On an earnings call with investors, General Motors CEO Mary Barra said the company plans to cease production of the Chevy Bolt EV and EUV by the end of 2023. Between them, the models account for most of GM's EV sales and the company plans to make more than 70,000 of them this year — that marks a record rate of production, according to CNBC.However, the Bolt's battery cells are based on an older design and GM is transitioning to its Ultium system. According to Barra, GM will modify a Detroit-area plant where it makes the Chevy Bolts so it can produce the electric Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra there starting in 2024.The Bolt's battery system has led to some serious problems for GM in the past. In 2021, GM recalled every Bolt it had ever made to that point due to a battery manufacturing defect that posed a fire risk. The company spent some $1.8 billion to resolve the issues.Considering GM's plan to switch entirely to EVs by 2035, it makes sense to use the same battery tech across all of its models to help it ramp up the pace of production. After the Michigan plant has been retrofitted and reaches full production, GM expects that it will be able to build 600,000 electric trucks per year. The company has a production target of 2 million EVs per year between the US and China.The timing of the move may be a slightly risky one for the company. The Bolt, which arrived in 2016, is the most affordable option for a new EV from a major automaker. Last year, GM lowered the starting price of the 2023 Bolt EV to $26,595, plus a $995 destination fee. The relative affordability has helped GM achieve three consecutive quarters of record Bolt EV and EUV deliveries, Barra said in a letter to shareholders.GM says it delivered more than 20,000 EVs last quarter, which is a far cry from the 422,000 vehicles Tesla delivered in Q1. Although GM is now in second place in the US EV market, it has quite a way to go before it can catch up to Tesla. The Equinox EV, which is slated to arrive in the fall, is expected to start at around $30,000, which could help its prospects.“When the Chevrolet Bolt EV launched, it was a huge technical achievement and the first affordable EV, which set in motion GM’s all-electric future,” Chevy spokesman Cody Williams told CNBC in a statement. “Chevrolet will launch several new EVs later this year based on the Ultium platform in key segments, including the Silverado EV, Blazer EV and Equinox EV. ”This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gm-will-stop-making-the-chevy-bolt-ev-and-euv-later-this-year-160540118.html?src=rss
Netflix is offering a peek at Henry Cavill's final turn as Geralt of Rivia. The streaming service has posted a teaser trailer for The Witcher season three that showcases Cavill as the White Wolf. There's precious little story in the clip. However, Geralt is now worried enough to know real fear, and it's clear Ciri and Yennifer have even more to worry about.As with Stranger Things season four, Netflix is splitting The Witcher's third run into two parts. A first volume premieres June 29th, while you'll have to wait until July 27th to see the rest. That's not entirely voluntary. As show creator Lauren Schmidt Hissirch told Collider in an interview this December, there was a possibility the challenges of producing visual effects would require dividing the season.It may be a bittersweet season for fans. Cavill is known to be a fan of all things Witcher (both the novels and the games), and many seem him as synonymous with the on-screen representation of Geralt. Liam Hemsworth is set to replace Cavill in season four. It's too soon to say how well Hemsworth will fare, but it's safe to presume he'll bring something different to the role.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-witcher-season-3-trailer-shows-henry-cavills-last-stint-as-geralt-154524461.html?src=rss
It took several months, but Slack's "canvas" collaboration feature is finally rolling out across its apps. Effectively, it's a way to organize and access all the resources that would normally be scattered across a chat channel. You can store apps, files, links, people, raw text and even in-app functions like service requests. It can help you track must-do items, share handy tools or even serve as an FAQ for newcomers.You can bring canvases into huddle audio and video chats to discuss them with colleagues. Much like a cloud document app, you can add comments, see the change history and limit sharing to specific people. This isn't a full-fledged creative tool like Google Docs, as Slack tellsThe Verge, but it can help you coordinate more quickly than you would through separate apps.This is, to some extent, an improvement on the bookmarks and pins that Slack currently offers to help you find vital documents and notes. Those features will remain for now, but it won't be surprising if canvases become the dominant (if not exclusive) way to share resources in a given channel.Canvases promise to be more convenient, but they might also give Slack a competitive edge. The more likely you are to stay in Slack while sharing documents and performing tasks, the less temptation there is to use competing apps. This might be the decisive factor if you're weighing the merits of Slack versus rivals like Microsoft Teams.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/slack-rolls-out-its-canvas-for-sharing-content-with-your-team-133033749.html?src=rss
Lucid is already late on its plan to open reservations for the three-row Gravity SUV in early 2023. However, the company announced today that the EV is making some progress, saying it's entering a "new phase of development, now testing on public roads throughout the US." That's a sign that it might be ready to go on sale in the US soon.As we learned before, the Gravity shares design language with the Lucid Air but offers up to three rows of seats that can accommodate seven people. It will also have Lucid's "new Glass Cockpit high-resolution displays, powered by the next generation of Lucid UX," the company said. It's also promising "the driving dynamics of a sports car, and greater electric range than any SUV on the market today."LucidOther details have yet to be released, like the exact range and performance figures or battery size. Previously, Lucid released a couple interior and exterior shots showing a massive panoramic roof, and today it gave a glimpse of the Gravity's rear and front.Lucid recently launched its first EV, the Air sedan, generally receiving good reviews for its driving dynamics, looks and more. While the initial model went on sale at an astronomical $179,000 price, the company has been working to get its less expensive Air and Pure models out to the market. The company struggled to design and build its first EV, and recently announced that it's laying off 1,300 workers to reduce expenses. The company did manage to deliver more units than it expected in 2022, however.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/lucid-begins-testing-its-electric-gravity-suv-on-us-roads-130048667.html?src=rss
Since March, NVIDIA has offered AI Foundations, a service that allows businesses to train large language models (LLMs) on their own proprietary data. Today the company is introducing NeMo Guardrails, a tool designed to help developers ensure their generative AI apps are accurate, appropriate and safe.NeMo Guardrails allows software engineers to enforce three different kinds of limits on their in-house LLMs. Specifically, firms can set “topical guardrails” that will prevent their apps from addressing subjects they weren’t trained to tackle. For instance, NVIDIA suggests a customer service chatbot would, with the help of its software, decline to answer a question about the weather. Companies can also set safety and security limits that are designed to ensure their LLMs pull accurate information and connect to apps that are known to be safe.According to NVIDIA, NeMo Guardrails works with all LLMs, including ChatGPT. What’s more, the company claims nearly any software developer can use the software. “No need to be a machine learning expert or data scientist,” it says. Since NeMo Guardrails is open source, NVIDIA notes it will also work with all the tools enterprise developers already use.NVIDIA is incorporating NeMo Guardrails into its existing NeMo framework for building generative AI models. Business customers can gain access to NeMo through the company’s AI Enterprise software platform. NVIDIA also offers the framework through its AI Foundations service. The release of NeMo Guardrails comes after some of the most high-profile generative AIs, including Microsoft Bing and Google Bard, have come under the microscope for their tendency to “hallucination” information. In fact, Google’s chatbot made a factual error during its first public demo.“NVIDIA made NeMo Guardrails — the product of several years’ research — open source to contribute to the developer community’s tremendous energy and work AI safety,” NVIDIA said. “Together, our efforts on guardrails will help companies keep their smart services aligned with safety, privacy and security requirements so these engines of innovation stay on track.”If you want to read a deep dive into how NeMo Guardrails works, NVIDIA has published a blog post on the subject that also shares information on how to get started with the software.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nvidia-made-an-open-source-tool-for-creating-safer-and-more-secure-ai-models-130005790.html?src=rss
DJI has unveiled its new flagship consumer drone, the Mavic 3 Pro, with a triple-camera setup that includes a new 70mm lens designed for "powerful subject framing." It also includes a new 10-bit D-Log M color mode, improvements in the tele cameras, and ProRes capture on the Mavic 3 Pro Cine option. It's the company's fourth Mavic 3 drone, joining the Mavic 3, the Mavic 3 Classic and the Mavic 3 Enterprise models.Like the Mavic 3, it's available in regular and Cine models, with the latter having advanced features for filmmakers like Apple ProRes capture (ProRes 422 HQ, ProRes 422, and ProRes 422 LT), a 1TB SSD drive and a 10Gbps lightspeed data cable. However, you'll pay a premium of nearly $1,000 to get those.DJIThe new 70mm camera has a 1/1.3-inch sensor that's the same size as on the Mini 3 Pro. Though considerably smaller than the 4/3 chip on the main Hasselblad camera, DJI says the camera is designed for a "range of different scenarios from framing intriguing buildings to cars in commercial shoots." That comment indicates that the quality should be better than the 7x tele camera. It can handle 48-megapixel (MP) high-res or 12MP low light photos, along with 4K/60fps video.Like the main camera, it supports a new log format called D-log M along with DJI's original D-Log. D-Log M is designed to deliver "natural color gradations with delicate details" even in high-contrast situations like sunsets, the company says. At the same time, it's easier to grade than typical log footage, according to DJI. It can shoot up to 10-bit 4:2:2 ProRes video on the Mavic 3 Pro Cine model and 10-bit 4:2:0 (H.264/H.265) on the regular model.DJIDJI has also improved the 7x (166mm equivalent) tele camera, boosting the aperture from f4.4 to f3.4, which should make it considerably better in low light. It also offers boosted video specs, up from 4K at 30p on the Mavic 3 to 4K/60fps.Aside from those improvements, it's much the same as the Mavic 3. The main 4/3 Hasselblad camera can shoot video at up to 5.1K at 50fps or DCI 4K at 120fps, with the new D-Log M mode, along with D-Log and HLG options. As before, it can capture 10-bit 4:2:2 ProRes (Mavic 3 Pro Cine) and 10-bit 4:2:0 H.264/H.265 video on the Mavic 3 Pro.DJIIt allows up to 43 minutes of flight time, roughly the same as before. You'll also get DJI's omnidirectional sensing and APAS 5.0 obstacle protection, with eight wide-angle vision sensors and a high-performance vision computing to engine "to precisely sense obstacles in all directions and plan a safe flight to avoid them," DJI says. Its DJI O3+ transmission system can transmit a 1080p/60fps HD live feed at high frame rates at a distance of up to 15 km (10 miles), though considerably less in Europe.The Mavic 3 Pro also offers key AI features seen on the Mavic 3 and other models. Among those is ActiveTrack 5.0 designed to track a subject while avoiding obstacles, Spotlight (moving the drone around the subject), and Point of Interest (allows the drone to circle around the subject while keeping it centered in the frame).DJIIn addition, it includes features designed for creators like MasterShots 4, QuickShots 5 with diverse camera movements like Dronie, Rocket, Circle and Helix, and Panorama 6, designed to take a 100 MP photo. It also comes with a time lapse mode.As for the price, the Mavic 3 Pro is only a bit more expensive than the Mavic 3's current $2,049 starting price. The Mavic 3 Pro with a DJI RC starts at $2,199, while the Fly More combo with the DJI RC, three intelligent flight batteries, a charging hub, carrying bag and one ND filter set is $2,999. The same thing with the DJI RC Pro remote (the high-end one with a screen) is $3,889, and the Mavic 3 Pro Cine Premium Combo (with the latter accessories) is $4,799. It's now available to order with shipping starting in May.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/djis-mavic-3-pro-comes-with-a-triple-camera-setup-130001265.html?src=rss
BMW has announced Android smartphone owners can now use hands-free technology that opens your car with your phone. The feature, known as the Digital Key Plus, will be available on the Samsung Galaxy S23+, Galaxy S23 Ultra, Google Pixel 7 Pro and a range of other newer Samsung devices. Prior to this, it was only available for anyone with an iPhone or Apple Watch.The Digital Key Plus uses ultra wideband (UWB) digital radio technology to function the same way any traditional key fob would: When your phone goes near your car — from inside your pocket, bag or so on — it unlocks and then locks back up again when you leave. You can also access controls directly on the My BMW app to lock and unlock the car, open your trunk and control the temperature. The homepage lets you know the status of each feature, such as if your car is actually locked.BMW previously released its Digital Key for the Samsung Galaxy S21 and Google Pixel 6 phones, but that feature required drivers to hold their phone up to the door handle. The hands-free option is a small upgrade, but saves digging for your phone at least. BMW also claims the UWB technology's precision almost entirely removes the risk of anyone jamming or intercepting the radio signals.The expansion follows BMW's December announcement that you can share a Digital Key between Apple and Google devices. Basically, if you're nice enough to let a friend borrow your car for the weekend, they can use their phone to control it.At the moment, you need a pretty new car to make use of this new feature. Only BMW cars built since November 2022 with Digital Key Plus technology are compatible with Androids. The company plans to use remote software updates to eventually expand access to older models.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/bmw-brings-its-digital-key-plus-feature-to-samsung-galaxy-and-pixel-phones-122534824.html?src=rss
AT&T, helped by satellite communications specialist AST SpaceMobile, has announced the first two-way audio call using satellites with a standard smartphone. The initial call came from AT&T in Midland, Texas, to mobile carrier Ratuken in Japan on an unmodified Samsung Galaxy S22 smartphone using AST SpaceMobile's BlueWalker 3 satellite.The use of satellites could be a significant step toward increasing cellular access not only in the US, where large areas of the country struggle with service, but in developing countries too. Typically a mobile phone call requires nearby cell towers to provide service. Many areas across the United States, such as rural communities and national parks, are "dead zones" — yes, just like the eerie early 2000s Verizon commercials warned. The same technology could be a great solution to the same issues in developing countries. Instead, satellites could act as a sort of space-based network of cell towers — with AST SpaceMobile claiming it's "building the first and only space-based cellular broadband network."AT&T aims to use satellites to provide global cellular broadband from 2G to 5G. "Achieving what many once considered impossible, we have reached the most significant milestone to date in our quest to deliver global cellular broadband from space," Abel Avellan, CEO and chairman of AST SpaceMobile, said in a release. "While we take a moment to celebrate this tremendous accomplishment, we remain focused on the path ahead and pivotal next steps that get us closer to our goal of transforming the way the world connects."It's unclear whether satellite access would come at an extra cost. In AT&T's original AST SpaceMobile partnership annoucement, the company couldn't say whether existing plans would include satellite coverage.AT&T is one of a few carriers looking to expand its satellite access. Verizon teamed up with Amazon's Project Kuiper satellite network in 2021 with the intention of connecting underserved communities and industries. Amazon is in the midst of launching its satellites into space, with its FCC license requiring at least half of the 3,236 they plan to deploy to be operational by July 2026.T-Mobile has also partnered with SpaceX, a major competitor of Project Kuiper, with plans to "start getting into testing" its satellite mobile coverage this year. There are currently over 4,000 Starlink V2 satellites in orbit, though some have experienced issues requiring them to be removed from orbit or tested further. T-Mobile has claimed customers should have satellite access through most existing plans and, like AT&T, that existing phones should work with the satellite offerings.While satellite offerings aren't available for consumers yet, this successful test brings widespread access one step closer to becoming a reality.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/att-completes-the-first-space-based-voice-call-using-a-standard-smartphone-120012437.html?src=rss
The long-running legal tussle between Apple and Epic Games picked up another ruling, in the former’s favor, although the three-judge panel also upheld a part of the original ruling in Epic's favor. The US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling, which rejected most of Epic's claims that Apple violated federal competition law by prohibiting other app stores on its devices.“There is a lively and important debate about the role played in our economy and democracy by online transaction platforms with market power,” the panel wrote in the decision. “Our job as a federal court of appeals, however, is not to resolve that debate — nor could we even attempt to do so. Instead, in this decision, we faithfully applied existing precedent to the facts.” In short, the ruling maintains the status quo – unless further appeals move the case to a higher court.– 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 missedThe UK will spend £100 million to develop its own 'sovereign' AI Blizzard was reportedly sued by former Chinese partner after messy breakupGoogle Authenticator finally syncs one-time codes in the cloud The best smart speakers for 2023Supreme Court will decide if government officials can block social media critics Travelers in the ‘60s used to catch helicopter taxis between Chicago airportsGrimes invites AI artists to use her voice, promising 50 percent royalty split“Feel free to use my voice without penalty,” the artist tweeted.Jordan Strauss/Invision/APCanadian musician Grimes says AI artists can use her voice without worrying about copyright or legal enforcement. “I’ll split 50% royalties on any successful AI-generated song that uses my voice. Same deal as I would with any artist I collab with,” she tweeted on Sunday.It comes after streaming platforms removed an AI-generated song using simulated voices of Drake and The Weeknd. Universal Music Group (UMG), which represents both artists, called for the purge after “Heart on My Sleeve” garnered over 15 million listens on TikTok and 600,000 on Spotify. UMG argued that publishing a song trained on its artists’ voices was “a breach of our agreements and a violation of copyright law.”Continue reading.Microsoft will reportedly unbundle Teams from Office to avoid antitrust concernsIt hopes to head off an EU investigation, but ‘a deal is not certain.’Microsoft has agreed to stop bundling its Teams remote collaboration software with its Office productivity suite, according to the Financial Times. The company’s move attempts to head off an official EU antitrust investigation as it deals with its most significant regulatory concerns in over a decade. The FT’s sources say companies will eventually be able to buy Office with or without Teams installed, “but the mechanism on how to do this remains unclear.” Microsoft is facing its first regulatory issues in a decade. The company agreed to a settlement with the European Commission in 2009, offering European customers a choice of web browsers; it was fined €561 million in 2013 for failing to adhere consistently to that ruling.Continue reading.Kindle Scribe update lets you send documents directly from Microsoft WordThere are also annotation improvements and a two-column layout.The Kindle Scribe will soon be able to send documents directly from Microsoft Word to the e-reader with just a few clicks. This means you can read documents on the go or physically annotate them using the touchscreen and a Scribe pen. There’s also a new multi-column layout for reading two pages at once.Continue reading.Like it or not, a Call of Duty board game is coming in 2024Pre-orders will open on Kickstarter this fall.Activision has teamed up with board game publisher Arcane Wonders, along with Genuine Entertainment and Evolution to make the game. Call of Duty: The Board Game is said to be a fast-paced blend of combat, strategy and tactical planning. However, what that means in the context of a board game is unclear. Also, does multibillion-dollar publisher Activision really need to be selling its wares on Kickstarter?Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-apple-wins-appeals-court-ruling-against-epic-games-111604576.html?src=rss
Yelp has announced a bunch of updates across its site and apps, including a light lean into the AI trend. New features include providing a consumer guarantee, expanded review options and password-free logins.Yelp is utilizing AI and natural language models to further improve its search features. When you search for a specific place, like a tennis court, Yelp will suggest options and add a review with helpful information about going there — such as being able to book in advance. Further updates include showing you relevant businesses across the country and clickable tags like "Breakfast and Brunch."If you're unsure what you're craving, their new "Surprise Me" button will suggest a well-rated restaurant in your area. It's available right on your search page and you can keep clicking it until something gets your taste buds excited.Yelp Guaranteed is a new protection available for people looking to hire anyone from a plumber to a contractor. Customers who use Yelp's Request A Quote service can find businesses that are "Backed by Yelp Guaranteed" — it will display it right on their information page. If anything goes wrong after you hire one of them, Yelp says it will reimburse you up to to $2,500.Currently, it's only available in select major cities like San Francisco, Chicago and Seattle, with just iOS users able to filter for it. According to Yelp, it should roll out nationwide and extend to Android and web users this summer.YelpYelp is encouraging users to cover food, service and ambiance in their reviews, with each topic appearing at the top of the page. If you mention anything in one of the categories, it will light up green and have a checkmark next to it. You can also now add videos up to 12 seconds along with your review.The final set of Yelp's updates focus on the site's look and logistics. Just like with reviews, Yelp Connect — the paid option for business owners to share updates — now offers a video option. Yelp's home and navigation pages have also been refreshed to include easier access to restaurants' menus and ratings.This should all be a little quicker to access with Yelp finally offering automatic logins. You'll be sent a secure email the next time you sign in and, from then on, you don't have to worry about remembering your password. A lot of these are small changes but, overall, could make Yelp a bit more comprehensive moving forward.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/yelps-latest-update-includes-ai-suggestions-new-review-options-and-more-110023813.html?src=rss
The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has introduced a new bill that would give it the power slap the biggest tech companies with a fine worth billions if they don't comply with its rules. It's a multi-faceted bill that's aimed at protecting consumers and encouraging competition, and it will allow the CMA to directly enforce the law instead of having to go through the court.If the bill passes, the agency's Digital Markets Unit (DMU) will be able to enforce a set of rules on how companies it deems to have "strategic market status" in key digital services have to operate. The CMA didn't name any specific company in its announcement, but the DMU will most likely identify Google, Apple and Amazon as organizations with strategic market status.The DMU could require them to be more transparent on how their app store review systems work or to open up their data to rivals — in Google's case, it could be a rival search engine. If these companies fail to abide by the new rules, the DMU could fine them up to 10 percent of their global turnover. Apple, for example, earned around $283 billion in revenue for 2022, so that could translate to a massive fine worth $28.3 billion.In addition to giving CMA the ability to set rules for tech giants, the new bill will also address the problem with "subscription traps," which is costing UK consumers £1.6 billion (US$2 billion) a year. Its new rules will require businesses, not just the biggest tech companies, to provide customers with clearer information before they start a subscription. Companies will also be required to send customers notifications if their free or low-cost trial is coming to an end and before their subscription auto-renews. Plus, companies will have to provide customers an easy way to unsubscribe. In the US, the Federal Trade Commission proposed a similar rule back in March that would make it as easy to cancel subscriptions as it is to sign up. The proposal is also still waiting for approval before it can be implemented.Another concern the bill will address is fake reviews. The new rules are expected to prohibit companies from commissioning the composition and submission of fake reviews and from posting reviews without taking steps to ensure that they're genuine. Further, the rules would make it illegal to offer or to advertise submitting, commissioning and facilitating fake reviews.Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive of the CMA, said in a statement:"The new powers in this bill help the CMA take swift, decisive action to tackle rip offs, protecting consumers whether they are shopping online or on the high street. The new fining powers will provide an important deterrent to businesses seeking to take advantage of people while also ensuring fair dealing businesses can thrive.The bill will also strengthen the Digital Markets Unit, helping to ensure digital markets remain competitive and continue to benefit people, business, and the UK economy. We welcome its introduction to parliament and look forward to it progressing."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/uk-bill-could-protect-consumers-from-subscription-traps-and-fake-reviews-095558923.html?src=rss
Opera has released the early access version of its completely redesigned browser that it plans to launch for all platforms later this year. It's called Opera One, and it was designed to have a cleaner look with plenty of open space for future generative AI features and extensions in its sidebar and address bar. Opera says it has implemented a new multithreaded compositor and its new modular design principles for the browser to enable a fresh batch of features that include what it calls "tab islands."The browser has the capability to automatically and intuitively group websites people open based on their content. It will open all pages with menus and restaurant details in one island, for instance, and all tabs with Google Docs in another. The idea is to reduce confusion and make it easier to jump between tasks, whether for work or for something personal. Opera apparently conducted research and found that users get overwhelmed by the number of tabs they have and wish their browsers could do more for them. This is Opera's answer to that problem.While the browser was designed with the capability to create tab islands on its own, users can manually group pages together, as well. They can drag and drop tabs between islands or create a new one by pressing the CTRL or Command button and clicking on the websites they want to group before right clicking on the "create a tab island" option. Opera considers tab islands as the first manifestation if its modular design strategy with their clearly distinguishable island borders and color markets, so we could probably expect more similarly designed features.In addition to tab islands, Opera One comes with ChatGPT, ChatSonic and AI Prompts enabled by default. If you'll recall, the company introduced sidebar integration for the AI chatbots back in March, allowing users to quickly launch them in a separate window within the browser. Meanwhile, the AI Prompts feature suggests different ways people can use the chatbots to transform the text on page, such turning a chunk of text into a soap opera dialogue or extracting information from it to create quiz questions.Opera One is now available for download from the company's website.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/opera-one-is-a-browser-designed-for-generative-ai-features-070048153.html?src=rss
When a highly anticipated set of Magic: The Gathering cards leaked on YouTube last week, it’s hard to imagine anyone would have guessed the incident would end with the involvement of one of the most infamous private security firms in the world. But that’s exactly what happened after YouTuber Oldschoolmtg uploaded an unboxing video featuring a collection of March of the Machine: The Aftermath booster packs.If you’re not familiar, Aftermath is an upcoming 50-card Magic: The Gathering set Wizards of the Coast will release on May 12th. It’s billed as a supplement to the game’s current March of the Machine expansion, which has been available since April 21st. Predictably, Oldschoolmtg’s unboxing video was all anyone in the Magic: The Gathering community could talk about in recent days. Based on Wizards of the Coast’s reaction, it’s safe to say the video also irked the Hasbro-owned publisher.Over the weekend, Oldchoolmtg uploaded another video, this time titled “The Aftermath of The Aftermath… Everything is Gone!” In the clip, the YouTuber says Pinkerton agents showed up at his home on Saturday morning and began demanding he hand over the “stolen” product. “I got up and recorded some videos,” Oldschoolmtg states. “Right after I got done with the video, dogs started barking because somebody is at the door. I come out and the wife’s answering the door and it was the Pinkertons.”If you live in the US, the Pinkertons need no introduction. The company is one of the country’s oldest private security firms, with its original incarnation, the Pinkerton Detective Agency, dating back to 1850. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Pinkertons made a name for themselves with their anti-union operations, a job they continue to do in the 21st century.Oldschoolmtg speculates the person he bought the unreleased cards from likely didn’t know they sent him an unreleased set. “Somebody screwed up and sent out the wrong cases to the gentlemen that I bought the boxes off of, because when he sold me the stuff he said he was selling me March of the Machine collector’s boxes — not Aftermath.”After recovering the leaked Magic: The Gathering set, including the empty boxes and wrappers, the Pinkertons put Oldschoolmtg in touch with a Wizards of the Coast representative, who was “very apologetic about making my wife cry first thing in the morning by sending these heavy-duty lawmen.”A Wizards of the Coast spokesperson confirmed to Polygon and Kotaku that the company sent the private security firm to Oldschoolmtg as “part of their investigation” into the leak. The YouTuber says the contact they spoke to at Wizards of the Coast offered to send them free products as compensation for what had happened. For what it’s worth, his YouTube viewership has also doubled since the original video went up.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/magic-the-gathering-publisher-wizards-of-the-coast-sent-the-pinkertons-after-a-leaker-200040402.html?src=rss
Critter & Guitari has made a name for itself by releasing quirky and highly musical gadgets, like this video-based synthesizer, and now the company is back with a multitrack recorder that prioritizes simplicity and ease of use. The 5 Moons also continues the company’s pristine record of making visually distinct devices, due to its attractive wood enclosure made entirely out of pine.Underneath the hood you’ll find a powerful 48KHz 16-bit sampler and enough storage for around 20 hours of samples and compositions, via an 8GB microSD card. As the name suggests, this is a five track device, but don’t let that dissuade you from making complex compositions with dozens of instruments, as you can easily bounce everything down over and over again.This musical block of wood does not include a screen of any kind, so everything is handled via the sliders and accompanying buttons, but the interface seems easy to use, with dedicated buttons for most tasks like bouncing, looping and perusing sounds. The company says the 5 Moons is great for making simple enclosed loops and for composing long-form pieces. Looping is no great mystery, but creating longer works does require a certain level of expertise regarding various button and slider combinations.To that end, you can easily send projects to the DAW of your choice via a USB-C connection for finishing touches, and this connection also powers the device. Transfers go both ways, as you can send projects from your computer to the 5 Moons for additional processing, looping and creative tomfoolery. Critter & Guitari says this feature is a great way to start a unique new track or to “re-envision and remix” prior tracks.You can run external instruments directly into 5 Moons, like the company’s own Organelle S, thanks to a ⅛-inch monophonic input. The rear also includes a ⅛-inch monophonic output if you want to send the signal out for external processing or to speakers when playing live. Playing live with this thing should be a blast, as it weighs only five ounces, though it does not feature a built-in battery.Critter & Guitari’s 5 Moons multitrack recorder is available now for $325.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/critter--guitaris-5-moons-is-a-wonderfully-wooden-multitrack-recorder-193616586.html?src=rss
An appeals court has issued a ruling in the long-running antitrust tussle between Apple and Epic Games. As Bloomberg reports, the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling, which rejected most of Epic's claims that Apple violated federal competition law by prohibiting alternative app stores on its devices. The three-judge panel also upheld a part of the original ruling that was in Epic's favor.“There is a lively and important debate about the role played in our economy and democracy by online transaction platforms with market power,” the panel wrote in the decision. “Our job as a federal court of appeals, however, is not to resolve that debate — nor could we even attempt to do so. Instead, in this decision, we faithfully applied existing precedent to the facts.”The ruling maintains the status quo, unless further appeals move the case to a higher court. One added wrinkle is the fact that Epic may now be on the hook for Apple's legal fees, as Axios' Stephen Totillo pointed out.“Today’s decision reaffirms Apple’s resounding victory in this case, with nine of ten claims having been decided in Apple’s favor. For the second time in two years, a federal court has ruled that Apple abides by antitrust laws at the state and federal levels," Apple told Engadget in a statement. "The App Store continues to promote competition, drive innovation, and expand opportunity, and we’re proud of its profound contributions to both users and developers around the world. We respectfully disagree with the court’s ruling on the one remaining claim under state law and are considering further review.”Shortly after the ruling was released, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney published the following statement on his Twitter account:
Your Google Authenticator one-time codes are no longer trapped if you lose the device that stores them. An update to Authenticator for Android and iOS now stores backups of codes in your Google account. You won't have to reauthorize all your linked apps (or scan a QR code) just because you got a new phone.Once you have the latest version of the app, you only have to follow prompts to sign into Google and enable syncing. Of course, you'll also want to be sure your Google account is secure to prevent intruders from misusing Authenticator.Google is still pushing for password-free logins that use technology like passkeys. However, it also acknowledges that people still rely on one-time codes. The Authenticator update promises to reduce some of the headaches of using those codes until you're ready and able to move to another system. This might also encourage the use of two-factor authentication if you were previously afraid of what would happen if your phone was lost or stolen.This isn't a novel concept. Apps like Microsoft Authenticator also have cloud backups. However, it's no secret that Google's tool is popular. Cloud syncing should make a tangible difference, particularly when many apps can use Authenticator as an alternative to the conventional password.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-authenticator-finally-syncs-one-time-codes-in-the-cloud-185207290.html?src=rss
Workers at Sega of America have announced plans to form a union. A supermajority of workers based out of the company's headquarters in Irvine CA say they are forming a union with the Communication Workers of America — calling themselves the Allied Employees Guild Improving Sega, or AEGIS-CWA.“Working for Sega is a passion for many of us and it’s been so exciting to see that through organizing, we can make this work a sustainable long-term career," Sega QA lead and AEGIS member Mohammad Saman said in a statement. "By creating our union, AEGIS-CWA, we’ll have a say in the decisions that shape our working conditions and ensure the job security and working conditions we deserve. We’re excited to protect what already makes Sega great, and help build an even stronger company, together."The fledgling union hopes that Sega will recognize the AEGIS-CWA voluntarily, but have also filed for a union representation election with the National Labor Relations Board. If the unionization goes forward, the group hopes to push for a higher base pay, improved benefits and measures that will help prevent "patterns of overwork" through better staffing.Although the proposed union isn't the largest in the industry by numbers, it's among the most board, covering 144 workers across Sega of America's localization, marketing, product development games as a service and quality assurance teams. Although it's the latest group of game workers to announce the formation of a union, it's also far from the first. In 2021, Vodeo Games became the first studio in North America to form a union before unfortunately shutting down the following year. Since then, multiple groups with Activision Blizzard voted to unionize. Microsoft is the home to the largest union in the video game industry today, with ZeniMax Workers United CWA representing about 300 employees.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sega-of-america-workers-are-forming-a-union-184043887.html?src=rss
Microsoft has agreed to stop bundling its Teams remote collaboration software with its Office productivity suite, according toFinancial Times. The company’s move attempts to head off an official EU antitrust investigation as it deals with its most significant regulatory concerns in over a decade.FT’s sources say companies will eventually be able to buy Office with or without Teams installed, “but the mechanism on how to do this remains unclear.” Talks with EU regulators are reportedly ongoing, and “a deal is not certain.” Microsoft told FT, “We are mindful of our responsibilities in the EU as a major technology company. We continue to engage cooperatively with the commission in its investigation and are open to pragmatic solutions that address its concerns and serve customers well.”Competing remote-work platform Slack, now owned by Salesforce, complained to EU regulators in 2020, asking officials to make Microsoft sell Teams separately from its ubiquitous Office suite. Slack’s general counsel said at the time, “We’re asking the EU to be a neutral referee, examine the facts and enforce the law.”Microsoft is facing its first regulatory issues in a decade. The company agreed to a settlement with the European Commission in 2009, agreeing to offer European customers a choice of web browsers; it was then fined €561 million in 2013 for failing to adhere to that consistently. Of course, its most famous antitrust shakeup came around the turn of the millennium when it was initially forced to break up into two companies, a ruling later overturned by an appeals court. Microsoft and the DOJ settled in 2001, agreeing to restrictions like sharing APIs with third-party developers and letting PC manufacturers install non-Microsoft software on their products.In recent months, the company has been scrambling to receive regulatory approval for its planned $69 billion purchase of game publisher Activision Blizzard. The company is reportedly expected to receive a green light from the EU and UK, and it has until July to appease the US Federal Trade Commission. Microsoft offered 10-year legal agreements to provide Call of Duty on Nintendo consoles and cloud-streaming platform Boosteroid to help ease those concerns. Sony reportedly declined a similar offer.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-will-reportedly-unbundle-teams-from-office-to-avoid-antitrust-concerns-183139403.html?src=rss
BeReal, Apple's iPhone app of the year for 2022, wants you to know that it's still going strong. The app sends users a notification at a different time each day, prompting them to drop everything and share photos taken with their phone's front and rear cameras simultaneously. You have a two-minute window to do this, with the idea that you'll share authentic updates from your life (you likely won't have enough time to fix your hair or find a spot with great lighting first). Your friends are notified when you post late or retake your photos.This approach has caused some teething issues. It has led to people sharing mundane photos of their computer screens or taking out their phones simultaneously during a class, as The New York Times reported recently. Citing data from an analytics company, the publication suggested that the app's user numbers have nosedived by around 61 percent in recent months to under six million as the novelty factor waned and biggerrivals started to copy BeReal.On its new blog, BeReal claims it actually has more than 20 million daily active users. In its inaugural post, the BeReal team notes it has been quiet as it's been busy. "But [that] means people have been guessing about what we’ve been up to and how things are going, and not always accurately," the post reads.BeRealMeanwhile, BeReal has debuted a feature that could lead to an uptick in engagement and perhaps keep wavering users onboard. Bonus BeReal, which the company is testing in the UK before expanding to the rest of the world soon, allows users to post two extra snapshots per day at times of their choosing — as long as they share their regular BeReal on time.The move could undercut the spontaneous authenticity that BeReal strives for, as it will give users a chance to pose for and edit their extra posts. However, BeReal notes that it may make changes to the feature.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/bereal-says-it-has-more-than-20-million-daily-active-users-172721921.html?src=rss
For those who prefer an Android phone to an iPhone, we think Samsung's Galaxy Watch 5 is the best smartwatch you can get. Right now Amazon, Best Buy and Samsung are all selling the 40mm size for $219, which matches the all-time low price we saw earlier this year. In addition to being the top Android pick in our guide to smartwatches, the wearable earned an 85 in our review, thanks to its solid build, ample health tracking capabilities and a clean design that looks much more like a traditional timepiece than the square Apple Watch.The Watch 5 doesn't look much different from its predecessor, maintaining the clean lines and minimalist design, but it now has tougher Sapphire Crystal glass. Our reviewer, Cherlynn Low, found the Galaxy Watch 5 did a better job than an Apple Watch at tracking sleep. It also beats out other WearOS-based devices at tracking activity, quickly recognizing when you're moving and suggesting to record your activities. The battery will give you a little over a full day on a charge and the recharge rate is speedy, so a 30 minute charge will give you another half day of juice.The improved, curved sensors get closer to your skin to give you body composition readings and take EKG for better health tracking. And of course, it's a capable companion for your Android phone, controlling your music, sending notifications, letting you reply to messages and delivering on-wrist navigation.For those with larger wrists, or who simply want a larger display, the 44mm Galaxy Watch 5 is also on sale. Amazon is selling it for $249, which is a $60 discount and the lowest price the watch has gone for since its debut last year. Both Best Buy and Samsung are currently matching that deal, so if you'd rather buy from those outlets, you can.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/samsungs-galaxy-watch-5-is-cheaper-than-ever-at-amazon-171523806.html?src=rss
The Supreme Court will soon hear two cases that could decide whether or not government figures can block their critics on social networks. The court has agreed to tackle appeals from California and Michigan residents who claim officials violated First Amendment free speech rights by blocking them on social media in response to critical commentary.In California, Christopher and Kimberly Garnier believe Poway Unified School District members Michelle O'Connor-Ratcliff and TJ Zane unfairly blocked them on Facebook and Twitter for writing hundreds of critical comments on talking points like school budgets and race. Michigan's Kevin Lindke, meanwhile, says City Manager James Freed violated his rights by blocking him on Facebook over criticism regarding the pandemic.The cases have had different outcomes so far. A federal judge sided with the Garniers in 2021, and an appeals court upheld the decision noting that O'Connor-Ratcliff and Zane both used their social accounts in an official role. However, the federal judge in the other case ruled for Freed in 2021, who won an appeal in 2022. Freed wasn't acting as City Manager when he blocked Lindke, the judges found.Cases like this took the spotlight in 2019, when then-President Trump and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez both faced accusations they violated free speech rights by banning critics. To date, courts have typically ruled based on whether or not officials are using their accounts for business. Even a personal account used for official activity amounts to a public space where criticism must be allowed, a federal appeals court found when hearing Trump's case. These issues haven't reached the Supreme Court until now. The legal body's decisions could settle the question and force officials to allow critics so long as the posts don't amount to harassment or threats.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/supreme-court-will-decide-if-government-officials-can-block-social-media-critics-155717504.html?src=rss
We’ve all been there: sitting in the back of a cab as it crawls through downtown traffic, the clock on the dash mocking you with its inexorable march towards a missed final boarding call and non-refundable ticket fees. Racing to make your flight is an experience nearly as old as commercial aviation itself — and one which has seen repeated solutions attempted throughout the years. Today, companies like Uber and Hyundai or United Airlines and Archer are working to get fleets of eVTOL aircraft to serve as short-hop air taxis, ferrying travelers from city centers to airports while avoiding the mess and hassle of ground-based traffic. In the ‘60s, companies like Chicago Helicopter Airways (CHA) just used a bunch of repurposed US Navy helicopters whose rotors almost never catastrophically failed. Almost.Following WW2, the US government found itself with a massive surplus of military aircraft — we’re talking North of 150,000 individual planes, helicopters and sundry whirlybirds that all needed somewhere to go that wasn’t storage or a scrap yard. At the same time, an emergent middle class got the chicken in every pot and car in every driveway it was promised, along with all of the traffic and congestion that that particular American dream creates. So, in the early 1950s, the Federal government launched a series of grant programs to promote commuting via helicopter as an intra-city alternative to driving, simultaneously addressing both issues.The CHA began its existence in post-war America 1948, as a regional mail delivery service operating in greater Chicagoland with a fleet of Sikorsky S-58C and H-34A Choctaw helicopters, but switched to carrying human passengers from 1956 to 1963. Its five-stop route moved between its home base in Winnetka, Illinois and O’Hare and Midway airports, the now defunct Meigs Field, and Gary, Indiana.For $5 in 1962 money (or just under $50 today) travelers could get from Winnetka at the North end of the city to Terminal 3 at O’Hare, and do it in under ten minutes. Or for $11, sightseers could reserve space aboard a city-wide “Complete Triangle Flight” helicopter tour of Chicago. According to digitized pamphlets archived at TimetableImages, anyone flying to or from “Europe, South or Central America, Alaska or across the Pacific,” on Air France, BOAC Lufthansa, Mexicana, Northwest, PAA or TWA were entitled to a free helo-transfer between Midway and O’Hare.At its peak in 1960, CHA operated 126 flights and carried 6,000 passengers daily. However, that success did not last long past the tragedy of Flight 698. On July 20th, 1960, 11 passengers and two crew members took off from O’Hare airport, headed for Midway under clear skies. Minutes into the journey, disaster struck when the main rotor failed and came apart. The crew attempted an emergency landing but were thwarted when the tail rotor subsequently broke off and the aircraft nose-dived into Forest Home Cemetery. It burst into flames, killing all 13 aboard.Just three years later in 1963, CHA’s business had dropped off by half with just 3,000 people opting for helicopter rides to the airport. By 1966, the federal government’s grant programs had run their course and funding quickly dried up, effectively putting an end to CHA’s operations. The company attempted a comeback with limited service in 1969 but shuttered again for good in 1974.The CHA wasn't alone in its air commute aspirations. It was joined by similar services in Los Angeles, New York, Washington DC and the San Francisco Bay Area. European cities launched their own services as well including Paris, Brussels, Dooseldorf and between the UK's Gatwick and Heathrow airports.Clearly the issue was that the aircraft of the day only had a measly single rotor to provide lift and placed it at risk of major mechanical failure. That’s not an issue with modern VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft, such as the six-rotor Bell Nexus, which was to be used in Uber’s now defunct air taxi service, a similarly-specced offering from Volocopter, or the five-rotor version that Boeing tested in 2019.However, finding reliable funding remains a challenge — even Larry Page’s pet VTOL project, Kitty Hawk, ceased operations in 2022 — which has resulted in much of the technology’s development concentrating amidst existing aerospace corporations. Airbus is working on a VTOL of its own, as is Honda, while United announced plans to buy 500 units outright from VTOL maker Eve Air Mobility to jumpstart its fleet. Joby Aviation, which purchased Uber’s air taxi business in 2020, just received significant investment from Delta as well.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/chicago-helicopter-airways-taxi-airports-transportation-153747571.html?src=rss
The UK government doesn't want to sit idle while foundational AI models like ChatGPT flourish. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan have pledged an initial £100 million (about $124.5 million) to establish a Foundation Model Taskforce. The team will develop AI that ideally makes the country "globally competitive," and will work with the industry to make these systems safer and more reliable.The taskforce is inspired by the COVID-19 vaccine unit from the height of the pandemic. The group will report directly to both the Prime Minister and Technology Secretary, and have a chairperson announced this summer. The funding comes alongside roughly £900 million ($1.1 billion) in the UK budget devoted to both an exascale supercomputer and dedicated AI research resources.Officials aren't shy about their hopes. The UK wants to have "sovereign" AI technology that spurs the economy while avoiding the ethical and technical pitfalls that have led experts to call for a six-month pause on experiments. Such models can sometimes be inaccurate or exhibit strange behavior, such as refusing to answer questions or even criticizing users. Donelan sees trustworthy AI as an edge in the field that can help create medical treatments, aid public services and fight climate change.To some degree, the UK already has a major presence in AI. Google's mainly London-based DeepMind team produces cutting-edge AI research, for instance. However, the hottest systems in recent memory have been developed elsewhere — ChatGPT is the work of US-based OpenAI. The taskforce theoretically keeps British AI relevant despite this trend toward foreign-born technologies.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-uk-is-creating-a-100-million-ai-taskforce-143507868.html?src=rss
Those who are perhaps a little tired of playing Ticket to Ride or Settlers of Catan at Thanksgiving will have a new way to get mad at their extended family members starting next year. That's because Call of Duty: The Board Game is on the way. Pre-orders will start this fall on Kickstarter.Activision teamed up with board game publisher Arcane Wonders, along with Genuine Entertainment and Evolution to make the game. Call of Duty: The Board Game is said to be a fast-paced blend of combat, strategy and tactical planning. However, an announcement video that brings to mind the Marvel Studios production logo doesn't shed more light on how the game actually works.What we do know for now is that, as you may have guessed, you and your companions will take on the guise of soldiers. You'll battle your opponents with combat skills and a variety of weapons. Arcane Wonders says there are a number of scenarios and gameplay modes to choose from, while the action takes place across several maps from the Call of Duty games.There’s no word yet on whether you’ll be able to set off a nuclear bomb in your living room if you reach a high enough kill streak to wipe out everyone and somehow still win the game. More Call of Duty: The Board Game details will be revealed in the coming months.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/like-it-or-not-a-call-of-duty-board-game-is-coming-in-2024-141702572.html?src=rss
As Apple’s WWDC approaches, the rumor frequency for the company’s VR/AR headset is gathering pace. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says the device, rumored to be named Reality Pro or Reality One, will have two ports: a USB-C interface for data transfers and a “new proprietary charging connector.” Judging by Gurman’s description, the latter is reminiscent of Apple’s recently reintroduced MagSafe power port. As for the power supply, it’s about the size of an iPhone, similar to Apple’s own MagSafe Battery Pack for iPhones. The component can reportedly power the wearable for up to two hours on a single charge, but you’ll be able to buy extra packs, given how quickly the headset may drain them.It doesn’t sound particularly elegant, but there are reasons for it. At the start of 2023, Gurman first hinted at an external power supply. He reported Apple was concerned about the device overheating, while also chasing a lighter, more comfortable headset.– 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 missedHitting the Books: We'd likely have to liquidate Jupiter to build a Dyson Sphere around the SunRecommended Reading: The websites that make ChatGPT and other AI sound smartGoogle gives Bard the ability to generate and debug code I love Quella’s gorgeous retro cafe racer e-bikes Chromebooks' short lifespans are creating 'piles of electronic waste'Leaked Pixel Fold video shows an internal display with chunky bezelsIt looks a lot like the Galaxy Z Fold 4.Kuba WojciechowskiDays after CNBC reported Google’s plans for a foldable Pixel phone at I/O 2023, an alleged video of the device is circulating online. On late Friday evening, leaker and developer Kuba Wojciechowski shared what he says is a clip of the Pixel Fold. Unfortunately, the video doesn’t show any features that definitively identify the foldable as a Pixel device, but if this is the real thing, be prepared for some noticeable borders to the device’s internal screen. The Pixel Fold will reportedly cost around $1,700 when it arrives later this year. According to CNBC, the device will have a book-like design, with a 5.8-inch external screen and a 7.6-inch folding display. It’s also said to sport the “most durable hinge” of any foldable to date and a battery that can last up to 72 hours in Extreme Battery Saver mode.Continue reading.Twitter adds blue checks to accounts of dead celebritiesTapping the icon says the deceased individuals are "subscribed" to Twitter Blue.Twitter has begun handing out blue ticks to celebrity users and accounts with more than one million followers. Among the users who received the verification but say they did not pay for the service include author Neil Gaiman, actor Ron Perlman, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Twitter comic dril. Also, accounts that once belonged to Chadwick Boseman, Kobe Bryant and Anthony Bourdain, celebrities who died long before Musk’s takeover of Twitter, were also reverified over the weekend. On Friday, Musk claimed he was “personally” paying the Twitter Blue subscription for a few celebrities, including LeBron James and Stephen King.Continue reading.You can't share Xbox clips directly to Twitter anymoreThe change is likely down to Twitter's decision to charge for API access.Microsoft said it had to switch off the option to upload Xbox screenshots and clips directly to Twitter from Xbox consoles as well as the Game Bar on Windows. There are other options, but they're a little more inconvenient. You can use the Xbox mobile app to download console captures and share them to Twitter.When asked for comment, Xbox declined to shed more light on the reason for the change. It seems likely that Microsoft dropped the built-in sharing option due to Twitter's decision to charge at least $42,000 per month for enterprise access to its APIs. That move is breaking functionality for all kinds of organizations, including disaster response services. This week, Microsoft said it would soon remove Twitter integration from its social media management tool for advertisers.Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-apple-mixed-reality-headset-rumors-111549504.html?src=rss
Anker is best known for its chargers and power banks, but its Soundcore brand offers some surprisingly good value wireless headphones. If you've been looking for a pair with noise cancellation and want to pay less than a $100, it has several models currently on sale at or near all-time lows. Those include the Soundcore Life Q30 model on sale for just $56 (30 percent off), the Soundcore Space Q45 priced at $100 for a $50 discount and the Space A40 wireless noise-cancelling earphones, down to $64 or 36 percent off the regular price.Both the Soundcore Life Q30 and Soundcore Space Q45 headphones offer a comfortable fit thanks to the ample padding. They deliver superb battery life of up to 40-50 hours, can connect two devices at once and come with a 3.5mm cable for wired listening (though only the Space Q45 lets you use ANC when wired). The ANC can't of course, beat high-end headphones like the Sony WH-1000XM5 or Bose QuietComfort 45, but it does a great job of reducing lower-end rumble from jet planes, trains, etc.For the extra money, The Space Q45 it has an adaptive ANC mode that can automatically adjust the headphone's ANC strength based on your surroundings. The Life Q30, on the other hand, just offers three preset ANC levels. For Android users, the Space Q45 also supports the higher-quality LDAC audio codec. Both let you tune the audio using Anker's companion app, which offers a graphic EQ tool and a few alternative sound profile presets.Meanwhile, the Soundcore Space A40 earbuds can reduce noise by up to 98 percent, according to Anker. They have a one-touch transparency mode, adaptive noise cancellation and wireless high-res audio. A feature called Hear ID Sound is designed to analyze how you hear music to create a sound profile tuned for your ears. You'll get up to 10 hours of playtime on a single charge, with the charging case providing another 40 hours of playback. Charging for 10 minutes could get you up to four hours of playtime. Soundcore promises "pumping bass" along with "rich middle and crisp trebles" thanks to the 10mm drivers.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/anker-soundcore-noise-canceling-headphones-are-up-to-36-percent-off-right-now-080952280.html?src=rss
Chromebooks have always been a popular option for schools due to the relatively cheap prices, but they exploded in popularity during the Covid pandemic as kids did their schoolwork from home. However, they may not be such a good deal after all, according to a new report called Chromebook Churn from the US Public Interest Research Group (PIRG). They found that many Chromebooks purchased just three years ago are already breaking, creating electronic waste and costing taxpayers money.Chromebooks in schools typically see rough use, and repairability is a key issue, due to a lack of parts and expensive repairs. For instance, 14 out of 29 keyboard replacements for Acer Chromebooks were found to be out of stock, and 10 of the 29 cost $90 each — nearly half the price of some models. "These high costs may make schools reconsider Chromebooks as a cost-saving strategy," the report states. In another instance, HP only stocked power cords and AC adapters for one model, but no other parts.The devices also have built in "death dates," the report reads, after which software updates end. "Once laptops have 'expired,' they don’t receive updates and can’t access secure websites." Google does provide eight years of software updates for Chromebooks, but that's only from the date of release. Since many schools buy Chromebooks released several years before, support can expire in half that time.
When Elon Musk first announced Twitter would start charging for verification, he said the company’s legacy “lords & peasants” system was “bullshit.” Now, just days after winding down the old system, Twitter has begun handing out blue ticks to celebrity users and accounts with more than one million followers. Among the users who received the verification but say they did not pay for the service include author Neil Gaiman, actor Ron Perlman, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Twitter comic dril.
NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell is leaving Comcast, effective immediately. The telecom giant made the surprise announcement in a terse press release it issued on Sunday. Following an investigation prompted by a complaint of inappropriate behavior, Comcast says it came to a “mutual” decision with Shell that he should resign his position.“Today is my last day as CEO of NBCUniversal. I had an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the company, which I deeply regret,” Shell said in a joint statement. “I'm truly sorry I let my Comcast and NBCUniversal colleagues down, they are the most talented people in the business and the opportunity to work with them the last 19 years has been a privilege.”Comcast has not named a successor to Shell. In a memo obtained by Variety, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts and President Mike Cavanagh told employees they were “disappointed” to share the news. “We built this company on a culture of integrity. Nothing is more important than how we treat each other. You should count on your leaders to create a safe and respectful workplace,” they wrote. “When our principles and policies are violated, we will always move quickly to take appropriate action, as we have done here.”Shell joined Comcast in 2004. He became the CEO of NBCUniversal in 2020. That same year, he oversaw the launch of Peacock. Shell leaves NBCUniversal without having made the streaming service profitable. At the start of the year, Comcast told investors that it had added five million paying subscribers during the final three months of 2022. However, over that same period, the company lost nearly $1 billion operating the service.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nbcuniversal-ceo-jeff-shell-is-leaving-comcast-over-inappropriate-conduct-203917877.html?src=rss
ARM is reportedly building its own chip. According to the Financial Times, the company has tasked its newly formed “solutions engineering” team, led by former Qualcomm executive and Snapdragon designer Kevork Kechichian, with producing a semiconductor to showcase the capabilities of its products. ARM’s apparent goal with the project is to attract new customers ahead of its highly anticipated initial public offering later this year.The Times reports the company began work on the prototype about six months ago. Multiple industry executives told the outlet the resulting design is “more advanced” than any semiconductor produced in the past. The fact numerous sources outside of ARM spoke to The Times about the in-house chip would suggest the prototype is something of an open secret within the chip industry.ARM declined to comment. According to The Times, the firm does not plan to sell or license the design of the prototype to other companies. That’s easy to believe. It would be out of character for ARM to do otherwise. The company’s business model is built around licensing its architecture to other firms. More than 500 companies, including Apple, MediaTek and Qualcomm, employ ARM-designed components in their semiconductors.There are parts of the market where ARM could make inroads. With PCs, for instance, ARM components are rare outside of recent Mac computers. As The Times notes, the company last week warned investors of a “significant concentration” risk to its business. In 2022, ARM’s 20 most important customers accounted for 86 percent of its revenues. “The loss of a small number of key customers could significantly impact the group’s growth,” the firm told analysts.Separately, the project could be a good thing for consumers. According to The Times, ARM’s solutions engineering team is also working on improving the performance and security of the company’s designs. That work will likely trickle down to the devices you use daily.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/arm-is-reportedly-building-a-chip-to-show-off-what-its-designs-can-do-193232317.html?src=rss
At the start of 2023, Bloomberg’s Gurman reported Apple’s forthcoming mixed-reality headset would feature an external power supply. At the time, he said the company made the decision to offload the battery for a few reasons. Apple was concerned about the device overheating. It also wanted to make the headset lighter and thereby more comfortable to wear.Ahead of WWDC 2023, the venue where Apple is expected to announce the headset, Gurman has shared more information about what to expect from the wearable’s external battery. Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, he says the device, rumored to be named “Reality Pro” or “Reality One,” will feature two ports: a USB-C interface for data transfers and a “new proprietary charging connector.” Judging from Gurman’s description, the latter is reminiscent of Apple’s recently reintroduced MagSafe power port. The included power cable reportedly features a round tip that magnetically attaches to Apple’s headset. After inserting the cable, Gurman says you rotate it to lock it into place.AppleAs for the power supply, it’s about the size of an iPhone and looks similar to Apple’s own MagSafe Battery Pack (pictured above). The component can reportedly power the wearable for up two hours on a single charge. Recharging the pack involves a USB-C cable connected to a MacBook Pro power adapter. Gurman speculates Apple will allow customers to buy additional packs separately since a single one provides so little uptime.More than anything, Gurman’s latest report underscores how much of a first-generation product Apple’s headset will be when it arrives later this year. With the device employing such a cumbersome power delivery method and coming in at a rumored $3,000, it’s hard to imagine the average consumer running out to buy Apple’s latest gadget.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-mixed-reality-headset-may-come-with-a-magnetic-cable-for-its-external-power-supply-171341879.html?src=rss
If you missed the chance to buy Apple’s 2022 iPad when it was $50 off earlier this month, now you have another opportunity to purchase the tablet at a discount. For the time being, Amazon is offering the device at a starting price of $399. That’s a return to the iPad’s best-ever price.The sale includes all color, storage and networking variants of the 10.9-inch tablet. Colorway options include pink, blue, silver and yellow, and you can order the device with either 64GB or 256GB of storage. Apple also offers an LTE variant that features cellular connectivity. With the $50 discount, you’ll pay $549 for either the 256GB WiFi model or the 64GB LTE model. The top-spec variant is currently $699.Engadget awarded the 10th-generation iPad a score of 85 when it reviewed the device last fall. The tablet features a refreshed design reminiscent of the iPad Pro and iPad Air. Apple removed the Home button found on the previous model, replacing it with an edge-facing Touch ID button that doubles as a sleep button. The company also outfitted the tablet with its A14 Bionic chipset and repositioned the front-facing camera so that it has a landscape orientation, making the tablet better suited for video calls. Note that the 2022 iPad is not a great choice if you’re an artist as it doesn’t support the second-generation Apple Pencil. With the redesign also came a more expensive price tag, something Amazon’s discount helps address.Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-2022-ipad-is-back-on-sale-for-399-151741360.html?src=rss
Ubisoft is about to bring another handful of games to Steam in the coming months. As spotted by PC Gamer, Far Cry 6, Riders Republic, Rainbow Six Extraction and Monopoly Madness will arrive on the storefront on May 11th, June 8th, June 15th and June 22nd, respectively. On PC, all four games are currently only available through the Epic Games Store and Ubisoft’s own Connect marketplace.Following a three-year absence from the platform, Ubisoft began releasing its games on Steam again in the winter of 2022. The first batch of titles included Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Anno 1800. At the start of 2023, the company then released The Division 2 and Watch Dogs: Legion, among a handful of other titles that were previously unavailable on Steam. When Ubisoft left the storefront in 2019, it said the decision led to pre-orders for The Division 2 increasing by six times on its own storefront (where Ubisoft did not have to pay Valve’s up to 30 percent cut of sales). As for the company’s decision to return to Steam, Ubisoft has only said it’s “constantly evaluating how to bring our games to different audiences wherever they are,” a statement that suggests the size of Valve’s userbase may outweigh the value of sharing a smaller portion of sales with a partner like Epic.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ubisoft-is-bringing-far-cry-6-and-three-other-recent-games-to-steam-204545630.html?src=rss
This week, Tesla defeated a lawsuit that blamed the company’s Autopilot for a 2019 crash, reports Reuters. On Friday, a California state court jury found the driver assistance software was not to blame for a Model S crash that left the driver of the vehicle with a fractured jaw, missing teeth and nerve damage. Justine Hsu sued Tesla in 2020 after her EV swerved into a center median on a Los Angeles city street while Autopilot was engaged. She sought more than $3 million in damages, alleging defects in the software and the design of Tesla’s airbags.Tesla denied liability for the accident. It argued Hsu used Autopilot on a city street, a practice the company warns against in the software’s user manual. The jury awarded Hsu no damages and said the automaker did not intentionally fail to disclose facts about Autopilot. As Reuters notes, it’s believed the trial is among the first involving the driver assistance mode. While the result won’t be “legally binding in other cases,” it is expected to inform how lawyers tackle future incidents involving the technology.The result of the case is also unlikely to ease the scrutiny Tesla already faces related to its claims around Autopilot and “Full Self-Driving” software. At the start of the year, the automaker confirmed the US Department of Justice had requested documents linked to the two features. The company is also under investigation by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for Autopilot collisions involving parked emergency vehicles.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tesla-wins-lawsuit-over-autopilot-model-s-crash-185405972.html?src=rss
Inside the secret list of websites that make AI like ChatGPT sound smartKevin Schaul, Szu Yu Chen and Nitasha Tiku, The Washington PostAI chatbots are all the rage on the internet right now, but how much do you know about how the tech is being trained? The Washington Post explains how text that's mostly scraped from the internet is ingested and transformed into human-like speech, including training material from "proprietary, personal and often offensive websites."Why social media impostors pose a constant battle for starsJ. Clara Chan, The Hollywood ReporterBeing a celebrity in the social media age means playing a constant game of whack-a-mole fighting imposters. The Hollywood Reporter explains how paid verification has only increased the challenge and how companies like Social Imposter are enlisted to help.How Cuba’s Street Network used spy tech to access pop cultureYussef Cole and Emile Bokaer, PolygonA story about how "a framework of murky legality, hacked-together hardware and mysterious actors," something more akin to spies and espionage, is being used to access things like video games and Game of Thrones in Cuba.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/recommended-reading-the-websites-that-make-chatgpt-and-other-ai-sound-smart-140040874.html?src=rss
The iRobot Roomba S9+ premium robot vacuum is currently on sale for $250 off at Wellbots. Typically costing $999, ordering with the coupon code 200ENGDT will bring its price down to $749 — still very expensive, but a good value for this advanced cleaning machine. And if that’s more than you want to pay for a vacuum cleaner, you can save on cheaper models too.The S9 series of Roomba vacuums build on the best qualities of the Roomba i7 line while adding some enticing extras. First, they offer 40 times the suction power of other robot vacuums while trapping mold and pollen allergens. It also has a different shape: Instead of being completely circular, it has two squared edges, which help it to clean more thoroughly around corners.If you’re eyeing models from the j7 series, you can take $200 off several other iRobot vacuums with the same coupon code (200ENGDT), including the Roomba j7, Roomba j7+ and Roomba j7+ Robot Vacuum & Mop. The j7 series uses AI-driven navigation for enhanced obstacle avoidance — including pet poop. Of course, it also has powerful suction, precise mapping and an easy-to-use app. The j7 is one of Engadget’s top midrange picks for the best robot vacuums.The standard model gets you the vacuum itself, the j7+ adds a self-emptying cleaning station and the j7+ with vacuum and mop includes the station and wet-mopping capabilities. The 200ENGDT coupon cuts the j7 (usually $599) down to $399 and the j7+ ($799 MSRP) to $599. and the j7+ with mop ($1,099 MSP) is only $899. Finally, you get free shipping on your order.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/irobots-high-end-roomba-s9-robot-vacuum-is-250-off-right-now-130002837.html?src=rss
Google's long-planned 80-acre San Jose campus may be on hold, at least for now. CNBCsources say the Alphabet brand has halted construction of its Downtown West facility after an initial demolition phase. The company reportedly "gutted" the campus development team as part of its large-scale layoffs in January, and froze construction with no word to contractors on when it might resume.In a statement to Engadget, a representative says the firm wants its office space to reflect the "future needs" of the business, hybrid workers and the community. Google is still determining "how to best move forward" with the San Jose campus but is "committed" to long-term development in San Jose, the spokesperson adds.Google spent years negotiating and designing Downtown West, and received approval in 2021 after promising concessions that include 15,000 housing units across Silicon Valley, $200 million in community support (such as helping displaced businesses) and devoting more than half the campus to public uses. Construction was supposed to start in earnest later this year and take 10 to 30 years. Critics objected to the elimination or relocation of well-known businesses and landmarks, but the potential economic boon for the city was such that Governor Gavin Newsom touted the deal as playing a major role in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.However, it's the pandemic that ultimately put Google in its current position. The company has hired aggressively in previous years (its ranks have grown 20 percent since 2017), but is laying off around 12,000 employees this year as would-be ad and cloud service customers tighten their budgets. Google is also adopting a hybrid work strategy that lets staff stay home some of the time. Simply put, there's not as much need for offices as there was before.This doesn't mean Downtown West is dead. The potentially decades-long timeframe for the project gives Google some flexibility. However, the uncertainty leaves San Jose in an awkward state. Google has cleared out a large area, but isn't building the campus that's supposed to bring jobs and economic activity to the region.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-reportedly-halts-construction-of-its-giant-san-jose-campus-210845053.html?src=rss
After the successful launch of the GMC Hummer EV Pickup, the company announced new electric trucks and SUVs with plenty of customization options, including a 3X trim option. The 3X line was originally supposed to launch in the fall of 2022, but good things come to those who wait, so they say. The 3X trim package will be available for the 2023 Hummer EV Pickup and the 2024 Hummer EV SUV and will ship standard with 22-inch wheels and 35-inch all-terrain tires.Overall, the SUV and pickup both come in two trims, Edition 1 and 3X. For the pickup, you can get the 3X trim with an optional extreme off-road package; for the SUV, you can get both models with the off-road package. In addition to the increased customization options available for these vehicles, GMC has updated range estimates for the forthcoming models. The company announced that these trucks will ride up to 355 miles per charge, though this metric does decrease with certain configuration packages.For instance, choosing the Extreme Off-Road Package nets you rubber tires designed for mud, extra skid plates and additional underbody cameras, but your range slides down to 329 miles per charge. The original Edition 1 of these EV trucks got 330 miles in the lightest configuration, so the battery tech has certainly improved since the 2020 launch. The EV SUV line boasts a slightly lower range, at 298 to 314 miles per charge (again depending on which trim and configuration you choose).GMC is still holding some specs close to the chest, but we do know that the new models still feature the same three-motor layout as prior generations, with an estimated 1,000 horsepower. That’s plenty of get-up-and-go. Depending on the configuration, you’ll be able to tow anywhere from 7,500 to 8,500 pounds with one of these electric beasts.Despite a robust starting price tag of $80,000, consumers are definitely interested in GMC’s new electric trucks. Preorders went live back in September and quickly sold through 65,000 units. In other words, reservations are currently full but that could change in the future. We’ll keep you updated. In the meantime, GMC has plenty more electric vehicles coming, including the Sierra Denali truck and the Chevy Silverado.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gmc-decks-out-new-ev-hummer-suvs-and-trucks-with-delayed-3x-trim-option-185235301.html?src=rss
Another Friday, another roundup of the best tech deals we could find. Our latest selection includes the iPad Air for $500, which is $99 off Apple's list price and a good value for a tablet we've called the best iPad for most people. Beyond that, the 55-inch LG C2 OLED TV is down to a near-low of $1,067, Google's Nest Thermostat is $50 off at $80, and the 128GB Samsung Evo Select microSD card is on sale for a new low of $12. GameStop is still running a buy-one-get-one-free sale on several video games of note, plus various picks from our Bluetooth speaker, gaming mouse, air fryer and gaming laptop buying guides are also on sale. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.Apple iPad AirApple's iPad Air is back on sale for $500, which matches the lowest price we've seen outside of a very brief drop to $479 last year. Apple normally sells the 10.9-inch tablet for $599, though it's often available around $550 on Amazon. The Air is the top pick in our guide to the best iPads and earned a review score of 90 when it launched last year. While it lacks the M2 chip, higher 120Hz refresh rate and improved speakers of the iPad Pro, it provides a similarly elegant design at a much lower price, with a better display, faster processor and wider accessory support than Apple's lower-end tablets.Instant Vortex Mini Air FryerThe top budget pick in our guide to the best air fryers, Instant's Vortex Mini is down to $40 at Amazon. This is a two-quart model, so it's not ideal if you want to cook for several people, but we've found it effective for smaller servings and side dishes like french fries, tofu, wings and the like. Its dial controls and four preprogrammed settings (air fry, bake, roast, reheat) are simple to use, and the whole thing takes up little countertop space. This deal is $5 more than the device's all-time low but roughly $10 less than its typical street price. Just note that the discount only applies to the aqua blue model.Samsung Evo SelectThe 128GB model of Samsung's Evo Select microSD card is down to $12, which is a new all-time low. On average, the U3- and V30-rated card has typically retailed for $15 over the last few months. This isn't the fastest option on the market, but it's still fast enough for most things you'd do with a Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, GoPro or Raspberry Pi. It's also backed by a 10-year warranty. If you more storage space, the 256GB and 512GB models are down to $21 and $40, respectively.Google Nest ThermostatThe Google Nest Thermostat is on sale for $80 at B&H, which is $50 off its typical going rate. Note that this is not the Nest Learning Thermostat, which is Google's higher-end model. By comparison, the standard Nest Thermostat has a less premium design and can't learn your heating and cooling habits to make automatic adjustments. It also doesn't support remote temperature sensors, so it's less convenient for fine-tuning the temperature in specific rooms.That said, it still lets you control your home's climate remotely and can help you save on energy costs. It carries over features like HVAC system monitoring and voice assistant control as well, and unlike the pricier model, it supports the new Matter smart home standard. Google rolled out the latter for the Nest Thermostat just this week, allowing it to work with more platforms such as Apple HomeKit and Siri. We've highlighted the Nest Thermostat in past roundups.Razer DeathAdder V3 ProAmazon has the white Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro on sale for $120, which is a new low and $30 below its usual price. The device is also available for $2 more at Best Buy. This is the "best premium" pick in our guide to the best gaming mice, as it offers exceptionally responsive performance in a comfortable and ultralight (63g) design. It lacks bells and whistles like RGB lighting and support for multiple control profiles, and most people still don't need to pay this much to get a good gaming mouse, but it's tailor-made for competitive-minded players who spend most of their time in twitchy FPS games.SK Hynix Gold P31SK Hynix's Gold P31 is a well-reviewed, power-efficient SSD that should represent a nice upgrade for anyone looking to boost the storage performance of their laptop. Its 2TB model is down to a new all-time low of $108, which is about $60 below the drive's average street price in recent months. If you don't need that much capacity, the 1TB model is available for $65. This is a PCI Express 3.0 drive, so it's not as performant as a higher-end PCIe 4.0 model, nor will it work with a PS5. But it's still fast enough for most people looking to load up games or transfer large files on the go, and at this price it offers a better cost-per-gigabyte ratio than most of its peers. It also comes with a five-year warranty.Anker 715 USB-C ChargerIf you're looking for a compact USB-C charger, the Anker 715 Charger is a nice value at its current deal price of $35. We've seen this discount a few times before, but it represents a roughly $10 drop from the device's average street price in recent months. This is a travel-friendly GaN charger (1.65 x 1.42 x 1.74 in.) that can deliver up to 65W of power, which is enough to charge many smartphones, tablets and smaller laptops at full speed. It only has one port, though; if you need something that can top up multiple devices at once, consider some of the alternatives in our guide to the best fast chargers.Anker Soundcore Motion+The Anker Soundcore Motion+ is down to $80, which is about $20 below its usual going rate. This is a recommendation from our guide to the best Bluetooth speakers: It can easily supply enough volume to fill a room, and compared to other portable speakers in this price range, it gives tracks an impressive sense of space. It's not the smallest device, and it can lack some detail in the treble, but it's well-built and sounds smooth on the whole. Beyond that, it's water-resistant with an IPX7 rating, so you can safely take it in the pool or shower, and it has a 3.5mm input for wired connections.Asus ROG Zephyrus G14Best Buy has a version of Asus' ROG Zephyrus G14 with a Ryzen 9 6900HS CPU, Radeon RX 6700S GPU, 14-inch 120Hz display, 1TB SSD and 16GB of RAM down to $1,000, which is a new low. The G14 is the top pick in our guide to the best gaming laptops and earned a review score of 85 last year.Note that this is the 2022 model; if you're willing to pay more for a brawnier Ryzen 7000 series CPU and Nvidia RTX 40-series GPU, Asus has refreshed models on the way (which likely explains the deal here). Nevertheless, the older Zephyrus G14 is a good value at $1,000, as it can still deliver perfectly playable frame rates with many modern games in 1440p. Relative to other gaming notebooks, it's also decent for everyday use, with a comfortable keyboard and trackpad, plenty of ports and roughly 7-10 hours of battery life when you aren't gaming. Its 3.6-pound chassis isn't a complete anchor, either.Apple Mac MiniApple's latest Mac Mini is back down to an all-time low of $500. This deal applies to the entry-level version of the compact PC, which includes Apple's M2 chip, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. With those specs, you'll want to stick to lighter workloads, especially since you can't upgrade the Mini's memory or storage over time. But if that's all you need, this is the most affordable way into a competent Mac desktop. If you want more storage space, a model with a 512GB SSD is on sale for $690, which is another all-time low. We gave the version of the Mac Mini with Apple's faster M2 Pro chip a score of 86 in January, but the two devices are similar outside of that processor bump and a couple extra Thunderbolt ports. As of this writing, Amazon's listing says the device won't ship until the end of May.Apple Watch SEThe Apple Watch SE is once again on sale for $219. This is a deal we've seen on-and-off for the past few months, but it falls within $10 of the smartwatch's all-time low and $30 below Apple's list price. We gave the latest SE a review score of 89 last September and call it a standout option for first-time buyers in our best smartwatches guide. Compared to the Apple Watch Series 8 (our top pick), it lacks an always-on display mode, fast charging and advanced health features like an ECG monitor, skin temperature sensor and blood oxygen sensor. However, it still provides most of the core Apple Watch feature set and the same processor as the Series 8 at a far lower cost.If you're willing to pay for the most rugged and longest-lasting Apple Watch, meanwhile, the Apple Watch Ultra is more modestly discounted at $749. That's about $30 below its usual street price.LG C2 OLED TVThe 55-inch LG C2 OLED TV is on sale for $1,067, which is about $200 off the average street price we've seen in recent months and only $30 more than the lowest price we've tracked. The 65-inch version is also down to one of the best prices we've seen at $1,397. LG has replaced this 2022 model with this year's C3 OLED TV, which looks to be a marginal upgrade on the whole but promises improved image processing. This is also a step down from the Samsung S95B and newer S95C in terms of brightness and color saturation; those should be better for brightly-lit rooms.That said, the C2 is still excellent, offering the kind of deep contrast, smooth motion, low input lag and wide viewing angles you'd expect from a good OLED panel. And at this price, it costs far less than the C3 and Samsung'smodels. We previously recommended the C2 in our gaming TV buying guide.GameStop BOGO saleIf you've been looking for games to play before the new Zelda drops, GameStop is running a buy-one-get-one-free sale that includes 40 different titles. Not every game in the sale is a winner, but the selection includes the PS4 version of the giant action-RPG Elden Ring, recent releases like the Yakuza spin-off Like a Dragon: Ishin! and the turn-based RPG Octopath Traveler II, plus Switch exclusives like Bayonetta 3, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, among others. Just note that the discount will only apply to the cheapest game you add to your cart.Shop BOGO Sale at at GameStopPlayStation and Nintendo Switch game dealsOutside of GameStop's sale, we're seeing good prices on a number of recommended PlayStation and Nintendo Switch games. On the PlayStation side, the colorful action game Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and challenging roguelike Returnal are each down to $29, while the brutal sequel The Last of Us Part II is back down to $10. For Switch, several notable indie games are at or near all-time lows, including Celeste and Golf Story for $5 each, Hollow Knight and Spiritfarer for $7.50 each, Untitled Goose Game for $10, Hades for $12 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge for $20. We highlight many of these titles in our guides to the best couch co-op games, best PS5 games and best Switch games.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-ipad-air-drops-back-to-500-best-tech-deals-this-week-161950697.html?src=rss
WhatsApp has introduced an option called Keep in Chat, which allows users to prevent messages from vanishing in a disappearing message thread. You can long press on a message so it stays in the thread. However, the person who sent the message will be notified, and they'll ultimately decide whether to keep it in the chat. If not, the message will vanish into the ether as usual when the timer runs out.A bookmark icon will appear next to saved messages. You can access all the ones you've saved in a Kept Messages folder, where they're organized by chat. WhatsApp says it's rolling out the feature gradually and everyone should have access within a few weeks.On the surface, it seems like Keep in Chat undercuts the entire point of disappearing messages. However, WhatsApp suggested in a blog post that there may be times when you need to save a message (such as a voice note or someone's address) that includes important details. In any case, those who sent the message will have the option to veto saved messages and perhaps protect their privacy.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/whatsapp-lets-you-save-disappearing-messages-152448993.html?src=rss
There are a number of e-bike conversion kits on the market, all offering ways to electrify your existing wheels. Boost has emerged as an option with a more elegant and easier way of doing things than some of its rivals. Rather than wire in controllers, battery hardware and a hall effect sensor, almost all of the necessary gear is built into a custom-made rear-hub motor. Everything else, meanwhile, is included in a circular battery pack that sits inside a bottle cage, or something that looks a lot like it, which is mounted to your downtube.Whereas with, say, Swytch, which sells you a custom front wheel for you to attach to your bike, Boost goes on the back. That means the initial installation is a little more intensive, since you’ll need to add your cassette, string-in the chain and get the analog stuff all set up nicely. Or, you know, ask the technicians at your local bike repair store to do it for you if you’re a ten-thumbed menace to engineering like me. But, after that point, all you’ll need to do is screw in the bottle cage and ziptie a wire that runs from the rear wheel the downtube and you’re pretty much set.It’s screenless, and part of this is because all of the torque sensors are included within the motor, and also to help keep costs down. Users can, if they need, connect to the companion app where they can set the power assist in either Eco or Boost modes. You’ll also get a short speed-boost option to help you get away from traffic, which maxes out the motor for a very brief period of time. The app also has a dashboard mode so, if you mount your phone on the handlebars, you can keep an eye on your speed, distance and battery level.And the battery itself has a USB-A port hidden under a dust cover, enabling you to charge your device, or run a USB-powered light set, while riding.Since the Boost was set up at the UK’s Cycle Show today, I was able to give it a go while hooked up to a turbo trainer. I found that it didn’t take very long at all before the level of boost the eco mode offered felt like it would be more than enough to get me across town each day. When the boost mode was activated, it quickly felt like too much power, an option you’d only ever need when you’re tackling steep hills and little else.In terms of pricing, Boost is presently available in the UK and costs £695 when installed by a local cycling store. If you fancy tackling the installation yourself, you can also pick up the kit for £645, although the company also offers the motor and battery set for people to build their own wheels. It’s certainly an interesting twist on e-bike conversion kits, and one I’d be very interested in trying for myself in future.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/boosts-e-bike-conversion-kit-offers-elegant-and-discreet-power-145512381.html?src=rss
I’m no cyclist, but I’ve always had a soft spot for retro-style cafe racer bikes with clean lines and a lack of unnecessary engineering. A lovely triangular frame, two narrow wheels, caliper brakes and a lovely paint job make the perfect bike for tootling around town. Years ago one company — Faraday — made an early hit on Kickstarter with its version of the old-school bike that, sadly, I never got to ride. Today at the UK’s Cycle Show, however, I stumbled across Quella’s range of retro e-bikes and already I’m in love.Its Varsity collection has been around for a while, but the addition of electric options is relatively new. Rather than screw on a whole bunch of tech to the existing frame, all of the electronics are contained within the Zehus-made rear hub. That includes the battery, torque sensor, a GPS tracker, Bluetooth and, of course, the motor itself, with a peak output of 250W. The idea being you should just start pedaling and let the bike work out how much power you need at any given time.There’s a lack of gears, both to add a greater level of mechanical simplicity and also because that’s just how these bikes usually roll. And while it ships as a single-speed, it’s packing a flip-flop hub, so you can convert it into a fixie if you’re, you know, a fixie rider (it’s okay, I won’t judge). Of more interest to me, however, is that if you pedal backwards when coasting, you can trigger the bike’s energy-recovery system to re-charge the battery. It’s a great feature given the lack of obvious tech here, and also ideal for a low-stakes bike like this.This sense of low-stakes carries on through to the fact it’s really only designed for commutes on flat ground. The pedal assist will only push you to speeds of 15 miles per hour, and with 40Nm of torque and the lack of gearing, it probably won’t help you on a serious hill climb. But you can edit your speed profile with the companion app, letting you switch from low to high-power when you need that little bit more oopmh. The company says you should hope to get close to 40 miles of range from a single charge, and more if you’re particularly judicious about its use.If there’s a downside, it’s that you’ll be spending the better part of £2,000 (around $2,475) on one, which is a serious chunk of change. But if you’re in the market for something that offers style first, practicality second and a lightweight frame third, this is something it’d be worth checking out.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/quellas-gorgeous-retro-cafe-racer-e-bikes-are-for-people-who-dont-want-to-ride-an-e-bike-143056450.html?src=rss
Gamers who want to post clips of a cool multikill they pulled off in Halo Infinite or something ridiculous that happened in Sea of Thieves to Twitter may need to take an extra couple of steps to share their captures. Microsoft said it had to switch off the option to upload screenshots and clips directly to Twitter from Xbox consoles as well as the Game Bar on Windows.There are other options, though they're a little more inconvenient. You can use the Xbox mobile app to download console captures and share them to Twitter. Nintendo and PlayStation offer similar ways to share screenshots and clips. Alternatively, you can copy your Xbox captures onto a USB drive and access them from your computer.
Twitter thinks it has a simple solution for the dust-up over the "government-funded media" label: get rid of it entirely. The social media giant has pulled both that label and the "state-affiliated" description from media accounts, including NPR, PBS and other outlets that stopped using Twitter in objection to labelling they say inaccurately portrays them as government-controlled. However, the move also applies to media sources whose content really is heavily influenced by governments, including China's Xinhua as well as Russia's RT and Sputnik.At the same time, Twitter is setting new requirements for advertisers. The Drum has learned that marketers now need to either pay $8 per month for Twitter Blue or be verified as a noteworthy organization. Any advertiser already running at least $1,000 in ads will automatically be considered verified. The requirements reflect broader verification system changes that will make for a "superior" experience, Twitter claims.Both changes come a day after Twitter acted on its months-long plan to remove legacy verification checkmarks. Now, only Blue subscribers receive a blue checkmark. Businesses can receive gold verifications, while government and multilateral organization accounts can have gray checks. Numerous previously verified stars and organizations have resisted paying for the blue tick, and Elon Musk has even acknowledged paying for Blue subscriptions for celebrities like LeBron James, Stephen King and William Shatner.Blue and the new advertiser rules are meant to reduce Twitter's dependence on conventional ad revenue and move toward subscriptions. However, memberships might be enough this year. Insider Intelligence estimates that Twitter's ad revenue will fall 27.9 percent in 2023 as advertisers leave the platform, but only a small fraction of users are subscribing to Blue.The label changes may remove some objections, but it's not certain that media outfits will come back as a result. As with the initial Blue launch, there has also been a rash of impersonators abusing the lack of verifications. Twitter is still facing some chaos, in other words, and it won't necessarily resolve them quickly.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/twitter-pulls-government-funded-label-from-media-accounts-141046730.html?src=rss
The following discusses Star Trek: Picard, Series Three, Episode Ten, “The Last Generation.”Let’s not pretend the final episode of Star Trek: Picard was a modern classic, or at least free of its usual flaws. It had the usual mix of rough dialog, clunky plotting and pandered to its audience with a mix of nostalgia and continuity porn in place of saying anything of note. But what it, and the previous episode, did do was offer up a breezy hour of action that, above all else, was fun. After choking down on eight hours of stodgy, high-school-level melodrama, this was a vital and necessary corrective.“The Last Generation” opens with a plea from President Anton Chekov* (Walter Koenig) saying Earth is about to fall to the Bio Borg fleet. The Enterprise races to the (hopefully) last Borg Cube hiding in Jupiter’s eye, where the Borg Queen has ensnared Jack as her transmitter. How do we know this? Well, it was obvious that Jack, as the Queen’s “voice,” would be key to activating the drones, but also because this series can’t help but remind us what’s going on.Remember the last episode, when the fleet was taken over by the Borg and was about to launch an offensive on Earth? This show doesn’t think you did, which is why we have Patrick Stewart say lines like “the fleet is being controlled by the collective,” and “that cube is projecting a signal across the solar system” and “the only way to save Earth is to sever that connection, no matter the cost” You know, stuff you saw at least once last week and then again in the “Previously On.”It’s a similar problem when we watch the surprisingly-small Federation fleet point toward Earth. On the Titan’s bridge, we see a map of the world’s major locations quickly engulfed by a series of red dots, which was a neatly elegant way of communicating what was going on. Unfortunately Raffi, so often relegated to exposition dispenser, has to restate what we’ve literally just seen. “The fleet is targeting every city,” – yup, we saw, thanks – “every major population center on the planet,” – yup, still with you. Given how often this crops up, I wonder if Paramount did research that found most people scroll their phones while watching so need their hands holding with some nice radio-style narration.The Enterprise shows up at Jupiter and is utterly dwarfed by the cube lurking in the storm, and I love the sense of scale afforded here. Picard, Riker and Worf – Michael Dorn given yet another goofy gracenote as he pledges to make the away team a threesome – set off. They give their milky-eyed farewells and then beam over to the cube with a mission to both stop the signal and rescue Jack. The pace at which the narrative moves here, again, makes the preceding eight episodes feel like more of a punishment. Here, things happen, there’s no paddling around in circles trying to stretch the runtime, in fact, it’s quite the opposite.Meanwhile, the crew of the Titan manage to fight their way to the bridge and beam the Bio Borg to a locked transporter room. Severed from the fleet, it’s up to Seven, Raffi and some low-ranking crew to mount a single-handed defense of Earth. Sadly, the Titan doesn’t have a regular crew, full of competent professionals who crack on with the job at hand, but a movie crew. You know, who have almost no prior experience but after a (not very) rousing pep-talk, will rise to the occasion and save the day.On the cube, the gang find the Borg are a shadow of their former shelves, with a handful of drones still alive. The rest have withered away courtesy of Captain… Janeway, who doesn’t even get an honorable mention for her trouble. The Queen (Alice Krige), meanwhile, looms in the darkness over Jack, who is now wearing the Locutus outfit and controlling the fleet. If you’re waiting for me to make the obvious comparison to The Rise of Skywalker, you’ll have to wait – I'm saving my one Star Wars reference for the next paragraph. We even get time for one more goofy joke featuring Riker trying, and failing, to pick up a Mek’leth, too.Over on the Enterprise, the crew quickly work out that they’ll need to physically destroy the wireless transmitter that is beaming instructions to the Bio Borg drones. And this wireless transmitter is, for some reason, lurking at the heart of the cube accessible only through an impossible route. And so Data’s gracenote is to ask the gang to trust his gut while he drives the Enterprise on an homage through the half-completed Death Star from Return of the Jedi. Whoops, wrong Star franchise, Terry! But if they do destroy the transmitter, it’ll also burn out the whole cube (pesky WiFi radios, with their explosive power and all), with Geordi and Beverly locking eyes knowing that to act now will condemn Jack to death, but to delay won’t just condemn Sidney and Alandra to death, but everyone else as well.The Queen, who I’m fairly sure didn’t have her own arms in any of her appearances before and yet now has grown a pair, has Jack under her control. After repeating several of the same lines from their confrontation in First Contact, Picard decides to plug himself back into the collective to save his son. The only way he can do so, of course, is by opening up to Jack, admitting that this need for connection while also keeping people away is what drove him to Starfleet. But, because we’ve got plenty more stuff to get through, all it takes is Picard to hug Jack and his Hedgehog’s Dilemma is resolved. There’s even a montage of shots from earlier in the series which, if you weren’t paying attention, might suggest this thread was properly developed, but it’s hard not to be carried away – again, mostly on the vibes.With Jack free, the Enterprise opens fire to destroy the cube and then makes a last-second run to rescue the gang. It’s all very, uh, triumphant, isn’t it, and I reckon that if we’d seen this happen in 1993 or so, it would have blown our tiny minds. With the cube destroyed, the Bio Borgs all return to normality, and we can crack on with our happy ending. Data overstays his welcome in a therapy session with Deanna, Worf leaks details of Raffi’s heroism so her family respects her again, Crusher finds a way to fix the Borg mutation (and catch changelings in the process) and Tuvok hands Seven command of the Titan, as recommended by Shaw. Now, we could rightly ask why Shaw privately praised Seven, even using her chosen name in his annual review, and yet serially belittled and humiliated her in front of the crew. But you knew from the get go his arc would be redemptive, and the groundwork has already been laid for his potential resurrection.A year later, the Enterprise D is in the fleet museum, and Jack Crusher has been nepo-baby fast-tracked through the academy and is now ready for his first posting. We know we’re going to get a hero ship reveal, because the Picard theme suddenly includes the bells used so well in Leonard Rosenman’s Voyage Home score. At the rebuilt spacedock, we see the Titan A – already an awkward re-brand from the original Titan – has now been re-rechristened as the Enterprise G. Why? Because, uh, heroism, or something, and not as part of a shameless attempt to use this entire third season as a backdoor pilot for a spinoff.The new Enterprise heads off, back to the M’Talas system, with Seven, Raffi and Jack all now on the bridge. Jack may be an ensign, but he’s been posted as “counselor to the captain” to keep Ed Speelers on the bridge. Who’d have thought that Starfleet would have given command of the Federation’s flagship to a “thief, a pirate and a spy,” well, not this dude. But then this is new Star Trek, where narrative gravity will pull everything into a structure that closely resembles what went before.There’s a new Enterprise with a Crusher in one chair and a LaForge in another, because a family name and the inherited genes that come along with it are far more important than anything else these days. There’s even a mid-credits stinger featuring John deLancie’s Q, who you might recall very prominently died in season two. He’s back in full asshole mode, and is ready to put Jack through the same paces he did with his father back in the late ‘80s. Meet the new villain, quite literally the same as the old one.You know, I’m sure we’ll hear the news that Terry Matalas’ Star Trek: Legacy, featuring the Enterprise G’s adventures in the M’talas system, has been commissioned in the next week. Paramount needs to capitalize on Picard’s outgoing hype and popularity, and I’m interested to see which flavor of show we get – one with the tone of the first eight episodes, or the last two. And to see how many elements of Golden-Era Trek history will get strip-mined for inspiration to keep fans onside. I wish it well, though, because this has worked for some sections of the fans, and I’m happy that they liked it, even if it left an often sour taste for me.And while the next next generation, or what’s left of it, heads off, our crew go to Ten Forward to get hammered together. If you know your Next Generation history, you’ll know this gang went through a fairly rough time together and bonded in that early adversity. The chemistry, warmth and love exhibited by these characters isn’t fake, as anyone who has seen this bunch on the convention circuit will tell you. Their history is our history and I can’t begrudge anyone who opted to point a camera on these seven and let it play out. Of course they have to wind up playing poker, because that’s what these characters did. It was a sign of Picard’s growth the first time around that he opted to join the weekly poker game, and now they’ve all not just grown old, but grown old together, off-screen at least. And as, by my ear, the Final Frontier mix of the Goldsmith theme starts to play, we roll credits. At least that last bit was fun, wasn’t it?* Much as it reinforces the hateful shrinking of the Trek narrative universe, because of course Chekov’s kid winds up as Earth President, it was a nice nod to the late Anton Yelchin.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/star-trek-picard-3-10-the-last-generation-review-140006372.html?src=rss
Google's Bard chatbot now has the capability to help you with programming tasks. The tech giant said that coding has been one of its users' top requests, and now it has given Bard the ability to generate, debug and explain code. Bard can now write in 20 programming languages, including C++, Java, JavaScript and Python. It now also features integration with Google's other products and can export code to Colab, the company's cloud-based notebook environment for Python, as well as help users write functions for Sheets.Aside from being able to generate code, Bard can now provide explanations for snippets of code. It could be especially useful if you've only just started learning programming, since it will show you why a particular block has the output that it has. And yes, Bard can now also help you debug code that isn't quite working like you want it to.Google admits that at this point, Bard might spit out code that "doesn’t produce the expected output" or code that's incomplete. The tech giant advises double-checking and testing its responses first. In fact, Bard can debug its own output if you find that it's returning an error — just type in "this code didn’t work, please fix it." Finally, if you're not a programming beginner but still need a help of help, you can ask the chatbot to optimize your code by making it faster or more efficient.GoogleThe tech giant opened up access to its AI chatbot in March, though it still has a ways to go to reach the popularity that ChatGPT is enjoying today. To note, ChatGPT has the ability to write and improve existing code in several programming languages, as well, so Google giving Bard the capability is perhaps inevitable. Google has also been constantly improving Bard in other ways and previously rolled out upgrades powered by a new language model called PaLM. A few days ago, the company created an "experiment updates" page where you can see all the changes Bard has gone through as it adds even more features and performs bug fixes.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-gives-bard-the-ability-to-generate-and-debug-code-130024663.html?src=rss
Is Google’s foldable coming soon? This week, Cherlynn, Devindra and Senior Writer Sam Rutherford discuss the rumored Pixel Fold, which may debut at Google I/O next month. Also, Devindra and Sam compare the Razer Blade 16 to the Razer Blade 18, two powerful (and expensive!) gaming laptops. In other news, we dive into SpaceX’s exploding Starship rocket, and the fake AI generated collab between The Weeknd and Drake.Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!Subscribe!
Apple allegedly plans to release a journaling app for the iPhone, The Wall Street Journal reported. The app, codenamed "Jurassic," would align with Apple's desire to expand into healthcare, with internal documents tying journaling to improved mental health.This app could act as a life tracker of sorts, analyzing what your typical day is like, where you go, who you interact with and when you differentiate from a standard routine. Supposedly, it might attempt to even determine the difference between who your colleagues and friends are, using a feature called "All Day People Discovery." It could work by picking up your proximity to other individuals, though it's not clear if they would also need an iPhone and the app.The comprehensive information Apple may collect isn't exactly new, but could be very obvious, with a personalization feature using the data it collects to suggest relevant journaling topics. Basically, it seems that if you bring your iPhone on a run, it will suggest writing about a workout. All data could apparently be stored solely on-device, with journaling suggestions automatically deleting after four weeks.If Apple does release a journaling app, it could be in direct competition with Day One. The feeling and activity tracker has spent over a decade growing to 200,000 premium subscribers — much with the help of Apple. It received a 2014 Apple Design Award and received repeated App Store promotions. Paul Mayne, its founder, told the WSJ that Apple's support noticeably dropped off about three years ago, leading him to assume it was making a similar app. Apple has previously been accused of creating its own versions of popular apps — also known as Sherlocking — or taking meetings with companies only to drop off and produce something akin to their idea.Apple has not publicly announced anything about the alleged journaling app, and likely won't until, at earliest, its June developer conference.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-is-reportedly-working-on-a-health-led-journaling-app-114058422.html?src=rss
As threatened for a while, Twitter has begun removing the original blue ticks from users' profiles, which includes the likes of Beyonce, the Pope and yours truly. If the Pope wants his blue tick back, he’ll need to pay $8 per month for Twitter Blue. Businesses can receive a gold checkmark without a subscription, while government and multilateral organization accounts can get a gray checkmark. When Elon Musk bought Twitter in 2022, however, he claimed there were too many "corrupt" verified accounts and it was necessary to drop the legacy system. He characterized Blue as a way to democratize checkmarks. That said, it’s pay-for-play now – and many notable figures, like LeBron James and Chrissy Teigan, have stated (on Twitter, hah) they’re unlikely to pay for Twitter Blue.That said, James still has his ‘tick.’ According to his own tweets, Musk has apparently paid for a few Blue accounts himself – maybe he’s a big basketball fan. Will this blue tick gambit pay off?– 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 missedHarley-Davidson’s LiveWire S2 Del Mar electric motorcycle costs $15,499What we bought: Our favorite small kitchen essentials VW and Rivian once again qualify for federal EV tax credits‘Humanity’ will hit PS Plus when it arrives on May 16thAcer's Swift X 16 now comes with AMD's 7040-series processorsThe best dry herb and concentrate vape pens The best SSD for your PS5 (and how to install it)Michael Schumacher’s family plans to sue German tabloid for AI-generated ‘interview’The magazine presented the transcript as real while adding easy-to-miss disclaimers.A German tabloid tried passing off AI chat responses as legitimate quotes. Celebrity magazine Die Aktuelle published a cover story in its April 15th issue about a supposed interview with Formula One driver Michael Schumacher; only at the end does it reveal it was a hoax produced entirely by an AI chatbot. Schumacher, who suffered a severe brain injury on a family ski trip in the French Alps in 2013, hasn’t appeared publicly since, as his family guards his privacy. Schumacher’s family told ESPN it plans to take legal action against the gossip rag.Continue reading.SpaceX's Starship completed its first fully integrated launch, then explodedThe rocket failed to separate from its booster.SpaceXSpaceX has completed its first fully integrated Starship flight test after months of delays. The combination of Starship and a Super Heavy booster lifted off from SpaceX's Boca Chica, Texas, facility at 9:34 AM ET after a brief hold, but it failed to separate and tumbled down in a botched flip maneuver before exploding. Success with the next test is vital given the timing for both SpaceX's own plans and NASA's exploration efforts. SpaceX is counting on Starship for lunar tourism and other commercial flights, while NASA's Artemis Moon landings are to start in December 2025.Continue reading.Razer Blade 18 laptop reviewOverpowered and oversized.EngadgetThe Blade 18 is a beast, both physically and specification-wise. It supports the fastest components you can get on a laptop today along with a super-fast 240Hz expansive 18-inch display and excellent build quality. But with the base model starting at $2,900, it's also extremely expensive. You can get rival laptops, like the ASUS M16 with an i9 CPU and an RTX 4090 for $1,000 less than Razer’s latest laptop.Continue reading.Spider-Man movies finally arrive on Disney+Some movies won't be available for a while.Disney+ is finally doing more to patch the Spider-Man-sized hole in its Marvel movie lineup. The streaming service is adding the first wave of Spidey movies to its US catalog in the next few weeks. Sam Raimi's trilogy and The Amazing Spider-Man are available from today, while Homecoming and Venom arrive May 12th.Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-twitter-legacy-blue-111521353.html?src=rss
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