It was a messy Monday if you were a Verizon customer or wanted some PS5 gaming in the evening. First, Verizon mobile customers reported outages across the US on Monday. At around 9:30AM ET, hundreds of thousands of users flagged problems with their mobile service on Downdetector. Reports spiked at almost 105,000 at 11:20AM. Issues included the inability to send texts and a lack of cellular service outright. The issue centered on the East Coast and Midwest. The carrier hasn't elaborated on what caused the issue. The FCC said it was working to determine the cause and extent of these service disruptions."Hours later, the PlayStation Network experienced serious issues, kicking people off their matches and crashing online games worldwide. (Yes, that's even bigger than the Midwest and East Coast.) Users couldn't sign in on the PS5, PS4, PS Vita and PS3 or perform account maintenance on the web either. Streaming functionality was also knocked offline. Services came back online in the early hours of October. We're also checking with Sony about the cause.- Mat SmithThe big tech stories you might have missedThe USB-C Apple Pencil is cheaper than ever in this early Prime Day dealReddit policy changes make sitewide protests nearly impossibleThe best E Ink tablets for 2024GM's Cruise fined $1.5 million for omitting details about its gruesome 2023 crashThe company needs to submit regular reports too.CruiseThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) fined Cruise, GM's self-driving vehicle division, $1.5 million. The penalty was imposed for omitting key details from an October 2023 accident when one of the company's autonomous vehicles struck and dragged a San Francisco pedestrian. Cruise is being fined for initially submitting incomplete reports, but it's worse than that. Executives initially played a video of the accident during October 3 meetings with the San Francisco mayor's office, NHTSA, DMV and other officials. However, the video stream was hampered by internet connectivity issues" that concealed the part where the vehicle dragged the victim. Executives, who the report stated knew about the dragging, also failed to verbally mention that crucial detail.The NHTSA wants Cruise to file a corrective action plan, along with others covering its total number of vehicles, miles traveled and whether they operated without a driver. It also has to summarize software updates that affect operations and more. Finally, Cruise will also have to meet with the NHTSA quarterly to discuss and review those reports.Continue reading.Epic is suing again It claims Samsung's Auto Blocker makes it difficult to install its app store.Epic loves a courtroom battle. Its next challenger is Samsung - and Google. (Yes, Epic already won an antitrust lawsuit against Google last December, which found Google held an illegal monopoly on app distribution and in-app billing services.) Epic Games is claiming Samsung's Auto Blocker feature is making it difficult for users to install the Epic Games Store on the latest Samsung devices. This is because Samsung now activates Auto Blocker, which only allows app installs from the Google Play Store and Samsung Galaxy Store, by default. To be honest, it's pretty laborious to switch off. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney even suggests Google and Samsung are working together, though he admits there's no concrete evidence for this claim.Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-verizon-and-playstations-network-separately-hit-by-outages-110420743.html?src=rss
It's not just you - the PlayStation Network experienced serious issues, kicking people off their matches and crashing online games around the world. Based on Downdetector reports, the issue started shortly after 8PM Eastern time on September 30. Sony Interactive Entertainment has yet to release a statement about the problem, but it did update the PlayStation Network status page to show that several of its services weren't working.Users couldn't sign in, create new accounts or edit their account details on the PS5, PS4, PS Vita and PS3. They couldn't do any account maintenance on the web either. Likewise, they couldn't stream games on the web or on any PlayStation console. They couldn't do any window shopping, as well: Users couldn't browse or search for games, redeem vouches, make any purchases or download previously purchased titles."We're working to resolve the issue as soon as possible," the company wrote in the status update. "Thank you for your patience."As of 4:30AM Eastern time on October 1, however, the PSN status page now shows that all its services are up and running. It's still unclear what had happened and why PSN was down from the evening of September 30 to the early hours of October 1, but we reached out to PlayStation/Sony Interactive Entertainment for more information.Update, October 02, 2024, 4:42AM ET: We updated this post after the PSN status page showed that all its services were up and running.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/the-playstation-networks-services-are-down-034439741.html?src=rss
Update, September 30, 7:28PM ET: At 7:18PM ET, the company tweeted that its engineers had resolved the issue. The original story, which was updated twice after publish with statements from Verizon, follows.Verizon mobile customers reported widespread outages across the US on Monday. Starting at around 9:30AM ET, hundreds of thousands of people flagged issues with their mobile service on Downdetector, which tracks user-submitted outage reports. The volume of reports spiked at almost 105,000 at 11:20AM, but were still reaching almost 59,000 at 12:52PM.Many folks claimed they were unable to make or receive calls or exchange text messages. Those with an iPhone may be seeing "SOS" instead of the usual connection bars on the top right of their screen. That's a common sight when there's limited service or none at all. However, affected iPhone users can still make emergency calls via other networks.A Downdetector heatmap suggested that the issue was most prevalent in New York, New Jersey, Georgia and elsewhere on the east coast and midwest. A narrow yellow band of reports was also emerging on the west coast as of 1:10PM ET. along with an intensifying heat spot in Los Angeles.
On Monday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) fined Cruise, GM's self-driving vehicle division, $1.5 million. The penalty was imposed for omitting key details from an October 2023 accident in which one of the company's autonomous vehicles struck and dragged a San Francisco pedestrian.Cruise is being fined for initially submitting several incomplete reports. The NHTSA's reports require pre-crash, crash and post-crash details, which the company gave to the agency without a critical detail: that the pedestrian was dragged by the vehicle for 20 feet at around 7 MPH, causing severe injuries. Eventually, the company released a 100-page report from a law firm detailing its failures surrounding the accident.That report states that Cruise executives initially played a video of the accident during October 3 meetings with the San Francisco Mayor's Office, NHTSA, DMV and other officials. However, the video stream was hampered by internet connectivity issues" that concealed the part where the vehicle dragged the victim. Executives, who the report stated knew about the dragging, also failed to verbally mention that crucial detail in the initial meetings because they wanted to let the video speak for itself."Investigators finally found out about the dragging after the NHTSA asked the company to submit the full video. The government agency says Cruise also amended four other incomplete crash reports involving its vehicles to add additional details.The NHTSA's new requirements for Cruise include submitting a corrective action plan, along with others covering its total number of vehicles, their miles traveled and whether they operated without a driver. It also has to summarize software updates that affect operation, report citations and observed violations of traffic laws and let the agency know how it will improve safety. Finally, Cruise will have to meet with the NHTSA quarterly to discuss the state of its operations while reviewing its reports and compliance.The order lasts at least two years, and the NHTSA can extend it to a third year. Reuters reported on Monday that, despite the fine, the NHTSA's investigation into whether Cruise is taking proper safety precautions to protect pedestrians is still open. Cruise still faces probes by the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission.To say the incident sparked shakeups at Cruise would be an understatement. The company halted its self-driving operations after the accident. Then, last November, the dominoes began to fall: Its CEO resigned, and GM said it would cut its Cruise investment by hundreds of millions of dollars" and restructure its leadership. Nine more executives were dismissed in December.Nonetheless, Cruise is trying to rebound under its new leadership. Vehicles with drivers returned to Arizona and Houston this year, and GM said it's pouring an additional $850 million into it. Earlier this month, it began operating in California again, also with drivers - which, it's safe to say, is a good thing.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/gms-cruise-fined-15-million-for-omitting-details-about-its-gruesome-2023-crash-210559255.html?src=rss
Update, September 30, 4:30PM ET: YouTube says it has reached a deal with SESAC, and that the affected songs will be returning to the platform soon. A spokesperson sent the following comment: "We're pleased that SESAC reconsidered our offer. We've reached a deal and content will come back up shortly. We appreciate everyone's patience during this time."The original story, headlined "YouTube blocks songs from artists including Adele and Green Day amid licensing negotiations," follows unedited.Songs from popular artists have begun to disappear from YouTube as the platform's deal with the performing rights organization SESAC (Society of European Stage Authors and Composers) approaches its expiration date. As reported by Variety, certain songs by Adele, Green Day, Bob Dylan, R.E.M., Burna Boy and other artists have been blocked in the US, though their entire catalogs aren't necessarily affected. Videos that have been pulled, like Adele's Rolling in the Deep," now just show a black screen with the message: This video contains content from SESAC. It is not available in your country."In a statement to Engadget, a YouTube spokesperson said the platform has been in talks with SESAC to renew the deal, but despite our best efforts, we were unable to reach an equitable agreement before its expiration. We take copyright very seriously and as a result, content represented by SESAC is no longer available on YouTube in the US. We are in active conversations with SESAC and are hoping to reach a new deal as soon as possible." According to a source that spoke to Variety, however, the deal hasn't even expired yet - it'll reportedly terminate sometime next week - and the move on YouTube's part may be a negotiation tactic. SESAC has not yet released a statement.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/youtube/songs-from-adele-and-others-are-returning-to-youtube-as-sesac-agrees-to-a-new-deal-151741508.html?src=rss
If you've been on the lookout for a killer deal on a perfectly decent tablet for streaming videos and catching up on some reading, hunt no more. Just ahead of the October edition of Prime Day, Amazon has slashed the price of the Fire HD 10 tablet to $75, which is a discount of $65. This matches the tablet's lowest price to date, which we saw during Prime Day in July. The deal is for a model with 32GB of storage and ads on the lockscreen. Expanding the storage is easy enough thanks to the microSD slot, but to get rid of the lockscreen ads you'll need to buy a different version (which, at $90, is also currently $65 off). You probably won't be doing as much creative work on a Fire HD tablet as you might on an iPad Pro. But for kicking back and catching up on a show or reading a Kindle book, Amazon's tablet certainly does the trick. It has a 10.1-inch Full HD display with a promise of up to 13 hours of battery life. Amazon says it delivers 25 percent faster performance than the previous model and it has 3GB of storage. You can use the tablet to keep up with family and friends using messaging apps or hop on video calls with the help of the 5MP front-facing camera. You can also use a stylus to sketch in various apps. There's Alexa integration as well, of course - you can use the tablet to control smart compatible home devices and get a live view of connected security cameras. One thing worth noting is that Amazon has yet to hold its usual fall devices event, so it may be using the October Prime Day sale to get rid of its current inventory of devices on the cheap before announcing upgraded models. Even if Amazon does have new tablets to show off in the coming weeks, though, you'll still have a solid device in hand if you snap this one up. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice in the lead up to October Prime Day 2024.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazons-fire-hd-10-tablet-drops-to-a-record-low-price-ahead-of-october-prime-day-202755183.html?src=rss
Ford is looking to take some of the sting out of EV charging by offering a free home charger. The automaker will even send out a technician to install it at no cost to you if you buy or lease a retail Mustang Mach-E, F-150 Lightning or E-Transit between October 1 and January 2. However, Ford may opt to extend the program if it proves successful. (Ford Pro fleet customers will get a $2,000 commercial charging cash incentive instead.)According to Joanna Stern of The Wall Street Journal, those who take up the offer will get a Level 2 charger at home. This should save Ford EV buyers and lessees a pretty penny, since the Ford Charge Station Pro costs $1,310 and the company typically charges $2,000 for installation. Still, those who want to take up the deal may need to make sure their garage is wired up properly to fully take advantage of Level 2 charging.The EV side of Ford's business has been struggling as of late - the company expects that division to lose as much as $5.5 billion this year. In January, it cut production of the F-150 Lightning due to lower than expected demand and shifted resources to make more Broncos and Rangers. A few months later, the company delayed some EV models, including a planned three-row SUV, and placed more focus on hybrids. But in August, the automaker killed the three-row SUV project entirely while further delaying some other EVs.Incentivizing EV purchases and leases with a free home charger and installation is smart and it could pay off for Ford. However, it may turn out to be little more than a Band-Aid for the division's deeper-set problems.Update 9/30 2:53PM ET: The headline has been updated to reflect that the offer is available for all new EV purchases and leases in the US.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/ford-chucks-in-a-free-ev-home-charger-and-installation-with-some-models-160138994.html?src=rss
Reddit has just changed the rules so moderators of subreddits must get admin approval to switch from public to private, as originally reported by The Verge. This is being seen by many as an attempt to curb sitewide protests, as these requests must be approved by Reddit staffers. There will be no way for multiple subreddits to go private at once without Reddit having its hand on the lever.The company put a little note on the support page that reads if you're changing your community type after community creation, you'll need to submit a request." This page doesn't offer any reasoning behind the decision.RedditWe reached out to Reddit to inquire about this most recent policy change and the company pointed us to a post on the subreddit r/modnews written by VP of community Laura Nestler. She wrote that the ability to instantly change Community Type settings has been used to break the platform and violate our rules."So it looks like last year's protests are absolutely connected to today's changes. Nestler also suggested that this is an issue of personal responsibility, writing that communities should honor the expectations they set - public communities should remain accessible to all; private communities should remain private."On the topic of recent protests, switching from public to private is the exact way in which subreddits expressed dissatisfaction with last year's API pricing changes. In that case, over 8,000 subreddits went private in tandem. This means that the subreddits became inaccessible to the general public, though they remained active for current members.The site's daily traffic suffered as a result. This allegedly had an impact on the functionality of Reddit itself, as there was a major site outage after all of those subreddits went private. The company blamed the protests for this outage, telling Engadget that "a significant number of subreddits shifting to private caused some expected stability issues."Not all protests involve switching a subreddit from public to private. Some moderators protest Reddit by labeling a subreddit as NSFW. This disallows advertising on the subreddit and makes it harder to search for. The company also put the kibosh on this move, as that kind of switch also now requires admin approval.It's worth noting that last year's protests didn't work. Reddit went ahead with those API charges, which forced third-party apps like Apollo to shut down. The company also went in and took complete control of one of the larger subreddits that participated in the protest. Now, there's today's change that effectively bans sitewide protests altogether.Adding insult to injury, Reddit recently struck gold by licensing its content to train AI models. That deal will reportedly net the company around $60 million per year, but the users who actually created the content that's being licensed will be getting approximately $0 per year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/reddit-policy-changes-make-sitewide-protests-nearly-impossible-183754240.html?src=rss
ASUS's latest Zenbook S14, much like the Zenbook 14 OLED we reviewed last December, is a solid ultraportable with one major selling point: It's among the first laptops to use Intel's newest CPUs. In this case, it's the Core Ultra 7 258V, a processor that sits in the mid-range of the company's "Lunar Lake" lineup. While Intel touts these chips as its most efficient ever, I've been curious about what that means for raw performance, especially since they top out with just eight cores. Based on my testing, I can confirm that the Zenbook S14 delivers the best battery life we've ever seen from an Intel laptop. It reached 16 hours and eight minutes in the PCMark 10 battery benchmark. In comparison, the Zenbook S16 powered by AMD's new Ryzen AI 9 365 chip only hit 12 hours and 47 minutes. The Intel system's timing is close to the 17 hours and 45 minutes we saw from the Dell XPS 13 Copilot+ , which is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite. While it's astounding to see how much progress Intel has made with battery life, that does come with some compromises. In a few benchmarks, the Zenbook S14 doesn't score much higher than Intel's last-gen Core Ultra chips, and it's often bested by AMD's Ryzen AI on multithreaded tasks. But, as we often say, benchmarks don't tell the entire story. A gorgeous ultraportable When I reviewed the Zenbook 14 OLED a year ago, I couldn't help but point out how dated it looked. It was practically the same as ASUS' laptops from a decade ago (albeit with slimmer screen bezels). Not so with the Zenbook S14. It's impressive the moment you open it up and feel its lid, which is built with a material ASUS calls "Ceraluminum." As the name implies, it's a combination of ceramic and aluminum, and it feels almost uncanny, like something between high-end plastic and smooth metal. It's still premium, but it's also distinctly different from most other laptops. Combining ceramics and aluminum isn't exactly new - ASUS notes that it's a popular option for aerospace and watch designs - but we haven't yet seen it deployed in laptops. It's not just for looks, either. The material should also be more durable than standard metal. The rest of the Zenbook 14 S's body is made out of a solid block of metal, but ASUS added some unique tweaks there as well. The lower part of the case features a geometric grille above the keyboard, consisting of 2,715 circular cooling vents. ASUS claims this design enhances airflow while also keeping dirt and dust out. Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget ASUS 14-inch 3K "Lumina" OLED display dominates the Zenbook S14, and it delivers everything I want from a modern laptop screen. It sports a fast 120Hz refresh rate and 500 nits of peak brightness. While its bezels are relatively thin compared to older ASUS systems, they're still noticeably chunkier than Dell's latest InfinityEdge screens on the XPS 13 and 14. The system would look much sleeker if ASUS could shave off more of its bottom and side bezels. Most importantly, though, the OLED display looks glorious, with deliciously dark black levels and colors that pop off the screen. The Zenbook S14 is surprisingly sturdy for a 14-inch laptop that weighs 2.65 pounds and measures 0.47 inches thin. It's slightly lighter and a hair thicker than the most recent 13-inch MacBook Air, and feels similarly polished. Notably, it also offers many more useful ports than Apple's ultraportable. The S14 includes two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C connections, a full-sized HDMI 2.1 port, a headphone jack and even an old-school USB Type-A port. The only thing it's missing is Ethernet and an SD card slot. Unfortunately, ASUS couldn't get everything right with the Zenbook S14. Its quad-speaker audio system is serviceable, but the sound loses any sort of depth and detail as you ramp up the volume. And while it's nice to have a Windows Hello-compatible webcam for fast logins, the 1080p sensor looks far grainier and less detailed than Dell's XPS line and the MacBook Air. Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget Its keyboard also feels merely serviceable, with little responsive feedback while typing. That's a particular shame, since that's been a constant complaint we've had with ASUS keyboards. At least the touchpad is large and responsive to swipes and multi-finger gestures. You can also adjust the volume and other settings by sliding your finger along the sides of the touchpad. In use: Capable, but don't stress it Thanks to Intel's Core Ultra 7 258V chip, the Zenbook S14 felt impressively zippy from the start. I breezed through the Windows setup process, downloaded the latest updates and installed my usual testing programs in just a few minutes. It didn't sweat whenever I needed to jump between apps like Spotify, Slack and Evernote, and I didn't notice any of the lag I often see on Windows notebooks bogged down by third-party bloatware. It was always ready to get work done. PCMark 10 Geekbench 6 CPU 3DMark Wildlife Extreme Cinebench 2024 ASUS Zenbook S14 (Intel Core Ultra 7 258V) 6,688 (Base Test) 14,215 (Applications) 2,569/10,442 7,158 121/482 Dell XPS 13 Copilot+ (Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite) 14,024 (Applications) 2,621/14,194 6,191 122/748 Dell XPS 13 (Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, Intel Arc) 6,806 (Base test) 2,276/11,490 4,579 90/453 Apple MacBook Air (M3) N/A 3,190/12,102 8,310 141/490 In PCMark 10, the Zenbook S14 scored almost exactly the same as the Surface Laptop 7 for Business, which uses the last-gen Core Ultra 7 165H. It also matched the XPS 13 Copilot+ edition, which had a Snapdragon X Elite chip, in the PCMark 10 Applications benchmark. The Zenbook's multithreaded performance was noticeably worse than either of those machines in Geekbench 6, likely due to the reduced core count this generation. The big selling point for Intel's Lunar Lake chips is their dramatically improved NPU (neural processing unit), which can reach up to 47 TOPS (trillions of operations per second) of AI performance. In comparison, the previous Core Ultra chips had a significantly less powerful 11 TOPS NPU, while AMD's new Ryzen AI chips reach up to 50 TOPS. (More powerful Lunar Lake chips can hit up to 48 TOPS.) Higher TOPS figures means Copilot+ PCs like the Zenbook S14 will be able to tackle demanding AI workloads more quickly, without impacting overall CPU performance. Unfortunately, there still aren't a ton of AI features to test at the time of this review. Microsoft's Copilot+ Windows 11 update for Intel and AMD systems isn't arriving until November, and even that will only include a beta version of the controversial Recall feature. It's also hard to find apps that take advantage of a local NPU - most entries in the Windows Store "AI Hub" rely on cloud AI processing. Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget At least there's Audacity's OpenVino plugin, which Intel developed to show off its AI PC hardware. It offers NPU-powered features like noise suppression and transcription, but it also requires an involved setup process that may be confusing to Audacity novices. I was able to completely remove incessant jackhammering from a five-minute clip in one minute and eight seconds using the NPU alone. That's not very fast in the world of audio editing (CPU rendering can tackle a noise-filled 90 minute file in three minutes and thirty seconds), but what's key is that the NPU handles the same work using very little power. That could be important if you're stuck editing on battery in a plane or remote location. I was also impressed by Intel's latest Arc 140V GPU, which let me play Halo Infinite between 35 fps and 45 fps in 1080p with low quality graphics settings. That's far from a smooth experience, but it's fascinating to see it from a built-in GPU. Intel's graphics also scored well above the Snapdragon X Elite across the board, especially in the Geekbench 6 GPU test. Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget Pricing and the competition ASUS launched the Zenbook S14 with a starting price of $1,500, but it's already slightly discounted at Best Buy for $1,400. That configuration gets you a Core Ultra 7 chip, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. That's not too shabby, considering the XPS 13 Copilot+ system with a Snapdragon X Elite costs $1,800 when equipped with 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD and an OLED display. The Zenbook also doesn't have the compatibility issues inherent with Snapdragon systems, which have to emulate older Windows apps and can't run many popular games at all. As usual, ASUS also delivers far more value than Apple. A MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD costs $1,700, and that's also stuck with a 60Hz LCD screen. Wrap-up The Zenbook S14 leans more on efficiency than raw power, but it's still an incredible achievement for Intel, a company that used to be infamous for energy-devouring mobile chips. While the Lunar Lake chip's NPU makes the Zenbook ready for Copilot+ and AI features, its true selling points are its excellent battery life, slick ASUS design and gorgeous OLED display.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/asus-zenbook-s14-review-a-showpiece-for-intels-lunar-lake-ai-pc-chips-171642261.html?src=rss
AI enthusiasts who like the Raspberry Pi range of products can rejoice, as the company is now announcing its new Raspberry Pi AI Camera. This product is the result of the company's collaboration with Sony Semiconductor Solutions (SSS), which began in 2023. The AI Camera is compatible with all of Raspberry Pi's single-board computers.The approximately 12.3-megapixel AI Camera is intended for vision-based AI projects, and it's based on SSS' IMX500 image sensor. The integrated RP2040 microcontroller manages the neural network firmware, allowing the camera to perform onboard AI image processing and freeing up the Raspberry Pi for other processes. Thus, users who want to integrate AI into their Raspberry Pi projects are no longer limited to the Raspberry Pi AI Kit.The AI Camera isn't a total replacement for Raspberry Pi's Camera Module 3, which is still available. For those interested in the new AI Camera, it's available right now from Raspberry Pi's approved resellers for $70.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/raspberry-pi-built-an-ai-camera-with-sony-165049998.html?src=rss
The first of two Sea of Stars content updates for the next year has an official release date. The free Dawn of Equinox, which adds a co-op mode, new combat and other features, arrives on November 12 on all platforms.Announced in March, Dawn of Equinox adds new game modes and mechanics for our favorite lunar-solar heroes, Valere and Zale. It includes a new local co-op mode that lets you and up to two friends play the entire game together. Each player has independent movement when traversing the world (as long as you stay within the screen's confines), and there's a new co-op Timed Hits feature that turns one of the core game's mechanics into a group effort.Sabotage StudioThe update also includes Combat 2.0, which adds some fun wrinkles to Sea of Stars' battles. Mystery Locks adds a new challenge to unlock enemies' spells the first time you face them. (A corresponding Reveal" action will appear in some of your party's special skills.) Combo points also remain after battles, which should open the door to some epic beat-downs on your opening moves in subsequent standoffs. In addition, developer Sabotage Studio says it's put effort into rebalancing the entire game to reflect the new mechanics and incorporate player feedback.Other changes include a more action-oriented prologue that ditches the old flashback structure, a bonus cinematic and a relic (game mode) designed for speedrunners. There will also be three difficulty options when starting the game. Finally, it enhances the game's secret-tracking parrot and adds a French Canadian translation, for Quebec's finest Solstice Warriors."The new features in Dawn of Equinox will also apply in the upcoming Throes of the Watchmaker DLC. That content will add an all-new storyline next spring in what Sabotage Studio describes as an encore to Sea of Stars' original adventure" (perhaps before a full-fledged sequel?). The DLC will send Valere and Zale into a magical miniature clockwork world threatened by a cursed carnival," forcing the heroes to adapt their sun and moon magic to the mysterious environment.Sabotage StudioSea of Stars was one of 2023's biggest surprises, garnering grassroots praise and taking home the hardware for Best Indie Game at last year's Game Awards. Engadget's Lawrence Bonk praised the game's Chrono Trigger vibes earlier this year, calling out its gorgeous pixel art and an overworld map that pays proper tribute to its '90s RPG inspirations.Sea of Stars is available now on all major platforms: PC, Switch, PS5/4, Xbox One Series X/S and Xbox One (including on Game Pass). The full game costs $35, and both big upcoming content updates will be added for free.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/sea-of-stars-free-dawn-of-equinox-update-arrives-in-november-164023516.html?src=rss
As first reported by Reuters, ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, is planning to train and develop an AI model using chips from fellow Chinese company Huawei. Three anonymous sources approached Reuters with this information; a fourth source couldn't confirm that ByteDance was using Huawei chips but did say that a new AI model was in development.Previously, ByteDance's AI projects used NVIDIA's H20 AI chips, which were designed for the Chinese market and avoided the trade restrictions the US government placed in 2022. Chinese customers were only allowed to purchase select models of AI chips, which was an attempt to slow down Chinese technological advancement.ByteDance has ordered 100,000 Ascend 910B chips from Huawei this year but only received 30,000 of them. Huawei's Ascend 910B chips are said to be superior to NVIDIA's A100 chips in GPU performance and computing power efficiency. Nevertheless, the chip shortage halted ByteDance's AI model development project.The news isn't confirmed by ByteDance yet, but it's not the only company to switch away from NVIDIA products. Many other Chinese companies are slowly transitioning to local chips. Even though ByteDance had previously used loopholes to get NVIDIA AI chips, the latest development shows how China is attempting to reduce its dependence on Western products.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/bytedance-will-reportedly-use-huawei-chips-to-train-a-new-ai-model-154846749.html?src=rss
It's always beautiful when two lonely corporations find one another. DirecTV has reached an agreement to acquire Dish Network, according to reporting by The New York Times. This would create a global behemoth in the satellite TV space.It would also provide some financial armor for the struggling Dish Network. The company's in debt to the tune of billions of dollars because, well, satellite TV isn't exactly a growth industry anymore. Stream, baby, stream. All told, Dish has $2 billion in debt that's due in November and only $500 million in available cash. That math don't add up to anything but bankruptcy.The specifics of the deal are pretty dang convoluted. It's a multi-step transaction with a few players. First, the private equity firm TPG will acquire a majority stake in DirectTV from AT&T for $7.6 billion. Next, DirecTV will buy Dish Network for just a single dollar. However, it'll also take on that $2 billion in debt. EchoStar, the parent company of Dish, will hold onto some parts of the business as part of the transaction, including over $30 billion in wireless spectrum investments. DirecTV will get the Sling TV video service as part of the deal.The acquisition would create a massive pay-TV provider, with a combined total of around 19 million subscribers. As a counterpoint, cable TV leader Comcast has 13.2 million subscribers. Netflix is creeping up on 300 million subscribers, to show the stark contrast between pay-TV and streaming.The companies say they expect the deal to close in the second half of 2025, though the whole thing is subject to regulatory approval. The Justice Department denied a similar merger back in 2002, but that was when the satellite TV industry was at its peak.More recently, the federal government side-eyed a potential merger between the two companies in 2020 on the grounds that it would deprive rural customers a viable alternative to Dish and DirecTV when looking to purchase 5G wireless service.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/directv-to-acquire-rival-dish-network-for-1-subject-to-regulatory-approval-152041300.html?src=rss
Some users may know that Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite, has had its own app store for a while now, the Epic Games Store. The company also won an antitrust lawsuit against Google last December that found Google held an illegal monopoly on app distribution and in-app billing services for Android devices. Despite that win, it seems that Epic's court war has only begun. Epic Games is now suing Google again, but it also named Samsung in the lawsuit as a defendant. This time, its sights are trained on Samsung's Auto Blocker feature.In the latest lawsuit, Epic Games is claiming that Samsung's Auto Blocker feature is making it difficult for users to install the Epic Games Store on the latest Samsung devices. This is because Samsung now activates Auto Blocker, which only allows app installs from the Google Play Store and Samsung Galaxy Store, by default and prevents third-party app installation unless you disable the function. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney is even suggesting that Google and Samsung are working together, though he admits there's no concrete evidence for this claim.The Verge's Sean Hollister put these claims to the test and discovered that his Samsung smartphone did prevent him from installing Epic Games Store, but it wasn't so simple. There were no instructions on how to deactivate Auto Blocker. He then searched turn off auto blocker" in the search bar, which yielded results but required jumping through several screens.Besides winning against Google and legally proving that Google had a monopoly over Android app sharing, Epic Games also won a lawsuit against Apple. Apple had refused to let Epic Games launch its app store on iOS devices, but the EU forced Apple's hand. However, Apple is still resisting and claims that its acceptance is only temporary.How Google and Samsung will respond remains to be seen, but it's possible that both companies will resist and claim they aren't making it difficult to install the Epic Games Store. Once again, we'll likely be waiting for the legal system to sort things out.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/epic-is-suing-google-and-samsung-for-making-it-too-hard-to-download-fortnite-142846819.html?src=rss
Football Manager 25 is finally on its way, with Sports Interactive confirming the news and announcing a release date. The game will arrive for PC, Mac, Xbox and PS5 on November 26, just in time for some Thanksgiving gameplay. At the same time, FM25 Mobile is launching exclusively on Netflix, while FM25 Touch should come to Nintendo Switch on December 3.FM25 comes with two big updates: a switch to the Unity engine (everywhere except mobile) and women's football (or soccer, depending on where you're reading this from) arriving into the same world as the men's teams. Sega-owned SI first announced the development of women's games in 2021, claiming it would take a while to do in order to provide the same depth as the men's ones. Last year, it confirmed women's teams would be in FM25.In a statement, Sports Interactive Studio Director Miles Jacobson said, "The world gets to see two of our multi-year projects come to fruition: the switch to the Unity engine and the introduction of Women's Football. It gives us a real sense of achievement to begin sharing our hard work with you and we're really looking forward to showing you more of the game in the weeks before the game's release."Right now, anyone who pre-orders FM25 for PC or Mac from a SEGA-approved digital retailer will get 10 percent off. SI will announce pre-orders for Xbox and PS5 editions later.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/football-manager-25-is-out-on-november-26-140032348.html?src=rss
After arriving two weeks late, AMD's Ryzen 9000-series desktop processors disappointed some buyers and reviewers due to lackluster performance. Now, the company has addressed those issues with several new updates.The biggest speed brake for Ryzen 9000 desktop CPUs was the lack of Windows 11 branch prediction optimizations. For relief, you needed to either wait for Windows 11 24H2 (currently in the release preview channel), or add the optional KB5041587 update. However, AMD announced that the fix is now included by default in both Windows 11 version 23H2 build 22631.44112 or the latest 24H2 builds. That should boost performance by 3-13 percent across various games, with the biggest gains in Ryzen 9000 and Zen 5 processors.On top of that, AMD released the AGESA PI 1.2.0.2 BIOS update for Ryzen 5 9600X and Ryzen 9700X processors. That extends the warranty on those processors to allow for a TDP (max power) level of 105W, way up from the 65W launch TDP. That alone will boost speeds up to 10 percent on AM5 and X870 series motherboards, AMD said.It also introduced core-to-core latency optimization for Ryzen 9000 series multi-CCD (chiplet) models. Testers noticed that it sometimes took two transactions to both read and write when information was shared across cores on different CCDs. Though AMD called this a "corner case," the latest BIOS update cuts the number of transactions in half, helping latency in that scenario. "Our lab tests suggest Metro, Starfield and Borderlands 3 can show some uplift, as well as synthetic tests like 3DMark Time Spy," AMD wrote.Still on the speed theme, AMD noted that X870 and X870E motherboards are now available with support for PCIe Gen 5 graphics (i.e., the upcoming NVIDIA RTX 5000 GPUs), NVMe storage and USB4 as standard. AMD also introduced support for "enthusiast-class" DDR5-8000 EXPO memory support, with 1- to 2-nanoseconds of latency improvement. While not for everyone, "it's a great option for enthusiasts who want to push their systems to the limit," AMD said.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/amds-latest-updates-address-9000x-desktop-cpu-performance-issues-130038015.html?src=rss
Buyers that paid at least $93,990 to be among the first to own (and beta test) Tesla's Cybertruck are finally getting a key, promised feature: Full Self-Driving (FSD). Several people on the Cybertruck Owners Club forum - including an Angeleno who posted a video - say that it has finally arrived in early access to select users, Electrek reported.After Tesla promised that FSD would arrive to Cybertrucks in September, the supervised version 12.5.5 v12 (the latest available) is shipping, but only to users in the early access program. That means the feature (included in the Tesla Cybertruck Foundation package) won't be available to most buyers for at least another month, based on Tesla's previous FSD history.FSD worked smoothly for the short amount of time it was shown, according to the video above from Cybertruck Owner's Club forum user espresso-drumbeat. It guided the vehicle through an urban area then onto a freeway ramp before arriving on the I5 toward LA, all in relatively light evening traffic.According to the update description, FSD (Supervised) v12 includes vision-based attention monitoring with sunglasses and merges city and highway into a single software stack. In other words, it's the first version to fully manage driving using end-to-end AI.Cybertruck deliveries first started 10 months ago, so FSD has been a long time coming. Recent testing by the independent automotive testing group AMCI determined that Tesla's FSD can only go 13 miles on average before requiring human intervention.Elon Musk recently promised unsupervised self-driving by the end of 2025, but he has been making that same claim for nearly 10 years and it's still not here. There's more pressure now than ever, though, as the company is set to reveal its FSD-dependent robotaxi product on October 10th.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/teslas-full-self-driving-is-now-available-for-some-cybertrucks-120055932.html?src=rss
The UK's last coal plant will sigh out its final pollutants Monday before shutting down for good and officially ending the country's century and a half of coal production. Nottinghamshire's Ratcliffe-on-Soar plant was the last of its kind following Britain's 2015 commitment to close all coal power plants by 2025. Ratcliffe was originally scheduled to shut down in 2022 but stayed open after Russia invaded Ukraine and Europe entered a gas crisis.The Ratcliffe plant once had 3,000 engineers but only employs 170 staff now. That group will gather to watch a livestream of the plant being turned off, and over 100 of them are set to work on decommissioning the plant over the next two years. Many of the other employees will enter new jobs at different power plants owned by Uniper, Raticliffe's German owner, while others will enter training programs to work on other aspects of the industry.Britain opened the world's first coal power plant in 1882, London's Holborn Viaduct, with the help of Thomas Edison's Edison Electric Light Company. Coal has played a major part in the UK until very recently. According to a report from energy think tank Ember, coal was responsible for 39 percent of the UK's energy supply in 2012 but shrunk to just two percent in 2019. The decrease in coal production was reportedly equal to double the amount of all greenhouse gases used in the UK in 2023. Between 2012 and 2023, wind and solar generation also increased from six percent to a 34 percent share of the UK's energy. Britain still has a long way to go, but this step has made it the first G7 country to remove all coal power production.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-uk-says-goodbye-to-coal-production-114520865.html?src=rss
Remember those rumors of an Apple smart display suspended on a robot arm? According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is planning to debut the first device as soon as 2025, alongside a new operating system called homeOS.It could be a device with a robotic arm or a simpler HomePod-with-screen affair. Gurman elaborated on this, claiming two versions are in the works: a low-end display for the basics, like FaceTime and smart home controls, and a high-end robotic variant that'll cost upwards of $1,000. According to the report, Apple Intelligence will be a key part of the experience for both devices. I'm intrigued to see how Apple's flavor of AI can help me run my home. I literally have no idea how it would.- Mat SmithThe biggest tech stories you might have missed
In What We're Listening To, Engadget writers and editors discuss some of the recent music releases we've had on repeat. This installment has everything from jazz standards to The Jesus Lizard.Lady Gaga - HarlequinI wasn't even a minute into Harlequin before I had the realization, Oh, I am going to become so annoying in my love for this. Unfortunately for everyone in my life (and doubly so because I'm singing along), I've had it blasting all weekend since the surprise drop on Friday.Gaga is a powerhouse, and as much as I adore her take on pop, I'm always blown away when I hear her do jazz. And Harlequin is brimming with it.Harlequin is a companion album to a soon-to-be-released movie (Joker: Folie a Deux) and almost entirely comprises cover songs - a combination that might typically put me off. But Gaga's breezy versions of classics like World on a String" and Smile" are almost chilling. Her energy in tracks like Gonna Build a Mountain" is through the roof. I could have done without Oh, When the Saints," but I'm really just nit-picking now. There are only two original songs on the album and they are completely different beasts, each impactful in its own way. Happy Mistake" is a clear standout, and I'll be softly weeping to that one for years to come.Babe Haven - NuisanceOn the exact opposite end of the spectrum, I've been really into punk band Babe Haven's most recent album, Nuisance, lately. It's 25-ish minutes of queer femme rage and I can't get enough of it. Check it out on Bandcamp.- Cheyenne MacDonald, Weekend EditorThe Jesus Lizard - RackEven laudatory reviews of comeback albums lean on expectations tempered with preemptive apology or pity praise. A comparison to headier days of musical urgency is inevitable; it stings for the same reasons as hearing "you look great for your age." I wish there were some way to take stock of Rack without that baggage, because The Jesus Lizard doesn't merely sound better than a band which took three decades off has any right to, it simply does not sound as though time has passed at all.Rack broods with baffling inconspicuousness amid their oeuvre. Sure, "What If?" doesn't reach the slash and sprawl of earlier meanderings like "Rodeo in Joliet," but "Lord Godiva" glides on the most Duane Denison of Duane Denison riffs, lightning and crude oil. The manic physicality of David Yow's voice is unaltered - neither more harried after 60+ years of swinging at ghosts, nor attenuated by the effort.So many bands seemingly frozen in amber reemerge denuded, as though covering themselves. They'd be frantically recapturing their glory days, if they had the energy to do anything frantic anymore. Rack, through sheer ferocity, is instead a band continuing to do exactly what it always has, just as well as it always has, and sounding really fucking cool doing it.- Avery Ellis, Deputy Editor, ReportsSabrina Carpenter - Short n' SweetThere's a part of me that hates keeping up with pop music, and that's the part of me that cringes when I realize the last few albums I've listened to have been the ones by pop princesses Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift and more. That's also the part of me that resisted listening to Sabrina Carpenter's latest album for months (and probably the part of me that refused to watch the incredible Schitt's Creek until this year).I say all that only to explain why I'm so late to appreciate the goodness that is Short n' Sweet. And the non-self-judgy part of me has unabashedly loved Carpenter's new music and been asking all my friends if they've listened to her songs. When I talked to my various friend groups about her, what became clear is how there's something for everyone, regardless of the variety in our tastes.I'm a fan of R&B, hip hop and basically anything I can dance or sing to. The tracks "bet u wanna," "Taste" and "Feather" have become highly repeated items on my playlist and yes, I did go back into her older discography for some of those titles. However, my current absolute favorite is "Espresso." It's got a catchy hook, clever lyrics and a groovy beat that delicately straddles the line between upbeat and lowkey. I love the wordplay and how, when woven with the rhythm and melody, it initially sounded to me like Carpenter was singing in a different language. And as someone who works in tech and is occasionally a gamer, I especially adored the use of the words "up down left right," "switch" and Nintendo. Truly, rhyming "espresso" with "Nintendo" wasn't something I would have expected to work, but work it did.But back to the point I was making earlier: Even if that sort of chill dance club vibe isn't your thing, there's plenty in Short n' Sweet that might appeal to you. I wasn't as huge a fan of "Please please please," for example, but I know friends who love it. And while "Bed Chem" and "Good Graces" aren't hitting my feels the same way "Espresso" is, those two are among her highest played songs on Spotify. I'm also starting to warm up to "Juno."All that is to say, we all have different tastes. Maybe you're more of a Chappell Roan fan. I like some of her latest tracks too, just not as much as I've enjoyed Carpenter's. I also really enjoy the brilliance that is "Die With a Smile" by Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga, which is something I'll be adding to my karaoke duet repertoire, but am already playing less frequently nowadays. If you have a preference for music from the likes of Ariana Grande, NewJeans and Doja Cat, you'll probably have a good time with Sabrina Carpenter. And since I'm so late to the party, you probably have already.- Cherlynn Low,Deputy Editor, ReviewsThis article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/what-were-listening-to-harlequin-or-lg-65-rack-and-more-003037241.html?src=rss
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed bill SB 1047, which aims to prevent bad actors from using AI to cause "critical harm" to humans. The California state assembly passed the legislation by a margin of 41-9 on August 28, but several organizations including the Chamber of Commerce had urged Newsom to veto the bill. In his veto message on Sept. 29, Newsom said the bill is "well-intentioned" but "does not take into account whether an AI system is deployed in high-risk environments, involves critical decision-making or the use of sensitive data. Instead, the bill applies stringent standards to even the most basic functions - so long as a large system deploys it."SB 1047 would have made the developers of AI models liable for adopting safety protocols that would stop catastrophic uses of their technology. That includes preventive measures such as testing and outside risk assessment, as well as an "emergency stop" that would completely shut down the AI model. A first violation would cost a minimum of $10 million and $30 million for subsequent infractions. However, the bill was revised to eliminate the state attorney general's ability to sue AI companies with negligent practices if a catastrophic event does not occur. Companies would only be subject to injunctive relief and could be sued if their model caused critical harm.This law would apply to AI models that cost at least $100 million to use and 10^26 FLOPS for training. It also would have covered derivative projects in instances where a third party has invested $10 million or more in developing or modifying the original model. Any company doing business in California would be subject to the rules if it meets the other requirements. Addressing the bill's focus on large-scale systems, Newsom said, "I do not believe this is the best approach to protecting the public from real threats posed by the technology." The veto message adds:
Apple is planning to debut a new operating system called homeOS with its long-rumored smart displays, the first of which is expected to arrive as soon as 2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Reports of a HomePod-like device with a display have been swirling for over a year, and Gurman said just this summer that Apple is working on a tabletop smart display equipped with a robotic arm that can tilt and rotate the screen for better viewing. In his latest report, Gurman says there are two versions in the works: a low-end display that will offer the basics, like FaceTime and smart home controls, and the high-end robotic variant that'll cost upwards of $1,000.We'll reportedly see the cheaper version first - possibly next year - followed by the high-end display. Gurman previously said the robotic smart display could be released in 2026 at the earliest. You won't have to wait for the premium model to get a taste of Apple's vision for home AI, though. According to Gurman, Apple Intelligence will be a key part of the experience for both devices. The new homeOS will be based on Apple TV's tvOS, he notes.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/apples-rumored-smart-display-may-arrive-in-2025-running-new-homeos-212401853.html?src=rss
Spotify should be working normally again now after a few hours of service issues. The Spotify Status account posted on X Sunday afternoon to say, Everything's looking much better now!" Earlier in the day, it confirmed that it had been experiencing problems following users' reports that the app and web player were acting up. Spotify users on social media reported a variety of issues, from songs repeatedly pausing on them to being locked out of the streaming platform entirely.
The team behind the upcoming Minecraft movie shared a new clip during Minecraft Live that expands on the brief crafting moment we saw in the polarizing first teaser. The scene comes in the middle of a discussion between Mojang creative director Torfi Frans Olafsson and A Minecraft Movie director Jared Hess, at 4:51. The segment also gives us our first look at the movie's interpretation of a Minecraft bee, which I'm not quite sure how to feel about yet. That you can find toward the end of the video.A Minecraft Movie is slated for release in April 2025 and stars Jack Black as Steve, alongside Jason Momoa, Danielle Brooks, Emma Myers and Sebastian Eugene Hansen. Plans for it were first announced a decade ago, and potential release dates were set and scrapped on multiple occasions in the time since. At long last, it's actually now happening - for better or worse.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/heres-a-peek-at-how-a-minecraft-movie-will-handle-crafting-220454126.html?src=rss
Apple tried at the last second to get out of producing a trove of documents by Monday as it was ordered to in its ongoing dispute with Epic, and Magistrate Judge Thomas Hixson is not having it. In early August, the company was given a deadline of September 30 to produce documents relating to the changes it made to its App Store rules this year, which was its attempt to satisfy an injunction. Apple initially told the court that the task would entail reviewing roughly 650,000 documents - but in a status report on Thursday, it said the number had ballooned to over 1.3 million, and asked for a two-week extension. Hixson denied the request on Friday in a strongly worded order spotted by The Verge, and called out Apple's move as bad behavior."Apple and Epic have been submitting joint status reports to the court every two weeks, and the issue of Apple's documents exceeding its earlier estimate never previously came up, the judge noted. This information would have been apparent to Apple weeks ago," Hixson said in the order. It is simply not believable that Apple learned of this information only in the two weeks following the last status report." The judge said the request raises other concerns, calling into question the quality of Apple's reports and its intentions around complying in a timely manner. Apple has nearly infinite resources" that it could have tapped to get the task done in the allotted time, according to Hixson.This is a classic moral hazard," Hixson said in the order, and the way Apple announced out of the blue four days before the substantial completion deadline that it would not make that deadline because of a document count that it had surely been aware of for weeks hardly creates the impression that Apple is behaving responsibly."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/judge-rejects-apples-last-minute-request-for-a-deadline-extension-in-epic-case-195536755.html?src=rss
New releases in fiction, nonfiction and comics that caught our attention. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/history-of-overhyped-tech-charles-burns-final-cut-richard-powers-playground-163018545.html?src=rss
I don't know how many more times I can say what an intense two weeks it's been since the last time I posted an Engadget review recap without sounding repetitive. Ever since we launched the first of these roundups last month, companies have relentlessly launched new hardware each week, contributing to a growing pile of products for our team to review. With all these announcements overlapping, it can be easy to miss a review that, say, was published at the start of the iPhone 16 event or another that went up at the same time as Meta's Connect keynote this week. That's why I write these - it's a good opportunity to catch up on reviews that we recently published and revisit some of the products now that we've had more time to spend with them. And looking at my list of items for this edition, there's plenty to go over. From Apple's iPhone 16 series, AirPods 4 and Google's Pixel Buds Pro 2 to the PlayStation 5 Pro and some games and software, here's a recap of things we've been testing lately. Apple AirPods 4 with ANC review by Billy Steele Just a few days after Apple unveiled the AirPods 4, Billy had to file his draft for the review, which was slated to go up on Monday. Thankfully, these were a fairly straightforward update, with evaluating the new active noise cancellation (ANC) feature being the main task. Of course, Billy went further than that, gauging how much the device's H2 chip and refined design impact the AirPods' performance. He also went many extra miles, delivering report after report on topics like how the new hearing aid and hearing test features for the AirPods Pro work and a deep dive on how Apple designed ANC for an open-ear headset. Just head on over to Billy's author page for a full list of the many articles he's dutifully written up on the AirPods (and more). Apple Watch Series 10 review by Cherlynn Low Words alone can't express how grateful I am that Apple didn't end up releasing three new models of the Apple Watch like was previously rumored. Considering the review of the Apple Watch Series 10 was published just one week and a day after the launch event in Cupertino, having to test more than one smartwatch was going to be a challenge. Heck, even reviewing a single new smartwatch was tricky, considering the other reviews we were preparing at the same time. That's why when we first published our review on Tuesday, we did not feel ready to present a formal score, instead sharing just our evaluation of the Apple Watch Series 10 up till that point. We eventually updated our review after spending a few more days getting to know the watch better, adding a score and more findings later that week. Here's the summary. Though you might expect a lot more fanfare and features for the tenth Apple Watch simply because it's the tenth generation model, there's not a lot that's changed. And the company arguably didn't need to do much, since the Apple Watch is a fairly mature device. What it did manage to deliver - a bigger display in a thinner body - is impressive, and the Series 10 continues to deliver the best smartwatch experience that any iPhone owner can get. Of course, there are questions around the blood oxygen detection feature that remains the subject of litigation between Apple and Masimo. But whether that (or the new sleep apnea feature) are available doesn't actually impact my experience with the watch, and therefore had little bearing on our score. If you're using an older Apple Watch that has the blood oxygen detection enabled and it's something you use frequently, it might be better to hold on to your device for now. iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max review by Cherlynn Low Those were just the major reviews that were published last Monday and Tuesday, and on Wednesday, we published my review of the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max. The story of this year's iPhones is also a pretty straightforward one: Cameras, buttons and a lack of Intelligence. Apple Intelligence, that is. But through my testing, I started to realize that a couple of features began to stand out. The most obvious is the new Photographic Styles, which put Instagram's filters to shame. On the iPhone 16s, you can swap these out both before and after shooting. You can also edit the amount of saturation, shadows and more within each Style. Most importantly, Apple has finetuned its processing and depth map so it's better at keeping skin tones within the realm of reality even as you crank up the saturation or contrast. I'm a huge fan of these improved filters and in the week since my review went up, I've been tempted to post nothing but Photographic Style samples to all my social media. The only thing keeping me from actually doing that has been tedium and a complete lack of spare time. But maybe one day I will. The other thing that I learned was a subtle shift in Apple's overall approach was greater customizability. Old Apple was rigid and rejected the idea that its design might not be the best for all its users. These days, Apple is more than willing to let you set up your app grid however you like, and iOS 18 brings the ability to finetune your Control Center and lock screen shortcuts to your preferences (and needs) as well. I was surprised when I found out that not only could you tweak the sensitivity of the Camera Control's touch and pressure sensor, but you can disable the feature altogether. I prefer this approach as it puts the user's needs and preferences first while still maintaining a secure and private environment. And while we still await the formal arrival of Apple Intelligence in October, it's likely that many of the AI-based features, which will be available throughout the iPhone 16 lineup as well as the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, won't hugely impact our experience and score. Still, like we mentioned in our reviews of this year's flagship phones, we based our verdict on the devices we tested as they were, and might revisit our score when headline features like Intelligence roll out. iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus review by Billy Steele I have to thank Billy for picking up the review of the base iPhone 16 models this year. Not only was he able to help with the workload, Billy also delivered a thorough and alternative perspective on Apple's non-Pro iPhones. I was heartened to see that he agreed with me on several things, namely that Photographic Styles are awesome and Camera Control is kind of clunky. I do have to admit that I hated having to look at a frog in the sample photo he included in his piece - frogs are my mortal enemies. I barely mentioned the Camera Control in my section about the iPhone 16 Pro above, but this new button is just awkwardly placed, and I was glad to see Billy's experience was similar. Both of us agree that it's nice to see the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus get features that are on their Pro counterparts. Sadly, though these phones were designed for Apple Intelligence, that just wasn't available to the public at the time of our review, which just makes it feel like they're missing something. That's not to say these aren't excellent phones. They're a nice step up from last year's base iPhones and come in an aesthetically pleasing array of colors that I adore. We also have a guide from senior reporter Jeff Dunn on how to choose the right iPhone, which might be particularly helpful since this year's models all seem so similar. My main advice is: if you're into multimedia creation on your iPhone, get one of the Pros. If you need your phone to last more than a day, definitely spring for the Pro Max, as the iPhone 16 Pro will absolutely conk out after about 20 hours. macOS Sequoia review by Devindra Hardawar Apple season isn't limited to new hardware. Last week, the company also released the latest updates to its software for its iPhones, Macs, watches, TVs and more. Our resident computing expert Devindra has been spending time with the new macOS since the beta was available, and was able to quickly put together his thoughts on Sequoia. His joy at being able to mirror his iPhone on his MacBook is evident in his review, and we were so convinced by his review that we also published a guide on how to mirror your iPhone in macOS Sequoia afterwards. To quote Devindra: "It sort of changed my life." Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 review by Billy Steele I'm sure by now you can appreciate how hard Billy has been working, particularly these last few weeks. On Wednesday, Billy published his review of the Pixel Buds Pro 2, which went up the same time as the start of Meta's Connect keynote. This is the last of our reviews of Google's new hardware this year, at least until it launches something else. Billy's evaluation is that these buds are smaller than before, which is a double-edged sword. They could be a better fit for some people, but the fact that they have smaller touch-sensitive panels means they're slightly harder to maneuver. Still, they produce decent sound and integrate with the company's new Gemini assistant to make hands-free requests more convenient. Now that the last of the Pixel reviews are finally out of the way, we can finally consider the company's family of hardware as a whole and honestly, I'm impressed. I actually scored the Pixel 9 Pro higher than the iPhone 16 Pro, which is possibly the first time a Google flagship has been rated better than one from Apple. I think Google has proven with its 2024 devices that it has the chops to take on its gigantic rivals, and now just needs to continue its momentum if it wants to reach a larger audience. PlayStation 5 Pro preview by Jessica Conditt After Sony announced the PlayStation 5 Pro the day after the Apple iPhone event, senior editor Jessica Conditt was able to spend some time with the console ahead of its November 7th release. In her preview, Jess says that for the right kind of gamer, the "audaciously priced" PlayStation 5 Pro is absolutely worth it. Who's the right kind of gamer here? According to Jess, "If you regularly play PS5 games and can afford to waste (at least) $700 on a more powerful console with extra gills, you absolutely should get a PS5 Pro." Of course, we'll have to get a device in for testing before we can deliberate on a score and official verdict. But with faster memory, improved rendering as well as support for VRR, advanced ray-tracing and 8K gaming," the PS5 Pro seems like a promising upgrade. Nintendo The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom review by Nathan Ingraham Speaking of gaming, deputy editor Nathan Ingraham published a review this week of the latest in the Legend of Zelda series: Echoes of Wisdom. Nate was a diehard Zelda fan growing up, and found himself taken right back to his youth with this latest instalment. My gaming tastes begin at Solitaire and end at Animal Crossing or Just Dance, so something as involved as Echoes of Wisdom is not my cup of tea. But even just looking at the pictures in Nate's review have me impressed at the dedication to detail and quality. As Nate puts it, the story involves "a series of otherworldly rifts that have opened up throughout Hyrule, swallowing up huge parts of the land and the people who reside there." That's absolutely the sort of plot that would draw me in, and when I read that this time around you'd play as Princess Zelda as she attempts to rescue Link, I was even more intrigued. Perhaps that reversal of roles will also appeal to you, or maybe you're drawn in by the idea of completing puzzles in an adorable 3D environment. I have to admit I'm looking at my Switch and considering playing this instead of getting ludicrously upset at Match Factory. If you're a fan of the series, Nate thinks you should absolutely check out Echoes of Wisdom. Fujifilm GFX100S II and Logitech MX Creator Console reviews by Steve Dent Our photography expert Steve Dent published a couple of reviews this week, showcasing his expert knowledge of cameras and the editing tools that accompany them. His analysis of the Logitech MX Creator Console, for instance, has me itching to get one so I can easily tweak and edit graphics in Adobe's suite of apps. Meanwhile, his review of the Fujifilm GFX100S II left me wondering how many months I can go hungry so I can afford the $5,000 camera because I imagine it'll make me as adept at taking photos as Steve. If you're curious about the actual picture and video quality of Fujifilm's camera, check out Steve's video on our YouTube channel. Up next: What's on the horizon Like I said, with all the events taking place these few weeks, there's plenty of gadget reviews to come. For example, Samsung had a mini event this week where it unveiled the Galaxy Tab S10+ and Tab S10 Ultra, which are premium tablets that are regarded as the best in the Android space. The company also showed off the Galaxy S24 FE and Galaxy Watch FE LTE, which are lower cost variants of its flagship smartphone and smartwatch. All of these products are good candidates for us to test, since our audience (like yourself!) is likely to be wondering about whether they're better than their premium counterparts. This week, Meta also launched the Quest 3S, which is a budget-friendly VR headset that should take the place of the aging Quest 2. Few people are out there shopping for VR headsets, at least, when compared to iPhones or even midrange Android phones. But it's still worth our time to test something like the Quest 3S, as it helps us learn about the technology that's available, even in relatively small product categories. Meta also showed off its Orion AR smart glasses, but as that's more of a prototype right now, I don't expect we'll be properly reviewing it. Similarly, the fifth-gen Spectacles that Snap unveiled last week will only be available to approved developers who are willing to fork over $99 a month. That's not something we're likely to formally review, either. It's hard to keep up with all the stuff that big tech companies keep launching and want you to buy, but we do our best. We're anticipating just a few more events coming this year, and are getting ready for the holiday shopping season, too. I'm sure people outside the tech industry are feeling a similar ramp up in work and life. Hopefully, we all get some time to rest and take care of ourselves soon. As always, we appreciate your time and wish you the best. Until the next Engadget Review Recap, good luck.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/engadget-review-recap-iphones-airpods-pixel-buds-and-an-early-look-at-the-playstation-5-pro-130018618.html?src=rss
X only has to pay one last fine in Brazil to get its services reinstated, according to Bloomberg and CNBC. Supreme Court R has ordered the company to pay 10 million Reais, or around $1.9 million, for its non-compliance with Brazil's court order for two days. Moraes added that the company's return "depends solely on the full compliance with Brazilian legislation and the absolute observance of the court orders in respect of national sovereignty." Specifically, Moraes fined X on September 19 for restoring its services in the country for some people despite a ban on the website. The judge also fined the company after X disregarded the ban for a second time on September 23 through Starlink.X's owner, Elon Musk, previously resisted Moraes' order to take down and freeze several accounts that were allegedly spreading disinformation on the platform. Musk saw it as censorship and opted to close its operations in the country instead of complying. In response, Moraes ordered the nation's internet providers to block the social media platform and to issue a new rule that anybody found to be accessing X through a VPN could face a daily fine of 50,000 Reais ($8,900). The court froze the Brazilian bank account of SpaceX's Starlink internet service provider, as well. It ultimately withdrew 18.35 million Reais ($3.4 million) from Starlink's and X's account to settle previous penalties the Supreme Court had imposed on the social network.A few days ago, however, X's lawyers reportedly filed a document in court naming the company's legal representative in Brazil, as Moraes had demanded. The website also removed the accounts the judge named in its initial directives and which he had identified as a threat to democracy, showing that it's now willing to comply with the court's orders. The New York Times reported back then that X had failed to submit all the necessary paperwork to get Brazil to lift its ban. Moraes' statement that the company can "immediately return to its activities" after it pays this fine suggests that X got that squared away, and Brazilian users may be able to access the website soon.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/x-can-be-immediately-unblocked-in-brazil-after-it-pays-a-19-million-fine-110001546.html?src=rss
OpenAI is reportedly telling investors that it plans on charging $22 a month to use ChatGPT by the end of the year. The company also plans to aggressively increase the monthly price over the next five years up to $44.The documents obtained by The New York Times shows that OpenAI took in $300 million in revenue this August, and expects to make $3.7 billion in sales by the end of the year. Various expenses such as salaries, rent and operational costs will cause the company to lose $5 billion this year.OpenAI is reportedly circulating the documents the NYT reported on as part of a drive to find new investors to prevent or lessen its financial shortfall. Fortunately, OpenAI is raising money on a $150 billion valuation, and a new round of investments could bring in as much as $7 billion.OpenAI is also reportedly in the midst of switching from a non to for-profit company. The business model allows for the removal of any caps on investor returns so they'll have more room to negotiate for new investors at possibly higher rates.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-reportedly-plans-to-increase-chatgpts-price-to-44-within-five-years-225413308.html?src=rss
Threads seems to be rolling out a new location tagging feature that allows users to add a location to their posts. Some users have reported seeing the change in Threads' app, though it doesn't seem to be available to everyone just yet.The feature is similar to location tagging on Instagram. When you give Threads access to your location, you'll see a list of nearby places to tag, though you can also manually search for a place. For example, I saw that a few users already jokingly tagged their posts as hell."According to an in-app disclaimer from Meta, the company plans to use location sharing to better customize Threads by showing personalized content" about places nearby. The change could help improve Threads' search functionality, which still often falls short, and make the app slightly more useful for following breaking news and other timely events.ThreadsThe change could also come in handy in the future when Meta finally flips the switch on advertising in Threads. Mark Zuckerberg has said the company plans to continue growing the service before bringing ads to the platform, but getting users' consent to sharing locations would provide a crucial bit of information for the company's ad machine.Meta didn't immediately respond to questions about the feature, but the company appears to still be rolling it out. Location sharing appeared for me in the Threads app, but then disappeared about an hour later. It doesn't seem to be visible at all yet on the web version of Threads.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/threads-is-adding-location-location-sharing-to-posts-224114320.html?src=rss
Walkabout Mini Golf has been filled with players ever since it launched around the same time as the Meta Quest 2. Now the multiplayer mini-golf game is making the jump to iOS devices.The developer Mighty Coconut is currently beta testing its mobile mini-golf game Walkabout Mini Golf: Pocket Editionand plans to release a full version on the App Store on October 10.The Pocket version may be on mobile devices but the miniature version of the mini-golf game isn't straying away from its virtual interface. The iOS Walkabout game can be played in two different modes: Touch-to-Putt" mode in which you use the touch screen to tap and drag your shot and Swing-to-Putt" mode in which you hold your iPhone like a putter and take your swing the same way you would in the VR version.Walkabout Mini Golf is one of the most popular multiplayer VR games for the Meta Quest series. The virtual mini-golf game has an extensive series of stylized courses including some based on movies, TV shows and games like Jim Henson's Labyrinth, the puzzle game Myst and the animated clay characters Wallace & Gromit. Mighty Coconut also designed a golf course with the immersive art company Meow Wolf and a series of courses based on the works of Jules Verne.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/vr-hit-walkabout-mini-golf-is-getting-a-mobile-edition-214918605.html?src=rss
The US Department of Justice charged three Iranian nationals as part of an effort to hack into the emails and computers used by President Donald Trump's campaign staff and other political connections.The Washington Post reported that DOJ officials filed charges against Masoud Jalili, Seyyed Ali Aghamiri and Yasar Balaghi in an indictment filed Thursday in the US District Court for the District of Columbia. The indictment alleges the three men prepared for and engaged in a wide-ranging hacking campaign" against current and former US officials, political campaigns and the media.According to the indictment Jalili, Aghamiri and Balaghi's "activity is part of Iran's continuing efforts to [...] erode confidence in the US electoral process." They also face possible charges such as providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.The suspects are accused of running a targeted hacking campaign committed in Iran over a four-year period. Their victims include current and former officials with the US State Department, the Central Intelligence Agency, the US Ambassador to Israel and an Iranian human rights organization.Then last May, the three hackers successfully gained access to accounts belonging to Trump campaign officials. (Attempts to breach Biden campaign staff were, apparently, unsuccessful.) President Joe Biden's campaign staffers as well as news outlets like The Washington Post and Politico received unsolicited emails from an AOL account owned by Robert" that contained materials stolen from the Trump campaign. They included some internal poll results and the vetting dossier for Trump's running mate Senator J.D. Vance.Because of extradition laws, it's unlikely these hackers will be brought to justice on US soil.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/three-men-charged-in-connection-with-the-trump-campaign-hack-191154617.html?src=rss
X suspended journalist Ken Klippenstein's account earlier this afternoon. X's Safety account says they issued the temporary suspension for violating our rules on posting unredacted private personal information, specifically Sen. [J.D.] Vance's physical address and the majority of his social security number."Several news outlets that received the vetting dossier of the Republican vice presidential candidate leaked by hackers chose not to publish the sensitive document since it contained personal information. Klippenstein felt the dossier was newsworthy and decided to publish it on Substack and his social media channels and one of them took down his account.Engadgethas viewed the dossier and can confirm the details mentioned by X's Safety team are present and unredacted in Klippenstein's copy of the document except for the last four numbers of Vance's social security number.Klippenstein explained his decision to buck the media's trend and release Sen. Vance's dossier on his Substack. President Trump's campaign has accused Iran's government on more than one occasion of hacking into its files and releasing the dossier back in June. Other news outlets chose not to release the document but Klippenstein says he felt they declined in fear of finding itself at odds with the [US} government's campaign against foreign malign influence'" referring to the National Counterterrorism Center's organization of the same name that seeks to prevent interference in elections.I disagree," Klippenstein added. The dossier has been offered to me and I've decided to publish it because it's of keen public interest in an election season."The suspension extends beyond Klippenstein's account. X has flagged the link to the dossier and automatically prevents anyone who attempts to post it. Those who do receive a warning from X saying We can't complete this request because this link has been identified by X or our partners as being potentially harmful."X (then Twitter) updated its policy on hacked materials" after it blocked stories about Hunter Biden's laptop in 2020, saying it would allow stories about hacked materials but not links to the material if it was published by the hacker or someone working in concert" with them.Update, September 27 2024, 1:55PM ET: Meta will also block the sharing of the newsletter containing Vance's personal info, according to a Washington Post report. The company told the Post sharing the dossier was in contravention of its policies on hacked materials and foreign meddling.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/x-suspends-journalist-ken-klippenstein-after-he-published-jd-vance-dossier-214219066.html?src=rss
If you booted up Steam in the last 24 hours, then you probably saw the pop up window asking you to agree to a new Steam Subscriber Agreement (SSA). Valve laid out the changes in an official blog post on the Steam Community forum, and notably, binding arbitration is no longer part of the SSA.Binding arbitration is a requirement that disputes be resolved by a legal proceeding that takes place outside of courts. Instead of a judge, these disputes are overseen by an arbitrator, who is paid by the company for their service. You can imagine why there might be some conflict of interest inherent (or why companies love these things). Instead, the new SSA says customers should seek resolutions to any problems by first contacting Steam Support. If a solution can't be reached, disputes will be referred to the court instead of individual arbitration.Hauling a company into court wouldn't be all that notable on its own, except that in recent years with the rise of Terms of Service agreements, arbitration clauses have become ubiquitous. Next time you download an app, join a website or even sign a contract for a new job, take a look at the contract: more often than not, you just signed away your right to sue.The new SSA also no longer has a class action waiver, which previously barred groups of similarly situated plaintiffs to sue jointly, which is also a major departure from other Terms of Service agreements.Valve says these changes will have limited impact" in some regions including the EU and UK, Australia, New Zealand and Quebec. The arbitration requirement in the SSA did not apply to these regions.While these are positive developments for consumers, Steam curiously doesn't list its reasons for making these changes. We've reached out to a Steam representative for comment and will update if we hear back.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/valve-cuts-binding-arbitration-from-its-steam-user-agreement-174529582.html?src=rss
Valve is continuing the wonderful tradition of messing with people who feel the need to cheat in multiplayer games. In the latest update to Deadlock, the company's wildly popular new hero shooter that's currently invite-only, Valve added the game's first anti-cheat system.When the system detects a cheater, Deadlock will offer the opposing team a choice. They can have the rulebreaker banned immediately and end the match right away. Behind door number two is the option to transform the cheater into a frog for the rest of the game. Valve will ban them afterwards. Valve will roll out this approach to bans over the next day or so. The results of affected matches won't count for the other players in the lobby.
The condemnation of Microsoft's Recall feature for Copilot+ AI PCs was swift and damning. While it's meant to let you find anything you've ever done on your PC, it also involves taking constant screenshots of your PC, and critics noticed that information wasn't being stored securely. Microsoft ended up delaying its rollout for Windows Insider beta testers, and in June it announced more stringent security measures: It's making Recall opt-in by default; it will require Windows Hello biometric authentication; and it will encrypt the screenshot database.Today, ahead of the impending launch of the next major Windows 11 launch in November, Microsoft offered up more details about Recall's security and privacy measures. The company says Recall's snapshots and related data will be protected by VBS Enclaves, which it describes as a "software-based trusted execution environment (TEE) inside a host application." Users will have to actively turn Recall on during Windows setup, and they can also remove the feature entirely. Microsoft also reiterated that encryption will be a major part of the entire Recall experience, and it will be using Windows Hello to interact with every aspect of the feature, including changing settings."Recall also protects against malware through rate-limiting and anti-hammering measures," David Weston, Microsoft's VP of OS and enterprise security, wrote in a blog post today. "Recall currently supports PIN as a fallback method only after Recall is configured, and this is to avoid data loss if a secure sensor is damaged."When it comes to privacy controls, Weston reiterates that "you are always in control." By default, Recall won't save private browsing data across supported browsers like Edge, Chrome and Firefox. The feature will also have sensitive content filtering on by default to keep things like passwords and credit card numbers from being stored.MicrosoftMicrosoft says Recall has also been reviewed by an unnamed third-party vendor, who performed a penetration test and security design overview. The Microsoft Offensive Research and Security Engineering team (MORSE) has also been testing the feature for months.Given the near instant backlash, it's not too surprising to see Microsoft being extra cautious with Recall's eventual rollout. The real question is how the the company didn't foresee the initial criticisms, which included the Recall database being easily accessible from other local accounts. Thanks to the use of encryption and additional security, that should no longer be an issue, but it makes me wonder what else Microsoft missed early on.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/microsoft-explains-how-its-tackling-security-and-privacy-for-recall-170059383.html?src=rss
Blizzard is diving into the StarCraft shooter well once again, after two previous titles were canceled. This information comes from a forthcoming book about the developer by games journalist Jason Schreier and was discussed during a recent IGN podcast.This time around, veteran developer Dan Hay is leading the effort to translate the world of StarCraft into a shooter. Hay certainly has the right pedigree for the job. He's been involved with the Far Cry franchise since Far Cry 3, eventually becoming creative director of the series. Hay joined up with Blizzard to oversee the long-gestating survival game Odyssey before it was unceremoniously canceled. This is the first we've heard of him since.We don't know anything about the game he's working on now, beyond it being a StarCraft shooter. Past as prologue, it'll probably be canceled sometime in 2029.To that end, StarCraft-themed shooters have had a rocky history. First there was StarCraft: Ghost, which spent years in development limbo before being sent to the trash heap. The game eventually leaked online, a full 14 years after being canceled.After that, Blizzard started developing something called Ares, which ended up being a StarCraft FPS. It was reportedly fairly far along in development before getting scrapped and, according to Kotaku, was shaping up to be quite good." Blizzard must have disagreed, as it went to a farm upstate back in 2019.Who knows what will happen with this one. Best case scenario? It gets finished and we all have a great time blasting away swarms of arthropodal aliens sometime in the next few years. In the meantime, both StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft II hit PC Game Pass on November 5.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/blizzard-is-trying-to-make-a-starcraft-shooter-again-for-the-third-time-153950275.html?src=rss
Fujifilm's original GFX100S was a popular alternative to the GFX100, as it offered the same picture quality in a slimmer body at a much lower price. It did have some flaws, though, most notably its autofocus that didn't always keep up with the subject. In a similar vein, the company recently released the $5,000 GFX100S II as a smaller and cheaper alternative to the $7,500 flagship GFX100 II. It looks much the same as before, but has an updated sensor, processor, autofocus and more. Both cameras are clearly aimed at pros, but is the GFX100 II worth the extra $2,500, or is the S model fine for most? Body At 1.9 pounds, the GFX100S II weighs an ounce less than its predecessor and its body's design and controls are nearly the same. As before, it comes with a mode dial and focus selector switch, dual control dials, drive select buttons and a quick menu. On top is a small, always-on display that shows settings, simulated mode dials and a histogram. That way, you can see all your key settings when shooting at hip level. It feels a lot more like a mirrorless than a classic medium format camera. It handles well, but after spending time with both models, I prefer the GFX100 II's larger body and extra controls, even though it's five ounces heavier. Steve Dent for Engadget The rear 3.2-inch, 2.36-million-dot-display is unchanged, tilting up, down and to the right, but it doesn't flip out. However, Fujifilm boosted the viewfinder's resolution to 5.76 million dots, so it's noticeably sharper than the last model's 3.69-million-dot EVF. The GFX100S II includes dual SD UHS-II card slots but lacks a high-speed CFexpress port like the GFX100 II. Though it uses the same battery as before, it can now shoot 540 photos on a charge, up from 530. Other features include USB-C, mic and headphone ports, along with a micro HDMI connection. A new feature is USB-SSD connectivity that allows for faster burst shooting and ProRes video capture. Performance Steve Dent for Engadget The GFX100S II does shoot faster than its predecessor at up to 7 fps compared to 5 fps in mechanical shutter mode. Without a fast CFexpress card, though, you can only capture about 30 compressed RAW frames before the buffer fills. There's also a slight image quality penalty as the camera downshifts from 16- to 14-bit RAW images when shooting bursts. Fortunately, most of the frames are likely to be sharp thanks to some big autofocus improvements. Even with the faster burst speeds, I noticed a large boost in the percentage of sharp photos when shooting quick moving subjects. The AF improvements don't end there. AI face and eye tracking is smarter and more accurate, meaning your subject's eye and not their eyelash is more likely to be in focus - something that's critical with 100 megapixels of resolution. Fujifilm also introduced new subject tracking modes for animals, birds, automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, airplanes and trains. In-body stabilization also gets an upgrade, with eight stops in shake reduction compared to six before. That allows you to capture dimly lit scenes or blur movement at shutter speeds as low as a half second, without the need for a tripod. As with the previous model, rolling shutter distortion is a real problem with this camera in electronic mode, so neither you nor your subject can move much when using it. Otherwise, you'll get some nasty skewing that will ruin your photo. Image quality For pro photographers who can afford it, the GFX100S II offers unmatched image quality. The 100-megapixel sensor delivers pin-sharp photos and 16-bit RAW pixel depth that delivers 14 stops of dynamic range, beating most other mirrorless cameras. That means you can shoot in very dark, bright or contrasty conditions and retain detail in all parts of the photo. Fujifilm's color science is ideal for portrait work, with accurate and pleasing skin tones. The level of detail means prints can be blown up to very large sizes, nearly 40 x 30 inches at 300 pixels per inch (PPI). The resolution and precision color rendering also makes it ideal for landscape photography, art archival work and more. The outstanding RAW quality lets photographers perform detailed post-production work without hurting image quality, even on shots not exposed correctly. In low-light, you'll start to see a fair amount of noise above ISO 8000 or so. However, a lot of that grain disappears when you shrink those 100-megapixel images down to a more reasonable size. Nathanael Charpentier for Engadget At the same time, JPEG images are outstanding straight out of the camera. Like other Fuji models, the GFX100S II comes with an array of film simulations, from the new Reala Ace to Velvia, Acros and others. Most pro photographers like to tweak their images, but many may shoot both RAW and JPEG with film simulations so they can show their clients something right away and make detailed adjustments later on. Video Unlike the more expensive GFX100 II, video is a weak point with this camera. Resolution is limited to 4K 10-bit, and while there's no cropping, there's considerable pixel binning that reduces sharpness. You can capture 10-bit 4:2:2 ProRes video at up to 30fps, though that entails hooking up an SSD drive. There aren't really any slo-mo modes, as both 4K and 1080p recording are limited to 60fps. While video lacks the sharpness seen on other mirrorless cameras like the Sony A1, color rendering is excellent. You can also improve dynamic range by shooting in Fujifilm's FLog or FLog2 modes and applying a LUT later on in post. Rolling shutter in video mode is reduced compared to photos because of the pixel binning, but you still need to be careful not to move the camera too much to avoid excessive wobble and skewing. The in-body stabilization is only effective for handheld shooting without much movement. If you try to walk while vlogging, you'll see some severe jolts. All told, I'd say the Fujifilm GFX100S II is mostly a photo camera, with video available for emergency use only. Wrap-up Steve Dent for Engadget The $5,000 Fujifilm GFX100S II gives professionals outstanding picture quality at a significantly reduced price over the $7,500 flagship GFX100 II. It even goes beyond what buyers might expect by offering fairly quick burst shooting with autofocus that's much more reliable than on the original GFX100S. Video isn't a strong point, but that won't be important for its target market. The GFX100S II is also the cheapest camera in the mainstream medium format space, with its primary competition being either the GFX100 II or Hasselblad's $8,200 X2D100C. I'd highly recommend it for portraits and other types of shooting where detail is key. However, burst speeds and autofocus still aren't quite good enough in fast moving scenarios. Those who need more speed and reliability for things like weddings or live events would be better off with high-resolution full-frame models like the $3,700 Nikon Z8, $6,500 Sony A1 or Canon's new $4,300 EOS R5 II.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/fujifilm-gfx100s-ii-review-outstanding-performance-at-a-reduced-price-153020497.html?src=rss
When Google rolled out Gemini side panels for Gmail and its other Workspace apps, it revealed that its generative AI chatbot will also be able to offer contextual smart replies for its email service in the future. Now, the company has officially released that feature. Smart replies have existed in Gmail since 2017, giving you a quick, albeit impersonal, way to respond to messages, even if you're in a hurry or on the go. These machine-generated responses are pretty limited, though, and they're often just one liners to tell the recipient that you understand what they're saying or that you agree with whatever they're suggesting.The new Gemini-generated smart replies take the full content of the email thread into consideration. While you may still have to edit them a bit if you want them to be as close to something you'd write as possible, they are more detailed and more personable. When you get the feature, you'll see several response options at the bottom of your screen when you reply through the Gmail app. Just hover over each of them to get a detailed preview before choosing one that you think makes for the best response.You'll get access to the feature if you have a Gemini Business, Enterprise, Education or Education Premium add-on, or if you have a Google One AI Premium subscription. Google says it could take up to 15 days before you see Gemini's smart replies in your app - just make sure you've ticked on "Smart features and personalization" in your Gmail app's Settings page.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-launches-geminis-contextual-smart-replies-in-gmail-140021232.html?src=rss
We've finally had a chance to try the PlayStation 5 Pro and Engadget's Jessica Conditt has come away impressed. In this episode, Devindra and Jess chat about what the PS5 Pro does well, and discuss who a $700 console is actually meant for. Also, coming off of Meta Connect 2024, Karissa Bell joins to chat about her time with the Quest 3S, as well as her thoughts about Meta's Orion AR headset and AI plans.Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcast, Engadget News!Subscribe!
With macOS Sequoia and iOS 18, Apple has a handy new way to hop between devices while on desktop. iPhone Mirroring shows your phone's screen on your computer; you can even use your mouse and keyboard to interact with it. Here's how to set up and get the most out of iPhone Mirroring. Requirements First, iPhone Mirroring has several conditions. It only works with Apple Silicon Macs (late 2020 and later) or Intel-based models with the Apple T2 Security Chip (2018 to 2020). Of course, you'll need to install macOS Sequoia first to use the feature. Any iPhone running iOS 18 will do. The feature only works when your iPhone is locked (it's okay if it's charging or using Standby). If you unlock your iPhone while using iPhone Mirroring, the feature will temporarily disconnect. Both devices also need Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on, and you'll have to sign with your Apple Account on each. Your account needs two-factor authentication (using a trusted device or phone number) activated. The feature won't work if your phone's Personal Hotspot is active or you're using AirPlay, Sidecar or internet sharing on your Mac. How to set up iPhone Mirroring Screenshot by Will Shanklin for Engadget Open the iPhone Mirroring app on your Mac. It should already be in your Dock (see the screenshot above), but you can also find it in your Applications folder. The app starts with a welcome screen. Tap Continue," then follow the prompt to unlock your iPhone. Next, approve iPhone notifications on your Mac. This feature shows your handset's alerts in your Mac's Notification Center. (When you click an iOS alert on your Mac, it will open the corresponding app in the iPhone Mirroring app.) iPhone notifications on your Mac work even when the iPhone Mirroring app is closed or inactive, or if your phone isn't nearby. After approving notifications, a final screen will confirm that iPhone Mirroring is ready. Click the Get Started" button to start. Once it loads, you'll see your iPhone's screen. Using iPhone Mirroring First, you may want to resize the iPhone Mirroring app. Apple only gives you three options: actual size, smaller and larger. You can change them using keyboard shortcuts: larger (Cmd +), actual size (Cmd 0) and smaller (Cmd -). You can also resize the window in your Mac's menu bar under the View section. Dragging the edges of the window to resize it (like with other macOS apps) won't work here. In most cases, interacting with your virtual iPhone on your Mac is as simple as mimicking its usual touch gestures with your trackpad and typing in text fields using your Mac's keyboard. Screenshot by Will Shanklin for Engadget Swipe-based gestures for Home, App Switcher and Control Center won't work on Mac, but they have shortcuts. If you move your pointer to the top of the iPhone Mirroring window, a new area will appear, revealing buttons for the iOS Home Screen (left) and the App Switcher (right). (See the screenshot above.) This area also lets you click-hold and drag the app to reposition it. You can also go to the Home Screen by clicking on the horizontal bar at the bottom of the app's window or using the Cmd 1 keyboard shortcut. In addition, Cmd 2 activates the App Switcher, and Cmd 3 triggers a Spotlight search. Or, swipe down with two fingers on your Mac's trackpad from the iPhone Home Screen (in the Mac app) for Spotlight. There's no way to activate the iOS Control Center from your Mac. You also can't manually change the orientation of the virtual iPhone screen, but it will rotate automatically if you launch a game that starts by default in landscape mode: Screenshot by Will Shanklin for Engadget iPhone audio will play on your Mac while using the feature. Some iPhone videos will play in the iPhone Mirroring window, too. However, copyrighted content will be restricted in some cases, so some videos will only be viewable through corresponding macOS apps or desktop browser windows. Apple's Universal Clipboard can be useful while using iPhone Mirroring. Copy something on your virtual iPhone, and you can paste it on your Mac, and vice versa. You can also use AirDrop to transfer files between the two devices while using iPhone Mirroring. iPhone Mirroring will time out if you don't use the virtual phone for a while. Ditto for if you move your handset away from your computer. If it times out, just follow the app's prompt to reconnect. iPhone Mirroring login settings Screenshot by Will Shanklin for Engadget You can choose whether to require authentication every time you use iPhone Mirroring. In the Mac app, choose iPhone Mirroring > Settings in the menu bar (or type Cmd space), and you'll see a barebones settings screen. You can choose Ask Every Time" or Authenticate Automatically." The former requires your Mac login password, Touch ID or Apple Watch confirmation to use your virtual iPhone on your desktop. Meanwhile, the latter will log into your phone automatically without authenticating each time. You can also reset iPhone access in this settings screen. This removes your entire setup, and you'll need to start the process from scratch the next time you open the iPhone Mirroring app. If you have more than one iPhone tied to your Apple Account, you can choose which one to use with iPhone Mirroring under Settings > Desktop & Dock on your Mac. If this applies to you, you'll see the option under the Use iPhone widgets" section. (If you only have one iPhone under your Apple Account, this option won't appear.) For more information on Apple's latest models, you can check out Engadget's reviews of the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro series phones, along with the latest MacBooks. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/how-to-mirror-your-iphone-on-macos-sequoia-130003743.html?src=rss
Intel's fortunes have declined so rapidly over the past year that chip designer ARM made a "high level inquiry" about buying its crown jewel product unit, Bloomberg reported. However, Intel said the division wasn't for sale and turned down the offer, according to an unnamed insider.There are two main units inside Intel, the product group that sells PC, server and networking chips and a chip manufacturing foundry. ARM had no interest in Intel's foundry division, according to Bloomberg's sources. ARM and Intel representatives declined to comment.Intel's fortunes have been on the wane for years, but the decline over the last 12 months has been especially dramatic. Following a net $1.6 billion loss in Q2 2024, the company announced that it was laying off 15,000 employees as part of a $10 billion cost reduction plan. Last week, the company also revealed plans to transform its ailing foundry business into an independent subsidiary. Intel lost half its market value last year and is now worth $102.3 billion.ARM sells its processor designs to Qualcomm, Apple and other manufacturers (mostly for mobile phones) but doesn't build any chips itself. Purchasing Intel's product division would completely transform its business model, though that scenario seems highly improbable.With Intel wounded at the moment, rivals have been circling. Qualcomm also expressed interest in taking over Intel recently, according to a report from last week. Any mergers related to ARM and Qualcomm would be regulatory nightmares, but the fact that the offers exist at all shows Intel's vulnerability.Intel has other avenues to boost investment. Apollo Global Management (the owner of Yahoo and Engadget) has offered to invest as much as $5 billion in the company, according to a recent Bloomberg report. Intel also plans to sell part of its stake in chip-maker Altera to private equity investors.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/intel-reportedly-rebuffed-an-offer-from-arm-to-buy-its-product-unit-120044228.html?src=rss
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has officially issued its full recommended fine against political consultant Steve Kramer. This is after he initiated a series of robocalls to New Hampshire residents with pre-recorded audio of President Biden's voice, using deepfake AI technology. The fake Biden told voters not to vote in the upcoming primary, saying Your vote makes a difference in November, not this Tuesday." Kramer must pay $6 million in fines in the next 30 days or the Department of Justice will handle collection, according to a FCC statement.Kramer doesn't just face a fine; he also has criminal charges against him. New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella announced that he'll face multiple counts of voter suppression and impersonation of a political candidate.It wasn't a hugely difficult process, either. Kramer hired New Orleans magician (an actual magician) Paul Carpenter to make the phony recordings. Carpenter showed NBC News how he made the deepfake audio files using ElevenLabs. He said it only took around 20 minutes.- Mat SmithThe biggest stories you might have missed
The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) has slapped Meta with a $101.5 million (91 million) fine after wrapping up an investigation into a security breach in 2019, wherein the company mistakenly stored users' passwords in plain text. Meta's original announcement only talked about how it found some user passwords stored in plain text on its servers in January that year. But a month later, it updated its announcement to reveal that millions of Instagram passwords were also stored in easily readable format.While Meta didn't say how many accounts were affected, a senior employee told Krebs on Security back then that the incident involved up to 600 million passwords. Some of the passwords had been stored in easily readable format in the company's servers since 2012. They were also reportedly searchable by over 20,000 Facebook employees, though the DPC has clarified in its decision that they were at least not made available to external parties.The DPC found that Meta violated several GDPR rules related to the breach. It determined that the company failed to "notify the DPC of a personal data breach concerning storage of user passwords in plaintext" without undue delay and failed to "document personal data breaches concerning the storage of user passwords in plaintext." It also said that Meta violated the GDPR by not using appropriate technical measures to ensure the security of users' passwords against unauthorized processing."It is widely accepted that user passwords should not be stored in plaintext, considering the risks of abuse that arise from persons accessing such data. It must be borne in mind, that the passwords the subject of consideration in this case, are particularly sensitive, as they would enable access to users' social media accounts," DPC's Deputy Commissioner, Graham Doyle, said in a statement.The DPC has also given the company a reprimand in addition to the penalty. We may know more about what that means for Meta exactly when the commission publishes its full final decision and other related information in the future.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/meta-fined-102-million-for-storing-passwords-in-plain-text-110049679.html?src=rss
With the rights to content from big studios and franchises like Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic, Disney+ is a streaming service that everyone knows and loves - so much so that it nabbed a spot as one of the best streaming services in our guide. Whether you look forward to sitting down on your couch ready to be whisked away to Marvel's multiverse of TV shows, like the highly anticipated Agatha All Along, or want to keep the kids entertained with hit classics like Bluey, or Inside Out 2, Disney+ has great content for adults and kids alike. However, the service has not been immune to price hikes, that's why this deal is a good opportunity to save $24 over three months. Through the end of the day on September 27, you can get Disney+ Basic (with ads) for just $2/month for three months - that's less than a cup of coffee. There are a few different Disney+ plans available, but since Disney+ doesn't offer a free trial, the Basic (with ads) is the cheapest option to gain access to all your favorite content, including TV shows and films. With Disney+ Basic, you can stream over 500 films, 15,000 episodes and 80 Disney+ Originals, including The Acolyte, Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour (Taylor's Version), Percy Jackson and the Olympians and more. In addition to full library access, Basic also supports 4K content and streaming across multiple devices at once. Although Disney+ offers an abundance of content suitable for most people, it's a fantastic streaming service for families. Once you've signed up and installed the app (on your TV, smartphone, PC or tablet), you can add up to seven profiles so you don't have to fight over what to watch, or risk spoilers when someone in your household binge watches the latest season of Grey's Anatomy that you haven't seen. There's also a bunch of parental controls like Junior Mode, PIN protection and content ratings, which can help parents ensure their little ones aren't exposed to anything they don't want them to be. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/its-the-last-day-to-get-three-months-of-disney-basic-for-only-6-100001652.html?src=rss
Great smartphones don't need to cost a fortune. Years of commoditization have brought features once exclusive to high-end devices - including big batteries, multi-camera arrays and high refresh rate displays - down to their more affordable siblings. While there are still some things you'll only find on flagship smartphones, you don't have to compromise as much anymore if you're looking to find the best buy at a lower price point. If you have less than $600 to spend, we can help you figure out what features to prioritize when trying to find the best midrange smartphone. What is a midrange phone, anyway? While the term shows up frequently in articles and videos, there isn't an agreed-upon definition for midrange" beyond a phone that isn't a flagship or an entry-level option. Most of our recommendations for the best midrange smartphones cost between $400 and $600 - any less and you should expect significant compromises. If your budget is higher, though, you should consider flagships like the Apple iPhone 16 and the Samsung Galaxy S24. What to consider before buying a midrange smartphone Buying a new device can be intimidating, but a few questions can help guide you through the process. First: what platform do you want to use? If the answer is iOS, that narrows your options down to exactly one phone. (Thankfully, it's great.) And if you're an Android fan, there's no shortage of compelling options. Both platforms have their strengths, so you shouldn't rule either out. Obviously, also consider how much you're comfortable spending. Even increasing your budget by $100 more can get you a dramatically better product. And manufacturers tend to support their more expensive devices for longer. It's definitely worth buying something toward the top limit of what you can afford. Having an idea of your priorities will help inform your budget. Do you want a long battery life or fast charging speed? Do you value speedy performance above all else? Or would you like the best possible cameras? While they continue to improve every year, even the best midrange smartphones still demand some compromises, and knowing what's important to you will make choosing one easier. Lastly, pay attention to wireless bands and network compatibility. If you don't want to worry about that, your best bet is to buy directly from your carrier. To make things easier, all the phones we recommend are compatible with every major US wireless provider and can be purchased unlocked. What won't you get from a midrange smartphone? Every year, the line between midrange and flagship phones gets blurrier as more upmarket features and specs trickle down to more affordable models. When we first published this guide in 2020, it was difficult to find $500 devices with waterproofing or 5G. Now, the biggest thing you might miss out on is wireless charging. Just remember to budget for a power adapter too - many companies have stopped including chargers with their smartphones. Performance has improved in recent years, but can still be hit or miss as most midrange phones use slower processors that can struggle with multitasking. Thankfully, their cameras have improved dramatically, and you can typically expect at least a dual-lens system on most midrange smartphones below $600. The best midrange phones for 2024 This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-engadget-guide-to-the-best-midrange-smartphones-120050366.html?src=rss
While the latest wireless earbuds from Apple, Sony, Bose and other big-name brands may dominate the headlines, you absolutely do not need to spend triple digits to get something good. These days it's more than possible to find a clean-sounding, richly-featured pair for well under $100, but navigating the bargain bin still brings its share of challenges.
As extreme weather events become ever more common, climate risks are playing a role in many people's long-term decision-making. And few things are more long-term than buying real estate. In response, Zillow has announced a new partnership to bring climate risk information to its for-sale listings.Property listing pages in the US will include data about flood, wildfire, wind, heat and air quality risks at that location. This section will also list any climate-related insurance requirements for that property. The information is being provided by First Street, a specialist in climate risk financial modeling. The climate data is rolling out this year to the Zillow website and iOS app, while Android is expected to get the update early next year. Some locations have already been updated to show climate data on the web.Those five risk categories are also being applied to Zillow's interactive map search view. Each of the different climate concerns has a color-coded visualization to show the risk levels across the country or in a smaller region. It's valuable information for anybody in a position to make that big homebuying leap. For everybody else, it may add simply a touch of gloomy reality to the gleeful experience of scrolling through absurd and/or overpriced houses.Zillow also introduced improvements to its AI search feature earlier this month.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/zillow-is-adding-climate-risk-data-to-all-us-for-sale-listings-220038971.html?src=rss
California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed AB 2426, a new law that requires digital marketplaces to make clearer to customers when they are only purchasing a license to access media. The law will not apply to cases of permanent offline downloads, only to the all-too-common situation of buying digital copies of video games, music, movies, TV shows or ebooks from an online storefront. The Verge spotted the development, which could see marketplaces facing fines for false advertising in the state if they don't use clear language to explain the limitations of what access entails. In other words, you won't be seeing language like "buy" or "purchase" once the law takes effect in 2025.The move to digital storefronts has raised new parallel concerns about ownership and preservation for media in the modern age. Ubisoft's move to delete The Crew from players' libraries after the game's servers shuttered is one of the most recent examples of how customers can suddenly lose access to media they felt they owned. The new California law won't stop situations like The Crew's disappearance from happening, and it won't stop those losses from hurting. But it does make clearer that ownership is a pretty rare and intangible thing for digital media.Governor Newsom is having a busy week. He also signed the state's "click to cancel" bill yesterday and last week signed two bills with protections against unwanted AI likenesses of actors, both living and deceased.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/new-california-law-will-force-companies-to-admit-you-dont-own-digital-content-203053750.html?src=rss
Square Enix's terrific Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series has finally made its way to Xbox. The 1980s and '90s classics, which arrived on PC and mobile starting in 2021 and Switch and PS4 last year, are now available on Xbox Series X/S. The Xbox Store sells the six-game series in a $75 bundle ($60 for a limited time). Alternatively, you can buy the individual installments for prices ranging from $12 to $18 (on sale now for $9.59 to $14.39). The series remasters Final Fantasy I through Final Fantasy VI with updated pixel graphics designed to pop on modern HD displays. The games also have remastered soundtracks (and the option to switch back to the chiptune-tastic originals). You can also choose between updated fonts and the originals. Square Enix Gameplay customizations include options to boost experience gains (up to 4x) or turn off random encounters for a breezier play-through. For an even easier run, you can turn on auto-battle. Along with the Final Fantasy classics, Square Enix's Trials of Mana ($50) and Legend of Mana ($30) are also now on Xbox. In addition, the Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is available for pre-order ($60) ahead of its November 14 release date. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/the-final-fantasy-pixel-remaster-series-finally-arrives-on-xbox-200713407.html?src=rss
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