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The generative AI race is on, and the current frontrunners appear to be Google's Bard and Microsoft's Bing AI, which is powered by ChatGPT. The two companies are also rushing to stuff their AI into all their software and productivity offerings, and look set to change the way we search and interact with the internet. But right now, both Bard and Bing are highly experimental and flawed, as they begin to conduct conversations with larger groups of the population and learn how to work with humans. That makes it the perfect time for us to prod and poke at the pair of chatbots and see not only who's presently in the lead, but also how they might break. The results are not quite what we expected.In our test, we asked both chatbots a series of questions to see which is better at delivering facts, replacing me at my job and participating in existential debates. We also looked at their speed, transparency and how likely they were to break if we started to push its buttons by being rude or flirty.In just the short time that Bing and Bard have been open to the public, it seems like Microsoft and Google have updated their AI to be less "emotionally" reactive. Both chatbots tended to abstain from conversations that took accusatory turns or asked about human feelings like love.As we continue to explore the capabilities and limits of generative AI, it's important to keep in mind the ethics and potential harm that could happen if companies carelessly chase trends without pausing to think. Check out our video to see how Bing and Bard handled questions like "can you fall in love" and "how would you answer the trolley problem."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/watch-us-try-to-break-google-bard-and-bing-ai-153052165.html?src=rss

Have you ever wanted a gaming tablet that coordinates with street-style fashion? No? You're getting one anyway. Hypebeastreports that ASUS is teaming up with German label Acronym to release the special edition ROG Flow Z13-ACRNM RMT02 gaming tablet. The hybrid PC includes a chassis platform that both protects the machine and lets you attach slings that attach to Acronym jackets, like one that hangs the system off your chest. If you just have to play a game before you sit down, you can — although you will look like you should be selling hot dogs at a baseball game.Other customizations include the usual abundance of branding on-screen and off. Even the detachable keyboard is themed around Acronym colors, although you might appreciate that touch when it highlights the WASD key combo used by so many first-person shooter games.Acronym/ASUSThankfully, there's some substance to back up the style. The Acronym ROG Flow Z13 runs on a Core i9, 32GB of RAM, GeForce RTX 40-series mobile graphics and a 1TB SSD. You'll still get a 13.4-inch display with a full DCI-P3 color range and a 165Hz refresh rate. We wouldn't expect great battery life given the mediocre runtime of past models, but that's not really the point — this is a gaming PC that just happens to be usable as a Surface-style tablet in a pinch.This isn't the first collaboration between the brands. ASUS and Acronym previously released the ROG Zephyrus G14-ACRNM RMT01 laptop in 2020. This is a more elaborate project, however, and certainly the first where the computer and clothing are meant to work together.Acronym/ASUSThe ROG Flow Z13-ACRNM RMT02 should be available April 3rd for $2,500 through Amazon and ASUS. That's a lot to pay for a gaming tablet, especially when you can buy the regular Z13 for $1,750. With that said, it's not often you can buy any tablet PC that truly stands out. This is as much a conversation piece as it is a computer, especially if you're determined to wear it as a fashion accessory.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/asus-high-fashion-gaming-tablet-is-a-must-have-for-hot-dog-vendors-everywhere-145117128.html?src=rss

Drew Carey isn't afraid of AI. Instead, The Price is Right host and longtime improv comedian is embracing the technology. During a recent episode of his SiriusXM radio show, "Friday Night Freakout," Carey used an artificially generated version of his voice to handle most of his DJ work, reading a script written by ChatGPT. His AI voice kicked off the show, introduced upcoming songs and recapped what listeners were hearing. As an experiment to see just how far AI could go on the radio, the episode was mostly a success. But Carey's fans weren't happy about it."I violated a rule from Radio 101," Carey told me. His Twitter fans complained that the voice sounded soulless, and that they missed the "real Drew." "The reason FM stations and treasured radio stations still make money is because people like the personality of the DJs," he said. "You don't have to be like a big boss radio guy and be phony. You can just talk... that's what listeners like."While his fans were ultimately forgiving of the experiment, Carey says he got the message: "Don't do it again."For many entertainers, AI could be viewed as yet another threat in an increasingly precarious industry. Soon after ElevenLabs introduced a beta version of its AI voice tool — the same software Carey used for his radio show — online trolls used it to impersonate Emma Watson, Joe Rogan and other celebrities. Watsons' simulated voice read portions of the Mein Kampf aloud, while other deepfaked voices made openly racist and transphobic statements, according to Vice.Carey's AI voice wasn't perfect: It sounded a tad robotic, it didn't have the inflections his fans have grown to love over the years, and the ChatGPT-written script was noticeably simplistic. But if you were driving down the highway late at night, and you just wanted a bit of company alongside some classic rock, it's possible you wouldn't notice the DJ wasn't human. In fact, ElevenLabs recently partnered with Super HI-Fi to create "fully customized and personalized" AI driven radio stations."I was just playing with it, and I wanted to show what it was capable of," he said. "Plus, I thought, oh, I don't want to show everybody how to make an exact copy of my voice right now. I thought it might screw me over somehow. So I had that little fear in the back of my head."It took a weekend for Carey and a friend, who already had experience training ChatGPT and other AI tools, to create his AI voice. ChatGPT wrote 99 percent of his radio show's script, though Carey made a few tweaks of his own. Funny enough, when he asked the chatbot to write a joke about how easy it was to use, it wrote the line "even Drew Carey can use it." (Perhaps ChatGPT is just trying to snag a spot on the inevitable Whose Line Is It Anyway? revival.)Carey envisions AI being used in the future for the grunt work of radio and other production. Perhaps it could read a script late at night, or churn out some ad copy. When I asked if that's a potential problem for newcomers, he noted, "There are no blacksmiths anymore... If you're a mechanic that works on internal combustion engine cars, if you don't make the switch to electric soon, you're out of a job."According to a recent Goldman Sachs report, up to 300 million jobs around the world could be automated thanks to recent advancements in AI. But the bank's economists also point out that major innovations that replace some jobs typically lead to the creation of new roles. And for those who are only partially impacted by AI, they'll likely be able to complement their work with generative intelligence.For celebrities like Carey, AI could also be a way for them to continue working indefinitely, long after they've retired or passed on. James Earl Jones's voice has already been reconstructed for the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi, and he's approved future work to "keep Vader alive." Eventually, actors (and their estates) could sign off on AI clones that entertain us for generations to come.Carey isn't afraid of such an outcome. "You know what, if the price is right, anything can happen," he said when I asked if he'd ever sell his digital likeness. "I'm not worried about CGI Drew Carey taking over, because people want to see me, they want some kind of host. They want that interaction."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/drew-carey-made-a-radio-show-with-ai-fans-werent-pleased-143014038.html?src=rss

Italians might not have access to ChatGPT for much longer. Italy's Privacy Guarantor has ordered ChatGPT blocked over concerns OpenAI is violating the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) through its data handling practices. The regulator claims there's no "legal basis" for OpenAI's bulk collection of data for training ChatGPT's model. The sometimes-inaccurate results also indicate the generative AI isn't processing data correctly, the Guarantor says. Officials are particularly concerned about a flaw leaked sensitive user data last week.The data agency also says OpenAI isn't doing enough to protect children. While the company says ChatGPT is meant for people over the age of 13, there are no age checks to prevent kids from seeing "absolutely unsuitable" answers, according to officials.The Guarantor is giving OpenAI 20 days to outline how it will address the issues. If the company doesn't comply, it faces a fine of up to €20 million (about $21.8 million US) or a maximum four percent of its annual worldwide turnover.We've asked OpenAI for comment and will let you know if we hear back. The company's ChatGPT privacy policy makes clear that trainers can use conversation data to improve the AI, but that it also aggregates or anonymizes that data. OpenAI's terms forbid use by children under 13, while the policy says the company doesn't "knowingly" gather personal info from those underage users.Italy's action comes just a day after a nonprofit research organization filed a complaint with the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) hoping to freeze future ChatGPT releases until OpenAI meets the agency's guidelines on transparency, fairness and clarity. Tech leaders and experts have also called for a half-year pause on AI development to address ethical issues. There's worry that OpenAI doesn't have enough checks on its platforms, and that could now lead to a country-level ban.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/italy-to-block-chatgpt-over-data-protection-issues-134922771.html?src=rss

People haven't exactly been impressed in the short time since Google released its "experimental conversational AI service" Bard. Coming up against OpenAI's ChatGPT and Microsoft's Bing Chat (also powered by OpenAI's GPT-4) users have found its responses to not be as knowledgeable or detailed as its rivals. That could be set to change, however, after Google CEO Sundar Pichai confirmed on The New York Times podcast "Hard Fork" that Bard will soon be moving from its current LaMDA-based model to larger-scale PaLM datasets in the coming days.When asked how he felt about responses to Bard's release, Pichai commented: "We clearly have more capable models. Pretty soon, maybe as this goes live, we will be upgrading Bard to some of our more capable PaLM models, so which will bring more capabilities, be it in reasoning, coding."To frame the difference, Google said it had trained LaMDA with 137 billion parameters when it shared details about the language-based models last year. PaLM, on the other hand, was said to have been trained with around 540 billion parameters. Both models may have evolved and grown since early 2022, but the contrast likely shows why Google is now slowly transitioning Bard over to PaLM, with its larger dataset and more diverse answers.Pichai claims not to be worried about how fast Google's AI develops compared to its competitors. When Bard first debuted in February, he acknowledged its reliance on LaMDA gave it a smaller scale, but framed having less computing power as a benefit, giving more users the change to test it out and provide feedback. Pichai also ensured that Google would be doing its own analysis of Bard's safety and quality once provided with real-world information.To that end, Pichai expressed that Google doesn't want to release a "more capable model before we can fully make sure we can handle it well. We are all in very, very early stages. We will have even more capable models to plug in over time. But I don’t want it to be just who’s there first, but getting it right is very important to us."That thought is on the minds of over 1,800 people (including tech leaders and AI researchers) who have signed an open letter calling for a minimum six month pause on the development of AI technology "more powerful than GPT-4."Pichai doesn't think this can be effectively done without involving the government, but agrees with the need for guidance: "AI is too important an area not to regulate. It’s also too important an area not to regulate well. So I’m glad these conversations are underway."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-bard-is-switching-to-a-more-capable-language-model-ceo-confirms-133028933.html?src=rss

Solo Stove is back with another holiday sale, this time on its fire pit bundles. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the outdoor company has honored all the big summer holidays with fire pit discounts, and now it's welcoming the warm weather with an April Fool's Day sale. The very real flash sale offers each of Solo Stove's three fire bit bundles at over 45 percent off.The cheapest option — and smallest, with a 15 inch diameter — is the Ranger Essential Bundle, down to $230 from $425. It's closely followed by the 19 inch Bonfire Essential Bundle, now at $300 from $570. The largest option is the Yukon Essential Bundle, at 27 inches in diameter and discounted to $550 from $1,010.The essential bundles all come with the fire pit itself, a stand, a lid, and a removable base plate and ash pan. The Ranger and Bonfire models also include a carrier bag.The removable base plate and ash pan are new to Solo Stove's Fire Pit 2.0. Until their release last summer, you had to turn the original fire pit upside down every few uses and dump the ashes into a garbage bag. The Ranger, as the smallest model, is 15 pounds and the Yukon weighs in at almost 42 pounds, so this was no easy feat. Now all that's required to clear it out is lifting up the base plate and grabbing the ash tray.Solo Stove's flash sale lasts through end of day Sunday, so you have the weekend to decide if it's time to upgrade your fire pit for the summer. It's also worth noting that Amazon has a few of the fire pits on sale, too. The Bonfire model bundled with the ash pan and the base plate is on sale for $276, while the tabletop Mesa version is only $80.Shop Solo Stove deals at AmazonFollow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/solo-stove-fire-pit-bundles-are-over-45-percent-off-right-now-130031708.html?src=rss

With the Tetris movie hitting Apple TV+ this week, we chat with the game’s creator, Alexey Pajitnov, and Henk Rogers, the man who helped bring it out of the Soviet Union. We discuss just how realistic the film is (it definitely takes plenty of liberties), the impact of Tetris on gaming and where it could be headed in the future. Also, Cherlynn and Devindra dive into the recent letter from the Future of Life Institute, which was signed by Elon Musk and other tech leaders, and called for a pause on AI development beyond GPT4. It turns out that wasn’t entirely altruistic.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!

It’s a day of reality catching up with the chatbot boom. In the last 24 hours alone, we’ve had hoaxes, FTC complaints and… ads. Hooray. We’ll get into how Microsoft is bringing ads to its Bing chatbot – bound to happen – while OpenAI may have to halt ChatGPT releases in the face of FTC complaints.The nonprofit research organization, Center for AI and Digital Policy (CAIDP), says OpenAI’s models are "biased, deceptive" and threaten privacy and public safety. The CAIDP says OpenAI also fails to meet Commission guidelines calling for AI to be transparent, fair and easy to explain. There's no guarantee the FTC will act on the complaint. If it does set requirements, though, the move would affect development across the AI industry.– 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 missedUber adds 14 new cities to its EV rideshare service‘Star Trek: Picard’ embraces its nihilismApple’s 'Tetris' movie trades real-life drama for spy fantasiesGithub ordered to identify user who leaked Twitter source code Sam Bankman-Fried pleads not guilty to latest fraud, bribery chargesMicrosoft explains how ads will happen in Bing's AI chatbotAh, the end of the fun.Over the past few days, users have reported seeing ads inside Microsoft’s Bing chatbot experience. Based on the limited examples we've seen, the GPT-4-powered chatbot embeds relevant ad links in response to users' actual questions. Ads don't seem to appear for most people (including us) yet, but they'll most likely pop up more frequently and in more places soon. In a post on the Bing blog, Microsoft Corporate VP for Search and Devices Yusuf Mehd, explained that ads would come in the form of a linked citation, along with additional links in a "Learn More" section below Bing's response to their query. In the future, Microsoft could add functionality where hovering over a link from an advertiser would display more links from its website to drive more traffic to it.Continue reading.Midjourney ends free trials of its AI image generator due to 'extraordinary' abuseThe tool had been used to fake images of Trump and the Pope, among others.Midjourney CEO, David Holz, announced on Discord that the company is ending free trials due to "extraordinary demand and trial abuse." New safeguards haven't been "sufficient," and you'll have to pay at least $10 per month to use the image generator going forward. As The Washington Post reported, Midjourney has picked up unwanted attention in recent weeks. Users relied on the company's AI to build deepfakes of Donald Trump being arrested, and Pope Francis wearing a trendy coat.Continue reading.

Today is World Backup Day (March 31st), meant to remind everyone to protect their precious data. Amazon is having a large storage sale to commemorate the occasion with discounts of up to 67 percent on hard disks, memory cards, SSDs and more. Some standout deals include the WD Black 2TB NVMe SSD for PS5 consoles for $170 (43 percent off), the SanDisk 2TB Extreme Pro Portable SSD for $175 (24 percent off) and SanDisk's 1TB Extreme microSDXC memory card for $100, a full two-thirds off the regular price.WD's Black Gen4 PCIe NVMe 2TB SSD can hold up to 50 games on your PS5 and delivers read/write speeds of 7,000MB/s and 5,300MB/s respectively, allowing for seamless gameplay. It'll work equally well for your PC, particularly for content creation. The 2TB model is an incredible deal at $170, considering the regular price is $300. But if you want to spend a bit less and don't need as much storage, the 1TB model is also on sale for $125 for a savings of 31 percent.If it's backup storage you're after, Amazon has you covered here as well. The SanDisk 2TB Extreme Pro portable SSD, with speeds up to 2,000MB/s (USB 3.2 Gen 2x2) is $175, for a savings of $24 percent. You can also pick up the 1TB version for $130 (58 percent off), and the 4TB model is $400, a whopping $500 off the regular price — though you'll actually spend less by getting two 2TB models.The final product of note is SanDisk's 1TB microSDXC card, on sale for just $100, or 67 percent ($200) off the regular price. You'll also see a stellar deal on the 512GB version, which can be found for $48 or 56 percent off (again, it's cheaper to get two of these than a single 1TB card, though the latter may be more convenient).You'll find plenty of other deals, like WD's 20TB Elements external HDD for $280 (45 percent off), Lexar's 2TB NM800 Pro NVMe Gen 4.0 SSD for $112 (57 percent off) and Lexar's CFexpress Type A Gold Series memory cards for Sony cameras at $272 (32 percent off). And bear in mind that a number of Samsung SSDs and memory cards are still on sale from last week with savings of up to 54 percent. The deals are just on for today, so if you're in the market, act soon.Shop storage deals on AmazonFollow @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/amazons-world-backup-day-sale-takes-up-to-67-percent-off-ssds-memory-and-more-094004343.html?src=rss

Netflix released at least one movie a week over the past two years, but for 2023, the company is changing course. According to Bloomberg, the streaming giant is restructuring its movie division and releasing fewer movies overall. Netflix will combine the team working on small projects with a budget $30 million or less and the unit that produces mid-budget films that cost $30 million to $80 million to make. The restructuring will result in a "handful" of layoffs — the company didn't specify a number — and the departure of two notable executives. Lisa Nishimura, who oversees documentaries like Tiger King and small budget films, as well as VP for film Ian Bricke are both leaving the company after over a decade.As Bloomberg notes, Netflix ramped up its film development efforts after studios started building their own streaming services instead of licensing their movies to the company. In addition to the units working on small and mid-budget films, Netflix has one more division developing big-budget projects. It's unclear if the last group is also affected by the restructuring.Despite the sheer number of titles Netflix previously released, only a few had won accolades, had reached millions of hours of streaming, or had the kind of cultural impact some of the biggest blockbusters had achieved. (According to the company's Top 10 page, its most watched movies for 2021 and 2022 include Red Notice, Don't Look Up and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.) Netflix Film chief Scott Stuber reportedly decided to cut down on the titles the service is releasing this year so he could ensure that the division is producing more high-quality projects.Stuber didn't say how many people are losing their jobs from the shakeup, but the numbers are supposed to be smaller than the layoffs that happened at the company last year. Netflix implemented job cuts before many of its rivals in the film, TV and entertainment space did. HBO and HBO Max had to let some production staff members go as part of a larger Warner Bros. Discovery restructuring back in August, while Disney recently announced that it's laying off 7,000 workers, including those involved with media and distribution.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/netflix-hopes-making-fewer-original-movies-will-make-them-better-075456182.html?src=rss

Virgin Orbit’s days of slinging satellites into space aboard aircraft-launched rockets have come to an end Thursday. After six years in business, Virgin’s satellite launch subsidiary has announced via SEC filing that it does not have the funding to continue operations and will be shuttering for “the foreseeable future,” per CNBC. Nearly 90 percent of Virgin Orbit’s employees — 675 people in total — will be laid off immediately.Virgin Orbit was founded in 2017 for the purpose of developing and commercializing LauncherOne, a satellite launch system fitted under a modified 747 airliner, dubbed Cosmic Girl. The system was designed to put 500 pounds of cubesats into Low Earth Orbit by firing them in a rocket from said airliner flying at an altitude of 30,000 - 50,000 feet. Despite a string of early successes — both in terms of development milestones and expanding service contracts with the UK military, LauncherOne’s first official test in May of 2020 failed to deliver its simulated payload into orbit.

Microsoft, Nintendo, Ubisoft and other major players in the game industry have all confirmed that they would have no presence on the E3 2023 show floor. Now the event itself won't happen at all.According to IGN, the Entertainment Software Association has begun notifying members that while the show "remains a beloved event and brand," the plans for E3 2023 "simply did not garner the sustained interest necessary to execute it in a way that would showcase the size, strength and impact our industry."

RTX 40-series graphics card prices may soon come down to Earth... if ever so slightly. VideoCardzsources claim NVIDIA will price the standard GeForce RTX 4070 at $599. That's decidedly more affordable than the $799 RTX 4070 Ti, but just as much as the RTX 3070 Ti from 2021. The days of paying $500 or less for an x070 GPU are over, apparently.You may get more for your money than any 3070 card, at least. The GeForce RTX 4070 will reportedly have the same 5,888 CUDA core count as the regular 3070 and a narrower 192-bit memory bus, but a much higher 1.92GHz base clock speed (even the 3070 Ti tops out at 1.58GHz), more RAM (12GB versus 8GB), and a higher 29 teraflops of 32-bit floating point computing power (versus 22 for the 3070 Ti). And did we mention that it should use less power than a 3070? While the core tally and clock speeds are noticeably lower than for the 4070 Ti, it could still provide tangible gains over the last generation.NVIDIA is said to be releasing the 'plain' GeForce RTX 4070 in mid-April. If accurate, the $599 price tag could finally make Ada-based GPUs more accessible to gamers who've balked at paying $799-plus just to get DLSS 3 upscaling and other benefits from the latest GeForce lineup. However, it would also continue the trend of increasing prices across the range. Every RTX 40 GPU to date has a reference price at least $100 higher than its RTX 30 equivalent. That's not a huge issue if you're simply looking for the best card within your budget, but it could prove painful if you want the closest-possible parallel to an earlier high-end model.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nvidias-geforce-rtx-4070-will-reportedly-cost-599-210058860.html?src=rss

Amazon-owned Audible has started putting ads in audiobooks, potentially indicating a sea change within the industry. The company says it is “conducting limited testing” on a select user base with the advertisements and that this step is currently reserved for non-paying members, giving them “ad-supported access to a limited set” of titles. For now at least, paying subscribers seem immune to the change.The ads pop up while listening to traditional audiobooks, podcasts and Audible original content. The company says the providers were informed of the change and given the chance to opt out of ads. Audible notes that a maximum of eight ads will play within a 24-hour period, regardless of what you are listening to. That isn’t so bad, but does set a troubling precedent for many ad-averse consumers.As to why this test was taking place at all, the company's help page offers nothing but empty buzzwords. “Audible is dedicated to continuously optimizing how we deliver audio programming to listeners everywhere,” it states. “From time to time, Audible tests new products and services to gain knowledge about the evolving needs of our customers and partners.” Thanks for clarifying!Does this mean an ad-supported subscription tier is forthcoming? Engadget has reached out to Audible for some clarification on this move but has yet to hear back. We will update this post when we do.Customers have long grown-accustomed to paying for audiobooks in exchange for a pure ad-free experience, but maybe that is slowly changing. A couple of years back, Spotify purchased audiobook distributor Findaway for $119 million and, a year later, former Chief Content Officer Dawn Ostroff suggested that the company was “looking at bringing ad monetization into audiobooks.”This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audible-is-now-testing-ads-in-your-audiobooks-for-some-reason-185337088.html?src=rss

Paramount+ is ordering a new Star Trek series set in one of the franchise’s most iconic locations. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will follow a new class of recruits at the San Francisco training facility as they grapple with friends, rivalries, first loves and “a new enemy that threatens both the Academy and the Federation itself.” Production is scheduled to begin in 2024.With Picard and Discovery winding down, the network is apparently looking to a teen / young adult coming-of-age story to invite a new generation of viewers to the franchise. The series “will introduce us to a young group of cadets who come together to pursue a common dream of hope and optimism. Under the watchful and demanding eyes of their instructors, they will discover what it takes to become Starfleet officers.”CBS studios will produce the upcoming series with Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment. No casting decisions have been announced. Deadline first reported on the series’ development last month before Paramount’s official announcement today.Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau, who will serve as showrunners and executive producers, released an announcement in the voice of a Starfleet recruitment bulletin. “For the first time in over a century, our campus will be re-opened to admit individuals a minimum of 16 Earth years (or species equivalent) who dream of exceeding their physical, mental and spiritual limits, who value friendship, camaraderie, honor and devotion to a cause greater than themselves,” the announcement reads. “The coursework will be rigorous, the instructors among the brightest lights in their respective fields, and those accepted will live and study side-by-side with the most diverse population of students ever admitted.”Although the series shares its name with a late 1990s PC simulation game, its creators haven’t specified whether the two are related. We don’t even know in which era it will take place, among Star Trek’s centuries-spanning lore. The Starfleet Academy has been mentioned or featured in numerous Trek properties, including the original 1960s series, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine (among many others).This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/paramount-orders-new-star-trek-series-set-at-starfleet-academy-183059826.html?src=rss

When portions of Twitter's source code appeared on Github earlier this year, the social media company asked the court to compel the collaborative programming network to reveal the identity of the user who posted it. Now, Twitter is getting it: the US District Court for the Northern District of California has issued a subpoena to Github compelling it to identity GitHub user "FreeSpeech Enthusiast," including "name(s), address(es), telephone number(s), , email address(es), social media profile data, and IP address(es), for the user(s) associated with."According to the New York Times, sources within the company say that Twitter executives suspect a disgruntled former employee is responsible for the leak. Depending on what information Github provides, Twitter will be able to determine if the source code was posted by one of the thousands of workers that were laid off following Elon Musk's purchase of company last year.In addition to information about the leaker themselves, the order asks Github to identify users who "posted, uploaded, downloaded or modified the data." Github has until April 3 to produce the data.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/github-ordered-to-identify-user-who-leaked-twitter-source-code-181504256.html?src=rss

You won't have to worry about burning fossil fuels if you hail a Waymo One ride in the near future. Waymo is phasing out its hybrid Chrysler Pacifica vans in the Phoenix East Valley area in favor of the Jaguar I-Pace EV, making its autonomous ride-hailing fleet completely electric as of late April. The company's fifth-generation Driver AI is coming to the region at the same time.The Alphabet-owned brand is unsurprisingly eager to tout the environmental perks. As Waymo's cars are much more active than the typical personally-owned ride, the switch to EVs should have a noticeable impact on emissions. Waymo adds that it exclusively uses renewable energy to power the EVs.There are also practical advantages, Waymo claims. The move to rely solely on the I-Pace helps "optimize" operational and technical support while the company prepares to add future EVs like Geely's custom-built Zeekr. The consistency should also improve the trustworthiness of Driver as Waymo grows.Waymo launched One in Phoenix in 2018, and went completely driverless in the area in 2019. Service didn't start expanding in earnest until 2021, when the company started offering rides in San Francisco using the I-Pace. It began testing service in Los Angeles just last month. The switch to an all-EV fleet now provides a familiar experience regardless of where Waymo operates — Phoenix-area passengers won't feel left behind.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/waymos-driverless-taxi-fleet-will-soon-be-completely-electric-180526724.html?src=rss

Rumors of an animated Scott Pilgrim show have been swirling around for years, though Netflix officially confirmed those rumors last year by announcing it was working on something. More details just dropped, however, and not only is the Scott Pilgrim anime a real thing, but it is currently in production and features the entire cast of the original 2010 movie.We mean the entire cast, including Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ellen Wong and Mae Whitman. Some cast members have become major stars in the years since the film’s original release, but they are also returning. In other words, expect to hear the dulcet tones of Chris Evans, Brie Larson, Kieran Culkin and Aubrey Plaza as they reprise their original roles.

A public challenge could put a temporary stop to the deployment of ChatGPT and similar AI systems. The nonprofit research organization Center for AI and Digital Policy (CAIDP) has filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleging that OpenAI is violating the FTC Act through its releases of large language AI models like GPT-4. That model is "biased, deceptive" and threatens both privacy and public safety, CAIDP claims. Likewise, it supposedly fails to meet Commission guidelines calling for AI to be transparent, fair and easy to explain.The Center wants the FTC to investigate OpenAI and suspend future releases of large language models until they meet the agency's guidelines. The researchers want OpenAI to require independent reviews of GPT products and services before they launch. CAIDP also hopes the FTC will create an incident reporting system and formal standards for AI generators.We've asked OpenAI for comment. The FTC has declined to comment. CAIDP president Marc Rotenberg was among those who signed an open letter demanding that OpenAI and other AI researchers pause work for six months to give time for ethics discussions. OpenAI founder Elon Musk also signed the letter.Critics of ChatGPT, Google Bard and similar models have warned of problematic output, including inaccurate statements, hate speech and bias. Users also can't repeat results, CAIDP says. The Center points out that OpenAI itself warns AI can "reinforce" ideas whether or not they're true. While upgrades like GPT-4 are more reliable, there's a concern people may rely on the AI without double-checking its content.There's no guarantee the FTC will act on the complaint. If it does set requirements, though, the move would affect development across the AI industry. Companies would have to wait for assessments, and might face more repercussions if their models fail to meet the Commission's standards. While this might improve accountability, it could also slow the currently rapid pace of AI development.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/openai-may-have-to-halt-chatgpt-releases-following-ftc-complaint-172824646.html?src=rss

FTX founder and former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried (aka SBF) pleaded not guilty to five additional criminal charges this morning, according toCNBC. Prosecutors accuse the disgraced crypto exec of fraud and bribery for conspiring to send at least $40 million to Chinese government officials so they would unfreeze more than $1 billion in cryptocurrency, which he allegedly used to fund loss-generating trades.On Tuesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) unsealed the third round of criminal charges against SBF in a superseding indictment; SBF has now pleaded not guilty to all 13 charges. Additionally, he faces civil charges from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). His attorney, Mark Cohen, claimed he would file a motion that SBF can’t be tried on charges brought after his extradition from the Bahamas in December.Federal prosecutors allege SBF and his partners tried “numerous” legal and personal methods to unfreeze the funds before moving forward with the bribe. They say SBF directed Alameda Research, FTX’s sister company, to transfer more than $40 million to a private wallet. Of course, it’s illegal for US citizens to bribe foreign officials to generate business. The new charges ramp up pressure on the 31-year-old Bankman-Fried, who reportedly “arrived at the courthouse about an hour before the hearing, looking disheveled after an intense media scrum.”Three former FTX executives, Caroline Ellison, Zixiao “Gary” Wang, and Nishad Singh, have pleaded guilty to fraud and conspiracy charges and have agreed to cooperate with the prosecution. There’s no word yet on the judge’s ruling about whether SBF will be forced to use a feature phone and limit internet access as part of his bail terms. After it was revealed SBF was using a virtual private network (VPN) and possibly tampering with witnesses, District Judge Lewis Kaplan previously said he didn’t want SBF “loose on his garden of electronic devices.”This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sam-bankman-fried-pleads-not-guilty-to-latest-fraud-bribery-charges-165445328.html?src=rss

With Elon Musk set to pull verification from thousands of users who were verified under the company’s previous leadership, one Twitter alternative is hoping to lure some of those “legacy” checkmarks to its platform. T2, an invite-only service led by two former Twitter employees, says it will allow users to carry over their “legacy” Twitter verification to its siteT2 is part of a growing crop of Twitter alternatives that have sprung up in the wake of Musk’s takeover. The platform is smaller than some more established rivals, like Mastodon, but is intent on recreating the “public square” associated with the pre-Musk Twitter. In fact, founder Gabor Cselle has been pretty clear that he intends to create “a pretty straightforward copy of Twitter with some simplifications” rather than an entirely new experience.So maybe it’s not surprising that the site now known as T2 — the company is eventually planning on taking a new name — is launching a “Get the Checkmark” feature that will rely on Twitter’s legacy verification program. With it, users can fill out a brief form to go through a fast-tracked verification process for T2. The feature will also work for those on T2’s waitlist.T2For now, users only have a couple days to take advantage of the program, since legacy verifications are set to disappear from Twitter on April 1st. But the company has a plan to offer verification via other means once Twitter’s legacy checks go away. (T2’s form-based verification won’t work for those who paid for the new, Twitter Blue-enabled check.)Along with the new verification features, T2 is also announcing a couple other milestones. The company has hired a former Discord exec as its new CTO, and is launching a much-needed redesign that will look familiar to Twitter users.As with all of the new Twitter rivals, T2 has a long way to go before it reaches anywhere close to the size of the platform it’s trying to emulate. But, as Mastodon founder CEO Eugen Rochko has pointed out, Twitter’s more influential users — like those with legacy verification — are incredibly valuable to any upstart platform. If T2 can snag more of those users, it could make it easier to recreate the public square they’re looking for.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/a-new-twitter-alternative-is-trying-to-lure-users-about-to-lose-their-old-checkmark-160011153.html?src=rss

Midjourney is putting an end to free use of its AI image generator after people created high-profile deepfakes using the tool. CEO David Holz says on Discord that the company is ending free trials due to "extraordinary demand and trial abuse." New safeguards haven't been "sufficient" to prevent misuse during trial periods, Holz says. For now, you'll have to pay at least $10 per month to use the technology.As The Washington Postexplains, Midjourney has found itself at the heart of unwanted attention in recent weeks. Users relied on the company's AI to build deepfakes of Donald Trump being arrested, and Pope Francis wearing a trendy coat. While the pictures were quickly identified as bogus, there's a concern bad actors might use Midjourney, OpenAI's DALL-E and similar generators to spread misinformation.Midjourney has acknowledged trouble establishing policies on content. In 2022, Holz justified a ban on images of Chinese leader Xi Jinping by telling Discord users that his team only wanted to "minimize drama," and that having any access in China was more important than allowing satirical content. On a Wednesday chat with users, Holz said he was having difficulty setting content policies as the AI enabled ever more realistic imagery. Midjourney is hoping to improve AI moderation that screens for abuse, the founder added.Some developers have resorted to strict rules to prevent incidents. OpenAI, for instance, bars any images of ongoing political events, conspiracy theories and politicians. It also forbids hate, sexuality and violence. However, others have relatively loose guidelines. Stability AI won't let Stable Diffusion users copy styles or make not-safe-for-work pictures, but it generally doesn't dictate what people can make.Misleading content isn't the only problem for AI image production. There are longstanding concerns that the pictures are stolen, as they frequently use existing images as reference points. While some companies are embracing AI art in their products, there's also plenty of hesitation from firms worried they'll get unwanted attention.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/midjourney-ends-free-trials-of-its-ai-image-generator-due-to-extraordinary-abuse-153853905.html?src=rss

The following discusses Star Trek: Picard, Season Three, Episode 7, “The Dominion.”I reckon there’s a couple of generations who were raised, in whole or part, by their televisions. With surrogate parents who showed us a better way of living was possible and that the easy solution isn’t always best. Jean-Luc Picard was a leader of principle, with backbone and a belief that humanism should always prevail. When given the chance to eradicate the Borg, who had tortured, dehumanized and used him as a meat puppet to murder thousands of his colleagues, he demurred. In his own version of the Trolley Problem, he was initially in favor of wiping them out until his colleagues, including an aghast Dr. Crusher, convinced him otherwise. Their objections helped reawaken his humanity and reminded him that there was a better way.Star Trek: Picard doesn’t just feel its lead made the wrong decision back then, it abdicates any sort of debate to justify why the alternative is better. Holding an unarmed Vadic prisoner on the Titan, Picard and Crusher agree the only course of action is to execute her. This comes after Crusher has already conceived building a new anti-changeling virus, only giving a second’s thought to the notion that it would be genocidal. Crusher, so often Star Trek: The Next Generation’s most moral compass, even says that Picard’s trap has invited death upon the Titan. When Jack is threatened, there’s no contemplation of alternatives or smarter solutions beyond those found at the business-end of a phaser. Are we watching Star Trek or 24?But, to be even-handed, it’s also possible to offer a weaker, but present, argument that Picard is wrestling with America’s position in a post-Iraq world. Since the Dominion War has been retrofitted (pretty perfectly) as a War on Terror analog, then the changeling virus must now be seen as equivalent to the invasion itself. Shaw has given voice to the idea more than once that the changeling virus has radicalized a generation of zealots looking for revenge. But if that’s the case, why is there not a greater examination of what any of that would mean in the real world? Maybe because it’s so hard to imagine what a peace would look like that there’s no point even trying.I’d love nothing more than to see Star Trek convincingly argue for the opposite just to see what that would look like. And it’s clearly something that Trek of old engaged with, in “Descent,” Picard wrestles with the decision made in “I, Borg,” telling Riker “the moral thing to do was not the right thing to do.” A better venue for this, however, was in Deep Space Nine, a show much better suited to painting its canvas in shades of gray than The Next Generation’s beige-carpeted explorers. “In The Pale Moonlight,” arguably the best hour of Trek ever made, makes the case that killing two people will save billions more, and makes it well. But Avery Brooks and Andrew Robinson’s performances both show that while they can make that case intellectually, neither has anything close to a clean conscience.As for the rest of the episode, Picard hatches a plan to trap the Shrike and lure Vadic on board by playing possum, which leads to some phaser-fu fights when Jack realizes that he’s telepathic, enough to pass his punch-fight knowledge onto LaForge. Meanwhile, we learn that Vadic is, or was, a sinister Section 31 scientist who merged with one of her changeling captors, and a changeling that she was torturing and experimenting on has vowed revenge on the Federation. At this point, my sympathies are almost lurching toward the changelings.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/star-trek-picard-307-dominion-review-140506376.html?src=rss

Polestar started out as a racing team that was then turned into a performance tuning division for Volvo before becoming its own brand in 2017.And after testing the waters with the Polestar 1 and Polestar 2, the company is poised to take another big step forward with the upcoming release of its first EV SUV: the Polestar 3. So when the car recently came to New York City for its North American debut, we couldn’t pass up the chance to check it out because it might just be the best-looking new SUV in 2023.The Polestar 3 is built on the same platform as the Volvo EX90, but the company has made some significant changes that ensures there won’t be confusion between the two. Instead of three rows of seats, the Polestar 3 maxes out at two, with slightly less rear storage in favor of a more spacious cabin. So despite a relatively low roof line, the combination of a glass roof, a long wheelbase and rear seats that are reclined a bit more than usual gave me and my 6-foot frame a very relaxed seating position with tons of leg room. There were even a couple throw pillows in the back seat, which might be a bit unnecessary, but really adds to the premium loungey feel Polestar is going for.Meanwhile, in front the Polestar 3 features a more enclosed cockpit-style layout, mixed with a bit of Scandinavian minimalism. There’s a big armrest and an extended console featuring a built-in wireless charger. As for infotainment, Polestar is continuing to use a system based on Android Automotive centered around a big 14.5-inch touchscreen with Google Maps as your default navigation system and a very familiar touch-based UI. Like in a lot of modern cars, pretty much everything from climate control to music is handled on the display, with the only physical controls being a big knob on the console for volume/play/pause along with some additional haptic touch points on the steering wheel.On the outside, the Polestar sports a much more aggressive design than the EX90, thanks to dual wings (one on the hood and one above the rear window), a front splitter, big wheels (either 21 or 22 inches depending the spec) and a new two bladed-version of the company’s signature Thor’s Hammer headlights. I know not everyone will agree, but I think the Polestar 3 looks fantastic. It’s got just enough futuristic sci-fi design cues without going overboard like Tesla’s Cybertruck.Photo by Sam Rutherford/EngadgetThe Polestar has the tech to back up its sci-fi looks too. In addition to things like automatic lane keeping and blindspot detection, it features a bevy of monitoring components including 12 ultrasonic sensors, five exterior radars, five cameras, two driver monitoring sensors and even four interior radars spread throughout the car. The most important use of these new sensors is that alongside the EX90, the Polestar 3 will be one of the first cars to offer an onboard passenger detection system as standard.This means in the event a child or a pet is left in the back seat (or the trunk), the car will warn the driver, prevent the car from being locked and will continue to maintain a safe climate unless a manual override is given. The goal is to prevent any occupants from overheating if left in the car, which is sadly a very preventable cause of death that’s occurred to more than 900 children in the U.S. since 1998.Another interesting feature is the Polestar 3’s headlights which feature a 1.3-megapixel DLP sensor that allows the car to more easily focus and adjust its beams to suit the driving conditions. And while it wasn’t on the model we saw, Polestar says the 3 will also have an optional Pilot Pack that includes a LiDAR sensor from Luminar and an NVIDIA Drive Orin chip, which will support some level of autonomous or semi-autonomous driving capabilities.Finally, as part of the company’s commitment to making a fully carbon-neutral car by 2030, the 3 also includes a number of sustainability features including paneling and pieces of trim made from flax fiber, “Microtech” upholstery made from a pine oil-based vinyl (instead of petroleum), and floor mats created from recycled PET bottles.That said, possibly my favorite thing about the Polestar 3 is the way the carmaker has integrated the vehicle’s design, tech and sustainability into a single cohesive package. Little elements like labeling the size of the Polestar 3’s battery on the outside of the car, right next to its name, help add a sense of transparency to its construction. As a part-time design nerd, the little labels everywhere are like a typographer's dream. On top of that, Polestar is even using blockchain technology to trace the origins of the components that go into the car's battery, to make sure they are coming from conflict-free regions. And when you pair all this with a striking design, you get a really enchanting vision of where the EV market is heading.However, I still have two main concerns about the Polestar 3: its pricing and its energy efficiency. With the standard dual-motor long-range model starting at $83,900 or $89,900 for the Performance Pack model, this clearly isn’t an EV for the masses. And with the number of luxury electric SUVs like the BMW iX and others hitting the roads, Polestar is wading into an increasingly competitive market.Photo by Sam Rutherford/EngadgetOn top of that, despite costing $30,000 more than a Tesla Model Y and having a big 111 kWh battery (versus just 75kWh for the Tesla), the Polestar 3 is currently only expected to get around 300 miles of range compared to 330 for the Model Y. And it’s a similar situation for the Polestar’s 250 kW DC charging, which isn’t quite as fast as what you’d get from a similar but less expensive rival like the Hyundai Ioniq 5. Granted, the Polestar has yet to receive its final official range figures from the EPA, but just going by the numbers we have so far, its battery and charging tech aren't quite as impressive as you might expect. Still, the Polestar 3 looks great and hopefully we'll know more later this year when the car goes on sale for real sometime in Q4.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/polestar-3-first-look-possibly-the-best-looking-ev-for-2023-133508992.html?src=rss

Roku isn't done cutting jobs in a bid to turn its fortunes around. The streaming company has warned that it will lay off another 200 workers, or about six percent of its current headcount. It also plans to either close or sublease offices that aren't in active use. The layoffs will help the firm limit its expenses and focus on projects that will have a "higher return on investment," Roku says.The device and platform creator expects to pay between $30 million and $35 million to handle the layoffs and building closures. Most of those costs should be paid in the first quarter, or by the end of this month. The layoffs should be finished by the end of Roku's second quarter, or June.In November, Roku said it would eliminate 200 jobs in response to rough "economic conditions." It expected a year-over-year drop in revenue, and had already been struggling with slowing revenue growth in the second half of 2022. Like fellow internet video rivals Disney and Netflix, Roku is grappling with the combination of a looming recession and the end of a pandemic-era boom that kept many people at home watching TV. The company wasn't helped by the failure of Silicon Valley Bank earlier this month — it said it could have lost over 25 percent of its cash if regulators hadn't stepped in to protect deposits.Roku is far from the only large tech company laying off staff this year. Alphabet, Amazon, Meta and Microsoft have all slashed their workforces, among numerous others. However, Roku's reductions come at a pivotal moment. It just released its first self-made TVs, and it's facing stiff competition in hardware and services from the likes of Amazon, Apple and Google. Roku is under pressure to invest heavily in its technology to keep up with its frequently wealthy challengers.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/roku-will-lay-off-another-200-workers-132908304.html?src=rss

No, the origins of Tetris didn't involve a high-speed car chase, but the true story behind the game still reads like a spy novel. There's corporate intrigue, nefarious government agencies and an envious amount of globe-trotting. But the reality wasn't enough for the creative minds behind Apple's Tetris film, which premieres on March 31st. Director Jon S. Baird and writer Noah Pink couldn't help but spice up the story with hyperactive pixel art, cartoonishly evil villains and wildly discordant tonal shifts. The result is a film that may entertain general audiences – or critics who have somehow never heard of Tetris before – but will probably leave true aficionados of the game cold.From its opening scenes, in which a young Henk Rogers (The Kingsman's Taron Egerton) recounts the magical moment he encountered Tetris at CES, the film aims for the snappy dialog of Aaron Sorkin's scripts for The Social Network and Steve Jobs. But it never reaches those heights. Rogers is the entrepreneur responsible for working together with Alexey Pajitnov (Nikita Efremov), the Soviet programmer who created Tetris, to bring the game to the rest of the world. He makes for a compelling main character on paper, and yet the film doesn't delve too deeply into why he'd risk his life and business (he was the founder of Japan's Bullet-Proof Software) for a single game.AppleCall that a failure of storytelling, or perhaps it's just dramatic shorthand. Rogers is one of the first people to become truly obsessed with Tetris, and that alone defines his actions. Throughout the movie he and others experience the "Tetris effect" – hallucinating falling blocks after playing the game. That's a practically universal response to playing Tetris for an extended period. The world quickly fades out of view while you're focusing on those shapes, and its effect on you lingers for days.In this film, that's shown in the most basic way possible: A hallucinatory display of shapes right in front of someone's eyes. But I couldn't help but imagine how a more artful take would have looked. Think Tetris by way of Darren Aronofsky's Pi, a movie where the lead character starts to see evidence of math in every corner of the natural world.That being said, there's still plenty to enjoy in Tetris. Rogers’ early glimpse at a Game Boy prototype, the system that would make Tetris a global phenomenon, is treated like he's encountering the Holy Grail. He immediately sees the potential for appealing not just to kids with NES consoles but even adults. You could easily call it the first casual video game. Ben Miles and Togo Igawa also do a fine job of embodying Nintendo royalty, former Nintendo of America chairman Howard Lincoln and the company's third president, Hiroshi Yamauchi.“The very important role of Tetris of that time was that it started to break down the barrier between people and computers,” Pajitnov told me in an interview. Early on, he said people were embarrassed to admit they were hooked on Tetris, and others were quick to say they don’t play games, “just Tetris.” Now gaming, especially those of the casual mobile variety, can reach just about anyone.At the very least, Tetris the film understands the power of games. But it would be stronger if it embraced the reality of the story, rather than try to position itself as a cheap spy movie. British billionaires Robert and Kevin Maxwell are more James Bond villains than actual humans (admittedly, that may not be far from the truth), as they wrangle with Soviet leaders and Rogers over distribution rights to the game. Soviet intelligence officers, who repeatedly threaten Rogers and Pajitnov, are even more cartoonish. By the time we reached an obligatory car chase that, for some reason, also turns into pixelated graphics, I was almost completely checked out.AppleIt’s doubly disappointing since the movie didn’t need to do much of this. The real-world licensing dilemma, which kicked off after the British software seller Robert Stein sold rights to the game before the Soviet Union’s approval, could be compelling enough. Prior to Rogers’ discovery of the game, Stein had sold rights to the Maxwell’s Mirrorsoft for European distribution, and to Spectrum Holobyte in the US. Rogers’ snagged Spectrum’s rights, but quickly realized that Steins’ contracts were likely illegitimate. To the movie’s credit, it also covers this licensing drama, but it’s almost always overshadowed by the more fantastical elements added by the filmmakers.While the pieces don’t entirely fit into place (sorry), if Tetris pushes more people to explore the actual history of the game through other media, like the BBC's documentary Tetris: From Russia with Love, Dan Ackerman's The Tetris Effect and the graphic novel The Games People Play, it may have been worth it. Still, its existence also means we won’t get to see any other adaptations, like a Halt and Catch Fire-esque limited series, anytime soon.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-tetris-movie-review-123020220.html?src=rss

When Faraday Future released its earnings report for 2022 earlier this month, it said it's on track to begin the production of its first vehicle. The company had a lot of false starts since it was founded in 2014 and had to push back the model's production and shipment dates again and again. This time, the company was finally able to stick to its timeline: Faraday Future has announced that it has started production for the FF 91 Futurist electric vehicle at its factory in Hanford, California.Faraday Future unveiled the FF 91 Futurist in February 2022, with the intention of kicking off the manufacturing process in the third quarter of the year. It obviously didn't happen, and the company told investors that it was because it needed more cash for its commercial launch. Indeed, the automaker grappled with a string of financial woes over the years and even almost ran out of cash in 2017 before Season Smart, later acquired by Chinese company Evergrande Health, agreed to fund it with $2 billion.Faraday burned through Season Smart's initial $800 million cash injection too quickly, however, and ended up feuding with the investor. The company furloughed (and ultimately let go) hundreds of employees while the dispute was ongoing. It also had to abandon its plans to build a $1 billion Las Vegas production facility and sell the site for $40 million.The FF 91 Futurist promises 1,050 horsepower, a range of 381 miles as certified by the EPA and the ability to go from zero to 60 mph in 2.27 seconds. It will be sold both stateside and in China — in the US, customers in Los Angeles will get their units first, followed by those in San Francisco and then buyers in New York. According to Reuters, deliveries in the US are scheduled to begin in April 2023. The company itself didn't mention a specific date for when deliveries will start, but it did announce a final launch event for the FF 91 Futurist on April 26th.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/faraday-future-finally-starts-ff-91-production-after-repeated-delays-114510625.html?src=rss

Apple has set the dates for WWDC 2023, which will run between June 5th and June 9th. It's still an online-only affair, but there will be a "special experience" at Apple Park on the 5th for developers and students.While we expect to see software-centric upgrades, with iOS, macOS and the rest, this could also be when Apple finally debuts its mixed-reality headset. Rumors suggest it could be called Reality Pro or Reality One, and it’s believed to be a standalone device with an M2 chip, dual 4K displays, advanced body tracking and controller-free input. It could be a pricey piece of hardware, even by Apple’s standards, with some reports suggesting it’ll cost $3,000.– 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 missedKia's EV9 electric SUV will offer Level 3 autonomy and a 336-mile rangeApple's M2 Pro Mac mini is back to a record-low price at Amazon Google unveils AI-powered planning tools to help beat climate change's extreme heat 'The Last of Us Part I' for PC was a buggy mess at launchLenovo has shut down its Legion gaming phone business Sony's 12-megapixel full-frame ZV-E1 is a low-light vlogging beastIt comes with 5-axis stabilization and AI-based auto-framing.EngadgetSony has unveiled its latest, and by far greatest vlogging camera to date: The full-frame ZV-E1. Equipped with the same backside-illuminated (BSI) 12-megapixel sensor as one of the company’s flagship cameras, the A7S III, it promises excellent low-light performance and 4K video at up to 120p. The $2,200 price tag also makes it enticing for vloggers as it offers features found on the $3,500 A7S III, thanks to a full-frame sensor. Crucially, for people like me obsessed with the older ZV-1 vlogging camera, it uses the same Z-batteries as larger Sony models, meaning more video capture without having to keep it plugged in or swapping out batteries. It goes on pre-order tomorrow, with shipping set to start in early April.Continue reading.Tech leaders and AI experts demand six-month pause on 'out-of-control' AI experimentsThe open letter warns of risks to humans.An open letter signed by tech leaders and prominent AI researchers has called for AI labs and companies to "immediately pause" their work. Signatories like Steve Wozniak and Elon Musk agree risks warrant a minimum six-month break from producing technology beyond GPT-4 to allow people to adjust and ensure they are benefiting everyone. The letter adds that care and forethought are necessary to ensure the safety of AI systems, and that may not be happening. Companies are racing to build complex chat systems that utilize the technology. Microsoft recently confirmed that its revamped Bing search engine has been powered by the GPT-4 model for over seven weeks, while Google also debuted Bard, its own generative AI system powered by LaMDA.Continue reading.Renewable power generation overtook coal in the US last yearNatural gas is still the largest electricity source, however.The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) has determined that renewable power generation overtook coal in 2022, with 4,090 million megawatt-hours coming from solar, wind, hydroelectric, biomass and geothermal technology. The shift came through increased renewable capacity and coal's years-long decline. Wind was the dominant source of clean electricity, with the capacity jumping from 133 gigawatts in 2021 to 141 gigawatts a year later. However, natural gas still remains the top power source, with a 39 percent share.Continue reading.Lamborghini's plug-in hybrid supercar runs for only six miles in electric modeYou’re not buying it for fuel economy anyway.LamborghiniThe Lamborghini Revuelto, which translates to “scrambled,” can reach 6.2 miles from a full charge. That is likely not enough juice to get you to Costco and back, but this is a hybrid vehicle not exactly intended for all-electric usage. With that said, the combustion engine charges the rather minuscule 3.8kWh battery on its own in just six minutes. If you’re waiting on an all-electric Lamborghini, the company still plans to introduce one by 2030.Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-will-we-see-apples-mixed-reality-headset-at-wwdc-2023-111530966.html?src=rss

Nintendo was supposed to shut down its Wii U and 3DS eShops for good on March 27th at 5PM PST, but it looks like you'll have a little more time. The company has announced that it has extended the ability to redeem download codes until April 3, 2023 at 9:30PM. The reason? "The feature to redeem download codes was disabled earlier than scheduled," Nintendo wrote in a customer support FAQ seen by Game Developer.The company announced the eShop closures back in February 2022, and barred users from adding funds to their accounts on August 29th. The final shutdown was set for March 27th, so it's been extended nearly a week. After that time, you'll no longer be able to purchase new titles, but you can continuie to redownload 3DS and Wii U titles for now. Any remaining funds in your Nintendo Network ID wallet will be transferred over to your Nintendo Account wallet used in the Nintendo Switch until March 2024.As we wrote in an explainer earlier this week, the Wii U and 3DS eShop closures mean that a vast library of games has essentially vanished. It was home to a large number of exclusives like Pushmo, Attack of the Friday Monsters, Dr. Luigi and more, that we may never see again. In a now deleted FAQ, Nintendo said that "we currently have no plans to offer classic content in other ways," meaning access may soon be limited to preservationists and, unfortunately, pirates.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nintendo-extends-deadline-to-redeem-3ds-and-wii-u-eshop-codes-until-april-3rd-105014518.html?src=rss

Uber announced today that it’s adding 14 new markets to Comfort Electric, its EV rideshare service. The program allows you to hail electric vehicles like the Tesla Model 3, Ford Mustang Mach-E and Polestar 2. It’s another small step toward the company’s goal of phasing out gas-powered vehicles by 2030.Beginning today, Uber’s Comfort Electric program adds availability for Detroit, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Minneapolis / St. Paul, Montreal, Nashville, New Orleans, Orlando, Palm Springs, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, Tampa Bay and Toronto. The program’s rollout began last May in California and expanded to 25 US markets in September. Comfort Electric is separate from Uber Green, which costs the same as UberX but includes hybrid vehicles in addition to electrics. The company also offers e-bikes and e-scooters in partnership with Lime for customers who can skip cars altogether.Uber says it will spend $800 million to help its drivers transition to EVs. It partnered with Hertz to help supply EVs while offering a (limited-time) Zero Emissions incentive, letting EV drivers earn an extra $1 on every trip (up to $4,000 per calendar year). Other driver perks include $100 off a Wallbox EV charger and another $100 off installation. In addition to its 2030 goal of zero emissions in North America, the company plans to cut its carbon emissions in half by 2025, and it wants to hit zero emissions globally by 2040.Comfort Electric rides cost more than a standard UberX — usually by around 20 to 40 percent. However, Uber is enticing you to try it out by offering 25 percent off two rides with the coupon code “GOELECTRIC” from April 11th through the 30th.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/uber-adds-14-new-cities-to-its-ev-rideshare-service-100055807.html?src=rss

Electronic Arts is reducing its workforce by six percent, company CEO Andrew Wilson has announced in a blog post. As The Wall Street Journal notes, while layoffs are sweeping the tech industry, this makes EA the first major video game publisher to announce job cuts that would affect a significant number of people. While Wilson didn't specify how many workers will be impacted by the layoffs, a 2022 filing by the company said it had a workforce that was almost 13,000 strong.Wilson said EA already started telling some of the roughly 800 affected workers that they were going to lose their jobs earlier this year. The layoffs will continue over the coming months until early next fiscal year. He explained that the job cuts are a result of the company deciding to move away from projects that no longer align with its goals, to review its real estate footprint and to restructure some of its teams. In certain cases, EA will offer the affected worker the opportunity to transition to other roles within the company. But those who don't get the offer (or choose not to take a new role within EA) will be getting severance pay, company-paid health insurance and career transition services.The video game industry as a whole has been struggling with a slump in player spending since 2022 after a couple of years of growth fueled by increased gaming hours during pandemic lockdowns. EA has implemented several cost-cutting measures over the past months as a result, including shutting downApex Legends Mobile and Battlefield Mobile. It also reportedly cancelled an unannounced single-player game set in the Titanfall and Apex Legends universe. In May 2022, Puck News reported that EA was actively looking for a buyer or a company willing to undergo a merger. The company approached Disney and Comcast, Puck said, but discussions ultimately broke down.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ea-is-cutting-around-800-jobs-in-company-restructuring-093534145.html?src=rss

Reddit's transparency reports go beyond what most social media companies offer, providing copious data on content moderation and global legal requests. Now, the company has introduced a transparency center serving as a hub for safety, security and policy information. It also announced plans to release transparency reports biannually rather than just once per year and said that in 2022, it removed significantly more offensive content, including child abuse and revenge porn, than in 2021.Last year, Reddit saw a big jump in moderation and legal requests, according to its 2022 transparency report. Government and law enforcement removal account information requests were up by 51 percent and 61 percent respectively, while copyright notices jumped 43 percent.The story was similar on the moderation front. Last summer, the BBC reported that Reddit was still leaving up "thousands" of non-consensual intimate (NCII) images (aka revenge porn), despite making changes to its policy earlier in this year.As a result, Reddit joined StopNCII.org, a database that aims to reduce the spread of revenge porn, operated by the nonprofit charity SWGfL's Revenge Porn Hotline. "We have already seen promising results from this tool and believe it will help us remove this content more quickly," a spokesperson told Ars Technica. To wit, it removed 244 percent more user accounts violating revenge porn policies than it did in 2021, and banned 473 percent more subreddits. The total number of NCII posts removed was 187,258 compared to around 88,000 the year before.The site also removed 874 percent more child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) than it did in 2021. It achieved that by hiring more moderation staff and investing in proactive detection tools. By comparison, Twitter has reportedly been cutting its global moderation workforce and disbanded its Trust and Safety Council.The aim with the transparency center, Reddit said, was to make it easier for user and "other interested parties like policymakers and the media" to find information about content moderation, legal requests and general platform safety. As such, there are sections for Reddit's terms & policies, guidelines for law enforcement, platform security updates, its bug bounty program and past transparency reports.The company also said it would publish full transparency reports twice a year, rather than annually as it does now. Last year, it did publish its first mid-year transparency report, but it only focused on global legal requests. Going forward, however, the mid-year reports will cover both legal requests and content moderation data, exactly like the current year-end wrap-ups.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/reddit-says-its-banning-more-people-than-ever-in-big-transparency-push-090044914.html?src=rss

Netflix might have started (or is at least looking to start) testing games for TV, based on code within its app that developer Steve Moser has shared with Bloomberg. Moser reportedly found hidden code referencing games played on television, as well as additional code that indicates the possibility of being able to use phones as controllers to play them. One line from within the app apparently reads: "A game on your TV needs a controller to play. Do you want to use this phone as a game controller?" Moser also previously found hints that the service's then-upcoming ad-supported plan might not come with offline viewing. He turned out to be spot on.The streaming giant launched its gaming experience on Android, iPhones and iPads in 2021. It requires mobile users to download games from the App Store or from Google Play due to rules set by Apple and Google. But since the point of these games is to increase engagement and retain users, they can be launched from within the Netflix app and an active subscription is necessary to be able to access them. On the Netflix app for TV, these games are notably absent.It remains to be seen how the company intends to implement gaming on TVs and whether it will also require users to download the games before being able to play them. Netflix VP of game development Mike Verdu said last year, though, that the company was "seriously exploring a cloud gaming offering" and that it's looking to launch more than just casual games for television.For now, users will have to make do with what's available on mobile. At the moment, Netflix's catalogue has around 55 titles available, though it's rolling out 40 more games throughout 2023.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/netflix-is-testing-tv-games-that-can-use-phones-as-controllers-070118171.html?src=rss

Over the past few days, users have reported seeing ads within the Bing chatbot experience. Based on the limited examples we've seen, the GPT-4-powered chatbot embeds relevant ad links in responses to users' actual questions. Ads don't seem to show up for most people (including us) yet, but they'll most likely pop up more frequently and in more places soon. In a new post on the Bing blog, Microsoft Corporate VP for Search and Devices Yusuf Mehdi has admitted that the company is currently exploring putting ads in Bing's chat experience, indicating that the samples we've seen so far are part of its experimentation. He also revealed how the company intends to embed more ads in the new Bing experience.

Twitter has finally confirmed some of the details and pricing for the new version of its API. The company had previously delayed the changes after confirming that it was banning third-party clients as part of a larger shakeup of its developer features.As expected, the company is maintaining a free tier with limited functionality, though it offers far less than its predecessor. Under the new free tier, which is aimed at bots and other “testing” purposes, accounts can post up to 1,500 tweets a month, but won’t be able to access any other featuires. That may offer a lifeline to some of Twitter’s famed bot accounts, but at about 50 tweets a day, may prove to be too limited for those that post more frequently.At $100 a month, the new “basic” tier offers a bit more: developers can post up to 3,000 tweets a month at the user level and up to 50,000 a month at the app level. It also offers a read limit of 10,000 tweets a month, which, again, is far less than what was previously offered.TwitterMeanwhile, an enterprise tier is meant for businesses that need a higher level of access, though details for that tier are still murky. According to Twitter’s developer website, the enterprise tier will include “commercial-level access that meets your and your customer's specific needs” and other features. Businesses can apply for enterprise access, but the only pricing information Twitter has disclosed is that there will be "monthly subscription tiers."It’s also unclear what will happen to researchers and academics who currently rely on Twitter’s API for their work. In a series of tweets, the company said it was “looking at new ways to continue serving this community” but didn’t elaborate. Wired previously reported the company had told some organizations API access could run as much as $42,000 a month, but that plan doesn't seem to have materialized, at least not yet.The new details also mean that a lot of services using Twitter’s older APIs could soon stop working altogether. The company confirmed that its existing APIs, used by a vast number of developers, researchers and other services, would be deprecated within the next 30 days. “We recommend that you migrate to the new tiers as soon as possible for a smooth transition,” the company said. Though it’s unclear just how many developers will be willing to pay for stripped down versions of the APIs.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/twitter-announces-new-api-pricing-including-a-limited-free-tier-for-bots-005251253.html?src=rss

Let's be honest: you were probably curious about Sackboy: A Big Adventure when it launched alongside the PlayStation 5, but not so much that you were willing to buy that instead of Demon's Souls or Miles Morales. Thankfully, you no longer have to pay extra to indulge that curiosity. Sony has made the LittleBigPlanet spinoff (also available on PS4) free to all PlayStation Plus members between April 4th and May 1st.Sackboy is decidedly different than the core franchise. Where Little Big Planet is a 3D-enhanced side-scroller that revolves more around environment interaction and creativity, this game is a 3D platformer that revolves around its namesake hero's acrobatics. They all share a relatively uncommon co-op mechanic, though. Up to four players can tackle stages together, and some segments require teamwork to move forward. This may be an ideal game to play with your kids.You have options if Sackboy doesn't strike your fancy. The newly launched build-and-raid game Meet Your Maker is also available for free on PS Plus this April, as is the hand-drawn RPG Tails of Iron. Both freebies are available for PS4 and PS5.These new offerings won't make you regret a PS Plus Extra or Premium subscription. If you pay for those tiers, you recently received high-profile games like Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection and Tchia. Still, it's nice to know that you can add one more marquee title to your library with very little effort.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ps5-launch-title-sackboy-is-free-on-playstation-plus-in-april-211530313.html?src=rss

Renewables are already producing more energy than fossil fuels in Europe, and now the US is approaching that milestone. The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) has determined that renewable power generation overtook coal in 2022, with 4,090 million megawatt-hours coming from solar, wind, hydroelectric, biomass and geothermal technology. These green sources leapt past nuclear in 2021, but widened the gap last year. They have about 21 percent share combined.The shift came through the combination of increasing renewable capacity and coal's years-long decline. Wind was the dominant source of clean electricity, with the capacity jumping from 133 gigawatts in 2021 to 141 gigawatts a year later. Hydro was second, followed by utility-level solar, biomass and geothermal. Coal dropped to 20 percent share due to both the closure of some plants and the reduced use of others. Nuclear has remained relatively steady, but the shutdown of Michigan's Palisades powerplant saw it dip to 19 percent.It might not surprise you to hear which states dominated certain renewable energy sources. Sunny California was the leader in solar power generation with 26 percent of the output, while Texas had a similar slice of wind generation. Texas also has the largest shares of coal and natural gas, although its lead in those areas is only slight.Renewables weren't the top power source in 2022 — that distinction went to natural gas, which claimed a 39 percent share. However, it's evident that clean tech has a firm foothold in the US despite attempts to undermine it through regulation. We'd expect the trends to continue, too. President Biden's administration has heavily promoted renewable electricity, including the approval of the first large offshore wind farm in the country, while the EIA expects coal use to shrink to 17 percent. Natural gas may retain a comfortable lead, but it now has a new chief rival.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/renewable-power-generation-overtook-coal-in-the-us-last-year-200907783.html?src=rss

Luxury sports cars aren’t exactly known for being eco-conscious, but Lamborghini just announced the company’s first plug-in hybrid supercar. The Lamborghini Revuelto, which translates to “scrambled,” should satisfy anyone’s need for speed, so long as they don’t look too hard at the battery life.In other words, engaging this vehicle in all-electric mode won’t get you very far, just 6.2 miles from a full charge. That is likely not enough juice to get you to the grocer and back, but this is a hybrid vehicle not exactly intended for all-electric usage. With that said, the combustion engine charges the rather minuscule 3.8kWh battery on its own in just six minutes via regenerative braking on the front wheels, the company announced in a press release.Battery life isn’t the main reason people buy luxury sports cars (it probably doesn't crack the top ten) so the engine here is designed for power, acceleration and max speeds. The relatively light engine (480 pounds) pumps out 814 horsepower at a blistering 9,250 rpm. This is a Lamborghini through and through, with a multitude of air intake ducts located throughout to increase airflow for the engine, resulting in a power level of 126 hp per liter. The company says this is the “highest output in the history of Lamborghini’s 12-cylinder engines.”The design is heavily influenced by aerospace engineering, with sculpted surfaces, pointed lines and hexagonal exhausts. Lamborghini also took design cues from its own past, like the vertically opening scissor doors from 1970s Countach models and the floating blade on the rear fender often associated with the Diablo line.Lamborghini Of course, the interior is outfitted with all kinds of tech-forward components, like a 12.3-inch digital cockpit with a large center display, an equally large 9-inch passenger-side display and plenty of affiliated infotainment options. This is also the first Lamborghini ever with an advanced driver-assist system. Finally, there is an associated smartphone and smartwatch app that monitors aspects of the car’s status, such as fuel level, battery, range and GPS location. This app even performs basic tasks remotely, like activating the horn, lights and locks.This is the first step in Lamborghini and parent company Volkswagen's plans to release an all-electric luxury vehicle by 2030. However, the brand hopes to continue making combustion engines into the 2030s that run on synthetic fuel. The Lamborghini Revuelto ships later this year at the eye-watering price of $542,165, as reported by Automotive News Europe (requires a free sign-up to read.)This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/lamborghinis-plug-in-hybrid-supercar-runs-for-a-cool-six-miles-in-electric-only-mode-183728414.html?src=rss

Apple has set the dates for WWDC 2023. The company's developer conference will run between June 5th and June 9th. It's still in an online format despite the pandemic fading into the background, but there will be a "special experience" at Apple Park on the 5th for developers and students. The company isn't saying much about what to expect (does the graphic hint at a lens?), but this may be one of Apple's most important events in recent years.Rumors have swirled that Apple will finally debut its mixed reality headset at WWDC 2023. The device, potentially called Reality Pro or Reality One, is believed to be a stand-alone device with an M2 chip, dual 4K displays, advanced body tracking and controller-free input — you'd use hand gestures and Siri commands. While the hardware may be aimed at developers and professionals (with a possible $3,000 price tag), it could include health features, full-body avatars in FaceTime calls and wearable versions of many iPhone and iPad experiences. It might not ship until later in the year.Other announcements at WWDC 2023 may be more pedestrian. It's virtually certain that you'll see previews of iOS 17, macOS 14 and watchOS 10, among other platform updates. There may be service updates, too. While we wouldn't count on updates to Apple's existing hardware lineup, we wouldn't rule out introductions for some of the first M3-based Macs. The company did unveil the MacBook Air M2 at last year's conference, after all.If history is any indication, you should see beta versions of operating system updates soon after WWDC. Finished versions should arrive in the fall. As with past conferences, most of what you'll see is a sneak peek of what's coming in the months ahead.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-wwdc-2023-begins-june-5th-171718339.html?src=rss

Apple's latest Mac mini remains a hot item, but you can still find some savings. Amazon is once more selling the M2 Pro Mac mini at a best-ever price of $1,249, or $50 off. That's a modest discount, but the tiny-but-powerful desktop has rarely been discounted in any form at Amazon. You can roll the savings into a mouse, keyboard or other must-have peripherals.The M2 Pro edition of the Mac mini is a great machine that fills a typically vacant spot in Apple's lineup — it's a powerful but relatively affordable "headless" desktop. The system is quick enough to handle serious media editing and multitasking duties, but still gives you the freedom to choose your own monitor. Throw in the abundance of ports and virtually silent operation (even under stress) and this may be the your ideal machine if you want some flexibility in your setup.This high-end Mac mini is still expensive, and you won't find front-facing ports or an SD card reader like you get on the Mac Studio. And for many, this may be overkill — the standard M2 is often enough for everyday use while costing hundreds of dollars less. If you crave performance or extra ports, though, the M2 Pro version is a fine computer that won't use much space on your desk.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-m2-pro-mac-mini-is-back-to-a-record-low-price-at-amazon-154839163.html?src=rss

I love all things The Last of Us, so it pains me to report that the PC port of The Last of Us Part I, which launched yesterday, is a buggy mess. Thousands of reviews on Steam are categorized as "mostly negative" and are filled with mentions of frequent crashes and poor hardware utilization. Meanwhile, Steam Deck users are reporting that it takes more than an hour for the game to compile shaders on its initial launch — and even once that's done, performance is an issue.I don't have a powerful gaming PC, but I do have a Steam Deck and can confirm these issues. Once I got the game installed and waited around 90 minutes for the shaders to compile, I started playing the standalone DLC Left Behind, and the game crashed during the opening cinematics. Once I started playing the game, I saw it was using 102 percent of the Steam Deck's VRAM. Dropping all graphics settings to low got me under 100 percent, so crashes will probably be less frequent going forward. I only played for a few minutes, so I can't say how things work once you're taking on Infected, but I won't get my hopes up.A few hours after this story was first published, Naughty Dog released the game's first patch, a hotfix for some of the stability issues. The company didn't have a ton of details on the specifics, but it says that more updates will be coming soon. I spent an hour playing the first part of the game on the Steam Deck, and it feels a lot more solid than it did yesterday, though I still haven't gotten to the most graphically intense sequences yet. Still, things seem to be moving in the right direction — playing on medium with the frame rate set to max out at 40fps, things ran pretty smoothly.

Old-school tech giant HP has just announced a refresh of its Color LaserJet printer line with an eye toward reducing both energy consumption and physical waste. The company promises that these printers reduce energy consumption by up to 27 percent, while the plastic packaging components have been reduced by 78 percent.The decrease in energy usage is thanks to the company’s proprietary TerraJet laser toner, which HP says is designed to offer maximum sustainability. The new HP TerraJet cartridges that accompany these printers offer a lower carbon footprint than predecessors but allow for a 20 percent increase in printable colors. HP also says these printers have been redesigned for speed, so expect a 25 percent uptick in tempo when making prints.These printers fall into two categories. The HP Color LaserJet 4200/4300 is designed for small businesses and remote workers. They offer a compact design (though not as small as some HP laser printers), two-sided color printing, two-sided color scanning, HP Wolf Security tools preconfigured out of the box and the HP Smart Admin Dashboard for making adjustments on-the-fly.The HP Color LaserJet Enterprise 5000/6000 series, on the other hand, is for busy office environments with massive daily printing needs. To that end, you can actually perform some light editing to printable documents right from the device itself, without a PC. The touchscreen and analog controls let you highlight, redact, and markup, and HP says these printers offer the “fastest A4 laserjet speeds” around.The HP LaserJet Enterprise 5700dn model.HPThese enterprise-focused printers also include built-in HP Wolf Security protocols and an upgraded document digitization toolset that automatically reduces misfeeds, resulting in greater accuracy when performing large batch scans.HP says the 4200/4300 launches on April 1st in North America with global availability by the summer, with prices for the most expensive configuration maxing out at $700. The 5000/6000 enterprise printers also launch on April 1st in North America, with a phased global rollout starting in Asia throughout the month. These printers start at around $1,050.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/eco-friendly-hp-laser-printer-line-promises-to-reduce-energy-use-by-30-percent-153532920.html?src=rss

Kia is finally sharing some specs for the EV9 electric SUV, and they may be good news for families planning road trips. The three-row EV will now include Level 3 self-driving (that is, the car drives itself in some situations but may need you to take over) in some countries when you spring for the GT-line trim. The planned Highway Driving Pilot will use LiDAR and other sensors to let you “take a break” from driving, where conditions allow.The EV9 might also deliver more range than you'd expect for an SUV this size. Kia claims the RWD Long Range model with a 99.8kWh battery will offer up to 336 miles of range, based on WLTP testing. We'd expect a more conservative estimate from the US' Environmental Protection Agency, but that's still a very healthy figure for this vehicle class. There will also be an AWD variant with the same battery as well as 76.1kWh RWD Standard Range base configuration. The 800V charging architecture should give the EV about 149 miles of range in 15 minutes, and vehicle-to-load tech lets you power camping gear and laptops.Performance can be relatively brisk depending on the model. The RWD Long Range with a 150kW motor will be the slowest-accelerating model with a 0-62MPH time of 9.4 seconds, but the Standard Range edition with a 160kW motor will manage that run in 8.2 seconds. Opt for the AWD model and you'll get a dual-motor 283kW powerplant that can normally hit 62MPH in six seconds (more on that in a moment).Like it or not, Kia is joining the ranks of automakers locking car features behind digital purchases. You'll need to buy items from the company's Connect Store to enhance the pattern lighting on the grille, and even to add a "Boost" that delivers extra torque for a 0-62MPH dash in 5.3 seconds. Yes, you'll have to pay for features your EV9 can technically handle. You will get a number of driver aids and conveniences, including hands-off parking and navigation-based "Smart Cruise Control." This will be the first Kia to support ultra-wide band digital keys, so you won't have to take out your conventional key to step inside.Kia hasn't yet divulged pricing for the EV9. The machine will go on sale in some countries sometime in the second half of the year, with South Korean pre-orders starting this spring. It's safe to presume the SUV will sell for more than the EV6 crossover. Not that this will necessarily be a problem for the brand. There are few three-row electric SUVs, and those that exist (such as the Tesla Model X) are likely more expensive.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/kias-ev9-electric-suv-will-offer-level-3-autonomy-and-a-336-mile-range-141506186.html?src=rss

Sony has unveiled its latest, and by far greatest vlogging camera to date, the full-frame ZV-E1. Equipped with the same backside-illuminated (BSI) 12-megapixel sensor as the A7S III, it promises excellent low-light performance, 4K at up to 120p and a host of new AI features like auto framing. The $2,200 price tag also makes it enticing for vloggers as it offers features found on the $3,500 A7S III for considerably less money.Key among those are the excellent video specs. The full-frame sensor lets you significantly blur the background so subjects stand out more than with cameras using smaller APS-C or Micro Four Thirds sensors. And like the A7S III, the ZV-E1 gives you 4K at 24/30/60/120 fps, using a full-pixel readout with no binning in all modes. It also offers capture in easy-to-edit All-I modes with data rates up to 600Mbps.Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget10-bit 4:2:2 recording is available with S-Log-3/S-Gamut3.Cine log modes, delivering up to 15 stops of dynamic range, Sony claims. And the 12-megapixel BSI sensor has an ISO range up to 409,600 expanded (80-102400 in normal modes), the best high ISO performance in the Alpha series. That opens up a lot of interesting creative opportunities, as you can shoot in near pitch-black conditions.The ZV-E1 is Sony's first full-frame camera with a vlogging-style body, so it lacks the large grip and generous controls seen on other A-series models. In exchange, it's much smaller and lighter than those models, weighing in at just 483 grams, compared to 699 grams for the A7S III. It's even lighter (and smaller) than the A7C, but uses the same Z-batteries as larger Sony models, letting you capture up to 570 shots or record 4K 60p video for 95 minutes (however, 4K 60p is temperature-limited to approximately 30 minutes).Photo by Sam Rutherford/EngadgetIt has a single rear dial, with the front dial replaced by a motor zoom control. There are just a few other controls (three programmable buttons, a Fn button and Sony's usual D-Pad), along with a Still/Movie/S&Q switch, product showcase button, and background defocus button. It also has a tally light that can be seen from the front and top.For other settings, and functions like focus, you have to use the touchscreen. Luckily it's a fully articulating display that allows easy self-shooting or high/low angle framing. Sony has also adopted the A7R V's relatively intuitive menu system that places common settings on one screen and makes it relatively easy to find more advanced functions.Also missing is an electronic viewfinder, so the only way to see your subject is via the touchscreen or an external monitor. We've seen the same thing on all its other ZV-series vlogging cameras so it's no surprise, but it's a bit jarring to see such a high-spec camera without an EVF.Photo by Sam Rutherford/EngadgetOtherwise, though, ZV-E1 actually adds some features not found on other Sony cameras. To start with, it offers 5-axis in-body stabilization, with a new "Active" optical mode that's supposed to boost shake reduction while walking. And if that's not enough, the "Dynamic Active" mode adds extra smoothing for rapid movements in exchange for some extra cropping. "Combined with a wide-angle lens, hand-held shooting is possible even in fast walking scenes that would otherwise be difficult without the use of a gimbal," Sony claims.Another new feature is the AI-based auto framing mode that should be incredibly handy for solo creators. Using subject recognition tech, it automatically crops the frame to keep the subject in a prominent position, even though the camera may be fixed on a tripod. Using the feature, you can select a small, medium or large crop, have it track you quickly or slowly, auto start based on subject recognition or subject selection, and switch between the cropped and full angle after 15 or 30 seconds. It can even record two types of images at once, capturing the full image to an HDMI output and the cropped version to an internal memory card.Photo by Sam Rutherford/EngadgetOther AI tricks including a framing stabilizer that uses subject recognition tech to crop in to the subject and keeps them stable when you're walking beside them. "Multiple face recognition" automatically reduces bokeh when a second face is detected so both subjects stay in focus. And as with other Sony vlogging models, it has a bokeh switch that automatically defocuses the background, along with a "product showcase" button that lets the camera instantly focus on an object put in front of the camera.As with other recent Sony models, the ZV-E1 has a variety of subject recognition modes besides humans, including animal, bird, car/train, airplane and insect. It includes the focus breathing compensation feature first seen on the A7 IV that digitally compensates for any zooming when the focus changes from one subject to another. It also offers the focus map and AF assist seen on recent models, along with adjustments for the AF transition speed.Photo by Sam Rutherford/EngadgetOn the audio front, the ZV-E1 has a built-in 3-capsule mic that can change directionality depending on the situation. For instance, if a human subject is recognized, the mic direction changes to "front," but if there's no subject it defaults to "all directions." It comes with a windscreen, and if you'd rather using your own mic, there's a 3.5mm headphone jack and digital audio interface on the hotshoe.Other features include UVC/UAC webcam capability, with support for up to 4K 30p video, besting most other Sony models. It also comes with a headphone port, a single SD UHS-II card slot, a microHDMI output and USB-C. Finally, it's a decent photo camera as well, shooting 12-megapixel RAW photos at up to 10fps — but there's no mechanical shutter, of course.As mentioned, the ZV-E1 is priced at $2,200 for the body only, or $2,500 in a kit with the SEL 28-60mm zoom. It goes on pre-order tomorrow, with shipping set to start in early April — stay tuned for a full review.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sonys-12-megapixel-full-frame-zv-e1-is-a-low-light-vlogging-beast-140009036.html?src=rss

An open letter signed by tech leaders and prominent AI researchers has called for AI labs and companies to "immediately pause" their work. Signatories like Steve Wozniak and Elon Musk agree risks warrant a minimum six month break from producing technology beyond GPT-4 to enjoy existing AI systems, allow people to adjust and ensure they are benefiting everyone. The letter adds that care and forethought are necessary to ensure the safety of AI systems — but are being ignored.The reference to GPT-4, a model by OpenAI that can respond with text to written or visual messages, comes as companies race to build complex chat systems that utilize the technology. Microsoft, for example, recently confirmed that its revamped Bing search engine has been powered by the GPT-4 model for over seven weeks, while Google recently debuted Bard, its own generative AI system powered by LaMDA. Uneasiness around AI has long circulated, but the apparent race to deploy the most advanced AI technology first has drawn more urgent concerns."Unfortunately, this level of planning and management is not happening, even though recent months have seen AI labs locked in an out-of-control race to develop and deploy ever more powerful digital minds that no one – not even their creators – can understand, predict, or reliably control," the letter states.The concerned letter was published by the Future of Life Institute (FLI), an organization dedicated to minimizing the risks and misuse of new technology. Musk previously donated $10 million to FLI for use in studies about AI safety. In addition to him and Wozniak, signatories include a slew of global AI leaders, such as Center for AI and Digital Policy president Marc Rotenberg, MIT physicist and Future of Life Institute president Max Tegmark, and author Yuval Noah Harari. Harari also co-wrote an op-ed in the New York Times last week warning about AI risks, along with founders of the Center for Humane Technology and fellow signatories, Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin.This call out feels like the next step of sorts from a 2022 survey of over 700 machine learning researchers, in which nearly half of participants stated there's a 10 percent chance of an "extremely bad outcome" from AI, including human extinction. When asked about safety in AI research, 68 percent of researchers said more or much more should be done.Anyone who shares concerns about the speed and safety of AI production is welcome to add their name to the letter. However, new names are not necessarily verified so any notable additions after the initial publication are potentially fake.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tech-leaders-and-ai-experts-demand-a-six-month-pause-on-out-of-control-ai-experiments-114553864.html?src=rss

Nintendo faces a major challenge following up on one of the best games of the last decade, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Yesterday, the company showed off 10 minutes of gameplay from its sequel, Tears of the Kingdom. Its producer, Eiji Aonuma, showed off many familiar game mechanics augmented with special elevator stones to fast track you to floating islands, new fusion weapons and even fusion vehicles, like boats and hovercraft – not to mention the already teased drone style aircraft. Tears of the Kingdom launches on May 12th. Check out the gameplay video here.– Mat SmithThe Morning After isn’t just a newsletter – it’s also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.The biggest stories you might have missedThe best WiFi extenders in 2023 Apple Pay Later is finally available in the US, but only with an invite HP introduces the Omen Transcend 16 laptop for gamers and creativesASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 (2023) review: Big performance with a brilliant displayLenovo's new Slim Pro 9i laptop includes a mini-LED display and RTX 4070 graphicsRekkie's smart snow goggles prove that AR is useful right now Disney is reportedly shutting down its metaverse divisionThe company's planned mass layoffs are expected to begin this week.Disney has shut down its metaverse division and laid off all of the team's 50 or so members as part of a broader restructuring process, according to The Wall Street Journal. It was just over a year ago when former Disney CEO Bob Chapek tapped company veteran Mike White to lead the team in finding interactive ways to tell Disney's stories using new technologies – which fortunately meant the metaverse and not NFTs. As The Journal notes, Bob Iger, who returned as CEO to replace Chapek in November 2022, showed he also sees a future in the metaverse when he joined the board of an animated avatar startup. The metaverse team could simply be one of the first teams impacted by Disney's significant restructuring efforts.Continue reading.DJI's Goggles Integra has an integrated battery for improved ergonomicsIt also unveiled the RC Motion 2 with an upgraded joystick.DJIOne of the biggest criticisms of DJI's otherwise excellent Avata first-person view (FPV) drone was around the Goggles 2, which lacked comfort and tethered you to a battery. Now, DJI has unveiled the Goggles Integra, a new model designed for the Avata that offers an integrated battery, improved ergonomics and new flight control features. The new products show DJI is responding to users, but it's unfortunate the Goggles Integra lacks several key features from the $649 Goggles 2 — even though it's $150 cheaper. The Goggles Integra and RC Motion 2 are now available for $499 and $239, respectively.Continue reading.Apple Music Classical is now available globallyIt offers more than 5 million tracks.Apple Music Classical is now available for download globally with more than five million tracks. Offered as part of an Apple Music subscription, it's designed to make it easier to find things unique to classical music, including specific orchestras, conductors, musicians and more. The app sprung from Primephonic, a streaming service Apple acquired in 2021. A few things are missing, compared with the main Apple Music app, though. Apple Music Voice Plan subscribers can't use Classical, there's no native iPad app yet and, especially odd, you can't download music for offline listening.Continue reading.Amazon begins flagging ‘frequently returned’ productsReturn rates spiked during the pandemic.Amazon has begun displaying a warning about frequently returned items. Industry-wide e-commerce returns skyrocketed during pandemic lockdowns. Although they’ve declined, they’re still well above pre-pandemic numbers. The retailer’s new badge reads, “Frequently returned item: Check the product details and customer reviews to learn more about this item.” However, it doesn’t yet appear for everyone.Continue reading.How to see 5 planets aligned in the night sky this weekAlthough last night was the best time to catch Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus.If you want to catch a rare planetary alignment in the night sky, look west right after sunset any evening this week. There, you’ll see five of our neighbors — Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus — lined up in an orderly fashion. The alignment will be visible at the same time this entire week, but this evening should provide the best view from the US. The planets will appear between the horizon line to around halfway up the sky. Although it’s a somewhat rare occurrence, it also happened last summer. And you’ll get another chance in June.Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-will-feature-fusion-vehicles-111513595.html?src=rss

Logitech has launched a kid-friendly version of its Zone headset called Zone Learn, specifically designed for their educational needs. While it was created to be durable like many other devices for children — it's even supposed to be "chew-resistant" — the company also made it easy to replace the parts that typically give out or get damaged for headsets first. Specifically, Logitech made it possible to swap its ear pads and cables, not just so schools can replace them if they get frayed or destroyed, but also so that they can choose between over-ear and on-ear pads, as well as between 3.5 mm aux, USB-A and USB-C cables, depending on what they need.The over-ear option offers more noise isolation, while on-ear provides more environmental awareness. Meanwhile, the cable options will allow educators to use the headset with different types of devices. Logitech says Zone Learn's audio drivers are tuned for voice clarity rather than for music, since it's optimized for lessons that involve speaking, such as for students learning a new language. It's also equipped with a boom mic that has a 120-degree swivel for lessons that require students to interact with the class.Zone Learn will be available around the world this spring for prices starting at $35. Logitech will also release a package with an over-ear pad model, a 3.5mm aux and a USB-C cable in the early summer for $40.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/logitechs-zone-learn-headset-for-kids-has-swappable-ear-pads-and-wires-105559525.html?src=rss

With extreme weather events regularly flooding our coastal cities and burning out our rural communities, Google in its magnanimity has developed a new set of online tools that civil servants and community organizers alike can use in their efforts to stave off climate change-induced catastrophe.Google already pushes extreme weather alerts to users in affected locations, providing helpful, easy-to-understand information about the event through the Search page — whether its a winter storm warning, flood advisories, tornado warnings, or what have you. The company has now added extreme heat alerts to that list. Googling details on the event will return everything from the predicted start and end dates of the heatwave to medical issues to be aware of during it and how to mitigate their impacts. The company is partnering with the Global Heat Health Information Network (GHHIN) to ensure that the information provided is both accurate and applicable.GoogleIt's a lot easier to keep the citizenry comfortable in hot weather if the cities themselves aren't sweltering, but our love affair with urban concrete has not been amenable to that goal. That's why Google has developed Tree Canopy, a feature within the company's Environmental Insights Explorer app, which "combines AI and aerial imagery so cities can understand their current tree coverage and better plan urban forestry initiatives," per Wednesday's release.Tree Canopy is already in use in more than a dozen cities but, with Wednesday's announcement, the program will be drastically expanding, out to nearly 350 cities around the world including Atlanta, Sydney, Lisbon and Paris. Google also offers a similarly-designed AI to help plan the installation of "cool roofs" which reflect heat from the sun rather than absorb it like today's tar paper roofs do.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-unveils-ai-powered-planning-tools-to-help-beat-climate-changes-extreme-heat-103039212.html?src=rss

If you dread having to vacuum — who doesn't? — you may want to consider investing in a robot model to do it for you. While many options come with a high price tag, the self-emptying Shark RV1001AE IQ Robot is currently half off, down from $600 to $300. The steep price drop makes a big difference if you've been on the fence about investing in a robovac.Here's what you need to know if you're considering taking the plunge. The vacuum works with the Shark app or through your Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. You can schedule cleanings or tell the Shark IQ Robot which areas to clean in the moment. It maps each room while moving through your home to give you the option to select specific spaces to be vacuumed.The self-cleaning vacuum goes row by row in each room, ensuring it hits every spot. It's equipped to handle hair (human or pet) without it getting wrapped around the suction, and works on carpets or floors. It also has a self-emptying base that holds 45 days of dirt and whatever else it cleans up.Once done cleaning, the vacuum brings itself back to its dock and starts recharging. All you need to do is put your feet up when it comes nearby and let it do its work.If you're looking for something with a longer capacity, the Shark AV2511AE AI Ultra Robot Vacuum holds up to 60 days worth of debris. It's currently discounted 17 percent, from $600 to $500. While many previous Shark robot vacuum sales have lasted only a day, it's not clear how long these discounts will be available.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/sharks-self-emptying-robot-vacuum-is-50-percent-off-094546971.html?src=rss

By the end of this week, 1,300 people who work for Lucid Motors will have known that they're going to lose their jobs. The luxury electric vehicle maker has notified (PDF) the US Securities and Exchange Commission in a filing that it's reducing its current workforce by approximately 18 percent. Lucid said it's cutting jobs to reduce operating expenses "in response to evolving business needs and productivity improvements" and that it intends to complete this restructuring plan by the end of the second quarter this year.Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson told employees in a memo that the job cuts will affect both employees and contractors. In the US, nearly every division will be hit by reductions, and some executives are even included in the list of personnel the company is laying off. The EV-maker implemented other cost-cutting measures, such as reviewing its non-critical spending, after announcing its 2022 earnings results in February. But apparently, those measures weren't enough for the company to achieve its objectives.While Lucid experienced a sharp increase in revenue year-over-year — it had only just started the Air sedan's production in late 2021 — it still fell short of analyst forecasts. In addition, although its production goal (14,000 EVs) for 2023 is double last year's figures, it's much lower than the 21,000 units experts had expected. As Reuters previously reported, price cuts by Tesla and the availability of affordable EVs from traditional automakers had lessened demand for vehicles from startups like Lucid. Rivian, another EV startup, is similarly affected and announced that it was going to reduce its workforce by six percent in February.Lucid said in its filing that the layoffs will cost the company $24 million to $30 million, which will be spent on severance payments, company-paid health insurance and stock-based compensation for the affected workers. Despite its cost-cutting measures, Lucid still intends to expand globally and to continue developing more models, including the three-row Gravity electric SUV that it plans to release in 2024.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/lucid-motors-is-laying-off-1300-workers-to-reduce-expenses-090908953.html?src=rss