps as well as tight integration with other Apple products. You can seamlessly switch AirPods between your iPhone and watch, or unlock your Mac.The catch, aside from the iPhone requirement, is simply that Series 8 is several months old. We won't be surprised if there's an Apple Watch Series 9 in September. The current generation is much easier to justify at $329, though, and it will easily handle watchOS 10 when the software upgrade arrives later this year. And right now, this is arguably the best value in the lineup. While the second-generation Apple Watch SE is priced lower at $249, the gap is small enough that it may be worth the extra money for the 8's always-on display and more advanced health sensors.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/apple-watch-series-8-is-back-on-sale-for-329-141547847.html?src=rss

Samsung has announced that its self-repair program is now available in the UK and other European countries, after launching in the US last year. Users will be able to access tools and parts needed to fix supported devices, namely the Galaxy S20, S21 and S22 smartphones, along with the Galaxy Book Pro regular and Galaxy Book Pro 360 laptops."Samsung is working to extend the lifecycle of our devices to encourage users to experience the optimised performance of their Galaxy device for as long as possible," said Samsung's president and Head of Mobile eXperience, TM Roh. "We are committed to scaling access to our Self-Repair program around the world while improving the repairability of our products."In addition to the UK, the program will be available in Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden. Samsung collaborated with iFixit in the US, but parts distributors ASWO and 2Service will handle sales and distribution of the repair kits in Europe. The program is already live in parts of Europe, and will come to other regions including the UK by the end of June.Galaxy S20, S21 and S22 series owners will be able to replace the phone screen, back glass and charging ports. If you need to fix a Galaxy Book Pro, you'll have access to seven parts, including the case front, case rear, display, battery, touchpad, power key with fingerprint reader and rubber feet.Repair kits cost around 30 in Germany (UK pricing isn't yet available). For a Galaxy S20, the charging port and back panel are around 50, while the display costs 200. That climbs for newer and higher-end models, up to 310 for the Galaxy S22 Ultra display. Samsung has how-to videos and more on a dedicated support page.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-brings-its-self-repair-program-to-the-uk-125913488.html?src=rss

In February, Reddit revealed it had been the victim of a targeted phishing scheme that exposed internal docs, dashboards, code and contracts, along with some advertisers' and current and former employees' information. None of the data appears to have found its way to the public, but that could soon change. Ransomware gang BlackCat, also known as ALPHV, has just taken responsibility for the hack and claims to have 80GB of compressed data. In a post called "The Reddit Files," BlackCat announced it would delete the information if Reddit gives it $4.5 million and reverses API price increases.BlackCat captured the information through a scheme that saw employees receive "plausible sounding prompts" to visit a website designed just like Reddit's intranet gateway. One individual fell for the trick, allowing hackers to steal their login details and second-factor tokens. The person then self-reported their mistake, and it's believed the security breach didn't compromise Reddit users' personal information.Now, months later, the hackers have publicly revealed themselves in the midst of site-wide protests against API price hikes (yes, the same ones BlackCat is so admirably demanding be undone). The increased cost is forcing popular third-party apps like Narwhal and Apollo to shut down, with Apollo creator Christian Selig claiming he would need to spend $20 million per year to stay in business. Developers also fear losing third-party apps will lead to more censoring and less opportunity for growing ad revenue.A massive protest saw up to 8,000 subreddits go dark at one time, but the results are mixed, with Reddit doubling down on its plans. "These people who are mad, they're mad because they used to get something for free, and now it's going to be not free," Reddit CEO Steve Hoffman said in an interview with The Verge. He has also suggested making it easier to remove moderators who aren't making "popular" decisions. Though Reddit shows no signs of reversing its decision, some advertisers have paused on the site while blackouts continue.It's uncertain how, if at all, this new development will impact API prices, with Reddit yet to comment on whether it will meet the demands. BlackCat claims Reddit ignored its past two contact attempts, in April and June, and doesn't have much hope a public ultimatum will make a difference. "We are very confident that Reddit will not pay any money for their data," BlackCat stated in its post. "We expect to leak the data."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/reddit-hackers-demand-45-million-and-api-changes-in-threat-to-leak-80gb-of-data-114041164.html?src=rss

Tudum, Netflix's in-house mix of Comic Con and shareholder presentation, took place this weekend. The company used the moment to tease plenty of forthcoming projects, including its live-action remakes of One Piece and Avatar: The Last Airbender. It also showed off its adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning World War II novel All The Light We Cannot See.The streamer also revealed the first teaser for the adaptation of Liu Cixin's award-winning sci-fi novel The Three Body Problem. That has the distinction of being the first (finished) project to come from Game of Thrones co-creators / co-ruiners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss since all of that.But what's likely to be the biggest new release was the game show adaptation of blockbuster dystopia Squid Game, which will land in November. The series puts 456 contestants through a set of grueling challenges until one winner walks away with $4.56 million in prize money. Bear in mind that participants have already described their experiences on the show as absolutely inhumane," and plenty of contestants required medical attention during the challenges. Satire, eh?- Dan CooperThe 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 missedThe Pixel 8 Pro could feature a flat displayMicrosoft confirms June Outlook and OneDrive outages were caused by DDoS attacksSony Bravia TV owners can soon take Zoom calls from the couch Google unexpectedly sells its domain-hosting business to SquarespaceSummer Game Fest 2023: All the games announced Biden administration announces $930 million in grants to expand rural internet accessMeta rolls back COVID-19 misinformation rules in many countriesTime to let people shout fire' in that crowded theater.Facebook's parent company has rolled back its slightly more active stance on COVID-19 misinformation. Late on Friday, it said it would loosen the rules in territories which no longer have the pandemic listed as an active public health emergency. In those countries, like the US, users should expect a spike in mistruths, conspiracy theories and other nonsense. If you lost a loved one, either to the pandemic itself or one of its second-order effects, consider this a pointed insult to their memory from Mark Zuckerberg straight to you.Continue Reading.Google's designers on why the Pixel Fold isn't just another foldableLearn all about the trials of making a folding phone.GoogleSamsung's dominance of the foldables space puts pressure on new entrants, like Google, who can't be seen to be playing catch-up. Ahead of the launch of the Pixel Fold, Sam Rutherford sat down with two of the people behind the device, George Hwang and Andrea Zvinakis. The trio discussed the importance of that front-facing display, the challenges of developing software for multi-screened devices and why we still need to be smart with hinges. Read on to learn all of the thought that goes into building something that'll be under so much scrutiny.Continue Reading.The Reddit blackout is already forcing unexpected changesThird-party analytics data says the protests did cause a fall in traffic.Karissa Bell has written an exhaustive report into everything going on at Reddit right now, which is well worth your attention. As CEO Steve Huffman goes on the offensive, threatening to depose protesting moderators, this fight is already damaging the platform's reputation. Some communities are hunting out alternative venues, while some advertisers have pressed pause to sit out the unrest. And, much as Huffman's putting a brave face on things, analysts believe the protests did cause a noticeable drop in Reddit's daily traffic numbers.Continue Reading. Binance reaches deal with SEC to avoid US asset freezeA stay of execution, at least for now.Until the resolution of its lawsuit, the SEC will allow Binance to continue operating in the US. Officials sued the exchange for various alleged misdeeds and had initially sought to freeze its assets entirely, essentially putting it out of business. But a judge has forced a compromise, allowing Binance to keep going, doing just enough to safeguard its users' assets and enable withdrawals before the courtroom drama begins proper.Continue Reading. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-all-the-cool-things-netflix-showed-off-over-the-weekend-111523740.html?src=rss

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairperson Jessica Rosenworcel wants to open a formal Notice of Inquiry into the impact of internet data caps on consumers, according to an FCC document spotted by Ars Technica. The regulator will also consider "taking action" to ensure that data caps don't harm competition or impact access to broadband services, according to the letter."Internet access is no longer nice-to-have, but need-to-have for everyone, everywhere," Rosenworcel said in a statement. "When we need access to the internet, we aren't thinking about how much data it takes to complete a task, we just know it needs to get done. It's time the FCC take a fresh look at how data caps impact consumers and competition."With the Notice of Inquiry, the FCC would "seek comment to better understand why the use of data caps continues to persist despite increased broadband needs of consumers and providers' demonstrated technical ability to offer unlimited data plans," according to the letter.Rosenworcel would be unable to take any action on data caps at the moment, though. The FCC currently has just four members (two Democrats and two Republicans), as the Senate refused to confirm President Biden's first nominee, Gigi Sohn, and she subsequently withdrew her name for consideration. The White House has since nominated telecom attorney Anna Gomez, who appears to have the support of the telecom industry. A nomination hearing for Gomez is scheduled for this Thursday, June 22nd.During the COVID-19 pandemic, broadband provider Comcast temporarily removed data caps, but it continues to impose a 1.2TB data cap on certain contracts in some US regions. Charter's deal with the FCC to not impose data caps on its Spectrum service (struck when it acquired Time Warner) ended this year, but the company recently said it has "no plans to [restart data caps] when the condition sunsets."Along with the proposed Notice of Inquiry, the FCC has opened a new portal to allow consumers to share how data caps have affected them (on fixed or wireless broadband networks) at fcc.gov/datacapstories. That will help the FCC determine how data caps impact access for everyone "including those with disabilities, low-income consumers, and historically disadvantaged communities, and access to online education, telehealth and remote work," the Commission wrote.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-fcc-is-preparing-to-take-a-fresh-look-at-internet-data-caps-084245899.html?src=rss

Between all the trailers Netflix shared yesterday during its Tudum event for properties like One Piece and 3 Body Problem, you may have missed some of the more grounded dramas the company was promoting at the same time. One of those was its upcoming adaption of Anthony Doerr's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, All The Light We Cannot See. Netflix shared a new teaser for its four-part miniseries of the same name.If you haven't read Doerr's excellent 2014 novel, All The Light We Cannot See is set during the Second World War and follows Marie-Laure, a blind French girl, and Werner, a German orphan who is conscripted into the Nazi war machine at the start of the conflict. The two are connected to one another over the radio. Doerr's lyrical prose is a highlight, but so is the novel's attention to detail, with much of the narrative unfolding in the town of Saint-Malo.In addition to a star-studded cast that includes Mark Ruffalo, as well as Aria Mia Loberti and Louis Hofmann as the story's protagonists, All The Light We Cannot See features some noteworthy talent behind the camera. Steven Knight, best known for his work on Locke, Spencer and Peaky Blinders, wrote the adaption, while Stranger Things producer Shawn Levy directed the series. All The Light We Cannot See will start streaming on November 2nd, giving you some time to read the source material if you're so inclined.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/netflix-shares-teaser-for-world-war-ii-drama-all-the-light-we-cannot-see-211706050.html?src=rss

If Google’s Pixel Pro family has had your interest for a while, but the thought of using a phone with a curved display prevented you from buying the Pixel 7 Pro or Pixel 6 Pro, the Pixel 8 Pro could be interesting. According to an Android Authority report published Saturday, Google’s next flagship will feature a flat display.After writing last week about the camera upgrades Google has planned for the Pixel 8 family, leaker Kamila Wojciechowska says the Pixel 8 Pro will sport a 6.7-inch OLED panel sourced from Samsung with a 1,344 x 2,992 resolution and 490 PPI pixel density. If you don’t have a Pixel 7 Pro on hand, each figure is slightly smaller than the specs offered by Google’s current flagship, which features a curved 6.71-inch display with a 1,440 x 3,120 resolution and 512 PPI pixel density. However, according to Wojciechowska, the Pixel 8 Pro’s screen will get much brighter, reaching 1,600 nits of peak brightness – compared to 1,000 nits on the Pixel 7 Pro – when displaying HDR content. Additionally, the 120Hz panel will be able to transition more smoothly between refresh rates.As for the Pixel 8, it too is slated to receive a new display. Interestingly, the device will reportedly feature a smaller screen than the one found on the Pixel 7. Android Authority claims the phone will ship with a 6.17-inch screen that has a 1,080 x 2,400 resolution. That’s the same resolution as the Pixel 7’s 6.31-inch screen, meaning the new phone will offer a higher dot pitch. Moreover, the screen reportedly offers 1,400 nits of peak brightness, up from 1,000 on its predecessor, and a 120Hz refresh rate instead of 90Hz like the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7a. Speaking of Google’s latest mid-range phone, there have been rumors the 7a could be the company’s final a-Series phone, which may explain why the Pixel 8 reportedly comes with a smaller display.Android Authority reports both the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro will feature more rounded corners than Google’s current pair of high-end phones, corroborating a previous report from leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer. That change would make them easier to use with one hand. Between their new displays and the larger primary camera sensor Google reportedly plans to equip the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro with, the company’s new phones are shaping up nicely. Expect more information to come out about devices in the weeks and months leading up to their release later this year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-pixel-8-pro-could-feature-a-flat-display-200049745.html?src=rss

Earlier this month, a group known as Anonymous Sudan took credit for a service outage that disrupted access to Outlook, OneDrive and a handful of other Microsoft online services. After initially sharing little information about the incident, the company confirmed late Friday it had been the target of a series of distributed denial-of-service attacks. In a blog post spotted by the Associated Press (via The Verge), Microsoft said the attacks “temporarily impacted” the availability of some services, adding they were primarily designed to generate “publicity” for a threat actor the company has dubbed Storm-1359. Under Microsoft's threat actor naming convention, Storm is a temporary designator the company employs for groups whose affiliation it hasn’t definitively established yet.“We have seen no evidence that customer data has been accessed or compromised,” the company said. In a statement Microsoft shared with the Associated Press, the tech giant confirmed Anonymous Sudan was responsible for the attacks. It’s not clear how many Microsoft customers were affected by the attacks, or if the impact was global. The company believes Storm-1359 likely relied on a combination of virtual private servers and rented cloud infrastructure to carry out its operation.Per Bleeping Computer, Anonymous Sudan began carrying out cyberattacks at the start of 2023. At the time, the group claimed it was targeting countries that meddle in Sudanese politics and promote anti-Muslim policies. However, some cybersecurity researchers believe the group is in fact an offshoot of the Kremlin-affiliated Killnet gang, and the reference to Sudan is a false flag designed to mislead casual onlookers. The likelihood of that link became more apparent on Friday when Anonymous Sudan said it was forming a “Darknet Parliament” with Killnet and Revil, another pro-Russian gang. As a first order of business, the alliance threatened to target SWIFT, the international interbanking system the United States and European Union cut Russia off from in response to its invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-confirms-june-outlook-and-onedrive-outages-were-caused-by-ddos-attacks-173431319.html?src=rss

The Biden administration on Friday announced $930 million in grants designed to expand rural access to broadband internet. Part of the Department of Commerce’s “Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program,” the grants will fund the deployment of more than 12,000 miles of new fiber optic cable across 35 states and Puerto Rico. The administration said Friday it expects grant recipients to invest an additional $848.46 million, a commitment that should double the program's impact.“Much like how the interstate highway system connected every community in America to regional and national systems of highways, this program will help us connect communities across the country to regional and national networks that provide quality, affordable high-speed internet access,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said.

The problem with studying the universe around us is that it is simply too big. The stars overhead remain too far away to interact with directly, so we are relegated to testing our theories on the formation of the galaxies based on observable data.Simulating these celestial bodies on computers has proven an immensely useful aid in wrapping our heads around the nature of reality and, as Andrew Pontzen explains in his new book, The Universe in a Box: Simulations and the Quest to Code the Cosmos, recent advances in supercomputing technology are further revolutionizing our capability to model the complexities of the cosmos (not to mention myriad Earth-based challenges) on a smaller scale. In the excerpt below, Pontzen looks at the recent emergence of astronomy-focused AI systems, what they're capable of accomplishing in the field and why he's not too worried about losing his job to one.Riverhead BooksAdapted from THE UNIVERSE IN A BOX: Simulations and the Quest to Code the Cosmos by Andrew Pontzen published on June 13, 2023 by Riverhead, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Copyright © 2023 Andrew Pontzen.As a cosmologist, I spend a large fraction of my time working with supercomputers, generating simulations of the universe to compare with data from real telescopes. The goal is to understand the effect of mysterious substances like dark matter, but no human can digest all the data held on the universe, nor all the results from simulations. For that reason, artificial intelligence and machine learning is a key part of cosmologists’ work.Consider the Vera Rubin Observatory, a giant telescope built atop a Chilean mountain and designed to repeatedly photograph the sky over the coming decade. It will not just build a static picture: it will particularly be searching for objects that move (asteroids and comets), or change brightness (flickering stars, quasars and supernovae), as part of our ongoing campaign to understand the ever-changing cosmos. Machine learning can be trained to spot these objects, allowing them to be studied with other, more specialized telescopes. Similar techniques can even help sift through the changing brightness of vast numbers of stars to find telltale signs of which host planets, contributing to the search for life in the universe. Beyond astronomy there are no shortage of scientific applications: Google’s artificial intelligence subsidiary DeepMind, for instance, has built a network that can outperform all known techniques for predicting the shapes of proteins starting from their molecular structure, a crucial and difficult step in understanding many biological processes.These examples illustrate why scientific excitement around machine learning has built during this century, and there have been strong claims that we are witnessing a scientific revolution. As far back as 2008, Chris Anderson wrote an article for Wired magazine that declared the scientific method, in which humans propose and test specific hypotheses, obsolete: ‘We can stop looking for models. We can analyze the data without hypotheses about what it might show. We can throw the numbers into the biggest computing clusters the world has ever seen and let statistical algorithms find patterns where science cannot.’I think this is taking things too far. Machine learning can simplify and improve certain aspects of traditional scientific approaches, especially where processing of complex information is required. Or it can digest text and answer factual questions, as illustrated by systems like ChatGPT. But it cannot entirely supplant scientific reasoning, because that is about the search for an improved understanding of the universe around us. Finding new patterns in data or restating existing facts are only narrow aspects of that search. There is a long way to go before machines can do meaningful science without any human oversight.To understand the importance of context and understanding in science, consider the case of the OPERA experiment which in 2011 seemingly determined that neutrinos travel faster than the speed of light. The claim is close to a physics blasphemy, because relativity would have to be rewritten; the speed limit is integral to its formulation. Given the enormous weight of experimental evidence that supports relativity, casting doubt on its foundations is not a step to be taken lightly.Knowing this, theoretical physicists queued up to dismiss the result, suspecting the neutrinos must actually be traveling slower than the measurements indicated. Yet, no problem with the measurement could be found – until, six months later, OPERA announced that a cable had been loose during their experiment, accounting for the discrepancy. Neutrinos travelled no faster than light; the data suggesting otherwise had been wrong.Surprising data can lead to revelations under the right circumstances. The planet Neptune was discovered when astronomers noticed something awry with the orbits of the other planets. But where a claim is discrepant with existing theories, it is much more likely that there is a fault with the data; this was the gut feeling that physicists trusted when seeing the OPERA results. It is hard to formalize such a reaction into a simple rule for programming into a computer intelligence, because it is midway between the knowledge-recall and pattern-searching worlds.The human elements of science will not be replicated by machines unless they can integrate their flexible data processing with a broader corpus of knowledge. There is an explosion of different approaches toward this goal, driven in part by the commercial need for computer intelligences to explain their decisions. In Europe, if a machine makes a decision that impacts you personally – declining your application for a mortgage, maybe, or increasing your insurance premiums, or pulling you aside at an airport – you have a legal right to ask for an explanation. That explanation must necessarily reach outside the narrow world of data in order to connect to a human sense of what is reasonable or unreasonable.Problematically, it is often not possible to generate a full account of how machine-learning systems reach a particular decision. They use many different pieces of information, combining them in complex ways; the only truly accurate description is to write down the computer code and show the way the machine was trained. That is accurate but not very explanatory. At the other extreme, one might point to an obvious factor that dominated a machine’s decision: you are a lifelong smoker, perhaps, and other lifelong smokers died young, so you have been declined for life insurance. That is a more useful explanation, but might not be very accurate: other smokers with a different employment history and medical record have been accepted, so what precisely is the difference? Explaining decisions in a fruitful way requires a balance between accuracy and comprehensibility.In the case of physics, using machines to create digestible, accurate explanations which are anchored in existing laws and frameworks is an approach in its infancy. It starts with the same demands as commercial artificial intelligence: the machine must not just point to its decision (that it has found a new supernova, say) but also give a small, digestible amount of information about why it has reached that decision. That way, you can start to understand what it is in the data that has prompted a particular conclusion, and see whether it agrees with your existing ideas and theories of cause and effect. This approach has started to bear fruit, producing simple but useful insights into quantum mechanics, string theory, and (from my own collaborations) cosmology.These applications are still all framed and interpreted by humans. Could we imagine instead having the computer framing its own scientific hypotheses, balancing new data with the weight of existing theories, and going on to explain its discoveries by writing a scholarly paper without any human assistance? This is not Anderson’s vision of the theory-free future of science, but a more exciting, more disruptive and much harder goal: for machines to build and test new theories atop hundreds of years of human insight.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/hitting-the-books-universe-in-a-box-andrew-pontzen-riverhead-books-153005483.html?src=rss

At its Tudum 2023 event today, Netflix revealed new trailers for two highly anticipated live-action adaptations of beloved animated series. One Piece gets a full trailer ahead of its August 31st premiere on the streaming service, while we’ll have to settle for a brief teaser trailer for Avatar: The Last Airbender, which won’t arrive until 2024.The 90-second One Piece trailer shows the cast and settings of the live-action take on the manga and long-running anime series. We see plenty of star Iñaki Godoy as the naive but kind protagonist Monkey D. Luffy, who can stretch like rubber. The other Straw Hat Pirate crew members are Mackenyu as Roronoa Zero, Emily Rudd as Nami, Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp and Taz Skylar as Sanji.Meanwhile, the 37-second Avatar: The Last Airbender teaser doesn’t give us any shots of the cast or environments from the live-action remake. Instead, we see symbols of the four nations (Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation and Air Nomads) fading in and out. Each includes a subtle audio cue corresponding to its element. Whenever we do finally see its cast, it will include Gordon Cormier as Aang, Kiawentiio as Katara, Ian Ousley as Sokka and Daniel Dae Kim as Fire Lord Ozai.You may recall from a few years back that Avatar: The Last Airbender original series creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko departed the project, raising questions about how faithful the new adaptation will be to the source material. “I realized I couldn’t control the creative direction of the series, but I could control how I responded,” DiMartino said in 2020. “So, I chose to leave the project. It was the hardest professional decision I’ve ever had to make, and certainly not one that I took lightly, but it was necessary for my happiness and creative integrity.” Still, he added at the time that the Netflix adaption “has the potential to be good.” We’ll have to wait until next year to find out.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/netflix-offers-a-peek-at-one-piece-and-avatar-the-last-airbender-live-action-adaptations-222828717.html?src=rss

When Samsung hosts its next Unpacked event in Seoul next month, the company is widely expected to announce a new Galaxy Z Flip device with a larger cover display. Now we have a better idea of exactly how much bigger the Z Flip 5’s external screen could be when it arrives later this year.An alleged marketing render shared by MySmartPrice (via The Verge) shows a phone with a secondary display that covers most of the front of the device when you have it flipped closed. MySmartPrice didn’t share the size of the cover display, but judging from the render, it’s significantly larger than the 1.9-inch one found on the Z Flip 4. Additionally, it appears Samsung has found a more elegant way to shape the display around the Z Flip 5’s main camera array than Motorola has done with the Razr+.MySmartPriceNaturally, a larger cover display would make it easier to frame selfies with the Z Flip’s main camera, but there are also some potential drawbacks. For one, a bigger secondary screen would impact battery life on the Z Flip 5 unless Samsung equips the phone with a higher-capacity battery. It’s also worth pointing out that a small cover screen is part of the Z Flip 4’s appeal. The minimal functionality it offers is a good way to partially unplug from the typical distractions that come with a smartphone while still having easy access to some information.Samsung is expected to announce the Galaxy Z Flip 5, alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 5, in late July. We’ll find out then if the company’s latest foldable display flip phone has a bigger screen.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/leaked-samsung-galaxy-z-flip-5-render-shows-a-bigger-cover-display-214020400.html?src=rss

Netflix just dropped the first reveal trailer for the forthcoming 3 Body Problem science fiction series at its Tudum fan event, along with a premiere month of January. This is a short delay for the anticipated series, as it was originally supposed to air this year.If the name of the show sounds familiar, it’s likely for two reasons. First of all, the showrunners are the former Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, along with Alexander Woo. Despite the bone-deep hatred among viewers for the final season of HBO’s fantasy epic, Benioff and Weiss are still a known quantity that could draw in some eyeballs.Secondly, 3 Body Problem is based on a highly successful book series, just like Game of Thrones, only this one is already finished. Let’s hear it for pre-existing endings! The book series, authored by Chinese writer Liu Cixin, is one of the most celebrated sci-fi epics of recent years, so we could be in for something special here.To that end, Netflix dropped a trailer that’s heavy on eye candy and light on story. That’s okay, though, as those who want spoilers can just read the books. Some of the actors set to star in the series include Benedict Wong (The Martian, Doctor Strange), Eiza González (Baby Driver) and Game of Thrones veterans John Bradley and Liam Cunningham.January is not that far off, so we don’t have long to wait until we learn all about the titular three bodies and any associated problems. Here’s hoping Benioff and Weiss earn back some goodwill with this show. At any rate, this is a much cooler idea than that weird alt history/slavery thing that the duo almost pushed through at HBO.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/netflixs-3-body-problem-first-look-confirms-january-2024-premiere-213927002.html?src=rss

Netflix is finally offering a peek at its Squid Game reality show. The streaming service has shared a teaser trailer for Squid Game: The Challenge, a competition series now set to premiere this November. The clip doesn't reveal much of how contestants will participate, but it's evident that Netflix is trying to recreate as much of the original production's atmosphere as possible — right down to the giant "red light, green light" doll. Without the bloodshed, of course.The 10-episode run has 456 people competing in events both "inspired" by Squid Game and new for the show. The winner receives a large $4.56 million prize, so there's a strong incentive to stick through to the end. Netflix filmed the series earlier this year.There's no mystery behind the existence of The Challenge: it's a bid to capitalize on the success of Squid Game. The Korean drama remains Netflix's most popular TV show of all time, with over 1.6 billion viewing hours as of June (even Stranger Things season 4 has 'just' over 1.3 billion). Given that Netflix is fond of spinoffs for popular shows, it may have just been a matter of time before the company built on demand for its best-known series.There isn't as much pressure to release Squid Game: The Challenge as there was upon its announcement in 2022, when Netflix dealt with rare subscriber losses. The company is in a stronger position as of mid-2023 — it added nearly 1.8 million subscribers in the first quarter, and appears to be reaping the rewards of a password sharing crackdown. The firm still faces stiff opposition from rivals like Amazon, Disney and Paramount, however, and a series like this could be key to growing viewership alongside expected blockbusters like 3 Body Problem and the next seasons of Bridgerton and The Witcher.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/netflixs-squid-game-reality-competition-show-debuts-this-november-204334075.html?src=rss

When more than 8,000 subreddits went dark for 48 hours earlier this week to protest Reddit’s forthcoming API changes, there were signs the action had an immediate effect on the platform. On the morning of the first day of the protest, Reddit suffered a “major outage” affecting its desktop and mobile websites, as well as mobile apps. Days later, company CEO Steve Huffman went on a media offensive where he attempted to cast aggrieved users and moderators, many of whom give countless hours of their free time to make Reddit the vibrant platform it is today, as unreasonable. “These people who are mad, they’re mad because they used to get something for free, and now it’s going to be not free,” he said in an interview with The Verge.But beyond those signs, it was hard to tell how much of a practical effect the protest had on the website’s traffic. Now we have a better idea. According to data provided to Engadget by internet analytics firm Similarweb, the impact was small but noticeable. On the day before the blackout began on June 12th, Similarweb logged more than 57 million daily visits to Reddit across desktop and mobile web clients. By the end of the first day of the protest, daily visits were below 55 million. Then, at the end of June 13th, Similarweb recorded fewer than 53 million daily visits to Reddit. Compared to the website’s average daily volume over the past month, the 52,121,649 visits Reddit saw on June 13th represented a 6.6 percent drop.Over that same time period, Similarweb recorded a more dramatic decrease in the amount of time Reddit users were spending on the platform. The day before the protest began, an average session on the website was about eight minutes and 31 seconds long. A day later, that metric fell to seven minutes and 17 seconds, or the lowest that stat has been in the past three years. Reddit did not immediately respond to Engadget’s comment request.Looking forward, a temporary drop in daily traffic is unlikely to affect Reddit’s near-term prospects. But as many subreddits continue to protest the company’s plans and its leadership contemplates policy changes that could change its relationship with moderators, the platform could see a slow but gradual decline in daily active users. That’s unlikely to bode well for Reddit ahead of its planned IPO and beyond.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/reddits-average-daily-traffic-fell-during-blackout-according-to-third-party-data-194721801.html?src=rss

In the three years since Black Mirror's previous (and somewhat disappointing) season, we've lived through a global pandemic, watched a US president trigger a mob attack on the Capitol, and AI has gone mainstream. We’re barreling towards the future faster than ever, but loneliness remains a key issue in modern life. What better time for Charlie Brooker to bring back his feel-bad series for another season?In 2019, I argued that Brooker was running out of things to say with the show, despite his deft ability to predict our tech-infused dystopia with Black Mirror's first few seasons. Something was lost with his transition to Netflix, which led to bigger budgets and more notable stars, but less of the sharp insight that made the show so memorable. (At least we got “San Junipero,” though.) Thankfully, a few years away from the project seems to have helped. Season six of Black Mirror, which hit Netflix on June 15th, is the series at its best: Shocking, incisive and often hilarious. It also finds new life by looking back into the past frequently, as well as exploring horror more directly than before.Minor spoilers ahead of Black Mirror season six."Joan is Awful" is the perfect way to kick off the new season – it's the most stereotypical Black Mirror setup. A disaffected big tech HR worker is surprised to find a show on Streamberry (an obvious Netflix stand-in) that recounts her daily life. That includes the cringeworthy layoff of a colleague (and supposed friend), and a therapist appointment where she reveals she's dissatisfied with her fiance.It's a relatable Millennial malaise setup, the sort of thing Charlie Brooker captured so well early on in the series. Joan, played by Schitt's Creek star Annie Murphy, says she doesn't feel like a main character in her own life, so she coasts through everything on autopilot, almost always taking the easiest and less confrontational option. You'd think that it would be illegal for a network to just recount her life for all of its subscribers — turns out, she should have read the Terms of Service more closely.I won't spoil where, exactly, that episode goes, or the familiar faces you end up seeing. But as the twists revealed themselves and it reached its inevitable bonkers conclusion, I couldn't help but smile. It was like Charlie Brooker shouting at me through the screen, "Black Mirror is back, baby!"NetflixWhat's truly surprising, though, is that this season of the series also feels refreshing in the ways it veers away from what we expect. "Loch Henry" is a fascinating exploration of our obsession with true crime dramas, and the impact they can have on the people affected by those stories. But aside from the presence of Streamberry as a service thirsty for true crime narratives, the story is more cultural than technology criticism.Sure, we have more tools than ever to make true crime documentaries – there's a drone being used to make sweeping aerial shots, and the digital cameras are perfectly suited to shooting in dimly lit basements – but the desire to tell and consume these stories is purely human. And when it comes to macabre drama we can't help ourselves.Black Mirror also gains some fresh perspective by exploring the past — or at least, timelines without smartphones and ubiquitous fast cellular internet. “Beyond the Sea” is an elegant yet brutal story set in 1969, focusing on two astronauts on a deep space mission who also wirelessly control mechanical bodies back on Earth. The episode is less interested in how any of that tech works — just accept the mystery, folks — and more about how it affects those astronauts, their families and society as a whole.It's not too surprising when deranged hippie cultists appear, believing that mechanoid people are an affront to humanity. Both astronauts, played by Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) and former heartthrob Josh Hartnett, are also trapped by the societal norms of the '60s. They may be world-class astronauts, but they're also men who can't share their feelings properly, who hit their kids to "keep them in line," and who have rigid expectations from the women in their lives. Beyond the Sea may not fully earn its tragic conclusion, but the journey is certainly powerful.I was surprised to see how much Black Mirror leans into pure horror this season: “Demon 79” is a direct callback to '70s horror films, from its explosive score to its overall aesthetic. The story revolves around an immigrant shoe sales clerk who inadvertently summons a demon, and is tasked with murdering three people to prevent the apocalypse. There isn't a sliver of tech involved — perhaps that’s why the opening credits refer to it as a "Red Mirror" episode. But it's still a fun horror romp, with plenty of subtext around the South Asian experience in '70s London (thanks to co-writer Bisha K. Ali, who also served as the showrunner for Ms. Marvel).“Mazey Day” also brings Black Mirror into fresh territory, but you're better off discovering how for yourself. I can reveal that its story of a young paparazzi photographer (Zazie Beetz) is a refreshing glimpse of the mid-2000's, filled with then cutting edge tech (the square iPod Shuffle! Dashboard GPS!), but also plenty of old school touches. You still needed big paper map books in that era, because GPS wasn't always reliable. And even though high speed internet was widely available, it wasn't unusual to find people still relying on dial-up in 2005.It’s impossible for Black Mirror to feel as fresh as it did over a decade ago. Since then, the downsides of Big Tech have become impossible to ignore. But at least now, especially with some extra time to craft these episodes, it seems like Charlie Brooker has found something new to say with the show.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/black-mirror-season-six-review-netflix-130015184.html?src=rss