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Meta has been fighting upcoming regulations in the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA) for months, but no more. The company has announced it will comply with the DMA's stipulation that it can't favor its own services or force users to remain inside its ecosystem. This decision will greatly impact Meta's user experience in the EU, including allowing people to utilize Messenger and Facebook Marketplace without a Facebook account. Meta previously filed an appeal arguing that the two platforms should not be included under the DMA.Giving in means that Messenger and Facebook Marketplace users in the EU can now use the services and all of their functions through standalone accounts. The only difference for Marketplace is that conversations will occur over email. Along with Facebook Marketplace and Messenger, the European Commission's regulations on Meta include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Meta ads. For example, users can now keep their Facebook and Instagram accounts separate instead of linking information between the two platforms.The European Commission initially designated six companies as "gatekeepers" under the DMA: Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta and Microsoft. There are 22 core platform services between them that fall under the law's jurisdiction due to factors like users, revenue and valuation. Qualification also hinged on "if they provide an important gateway between businesses and consumers in relation to core platform services." ByteDance and Apple are among the other companies which have pushed back against the DMA's regulations ahead of its March 2024 enforcement. However, Google (owned by Alphabet) recently announced that users could stop its platforms like YouTube and Chrome from sharing data.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-is-letting-users-uncouple-messenger-and-marketplace-accounts-in-the-eu-115556543.html?src=rss

NAMM 2024 is right around the corner, but Korg isn't waiting for the festivities to officially begin. It's announced about a dozen new products over the last few days. Among them are updates to two of the company's virtual analog synths, the roughly 10-year-old KingKorg and the 22-year-old MicroKorg.The KingKorg Neo is built on the same 37-key form factor as the rest of Korg's recent digital synths, like the Opsix, Modwave and Wavestate. But the core here is the company's XMT (eXpanded Modelling Technology) virtual analog sound engine. It's not the most convincing analog emulation in the world, but it does have some character.It's a multi-timbral synth, with each patch having the ability to layer or split to different sounds, with three oscillators at its disposal. There are 138 different options to choose from on the oscillator front, ranging from basic wave shapes, to PCM samples. And there are 18 different filter emulations to choose from as well, including the classic MS-20. There's also two LFOs, two envelopes, and a whole host of effects from your typical delays and reverbs, to amp simulators and sound mangling decimator.Perhaps most exciting though, is the 16-band vocoder and included gooseneck mic. But, the KingKorg Neo isn't the only new synth from the storied manufacturer with a vocoder. It's also updating its iconic MicroKorg with the MicroKorg 2.The original MicroKorg was launched in 2002 and went on to become one of the best selling synths of all time. In fact, in May of 2023 Korg was still pumping out iterations of the original, celebrating its multiple decades of success with a Crystal special edition.The new version has a very similar form factor, including its small size, gooseneck mic, the ability to be powered by batteries and a large dial for navigating patches that are still sorted by genre. But under the hood is a new sound engine, and there's a 2.8-inch color display on the front which should simplify sound design. There's also a built-in loop recorder which should make it a much more powerful instrument for solo performers.The KingKorg Neo is expected to start shipping in February for $1,000. We'll have to wait a bit longer for the MicroKorg 2 however, which should be hitting the market in June, though there's no word on pricing. Hopefully it'll fall somewhere in the $500 range like the original. Part of what made the MicroKorg so successful was that it was perfectly accessible to even the lowliest of synth hobbyists.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/korgs-microkorg-2-and-kingkorg-neo-are-overdue-updates-to-its-virtual-analog-synthesizers-110005853.html?src=rss

Apple's $3,499 Vision Pro isn't for everyone, and indeed, the latest pre-order estimates reflect a slow start for this VR spatial computing device. According to analyst Min-Chi Kuo's calculations based on pre-order inventory and shipping time, he reckons the company sold somewhere between 160,000 to 180,000 Vision Pro headsets during this past weekend. This already far exceeds Kuo's earlier production figures of 60,000 to 80,000 units targeting the initial release on February 2, which is no wonder that the Vision Pro was sold out immediately after pre-orders opened.While this sounds like positive news, Kuo pointed out that with shipping times remaining unchanged within the first 48 hours, this might indicate a quick drop in demand after the heavy users and hardcore fans were done pre-ordering. In contrast, iPhone orders would usually "see a steady increase in shipping times 24 to 48 hours after pre-orders open." But of course, the Vision Pro isn't meant for the average consumer in its current state, especially given the lack of some mainstream apps like YouTube, Spotify or Netflix. Not to mention the eye-watering $3,499 base price either, though Apple may later release a cheaper model in the ballpark of $1,500 to $2,500, according to an earlier report by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.Kuo added that even with the device being sold out based on the upper initial production figure of 80,000 units, that only accounts for about 0.007 percent of Apple's 1.2 billion active users, which makes the Vision Pro "a very niche product" in the eyes of Cupertino. That is to say, the tech giant will need to somehow drum up and sustain demand for the headset before its global launch, which is rumored to take place some time before this year's WWDC - likely in June. Meanwhile, Apple is also busy setting up demo areas at its US flagship stores, in the hopes of making a few more sales with their 25-minute sessions.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-might-have-sold-up-to-180000-vision-pro-headsets-over-pre-order-weekend-081727344.html?src=rss

Terraform Labs, the company that wiped out $40 billion from the crypto market with the collapse of its TerraUSD and Luna stablecoins, has finally filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Sunday. Bloomberg reports that the crypto firm's estimated assets and liabilities are both in the range of $100 million to $500 million, with the estimated number of creditors being somewhere between 100 and 199. Co-founder and former CEO Do Kwon is listed as the majority shareholder at 92 percent, with an address registered in Singapore - where the company is incorporated.Following the arrest of Kwon and his associate in Montenegro for traveling with forged passports last March, Kwon is currently still in jail until his extradition to the US - likely by mid-March, according to Bloomberg - where he will face securities fraud charges. The entrepreneur is also wanted in his home country, South Korea, for similar charges, which reportedly led to him, his family and some key Terraform Labs personnel fleeing to Singapore between April and May 2022. Shortly before Interpol placed him on the "red notice" list in September that year, Kwon denied that he was "on the run," but the eventual discovery of his fake passports would suggest otherwise.Kwon will likely join the fate of other big names in the crypto downfall, namely Sam Bankman-Fried of FTX fame and former Celsius Network chief Alex Mashinsky. Meanwhile, Coinbase continues its battle against the SEC's accusation of illegally running an unregistered national securities exchange, broker and clearing agency. Bloomberg analyst Elliott Stein recently shared that Coinbase may likely win full dismissal as soon as this quarter, if not by the end of Q2.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/doomed-crypto-firm-terraform-labs-files-for-bankruptcy-in-the-us-055731287.html?src=rss

OpenAI has suspended the developer behind Dean.Bot, a ChatGPT-powered bot designed to impersonate Democratic presidential candidate Dean Phillips to help bolster his campaign, according to The Washington Post. The chatbot was created by AI startup Delphi for the super PAC We Deserve Better, which supports Phillips.Dean.Bot didn't all-out pretend to be Phillips himself; before engaging with Dean.Bot, website visitors would be shown a disclaimer describing the nature of the chatbot. Still, this type of use goes directly against OpenAI's policies. A spokesperson for the company confirmed the developer's suspension in a statement to the Post. It comes just weeks after OpenAI published a lengthy blog post about the measures it's taking to prevent the misuse of its technology ahead of the 2024 elections, specifically citing chatbots impersonating candidates" as an example of what's not allowed.Dean.BotOpenAI also said in its blog post that it does not allow people to build applications for political campaigning and lobbying." Per an earlier story by The Washington Post, the intent of Dean.Bot was to engage with potential supporters and spread the candidate's message. Following the Post's inquiry, Delphi initially removed ChatGPT from the bot and kept it running with other, open-source tools before ultimately taking it town altogether on Friday night once OpenAI stepped in.If you visit the site now, you'll still be greeted by the disclaimer - but the chatbot itself is down due to technical difficulties," presenting visitors with the message, Apologies, DeanBot is away campaigning right now!" Engadget has reached out to OpenAI for comment.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/openai-suspends-developer-over-chatgpt-bot-that-impersonated-a-presidential-candidate-214854456.html?src=rss

Amazon upgraded its Echo Show 8 display late last year to give it a sleeker design and faster Alexa responses, and you can get it right now at the lowest price we've seen it hit. The third-gen, 2023 Echo Show 8 is 40 percent off on Amazon, bringing it down to just $90. It normally costs $150. The display comes in two colors, Charcoal and Glacier White, and the discount applies to both.The 2023 Echo Show 8 brought upgrades inside and out to the smart home gadget. It has spatial audio with room calibration that should make for much fuller sound than the previous models were able to achieve. The improvements carry over to video calling, which benefits from crisper audio and a 13-megapixel camera.Amazon debuted its new Adaptive Content feature alongside the 2023 Echo Show 8, which changes what's shown on the screen based on where you are in the room. If you're standing far away, it'll display easily digestible information in large font, like the weather or news headlines. As you get closer, it'll switch to a more detailed view. It can also show personalized content for anyone enrolled in visual ID, surfacing your favorite playlists and other content.The Echo Show 8 also boasts 40 percent faster response times for Alexa thanks to its upgraded processor. For privacy-conscious buyers, it has a physical camera shutter that's controlled with a slider on the top of the device, so you know for sure that it's not watching. There's also a button to turn off the mic and camera.Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-2023-amazon-echo-show-8-is-back-down-to-its-record-low-price-of-90-184306499.html?src=rss

After a short period of worrying silence, NASA said on Saturday night that it was able to regain contact with the Ingenuity helicopter. The autonomous aircraft unexpectedly ceased communications with the Perseverance rover, which relays all transmissions between Ingenuity and Earth, on Thursday during its 72nd flight on Mars. It had already been acting up prior to this, having cut its previous flight short for an unknown reason, and NASA intended to do a systems check during the latest ascent.

NASA is trying to figure out how to reach its Ingenuity Mars helicopter after losing contact with the craft earlier this week. During its 72nd flight - a quick pop-up" to an altitude of about 40 feet - NASA says Ingenuity stopped communicating with the Perseverance rover before it was meant to. It went quiet on Thursday, and as of Friday afternoon, NASA still hadn't heard from it.Perseverance serves the go-between for all communications to and from the helicopter; Ingenuity sends information to Perseverance, which then passes it on to Earth, and vice versa. According to NASA, the small helicopter completed the ascent as planned, but ceased communications while on its way back down. The Ingenuity team is analyzing available data and considering next steps to reestablish communications with the helicopter," NASA said in a status update on Friday. Ingenuity had previously ended a flight earlier than it was supposed to, and Thursday's jaunt was meant to check out the helicopter's systems."Ingenuity has been on the red planet since 2021, when it arrived with the Perseverance rover. And it's far exceeded its mission goals. NASA originally hoped the experimental helicopter would be able to complete a handful of flights. It went on to fly more than 20 times within its first year in operation. The space agency officially extended its mission in 2022, and it's since executed dozens more more successful flights. Ingenuity is the first aircraft to take flight from the surface of Mars.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nasas-ingenuity-helicopter-has-gone-silent-on-mars-195746735.html?src=rss

Who doesn't love showing off their collection of cool rocks? NASA was finally able to get into the asteroid Bennu sample container last week after struggling with it for a couple of months, and now, it's sharing a look at what's inside. The space agency published a high-resolution image of the newly opened Touch-and-Go-Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM) on Friday, revealing all the dust and rocks OSIRIS-REx scraped off the asteroid's surface.The image is massive, so you can zoom in to see even the finer details of the sample. Check out the full-sized version on NASA's website. There's an abundance of material for scientists to work with, and as OSIRIS-REx team member Lindsay Keller said back in September, they plan to make the most of microanalytical techniques to really tear it apart, almost down to the atomic scale." Asteroid Bennu, estimated to be about 4.5 billion years old, may hold clues into the formation of our solar system and how the building blocks of life first came to Earth.Scientists have already discovered signs of carbon and water in the excess material they found on the outside of the TAGSAM. While they'd hoped to get at least 2.1 ounces (60 grams) of regolith from the asteroid, OSIRIS-REx was able to grab much more. The team obtained 2.48 ounces (70.3 grams) just from the bonus" material accumulated on the sample hardware. NASA plans to spend the next two years analyzing portions of the sample, but the majority of it will be preserved for future studies and to be shared with other scientists.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/take-a-look-at-the-full-asteroid-bennu-sample-in-all-its-glory-161309568.html?src=rss

Welcome back to your Saturday morning tech injectable. This week's TMA focuses on two big tech launches. First of all, Samsung started 2024 early with its flagship smartphone series, announcing three S24 models set to go on sale at the end of the month. This time around, sure, they look like last year's phones again, but that's offset with a barrage of AI tricks and features that you can't find on any other smartphone. And isn't that the point of getting a new phone?We've also got more in-depth impressions of Apple's first foray into VR/AR/XR as the Vision Pro ($3,500) goes on preorder, ahead of launch later this month. You've got big pockets right? This is the company's first new product since 2014's Apple Watch and our most recent impressions suggest the Vision Pro is a fluid, intelligent headset experience beyond the VR headsets we've seen so far. Two Engadget editors strapped on the Vision Pro for some more extensive demos, including immersive video and attempted to type in thin air on the Vision Pro's floating keyboard.This week:Apple Vision Pro hands-on, reduxRR Take-Two's lawyers think Remedy's new R logo is too similar to Rockstar's R logo Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra hands-on:Read this:Sheryl Sandberg is leaving Meta's board of directors, and the company continues to sail toward the Metaverse while the rest of us wonder if that's even a destination that exists. The company is also shaking up its AI teams. The company has two teams pursuing AI research, but now Mark Zuckerberg is bringing them closer together. What will that lead to? Karissa Bell explains it all.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-apples-vision-pro-is-almost-here-and-samsungs-ai-gambit-150028059.html?src=rss

If you're going to purchase the Apple Vision Pro, you may want to get a case for it as well. Based on the company's repair and service page for the device as first noticed by AppleInsider, getting it repaired can be very costly, even when you have AppleCare+. If the headset's cover glass cracks, it'll set you back $799 to get it replaced. Other types of damage could cost you up to $2,399, which is only $1,100 less expensive than a brand new base unit.The repair prices don't sound as outrageous if you pay for AppleCare+, but they're still not cheap. A damaged cover class or any other type of repair will cost you $299, on top of the extended warranty's $25-a-month fee. While you could get it fixed by a third-party, it could cause you issues if you send it to Apple for another repair in the future, and those services might not have the components you need. Apple has been supportive of the right-to-repair movement lately, though, and has an existing self-repair program for its phones and computers. The company could add the Vision Pro to that program, but it may not happen anytime soon.Apple's Vision Pro is now available for pre-order from Apple's US website and all its brick-and-mortar stores across the country. The $3,499 version will give you 256GB of storage space, while the 512GB model will cost you $3,699. Want 1TB of space? That one will set you back $3,899. Take note that its accessories are sold separately, and you'll have to shell out an additional $199 for its travel case.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-vision-pro-repairs-could-set-you-back-as-much-as-2399-141439566.html?src=rss

A hacking group linked to a Russian intelligence agency accessed the emails of several senior Microsoft executives and other employees, the company disclosed Friday.Microsoft said it detected the attack on January 12, and has determined that a hacking group known as Midnight Blizzard or Nobelium is responsible. That's the same group behind the 2020 SolarWinds cyberattack. Microsoft and US cybersecurity officials have said Nobelium is part of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).Beginning in late November 2023, the threat actor used a password spray attack to compromise a legacy non-production test tenant account and gain a foothold, and then used the account's permissions to access a very small percentage of Microsoft corporate email accounts, including members of our senior leadership team and employees in our cybersecurity, legal, and other functions, and exfiltrated some emails and attached documents," the company wrote in a blog post.The company didn't identify which members of its senior leadership" were targeted, but said its initial investigation suggests the group was looking for information related to itself. Company officials so far have no evidence that customer environments, production systems, source code, or AI systems," were accessed.Though the company says the attack was not the result of a vulnerability in Microsoft products or services," it is taking steps to immediately" improve the security of Microsoft-owned legacy systems and internal business processes." The changes will likely cause some level of disruption," it added.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/russian-state-sponsored-hackers-accessed-the-emails-of-microsofts-senior-leadership-232945155.html?src=rss

Japan has become the fifth country to successfully land on the moon after confirming today that its SLIM lander survived its descent to the surface - but its mission is likely to be short lived. JAXA, the Japanese space agency, says the spacecraft is having problems with its solar cell and is unable to generate electricity. In its current state, the battery may only have enough juice to keep it running a few more hours.Based on how the other instruments are functioning, JAXA said in a press conference this afternoon that it's evident SLIM did make a soft landing. The spacecraft has been able to communicate with Earth and receive commands, but is operating on a low battery. It's unclear what exactly the issue with the solar cell is beyond the fact that it's not functioning.There's a chance that the panels are just not facing the right direction to be receiving sunlight right now, which would mean it could start charging when the sun changes position. But, JAXA says it needs more time to understand what has happened. LEV-1 and LEV-2, two small rovers that accompanied SLIM to the moon, were able to successfully separate from the lander as planned before it touched down, and so far appear to be in working condition.JAXA says it's now focusing on maximizing the operational time it has left with SLIM to get as much data as possible from the landing. SLIM - the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon - has also been called the Moon Sniper" due to its precision landing technology, which is supposed to put it within 100 meters of its target, the Shioli crater. The agency is planning to hold another press conference next week to share more updates.Though its time may be running out, SLIM's landing was still a major feat. Only four other countries have successfully landed on the moon: the US, China, India and Russia. The latest American attempt, the privately led Peregrine Mission One, ended in failure after the spacecraft began leaking propellant shortly after its January 8 launch. It managed to hang on for several more days and even reached lunar distance, but had no chance of a soft landing. Astrobotic, the company behind the lander, confirmed last night that Peregrine made a controlled reentry, burning up in Earth's atmosphere over the South Pacific.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/japans-slim-lunar-lander-made-it-to-the-moon-but-itll-likely-die-within-hours-195431502.html?src=rss

Palworld has sold a million copies in just over eight hours, according to developer Pocketpair. The game has been on our radar for a while, thanks to its unique Pokemon with guns' premise, and it looks like launch day has been an absolute success.It's been so successful, as a matter of fact, that the game's servers have been buckling under the stress of millions of gun-toting PokeMasters. The developer urges patience and says it's working to resolve this ASAP!" The sheer number of downloads and concurrent players have made this the biggest Steam launch of the year so far, according to GamesRadar.These figures only refer to Steam. The early access version of Palworld also launched on Game Pass, so the number of downloads is likely much higher than advertised, as there are no Xbox Series X/S numbers. It looks like many people have been jonesing for a dark and gritty take on everyone's favorite pocket monsters.And boy, is this game dark and gritty. Instead of releasing unwanted monsters, called Pals, back into the wild, you murder them with a cleaver. You can also sell your Pals" into slavery, eat them and, of course, battle them to the death. One of the game's trailers shows piles of Pal corpses stacked up, reaching into the heavens. The whole thing seems to be a satirical riff on the very nature of Pokemon, which is a game franchise in which you force your very good friends to fight just to further your own reputation.Palworld has gotten pretty good reviews so far, and this is an early access build, so the devs will likely refine the gameplay in the coming months. In the meantime, you can pick it up on Steam for $27, until it reverts to its normal price of $30. It's also a day-one Game Pass release, so boot up your Xbox and give it a go. Just try to keep the murder count down. Or not.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/pokemon-with-guns-satire-palworld-sells-over-a-million-copies-in-eight-hours-175638179.html?src=rss

Ford says it's cutting production of the F-150 Lightning due to lower than expected demand. As of April 1, the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center (the Michigan plant where the electric pickup is built) will transition from two production shifts to one. That will have an impact on roughly 1,400 workers.The automaker says it will transfer around half of those to its Michigan Assembly Plant, where it's putting together a third crew to build more of the Bronco and Bronco Raptor, as well as the new Ranger and Ranger Raptor to meet demand. The company is hiring another 900 workers to fill that shift.The rest of the affected F-150 Lightning workers will be reassigned to different roles at the Rouge plant or Ford's other facilities in the region. That is, unless they take up a retirement incentive offer.Ford didn't say by how much it's reducing production of the F-150 Lightning. However, by moving from two shifts to one, that indicates output will drop roughly by half, which aligns with recent reports. According to CNBC, Ford planned to cut production from around 3,200 units per week to 1,600.The automaker retooled the Rouge facility in 2023 so that it would have an annual F-150 Lightning capacity of up to 150,000. However, demand hasn't kept up. While sales of the EV were up by 55 percent last year, it hasn't been selling as quickly as it did previously.The company says that it expects EV sales to continue to grow globally this year, but at a lower rate than previously anticipated. With that in mind, as well as the fact Ford is readying next-gen EVs, the company has decided to pull back on F-150 Lightning production for the foreseeable future.That isn't the only EV Ford has scaled back on either. In November, it slashed production of the Mustang Mach-E.We are taking advantage of our manufacturing flexibility to offer customers choices while balancing our growth and profitability. Customers love the F-150 Lightning, America's best-selling EV pickup," Ford President and CEO Jim Farley said. We see a bright future for electric vehicles for specific consumers, especially with our upcoming digitally advanced EVs and access to Tesla's charging network beginning this quarter."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ford-is-cutting-f-150-lightning-production-due-to-waning-demand-173838340.html?src=rss

It's a big day for people who like to spend a small fortune on consumer technology, as Apple opened up pre-orders for its $3,500 Vision Pro headset earlier on Friday. If you're looking to save some cash on a new gadget, though, we're back with another installment of our weekly deal roundup. This week's highlights include a spate of pre-order discounts on Samsung's new Galaxy S24 phones, which come with a bonus gift card and free storage upgrade at Amazon and Best Buy. Beyond that, Google's Pixel 8 phones are up to $200 off, while Apple's AirPods Pro are still at a low of $189. If you're on a tighter budget, a few affordable keyboards, webcams and wireless earbuds we like are also near the lowest prices we've seen. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-galaxy-s24-ultra-pre-orders-include-a-200-gift-card-plus-the-rest-of-the-weeks-best-tech-deals-172928966.html?src=rss

Korg has already made several announcements ahead of NAMM 2024, and now the company's back with a refresh of its popular Opsix FM synthesizer. The Opsix mk II still offers an approachable entryway into the world of FM synthesis, and it's even based on the original's Altered FM" digital sound engine. However, this is anything but a minor refresh.The big news is a massive boost in polyphony. The original had 32 voices, which is still plenty, but the mk II offers 64 voices of pure polyphonal goodness. This should allow for some truly complex and multi-layered sounds, or just a burst of cacophony as you try to press every key at once.The six-operator FM engine is, more or less, unchanged, but it can be kitted out with all kinds of new sound components" that can drastically change the signal. You can route it through up to 30 effects, including a 3-band EQ, chorus, phaser, flanger, distortion, compressor, delay, reverb, grain shifter and many more. The signal paths can also be rerouted internally for semi-modular synthesis.Of course, there are a number of analog-style filters, including filters modeled on the Korg MS-20 and Korg PolySix, along with resonant two- or four-pole low-pass, high-pass, band-pass and band-reject filters. You won't struggle to create unique sounds here, as any parameter can be modulated using a dedicated matrix equipped with three envelope generators and three LFOs.The very nature of this technology allows for digital recreations of subtractive, semi-modular, waveshaping, additive and analog modeling synthesis types, in addition to classic FM synthesis. That's what Korg means by calling this a six-operator" FM synthesizer.For those worried that this refresh would fundamentally change the vibe of the original Opsix, the mk II is fully compatible with the sounds and samples from the original and it integrates with the company's dedicated software suite, offering full access to numerous sound libraries. So you can just load up sounds from the original, if that's your bag.The 37-note keyboard is velocity-sensitive and release velocity-sensitive, with a programmable step sequencer that offers up to 16 steps per pattern and six notes per step. There's also an onboard arpeggiator with seven preset patterns. Just like the original, the mk II boasts a bright front-facing screen and numerous backlit faders and knobs for making adjustments. As for connections, there's a headphone out, a stereo line out, MIDI in/out, a USB-B port and a jack for a damper pedal. The Korg Opsix mk II hits store shelves this March and will cost $700, which is $200 less than the price of the original back when it launched.Korg has a massive presence at NAMM this year, as the company also teased a desktop module of the Opsix, along with desktop modules for the Modwave and Wavestate synths. There's also a little synth called the MicroKORG 2, which is likely to sell like the hottest of hotcakes.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/korgs-opsix-mk-ii-synth-is-based-on-the-fm-sound-engine-of-the-original-but-with-64-voices-164445223.html?src=rss

Many PC owners wonder when it might be the best time to upgrade parts of their setup that are perhaps getting a little long in the tooth. The answer to that is relatively simple: whenever there's a good sale. A bunch of Samsung monitors are currently up to 33 percent off over at Amazon. Among them is the 27-inch Samsung Smart Monitor M8, which has dropped to a record low of $480. That's 26 percent off the regular price.The M8 can double as a 4K streaming TV, since it has native support for apps including Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+. Through Samsung TV Plus, you can access a selection of free live and on-demand programming. In addition, you'll be able to stream games from the likes of Xbox Cloud Gaming and NVIDIA GeForce Now. They should run fairly smoothly too, thanks to the 60Hz refresh rate.Of course, you can use the Smart Monitor M8 for productivity too. For tasks such as web browsing and document editing, you won't even need to hook up a PC. The M8 offers options to connect to another PC remotely, access the Microsoft Office 365 suite and even use the desktop mode of Samsung mobile devices thanks to the DeX feature. There's a built-in camera for video calls too. Moreover, you can use the M8 to control various smart home devices.In case you don't need all those bells and whistles and you're just looking for a solid monitor that can get the job done on a tighter budget, a 22-inch 1080p model may do the trick. A T350 Series monitor has dropped by a third to $100, which is almost a record low for that model.It has a decent 75Hz refresh rate and an IPS panel that Samsung claims will support a wide variety of viewing angles. FreeSync will help reduce screen tearing if you have a compatible AMD CPU, while the response time of 5ms isn't too bad for gaming.Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-27-inch-samsung-smart-monitor-m8-is-cheaper-than-ever-right-now-153331058.html?src=rss

The tech world isn't taking any breaks after CES! This week, Cherlynn and Devindra are joined by Senior Writer Sam Rutherford to discuss Samsung's latest Galaxy Unpacked event, where it debuted the Galaxy S24 smartphone line. They don't look very different from last year, but they're packing a load of AI smarts. Also, Cherlynn finally got to try out the Apple Vision Pro and tells us all about her spatial computing journey. While it was a mostly eye-opening experience, the headset also hurt Cherlynn's head and forced her to confront one of nature's most terrifying creatures: A butterfly.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 podcast, Engadget News!Topics

The long-running dispute between the European Commission and Apple over the use of its payment technology could soon come to an end. The Commission has officially announced Apple's plan to open up its Near-Field Communication (NFC) technology, used for tap-and-go payments, to third-party mobile wallet providers. Rumors of Apple's proposal first surfaced in December 2023.The Commission opened an investigation into Apple in 2020 over potentially restricting rival mobile wallet pay developers' access to necessary technology, thus eliminating Apple Pay's competition. Two years later, it announced charges against Apple for allegedly violating the European Union's antitrust laws, which, if proven, could leave Apple with a massive bill.Apple's proposal compromises on its previous assertions that third parties could negatively impact security. If approved, Apple would, among other things, allow third parties to APIs with NFC functionality - no fee or use of Apple Pay or wallet required. This shift would include access to technology that keeps payment information secure. Apple would apply this to any developers and iOS users registered in the European Economic Area (EEA). However, people outside the EEA might still be able to use third-party apps. Apple also claims it will call upon an independent reviewer in disputed instances where the company denied NFC access. All suggested changes and prior press releases on the case are available here.As expected, the European Commission has not rushed to accept Apple's proposed commitments. Instead, it has laid them out and requested feedback from Apple's rivals (and any other interested entities) on whether the laid-out changes are acceptable.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-offers-to-open-up-nfc-payments-to-rival-companies-in-eu-antitrust-case-130528339.html?src=rss

Apple's much-anticipated mixed reality headset, the Vision Pro, is now available for pre-order in the US through the company's website and all its stores across the country. Interested buyers may want to take note that they have to scan their face with an iPhone or iPad using Face ID when they pre-order to make sure they're getting a precise band fit. The company designed the Vision Pro with a modular system so that users can customize it to fit them perfectly - it will, after all, set them back at least $3,499 for the version with 256GB of storage. If you need more space (and who doesn't?), it'll cost $3,699 with 512GB of storage and $3,899 with 1TB.People who need vision correction also have the option to add Zeiss optical inserts when they pre-order so that they won't need to wear their glasses inside the headset anymore. They can get reader inserts for $99 and prescription inserts for $149, though they have to provide an updated official prescription with their order to be able to purchase them.Be ready to shell out even more for accessories: The travel case, additional battery packs, and extra light seals will each run you $199. Belkin's battery holder will also let you clip that device onto your pants, or wear it with a cross-body strap.The company's mixed reality headset is powered by visionOS, which users can control via gestures with their eyes and hands or with voice commands through Siri. Apple placed a lot of emphasis on its entertainment features when it officially introduced the device and said that it will support more than a million apps from the iOS and iPadOS ecosystems, along with apps especially made for its platform.Some popular services like Netflix, YouTube and Spotify won't be available for download at launch, but early adopters will still have access to a number of entertainment apps, including Disney+, Max, Amazon Prime Video and Paramount+. Users will be able to place their apps anywhere in a 3D environment and, in Disney+'s case, be able to watch shows against a special immersive background like the Avengers Tower. They'll also be able to access their Mac on the headset, so they can work or do what they usually do on a laptop on a mixed reality device instead. The Apple Vision Pro will start shipping on February 2.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-vision-pro-pre-orders-are-now-open-130056024.html?src=rss

Ask and you shall receive. On January 16, Massive Monster and Devolver Digital released Cult of the Lamb's much hyped Sins of the Flesh" update for consoles and PC, bringing, among other things, a form of in-game sex to its cute-but-brutal world of anatomically incorrect animals and false prophets. It's exactly what some fans have been asking for, and since its announcement, everyone, including Massive Monster, has been leaning into the fun of the sex update" actually happening. But it turns out calling it the sex update was a major undersell.Warning: This article contains spoilers from this point forward.In actuality, there's so much more to it - just take a look at the patch notes. As much as it is the sex update, Sins of the Flesh" is also very much the poop update; the fashion update; the personality update; the lore update; the absolute chaos update. It's Sozo's second chance at life.In order to access the bulk of the new content, you'll need to be pretty deep into the game. The new spiritual currency (Sin) and the experiences that come with it all unlock after you've defeated your third Bishop. If you're at least that far in, the Sin elements will show up after the first sermon or temple activity you conduct once the update has been downloaded. Otherwise, if you're starting fresh with a new save file, it'll be a while before you see most of the new material. Except for the poop, that is. There will be poop everywhere from the moment you start gaining followers - in all sorts of colors and, in some cases, in piles as big as a farming station.Sins of the Flesh" adds six new styles of poop, each with its own power. And I hate to say it, but I was squealing with excitement as I discovered each new variant. Golden poop, for example, comes with coins when you find it, and if used as fertilizer it can grow coins and gold bars alongside your crops. Rainbow poop will make your plants ready to harvest in an instant, which is really handy if your followers are starving. You'll get fancy broom upgrades the more you clean up followers' excrement, making chores more efficient.All that poop early on was just a sign of the ruckus yet to come. In the double-digit hours I've already spent with the new content, havoc has broken loose in my cult again and again.EngadgetEngadgetMy followers, wasted off Brog Brew, keep getting into fights that I have to break up, and sometimes they chase me down to profess their love or heckle me. I watched a certain mushroom-headed eccentric eat one of his acolytes whole after he begged me to bring them into the cult, then had to throw him in prison for dissenting. I've hatched outright abominations, the results of letting followers of different species and cosmic classifications hook up in the Mating Tent.Basically, we're having a great time sinning, my followers and I. As a new form of currency, Sin can be spent on follower experiences - yes, including sex - and temple decorations. Similar to how Loyalty has always worked, in which each follower has a Loyalty meter, your followers will accumulate Sin by way of rituals and immoral activities, like getting hammered (excuse me, befuddled") at the Drinkhouse. There are new, Sin-based doctrines to further shape the cult's dogma, and rituals that go all-in on your followers' wickedness.Perform the Rite of Wrath and your followers will unleash the most adorable mayhem upon the commune, destroying decorations and beating each other up. (Going hand-in-hand with this, your followers can now become injured, and the process of repairing things has become more interactive, using the same mechanics as when you're cooking a meal.) Engage in the Gluttony of Cannibals ritual and one of your followers will be eaten by the group. If you prefer to sin peacefully, perform the Rite of Lust, and your followers will dance naked around the flower-adorned shrine.EngadgetIn some scenarios, you'll need to designate specific followers to receive Sin - but be careful not to go overboard. Once a follower has taken on too much Sin, they'll become damned and will leave the cult.These characters aren't necessarily gone forever, which is good news if you, like me, piled Sin onto your favorite follower (Webber <3) only to be sent into a spiraling panic when they've been damned. You'll run into them again during crusades, and once you've killed them three times you'll be able to bring them back with the resurrection ritual. Dissenters, too, now appear as fightable enemies in the dungeons, which I've enjoyed if only for the primal satisfaction of taking revenge on them for stealing from the cult and bouncing.Multiple new structures tie directly in with the arrival of Sin. At the aforementioned Drinkhouse, your followers can consume beverages including Brog Brew, Juniper Drink, Grape Nectar, Eggnog and, I'm sorry to say, Poop Juice. The resources needed for beverage brewing, like hops and grapes, can be found during crusades or purchased as seeds from Rakshasa.EngadgetYou can build a drum circle, where you'll play a Guitar Hero-style rhythm game to generate Sin in the follower of your choice. It's a very short, very basic mini-game that does a fine job of bringing a bit of variation into the day-to-day cult gameplay without feeling completely out of place. If you're looking for a Get Sin fast!' sort of solution, it comes in clutch. It functions like a ritual, though, meaning there's a cooldown period after you play.And of course, there's the star of The Sex Update: the Mating Tent. Now, not every character can partake in the activitiesthat go down at the mating tent, and those who can have all been given the agency to reject a mating opportunity if they're not into it. Sorry, The Lamb (aka you, the player), cannot mate with followers, nor can relatives - like the Bishops - mate with each other. Once you've chosen a compatible pair, you can pick traits from each follower to be carried over to their offspring. Then, they'll seal the deal with a big smooch and into the tent they go.That's as explicit as it gets; Cult of the Lamb is no less wholesome with the introduction of sex. When the mating is over, your followers will come out exhausted and present you with an egg. It's then up to you to make a choice: either crack that egg and feed it to one of your followers, or tend to the egg daily at the Hatchery, a structure that's unlocked at the same time as the Mating Tent. If you go the cannibalism route, a yolk meal can be used as a youth elixir to give an elderly follower more time among the living. Or, you can make Eggnog. If you decide to hatch the egg instead, you'll have to nurture the child until it reaches adulthood. As a Tamagotchi addict, I love this.Massive Monster/Devolver DigitalWith the update, you'll also be able to unlock the Tailor building, and during your crusades you'll find cotton to use for garment-making and meet the silkworm NPC, Berith, who will have the blueprints for clothes. This will allow you to craft new outfits for your followers. That includes a French maid outfit, which appears after you've earned it by cleaning up a ton of poop, and a bunch of different robes and tunics. It's great to have a way to customize your followers' appearances and, by consequence, the overall aesthetic of the cult a little more. You unfortunately can't deck out your entire cult in French maid outfits, though - unlike other clothing items, it can only be worn by one follower at a time.Tidbits of lore are now scattered throughout the dungeons, and you'll have a new weapon - the Blunderbuss - to fight with. I'll admit the Blunderbuss isn't my favorite, but weapon choice is really personal and there are probably some who love it. It's capable of rapid firing to some degree, but just know you'll have to take reloading time into account.There are a few new follower forms, including snake, worm and a shaggy dog. That last form was made in honor of the Art Director's deceased pet, which breaks my heart and warms it simultaneously. Additional follower traits have added a little more depth to the cult members themselves, too; it turns out some of my followers are absolute cowards. And, for anyone who was gutted to find Sozo dead after building the mushroom shrine, rejoice - he's back with an extended questline. You just need to visit the Spore Grotto to pick up his mushroom hat so you can plant it back at the cult and resurrect him. But don't trust him for one second.EngadgetEngadgetIf you've played all the way through Cult of the Lamb and have long since earned every achievement, Sins of the Flesh" injects a welcome amount of freshness into the year-and-a-half-old game. It doesn't expand the map in any significant way to give you more room for your cult, which may be a disappointment to some whose home bases have become overcrowded, and a new cap that prevents followers from exceeding level 10 will be a blow to players who have been trying to push Narinder to extreme levels of devotion.But the promise of new discoveries and achievements for completionists to work toward gives you more incentive to keep venturing back into the dungeons. The cult life feels more dynamic now, requiring the player to engage a bit more with the home environment, and in turn letting you deepen your connection to your followers by providing more ways for you to keep up with their care.Honestly, it's hard to believe it's all free. Kudos to the team for that. Alongside the update, the developers have also released some cosmetic DLC in the $7 Sinful Pack, which adds a few more decorations and follower forms - aptly including a Sphynx cat, a nude icon.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sins-of-the-flesh-adds-longevity-and-sex-to-cult-of-the-lamb-130041583.html?src=rss

A Call of Dutygame sells. That's what it does. And it usually tops the sales charts, almostevery year since 2009. However, last year was a bit different: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III landed in second place.To convey the gravitational pull of CoD, when Microsoft was fighting to buy Activision Blizzard - makers of the game series - the Xbox maker had to make concessions and ensure the games would come to PlayStation and other platforms to make the purchase happen.This time around, however, Hogwarts Legacy - a game not without its own controversies - beat it to the top spot. It did benefit from being the only Harry Potter game in a decade. In that time, there have been 11 Call of Duty releases. Headlines aside, the series will be fine. Another thing worth noting: 2022's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II still took the number seven spot.- Mat SmithYou can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!The biggest stories you might have missedTake a look at the sharpest image of a black hole yetAyaneo's latest mini PC looks just like an old-school NESBose Ultra Open Earbuds clip onto your ears and cost $300Indiana Jones and The Great Circle is coming to Xbox and PC later this year'Instagram will start telling night owl teens to close the app and go to sleepYounger users won't be able to turn off the Nighttime Nudges.Instagram's latest mindfulness feature targets teens. When a younger user scrolls for more than 10 minutes in Reels or their DMs, the app will suggest they close the app and get to bed. Nighttime Nudges will automatically appear on teen accounts, and it won't be possible to switch them off. Instagram didn't specify whether the feature will be for all teenagers or just under 18s.Could we get it for us over 18s too?Continue reading.Apple's Vision Pro won't have access to YouTube and Spotify apps at launchUsers will have to access them from a browser.EngadgetAccording to Bloomberg, Google's YouTube and Spotify don't have any plans to develop an application for Apple's Vision Pro, at the moment. YouTube won't make its iPad app available for download on the headset, either. For these apps - including Netflix - users will have to watch things through the web browser. In most cases, this will mean losing the ability to watch or listen to content offline. According to MacStories, Meta's Instagram and Facebook might also be missing from the Vision Pro's app store. Companies might be waiting to see whether it's worth dedicating resources for the $3,500 headset - the Apple Watch took time to generate its own app library.Continue reading.The Rabbit R1 will offer up-to-date answers powered by Perplexity's AINo, I haven't heard of Perplexity either.RabbitThe Rabbit R1 launch left many questions unanswered, with some of us wary of it being the vaporware candidate from this year's CES. Now, Rabbit has revealed which LLM (large language model) will power the device's interaction: Perplexity. Fortunately, you won't need to pay for a subscription. The first 100,000 R1 buyers will receive a year of Perplexity Pro, for free. This advanced service adds file upload support, a daily quota of over 300 complex queries. Perplexity is a San Francisco-based startup with investment from NVIDIA and Jeff Bezos.Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-is-call-of-duty-losing-its-grip-on-gamers-121526020.html?src=rss

X (formerly Twitter) rolled out audio and video calling for iOS users back in October 2023. Now, the feature is coming to Android, with an engineer at X, @enriquebrgn, sharing the news in a post: "Audio and video calls on X slowly rolling out for Android users today! Update your app and call your mother."

When the earliest users of Apple's Vision Pro get their headsets in February, they'll find a few of the most popular entertainment apps missing from its system's app store. According to Bloomberg, Google's YouTube and Spotify don't have any plans to develop an application for visionOS, the device's platform, at the moment. A YouTube representative also told the publication that it's not going to make its iPad app available for download on the headset for now. "YouTube users will be able to use YouTube in Safari on the Vision Pro at launch," the spokesperson said. As for Spotify, a source told the publication that it doesn't intend to make its iPad app downloadable on the Vision Pro, as well.As MacStories noted in a report listing popular apps that will be compatible with the headset at launch, apps for the iPhone and iPad will automatically show up on the device's store by default. Developers have to opt out of making their apps downloadable on the Vision Pro. It's unclear why YouTube and Spotify have chosen not to make their apps available on the headset, but they're not the only ones. Bloomberg previously reported that Netflix won't be releasing a dedicated app for the Vision Pro either. In addition, Netflix told the publication that subscribers will have to access its service from a browser on the device, which means its iPad app won't be downloadable. Based on MacStories' report, Meta' Instagram and Facebook might also be missing from the Vision Pro's app store.These companies may have chosen to wait and see whether it's worth dedicating resources towards creating a dedicated app for the $3,500 headset. They may also be worried about having to deal with potential issues that Vision Pro users could encounter if they use the iPad versions of the apps on a device that's from a totally different category. That said, the first Vision Pro users will still have a lot of entertainment apps to choose from, including Disney+, which is giving users access to special immersive environments that can serve as backdrops for its shows.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-vision-pro-wont-have-access-to-youtube-and-spotify-apps-at-launch-083434306.html?src=rss

The Rabbit R1 launch at CES left many questions unanswered, but earlier today, the brand finally shed light on which LLM (large language model) will be powering the device's interaction with us mere mortals. The AI provider in question is none other than Perplexity, a San Francisco-based startup with ambitions to overtake Google in the AI space, which is no wonder that it has already received investments from the likes of NVIDIA and Jeff Bezos.Perplexity will be providing up-to-date search results via Rabbit's $199 orange brick - without the need of any subscription. That said, the first 100,000 R1 buyers will receive one year of Perplexity Pro subscription - normally costing $200 - for free. This advanced service adds file upload support, a daily quota of over 300 complex queries and the ability to switch to other AI models (GPT-4, Claude 2.1 or Gemini), though these don't necessarily apply to the R1's use case.

Microsoft is rolling out Reading Coach as a standalone app, which will expand its tools for educators in Microsoft Teams. The new app will be part of its Reading Progress suite designed to help students improve literacy in the classroom and at home. The tool will use artificial intelligence to provide users with personalized feedback on how to improve reading scores as well as specific suggestions for how to improve things like pronunciation. It will be free to any users that have a Microsoft account.With prolonged use, the AI tool will flag specific words that a reader frequently mispronounces or misunderstands during reading sessions. To keep students engaged, the program will also ask a reader to choose prompts that can change a storyline as they progress.Microsoft says teachers can integrate its program in classrooms through learning platforms starting in the Spring. But the tool is available to educators this month in preview. Teachers will be able to track how student's feel about assignments using the Reflect tool within the program. This kind of feedback might help an educator determine what assignments students feel most excited about and which lessons might not be working. Beyond tracking student performance, the new features for Microsoft's Teams for Education suite will help teachers generate content for lessons, such as passages and assignments for a student to engage with.Microsoft also introduced new features for its Teams for Education app, which is designed to help educators tailor content for digital learning platforms. The Classwork tool will use AI to emphasize particular messages in an assignment's instructions, according to an educator's particular goals for that lesson. The Assignments tool will use AI to streamline the rubric generating process. Outlines can be tailored by a teacher based on grade level, evaluation scale or other factors.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsofts-tool-for-ai-reading-lessons-is-now-a-standalone-app-230520756.html?src=rss

As promised, Xbox offered the first details on MachineGames' Indiana Jones project during its Developer Direct stream on Thursday. It also confirmed the game's title - Indiana Jones and the Great Circle - and revealed that it's coming to Xbox Series X/S, PC and Xbox Cloud Gaming later this year.No prizes for those who guessed that it's an action-adventure game that will see Indy try to stop some bad guys who are in pursuit of a mysterious power. The story takes place in 1937, between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade. The McGuffin powerful force in question is connected to something called The Great Circle - a perfect circle around the globe that links human-built ancient sites of "great spiritual significance."The first gameplay trailer shows Indy from a first-person perspective as he explores the pyramids of Egypt, traverses snowy mountain tops, sneaks around enemy strongholds and generally tries to stay alive in the face of mortal doom. He also uses his whip to trip up a bad guy (who lets out a Wilhelm scream in the process), punches some Nazis in the face and leaps from one airborne biplane to another.In cutscenes and some platforming sequences, the camera will pull back to let you get a better look at the legendary archaeologist. The game uses Harrison Ford's likeness, but video game stalwart Troy Baker provides the character's voice.It's early days but MachineGames, with the help of Bethesda's Todd Howard as executive producer, seems to have gotten the look, feel and sound of an Indiana Jones adventure just about right. We'll find out just how well they've pulled off that tough task when the game comes out later this year, but Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has just become one of my most anticipated games.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/indiana-jones-and-the-great-circle-is-coming-to-xbox-and-pc-later-this-year-212759483.html?src=rss

Amazon tells Engadget it's letting go of about five percent of staff in its Buy with Prime division. Launched in 2022, Buy with Prime extends the membership's perks to third-party merchants selling and shipping goods on other sites. CNBC first reported the cuts on Thursday.An Amazon spokesperson wrote in an email to Engadget that the cuts were part of a standard review of its business needs. We regularly review the structure of our teams and make adjustments based on the needs of the business and, following a recent review, we've made the difficult decision to eliminate a small number of roles on our Buy with Prime team," the spokesperson said.Amazon hasn't stated how many staff are in the division, but a source with knowledge of the matter tells Engadget about 30 employees are affected by the cuts.AmazonAmazon says Buy with Prime is still a central focus. Buy with Prime is a top priority for Amazon, with strong adoption from merchants and positive feedback from customers, and we will continue investing significant resources in Buy with Prime to build on that momentum," the spokesperson wrote to Engadget. We're grateful to these employees for their contributions, and we're focused on supporting them in their next steps."The company spokesperson tells Engadget laid-off workers will receive at least 50 days of pay and benefits and be eligible for a severance package. In addition, the company says it's working to find new roles within Amazon for downsized staff.Although the number is much smaller this time, the layoffs add to the more than 27,000 workers Amazon has laid off since late 2022 (part of a brutal year-plus of job cuts in the broader tech world). The most recent round, earlier this month, hit Prime Video, MGM Studios, Audible and Twitch. Amazon posted record profits in 2023.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazons-latest-layoffs-hit-buy-with-prime-which-lets-you-use-prime-benefits-on-other-websites-212140862.html?src=rss

Meta is reorganizing its AI teams as it joins the growing ranks of companies trying to create artificial general intelligence, or AGI. Mark Zuckerberg, who has been increasingly focused on the company's AI research, said the change would help the company accelerate" its research and, eventually, improve the metaverse.Meta currently has two teams pursuing AI research: the Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) team, started in 2013, and a team solely focused on generative AI experiences for users of its apps. With the change, Zuckerberg said, the company would bring the two closer together" as it looks to expand both groups. Meta's CEO didn't say how many workers it might add to its AI efforts, but the expansion is notable considering the company has shed more than 20,000 jobs since 2022.In a video posted to Threads, Zuckerberg said the changes would support our long-term goals of building general intelligence, open sourcing it responsibly, and making it available and useful to everyone in all of our daily lives." The change is also the latest way that Zuckerberg is trying to position Meta as a leading AI company in an increasingly crowded field of buzzy generative AI companies and projects.Creating AGI, a type of AI often compared to human-level intelligence, has become a particular fascination for many of these companies, including Elon Musk's x.ai, OpenAI and Google. Now, Zuckerberg is throwing Meta's vast resources at the effort. We're building a massive amount of infrastructure," Zuckerberg wrote. At the end of this year, we'll have ~350k Nvidia H100s - and overall ~600k H100s H100 equivalents of compute if you include other GPUs."At the same time, Zuckerberg made it clear he has no plans on giving up on the metaverse, which he says will also benefit from AI advancements. The two major parts of our vision - AI and the metaverse - are connected," he wrote.Linking the company's AI work to the metaverse isn't a new strategy for Zuckerberg, who spent much of last year's Connect event hyping generative AI. Still, it could be a risky one. Zuckerberg's metaverse is still not widely understood, or especially popular. But Zuckerberg seems to think that may change as the company improves its smart glasses and the AI embedded in them. By the end of the decade, I think lots of people will talk to AIs frequently throughout the day using smart glasses like what we're building with Ray Ban Meta," he said.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mark-zuckerberg-is-the-latest-billionaire-who-wants-to-create-artificial-general-intelligence-210820789.html?src=rss

We finally have a release date for Ninja Theory's Hellblade sequel: May 21, 2024. It's been over four years since Senua's Saga was announced at the 2019 Game Awards alongside Microsoft's (then next-gen) Xbox Series X console.The first game in the series, Senua's Sacrifice, focused on the main character's journey to the realm of the dead, and her battle with mental health issues. Saga will focus on Senua traveling through Iceland to track down the Vikings who have been raiding her home town. According to Ninja Theory you should expect "perception puzzles led by her experiences of psychosis," which were a high point of the first game. There'll also be some pretty standard video game combat, but this time, in Iceland!

Avowed, the fantasy roleplaying game from Outer Worlds studio Obsidian Entertainment, is due to hit Xbox and PC in the fall. This is a slight update from the game's original release window, which was just "2024." Specifically, Avowed will hit Xbox Series X/S, PC via Xbox and Steam, and it'll be available through Game Pass on day one.Avowed is an expansive first-person RPG with old-school fantasy vibes. Players will set off on a journey across the Living Lands, on a mission for the kingdom of Aedyr. A plague is spreading across the island of the Living Lands and players have been sent to investigate what's going on - along the way, they'll discover how they're personally tied to the region and its mysteries.The game supports multiple play styles, allowing players to approach combat and conversations in their own ways. The world is filled with magic, monsters, firearms, swords and shields, and companions will join the party along the way. If you liked Skyrim, you'll probably like Avowed.

Correction, January 18, 2024, 4:55 PM ET: This story originally claimed that AI-generated content was being promoted in Google News. We did not note that to find such stories required heavily manipulating the search results in Google News, so much so that it didn't surface an original, more legitimate source. As 404 Media itself writes, "Both of these rip-off articles appear in Google News search results. The first appears when searching for Star Wars theory" and setting the results to the past 24 hours. The second appears when searching for the subject of the article with a similar 24 hour setting." Those search parameters are essentially set to that the original stories don't appear.A Google spokesperson provided us with the following statement regarding this issue: Claiming that these sites were featured prominently in Google News is not accurate - the sites in question only appeared for artificially narrow queries, including queries that explicitly filtered out the date of an original article. We take the quality of our results extremely seriously and have clear policies against content created for the primary purpose of ranking well on News and we remove sites that violate it.We apologize for overstating the issue and are including a slightly modified version original story that has been corrected for accuracy, and we've updated the headline to make it more accurate.AI-generated content can be found everywhere online, including your Google News feed. A report from 404 Media revealed that Google News can potentially websites filled with AI-generated articles ripped from other outlets. Google News used to be a place you'd find the latest and most accurate information on most topics. But just because something makes it to Google News doesn't necessarily mean the information is reliable.404 Media cited several examples of AI-written articles getting past Google. One example involved a news site" called Worldtimetodays, that recently published an article about Star Wars. An analysis of the article showed it was highly similar to one published earlier by Distractify. The Worldtimetodays article included the same author photo along with some odd phrasings, as you'd expect with AI. The ripped article read Let's be honest, war of stars fans," instead of Star Wars fans. The site also had articles that were barely rewritten from Heavy, without bothering to replace Heavy's watermarked images.As AI advances and becomes even more accessible, we will likely continue to see mass output of plagiarized articles and unreliable information, some of which may hit Google News. The company told 404 Media that while it tries to filter spam on Google News, it isn't overly concerned whether an article is written by humans or AI. A Google representative told the publication said it's more about the quality of the content.Our focus when ranking content is on the quality of the content, rather than how it was produced. Automatically-generated content produced primarily for ranking purposes is considered spam, and we take action as appropriate under our policies," the statement read.Google went on to reiterate that websites are considered for Google News automatically, and new websites may not be immediately detected by the system. The company added that its goal is to reward original content that demonstrates things such as expertise and trustworthiness," but it looks like it's missing the mark by letting these AI-generated articles through in the first place.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/your-google-news-feed-is-likely-filled-with-ai-generated-articles-194654896.html?src=rss

Just like death and taxes, you can usually rely on a Call of Duty game to top the sales charts each year. The various entries in Activision's warfare simulation franchise have mostly done just that, going all the way back to 2009. This year's a bit different. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III has fallen to second place, as reported by media research firm Circana.According to the list, Hogwarts Legacy topped the charts for 2023, selling around 22 million copies. This is despite the not insignificant controversy the game generated, both by its association with franchise creator JK Rowling - who has leveraged her celebrity position to espouse anti-trans views - but also tropes within the game itself which some (but not all) saw as drawing from antisemitic caricatures. Still, fans had been waiting for a high-quality AAA game set at the wizarding school for decades and Hogwarts Legacy delivered on the promise of a true open-world Harry Potter title. The sales obviously reflect that.As a matter of fact, there have been only two other occasions in which Call of Duty was knocked from first place. Those were the years in which Grand Theft Auto V (2013) and Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018) were released. Both Rockstar titles absolutely dominated the conversation upon launch, becoming bona-fide cultural touchstones. Hogwarts Legacy, while very good, hasn't approached that level of buzz, so maybe this data illustrates that players are finally getting sick of Call of Duty, or maybe it's just that Modern Warfare III wasn't a particularly inspiring entry.There's also the Hyrule-sized elephant in the room. Circana's list puts The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom as the number five top seller of 2023, but Nintendo keeps its eShop numbers close to the vest, so the list only includes digital sales data up to September. In other words, there's around four months of sales data missing here, which we won't get until the company releases quarterly revenue information at the end of the month.It's possible that Tears of the Kingdom will end up on top when all is said and done: it's sales figures (19.5 million copies) are a mere 2.5 million units away from dethroning Hogwarts Legacy, and that's without the four months of sales that include the holiday season.CircanaOther top sellers include Madden NFL 24 at number three and Marvel's Spider-Man 2 at number four. Interestingly, 2022's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 actually took the number seven spot. Finally, there's the game that will sell forever and ever until the heat death of the universe. Mario Kart 8 came in at number 19, but also without digital data from September onward.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/call-of-duty-didnt-top-the-yearly-sales-charts-for-one-of-the-first-times-since-2009-191641232.html?src=rss

Rock Band 4's weekly DLC drops are coming to an end. Harmonix said Wednesday the upcoming batch of new songs on January 25 will be the game's last. Although all other live services will remain active, the developer plans to give full attention to the Rock Band-like Fortnite Festival, a rhythm game inside Epic's digital world.Product manager Daniel Sussman waxed nostalgic about Rock Band 4's impressive eight-year run of new song drops each week. Taking a longer look back, I see the Rock Band DLC catalog as a huge achievement in persistence and commitment - over the years we've cleared, authored and released nearly 3,000 songs as DLC and well over 3,000 if you include all the game soundtracks," he wrote in an announcement blog post. That's wild."Sussman says Harmonix is committed to protecting its licensing, promising that purchased content will remain available. He adds that all the game's other live services, including Rivals and online play, will continue as usual. There just won't be any more new music for the rhythm game, which arrived in 2015 with 65 tracks.The Rock Band-like Fortnite FestivalEpic GamesFortnite Festival, launched in December, is a rock god stage in the popular battle royale title. It has the advantage of being free: You don't have to pay a couple of bucks to fulfill your dreams of jamming out to Seven Nation Army," The Cranberries' Zombie" or Bel Biv Devoe's Poison."Rock Band 4 instrument support is on its way to Epic's virtual stage. If you are a fan of the rhythm game category, Fortnite Festival is the place to be; and with support for RB4 instruments coming, this is not the time to hang up your guitars just yet..."Harmonix is tight-lipped about its final tracks, but it promises thematic relevance. We deliberated long and hard about how to frame the last blast of RB DLC of this era," Sussman explained. The last two weeks will feature some tear jerkers that sum up our feelings about this moment. We thank you for your commitment to and passion for this wonderful game."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/rock-band-4s-next-weekly-dlc-drop-will-be-its-last-175227879.html?src=rss

Behaviour Interactive is the latest notable game developer to lay off workers. The Dead by Daylight studio confirmed to Game Developer that the cuts affected less than three percent of the total workforce. Kotaku first reported on the layoffs, stating that they took place earlier this month and affected around 45 people across several departments. It initially appeared that the layoffs were limited to Behaviour's Montreal headquarters, but the publisher hasn't confirmed whether that's the case."Recently, changing market conditions necessitated adjusting the scope of several Behaviour projects," Behaviour told the publications in a statement. "In these situations, our preference is always to reassign talent to other projects. Unfortunately, this option is not always available to us. These departures represented less than three percent of our total workforce."Behaviour bought several studios last year, including ones in the UK and the Netherlands as part of a deeper expansion into Europe. While much of the company's focus is on Dead by Daylight (a new Alan Wake-focused chapter will arrive later this month), it has been working on other projects, such as last year's Meet Your Maker.According to estimates, more than 9,000 workers in the video games industry were laid off in 2023. We're just 18 days into 2024, and there have already been more than 3,000 layoffs at gaming and gaming-adjacent companies (including Twitch and Discord). Unity alone is reducing its headcount by around 1,800 - a quarter of its workforce.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/dead-by-daylight-studio-behaviour-confirms-layoffs-due-to-changing-market-conditions-173751623.html?src=rss

Well, this is certainly an interesting way to debut a new set of wireless earbuds. Bose announced today that it has teamed up with fashion and lifestyle brand Kith to release its newest product: the Ultra Open Earbuds. The news follows a leak during CES that tipped the rather unique design, a set of buds that clip onto your ears and leave the ear canal open to let outside noise in. Details are scarce in terms of key specs, but here's what the company did reveal in the announcement.Bose describes the Ultra Open Earbuds as "an innovative cuff-shaped design with polished, soft edges and a stunning finish." In a departure from its previous "open" model, these earbuds attach to the side of your ears instead of being secured with an over-the-ear hook. Bose says this makes the buds more of a fashion accessory than an "audio wearable," which explains the collab. The company also says you can wear them with a hat, glasses or jewelry with no issues, since they sit further down your ear. It's also touting increased comfort and "all-day wear," since you don't have to choose between tuning into your surroundings or listening to audio content.BoseDetailed specs are scant for now, but Kith spilled a few items on its website. The fashion company further describes the design as having "a light-as-air grip" and "a flexible joint" for getting them on and off with ease. You can expect up to seven and a half hours of playtime with Bose Immersive Audio for spatial sound and "an additional suite of state-of-the-art technologies." The iconic Bose branding has been replaced with a Kith logo in the same lettering style on both the earbuds and the charging case. Bose says this marks its first partnership with a fashion brand, and it's noteworthy that the company is letting a collab reveal an all-new product rather than a limited-edition version of an existing one.The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds will be available for $300 on January 22 on Kith.com and in select Kith stores "in extremely limited quantities." I'm guessing the company will debut a proper version with its own branding soon enough, but there's no mention of that in today's announcement.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/bose-ultra-open-earbuds-clip-onto-your-ears-and-cost-300-172544076.html?src=rss

Back in November, Ayaneo officially unveiled the AM01 mini PC. This thing was built to look like a retro Macintosh computer, but the inclusion of older AMD APUs wasn't exactly going to win any power awards. Now, the AM02 is here, with a revamped NES-inspired design and a much more impressive chipset. It's also three times the price.There's no way around it. This is a truly cute lil mini PC. The boxy NES-era form factor is a treat and you can even order an 8BitDo SNES-style controller and Nuphy greyscale keyboard to go with it, completing the nostalgia trip. Most modern features, like USB-C ports and HDMI ports, are hidden behind a front cover, though there is a small multi-function touchscreen on top. If you squint, you can almost trick yourself that it's an actual NES.Inside the AM02, however, is where the similarities to Nintendo's 1980s console end. This is a legit computer that should offer an exponentially more impressive experience when compared to the AM01. Each unit ships with an AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS APU, which is slightly more powerful than the company's flagship Kun handheld device. In other words, it should be able to run most modern AAA games at medium settings, or even higher in some cases. The AM01 was, more or less, an emulation machine that petered out after the Gamecube era.As for related specs, you can outfit the AM02 with up to 32GB of DDR5 RAM at launch, but this can be user-upgraded to 64GB. It also ships with up to 1TB of solid-state storage, with the capacity for up to 8TB. There's even a modern cooling system, a USB-C port, a bunch of USB-A ports, an HDMI port, an ethernet port and a 3.5mm audio jack.There's also the mystery of what the touchscreen will be used for. Ayaneo remains mum, merely showing it as a clock, though has advertised unique gameplay experiences." At the very least, it should offer a novel way to dive through menus, adjust settings and select games. However, a controller or keyboard would likely be more efficient.AyaneoNaturally, the increase in power comes with a related increase in cost. The AM02 starts at $440 for those who pre-order and $500 for everyone else. This is a bare-bones version without any RAM or storage, allowing people to outfit the computer with their own. Otherwise, prices range from $530 to $770, depending on RAM and storage options. You can buy this thing via Indiegogo, which is typical for Ayaneo, and models ship in February. It doesn't come with any accessories, but you get a discount when bundling with a controller or keyboard.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ayaneos-latest-mini-pc-looks-just-like-an-old-school-nes-162551703.html?src=rss

Activision has taken aim at Call of Duty cheaters in a swathe of novel and often hilarious ways over the last few years, from cutting their parachutes so they splat onto the ground in Warzone to straight up taking their guns away. The latest tactic targets those who use illicit tools to activate aim assist while playing with a mouse and keyboard.The Ricochet anti-cheat team says that when its security detection systems spot such players, the Call of Duty app will simply close itself. No clever trick like cloning another real player from elsewhere in the match. The game will just shut down. "Repeated use of these tools may lead to further account action," the Ricochet group wrote on X. In other words, Activision will likely suspend or permanently ban persistent offenders.

Instagram has revealed its latest mindfulness feature targeted at teens. When a younger user scrolls for more than 10 minutes in the likes of Reels or their direct messages, the app will suggest that they close the app and get to bed.These "Nighttime Nudges" will automatically appear on teens' accounts and it won't be possible to switch them off. Instagram didn't specify whether the feature will be enabled for all teenagers or only under-18s.The idea, according to Instagram, is to give teens who aren't already using features such as Take a Break reminders to close the app for the night. "We want teens to leave Instagram feeling like the time they spend on the app is meaningful and intentional, and we know sleep is particularly important for young people," Instagram said.The new tool follows other features Instagram has rolled out to help teens and their parents manage time spent on the app. Along with Take a Break and parental supervision features, this includes the likes of Quiet Mode. The latter enables teens to mute notifications, automatically reply to messages and let their friends and followers know that they're unavailable and doing something else, such as studying or sleeping.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/instagram-will-start-telling-night-owl-teens-to-close-the-app-and-go-to-sleep-152600078.html?src=rss

The European Parliament is calling for new regulations to ensure streaming services pay artists fairly. The proposal also calls for more transparency around how algorithms generate suggestions for which artists to stream and what tracks get the most promotion.The proposed changes will be designed to ensure smaller artists are compensated fairly. Currently, royalty rates are set in a way that makes artists accept lower pay for the distribution of their content in exchange for visibility on streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. The members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are primarily concerned with introducing new legal frameworks to help support artists.MEPs believe that the current way royalties are distributed is unfair. Current algorithms favor major labels and artists when providing suggestions, making it more difficult for less popular and diverse genres to get exposure. Cultural diversity and ensuring that authors are credited and fairly paid has always been our priority; this is why we ask for rules that ensure algorithms and recommendation tools used by music streaming services are transparent as well as in their use of AI tools, placing European authors at the centre," rapporteur Iban Garcia del Blanco of Spain said.As part of this call for change, the MEPs want there to be more regulation regarding the use of artificial intelligence. The actual implementation of a legal framework by EU regulators might take some time to come to fruition. Similarly, UK regulators also raised the issue of pay fairness on streaming apps and even started investigating the effects of algorithms on listening habits. It's no secret that streaming platforms account for more than half of the music industry's revenue. Streaming represents about 67 percent of the music industry's revenue on a global scale.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/eu-says-music-streaming-platforms-must-pay-artists-more-151515204.html?src=rss

It's almost time to take a peek at some of what Xbox has in store for gamers this year. The Xbox Developer Direct, Microsoft's first game showcase of 2024, takes place today. It starts at 3PM ET and you can watch it below.The biggest news from the stream is likely to come in the form of MachineGames' Indiana Jones project. We'll get our first peek at gameplay three years after Microsoft announced the title, and learn details about the characters and setting. MachineGames will deliver over 10 minutes of game and developer insights.Elsewhere, fans will get more information on Avowed, Senua's Saga: Hellblade IIand Ara: History Untold. Unfortunately, it seems that Xbox won't suddenly release a new game during the showcase, as it did with Hi-Fi Rushduring the last Developer Direct a year ago. "All the games in this year's Developer Direct will be arriving later, with more details to be shared in the program," an Xbox blog post reads.Although Microsoft won't share news on any Activision Blizzard games during the Developer Direct, you can tune in to a livestream earlier in the day for a Diablo IV Developer Update. That starts at noon ET on the Diablo YouTube and Twitch channels. You'll learn about gameplay updates for the next season, along with details on quality-of-life improvements, Season Journey and The Gauntlet.Elder Scrolls Online fans will probably want to stick around after the Developer Direct ends. Starting at 4PM ET on the Bethesda Twitch channel and Xbox YouTube and Twitch channels, they'll get a look at the MMORPG's next major chapter, with details on the new zone, storyline and other key features.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/watch-the-xbox-developer-direct-showcase-here-at-3pm-et-150046809.html?src=rss

TikTok has shared more about its plans to fight misinformation ahead of the 2024 presidential election. And, like many of its social media peers, the company's 2024 efforts will closely resemble what it's done in the past.To start, the company is introducing its in-app election guide, which will point users to information about voting, including how to register and how to vote by mail. While the election guide will look similar to years past, the company is introducing it earlier than it has in past elections (its election resources for 2020 and 2022 debuted much closer to their respective contests than this year's, which comes just as the presidential primaries are getting underway).TikTok's approach to misinformation in 2024 hasn't changed much since 2022. The company will continue to bar political ads, including those that come via creators' branded content. It will also keep working with fact-checking organizations, which help determine whether content is eligible for recommendations or warrants an unverified" label. The company says it will expand media literacy resources to these labels" later this year, which could make the notices more useful to users who encounter them, though it's unclear what that will look like just yet.TikTok's plan for 2024 comes as experts warn that the rise of generative AI could fuel a new wave of viral election misinformation. On its part, TikTok acknowledges that generative AI has created new challenges" for the social media industry, but stopped short of offering any new policies to address it. Instead, the company says it will keep enforcing its existing rules, which prohibit misleading" AI-generated content and require creators to disclose when videos use realistic" AI-generated content.As the technology evolves in 2024, we'll continue to improve our policies and detection while partnering with experts on media literacy content that helps our community navigate AI responsibly," the company wrote in a blog post.When it comes to disinformation and coordinated efforts to manipulate its platform, TikTok is making a notable change. The company says it plans to release detailed reports on covert influence campaigns ahead of the 2024 contest It already discloses some information about influence campaigns it uncovers in its quarterly transparency reports, but the disclosures are typically short on details. That should change this year, according to TikTok, which says it will begin releasing dedicated covert influence operations reports" later this year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tiktok-details-its-plan-to-counter-election-misinformation-in-2024-150040486.html?src=rss

Black holes are one of the most powerful forces in the universe, but we had never seen one until the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) team released the first image back in 2019. Now, the EHT Collaboration has released the most detailed image yet of the same M87 black hole, created with the aid of an additional telescope and independent data from 2018, that better displays the insane physics behind these supermassive objects.The first image was captured in 2017 (it takes a long time to process the data) using eight high-altitude telescopes from locations including Chile and Antarctica. The complex technique required the synchronization of atomic clocks, use of the Earth's rotation and processing of petabytes of RAW telescope data. The result was slightly fuzzy, but clearly showed the expected "donut" with the black hole at the center and accretion disk made of matter inhaled from nearby stars.However, the EHT collaboration captured another image a year later using an additional telescope in Greenland. That "significantly" improved the image fidelity, particularly in the north-south direction, according to the EHT. One of the original platforms, The Large Millimeter Telescope, also gained sensitivity by using its full 50 meter surface for the first time. The teams also introduced new data analysis techniques that boosted accuracy.The result is a sharper and brighter image that also clearly shows the Doppler/Einstein effects that cause a black hole to appear to be brighter on one side. That bright spot actually shifted to the right between the capture of the two images."The biggest change, that the brightness peak shifted around the ring, is actually something we predicted when we published the first results in 2019," said Dr. Britt Jeter from Taiwan's ASIAA. "While general relativity says the ring size should stay pretty fixed, the emission from the turbulent, messy accretion disk around the black hole will cause the brightest part of the ring to wobble around a common center. The amount of wobble we see over time is something we can use to test our theories for the magnetic field and plasma environment around the black hole."The new image also shows that the science behind the image technique is sound and reproduceable. "Confirmation of the ring in a completely new data set is a huge milestone for our collaboration and a strong indication that we are looking at a black hole shadow and the material orbiting around it," said Dr. Keiichi Asada from ASIAA.The EHT Collaboration will continue to advance the science with new observations set for the first half of 2024. At that time, scientists hope to capture multiple images to create the first "video" of a black hole to show its chaotic movements. As before, it could take several years (and the participation of many scientists) to get the final result.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/scientists-extract-the-sharpest-image-of-a-black-hole-yet-131003088.html?src=rss

Samsung's big Unpacked event yesterday unashamedly focused on the company's annual flagship phone refresh. No smart speakers, no tablets, no wearables (pretty much...) just three more phones, each with entirely different unique features. Just kidding: It's mostly just changes to cameras and screen size. Same as it's been since the Galaxy S20.While introducing the Galaxy S24, S24+ and S24 Ultra, the company wheeled out streamer and YouTuber Pokimane to cheerlead the even brighter screens, while MrBeast - who Samsung couldn't afford to have there in person? - showcased some of the camera tricks and specs of the flagship S24 Ultra.However, beyond the predictable spec bumps, Samsung went to town on AI features this year. And they're intriguing, inching beyond what Google's been doing on its Pixel series for years.SamsungSure, there are photography-augmenting features, with the S24 sniffing out unwanted reflections and shadows, but now generative AI will power auto-fill features, extending the background of shots to help recompose wonky photos. With video, a new feature will use AI to generate more frames to create slow-mo clips not actually captured in slow motion.Samsung's added AI smarts beyond the camera too, with new features for search, translations, note creation and message composition. New transcription tricks, when you record meetings and other conversations, mean S24 will split audio recordings into separate people talking and reformat it on the fly. You can even share selected parts or get the smartphone to summarize meetings and notes for you. I'm intrigued to see what my smartphone thinks is important during my weekly catchups with the Engadget team.I'll dig into the specs for the new flagship S24 below (it's a Samsung-heavy TMA), but this year, it's really about the software. And the good news is that many of these features will make their way to selected older Galaxy devices later this year.- Mat SmithYou can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!The biggest stories you might have missedSony is making an Until Dawn movieGalaxy S24 and S24 Plus hands-onHow to pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S24 UltraAlphabet's Wing shows off a larger delivery droneSamsung Galaxy S24 Ultra hands-onTitanium phones for power users.EngadgetThe $1,300 Galaxy S24 Ultra is Samsung's biggest AI bet yet. Sure, the hardware design doesn't appear to have changed much, but there's now a titanium frame (available in colors beyond monochrome shades, Apple), ensuring the biggest flagship should feel lighter and easier to wield than previous iterations. The S24 Ultra's telephoto camera is now based on a 50-megapixel sensor (up from 10MP on the S23 Ultra) with a 5x optical zoom. If you're obsessed with specs, you might recall the S23 Ultra packed a 10x optical zoom. The company apparently chose this tweak based on customer feedback and use patterns, which saw 5x as the most frequently used zoom mode. We've got first impressions right here.Continue reading.Samsung announces the Galaxy RingLook, don't touch.SamsungNear the end of its Unpacked event, Samsung started talking about its health-focused software, Samsung Health, and those watching the show fought to maintain concentration. Then, Samsung teased a new tinier piece of health-focused hardware, the Galaxy Ring. It'll have lots of sensors and hooks into the Health software suite. But that's all we know.But if Samsung's getting involved with smart rings, all we can say is: Watch out, Oura.Continue reading.Google admits it could collect data in Chrome's Incognito modeThe company updated its disclaimer after settling a lawsuit.When you open an Incognito browser on Chrome, you'll see a notification warning that other people using your device won't be able to see your activity, but your downloads, bookmarks and reading items will still be saved. Now, Google has updated that disclaimer in Chrome's experimental Canary channel, shortly after agreeing to settle a $5 billion lawsuit accusing it of tracking Incognito users. The plaintiffs of the 2020 lawsuit argued that by tracking users on Incognito, Google was giving people the false belief that they could control the information they were willing to share. The new disclaimer in Canary says Incognito mode won't change how websites collect people's data.Continue reading.Sheryl Sandberg is leaving Meta's boardShe spent 14 years as COO and 12 as a board member.Sheryl Sandberg is leaving Meta's board of directors after 12 years, her last official role with the company. Sandberg spent 14 years as Meta's COO and Mark Zuckerberg's top lieutenant and 12 years on the company's board. Her role as a board member will officially end in May. In a post on Facebook, she said, This feels like the right time to step away," and she would continue to advise the company. Hey, at least she posted it on Facebook.Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-samsung-reveals-the-galaxy-s24-ultra-121629916.html?src=rss

When Apple announced the Vision Pro headset, it namedropped a number of streaming services with dedicated apps for the device, including Disney+, Max, Amazon Prime Video and Paramount+. It put a lot of focus on the headset's entertainment features and is most likely hoping that they could help convince tentative buyers to take the plunge. But one name was clearly missing from the list of streaming apps arriving on the platform, and it's the biggest one of them all: Netflix. Now, Bloomberg is reporting that Netflix currently has no plans to release a special application for the Vision Pro."Our members will be able to enjoy Netflix on the web browser on the Vision Pro, similar to how our members can enjoy Netflix on Macs," the company told Bloomberg's Mark Gurman in a statement. As Gurman notes, Vision Pro will be able to run iPad apps tweaked for the headset's visionOS in addition to applications especially designed for the platform. That means Netflix isn't even modifying its iPad app to run on the Vision Pro, and users will not be able to enjoy the features they use on mobile devices, such as offline viewing.In comparison, Disney+ has gone all in and is even giving users access to immersive environments, including one based on the Avengers Tower, that can serve as backdrops for its shows. Based on another Bloomberg report from 2023, Netflix really didn't have a plan to develop an application for the headset. It's unclear why that's the case, but the company may have chosen to wait and see whether the Vision Pro could achieve a certain level of popularity before dedicating resources towards developing an app for for it. The device could have a dedicated Netflix application in the future if that's the case, but early adopters would have to make do with watching the service's shows on a browser.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/netflix-wont-launch-an-app-for-the-apple-vision-pro-at-least-right-now-120520406.html?src=rss

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2024 has come and gone, leaving behind a series of new Galaxy devices. If you missed the event, we've got you covered: You can watch Samsung Galaxy Unpacked S24 in less than 10 minutes right now. Between new smartphones and a dive into AI - here's what you can expect to see.The event revealed three new smartphones that make up the Samsung Galaxy S24 series. There's the S24, starting at $799 for the 128GB model - plus, order it by January 25, and Samsung will throw in a free Watch 6. The Galaxy S24+ and Galaxy S24 Ultra start at $1,000 and $1,300, respectively, for their 256GB options. The entire S24 series comes equipped with the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor in the United States, providing the necessary power for the smartphones' AI features.The Galaxy S24 series uses Samsung's new Gauss Generative AI model. Galaxy AI, as the company refers to the overall system, allows for quite a few fresh features, including live two-way translations for phone calls. The system works right on the phone and doesn't require Wi-Fi or cellular connections. The same applies to Interpreter, an in-person translator, and Samsung Keyboard, which can translate messages across 13 languages. Speaking of messages, Android Auto can summarize any messages you receive while driving and suggest responses for you to approve with voice commands.Galaxy AI will also come into play for any photos you take using the S24 series. According to Samsung, it can help with image stabilization, digital zoom and content captured in low-light. Galaxy AI can also suggest photo edits and offers Generative Fill to change the background. However, the latter requires a network connection and will give the photo a watermark.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/watch-the-samsung-galaxy-unpacked-2024-event-in-under-10-minutes-110059576.html?src=rss

Last December the state of New Mexico sued Meta for failing to protect children, claiming that Facebook and Instagram algorithms recommended sexual content to minors. Now, an unredacted internal Meta presentation has been revealed, with the company's own employees estimating that 100,000 child users were harassed daily, The Wall Street Journal reported.According to a 2021 internal document, Facebook's "People You May Know" (PMYK) algorithm was singled out as a primary connector of children to predators. When employees reported those findings to Meta executives, they reportedly rejected recommendations that the algorithm be redesigned to stop recommending adults to minors.The feature was responsible for 75 percent of all inappropriate adult-minor contact, according to one employee. "How on earth have we not just turned off PYMK between adults and children?" another employee said. "It's really, really upsetting," added another.The issues were particularly insidious on Instagram, according to an internal 2020 memo, with "sex talk" 38 times more prevalent on that platform than Facebook Messenger in the US. In one case an Apple executive reported that his 12-year-old child was solicited on Instagram. "This is the kind of thing that pisses Apple off to the extend of threat[en]ing to remove us from the App Store," said an employee charged with addressing the issue.New Mexico claims that Meta has failed to address large-scale predation on its platform, particularly around recommendation algorithms. State investigators originally set up phony accounts for children, providing adult dates of birth, as kids often misstate their ages to access online services that they're not supposed to. Then, they implied that the accounts were being used by children, with one posting about a lost baby tooth and starting seventh grade. The suit alleged that, among other things, the accounts were sent child sex images and offers to pay for sex.The state further alleges that Meta leaders didn't take action to limit adult predation on minors until late 2022, and still stopped short of strict measure recommended by safety staff. Instead it, only attempted to block suggestions to adults who previously demonstrated suspicious behavior toward children. However, according to a Meta study, 99 percent of accounts disabled for grooming children failed to state their age.Meta recently introduced measures for teen users on Instagram and Facebook, including stopping non-followers from messaging them and blocking offensive comments. On top of the New Mexico complaint, Meta is facing lawsuits from 41 states complaining it harms the mental health of its youngest users. Another recently unsealed complaint filed by 33 states alleges that Meta "coveted and pursued" users under the age of 13 and has been dishonest about how it handles underage users' accounts when they're discovered.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/facebook-and-instagrams-algorithms-facilitated-child-sexual-harassment-state-lawsuit-claims-095314139.html?src=rss