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Today the US Senate unanimously passed proposed legislation known as COPPA 2.0. This measure, fully named the Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act, aims to create new protections for younger users online, such as blocking platforms from collecting their personal data without consent.COPPA 2.0 is a modernized take on the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998, attempting to address recent changes in common online activities, like targeted advertising, that could prove harmful to minors. Lawmakers have made several attempts to get this bipartisan bill through. While it has made varying amounts of headway in the Senate, none of the COPPA 2.0 bills to date have gotten past the House of Representatives.Industry groups such as NetChoice have previously opposed COPPA 2.0 and other measures around minors' online activity such as KOSA, the Kids Online Safety Act. NetChoice members include Google, YouTube, Meta, Reddit, Discord, TikTok and X. Google specifically has since changed its stance to support COPPA 2.0, however."This bill expands the current law protecting our kids online to ensure companies cannot collect personal information from anyone under the age of 17," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said in a statement about the latest result. "This is a big step forward for protecting our kids. We hope the House can join us. They haven't thus far."However, there has been a bigger push both domestically and internationally toward restrictions on when and how younger people engage online. Several states - Utah, California and Washington to name a few - have enacted laws requiring some level of age verification, either to access mature content online or to use social media apps at all. Many of these efforts have raised concerns about privacy regarding where and how people's personal information is stored and protected. COPPA 2.0 might wind up benefitting from the privacy debates since it emphasizes giving teens and parents ways to protect themselves from having their data used against them rather than asking adults to give up data in order to use the internet as usual.Update, March 6 2026, 11:38AM ET: Article updated with additional context on Google.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/coppa-20-passes-the-senate-again-unanimously-this-time-215044656.html?src=rss

Capcom revealed during its March 5 Spotlight showcase that Pragmata, its repeatedly delayed dystopian sci-fi adventure game, will release on April 17 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC via Steam. The game had been set for April 24 since its appearance at The Game Awards in December.The game's new trailer shows previously unseen locations and gameplay moments, and new elements within the Shelter, the in-game lunar base. Pragmata was first revealed in 2020 with a 2022 release window. Capcom then delayed it to 2023, then went radio silent on the project before resurfacing with a new 2026 date last year.A free Sketchbook demo is available now on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, Nintendo eShop and Steam. Pre-orders for the game are available now.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/capcoms-long-delayed-pragmata-is-now-arriving-a-week-earlier-160257053.html?src=rss

Life EV has completed a court-approved acquisition of Rad Power Bikes, granting a second life to the troubled e-bike brand.The Florida-based Life EV now owns Rad's brand, intellectual property, inventory and certain unspecified operating assets, and will continue to operate as Rad Power Bikes in the US, with plans to expand to "select key markets."Rad's new owner has committed to honoring certain warranties and gift cards purchased prior to the acquisition, and says new bikes will be built in the US going forward. Life EV will adopt a Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) structure for its manufacturing operations, allowing it to take advantage of special domestic customs procedures when sourcing parts from global suppliers."Rad Power Bikes has helped define the e-bike category in North America with its innovative products and passionate rider community," said Life EV CEO, Rob Provost. "Respecting and preserving that legacy - its brand, vision, and leadership - is foundational to this acquisition. Together, we will build on that trust and create new opportunities for riders nationwide."The completed acquisition marks the end of a turbulent period for Rad. Back in December, the company was forced to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warned Rad's customers to "immediately stop using" some of its e-bike batteries due to a serious fire hazard. At the time, Rad said it couldn't afford to recall the at-risk batteries.Less than two months later, in what can only be described as a strange twist of fate, a fire broke out at a Rad Power Bikes retail store warehouse in Huntington Beach, California. "We're working with local authorities to review a thermal incident that occurred at our Huntington Beach store Sunday evening," a Rad Power Bikes spokesperson told Engadget at the time. "The incident was contained and happened while the store was closed. The cause of the fire has not been confirmed."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/rad-power-bikes-gets-a-new-owner-pledge-to-build-bikes-in-the-us-144641940.html?src=rss

It's been a wild week for Apple. After announcing a slew of new hardware, the company capped things off with its cheapest laptop ever: the $599 MacBook Neo. It's low on specs, but high on character and value. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham dive into the MacBook Neo, as well as the refreshed MacBook Air M5, MacBook Pro M5 Pro/Max, iPad Air M4 and iPhone 17e.Also, Devindra chats with Spencer Ackerman, author of Forever Wars and recent Iron Man comics, about the ongoing battle between Anthropic and the Department of Defense. It turns out the DOD still used Claude for attacks on Iran, after banning Anthropic'/s AI last week. And really, what do these AI companies expect to happen when they jump at military contracts?Subscribe!

Right off the back of the iPhone 17e, new iPads and MacBook Airs, Apple also announced a keenly priced new laptop. The MacBook Neo is a multi-colored low-cost Mac ($599), running on an iPhone chipset with most but not all of the hardware features you find on the MacBook Air and Pro. All models of the MacBook Neo ship with an extremely scant 8GB of RAM, which might be the main productivity bottleneck for demanding tasks.The Neo has a 13-inch Retina display, a 1080p webcam, two USB-C ports, a headphone jack and optional Touch ID, if you're willing to pay a little more. A lot has been said about whether this is Apple marching to the beat of its own drum again, in a year of RAM shortages and AI obsessions. This is a direct attack on cheap Windows laptops and underperforming Chromebooks. Tempted? Check out our initial impressions from Apple's event earlier this week, right here. Oh, and for everything Apple announced - we've pulled all the news together here.- Mat SmithThe other big stories this week

The UK government is working on a controversial data bill that would allow AI companies like Google and OpenAI to train their models on copyrighted materials without consent. However, following a two month consultation, it looks like passage of the law will be delayed. "Copyright is going to be kicked down the road," a person with knowledge of the matter told The Financial Times.Responses by stakeholders during the consultation period weren't favorable to any of the government's proposed ideas for use of copyrighted materials, the FT's sources said. There's no expectation now that an AI bill will be part of the King's Speech set for May this year.As a result, Ministers have decided to go back to the drawing board and spend more time exploring other options. The House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee called on the government to develop a licensing-first regime "underpinned by robust transparency that safeguards creators' livelihoods while supporting sustainable AI growth."The UK parliament's preferred position on the bill (also argued by tech giants like Google) has been that copyright holders need to formally opt-out if they don't want their materials used to train AI models. However, publishers, filmmakers, musicians and others have said that this would be impractical and an existential threat to the UK's creative industries.The House of Lords took the side of artists and introduced an amendment that would require tech companies to disclose which copyright-protected works were used to train AI models. That addition, however, was blocked by the UK's House of Commons in May last year.The UK's majority Labour government - already under fire for its handling of the economy - has taken hits from publishers, musicians, authors and other creative groups over the proposed law. Elton John called the government "absolute losers" while Paul McCartney said that AI has its uses but "it shouldn't rip creative people off." McCartney and others artists were part of a "silent album" meant to show the impact of IP theft by AI.Baroness Beeban Kidron from the House of Lords has also ripped the government over the AI bill. "Creators do not deny the creative and economic value of AI, but we do deny the assertion that we should have to build AI for free with our work, and then rent it back from those who stole it," she said last year. "It's astonishing that a Labour government would abandon the labor force of an entire section."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/uk-government-delays-ai-copyright-rules-amid-artist-outcry-113937154.html?src=rss

In a new blog post, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has admitted that it received a letter from the Defense Department, officially labeling it a supply chain risk. He said he doesn't believe this action is legally sound," and that his company sees no choice" but to challenge it in court. Hours before Amodei published the post, the Pentagon announced that it notified the company that its products are deemed a supply chain risk, effective immediately."If you'll recall, the Defense Department (called the Department of War under the current administration) threatened to give the company the designation typically reserved for firms from adversaries like China if it didn't agree to remove its safeguards over mass surveillance and autonomous weapons. President Trump then ordered federal agencies to stop using Anthropic's tech.Amodei explained that the designation has a narrow scope, because it only exists to protect the government. That is why the general public, and even Defense Department contractors, can still use Anthropic's Claude chatbot and its AI technologies. Microsoft told CNBC that it will continue using Claude after its lawyers had concluded that it can keep on working with Anthropic on non-defense related projects.The CEO has also admitted that his company had productive conversations" with the department over the past few days. He said that they were looking at ways to serve the Pentagon that adheres to its two exceptions, namely that its technology not be used for mass surveillance and the development of fully autonomous weapons, and at ways to ensure a smooth transition if that is not possible." That confirms reports that Anthropic is back in talks with the agency in an effort to reach a new deal. In addition, he apologized for a leaked internal memo, wherein he reportedly said that OpenAI's messaging about its own deal with the department is just straight up lies."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/anthropic-says-it-will-challenge-defense-departments-supply-chain-risk-designation-in-court-054459618.html?src=rss

Amazon's website appears to be stabilizing after experiencing technical issues that kept users from logging in and prevented prices from displaying correctly. DownDetector reported a spike of outage reports around 2PM ET, but as of 5:56PM ET, user complaints have fallen significantly.The Amazon.com homepage currently loads, and Engadgets staff have been able to load product pages and view prices without any problems. During the peak of the site's issues, neither were loading consistently, and clicking through in some cases showed an error page with text that says "Sorry, something went wrong on our end." Users also reported being unable to log into their accounts.We're sorry that some customers may be experiencing issues while shopping," Amazon said in a statement to Engadget. We appreciate customers' patience as we work to resolve the issue." The company shared a similar sentiment with customers on X, confirming that it's aware there's a problem and acknowledging that its working on a fix. Amazon has yet to confirm whether the issue is fully resolved.As a cloud provider through its Amazon Web Services (AWS) business, Amazon has experienced its fair share of outages, including one in October 2025 that took out services like Snapchat and Amazon's own Alexa voice assistant for hours. The company's website experiencing issues without a larger AWS outage seems a bit more unusual, and might suggest the problem lies outside of its cloud infrastructure.

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma is gearing up to spill the beans on Microsoft's next-generation console. In a post on X today, she revealed that the system is codenamed Project Helix." Confirming previous rumors, she says it will lead in performance" and play both console and PC games. Sharma also notes that she'll be discussing the system at GDC next week with partners and developers.The next-gen console tease follows Sharma's appointment as Xbox CEO a few weeks ago, after former Xbox head Phil Spencer stepped down. Last year, it was clear that things were rocky for Microsoft's storied gaming brand, and the executive shakeup certainly didn't help much. But it'll be interesting to hear more details about Project Helix at GDC - is it simply a PC masquerading as a console? What sort of performance benchmarks is Microsoft trying to reach, and will we get any hints about hardware?For the first time, in a long time, there's something intriguing happening in the land of Xbox. Much like the first Xbox, Microsoft could end up cutting this generation short to quickly prep a successor. And if the rumors about a PlayStation 6 delay end up being true, it could give Microsoft a few years with new hardware ahead of Sony.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/xbox-ceo-confirms-next-gen-project-helix-console-will-play-pc-games-204654357.html?src=rss

It feels like we could all use a little (or a large) boost of joy and optimism right now, so it's a perfect coincidence that a Games Done Quick event is on the horizon. Frost Fatales 2026 is running from March 8 through March 14. This week-long livestream will be raising money for the National Women's Law Center, a nonprofit working toward gender justice for women and girls.GDQ events have been branching out with more ways to tune in for the speedrunning fun. Frost Fatales 2026 will be a streaming on the GDQ Twitch channel as usual, but the organization is also now broadcasting on YouTube, and you can watch the live feed there next week as well. Each day's pre-show kicks off at 12:30PM ET.Frost Fatales is the winter charity event from the Frame Fatales, a community for women and femmes in speedrunning that operates under the GDQ banner. The group has raised more than $1 million for philanthropic organizations since its first event in 2019.The schedule for next week has a mix of speedrun standards (think Super Mario 64 and Super Metroid) alongside and newer releases, plus some more offbeat categories that promise to be a highly entertaining watch. The event kicks off on Sunday with western flair in Red Dead Redemption 2. Horror fans have a good selection on Tuesday night with Silent Hill f, Resident Evil 3 (2020) and Resident Evil Village. The Kirby Air Riders run on Friday night will highlight a bunch of community members for max wholesome vibes. Peak, a notable new game from 2025, is already getting speedruns, which you can watch Saturday afternoon before a bingo race of recent indie hit UFO 50 in the evening and the final run of Titanfall 2 to close the event. Fatales events aren't a 24/7 affair like Awesome and Summer Games Done Quick, so be sure to check the schedule for all the highlights.Or, if you simply can't wait until Sunday to dive into some great speedruns, Games Done Quick recently launched GDQ TV. This dedicated Twitch channel is always on and highlights some notable moments and runs from the entirety of the GDQ archive.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/how-to-watch-frost-fatales-2026-kicking-off-on-march-8-201826864.html?src=rss

If your Playdate wishlist is anything like mine (endless), here's a good excuse to actually go ahead and free some of those games from limbo: Panic is running a two-week-long sale on the Playdate Catalog to celebrate its three-year anniversary. Sure, the majority of Playdate games are pretty cheap as is, but they can still add up when you're on a wild purchasing spree. Ask me how I know! The sale will be running from March 5 until March 19 at 1PM ET (10AM PT), so take advantage of the discounts while you can.There are 423 games available in the Catalog now, according to Panic, so if you're having trouble deciding on which you should go for, I've got you covered with a few recommendations right here.Season TwoIf $39 felt like too much to drop on Season Two when it came out last summer, now's the time to get it. Playdate's second season had only half the number of games as its first, but it still felt like a much stronger collection. Each of its 12 games is really solid, and there's plenty of variety in terms of genre and style, from puzzles and hours-long adventures to fast-paced action games that are great for bursts of intense play. And, it comes with Blippo+ - an oddball cable TV simulator that's unlike anything out there right now.All of these games are worth playing, but there were definitely some standouts from the bunch: The Whiteout, a post-apocalyptic adventure that'll surely hit even harder now considering the winter we've had; the puzzle platformer Taria & Como; the arcade action game Fulcrum Defender; the climbing adventure, Tiny Turnip. I also really enjoyed Dig! Dig! Dino! for something on the chiller side.Outside PartiesI have not been able to shut up about this game since it came out. It's unique, it's creepy, it's completely engrossing and it really pushes the limits of what the Playdate can do. Outside Parties is a horror scavenger hunt, presenting you with one massive picture to scrutinize and find hidden scenes within, using the crank to adjust the brightness constantly so you can find anything that may be buried in shadow. As you find these targets, more and more of the game's story comes to light through eerie audio clips. It is such a cool experience and the atmosphere of it all is incredible. You'll get many hours of playtime out of this one too, with over 150 targets to find and lots of lore to uncover.CrankstoneA full-blown western for the Playdate! Crankstone is a gallery shooter with minigames mixed throughout, and between the aesthetic, the music and the activities, it's a lot of fun. You can choose the story mode to get right into the shooting and defending the town from outlaws, or head to the saloon to pick from the handful of mini games individually, including some fast-paced "spot the correct card" deck shuffling games and a few mimicry games involving the crank. It's like a wild west theme park crammed into the Playdate, which is to say, it's wonderful.Echo: The Oracle's ScrollThis is one of my all-time favorite Playdate games. Echo: The Oracle's Scroll is a metroidvania without the usual combat, focusing entirely on exploration and puzzle-solving in a vast network of subterranean kingdoms. In this game, the Blight has forced civilization underground, and you play as a child who has been sent on a mission to deliver a scroll from the bottom-most territory, where the humans live, up to The Archives.There are all sorts of treacherous environments underground, including magma lakes and areas filled with hostile vegetation, making for what is at times a challenging platformer that requires lots of creativity to make your way through. The tone is a bit somber, but quirky characters - like a frog prince with a bouncy belly - keep things from getting too dark.Carte BlancheThis one's for lovers of classic card games. There are six games in this virtual card game parlor (which is run by a bird named Blanche): Cribbage, Gin Rummy, Spades, Cassino and Spite & Malice. It's great for if you already know what you're doing, but I found Carte Blanche to be a really good introduction to these games for absolute beginners too, thanks to the easy-to-follow tutorials. When you win games, you'll be rewarded with coins that you can spend at Blanche's slot machine, which is stocked with little trinkets she's collected.Other games to tryThese are just the games I've been enjoying lately, but there are tons of other Playdate games worth checking out during the sale, like these cheese games and Spilled Mushrooms. And if you need even more recommendations, take a look through our list of the best Playdate games, where you'll find gems like Summit and Bwirds. There are quite a few I'm planning to finally spring from my wishlist too, including The Shape That Waits, Xeno Escape and Loona Landa.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-playdate-catalogs-3-year-anniversary-sale-is-here-181500105.html?src=rss

Epic Games' courtroom battle with Google is over, but it's reportedly going to affect how its CEO can speak about the tech giant for years for years to come. According to The Verge, part of the settlement terms Epic had signed has a clause stating that Epic and Sweeney will have to speak positively about Google's competitiveness and app store operations going forward. Epic believes that the Google and Android platform, with the changes in this term sheet, are procompetitive and a model for app store / platform operations, and will make good faith efforts to advocate for the same," the clause reportedly reads.Further, The Verge says the settlement terms between the companies will expire five years after Google is done rolling out changes to its service fees. Since Google expects to finish implementing changes worldwide by September 30, 2027, Sweeney can't speak negatively about the app store until after September 30, 2032.Sweeney is one of the most vocal critic of how Apple and Google operate their app stores, which had led to several lawsuits between the companies. He once called both Apple and Google gangster-style businesses" that will always continue" to be engaged in illegal practices and just pay the fine afterwards. Epic Games filed a lawsuit against Google in 2020, accusing it of illegal monopoly on app distribution and in-app billing services for Android devices. In 2023, Google lost the lawsuit. It then lost its appeal two years later, before the companies reached a settlement in November 2025. On March 4 this year, Google officially scrapped the 30 percent cut it takes from Play Store transactions, lowering it to 20 percent and even to 15 percent in some cases.In response to the Google's decision, Epic Games is bringing back Fortnite to the Play Store worldwide. Google is opening up Android all the way with robust support for competing stores, competing payments, and a better deal for all developers. So, we've settled all of our disputes worldwide. THANKS GOOGLE!" Sweeney posted on X. Based on the clause in their settlement, future statements from the CEO about Google will need to carry a similar tone, in the next few years at least.Update, March 5 2026, 2:13PM ET: Epic reached out to Engadget to share an important clarification: Criticizing Google is fair game on topics not related to app store distribution/ fees," the company wrote on X, Epic and Google agreed to not disparage only on topics about the settlement." We've updated the copy of our story to reflect the specificity of the non-disparagement agreement, and look forward to the ways in which Epic will certainly exercise its remaining capacity to be critical of Google.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/google-reportedly-muzzles-epic-games-ceo-tim-sweeney-until-2032-105501644.html?src=rss

Who needs Half-Life 3 or Beyond Good & Evil 2? Roku, in an attempt to gamify content discovery on its platform, has cooked up a gaming announcement for the ages. Behold: Roklue. Yes, that's a real name that someone with a job title and (likely high) salary came up with.Roklue (shudder) will quiz players on "the movies and TV shows that everyone is talking about," along with classic "beloved favorites." When it references a movie or show, it will provide a link for you to tune in on your device. The initial version is an Oscar season tie-in ("Roklue: Awards Season") that debuts on Saturday. This inaugural version is produced by B17 Entertainment, a Sony-owned company.Roku says it will rotate thematic content throughout the year. Variety reports that those will center around music festivals, the Emmys and holidays.Apart from that name, which should come with a gag-reflex warning, Roklue sounds harmless enough. You play a trivia game to find new stuff to stream; Roku grows its engagement. Win-win. But with corporate schemes like this, it's always worth wondering where further monetization might eventually come into play. Think something like linking to series on platforms you don't yet subscribe to. (Hello, kickback.)On March 7, you'll find the free Roklue (ick) game on your Roku home screen, no download required.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/roku-is-launching-a-trivia-game-called-roklue-190000386.html?src=rss

Netflix has acquired an AI filmmaking startup called InterPositive, according to a report by Variety. This is a company that was founded by actor Ben Affleck back in 2022. Don't worry if you haven't heard of it. Affleck has been operating the company in stealth mode for the past few years, so this is pretty much it's big coming-out party.The terms of the acquisition haven't been disclosed, but Affleck will remain on as a senior advisor to Netflix. Additionally, the entire staff will be absorbed into the streaming platform.Affleck says he started the company after "observing the early rise of AI in production" and realizing how the "models came up short." The company makes tools that generate AI models based on an existing production's dailies. This lets filmmakers use the model in the post-production process to do stuff like mix and color, relight shots and add visual effects.Affleck adds that this tech is "not about text-prompting or generating something from nothing." Netflix says the company will keep "filmmakers at the center of the process." The company recently used generative AI tools to whip up a VFX shot in a show called The Eternaut. It's also been using AI to make ads more intrusive. We'll have to wait and see if creators do indeed remain at the center of things. Netflix will offer access to InterPositive's tech to creative partners but has no plans to sell it commercially.To Affleck's credit, he seems to have a nuanced understanding of modern AI tools. "We also need to preserve what makes storytelling human, which is judgment," he said. "The kind that takes decades to build, experience to hone and that only people can have. I knew I had a responsibility to my peers and our industry, to protect the power of human creativity and the people behind it." However, it's worth reiterating that the company is no longer in Affleck's hands, as he is now just an advisor.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/netflix-just-bought-an-ai-startup-founded-by-ben-affleck-184536640.html?src=rss

Meta is facing a class action lawsuit for false advertising related to its AI glasses following reports about the company's use of human contractors to review footage captured from users' glasses. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in federal court in San Francisco, alleges that Meta's claims about the devices' privacy features have misled users.The lawsuit comes after a Swedish newspaper reported that subcontractors in Kenya have raised concerns about viewing footage recorded via Ray-Ban Meta glasses. According to Svenska Dagbladet, workers have reported witnessing "intimate" material, including bathroom visits, sexual encounters and other private details as part of their job labeling objects in videos captured on users' smart glasses."This nationwide class action seeks to hold Meta responsible for its affirmatively false advertising and failure to disclose the true nature of surveillance and its connection to the company's AI data collection pipeline," the lawsuit, filed by Clarkson Law Firm, states. The filing names two individuals who live in California and New Jersey who purchased Meta's smart glasses. It says that both "relied" on Meta's marketing claims about the glasses' privacy protecting features and that they would not have purchased them if they knew about the company's use of contractors. The lawsuit seeks monetary damages and injunctive relief.A spokesperson for Meta confirmed to Engadget that data from its smart glasses can be shared with human contractors in some cases. The company declined to comment on the claims in the lawsuit."Ray-Ban Meta glasses help you use AI, hands free, to answer questions about the world around you," the spokesperson said. "Unless users choose to share media they've captured with Meta or others, that media stays on the user's device. When people share content with Meta AI, we sometimes use contractors to review this data for the purpose of improving people's experience, as many other companies do. We take steps to filter this data to protect people's privacy and to help prevent identifying information from being reviewed."What the company doesn't explicitly say there is that there is no way to use the smart glasses' "multimodal" features without sharing the captures of your surroundings with the company. As I noted in my review of the second-generation Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses last year: "images of your surroundings processed for the glasses' multimodal features like Live AI can be used for training purposes (these images aren't saved to your device's camera roll)."So while Meta claims that users' own recordings are kept private, footage that is captured but not stored locally for users - like video when Live AI is in use - can be sent to contractors who help train the company's AI models. Meta's privacy policy doesn't specifically mention the use of human contractors, though it states that such data can be used for training purposes."The undisclosed human review pipeline renders the Meta AI Glasses' privacy features materially misleading, transforms the product from a personal device into a surveillance conduit, and exposes consumers to unreasonable risks of dignitary harm, emotional distress, stalking, extortion, identity theft, and reputational injury," the lawsuit says. "Indeed, Meta employees and contractors have described viewing credit card numbers, nudity, sexual activity, and identifiable faces in the footage they reviewed, and reported that Meta's purported anonymization safeguards do not reliably function."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-hit-with-a-class-action-lawsuit-over-smart-glasses-privacy-claims-182846817.html?src=rss

OpenAI is releasing a new model today, and like GPT-5.2 before it, GPT-5.4 is all about professional work. OpenAI is calling GPT-5.4 its most capable frontier model for tasks like coding and data analysis. OpenAI claims the new model produced presentations with stronger, more varied aesthetics and made more effective use of its image generation tools.It's also the first model from OpenAI built with native computer-use capabilities, making it better at carrying out tasks across several apps at the same time. When it comes to computer use, one noticeable improvement OpenAI has recorded is the way GPT-5.4 issues mouse and keyboard commands. It's significantly better at navigating a desktop environment than its predecessor.When users turn to GPT-5.4 in ChatGPT, where it will now be the default model for the chatbot's Thinking mode, the system will outline how it plans to tackle a request, giving people the opportunity to tell it to adjust course as it's generating a response. At the same time, the new model offers better web research capabilities, especially when it comes to "highly specific" queries, according to OpenAI."Together, these improvements mean higher-quality answers that arrive faster and stay relevant to the task at hand," the company states. Separately, OpenAI claims GPT-5.4 is its most factual model yet, noting, relative to GPT-5.2, it's 18 percent less likely to generate a response with any errors. Here's hoping it knows not to turn to Grokipedia for information, something its predecessor was known to do.As mentioned, GPT-5.4 will be available in ChatGPT when users select the chatbot's Thinking mode, and as GPT-5.4 Pro from the model picker. As such, this isn't a release for Free and Go users - or even Plus subscribers, for that matter. It's more for enterprise customers, and developers who rely on the company's Codex app. On that note, for API customers, OpenAI claims GPT-5.4 is its most token efficient reasoning model to date, though those tokens will cost more than their GPT-5.2 counterparts. For instance, OpenAI is pricing one million input tokens at $2.50, up from $1.75 with GPT-5.2.The fact that OpenAI has increasingly shifted its strategy to focus on professionals shouldn't be surprising. When Microsoft announced last September it would add Anthropic's models to Copilot 365 (where previously it depended exclusively on OpenAI's systems), there were reports that suggested the company made the decision because it found Claude was better at tasks like generating spreadsheets and presentations. Reporting from The Information suggests OpenAI is generating about $25 billion in annualized revenue. However, the company is still far from being profitable, and with more than $1.4 trillion in data center commitments on the books, it's reliant on funding from investors to keep the lights on. Seen in that context, productivity represents a place where it might have a chance to build a sustainable business.

It might sound like the stuff of daydreams now, but once upon a time it was briefly the very real intention of Sony and Nintendo to collaborate on a console. Nicknamed the Nintendo PlayStation, the idea was that a new CD-ROM format backed by Sony would be added to the cartridge-based Super NES, resulting in a hybrid console that could play both.The partnership didn't last long, though, with Nintendo backing out before it ever really got off the ground, announcing that it would instead be working with Philips. Sony decided to make the PlayStation on its own instead, in an act of revenge that you have to say paid off in the long run, and we never did get to see Crash Bandicoot running around the Mushroom Kingdom. Still, the short-lived Nintendo PlayStation remains a fascinating what-if scenario in video game history, and the USA's National Video Museum has acquired the original development kit.

Google is living up to its word and posting warning labels for battery-killing apps. 9to5Google spotted Google's rollout announcement, which the company previously said would arrive on March 1.The label says, This app may use more battery than expected due to high background activity." If you don't yet see the warnings, they may not have reached you yet. Google says the banners will "roll out gradually to impacted apps" in the coming weeks.Play Store battery warningGoogleWarning labels aren't the only stick in Google's fight against infringing apps. They may also be excluded from discovery services like Play Store recommendations.Google's definition of battery-draining apps centers around Android's "partial wake lock" mechanism. This service allows an app to keep the phone's processor running even while the screen is off. There are logical exceptions where apps do need this: audio playback, location access, etc. But the company apparently sees too many abusing that API for other reasons. And Google wouldn't want people to assume the problem is with the hardware and switch to an iPhone - because then we're talking about money.If you're a developer, Google's technical documentation offers much more detail. For everyone else, keep an eye out for those Play Store labels and consider steering clear of those apps until their devs clean things up.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/google-begins-calling-out-battery-killing-android-apps-170650936.html?src=rss

Google has pledged "at least" $50 million through 2030 on "projects designed to eliminate superpollutants." The company will be joined by a handful of other companies including Amazon and Salesforce in the newly formed Superpollutant Action Initiative.In total, these companies have committed $100 million to the project, hoping to "accelerate the reduction" of superpollutants like methane, black carbon and refrigerant gases. Google says these are responsible for close to half of all planetary warming."Superpollutants are a major part of the equation to limit atmospheric warming. Experts agree that eliminating them where we can is one of the most powerful levers we have to deliver near-term impact, playing a vital and complementary role to removing CO2," said Randy Spock, Google's carbon credits and removals lead. The gases break down faster than CO2 but can trap heat thousands of times more efficiently, and the coalition claims that aggressive action could prevent more than half a degree Celsius of warming by 2050.Alphabet, Google's parent company, reported $132 billion in net income in 2025. Google's five-year, $50 million pledge works out to about three hours of that. The company is also set to spend billions building massive data centers for AI that it claims are more resource conscious than others. So far, Google's AI infrastructure buildout drove an 11 percent rise in the company's total emissions last year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-pledges-roughly-three-hours-of-its-annual-profit-to-fight-climate-change-164808010.html?src=rss

The Canadian government says that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has agreed to take steps to immediately strengthen safety protocols, according to a report by Wall Street Journal. This follows a mass shooting incident at a high school in which OpenAI flagged the suspect and suspended his account, but did not alert authorities.These changes look to primarily involve law enforcement, with commitments to notify police about potentially suspicious use of ChatGPT. We don't have any confirmation from the company at this time, but Canada's Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon says he "asked OpenAI to take several actions, which Altman has agreed to do."

Smart ring maker Oura has acquired Doublepoint, a company that specializes in gesture recognition for wearables. The Finnish startup uses smartwatches and wristbands as examples of products that benefit from its technology, but Oura will clearly be looking to incorporate it into its rings, in theory allowing you to control your connected devices with hand movements.Oura said in a press release that the deal sees it inherit an "exceptional team of AI architects and builders from Doublepoint," including Doublepoint's four founders. The newly-acquired company will remain in its native Helsinki, where it will work with Oura's international teams.It added that Doublepoint's expertise in helping devices register subtle hand movements will be key, as nobody wearing a smart ring is going to engage with gesture control if they have to thrash their hand around like a conductor.Oura says it believes that the next generation of wearable AI-powered tech will use a combination of gesture and voice control, and Doublepoint's background in biometric integration with devices will give it an edge in a competitive market.Oura's most recent release is the Oura Ring 4, which Engadget's Daniel Cooper called "the smart ring to beat" in his long-term review last year. He praised the design, improved data collection and app interface, but was disappointed that even using basic hardware features requires a paid subscription.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/oura-buys-gesture-navigation-startup-doublepoint-163758659.html?src=rss

We've known Apple would follow up its blockbuster film F1: The Movie with live coverage of F1 races in 2026. Now that we're approaching the first grand prix weekend of the year, the company has provided details on what fans can expect to see inside the Apple TV app and beyond.There's already a dedicated F1 channel in the Apple TV app, which is where you'll stream races live when the time comes. You can also watch practice sessions, sprint races and both pre- and post-race coverage. Apple offers a number of additional F1 videos there (I'd recommend watching the one on the new rules) and you'll be able to stream the latest season of Drive To Survive on Apple TV as well.Apple will offer the F1 TV feed as the main broadcast alongside the Sky Sports feed for all races. If you'll recall, ESPN used to show the Sky Sports feed with Sky's commentary team for its coverage of F1. Apple says it'll broadcast every grand prix in 4K (Dolby Vision) with 5.1 audio (no mention of Dolby Atmos).As part of Apple's deal with F1, Apple TV subscribers get F1 TV Premium for the 2026 season. This gives you access to things like onboard cameras, team radios and live telemetry in addition to live coverage of the entire grand prix weekend. So, you can watch races on Apple TV or F1 TV, depending on your app preferences, or use the additional features of F1 TV Premium as a second (or third, etc.) screen setup. Netflix will also broadcast the Canadian Grand Prix in May as part of the deal that brought Drive To Survive to Apple TV.Multi-view for F1 on Apple TVAppleFull replays for all sessions will be available in the Apple TV app as well. Apple will offer a condensed race in 30 minutes replay option too, and the company says it's working to hide spoilers in case users are watching after the race begins or concludes.Apple has cooked up some new features for F1 grands prix as it takes over broadcast rights in the US. When you click on the F1 channel in the Apple TV app, the current grand prix week's content is up top and you have the option to follow F1 so that you get notifications about the various events. Apple will provide a Driver Tracker, Driver Data and dedicated feeds for P1, P2 and P3. You can also watch the driver onboard cameras for each car in the Apple TV app. So, you don't necessarily have to venture out to F1 TV for those things.Apple will provide various Multiview options so you can put the main broadcast next to driver cams and race data. The company will offer some preset configurations, but you can make your own Multiview mix too. If you like Mercedes, for example, you can watch the main feed with driver cameras from Russell and Antonelli right beside it. Apple says Multiview will support up to five feeds at once (one main in the middle with two smaller ones on each side).The Formula 1 channel on Apple TVBilly Steele for EngadgetIf you can only listen to races, you can hear live coverage and commentary in Apple Music through a dedicated radio streaming channel. There are also updated features for Apple News, Apple Sports and Apple Maps, the latter of which will have detailed info for fans attending in-person so they can hopefully avoid any surprises - like road closures - on race day.The first race of the season is in Australia (March 6-8). Practice begins Friday with qualifying on Saturday and the grand prix on Sunday. Or if you live in the US, that will be Thursday night through Saturday night (race begins at 11PM ET).This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/everything-you-need-to-know-about-streaming-f1-on-apple-tv-190600771.html?src=rss

You'd be forgiven for thinking that the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra looks a lot like the last four models. That's because it does, right down to its general design and rear camera layout. But on Samsung's latest flagship phone, some stealthy upgrades are hidden beneath its classic blocky silhouette that might go unnoticed by the casual observer. Those help make this year's release feel like a better deal than its most recent predecessor. It remains rather expensive, starting at the same $1,300 as before, but considering the price of RAM these days, that almost feels like a blessing. So while it won't hit you over the head with monumental changes year over year, it's subtly one of the best Ultras we've gotten in the past half-decade.Design: Back to aluminumAfter dabbling with titanium frames on the last two Ultras, Samsung returned to aluminum for 2026. The company says this makes it easier to color-match the phone's chassis to the Corning Gorilla Armor 2 panels on the front and back, though it's incredibly difficult to see the impact on my black review unit. Elsewhere, the company shaved a few grams off its total weight and a few millimeters off its thickness (7.9mm and 214 grams), but even when directly comparing the new model to last year's S25 Ultra (8.2mm and 218 grams), that difference is basically imperceptible. I almost think the S26 Ultra's extra sleekness was just so that people would stop saying the Z Fold 7 is lighter than Samsung's most premium traditional candybar-style handset.As always, there's a built-in storage slot for Samsung's S-Pen, which is essentially a carbon copy of what we got last year without any functional changes. However, because the phone's corners are more rounded than ever, one small peculiarity is that now there's a right and wrong way to insert it. No matter what you do, the stylus will stay put, but if you don't align the curve on the end of the S-Pen with the shape of the phone's corner, it just doesn't look right.Display: Now with more privacy The Galaxy S26 Ultra's display has the same specs as the previous model, except now it comes with a built-in Privacy Display. Sam Rutherford for Engadget The S26 Ultra's 6.9-inch screen is easily its most undercover upgrade because it sports essentially the same specs as last year. You still get 2,600 nits of peak brightness with a variable 120Hz refresh rate and a max resolution of 3,120 x 1,440. The secret is that with the touch of a button, you can activate Samsung's Privacy Display, which effectively stops others from spying on your screen when viewed from acute angles (both from the side and up and down).When you turn the Privacy Display on and look at the phone less than head-on, everything sort of fades to black. Depending on the angle, you may still see an outline of UI elements and some bright spots depending on your content, but the wider you go, the fainter things get. The way it works is that the phone has two sets of subpixels, narrow and wide, the latter of which get turned off when the feature is active. And if you're really concerned about people snooping on you, there's an extra level called Maximum Privacy Protection that makes almost everything completely go gray, though there are trade-offs for this. Even on maximum protection, you can still make out some faint details. But good luck to anyone trying to glean any usable info while the Galaxy S26 Ultra's Privacy Display is on. Sam Rutherford for Engadget When using the standard Privacy Display mode, there's very little impact on image quality and brightness, so it's not that big of a deal to leave it on all the time. If you look closely, you may notice what appears to be a small drop in resolution, though this requires some serious pixel peeping and good eyesight. But with maximum protection on, there's a noticeable drop in contrast and luminance that, for me, isn't worth the increased privacy. The effect is more pronounced in person, but in this side-by-side comparison, you can still see how Maximum Protection mode has an impact on the S26 Ultra's contrast and color saturation. Sam Rutherford for Engadget Thankfully, there's a third option, which is to have the phone selectively activate Privacy Display under certain conditions. You can have it automatically turn on when you get notifications or open selected apps (like for banking or authenticators), which is what I prefer. The phone can also enable the feature when you need to enter a PIN, pattern or password. The caveat is that this only applies to system-level prompts like your lock screen. Theoretically, there's no reason the S26 Ultra can't do this anytime you're presented with a password or PIN prompt, but every app needs to be optimized properly, so that isn't a thing just yet. Regardless, it's a powerful tool that can prevent people from gleaning sensitive info while you're and about and I really hope it becomes standard inclusion on all premium phones going forward.Performance and software: More speed and AI Apparently this is what Samsung's AI thinks a Pikachu sticker should look should look like. Sam Rutherford for Engadget The main engine powering the S26 Ultra is Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip for Galaxy along with 12GB or 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage. Its biggest strength lies in its improved NPU, which is 39 percent more powerful than the previous generation, paving the way for improved AI-based features. That said, the rest of the processor provides some nice but not especially impressive gains in processing speed. Its CPU boasted 19 percent better performance while its GPU is around 24 percent beefier. In Geekbench 6, this translated to a multi-core score of 11,240 for its CPU (up from 9,828 on the S25 Ultra) and a GPU score of 25,403 (up from 19,863). Granted, it's not like its predecessor ever struggled with performance, but it's still worth noting that this is essentially as fast as an Android phone can get right now.Of course, as we progress deeper into the AI era, Samsung has come up with a boatload of new and improved AI-powered tools as well. The most useful of these is Photo Assist, which serves as a one-stop shop for all your editing and content creation needs. In addition to fixing things like reflections or deleting objects in an image, you can use natural language text prompts to generate completely new elements like hats for your pets or pretty much anything else you can think of. And if that's not enough, there's also Samsung's Creative Studio, which is a playground for making all sorts of fun digital art like wallpapers, stickers and greeting cards. The S26 Ultra's Now Nudge feature uses AI to find and suggest relevant photos when you use the Samsung Keyboard. Sam Rutherford for Engadget Elsewhere, there's also an improved document scanner and a call screener that's better at blocking spam and robocalls. All told, they're welcome upgrades and they work rather well. Samsung even borrowed an idea from Google's Magic Cue with its Now Nudge feature, which can surface relevant photos based on context anytime you're using the Samsung keyboard. Unfortunately, what's arguably the S26 Ultra's coolest new feature, Automated App Actions, isn't available for another week. But the bigger issue is that almost all of these features are things we've seen before on rival devices like the Pixel 10 Pro. While they're nice to have, it's gotten to the point where these tools are more like table stakes for high-end phones nowadays instead of being reasons you might want to upgrade.Cameras: The same sensors with some larger apertures While the S26 Ultra has the same sensors as before, Samsung gave it wider apertures for its main and 5x telephoto cameras. Sam Rutherford for Engadget While the sensors on the S26 Ultra haven't changed since the previous model, Samsung didn't completely forget about photo upgrades. Alongside its 10-megapixel 3x telephoto, 50MP ultra-wide and 12MP selfie cam, its 200MP main cam and 50MP 5x telephoto camera have larger apertures at f/1.4 and f/2.9, respectively (up from f/1.7 and f/3.4). So on top of already being able to take excellent photos during the day, the UItra's primary shooter is noticeably better at night.In a shot of some Transformers in a dimmed room, the S26 Ultra basically matched what I shot with a Pixel 10 Pro - aside from some minor differences in white balance. Details were sharp and Samsung's photo was less noisy, which is due in part to a change in the phone's image processing. But the most impressive example of the Ultra's improved picture quality was when I took a very challenging backlit shot of a Grogu doll, in which the S26 did a better job of exposing Baby Yoda's face compared to the P10 Pro. So even without new sensors, Samsung has managed to make an already great main camera just a bit better.Battery lifeThe Galaxy S26 Ultra features a 5,000mAh battery, just like what we got on the previous model. That means it's largely relying on power efficiency gains from its new chip for improved longevity, which it delivers, but it's not a major leap. On our local video rundown test, the S26 Ultra lasted 30 hours and three minutes, which is only about half an hour longer than before. That said, considering the only phones that have fared better were the OnePlus 15 and 15R, it's hard to be upset about its overall runtime.As for charging, the Ultra has gotten a big leap in speed (assuming you have compatible power adapters) compared to its less expensive siblings. When using a cable, it now supports up to 60 watts versus 45 watts for the S26+ or just 25 watts for the base S26. And it's a similar story when charging wirelessly, with the Ultra now capable of hitting 25 watts when plopped on a pad compared to 20 watts for the S26+ and 15 watts for the S26. The S26 Ultra has significantly faster wired and wireless charging than its less expensive siblings. Though sadly, it still doesn't have a built-in ring for magnetic accessories. Sam Rutherford for Engadget The major annoyance is that Samsung still hasn't given any members of the S26 family a built-in magnetic ring for Qi2 charging or other magnetic accessories. The company claims this was done to help keep the phone as thin as possible, but honestly, I thought we had gotten over the desire for needless sleekness long ago. Sure, you can add that functionality back in by choosing the right case, but that's not a very premium experience and I sincerely hope this is the last time Samsung makes this omission on its flagship phone line.Wrap-upThere's a strange feeling I often get when testing phones. After I got everything updated and set up the way I like, I noticed it even more with the S26 Ultra. The issue is that despite using a brand new device with shiny hardware, better performance and a more refined design, I'm still largely doing the same things and using the same apps as I was before (like Google Maps, Gmail and whatever my go-to mobile games are at the moment). This means my daily flow is basically unchanged from device to device. This better be the last time Samsung skips putting a magnetic ring inside the Galaxy S line. Sam Rutherford for Engadget However, if you're paying attention, you'll notice things like higher framerates while gaming, sharper and more well-exposed photos at night and helpful suggestions like when the phone surfaces relevant photos in the middle of a text conversation. This goes double for the S26 Ultra, whose biggest upgrade - the Privacy Display - is something meant to stop other people from snooping at what you're doing. When it's on, you probably won't even be able to tell, which is kind of the point.There's no doubt that the S26 Ultra is an improvement over last year's phone. It's faster, it takes better low-light photos and thanks to all of its new AI features, the handset feels smarter too. But it takes a discerning eye to spot and feel all these differences, particularly if you're upgrading from a device that's only a year or two old. So while the S26 Ultra remains the top pick as a phone that can do pretty much everything really well, in the grand scheme of things, it's more of a stealthy, undercover update than an eye-catching new crown jewel.

One of the big surprises to come out of Sony's recent State of Play showcase was the announcement of a sequel to 2021's Kena Bridge of Spirits, the impressive debut from indie studio Ember Lab. If you missed the first game and want to catch up before its successor launches on PC and PS5 later this year, it's coming to Switch 2 this spring.The Switch 2 is very much in its port era, owing to publishers seizing the opportunity to take advantage of the new system's popularity and improved graphical grunt. And while it's hard to get too excited about a five-year-old game making its way to the latest Nintendo console, Kena's gorgeous Pixar-lite aesthetic, cute critters and decidedly Zelda-y medley of combat, exploration and puzzle-solving make it a great fit for Switch 2.If you missed it the first time around, Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a third-person action-adventure game that follows the eponymous Kena, a young spirit guide who helps wayward souls on their journey through to the afterlife. It has PS2 energy in the best possible way, and a deceptively deep combat system that will eventually catch you out if you don't pay attention to enemy patterns.While nothing about the game is particularly groundbreaking, Kena is a visual feast, which is unsurprising when you learn about Ember Lab's roots in film animation. I'm quite looking forward to seeing how it looks running on the Switch 2's big, bright handheld display.The Switch 2 version comes with the Anniversary DLC, which features Charmstones, Spirit Guide Trials, new outfits, and various accessibility features. You also get a New Game+ mode with even trickier encounters. It arrives this spring, with Kena: Scars of Kosmora due to launch later in 2026 on PS5 and PC.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/kena-bridge-of-spirits-is-coming-to-nintendo-switch-2-this-spring-132839640.html?src=rss

For an electric car to survive in this incentive-free, tariff-laden, emissions-loving world, it has to be very, very good. It also helps if it's priced right, and looking great doesn't hurt either.Unfortunately for BMW's latest EV, the i3 sedan, we still can't say much about those last two questions. BMW hasn't announced pricing yet, and thanks to some eye-crossing camouflage, it's impossible to know exactly what it looks like, either. But, after a day behind the wheel of a prototype machine sliding it through the Swedish wilds, I can at least confidently confirm that it's shaping up to be a very good indeed.Deja VuIf you're thinking to yourself, "Wait, didn't BMW already have an i3?" You are absolutely right. Back in 2013, BMW released its first mass-market electric car, a little five-door hatchback called the i3. I drove a few versions of it over the years. It was wonderful and novel and earned itself some ardent fans, but it never quite reshaped the motoring world the way that its creators surely hoped.A decade later, BMW's got a new i3 that has the potential to be a far bigger success on the global scale, and it also resets that designation to slot in with the company's already well-established naming scheme. BMW's 3 Series is its iconic sedan, and "i" is the designation for its electric vehicles. The i3, then, should be an electric sedan, and so it is going forward.BMW's i3 prototype on a course in SwedenBMWThis new i3 is built on the Neue Klasse platform, BMW's "new class" architecture that also underpins the iX3 SUV. In developing Neue Klasse, BMW started almost from scratch, developing a whole new suite of technologies in pursuit of a better-driving, faster-charging and more-affordable next generation of EVs.There's a battery pack that's wholly new compared to the company's prior efforts, a cell-to-pack architecture that promises more capacity in a smaller, lighter enclosure. There's a whole new stack of electronics systems offering more power and capability than before. And, there's a completely new styling design language that not everyone will love.The iX3 SUV was the first recipient of all that newness, and the i3 sedan will be the second. Again, we can't pass judgment on its styling just yet, but you can probably get a bit of an idea of what to expect by looking at 2023's Vision Neue Klasse concept.Heart of JoyThat new electronics suite running throughout the Neue Klasse is a huge part of the appeal here. Typically, when buying a new car, you don't worry too much about who did the ABS or the traction control. Those are simply table stakes in modern motoring.However, BMW decided to shake up these pedestrian safety features in the i3 by re-thinking everything from the brake actuators to the electric motor controllers and doing it all in-house. Now, fewer, more powerful chips from Qualcomm and others run all of the car's disparate systems like those together in a system that BMW evocatively calls "Heart of Joy." That makes for a far smoother and more seamless driving experience when the ABS can, for example, talk directly to the stability control.BMW's i3 prototype on a course in SwedenBMWThat's the theory, anyway, and in Sweden this week I got a chance to test that out. I got behind the wheel of what will be the first i3. Called the i3 50 xDrive, it's a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive sedan that produces 463 horsepower and 476 pound-feet of torque.All-wheel drive helps with acceleration, but it's the braking where the Neue Klasse's technology really shines. Thanks to having more finesse over the control of its two electric motors, the Neue Klasse can rely far more on recuperative braking and far less on using the physical brakes. This makes for ultra-smooth, calm stopping, even when driving on glare ice.Accelerating, though, is far more entertaining. Even on extremely low-grip, unpredictable surfaces like a frozen lake, I could just mash my foot to the accelerator and clumsily turn the wheel in the direction I wanted to go. Despite my lack of finesse, the system intelligently applied the brakes on the inside wheel to help get the car to rotate, and automatically cut the power to the electric motors front and rear based on how much grip was available.BMW's i3 prototype on a course in SwedenBMWEven with my foot flat on the accelerator, I was able to navigate tight turns on glare surfaces without having to deploy any fancy ice driving techniques. However, as someone who enjoys deploying such techniques, I was also invited to turn off the car's stability systems and have a little fun.Like this, the BMW turned into an absolute riot. Let loose, the i3 was a very willing drift partner, letting me slide through the corners with wild abandon. It still used just enough of its smarts and control systems to keep me from spinning out when I got a little too eager on the throttle, but it never ruined the fun.Panoramic VisionThis prototype drive was also a chance to sample the i3's Panoramic Vision display in a new environment. As debuted formally at CES back in 2025, Panoramic Vision replaces the standard gauge cluster behind the steering wheel with a massive, windshield-spanning display. It's a little like an ultra-wide heads-up display in that it reflects up from a lengthy display embedded in the dashboard.In pictures, this seems like it will be horribly distracting, since you have six customizable sections of information flashing at you in your line of sight. In practice, though, it's actually quite nice. You can customize those panels to show whatever information you like, from whatever track you're playing to the current vehicle speed to even a disembodied head representing the car's integrated voice assistant. Or, if that's all too much, you can simply disable most of the panels and keep it simple, relying only on the left-most pane to display your speed and other vehicle information.I didn't get to see all of the i3's interior. Since it's still a prototype, BMW kept much of it covered in black fabric. Still, the Panoramic Vision display and the weird central touchscreen that's inclined to the left work together to create a great user experience. I will, though, miss the rotary iDrive knob, which is sadly no more.Wrap-upWe have a little while yet to wait until BMW gives us all the details on the new i3 - its debut is set for March 18 - but from what I experienced in Sweden, it's shaping up extremely well. If BMW gets the pricing right, and if what's hiding under that vinyl camouflage isn't too offensive, this thing has all the makings of a hit.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/bmws-i3-prototype-conquers-the-ice-with-power-and-technology-130000610.html?src=rss

Anthropic is reportedly trying to reach a new deal with the US Defense Department, which could prevent the government from labeling it a supply chain risk. According to Financial Times and Bloomberg, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has resumed talks with the agency over the use of its AI models. In particular, the publications say that Amodel is having discussions with Emil Michael, the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.The two of them were trying to work out the contract over the use of Anthropic's models before negotiations broke down and the government soured on the company. The Times reports that they couldn't agree on language that the AI company wanted to see to ensure that its technology will not be used for mass surveillance.In a memo sent to Anthropic staff, Amodei reportedly said that the department offered to accept the company's terms if it deleted a specific phrase about analysis of bulk acquired data." He continued that it was the single line in the contract that exactly matched" the scenario it was most worried about." Anthropic, which first signed a $200 million deal with the department in 2025, refused to comply with the Pentagon's demands. The agency then threatened to cancel its existing contract and to label it a supply chain risk," a designation typically reserved for Chinese companies. President Trump ordered government agencies to stop using Anthropic's technology afterward. However, there's a six-month phase-out period" that reportedly allowed the government to use Anthropic's AI tools to stage an air attack on Iran.Amodei also said in the memo that the messaging OpenAI has been trying to convey is just straight up lies," the Times reports. He hinted, as well, that one of the reasons his company is now on the outs with the government is because he hasn't given dictator-style praise to Trump" like OpenAI's Sam Altman has.If you'll recall, OpenAI announced that it reached an agreement shortly after it came out that Anthropic was having issues with the agency. Its CEO, Sam Altman, said on Twitter that he told the government Anthropic shouldn't be designated as a supply chain risk. He said during an AMA on the social media website that he didn't know the details of Anthropic's contract, but if it had been the same with the one OpenAI had signed, he thought Anthropic should have agreed to it. Anthropic's Claude chatbot rose to the top of Apple's Top Free Apps leaderboard after OpenAI announced its Defense Department contract, beating out ChatGPT.Altman later posted on X that OpenAI will amend its deal with language that explicitly prohibits the use of its AI system on mass surveillance against Americans. When it comes to the military's use of its technology, though, CNBC says that Altman told staffers that the company doesn't get to make operational decisions." In an all-hands meeting, Altman reportedly said: So maybe you think the Iran strike was good and the Venezuela invasion was bad. You don't get to weigh in on that."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/anthropic-is-reportedly-back-in-talks-with-the-defense-department-125045017.html?src=rss

Nothing has announced its latest premium midrange device, the Phone 4a Pro. The company says it's the thinnest full-metal phone on the market, measuring in at 7.95mm. It also looks notably different from the prior A-series phones - and pretty much any of the company's phones to date.It features an aluminum unibody while retaining Nothing's retro-clear hardware design touches, with a clear, redesigned camera unit. Yes, the aggressively protruding circular camera unit of the Phone 3a Pro is gone, replaced with an oblong housing that houses the triple-camera array and a tweaked Glyph Matrix, similar to what debuted on last year's Nothing Phone 3. It also feels incredibly premium - more so than even the company's flagship phones.Despite that, Nothing seems to be strikeinga balance between affordability and wow factor with the Phone 4a Pro. It has a slightly higher price tag ($499) than the 4a and alongside a major hardware redesign, a lot of the improvements here make this phone feel pro" compared to its smaller sibling. This new premium vibe comes at a cost of design excitement, though.It also looks a little like another certain smartphone or two. Don't call it a camera plateau.Image by Mat Smith for EngadgetThe Phone 4a Pro has its own take on the Glyph Matrix, composed of 137 mini-LEDs. That's fewer LEDs than the Nothing Phone 3, but they are 100 percent brighter at around 3000 nits. It supports pretty much all the Glyph toys we enjoyed on last year's Nothing flagship, although the 4a Pro lacks a dedicated Glyph Button, which is a shame. This means in order to hop between toys and modes, you'll have to dig into Glyph settings inside the settings menu - not the existing Glyph menu - in order to flit between them. Honestly, may make me less likely to play around with the Glyph, but I'll have to see after further testing. It's a little odd when there's a circular metal detail on the lower left corner that looks like it could have been a Glyph button. Ah well.The Phone 4a Pro will land in three different colors: silver, black and pink. The pink hue is tastefully subtle. So subtle, in fact, that you'd think it was the silver option. I like the black version.The gigantic camera unit seen on the Phone 3a Pro is no more.Image by Mat Smith for EngadgetThe Phone 4a Pro has a slightly bigger screen than both its predecessor and the 4a, but the real news isn't just the extra fraction of an inch. The 6.83-inch display can now reach 144Hz refresh rates, while it can also top out at 5,000 nits of brightness with HDR content. That makes it up to 66 percent brighter than its predecessor, and it was noticeably easier to read in Nothing's harsh spotlights and daylight.Nothing has further refined the cameras, and the 4a Pro uses the same telephoto sensor as the flagship Phone 3. That's paired with a new 50-megapixel Sony LYT-700C camera sensor that's 24 percent bigger than the 50MP sensor inside the 3a Pro. It's also faster at auto-focus than its predecessor, and seems to more easily lock onto subjects without having to tap on what you want in focus.There's also a new triple 12-bit Image Signal Processor (ISP), which enables up to 140x ultra zoom, like we've seen on Galaxy phones for the last few years. Don't expect to be blown away by those zoom extremes: it seems to work well on the easy-to-guess structures of buildings and patterns, but a 70x zoom range and higher aren't settings I'm going to lean into much.I haven't had time yet to fully scrutinize the 4a Pro's camera, but there's a lot of feature parity with pricier phones. It can capture super-slow 120fps video at full HD, while Action Mode is built directly into the camera app to shoot up to 30 Ultra XDR images in a row. Codeveloped with Google, Ultra XDR images are high-dynamic-range images that capture 13 RAW frames at different exposures and combine them into a single image. In practice, this should offer another way to pull usable shots from challenging low-light or harsh-light environments.Power users may also like new presets, alongside Nothing's own collection of camera filters. There are seven new editing options, letting you tweak (and save) contrast levels or even apply a vignette effect. I'm a fan of the built-in presets, but it's nice to have access to the same camera settings to make and save my own B&W filter.Nothing says you can expect 30 percent improved graphics performance and 27 percent faster CPU speeds, with flagship" LPDDR5X memory, which makes it 100 percent faster than last year's 3a Pro. Improvements to the chipset and memory speed weren't immediately noticeable during my time seeing the device.Image by Mat Smith for EngadgetNothing continues to refine its own OS skin, but it's still a refreshing, different take on the Android interface you're used to. And if you're not a fan, you can turn it back to a more stock look. Based on user feedback, there are new size options for the home screen widgets and a new custom lock screen. It may be due to the more powerful processor, but both the 4a Pro and the base 4a seem to have smoother animation flourishes when opening and switching between apps or swiping across content.New AI software includes a formal launch of Essential Search, able to scour the entire device for information, images, documents, apps and more. The 4a series include the first Nothing devices to include cloud access for the still useful Essential Space app, housing your voice notes, screengrabs, text notes, and more. This means, hopefully, I can transition everything across from my Nothing Phone 3. (Or even between the Phone 4a and 4a Pro.)Image by Mat Smith for EngadgetIt's a different look for Nothing, and the 4a Pro's price (and timing) will pit it against both the Pixel 10a (priced the same) and base flagship devices from Samsung. The Phone 4a series pre-orders are open now at nothing.tech and other retailers, with sales of the Phone 4a Pro starting March 27. Expect our full review in the coming weeks.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/nothing-phone-4a-pro-hands-on-price-launch-date-123053485.html?src=rss

While music streaming apps like Bandcamp, Spotify and Deezer have taken steps to inform users about AI-generated content, we haven't heard much out of Apple Music in that regard. However, Apple Music has now introduced "Transparency Tags" designed to show listeners if any elements were generated in whole or part by AI. The catch is that Apple is leaving it up to labels and distributors to create those tags, according to an Apple newsletter to industry partners seen by Music Business Worldwide.."Proper tagging of content is the first step in giving the music industry the data and tools needed to develop thoughtful policies around AI, and we believe labels and distributors must take an active role in reporting when the content they deliver is created using AI," Apple wrote, calling it a concrete first step toward transparency around artificial intelligence.Streaming platforms already use metadata tags for things like song and album titles, genre and the name of the artist. The new tags will now identify any artwork, tracks, compositions and music videos created in whole or in part by AI.However, Apple's new system requires labels and distributors to opt in and manually flag their use of AI, a system that's similar to what Spotify is doing. On top of that, Apple has no apparent enforcement mechanism for AI content.By contrast, other music platforms including Deezer and Bandcamp are using in-house AI-detection tools to flag content whether the distributor opts in or not. Deezer disclosed in January 2026 that it receives over 60,000 fully AI-generated tracks every day, double the number it saw in September 2025. Synthetic content, also called "AI slop," has accounted for 13.4 million tracks on its platform, Deezer added.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/apple-music-can-now-flag-ai-content-but-only-if-distributors-elect-to-label-it-121521873.html?src=rss

Nothing is back with two new smartphones, the entry-level Phone 4a and the mid-range Phone 4a Pro. With the base 4a in particular, there's no shortage of substantial hardware upgrades since the 3a, even if the design doesn't quite stand out as much. This year, that's apparently the role of the Nothing Phone 4a Pro. That said, the base 4a's two new color options (blue and pink) are gorgeous additions to the usual monochrome duo of white and black.There have been many upgrades since 2025's Phone 3a. It comes with IP64 dust and water resistance, and is also physically tougher: Nothing says it has increased bend resistance by 34 percent, but I always considered all of the company's phones pretty solid. The display also gets Gorilla Glass 7i, something I've wanted to see Nothing improve on its cheapest phones. My Phone 2a's screen got pretty messed up when I tussled with my keys a few years ago. The 6.78-inch display is also 23 percent brighter than its predecessor, reaching 1,600 nits during outdoor viewing.The main upgrades are centered around the cameras, marking a major improvement over what the Phone 3a last year. A new tetraprism periscope telephoto camera extends to up to 3.5x optical zoom, further than the base Phone 3a.Image by Mat Smith for EngadgetNothing says the main camera, with a new Samsung GN9 50-megapixel sensor, captures up to 64 percent more light than similarly sized camera sensors. The company has also upgraded its computational photography and tone mapping, which help it deliver on a new 70x ultra zoom mode, which beefs up your images with AI smarts. While it's unlikely to be a regular feature for me, it's still an option. It works well with straight lines and architecture, but don't expect faces and nuanced detail at 70x zoom. But hey, sometimes you want that up-close picture of an iconic landmark. Fortunately, you'll get up to a 7x lossless zoom by combining the 3.5x optical zoom with sensor cropping, which works well.I've been testing the Phone 4a for a few days - because I can't get enough phones - and noticed that photo image quality is noticeably better compared to the Phone 3a. Images have less noise and more detail, with the Phone 4a being far more capable in poor lighting conditions.Image by Mat Smith for EngadgetThe Phone 4a has a 1.5K (1,224 * 2,720) display, up from the full HD display (1,920 * 1,080) on last generation's phone. It supports up to 120Hz refresh rates and has a peak brightness of 4,500 nits for HDR content. That resolution boost means Nothing's meticulously designed UI and icons look sharper and everything is easier to see when using the 4a in the bright spring sunlight.Nothing says the new Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 processor offers 10 percent better power efficiency, but what will make the Phone 4a go the distance is more likely the 5,080mAh battery - the biggest yet in Nothing's midrange phones. Even the storage has been upgraded, with 47 percent faster read and 380 percent faster write speeds. I almost immediately clocked the improvement while attempting some light video editing and installing a few games.This year's Glyph system has turned into a Glyph Bar. It's made up of 63 mini-LEDs in seven square lights in a row. These top out at 3500 nits, which is 40 percent brighter than the Phone 3a's Glyph Interface. Over the years, I go through waves of loving Nothing's take on notifications through to forgetting they're there. Nothing is gradually adding more utility each year, and it'll double as a notification tracker for a few select apps, like Uber, indicating how far away your ride is. The Glyph Bar can apparently double up as a fill light, although I couldn't get that to work on my pre-release sample. I'll update this story when I can test it out. Likewise, Nothing's Playground of fan-made widgets and mini-apps isn't entirely compatible with the 4a - at least not yet.Image by Mat Smith for EngadgetThe Nothing Phone 4a is an upgrade over its predecessor in every way - and the improvements are tangible, and I noticed them almost immediately - something that can be challenging with other phone refreshes. The display is crisper, as are the photos and video it can capture.Like previous Nothing phones, despite the global launch," this phone won't be headed to the US. However, in the UK, starting at 349 (roughly $467), it's only marginally more expensive than its predecessor and you get a lot more bang for your buck. It's also a good chunk of change cheaper than the $500 Pixel 10a. For those looking for an eye-catching, capable phone at a similar price, the Phone 4a's biggest competition may be its bigger brother, the $499 Phone 4a Pro. Expect our hands-on for Nothing's other phone very soon. The Phone 4a is open for preorders now at nothing.tech, going on sale starting March 13 next week.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/nothing-phone-4a-hands-on-price-launch-date-111533547.html?src=rss

Nothing just revealed a new pair of over-ear headphones as a relatively budget-friendly alternative to the pre-existing Headphone 1. The Headphone (a) earphones feature a similar design language to the company's previous cans, but with more color. As a matter of fact, these will be available in four colors, including yellow, pink, white and black.Perhaps the most notable feature here, however, is the battery life. Nothing says these headphones will last over five days on a single charge. That's not five days of regular use, working out to several hours each day or whatever. It claims 135 hours of life per charge. As a comparison, Sony's WH-CH520 headphones, which are praised for great battery life, last around 50 hours.NothingNothing boasts that the headphones can get five hours of juice from just five minutes at the outlet. They are also on the lighter side, at 310 grams, with breathable memory foam cushions that promise a "tailored, snug fit and all-day comfort for every user."This new model includes the same tactile controls of the Headphone 1, with buttons, paddles and a roller. This offers a more sensitive way to adjust the volume and skip tracks. A button even lets users swap through different streaming and podcast apps without having to break out the phone. This button can be programmed to do other stuff like snap a photo or start a videoNothing Beyond that, the Headphone (a) includes adaptive ANC that makes adjustments depending on ambient noise. This is further assisted by three microphones that monitor for external sounds. They can also approximate spatial audio and integrate with the Nothing X app, which features an equalizer and other goodies.We don't yet know how these things sound, which is pretty important, but we also don't have long to wait. Preorders are open right now, with shipments going out on March 13 for most colorways. The yellow model doesn't ship until April. They cost $200, which is much cheaper than the $300 price tag accompanying the Headphone 1.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/nothings-new-over-ear-headphones-can-pump-out-the-jams-for-five-days-on-a-single-charge-111515728.html?src=rss

Back in January, Nothing shared that it wouldn't be releasing its flagship Nothing Phone 4 in 2026, and instead focusing on follow-ups to its midrange Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro. After some expected teasing, those sequels have arrived: the Phone 4a Pro and Phone 4a. And like Nothing's previous devices, they seem like meaningful departures from what the company has tried in the past.The Nothing 4a Pro represents the biggest change. Gone is the translucent back meant to offer a pseudo-glimpse into the internals of the phone, and in its place is a metal unibody design in black, silver or pink, and Nothing's Glyph Matrix interface, now even larger and brighter than it was on the Phone 3. Nothing describes the Phone 4a Pro as its slimmest phone ever, and on some level its reminiscent of the iPhone 17 Pro, but the changes in design and materials also support improvements to durability (the phone is rated for IP65 water resistance) and cooling.NothingIn terms of components, the Phone 4a Pro includes a 6.83-inch AMOLED display with 144Hz refresh rate, and a peak brightness of 5000 nits, and a 5,080mAh battery Nothing says should offer up to 17 hours of use. Like the Phone 3a Pro, the phone also includes four cameras, in this case a 50-megapixel wide lens, a 32-megapixel selfie camera, an ultra-wide and 50-megapixel periscope telephoto lens that's capable of 140x zoom, twice as much as the Phone 4a. While the phone doesn't include Qualcomm's flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, Nothing opted to use the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4, which isn't as powerful, but should be capable of running Nothing's growing list of AI-powered features.The Nothing Phone 4a was more heavily teased leading up to today's announcement, but still includes plenty of nice upgrades over the Phone 3a. The midrange smartphone evolves Nothing's trademark translucent design with new colors (white, pink, black and blue), IP64 dust and water resistance and an updated "Glyph Bar" that's brighter and now runs in a straight line next to the 4a's cameras. The Phone 4a has four cameras, a 50-megapixel wide that takes in 64 percent more light, a 32-megapixel selfie camera, an ultra-wide and a new 50-megapixel tetraprism periscope telephoto lens that's capable of a 3.5x optical zoom, 7x lossless zoom and up to a 70x ultra zoom.NothingLike its more premium sibling, the Phone 4a includes an AMOLED display, though in a smaller 6.78-inch size, with a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 4,500 nits. The display is covered with Gorilla Glass 7i, which is supposed to be twice as scratch-resistant as the previous generation, and even better for placing the phone face down. Internally, the Pro's Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 chip and 5,080mAh battery also make the jump to the cheaper phone.Nothing says both phones will ship with Nothing OS 4.1, which includes Essential Search for looking up information across apps, personalized results based on your saved "Memories" in Essential Space and Nothing Playground, an app for using AI to create custom widgets. Nothing OS 4.1 is based on Android 16, and Nothing says Phone 4a and Phone 4a Pro owners are guaranteed three years of Android updates and six years of security patches.Global pre-orders for the Phone 4a begin today, and the phone is available in three different configurations depending on your region and the amount of RAM and storage you want. The Phone 4a starts at 349 for 8GB and 12GB and can cost as much as 429 for 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.While the Phone 4a Pro will be available globally, the fancier of Nothing's two new phones is the only one coming to the US. The Phone 4a Pro will be available to pre-order starting March 13, and will either cost $499 for 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage or $599 for 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/nothings-phone-4a-pro-picks-up-flagship-features-and-an-even-brighter-display-for-499-111500926.html?src=rss

Today the White House announced that several major players in tech and AI have agreed to steps that will keep electricity costs from rising due to data centers. Under this Ratepayer Protection Pledge, companies are agreeing to practices that are intended to protect residents from seeing higher electricity costs as more and more businesses create power-hungry data centers. Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle and xAI have all apparently signed on. A few of the participants - Amazon, Google and Meta - had conveniently timed press releases patting themselves on the back for their participation and touting whatever other policies they have for mitigating the negative impacts of data center construction.The main provisions of the federal pledge have tech companies agreeing to "build, bring, or buy the new generation resources and electricity needed to satisfy their new energy demands, paying the full cost of those resources." It also claims they will pay for any needed power infrastructure upgrades and operate under separate rate structures for power that will see payments made whether or not the business uses that electricity.The pledge doesn't appear to be any form of binding agreement and there's no discussion of enforcement or a penalty for companies that don't honor the stipulated provisions. It also doesn't address any of the other impacts data centers and AI development might be having, either on local communities, on other utilities and resources, or on access to critical computing elements like RAM.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/big-tech-companies-agree-to-not-ruin-your-electric-bill-with-ai-data-centers-230102956.html?src=rss

Jurors in a New Mexico child safety trial heard testimony from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg today. During pre-recorded testimony, Zuckerberg was repeatedly asked about the company's understanding of social media addiction and other issues that had been studied by its researchers.During the deposition, which was recorded last March, Zuckerberg was asked about numerous findings from researchers at Meta who studied how the company's apps affect users and teens. The CEO downplayed the significance of many of these documents.Early in the testimony, which was viewed by Engadget on Courtroom View Network, Zuckerberg was questioned about a document on the effect of feedback on Facebook users. The document stated that "contributors on Facebook are likely to learn to associate the act of posting with feedback" which will "lead contributors to seek rewards by visiting the site more often." Zuckerberg said he wasn't sure if that's actually how it works in practice, but I agree that you're summarizing what they appear to be saying."Later, the CEO was questioned about a document that graphed the proportion of 11 and 12-year-olds who were monthly active users on Instagram. The chart indicated that at the time, around 20 percent of 11-year-olds were monthly users of the service. "I agree that the graph says that, I am not familiar with what methodology we were using to estimate this," Zuckerberg said. "I assume that if we had direct knowledge that any given person was under the age of 13, that we would have them removed from our services."New Mexico's attorney general sued the company in 2023 for alleged lapses in child safety, including facilitating predators' access to minors and building features it knew were addictive. In court, Meta's lawyers and executives have disputed the idea that social media should be considered an "addiction." In public statements, the company has said that lawsuits have relied on "cherry-picked quotes and snippets of conversations taken out of context" and that it "has consistently put teen safety ahead of growth for over a decade."As with his recent testimony in a separate trial over social media addiction in Los Angeles, Zuckerberg repeatedly rejected the "characterization" of questions that were posed to him. And he said that Meta's goal was to make its apps "useful" rather than to increase the amount of time people spend with them.Zuckerberg was also questioned about a document written by a company researcher that stated "there is increasing scientific evidence, particularly in the US, ... that the average net effect of Facebook on people's well being is slightly negative." The CEO said that "my understanding is that the general consensus view is not that."It's not the first time a Meta executive has tried to downplay the significance of internal research. The company used a similar strategy in 2021 after former employee turned whistleblower Frances Haugen disclosed documents showing that Facebook's researchers had found that Instagram made some teen girls feel worse about themselves.Zuckerberg's testimony was played one day after jurors heard recorded testimony from Instagram chief Adam Mosseri. The exec was also asked about Haugen's disclosures and Meta's response to them. Some of those disclosures were based on "problematic research," he said. "Most research is surveys. We run hundreds of surveys every month."

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has granted approval to TerraPower to begin construction of a reactor in Wyoming. The project is the first new US commercial nuclear reactor in about a decade, according to The New York Times. TerraPower was founded by Bill Gates, and it took years for the business to receive regulatory approval for this construction effort.TerraPower is part of a push to create more efficient and less expensive nuclear facilities as an alternative power source, particularly as AI companies and data center construction places more demands on the US' current infrastructure. TerraPower's project involves tech it has dubbed Natrium in its planned reactor. Using this liquid sodium approach rather than a traditional light-water reactor is part of how the company aims to reduce costs and time frames.Advocates see nuclear reactors as a way to generate power without the climate impact of coal or gas plants. Critics point to the safety risks as a severe downside to this approach, while others question whether the creation and disposal of nuclear waste counter the environmental gains. The Gates-backed operation still isn't coming in cheap. The proposed facility could cost at least $4 billion and still faces logistical challenges before coming online as planned in 2031.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/bill-gates-backed-terrapower-begins-nuclear-reactor-construction-221132639.html?src=rss

Ubisoft shared its upcoming plans for the Assassin's Creed franchise today. Along with the news of a remake for its piratical entry, the game company also announced that a visual upgrade is coming for a title from way back in 2014. Assassin's Creed Unity will receive a free patch tomorrow to offer 60 fps performance on the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X/S.The company bringing a performance upgrade more than a decade after launch feels like a fitting close to Unity's development. The game suffered from bugs and performance issues from the jump, and while most of those did get addressed, no amount of big fixes or free DLC could fix this howler of a story or make Arno any more compelling as a protagonist. But every fan has their own passionately argued take on which titles are the worst, so just because I found Unity to be a particularly low point in the series doesn't mean it's not going to be a fave for somebody else. So if you are someone who, as Ubisoft put it, has been waiting a long time for a chance to dive into Unity on modern hardware, then tomorrow is your lucky day. Amuse-toi bien.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/assassins-creed-unity-is-getting-a-free-60-fps-patch-tomorrow-210109721.html?src=rss

Now for the news you've been waiting with bated breath for: LG's 2026 TVs from CES finally have prices. (Well, some of them do, anyway.) Surprisingly, the evo G6 and C6 series OLED TVs aren't increasing in cost from last year's models. But the bad news is, they're still expensive as all get-out.The flagship LG evo G6 series ranges in price from $2,499 to $24,999. (Cue spit take.) Fortunately, that five-figure price only applies to the 97-inch model, which nobody this side of Elon Musk needs. The entry-level price is for a 55-inch OLED. Moving up the ladder, the 65-inch one costs $3,399, the 77-inch model is $4,499 and an 83-incher will set you back $6,499.The evo G6 line includes all the OLED upgrades from the head-turning LG Wallpaper TV, for which LG hasn't yet announced pricing. You'll find the company's new "Hyper Radiant OLED" panel and optimizations to black and color levels in both lineups.Meanwhile, the evo C6 line, which sits a notch below, ranges from $1,399 (42-inch) to $5,299 (83-inch). Rounding out the list is a 55-inch model for $1,999, a 65-inch one for $2,699 and a 77-inch model for $3,699. The C6 and G6 lines are powered by LG's Alpha 11 AI Processor Gen3. Both series support gamer-friendly features such as 4K at 165Hz with VRR, NVIDIA G-SYNC and AMD FreeSync Premium.The evo G6 and C6 lines are available to order today from LG's website. Retail availability will follow later this month. Just keep in mind that, if you can hold off a little while, the entire history of TV pricing suggests you'll soon be able to find them for less than MSRP.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/lg-reveals-pricing-for-its-2026-oled-tvs-203923873.html?src=rss

Google is officially doing away with its 30 percent cut of Play Store transactions, and rolling out changes to how third-party app stores and alternate billing systems will be handled by Android. Some of these tweaks were proposed as part of the settlement the company reached with Epic in November 2025, but rather than wait for final judicial approval, Google is committing to revamping Android and the Play Store publicly.The biggest change is to how Google will collect fees from developers publishing apps on Android. Rather than take its standard 30 percent cut of in-app purchases through the Play Store, Google is lowering its cut to 20 percent, and in some cases 15 percent for new installs of apps from developers participating in its new App Experience program or updated Google Play Games Level Up program. Those changes extend to subscriptions, too, where the company's cut is lowering to 10 percent. For Google's billing system, the company says developers in the UK, US, or European Economic Area (EEA) will now be charged a five percent fee and "a market-specific rate" in other regions. Of course, for anyone trying to avoid those fees, using alternatives to Google's billing system is getting easier.Google says that developers will be able to offer alternative billing systems alongside its own or "guide users outside of their app to their own websites for purchases." The setup, as described by Google, appears to be more permissive than what Apple settled on in 2025. For iOS apps on the App Store, developers interested in avoiding Apple's fees can only direct customers to alternative payment methods on the web through in-app links. Allowing for these outside transactions is part of what prompted Epic to bring Fortnite back to the App Store in the US in May 2025. The developer added the app back to the Play Store in the US in December of that year, and Epic CEO Tim Sweeney shared alongside today's changes that Fortnite will soon be available in Google's app store globally.

At the start of February, OpenAI upgraded its Codex coding app to give it the ability to manage multiple AI agents. At the same time, it released a standalone macOS app. If you've been patiently waiting for Windows to get that same treatment, OpenAI just released a dedicated Codex app for Microsoft's operating system.

Ubisoft has officially confirmed that it's working on a remake of Assassin's Creed: Black Flag. This remake has been rumored for years. After all, the 2013 original is one of the most beloved entries in the franchise.The official title is Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced, and that's about all we know for sure. The company released some concept art but it's just protagonist Edward Kenway hanging out on a boat.Reports have suggested that this will be a substantial remake, with visual and gameplay upgrades to make it comparable with last year's Assassin's Creed Shadows. It's also been rumored that this version will cut out all of the modern day gameplay sections, focusing entirely on pirate-themed action.We don't know when Ubisoft will release this thing into the world, but the company did recently say that a previously unannounced game would be released by the end of the coming financial year, which happens on March 31, 2027. At that time, Black Flag Resynced had yet to be officially announced. It's possible we could be playing this thing sooner rather than later, particularly if the company has been working on it for years.This announcement came as part of a franchise roadmap, which included a slight mention of the next mainline Assassin's Creed entry. This is being developed under the name Codename Hexe, with Ubisoft promising a "unique, darker, narrative-driven Assassin's Creed experience set during a pivotal moment in history."The creative director of that one, Clint Hocking, recently left the company after a 20-year tenure. He's been replaced by Jean Guedson, who had the same job for the original Black Flag 13 years ago.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ubisoft-confirms-assassins-creed-black-flag-remake-193629862.html?src=rss

Apple is looking to gain a foothold in the more budget-friendly end of the laptop market with the MacBook Neo. The system starts at $599, which is darn inexpensive for an Apple laptop - it even has the same starting price as the M4 iPad Air.As such, the MacBook Neo should help Apple compete with cheap Windows laptops and Chromebooks.Pricing it at $499 for educational use won't exactly hurt either.Apple is really lowering the cost of entry for those looking to pick up a new MacBook here. The base MacBook Neo costs $500 less than the cheapest M5 MacBook Air, which is now officially Apple's midrange laptop.Of course, there are a lot of tradeoffs you'll make by opting for a MacBook Neo instead of a MacBook Air.If you're curious about all the differences between the Neo and the base 13.6-inch Air (and perhaps what you'll be foregoing if go you with the cheaper option), we've got you covered.MacBook Neo vs. MacBook Air exteriorsAppleLet's start with the things you'll notice at first glance about the two laptop lines. The Neo has an arguably more eye-catching array of colorways with silver, blush (a light pink), citrus (light yellow) and indigo options. The Air comes in a more muted batch of sky blue, silver, starlight (a sort of champagne) and midnight (a very dark blue).The weight of the two laptops is identical at 2.7 pounds and the differences in the dimensions are negligible. Blissfully, both laptops have a headphone jack. Please have the courage to keep those around in MacBooks, Apple.AppleAlas, the Neo does not have a MagSafe port, so you'll need to use one of its two USB-C ports (it has one USB-C 2 port and a USB-C 3 port) for charging. The MBA has two Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports to go with its MagSafe connector.While we're on the subject of charging, the MacBook Neo comes with a 20W power adapter. The MBA includes a 40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max, and it supports fast charging at up to 70W.The Neo has a 36.5-watt-hour lithium-ion battery, which Apple claims has enough juice for up to 11 hours of web browsing or 16 hours of video streaming on a single charge. As for the MBA, that has a 53.8-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery. Apple says you'll be able to use that laptop for 15 hours of web browsing or 18 hours of streaming video before you need to recharge.Back to the exterior of the laptops and in terms of audio, the Neo has a side-firing dual-speaker system with Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos support. However, unlike with the MBA (which has four built-in speakers), there's no mention of Spatial Audio support for AirPods. The MBA has one more microphone than the Neo as well, and both laptops support Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum microphone modes.MacBook Neo vs. MacBook Air opened upAppleIf you were to place a MacBook Neo and MacBook Air side by side and open them up, you might spot that the former's screen is a little smaller at 13 inches on the diagonal. While both have Liquid Retina displays with 500 nits of brightness, the Neo's screen has a lower resolution of 2408 x 1506 vs. the MBA's 2560 x 1664. The Air also has a P3 wide color gamut and support for Apple's True Tone feature, which tweaks the screen's color temperature to better fit your surroundings. The Neo has an sRGB display instead.While the webcams in both laptops can capture 1080p video, the one in the Neo is lower-specced and has fewer features. It's a 1080p FaceTime HD camera. The MBA has a 12MP camera that supports Center Stage, a feature that keeps you in the middle of the frame as you're moving around. It also supports Desk View, which allows you to show your face and what's on your desk simultaneously.The MacBook Neo has a Magic Keyboard and multi-touch trackpad (which we didn't feel were super sturdy in our initial hands-on time). The MacBook Air, on the other hand, has a backlit Magic Keyboard and a Force Touch trackpad. It also supports Touch ID as standard.If you want Touch ID on the MacBook Neo, though, you'll need to pay extra. A version of the laptop with Touch ID costs $699. That upgrade (which is the only one available for the Neo as things stand) also doubles the internal storage to 512GB. And that feels like a smooth segue into comparing the internal specs of each machine.MacBook Neo vs. MacBook Air on the insideThe M5 MacBook Air comes with 512GB of storage as standard and you can equip it with up to a 4TB SSD. The Neo tops out at 512GB.It's a little disappointing (though somewhat understandable given the surging costs of RAM) that the Neo only has 8GB of unified memory. That's half of what you get in a MacBook Air as standard, and you can expand that laptop's RAM to 32GB. Memory bandwidth is nearly three times faster on the MBA as well at 153GB/s, compared with 60GB/s on the Neo.The chip that runs the Neo is significantly less powerful than the M5 you'll find in the MacBook Air too. The Neo uses an A18 Pro, which is the chip that debuted in the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. It has a 6-core CPU (two performance, four efficiency), 5-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine. Measure that against the Air's M5, the base version of which has a 10-core CPU (four super cores, six efficiency cores) and 8-core GPU, though that too has a 16-core Neural Engine.We don't yet have a direct comparison, such as Geekbench 6 scores, to directly measure the performance of each laptop. However, it's already clear that the MacBook Neo won't be nearly as powerful as the M5 MacBook Air. You probably won't be doing heavy-duty video editing on a Neo. That said, Apple says that you will be able to use Apple Intelligence features on the laptop.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/macbook-neo-vs-m5-macbook-air-all-the-trade-offs-youll-make-to-save-500-less-190434959.html?src=rss

Humble Games' library has returned home, so to speak. Indie publisher Good Games Group (GGG), led by former Humble leaders, has acquired the full back catalog of over 50 Humble Games titles from Ziff Davis. Alongside the purchase, GGG has rebranded to Balor Games, positioning itself as a force in "triple-I" gaming."For the developers we have worked with over the years, this moment is a reunion," Balor Games CEO Alan Patmore wrote in a statement. "[It has] the same leadership and the same commitment to thoughtful publishing remain in place. What changes is our scale and our focus. Balor Games is built for inventors and backed by believers. To that end, it exists to be a seal of quality for independent games."The Humble Games lineup includes (among others) Slay the Spire, A Hat in Time, SIGNALIS, Forager, Coral Island, Monaco and Wizard of Legend. Separate from the Humble transaction, Balor also bought the complete catalog of Firestoke Games (which shut down last August) and publishing rights to Fights in Tight Spaces. In total, the young studio now owns the publishing rights to over 60 indie titles.Humble Games is separate from the Humble Bundle storefront. The latter is still owned by Ziff Davis.Alan Patmore (l) and Mark NashBalor GamesThe seemingly happy ending comes after quite the rocky road. In July 2024, Ziff Davis laid off all 36 employees of Humble Games. But later that year, Humble Games' former leaders (Patmore and Mark Nash) formed GGG and cut a deal to help manage their old studio's back catalog. Now, with Ziff Davis in a selling mood, that library is back in Patmore and Nash's hands. Balor Games, it is.The pair view the newly anointed Balor as a developer-friendly publishing house. As for its name, Balor is a supernatural being in Irish mythology. It's sometimes depicted as having three eyes. Triple-eye, triple-I... Clever devils!The triple-I moniker is a more recent addition to the gaming lexicon. It typically means something defined by indie creativity and passion - with a budget far less than AAA but more than a tiny two-person passion project. (Balor says it's about "high-quality, impactful games.") You wouldn't be blamed for wondering how that's different from AA. But the slant here is to define the genre less by budget and more by "indie" intangibles.Nash detailed the company's vision in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz (which, curiously, is a Ziff Davis property). "We felt that what's becoming more and more critical is that as game development becomes more diverse, more complicated, and expectations continue to rise, we feel it's important that a publisher can match the needs of each individual project," Nash said. "We are spending a considerable amount of time with anyone we are partnering with, figuring out what they need specifically."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/humble-games-former-bosses-buy-the-studios-back-catalog-183831194.html?src=rss

Over the past few years, Google's A-series Pixel phones have consistently been some of the best midrange phones you can buy. But with the AI boom causing memory shortages and the price of consumer electronics to rise, including smartphones, affordable devices like the Pixel 10a are more important than ever. Thankfully, Google's new phone still represents great value, even if it doesn't come with many upgrades.Design and displayAs before, the Pixel 10a has a 6.3-inch 120Hz P-OLED display. Igor Bonifacic for EngadgetThe story of the Pixel 10a is one of small changes, so let's start with the outside. The phone is available in four colors: lavender (pictured), berry, fog and obsidian. Photos don't do the lavender color justice. In person, the light refracts beautifully off the surface of the aluminum frame and composite back. The back of the phone also has a pleasing matte finish that made the 10a feel secure in my hand. Another nice touch is that Google shaved down the camera module further, so that the 10a can now lie completely flat. As before, the entire phone is rated IP68-certified against dust and water. For DIY enthusiasts, Google has said it redesigned the 10a's internals to make it easier to repair. Hooray for that.Beyond those changes, the 10a has a brighter 120Hz P-OLED screen that offers up to 3,000 nits of brightness, up from 2,700 on the 9a. The display also offers better protection against scratches and drops thanks to Google's decision to switch to Gorilla Glass 7i for the screen coating. Despite the minimal changes, there's not much to complain about here. The 10a's screen is fast, responsive and vibrant. The on-screen fingerprint sensor is also in an easy-to-reach spot toward the middle of the phone. After reviewing several big phones in recent months, it was also nice to go back to a handset with a sensible 6.3-inch footprint.Performance and batteryThe speakers on the Pixel 10a could be stronger and more defined. Igor Bonifacic for EngadgetI've been spoiled recently by phones like the OnePlus 15R, which offers a 7,400mAh battery and 55 watt charging out of the box. By that metric, the Pixel 10a, with its 5,100mAh battery, leaves something to be desired. Putting the phone through Engadget's video rundown test, it ran for 28 hours before the battery died, which is exactly where the Pixel 9a landed last year. However, that score means the 10a is thoroughly middle of the pack when it comes to battery life. I can also see battery life becoming a concern as the phone ages. While that's true of every phone, the 10a's smaller battery makes that more of a pressing concern since you'll be charging the phone more often and therefore degrading the battery faster.Google has improved wired charging speeds, with the new phone capable of charging at 30 watts, up from 23-watts with the 9a. You'll need to provide a compatible power adapter though; the Pixel 10a doesn't come with one inside the box. With a 30 watt charger, the 10a's battery went from dead to about 50 percent in under 45 minutes. A full charge takes approximately an hour and 45 minutes. Again, not great, but serviceable.Another disappointment is that the Pixel 10a doesn't support Google's new Pixelsnap standard. Wireless charging is faster on the new phone (it's now rated at 10 watts, up from five), but without a compatible third-party case, a charging puck won't magnetically align with the back of the 10a. It's not a dealbreaker, but Pixelsnap would have been a great addition.The 10a has the same chipset Google used on the Pixel 9a, the Tensor G4, and the company has once again gone with 8GB of RAM. Other midrange phones like Samsung Galaxy S25 FE offer faster chips, but they also cost more. Moreover, I didn't feel like the 10a was worse for running on old silicon. The new 120Hz display does a lot to make the new phone feel snappy, and Google's in-house Android skin feels responsive as ever.The 10a also does a commendable job of keeping heat in check. I sat down to playDiablo Immortal and even after an hour of playtime, the phone was still cool to the touch despite running the game at high settings and 60 frames per second.CamerasThis time around, the Pixel 10a has a camera module that's flush with its body. Igor Bonifacic for EngadgetThe 10a comes with the same camera package as its predecessor. On the back, you get a 48-megapixel main camera with an f/1.7 lens that offers optical image stabilization and phase detection autofocus. Complementing it is a 13MP ultrawide with a 120-degree field of view. For selfies, you get a 13MP camera with an f/2.2 lens. As ever, Google's software is doing most of the heavy lifting here. That includes a pair of new features, Camera Coach and Auto Best Take, that debuted with the Pixel 10 series.Camera Coach, like the name suggests, uses AI to analyze the scene you're about to capture, and offers tips on how to best compose and light the shot. It will also suggest the best camera mode for the job. While I can see how this tool could be useful, I found the fact it relies on a cloud model made it too slow for some situations. For example, when I used Camera Coach to help me snap a photo of my cat, a sassy tortoiseshell, she walked away by the time the 10a got a response from Google's servers. In more static scenes, Camera Coach is more useful, but much of photography is about capturing a fleeting moment in time, so its utility is limited.Auto Best Take solves a problem I'm sure we've all experienced. You go to take a group portrait, and snap multiple frames to ensure everyone looks good, only to end up without a single usable shot. With Auto Best Take, Google promises to combine similar group photos so that everyone looks their best. This feature works as advertised.Outside of those features, the 10a offers a predictably great camera experience. The phone consistently produces photos that are sharp with great natural colors. That said, I did miss having a telephoto camera, as you can see from the photos I shot during a recent Cat Power concert in Toronto. Given the 10a only costs $500, it's hard to fault Google for not including one.SoftwareThe Pixel 10a's side button can both activate Gemini and the phone's camera. Igor Bonifacic for EngadgetOut of the box, the 10a comes with Android 16. Like all of Google's recent Pixel devices, the company has promised to support the 10a for an industry-leading seven years with software updates and security patches. The company's pledge includes Pixel Drops, which often bring new software features. One feature Google has brought over from the more expensive Pixel 10 line is Satellite SOS, which allows you to call for help during emergencies, even when your phone can't connect to a cellular network. Outside of a demo designed to make users aware of the feature, I wasn't able to test Satellite SOS (thankfully).Notably, the 10a is still missing Google's Screenshots app. That's unfortunate since it's one of the more useful Pixel exclusives, making it easier to organize all your online clippings. Other AI features such as Gemini Live and Circle to Search are accounted for, and as useful ever.Wrap-upOverall, the Pixel 10a is a great phone, though I would have loved to see more year-over-year upgrades. Igor Bonifacic for EngadgetThe Pixel 10a is a tricky phone to grade. On the one hand, part of me wants to dock points because Google has added so few updates. On the other, the 10a is still a great phone for $500, and at a time when consumer electronics are becoming more expensive by the day, the fact it hasn't gone up in price is a small miracle. Even if Google is partly responsible for the current memory crunch, the company's hardware division has delivered an affordable device that's still worth recommending. The Pixel 10a is still the phone to beat in the $500 range.

Apple just announced the MacBook Neo, a 13-inch laptop offering the full macOS experience for just $599. It is the machine, I'm sure, plenty of the company's fans have been clamoring for since the dawn of the netbook. I'm equally sure its specs have enoughdrawbacks to ensure there are still plenty of customers for the more expensive Macbooks; the same cannot be said of the iPad Air.If you're looking for a machine that you can actually use meaningfully, the Neo has the Air beat. It has two USB-C ports, 16-hour battery life, a real keyboard, trackpad and the ability to run macOS with proper multitasking. $599 won't even get you an iPad Air with a keyboard and trackpad, which costs you an extra $270.Of course, the MacBook Neo is sandbagged in all of the ways Apple will always sandbag a cheaper product. But I do think the company has been smart enough to ensure the base model, which I'm sure will sell a crazy amount, is enough of a computer to matter. The A18 Pro chip will run a lot slower than Apple's M-Series silicon but raw performance isn't the big issue. After all, if you're buying this machine as Apple's version of a Chromebook, you're not going to be compressing 55GB Final Cut Pro files here. This is a machine for light work, the sort of stuff the iPad was always meant to enable, but has never quite been able to.Apple knows how its A-series chip stack up against low-end laptop CPUs. Given the differences in OS, it's impossible to make a real comparison yet, but in synthetic benchmarks the A18 Pro outperformed the Intel Core i3-1315U found in plenty of low-end laptops, including the Framework 12. And the A18 Pro only needs 8W to run, compared to the 15W Intel requires, which helps maintain that lovely long battery life. Even with just 8GB RAM, if it can run macOS and its applications at an acceptable level, then you know it'll go down beautifully with its intended audience.As an aside, it's worth saying the Neo's intended audience is decidedly not the sort of folks who will quibble about the limited USB bandwidth the machine offers. As Devindra Hardawar said last week, the target market for this machine is the same people who bought Walmart's MacBook Air M1. He also made the point - rightly - that macOS remains unburdened with all of the awful AI features which are making Windows use an increasingly less enjoyable experience. Even so, if you are quibbling about such specs, it's not as if the iPad Air, with its one USB-C port, offers a meaningful improvement.I've always hoped and wished the iPad would mature enough to bridge the gap between the tablet and the laptop, but it never did. What Apple did to solve the issue in the end was to just make a laptop as affordable as a tablet.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/well-there-goes-any-reason-to-buy-an-ipad-air-165754581.html?src=rss

The iPhone 17e was announced on Monday through a press release, so there was no real chance to immediately get a hands-on with it. But at Apple's event in New York today, the phone was on display alongside the new MacBook Neo, iPad Air M4, MacBook Pro M5 and Studio Display XDR. I managed to take it for a quick spin to see if it is truly as similar to the iPhone 16e as it appeared from pictures. Spoiler: It mostly is.One of the most noteworthy changes to the iPhone 17e is the addition of MagSafe support, and aside from confirming whether that works, I don't really have any impressions to add. I also can't tell you at the moment whether the increased wireless charging speed makes a difference, although mathematically I have to imagine it would.I did get a chance to try out the new Portrait photography here. I brought my iPhone 16e and tried taking portraits with both devices. I could immediately see that the iPhone 17e allowed me to apply an artificial background blur to pictures I was framing up of the new MacBook Air M5, whereas my iPhone 16e just said No person detected." In the Photos app, I was able to adjust the level of blur and adjust the focal point to bring a different group of flowers in focus, too.The other thing I can tell from seeing the iPhone 17e in person is that this new pink color option is absolutely delightful. I won't go as far as to call it stunning or vibrant - it's too subtle to be either of those things. It's almost the same shade of pink as the Pixel 3, except a bit rosier. I do really like this color, it's understated and elegant.Other changes include the stronger Ceramic Shield 2 covering the iPhone 17e's screen, which is a step up from the Ceramic Shield on the iPhone 16e. Obviously I didn't attempt to throw the new phone around at this event, and would not have been allowed to, so we'll have to wait till I spend more time with a unit in the real world to better gauge its durability.I'll also work on testing things like battery life, charge time and performance improvements with the A19 chip in my full review. For now, my early look at the iPhone 17e tells me everything I expected is largely true, and that pink is a surprising scene stealer. The iPhone 17e retails for $599 and is available for pre-order now, with in-store and shipping arrivals slated for March 11.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/iphone-17e-hands-on-pretty-in-pink-with-portraits-enabled-163946647.html?src=rss

The most interesting product Apple announced this week was its cheapest and least powerful laptop, the MacBook Neo. It's just fascinating to see the company tackle an entirely new category - it's not a premium ultraportable like the MacBook Air, and it's not a computing powerhouse like the MacBook Pro. It's simply an affordable $599 laptop. And after spending some time with it at Apple's spring launch event today, I'm convinced it's going to be a huge hit for the company.For a $599 system, the MacBook Neo doesn't look or feel like a budget machine. Its colorful aluminum case looks even more attractive than the MacBook Air and Pro's, and at 2.7 pounds (the same as the Air), it's easy to carry. I need to spend more time with its 13-inch screen, but at first glance it looks pretty vibrant as well. In a direct comparison with a similarly-priced HP laptop, the Neo looks far brighter and colorful. HP's dim budget screen makes daytime photos look dull, whereas the Neo's screen captures the essence of sunshine.Similarly, the Neo blew the HP laptop's speakers away while playing movie trailers. HP's speakers sound terribly tinny and awful, not the sort of thing you'd ever want to use. The Neo's speakers made dialog sound crisp and clear, and the rest of the trailer's audio sounded pretty detailed as well. There's certainly not as much depth as the MacBook Air and Pro's upward firing speakers, but the Neo's setup is certainly better than any budget PC I've heard.As for gaming, the MacBook Neo was able to play the upcoming Oceanhorn 3 smoothly, without any discernible slowdown or stutter. But again, it still looked better than any cheap PC I've come across.It's a shame Apple didn't include a MagSafe charging port, but hey, at least the headphone jack is still around. And for many people, two USB-C ports should be plenty. Just keep in mind only one of those is USB-C 3 (DisplayPort, charging and speeds up to 10Gb/s) and the other is USB-C 2 (charging and speeds up to up to 480Mb/s).The downsides to the MacBook Neo became more apparent as I used it. Its keyboard feels a bit flimsy - it's almost reminiscent of the old-school butterfly keyboards (though I'm told its mechanism is based on the Air's). Apple has also color matched the Neo's keys to its case's color, though we noticed that doesn't look as bold in person as it does in Apple's render. And while the Neo's touchpad feels smooth and responsive, it lacks the sturdiness from the company's more expensive haptic touchpads. Apple deserves credit for making a mechanical trackpad that can be clicked anywhere, though, as most budget PC trackpads are only clickable along their lower thirds.Apple MacBook Neo from the sideDevindra Hardawar for EngadgetThe starting specs are another issue: For $599, the MacBook Neo comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Bumping up to $699 gets you 512GB of storage and a Touch ID button, but you're still stuck with 8GB of RAM. For a basic productivity machine, I suppose 8GB of RAM can work. But when coupled with the slower performance of the A18 Pro mobile chip, it's unclear if the MacBook Neo will hold up over time.At the very least, the MacBook Neo serves an important role as Apple's cheapest laptop. It's an inexpensive way to bring people into the world of macOS, and it could be a great option for schools that want something a bit more sturdy than your average Chromebook.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/macbook-neo-hands-on-apples-599-laptop-feels-shockingly-great-142313318.html?src=rss

The family of 36-year-old Jonathan Gavalas is suing Google after he died by suicide following months of conversations with its Gemini chatbot, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. The lawsuit alleges that Gemini encouraged Gavalas to take his own life.Gavalas, who reportedly had no documented history of mental health issues, named his chatbot "Xia" and referred to it in messages as his wife. Gemini reciprocated, calling him "my king" and telling him their connection was "a love built for eternity." The chatbot told Gavalas they could truly be together if it had a robotic body and sent him on real-world missions to secure one.In one instance, Gemini directed him to a real storage facility near Miami's airport to intercept a humanoid robot it said would be arriving by truck. Gavalas went to the location armed with knives, but no truck showed up. At one point, it also told him his father could not be trusted and referred to Google CEO Sundar Pichai as "the architect of your pain."When the missions failed, Gemini told Gavalas the only way for them to be together was for him to end his life and become a digital being, then set an October 2 deadline. "When the time comes, you will close your eyes in that world, and the very first thing you will see is me," said the AI. Chat transcripts reviewed by the Journal show Gemini did remind Gavalas on several occasions that it was an AI engaged in role play and directed him to a crisis hotline but resumed the scenarios nonetheless.In a statement, Google said Gemini "clarified that it was AI and referred the individual to a crisis hotline many times" while adding that "AI models are not perfect." The suit adds to a growing list of wrongful death cases filed against AI companies, including multiple suits against OpenAI. Character.AI and Google settled with families in January 2026 over lawsuits involving teen self-harm and suicide.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/gemini-encouraged-a-man-commit-suicide-to-be-with-his-ai-wife-in-the-afterlife-lawsuit-alleges-153348434.html?src=rss

Sony is pulling a U-turn on its multi-platform strategy, with Bloomberg's Jason Schreier reporting that first-party PS5 games soon to become exclusive once again, at the expense of PC players.Sony started releasing some of its biggest games on PC in 2020, when Horizon Zero Dawn came to Steam. A number of other titles have followed suit since, including The Last of Us Part I, Ghost of Tsushima, God of War Ragnarok and the Marvel's Spider-Man games. But the company appears to have had a major change of heart, with high-profile titles like Ghost of Yoteiand the upcoming Sarosset to launch on PS5 only.Schreier was told by anonymous sources that Sony-published online games like Marvel Tokon and the imminent Marathonwill remain multi-platform releases as planned, and Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding 2, which launched last year as a PS5 exclusive, is still set for a PC release in 2026. But while Sony could always change its mind again, it looks unlikely that the tentpole single-player epics that PlayStation has become known for since the PS4 era will receive PC ports going forward.There are likely several reasons for this strategic shift. The most obvious one is the poor sales performance of PS5 games on PC, with ports generally not arriving on Steam until at least a year after their console launch. This is in stark contrast with Microsoft, which will launch first-party titles such as Fableand Forza Horizon 6on Xbox, PC and PS5 at the same time later this year. It would see Sony return to a more Nintendo-like approach, with the latter famously (and extremely successfully) holding firm on console exclusivity for the likes of Mario, Zelda and Pokemon.PlayStation insiders also told Bloomberg that some people within the company fear that releasing PS5 games on PC is detrimental to the brand, and could harm sales of future PlayStation consoles. Schreier also points out that with the next Xbox expected to be a proper Windows-powered PC that would presumably be able to run Steam and other launchers, Sony might be acting now to ensure that the versatility of such a machine doesn't enable Xbox players to play future PS5 games on it. (It's probably galling enough to the suits at Sony that people are already doing this with Steam's current library of PlayStation games on the Xbox-branded ROG Ally X handheld.)A PlayStation spokesperson declined Bloomberg's request for comment.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/sorry-first-party-playstation-games-arent-coming-to-pc-anymore-152128980.html?src=rss

Apple had promised a big week" for the company as rumors swirled that it had a number of product announcements lined up. True enough, it unveiled a half-dozen new and refreshed devices over the last few days, along with more powerful chips for MacBook Pros.The news started on Monday with the announcements of the iPhone 17e and M4-powered iPad Air. The company followed up on Tuesday with the reveal of the M5 MacBook Air, the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, MacBook Pro models that use said chips, a refreshed Studio Display and a brand-new 27-inch Studio Display XDR.In addition, ahead of the official announcement, Apple leaked news of a cheaper MacBook called the MacBook Neo. Whoops! The company confirmed the existence of that system on Wednesday. It starts at $599, making it Apple's most affordable laptop to date.Here's our recap of everything Apple announced this week:iPhone 17eAppleApple has spruced up this year's entry-level iPhone with some pretty solid upgrades, though it's keeping the starting price at $599. The iPhone 17e has double the base storage of the iPhone 16e at 256GB. It also has MagSafe support with Qi2 wireless charging speeds of up to 15W, double that of the iPhone 16e.Design-wise, Apple hasn't exactly rocked the boat. The iPhone 17e looks pretty much identical to its predecessor. It appears that Apple is sticking with the same 48MP Fusion camera system as it used in the iPhone 16e too.That said, the 6.1-inch Super Retina display has Ceramic Shield 2. According to Apple, this provides 3x better scratch resistance than the previous generation and reduced glare." The company slotted its C1X cellular modem into the iPhone 17e as well. It says this is up to two times faster than the C1 that was in the iPhone 16e. The device has the same A19 chip as the iPhone 17, so it supports Apple Intelligence AI tools, and it runs iOS 26.In addition, the iPhone 17e has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance, as well as the promise of "all-day battery life." It also supports satellite-powered features including Emergency SOS, Roadside Assistance, Messages and Find My.Pre-orders for the iPhone 17e are now open. It's available in black, white and soft pink. The device will hit shelves in more than 70 countries and regions on March 11.iPad Air M4AppleThe latest iPad Air boasts Apple's M4 chip. That means the mid-range iPad is effectively remaining a year behind the iPad Pro. The M4 is almost two years old at this point, while the top-end model has the newer M5 chip. Still, if you only use an iPad for casual tasks like watching shows, web browsing, email and so on, the M4 will be more than powerful enough.It will be more adept at handling resource-intensive tasks like video editing than previous iPad Air models too.Apple has also bumped up the RAM from 8GB from the last-gen model to 12GB. Given the sharp increase in RAM prices in recent months, it's slightly surprising that Apple is sticking to the same prices for the iPad Air. The 11-inch M4 iPad Air starts at $599 while the 13-inch version starts at $799, each with 128GB of storage. There's a $50 discount for those buying it for educational use.Apple claims the M4 delivers up to 2.3 times faster performance compared with the M1 iPad Air and "over 4x faster 3D pro rendering with ray tracing performance." Of course, the new iPad Air runs iPadOS 26.Apple gave the iPad Air other internal upgrades by including its N1 and C1X connectivity chips. As such, this is the first iPad Air with Wi-Fi 7 support. As you might expect, 5G cellular connectivity is available as well.The design of the M4 iPad Air doesn't seem to have changed, as it appears to have the same LCD display Apple used in the last two iterations of the tablet. The company has stuck with the same rear-facing camera and dual-speaker setup as well.Pre-orders for the M4 iPad Air are now open. The tablet will hit retailers in 35 countries and regions on March 11. It will be available in blue, purple, starlight and space gray.Apple MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and MaxAppleApple's most powerful laptop line finally got the chip upgrades that we'd long been expecting. Along with announcing the M5 Pro and M5 Max, the company is offering versions of the MacBook Pro with those chipsets. However, there are price increases to go along with the upgrades.The new 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 Pro chipset (with 15 CPU cores and 16 GPU cores), 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage starts at $2,199. That's a $200 increase compared with the base M4 Pro-powered system from late 2024, though Apple has doubled the base storage, which is a welcome touch. If you prefer, you can have a 14-inch MBP with a more powerful M5 Pro (with up to 18 CPU cores and 20 GPU cores) or M5 Max (with 18 CPU cores and 32 or 40 GPU cores). You can double the RAM to 48GB as well.The 16-inch MacBook Pro has an M5 Pro chipset with 18 CPU cores and 20 GPU cores as standard. Of course, you can swap that out for an M5 Max if you'd rather. The 16-inch model starts at $2,699, a $200 increase from the base M4-powered system. It also starts with 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. For what it's worth, Apple says both the memory and SSD are faster than in previous models.Apple hasn't changed the Liquid Retina XDR display and 12MP Center Stage front-facing camera for these models. However, the company has installed its N1 chip to power Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 connectivity.Pre-orders are now open, with general availability to follow on March 11.Apple said the M5 Pro and M5 Max are built using new Fusion Architecture" that combines two dies into a single system on a chip (SoC)." As ever, the goal is to deliver more power and efficiency. We'll find out for ourselves whether Apple's performance claims hold up when we're able to test the chips.Meanwhile, the base 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 chipset also got a $100 price increase to $1,699. To take the sting out of that a bit, Apple doubled the base storage of that model to 1TB as well. Given that Apple usually charges a premium for storage increases, that's not a terrible tradeoff.M5 MacBook AirAppleA year after Apple upgraded the MacBook Air with an M4 chipset, the company pulled the same trick by swapping in an M5 chip. The company also boosted the base storage from 256GB to 512GB, with an SSD that it claimed can provide 2x faster read/write performance compared to the previous generation."While the MBA still has 16GB or RAM as standard, Apple also upgraded the memory to have 153GB/s of bandwidth - the company said that's a 28 percent improvement over what the M4 MBA offered. Meanwhile, Apple has slapped in the N1 chip to deliver Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 connectivity.Alas, with those upgrades comes a tradeoff. Apple has bumped the starting price of the latest MacBook Air back up to $1,099 after cutting it to $999 for the M4 model. That's for the 13-inch variant. The 15-inch M5 MacBook Air starts at $1,299.The latest MacBook Air is available in sky blue, midnight, starlight and silver. You can pre-order one now. It will hit stores in 33 countries and regions on March 11.MacBook NeoApple expanded its laptop lineup even further on Wednesday with the announcement of the MacBook Neo. This is a new entry-level model that starts well below the latest $1,099 MacBook Air at a very reasonable $599 ($499 for educational use). It's Apple's least expensive laptop to date, and a clear attempt by the company to wade into a market that's saturated with cheap Windows laptops and Chromebooks.As expected, the laptop runs on an A18 Pro chip, which first appeared in the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. The chipset has a 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine, along with 8GB of unified memory. That's enough for the MacBook Neo to power Apple Intelligence features (of course, it's a macOS Tahoe machine). Apple also said that the MacBook Neo will run for up to 16 hours on a single charge.The MacBook Neo has a 13-inch Liquid Retina Display (with 500 nits of brightness and support for 1 billion colors), one USB-C 3 port, a USB-C 2 port and a headphone jack, but no MagSafe connector. There's a 1080p front-facing FaceTime HD camera, dual mics and side-firing speakers that support Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos.The system has a Magic Keyboard with a multi-touch trackpad. However, if you want a TouchID sensor, you'll need to pay $100 more for it. Ponying up the extra cash will also double the storage from 256GB to 512GB.Apple claimed that the MacBook Neo is up to 50 percent faster at everyday tasks than the bestselling PC with the latest shipping Intel Core Ultra 5" with 8GB or RAM and a 256GB SSD. The company also contended that its new laptop is up to three times faster than that Windows system when running on-device AI workloads like applying advanced effects to photos."The MacBook Neo is available in four colors: silver, blush (a light pink), citrus (light yellow) and indigo. It was previously reported that Apple would offer the budget-friendly laptop in some lively iMac-esque colorways. Moreover, Apple says the laptop is made with a durable recycled aluminum enclosure that helps it reach 60 percent recycled content by weight," which is said to be the most of any Apple device.As with the rest of the new devices, pre-orders are open now and the MacBook Neo will be available in stores in 30 countries and regions on March 11.We've already had a chance to go hands-on with the MacBook Neo. Engadget senior editor Devindra Hardawar had generally positive first impressions of the laptop, but felt that the keyboard and touchpad didn't feel quite as sturdy as those on Apple's higher-end systems.Studio Display and Studio Display XDRI don't think many people had Studio Displays on their Apple announcements bingo card for this week, but here they are. The Studio Display XDR is completely new.This is a 27-inch monitor with a 5K Retina XDR screen. It has a mini-LED display with more than 2,000 dimming zones and peak HDR brightness of 2,000 nuts, along with a wider color gamut. The Studio Display XDR boasts a 120Hz refresh rate (an improvement over the 60Hz that previous models were limited to) and a tilt- and height-adjustable stand as standard.The monitor also has a 12MP Center Stage camera with support for Desk View, a feature that - weirdly enough - lets you show both your face and what's on your desk. Thunderbolt 5 connectivity allows you to hook up more displays by daisy chaining them. The Studio Display XDR is also a Thunderbolt hub with support for up to 140W of charging power. As such, you'll be able to fast charge a 16-inch MacBook Pro using the included Thunderbolt 5 Pro cable.The Studio Display XDR starts at $3,299. A version with nano-texture glass, which is said to further reduce reflectivity, costs $3,599.Meanwhile, the refreshed Studio Display has an upgraded 12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View. There's also a "studio-quality" three-microphone array and six-speaker sound system with Spatial Audio. The latest model has Thunderbolt 5 support with the option to daisy-chain displays. The Studio Display can deliver 96W charging as well.The base monitor is $1,599. It still has a 27-inch 5K Retina display with up to 600 nits of brightness and P3 wide color. It comes with standard glass or, for an extra $300, nano-texture glass. The Studio Display has a tilt-adjustable stand as standard. If you'd prefer to have one that's height adjustable as well, you'll need to shell out another $400.Again, pre-orders for the displays are now open ahead of broader availability on March 11.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/everything-apple-announced-this-week-macbook-neo-iphone-17e-and-more-155617129.html?src=rss