Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

Following his surprise firing on Friday, former OpenAI CEO Sam Altman might not be as out of a job as we initially thought he was, according to report from The Vergeon Saturday. Reportedly, sources close to Altman say that the board itself, in a stunning reversal, have "agreed in principal" to resign while reinstating him to his former position. However, the board has since reportedly missed a 5pm PT deadline regarding the decision.Shortly after Altman's firing on Friday afternoon, several senior staffers, including former Chairman and President Greg Brockman, Director of Research Jakub Pachocki, Head of Preparedness Aleksander Madry and Senior Researcher Szymon Sidor, tendered their resignations in protest. Additional OpenAI staffers were supposedly set to quit in solidarity at that meeting as well. They're reportedly willing to follow Altman, a la Jerry Maguire, to a new AI startup venture, should he decide to launch one.An internal memo circulated after Altman's dismissal argued that his termination was not related to "malfeasance or anything related to our financial, business, safety or security/privacy practices," per Axios' reporting.

If you've been holding out for a deal on the Echo Show 8, it doesn't get any better than Amazon's current Black Friday bundles for its smart displays. Amazon is selling the second-generation Echo Show 8 with a Kasa Smart multicolor lightbulb for just $55. Normally, these would cost over $150 together. The third-generation Echo Show 8, released this year, is also deeply discounted on Amazon in a bundle with the Kasa Smart Bulb, going for just $105 compared to the list price of $173.The 2023 Echo Show 8 (3rd gen) brought a refreshed design to what was already one of the best smart displays out there. The latest version has a sleeker build and upgraded capabilities, with spatial audio, a 13MP camera and faster response times from Alexa. Still its predecessor, released in 2021, achieves solid performance for tasks like video calls and smart home control. It's equipped with automatic face framing to keep you centered on calls, and has a privacy cover for the camera. Both models have a compact 8-inch touchscreen that's big enough for viewing content without taking up too much counter space.Amazon's smart display deals don't just stop at the Echo Show 8. The retailer is also offering discounts on the Echo Show 5 and the larger Echo Show 10. There are bundles to include additional accessories - including the Blink Mini camera and Kasa Smart bulbs - and deals on individual devices for 30 to 64 percent off.Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo's Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog's experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/echo-show-8-bundles-are-up-to-64-percent-off-in-amazons-black-friday-deals-220607231.html?src=rss

An internal memo sent to OpenAI staff on Saturday after former CEO Sam Altman's abrupt firing reiterates that a breakdown in communication" led to the decision, not malfeasance or anything related to our financial, business, safety, or security/privacy practices," according to reporting from Axios and The New York Times. The memo obtained by both publications was sent to employees by OpenAI's Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap.Speculation has been nonstop since Altman was ousted unexpectedly as CEO on Friday and dropped from the company's board of directors, with little concrete information from OpenAI itself to go on. In its announcement of the decision, the board said only that he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities." The board named Mira Murati, OpenAI's Chief Technology Officer, as interim CEO.In response, OpenAI's now-former president, Greg Brockman, announced he was stepping down too, tweeting, Sam and I are shocked and saddened by what the board did today." Three senior researchers later resigned as well, according to The Information. Now, in another report, sources told The Information that Altman already has a new venture" in the works, and he plans to bring Brockman and possibly others on with him. It's as yet unclear if this venture is separate from Altman's other known upcoming projects, including a purported collaboration with former Apple designer Jony Ive.Numerous reports in the aftermath have attempted to provide an explanation for Altman's firing, with some claiming there were concerns over the rapid development of the company's AI products and, according to journalist Kara Swisher, its profit driven direction." In Saturday's memo, per Axios, Lightcap wrote that the announcement took us all by surprise," and we have had multiple conversations with the board to try to better understand the reasons and process behind their decision."

The Xbox Series S starter pack is down to a record low price in a Black Friday deal from Microsoft. The starter bundle for the 512GB Series S - which also includes a wireless controller and three months of Game Pass Ultimate - is just $240, compared to its normal price of $300. You can also pick up extra controllers at an exceptionally low price from Amazon right now, with a choice from a slew of different colors. The Xbox Core Wireless Controller is 31 percent off, bringing it down to $45 from its usual price of $65 for a $20 savings.The Xbox Series S is the more budget-friendly, compact version of the console. It can run games at 120 frames per second and at resolutions above 1080p, and supports ray tracing for some titles. While it's not as powerful as the more expensive Series X, it's still one of the best gaming consoles around today for its price range. We gave it a review score of 85 when it came out (and dubbed it the cutest console of the next generation").The current deal comes with three months of Game Pass Ultimate, which means buyers will get instant access to hundreds of popular games. There's also a high-speed HDMI cable in the box alongside a wireless controller.If the limitations of the Series S are too much, though, there are also Black Friday deals on Series X bundles. You can pick up the Series X with Diablo IV for just $440 at Walmart - a savings of over 20 percent, or $120 off. Or, if racing games are more your speed, Microsoft is selling the Xbox Series X bundled with Forza Horizon 5 for $450, shaving $50 off the usual price.Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo's Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog's experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/xbox-black-friday-deals-include-all-time-low-console-bundle-and-20-off-controllers-183704686.html?src=rss

SpaceX's second test flight of its Starship spacecraft - which it hopes will one day ferry humans to the moon and Mars - ended in an explosion Saturday morning minutes after taking off from the company's spaceport in Boca Chica, Texas. Starship launched just after 8AM ET atop a Super Heavy rocket, the largest rocket in the world.Moments after completing stage separation, when the Super Heavy booster detached itself from Starship, the rocket's first stage exploded. Starship, however, continued on for several more minutes, surpassing the flight time of its predecessor. A faint explosion could be seen in the livestream around the 8-minute mark, and hosts confirmed soon after that they'd lost contact with the craft.Unlike in its first test, which came to an end about 24 miles above Earth's surface, Starship was able to reach space this time around. At the time of its explosion, the livestream's tracker clocked it at an altitude of about 92 miles.

Alan Wake II is a fantastic game. It tells a twisted, serpentine story of paranormal murder, shifting realities and demonic possession, with two brooding investigators at its core. Developers at Remedy Entertainment are masters of mood and Alan Wake II is their latest showpiece, highlighting the studio's eye for psychedelic terror and complex mysteries. This game is packed with monsters, ghosts, cults, Old Gods, rock operas and mind-bending perspective swaps. And on top of all that, its character models and set pieces are absolutely gorgeous. Even though it just came out at the end of October, it's no surprise that Alan Wake II is nominated in multiple categories at The Game Awards, including Game of the Year.There's a lot more than clue-gathering going on in Alan Wake II. The game regularly mixes full-motion video with CGI in a way that doesn't feel silly or contrived; set in a universe of broken realities, the visual styles bleed into each other like alternate timelines fighting for dominance, fitting both the narrative and mechanical storytelling on display.Remedy EntertainmentThere are two playable characters, Saga Anderson and Alan Wake, and they're each able to escape inside their own mind to solve the mysteries at hand. Saga, the stoic FBI agent, has a Mind Place where she can connect pieces of evidence with red string on a large, wood-paneled wall, and she can also profile people of interest, using her intuition to speak with their subconscious selves and uncover their secrets. Alan, the author who's been lost in purgatory for 13 years, has a Writer's Room with a plot board that literally alters reality when he adds new ideas to it. Players are able to switch between Saga and Alan throughout the game, as they attempt to crack the same case from opposite sides of the underworld.Both of their environments have been infiltrated by shadow people, the standard enemies in this universe. The black silhouettes, glitching around the edges and hissing Alan Wake's name, are affected by light - many of them fade away under the beam of a flashlight, but some of them transform into corporeal enemies and immediately attack, requiring multiple gunshots or one strong explosion to take them out. Saga and Alan can find temporary solace under lampposts and other well-lit areas, but these tend to flicker out in the heat of combat.Which brings us to my issue with Alan Wake II, a game I very much enjoyed and highly recommend. Because I can still hear the furious typing from people who won't read a negative word about something they love - please remember, it's possible to enjoy something and also discuss what it could've done better. In the case of Alan Wake II, this means removing the guns.There's a delicious undercurrent of tension running beneath Alan Wake II, propelled by dark corridors, gruesome rituals and a creeping wave of personal loss. This sense of unease builds throughout the story and bursts through the screen in jump-scare vignettes as the characters' situations become more desperate. Mystery is the heart of Alan Wake II's horror. Unfortunately, the slow-burning narrative tension is routinely interrupted by gunplay, replacing it with a different, harsher kind of anxiety that feels out of place in this survival horror experience.Again and again, I'd be exploring a new area, mentally putting the clues together as the story unspooled, when suddenly - time for a gunfight. The tone would immediately shift from dark, inquisitive terror to pew pew pew, replacing my train of thought with standard action-game things like landing headshots and dodging. After the scuffle, it would take a long moment for me to find the rhythm again, remind myself what I was looking for, what was at stake, what reality I was in. The tension and terror would start to build again, and then - another gunfight.Remedy EntertainmentThere's nothing wrong with the combat in Alan Wake II, but it isn't revolutionary and it doesn't serve the game's narrative. It's an unnecessary interruption. Alan Wake II has intense detective work, horrific setpieces, paranormal drama, reality-shifting mechanics, secrets uncovered with light, two versions of a Sherlock-style mind palace, small puzzles, grand mysteries, murderous demons and plenty of action without guns at all.Light is the shadow people's weakness, and Saga and Alan both carry flashlights for most of the game. Turning on the high beam stuns the shadow enemies and sometimes opens weak points in their chests. Light hurts the ghosts, but it doesn't kill them. To kill the ghosts you need bullets. I find this concept silly enough, but there are also scenes where the ghostshave guns, which is downright hilarious. On top of that, some of the shadow people are true bullet sponges, eating eight to twelve shots before going down. This sucks in general, but it's especially egregious in a horror game, as it replaces feelings of dread with frustration and bullet math. Tediously shooting a ghost eight times instead of one doesn't make an encounter any scarier.With light as a weapon, Alan Wake II doesn't need guns. Activating the high beam already uses precious battery power, and both Saga and Alan have to find batteries hidden around their environments, keeping resource-management fears alive. There are scenes where a flashlight and weapon combination actually works well - mainly, the flashlight and flare gun offer a swift one-two punch for standard enemies, preserving the panic of an attack while offering twitchy combat moments that don't interrupt the overall vibe. Here, the gun is secondary, while the light does most of the work. In terms of game logic, this makes way more sense than a ghosts-and-guns approach.Remedy EntertainmentRemedy is calling Alan Wake II the studio's first foray into the survival horror genre," which makes its reliance on guns and even more perplexing. Regardless of whether Alan Wake II is more of an action horror or survival horror game, I'm most concerned with how it serves horror. In this regard, the gunplay just gets in the way.I turned on story mode about two-thirds through my playtime, and I didn't feel cheated out of any tension or terror; the enemies were still scary, and the game's puzzles remained challenging. Remedy does weird stuff really well, and Alan Wake II is grotesque, mind-melting and darkly soapy, like The X-Files or Twin Peaks, with a touch of Outlast and Resident Evil 4. I just wonder what game we would've gotten if the developers didn't design around basic third-person shooter tropes (feel free to save those for Control, Remedy - guns make sense in that game).You know how every big-studio action movie nowadays feels like a modified version of Iron Man? The Marvel Cinematic Universe set the modern standard for big-budget action flicks, and it seems like many other movies now attempt to imitate its tongue-in-cheek tone, the epic scale of each battle, its predictable narrative flow and climax, the green-screen action scenes, its cliffhangers and after-credits scenes. A similar phenomenon is occurring with big-budget mainstream games, where there seems to be a formula that developers attempt to emulate, and this includes gunplay with hordes of bullet-absorbing enemies.It feels like Alan Wake II fell victim to this unnecessary constraint, with negative consequences for the game's sense of storytelling and terror. I get it - guns, ammo and inventory management are a familiar, accepted mechanic in video games as a whole, which makes firearm combat an easy element to include in mainstream titles. I just don't think Alan Wake II needed it to be successful.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/alan-wake-ii-is-great-but-it-doesnt-need-guns-130027149.html?src=rss

At 8AM ET today, SpaceX will open a 20-minute launch window for Starship's second-ever fully integrated test flight. If everything goes well during the pre-flight procedures, and if the weather cooperates, then we'll see the company's spacecraft make another attempt to reach space. SpaceX completed Starship's first fully integrated launch in April. While it was considered a success, the company wasn't able to meet all its objectives and had to intentionally blow up the spacecraft after its two stages failed to separate.As a result of that incident, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had grounded Starship while authorities conducted an investigation. They found that the explosion scattered debris across 385 acres of land, caused pulverized concrete to rain down on areas up to 6.5 miles northwest of the pad site, and started a wildfire at Boca Chica State Park. The FAA required SpaceX to make 63 corrective actions before it could give the company clearance to fly its reusable spacecraft again.SpaceX said that this flight will debut several changes it implemented due to what happened during Starship's first test flight. They include a new hot-stage separation system, a new electronic Thrust Vector Control (TVC) system for Super Heavy Raptor engines, reinforcements to the pad foundation and a water-cooled steel flame deflector.The company's live broadcast of the launch starts at 7:24AM ET on its website and on X. If the Starship's stages can successfully separate this time around, its upper stage will fly across the planet before splashing down off a Hawaiian coast.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/watch-spacexs-starship-lift-off-for-its-second-fully-integrated-test-flight-121559318.html?src=rss

Sam Altman and Greg Brockman were "shocked and saddened by what the board did" and are still trying to figure out what exactly happened. The former CEO and the former President of OpenAI have published a post on X, sharing the details of what they do know and how they found out the former was being fired. Apparently, company co-founder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever invited Altman for a meeting at noon on Friday, which was then attended by the whole board except for Brockman. It was at that meeting that Altman found out he was being fired and that OpenAI was going to announce it "very soon."Shortly after that, Sutskever reportedly invited Brockman to a separate Google Meet conference, where he was told that Altman had gotten fired and that he was being removed from the board. However, the board members told him that he was "vital to the company and would retain his role." Brockman chose to quit on his own. The two former OpenAI executives also said that the rest of the company's management team outside of interim CEO Mira Murati only found out about the board's decision after Altman was already removed from his post. "The outpouring of support has been really nice; thank you, but please don't spend any time being concerned," their joint statement reads. "We will be fine. Greater things coming soon."

A remastered version of The Last Of Us Part 2 is coming to the PlayStation 5 in January, according to a leaked trailer that was later confirmed by Sony. The new version of the hit post-apocalyptic zombie adventure will be available on the platform on January 19, 2024, and will feature improved loading times, 4K graphics in the console's Fidelity mode and full integration with the PS5's new DualSense wireless controller. Insider Gaming and multiple leakers on X first wrote about the remastered version.In addition to quality of life improvements, the game will also include "No Return", a brand new rogue-like survival mode which will allow players to choose [their] path through a series of randomized encounters" and play as unlockable characters never before seen in the franchise. Players will also be able to compete with each other in a global leaderboard.Additionally, the remastered version will also include early versions of three new levels that weren't present in the original game, as well as recorded commentary across the game's cutscenes from director Neil Druckmann, narrative lead Halley Gross, and actors Troy Baker, Ashley Johnson and Laura Bailey.

MIT researchers developed an ingestible capsule that can monitor vital signs including heart rate and breathing patterns from within a patient's GI tract. The scientists also say that the novel device has the potential to also be used to detect signs of respiratory depression during an opioid overdose. Giovanni Traverso, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at MIT who has been working on developing a range of ingestible sensors, told Engadget that the device will be especially useful for sleep studies.Conventionally, sleep studies require patients to be hooked up to a number of sensors and devices. In labs and in at-home studies, sensors can be attached to a patient's scalp, temples, chest and lungs with wires. A patient may also wear a nasal cannula, chest belt and pulse oximeter which can connect to a portable monitor. As you can imagine, trying to sleep with all of this machinery can be challenging," Traverso told Engadget.MITThis trial, which used a capsule made by Celero Systems -A start-up led by MIT and Harvard researchers- marks the first time ingestible sensor technology was tested in humans. Aside from the start-up and MIT, the research was spearheaded by experts at West Virginia University and other hospital affiliates.The capsule contains two small batteries and a wireless antenna that transmits data. The ingestible sensor, which is the size of a vitamin capsule, traveled through the gastrointestinal tract, and collected signals from the device while it was in the stomach. The participants stayed at a sleep lab overnight while the device recorded respiration, heart rate, temperature and gastric motility. The sensor was also able to detect sleep apnea in one of the patients during the trial. The findings suggest that the ingestible was able to measure health metrics on par with medical-grade diagnostic equipment at the sleep center. Traditionally, patients that need to get diagnosed with specific sleep disorders are required to stay overnight at a sleep lab, where they get hooked onto an array of sensors and devices. Ingestible sensor technology eliminates the need for that.Importantly, MIT says there were no adverse effects reported due to capsule ingestion. The capsule typically passes through a patient within a day or so, though that short internal shelf life may also limit how effective it could be as a monitoring device. Traverso told Engadget that he aims to have Celetro, which he co-founded, eventually contain a mechanism that will allow the capsule to sit in a patient's stomach for a week.Dr. Ali Rezai, the executive chair of the West Virginia University Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, said that there is a huge potential for creating a new pathway through this device that will help providers identify when a patient is overdosing according to their vitals. In the future, researchers even anticipate that devices could incorporate drugs internally: overdose reversal agents, such as nalmefene, could be slowly administered if a sensor records that a person's breathing rate slowed or stopped. More data from the studies will be made available in the coming months.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mit-tests-new-ingestible-sensor-that-record-your-breathing-through-your-intestines-224823353.html?src=rss

Samsung's Frame smart TVs are cheaper than ever in a Black Friday deal that you can snag right now at both Amazon and Samsung direct. The TVs come in 32- to 85-inch configurations, and all of them have some sort of discount. Of note is the 55-inch model, which is 35 percent off and down to $978 - a new record low, and the steepest percent-discount of the bunch. If you're looking for the biggest dollar-amount savings, that's on the massive 85-inch TV, which is $1,000 off and on sale for $3,298.These are the latest Frame TV models, with QLED displays and support for 4K content, Quantum Dot technology and 100 percent color volume. That quality should be good enough for most people (if you want your next set to be OLED, we recommend checking out these deals on LG, Sony and Samsung OLED TVs), but the real selling point of the Frame series is its ability to blend into your home's decor.Thanks to its included slim wall mount, anti-reflective matte display and Art Mode, the Frame can mimic a piece of art hanging on your walls when you're note actively watching TV. When we used it, we were also impressed that it comes with an external receiver/port hub/tuner box combo that connects to the panel via a wire, so you could cleverly hide that wire behind a wall or with some accessories to truly make the TV look like it's a floating photo.The only catch is that Samsung's full collection of displayable art hides behind a $5-per-month paywall. Thankfully, you do get a few pieces of art for free that you can display on the Frame, and you can upload your own photos and images to the Frame from your phone or via a USB drive to display as well. Combine that with the ability to customize the hardware further with a personalized bezel (at an extra cost, of course), and you have a TV that you can make your own and that won't be a big, blocky eyesore in your home like most other sets.Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo's Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog's experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/this-55-inch-samsung-frame-tv-is-on-sale-for-35-percent-off-in-amazons-black-friday-sale-211336306.html?src=rss

More major advertisers are pulling their ads from X amid a growing backlash to antisemitic content on the platform. Apple, Disney and Lionsgate are all reportedly suspending ads from the platform days after X owner Elon Musk appeared to publicly endorse an antisemitic conspiracy theory, according to Axios and The New York Times.Warner Brothers Discovery also paused its ads, according to Deadline, as did Paramount Global per CNBC.The companies join IBM, which confirmed Thursday it was suspending its ads while it investigated a report that found ads for its Watson division appearing next to pro-Nazi content. The report, published by watchdog group Media Matters, also found ads for Apple, Oracle and other tech companies alongside similar content.An executive at X previously told Engadget that the posts identified by Media Matters were no longer monetizable and that the X system is not intentionally placing a brand actively next to this type of content, nor is a brand actively trying to support this content with placement." X CEO Linda Yaccarino also said that X has also been extremely clear about our efforts to combat antisemitism and discrimination."Many of X's advertisers have long been concerned about the state of hate speech on the platform, but the departures of Apple, Disney, Lionsgate and IBM are a new blow to the company's already struggling ad business. And it appears that a recent tweet from Musk, in which voiced agreement with an account promoting an antisemitic conspiracy theory, has prompted more advertisers pull back from the platform, at least temporarily.Axios reported that Apple opted to pause" all advertising on the platform, though it's not clear whether the decision was driven by Musk's tweet, Media Matters' report or both. The company didn't immediately respond to a request for comment, but this wouldn't be the first time the company has raised concerns about the direction of the platform under Musk's leadership, and its role as a major advertiser. Apple CEO Tim Cook said in September the company was constantly" questioning whether it should continue advertising on X. Apple also briefly paused ads on X (then Twitter) last year, amid a "misunderstanding" between the two CEOs.The latest advertiser exodus comes one year after civil rights groups called for an advertiser boycott following Musk's takeover of Twitter amid concerns about rising hate speech and relaxed content moderation policies under Musk. Though some major Twitter advertisers returned to the platform, the company's ad business never rebounded. Musk said over the summer that the company's ad revenue was down more than 50 percent.Update, November 17 2023, 6:55PM ET: This story has been updated to note that Disney and Lionsgate have joined Apple in pausing advertising on X.Update, November 17 2023, 7:15PM ET: This story has been updated to reflect reports that Warner Brothers Discovery has also pulled its ads.Update, November 17 2023, 7:45PM ET: This story has been updated with CNBC's report that Paramount Global has also pulled ads from X.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-reportedly-pulls-ads-from-x-amid-a-growing-backlash-to-antisemitic-content-on-the-platform-205849759.html?src=rss

In a surprise shakeup of its c-suite Friday, OpenAI's board of directors announced that CEO Sam Altman has been fired and will be leaving both the company and the board, effective immediately. Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati has been named interim CEO.Altman's oustering reportedly follows an internal "deliberative review process" which found he had not been "consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities," the company announced. As such, "the board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI."OpenAI, which owns popular AI chatbot ChatGPT, thanked Altman for his "many contributions to the founding and growth of OpenAI," but believes that "as the leader of the company's research, product, and safety functions, Mira is exceptionally qualified to step into the role of interim CEO." The board added it has "the utmost confidence in her ability to lead OpenAI during this transition period."OpenAI's board is comprised of the company's Chief Scientist Ilya Sutskever, as well as Chairman and President Greg Brockman. Independent advisors, who hold no equity in the company, are also board members: Quora CEO Adam D'Angelo, tech entrepreneur Tasha McCauley and privacy advocate Helen Toner of the Georgetown Center for Security and Emerging Technology. Altman was also considered an independent advisor on the board, despite being CEO of the company prior to his departure.

Half-Life is one of the greatest video games of all time and just ahead of its 25th anniversary on Sunday, Valve has released a major update for the first-person shooter. For one thing, the base game now includes Half-Life Uplink. This was a demo of Half-Life, but most of its content doesn't appear in the original game.Uplink was initially available on CDs that came free with magazines (remember those?) and hardware like sound cards. It's also been available on the internet for a while for those who know where to look. But now players can access it by clicking the New Game button in Half-Life itself.On top of that, Valve has added four spanking new multiplayer maps. Some might seem familiar, such as one based on an abandoned Xen outpost and another set at an old orbital satellite launch facility. "If we could switch on the oxygen lines, power, and fuel, we might just be able to light this candle," Valve said. The company has added three other maps that were originally available on a disc called Half-Life: Further Data.You can now, at long last, play the original Half-Life in widescreen without having to resort to mods or the fan remake Black Mesa. Valve has added controller support along with a string of other under-the-hood updates, UI tweaks and bug fixes. Steam Networking support should make multiplayer smoother too.

Amazon is sacking employees in its Alexa division even as it prepares to upgrade Alexa to be as smart as modern AI-powered chatbots like ChatGPT. The move will impact several hundred employees in the US, Canada, and India, according to an internal email sent on Friday.As we continue to invent, we're shifting some of our efforts to better align with our business priorities, and what we know matters most to customers - which includes maximizing our resources and efforts focused on generative AI," wrote Daniel Bausch, Amazon's vice president of Alexa and Fire TV in the email, first obtained by GeekWire. These shifts are leading us to discontinue some initiatives, which is resulting in several hundred roles being eliminated."An Amazon spokesperson confirmed to Engadget that the company was, indeed, laying off several hundred" people in the division and said that Amazon was trying to find roles for those impacted wherever possible. While this was a hard decision to make, we remain very optimistic about the future of Alexa," the spokesperson said in a statement. As we move forward, Alexa remains an incredibly important part of our business, and we will continue to invest and innovate to deliver on our vision." The spokesperson did not say which initiatives were being discontinued.Amazon released Alexa in 2014. But nearly ten years later, most people don't use the digital assistant for anything beyond playing music, asking for the weather, or setting timers. OpenAI's ChatGPT, which was powered by generative AI, was widely perceived to be smarter than Alexa and Siri, which sometimes struggle with basic requests. A few months ago, OpenAI added voice capabilities to ChatGPT, letting people have conversations with it in natural language.In September, Amazon announced that it would upgrade Alexa with capabilities that would bring it closer in line with ChatGPT. Alexa will soon be powered by a large language model, the same foundational technology that is the basis of modern chatbots like ChatGPT. Our latest model has been specifically optimized for voice," David Limp, Amazon's SVP of Devices & Services, told the audience at the company's event that month, and the things we know our customers love - like having access to real-time information, efficiently controlling their smart home, and getting the most out of their home entertainment." Earlier this year, Limp announced he would leave Amazon after more than 13 years later this year and is now the CEO of Jeff Bezos' space company Blue Origin.The new upgrades to Alexa will mean that you won't have to say Alexa" each time you want something done. You'll also be able to give complex requests, like asking the assistant to prepare the house for bedtime every weeknight at 9 PM, dim the lights, lock the doors, and set the temperature all at one go. Alexa will also be able to hold longer conversations and maintain the context of the discussion.Amazon has so far laid off more than 27,000 employees across the company after it began mass-scale cutbacks a year ago for the first time in its history. Last week, the company cut 180 jobs from its gaming division, including the entire staff of Crown, a company-backed Twitch channel. Earlier this month, Amazon also laid off an unspecified number of employees in its music streaming unit and has previously cut more than 100 employees from its gaming divisions.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-is-laying-off-several-hundred-employees-working-on-alexa-190339189.html?src=rss

Cadillac has unveiled a new entry-level compact electric SUV. The Optiq will sit below the Lyriq in Cadillac's lineup, and images the automaker shared suggest it will also borrow from the more expensive SUV's stylings. However, you may have to wait a while before buying one, as Cadillac says we won't hear more about the Optiq (including its full specs) until 2024.The Optiq will continue Cadillac's naming convention of ending its EVs' names with some form of IQ." In addition to the Lyriq, other examples include the Escalade IQ and Celestiq.Although Cadillac hasn't explicitly stated so, the Optiq will likely use GM's Ultium battery platform. Road and Driver speculates that since Cadillac's SUV is similar in size to the Chevy Equinox EV, it could have similar specs. The Equinox has a 210-horsepower electric motor for the front wheels and an optional 290-horsepower dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup with a range likely capping out at around 300 miles for maxed-out configurations.CadillacAutoblog notes details we already know about the version of the Optiq made for China, thanks to photos and information shared through the country's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) pre-market vehicle approval process. That model is allegedly 189.8 inches long, 75.3 inches wide and 64.6 inches tall. That would make it around 2.5 inches narrower and seven inches shorter (in length) than the Lyriq. The China model is listed as weighing 4.850 lbs with a top speed of 112 mph. It has two front-wheel-drive configurations, including a 201-horsepower motor and a 241-hp one.Cadillac's full press release was short and to the point. Today, Cadillac has confirmed the fourth vehicle to join its expanding global electric vehicle portfolio - OPTIQ," the announcement reads. OPTIQ will act as the entry point for Cadillac's EV lineup in North America, slotting in below LYRIQ, a luxury compact SUV. OPTIQ's spirited driving dynamics are designed to appeal to global luxury customers. Additional details, as well as available features and pricing, will be unveiled next year."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cadillacs-midrange-optiq-electric-suv-takes-cues-from-the-high-end-lyriq-183414934.html?src=rss

A number of Anker chargers, cables, power adapters and other accessories are on sale for Black Friday at Amazon, with discounts of up to 37 percent. One key callout is on our favorite premium power bank, Anker's Prime 20,000 mAH battery with charging base. It's currently down to $130 for the set and the lowest price ever. At full price, we've seen the set go for as high as $200. The base is what makes it really stand apart from other power banks - simply drop the brick on the platform and it starts recharging.The screen on the Prime bank is impressive as well, detailing just how much charge the pack has left and how much is heading out of each of the three ports (one USB-A and two USB-C). In our tests, it revived a dead iPhone back to 100 percent in just over an hour and 45 minutes, with enough left over for another three-quarters charge. It brought a spent iPad Air back to full in a little under two hours. Not only is the base an easy way to recharge the battery, it also acts as a charging hub with three ports of its own for powering up other stuff.Other Anker accessories we like are seeing big discounts too, including the 67W USB-C charger for 37 percent off, bringing it to $38, matching its all-time low. It has two USB-C ports and one USB-A port, so you can charge your phone, tablet and even a battery pack at one time.Our top 65W fast wall charger is Anker's 735 GaN Prime, which is down to a new low price after a 38 percent discount. It's got the same three ports as the above wall adapter and outperformed other contenders in our tests.Finally, the diminutive and handy Anker Nano Power Bank is seeing one of its first discounts since coming on the market a couple months ago. It's down to $21 and would make a great stocking stuffer - particularly for those who always seem to have a phone hovering around 5 percent. The small brick has a built-in foldable USB-C connector and in my experience, it got a Galaxy S23 Ultra to 62 percent in about an hour. Plus its easy to use the phone while the bank is pugged in.Check out the larger Black Friday Anker sale here.Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo's Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog's experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ankers-black-friday-deals-will-save-you-up-to-37-percent-on-some-of-our-favorite-charging-gear-183048555.html?src=rss

If you're looking for a streaming device with a bit more oomph than a standard USB stick, you should check out the NVIDIA Shield TV Pro. It's on sale right now for Black Friday, matching a record-low price of $170. That's $30 off the MSRP, representing a savings of 15 percent for those keeping score.This is an extremely powerful device, with enough juice to stream movies, run a PLEX server, play games via the cloud and do just about anything you want. There's a reason, after all, the Shield TV Pro made our list of the best streaming devices you can buy in 2023. It runs on the Android TV platform and boasts a capable Tegra X1+ processor, so it easily handles 4K streams. It'll even upscale 720p and 1080p video to 4K via the company's proprietary AI neural network.We also liked that this box supports Dolby Vision and HDR10, in addition to boasting 16GB of built-in storage for direct uploads of content. You also get 3GB of RAM to help speed up navigation and opening apps. As for content, you have your pick from all of the major streamers and anything else available on the Google Play Store. It'll also play just about any game from the Play Store, though you'll have to bring along your own controller.To that end, you can use the device to opt into NVIDIA's GeForce Now cloud gaming service, which provides access to over 1,500 games, including the full spate of Xbox Game Pass titles. The Shield Pro boasts an ethernet port for graphically-intensive game streams. About the only downside to this device is the original asking price, an issue made less urgent due to this sale.Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo's Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog's experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nvidias-shield-tv-pro-drops-to-a-record-low-of-170-for-black-friday-182709988.html?src=rss

The Google Pixel Fold, released earlier this year, is on sale for $1,399, knocking $400 off its original price of $1,799. This Amazon Black Friday deal marks the lowest price ever on the 256GB model. If you need more storage on your smartphone, the 512GB model is going for $1,519, down from $1,919. The foldable is powered by the Google Tensor G2 and offers 12GB of RAM, making it a great option for those looking to invest in a foldable smartphone as their daily driver. If you're interested in other Black Friday Google Pixel deals, the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro are down to record low prices as well.The Pixel Fold earned a spot on Engadget's top foldable phones list, namely for how easy it is to use and for its wide-screen design. Folded, the phone gives you a 5.8-inch screen to work with, and unfolded you get a big, 7.6-inch immersive display. When open, the foldable's split screen allows you to multitask and do things like shop online and make video calls at the same time. You're also able to use the main screen and external screen together, letting you take pictures and look at live previews simultaneously. Coming soon is Google Translate's interpreter mode as well, which allows you to watch translations appear on both screens while you're talking to another person in a different language.In terms of camera quality, the Pixel Fold has a lot to offer. The triple rear camera system includes a 48-megapixel main lens, an ultrawide shooter and a telephoto camera with up to 5x optical zoom that delivers sharp photos in daylight and well-exposed photos in the dark. In Engadget's review, one of its selling points was that the photos beat the competition. When compared to Samsung's Galaxy foldable, Google's phone delivered images with better shadows and highlights. Notably, even with Samsung's food mode" on, Engadget's Sam Rutherford said the Pixel Fold's photo chops made food look more appetizing. The phone can also shoot 4K videos at 30 frames per second and 60 frames per second, which is on par with other foldables.Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo's Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog's experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-google-pixel-fold-is-400-off-for-black-friday-181050039.html?src=rss

It has only been a couple of weeks since Apple debuted its M3-powered MacBook Pros, but most variants are already on sale for Black Friday. For instance, you can snap up the base 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro for $1,449 in a great Apple Black Friday deal. That's $150 off the standard price.This model, to which we gave a score of 90 in our review, sits between the MacBook Air and more powerful MBPs. The standard M3 chip has an eight-core CPU and a 10-core GPU. It should handle basic tasks without any issue, as the chipset is fast and efficient. The 14-inch MBP has a gorgeous Liquid Retina XDR display, while Apple's keyboard and trackpad remain great.Unfortunately, this model only comes with 8GB of RAM. That could prove a problem for those who like to keep several apps open or have a bunch of tabs in their browser at the same time. We'd definitely add more RAM before recommending it as the best MacBook for creatives. There's also one fewer USB-C port than you'll get in more expensive variants.So, you may want to stump up some extra cash for a more capable version. A model with a more powerful M3 Pro chip (11core CPU and 14core GPU), 18GB of RAM and a third USB-C/Thunderbolt port is also $150 off at $1,849. However, it still has 512GB of storage.Photo by Devindra Hardawar/EngadgetMeanwhile, if you're looking for a model with a larger screen, you can opt for a 16-inch M3 MacBook Pro. Those are typically $200 off for Black Friday. The 16-inch MBP is much the same as a 14-inch one, albeit with a larger screen and spec bump.A variant with an M3 Pro chipset that has a 12core CPU and 18core GPU, a 16.2-inch display, 18GB of memory and 512GB of storage will run you $2,299. That's eight percent off the usual price of $2,499. This version is also available in the eye-catching Space Black colorway.Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo's Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog's experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-m3-macbook-pros-are-up-to-200-off-for-black-friday-175043898.html?src=rss

The GoPro Hero 12 Black action camera is on sale for $100 off as part of a Black Friday deal. The sale's available via Amazon, Adorama and even the manufacturer itself. This deal is for an accessories bundle, so you can get a carrying case, a strap, an extra battery, a mount and other add-ons, in addition to the camera. All told, that brings the price down to $350 from $450.This is the latest and greatest action camera by the company. We admired the Hero 12 in our official review, calling out the improved battery life when compared to the Hero 11, as it allows for 35 minutes of continuous use per charge. Remember, this deal ships with an extra battery, so that's 70 minutes, minus 30 seconds of fiddling with the battery compartment.We also loved the addition of Bluetooth audio streaming, which even works with devices like Apple's AirPods Pro earbuds. This means you can easily wear earbuds without calling too much attention to yourself while hosting an impromptu vlog or live commentary of some kind. The latency is barely perceptible, if noticeable at all. This functionally also allows you to control the GoPro from afar, thanks to voice commands. Gone are the days of having to chop off those awkward final seconds of footage featuring you clumsily walking to turn the camera off.The Hero 12 Black boasts a larger image sensor, allowing users to experiment with different aspect ratios using the same footage, in addition to offering an 8:7 mode across every setting. On the downside, this is a modest upgrade of sorts, so many of the remaining metrics remain the same as with the GoPro Hero 11. Your footage will look a bit cleaner, but it won't be a night and day difference.Still, this is a good deal for a full-featured action camera that ships with everything you need to not only get started, but thrive. This is a limited-time offer but there's no set end-date, with the company stating that it will continue until GoPro terminates the program."Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo's Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog's experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/a-gopro-hero-12-black-bundle-with-accessories-is-100-off-for-black-friday-171926991.html?src=rss

Apple has joined Meta and TikTok owner ByteDance in contesting their platforms' definitions as part of the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA). The legislation allows regulators to designate dominant companies' services or platforms as gatekeepers," or big and powerful enough to act as a bottleneck between businesses and customers, which it can then fine for prohibited behavior. It currently targets 22 gatekeeper services run by six Big Tech companies (Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet's Google, Meta, Amazon and ByteDance's TikTok). The law encourages consumer-friendly competition, preventing businesses from imposing unfair conditions on customers.The EU Court of Justice (via Reuters) posted on X Friday about Apple's formal objection, announcing that the iPhone maker had joined Meta and ByteDance in contesting its decisions. Although the complaint details aren't public, Bloomberg News reported last week that Apple would challenge the App Store's gatekeeper designation. The company said this week it would soon support RCS on iPhone, potentially removing one of the EU's bones to pick with iMessage consumer lock-in.

The Elgato Stream Deck+ is down to $170 ahead of Black Friday at Amazon and directly from Elgato. That's a $30 discount and its lowest price ever - a full $10 cheaper than it was for Prime Day in July. Game streamers, podcasters and other creators are likely to find the production console endlessly useful, with its programmable buttons, touch bar and dials for incremental adjustments to app settings.This is the newest streaming controller from Elgato and we recommend its 15-key sibling, the MK.2 in our guide to game streaming gear. This one has fewer buttons (8 instead of 15) but it adds in dials and a touch bar that let you make minute adjustments to volume and image levels, light brightness, camera zoom or whatever else you set them to control. The buttons themselves are programmable with icons so you can quickly tell each button apart.Stream decks are game changers (no pun intended) for live streamers with a single button press controlling actions that usually take a few steps. Program a button to mute your mic, activate canned audio snippets, trigger on-screen effects, switch cameras or set off lighting schemes. The deck is also useful for non-game streamers too, allowing for shortcuts in Photoshop for graphic designers, enabling controls for an audio producer's DAW or handling functions in Premiere or other video editing programs.If you know someone getting into game streaming, this could make a great gift, especially now that it's more affordable than ever.Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo's Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog's experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-black-friday-deal-elgatos-stream-deck-is-down-to-its-lowest-price-ever-163136379.html?src=rss

Rivian is sweetening the pot just ahead of the Tesla Cybertruck launch by offering a free wall charger and a $2,000 installation credit when you buy an electric pickup. This deal's only for the R1T truck and doesn't apply to the company's R1S SUV. The Home Charging Bundle, as it's called, will be in effect until the end of the year.Here's how it works. The wall charger ships a few days after ordering the truck, saving you around $800, and the purchase automatically provides a credit with Rivian's installation partner Qmerit. Just contact Qmerit to set up an installation and it should be smooth sailing from there. According to the installation company, these installation projects typically cost $800 to $2,000, plus a $150 deposit to schedule a visit. In other words, Rivian's deal should essentially make this free. It's also worth noting that the R1T qualifies for that $3,750 tax credit.This enticing offer comes just ahead of scheduled Tesla Cybertruck deliveries, which allegedly begin on November 30. Tesla's experienced its fair share of controversy regarding the stainless steel dystopian wonder. The company originally instituted a strange policy that would fine Cybertruck buyers $50,000 if they attempted to resell the vehicle too soon, before reversing course after public outcry. There's also this offputting video. It's certainly been a long, strange trip since the truck-ish vehicle was announced back in 2019.Of course, Rivian has had its own issues recently. The company instituted two, yes two, airbag recalls in less than a month. It's also gone through a couple rounds of layoffs, which is not typically a good sign. It's not all bad news, however, as Rivian is building a $5 billion manufacturing facility in Georgia.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/rivian-now-offers-a-wall-charger-and-2000-install-credit-with-ev-truck-purchases-162252249.html?src=rss

There's a good iPad deal to be found if you're looking for an entry-level model. The 10th-generation iPad has dropped to its lowest price ever. The 64GB WiFi variant is down to $349 for Black Friday. That's $100 off and $30 less than the previous low. You can take your pick from the pink, blue, silver and yellow hues, since they're all available for $349.We gave the 10th-gen iPad, which Apple released just over a year ago, a score of 85 in our review. It's a complete redesign compared with the 9th-gen model. The Home button has vanished, Touch ID is integrated into the lock button and there's a larger, 10.9-inch display. Apple has also moved the front-facing camera to the landscape edge, which is far more sensible, particularly for those who take video calls on their tablet.We found that the 10th-gen iPad offers better performance and battery life than the previous model, though its A14 Bionic chip is not as powerful as the M1 or M2 that you'll find in a current iPad Air or iPad Pro. The display pales in comparison to those on other types of iPads too. However, if you're looking for a relatively inexpensive Apple tablet on which you can browse the web, answer emails, stream TV shows and movies, take notes and maybe even take care of some light photo editing, the 10th-gen iPad will fit the bill.Meanwhile, the 9th-gen iPad has been available at a record low price of $249 for a while. It's our pick for the best budget iPad, though the performance and battery life improvements on the 10th-gen iPad may make that worth the upgrade given the current sale price. However you slice it, the 9th-gen iPad is the least expensive Apple tablet around, and it's still capable enough when it comes to casual tasks.Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo's Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog's experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-10th-gen-apple-ipad-is-at-its-lowest-price-ever-in-an-amazon-black-friday-deal-160553943.html?src=rss

Discord is pulling the plug on its AI chatbot, Clyde, less than a year after it was first introduced. Clyde's support page has been updated with a note alerting users that the bot will be deactivated at the end of this month. The platform announced Clyde back in March, describing it as an experimental feature. It's powered by OpenAI technology.By December 1, 2023, users will no longer be able to invoke Clyde in DMs, Group DMs or server chats," according to the note. Clyde was intended to act as an AI helper that could be accessed right within the server. Users could also converse with it for fun, and ask it to play games or spit jokes. It didn't seem to roll out universally, though, and in the months after its release some users complained that their servers never got access to the bot. And, screenshots occasionally posted to the Discord subreddit showed it could easily be coaxed into spouting vile language.Whatever the reason for its shutdown, Clyde will be no more come December. Discord integrated other AI features in the last year alongside the release of Clyde, including moderation tools, conversation summaries and avatar editing.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/discord-is-already-killing-clyde-its-experimental-openai-chatbot-155231238.html?src=rss

Amazon started its Black Friday deals early this year, and many Amazon devices are on sale right now. We sifted through the sale and selected standout deals on Amazon Kindles, Fire TV sticks, Echo speakers, and Eero routers. There's also a bundle that combines an Amazon display with a doorbell to extend the utility of both. We expect these prices to stay the same through Cyber Monday, so it's probably a safe bet to do the majority of your shopping now.Echo Show 5The Echo Show 5 is Amazon's smallest smart display and was completely refreshed back in May of this year. The processor and audio quality were improved, but the device remains largely the same. It makes a good screen-enabled bedside alarm clock or a handy kitchen display so you can see recipe videos or make calls as you cook. It's currently down to $40 which is $50 off and a discount it has hit twice in the past couple months.Ring Video Doorbell and Echo Show 5The Ring Video Doorbell paired up with an Echo Show 5 is a great starter kit for a connected home. Right now, the two together are $65. Bought separately and at full price, you'd pay $190, though both devices are often discounted, so this deal is about $10 less than the typical sale price for the two. The doorbell runs on battery or your existing doorbell wires and shoots motion-triggered 1080p video, sending it to the Ring app on your phone or directly to your Echo Show 5.Fire TV Stick 4K MaxThe new Fire TV Stick 4K Max is on sale for $40, which is a 33 percent discount and its lowest price since its debut in September. This new model has a faster processor than the previous 4K Max dongle, and is the first stick to support Amazon's Ambient Experience, which was previously limited to the Fire TV sets. When you're not watching, the screen will display art, along with widgets for weather, calendar and smart home devices. The Alexa remote lets you search for and play shows and movies just by talking, and also supports Wi-Fi 6E, letting those who've upgraded to take advantage of that tri-band connection.Kindle ScribeThe base model Kindle Scribe with 16GB of storage and Amazon's "Basic Pen" stylus is down to $240, which is $100 off its $340 list price and and a new low price that's $15 less than the members-only deal from Amazon's July Prime Day. We gave it a review score of 85 when it came out last year and it's one of our picks in our guide to the best E Ink tablets. At its core, it's a Kindle ereader that lets you take hand-written notes. That includes drawing, making to-do lists, creating sticky notes and scribbling in the margins of a small selection of Kindle titles (mostly puzzle and journaling books).Echo DotAmazon's most popular speaker, the Echo Dot is back down to $23. That matches its lowest price ever, which it dropped to for both Prime Day sales earlier this year. It's our favorite smart speaker under $50. It does a good job of delivering Alexa's abilities and smart home control and is capable of pumping out louder and cleaner music than you'd expect from such a compact device. It can also set reminders, answer questions and turn off your connected smart lights, just by asking Alexa - which should get even more conversational soon. The Dot with a built-in clock is also on sale, with a 42 percent discount making it $35 or about $5 more than it went for Prime Day in July.Echo PopAmazon's smallest Echo speaker, the Echo Pop, is currently down to $18, which is a 55 percent discount and matches its all-time low price. It has the same Alexa-enabled features as a full sized Echo speaker, but takes up a lot less space. Of course, the sound won't be nearly as full as its larger siblings, so this makes more sense as a way to add the AI's help to the corner of a room than it does as a dedicated music source.EchoThe Echo is the original Amazon smart speaker and it's been refreshed four times since its launch. The latest model switched over to the globe shape, which allows for larger and more directional speakers. It's currently down to $55, which is the same as it went for during both 2023 Prime sales, but about $5 more than it sold for last Black Friday. We named it our favorite smart speaker under $100 because it is noticeably louder than it's two closest competitors, the Nest Audio or HomePod mini and can fill a room with sound. The bass is impressive, though the highs could be crisper. It also brings all that Alexa can do to whichever room you park it in.Fire HD 10 tabletAmazon's revamped Fire HD 10 tablet with 32GB of storage is now down to $80, which is 42 percent off and represents the new model's first discount since its debut in September. Fire tablets make great couch companions, handling casual streaming and browsing, though they aren't productivity workhorses, particularly since you're locked into Amazon's own app store. This generation is speedier and lighter than the previous generation and includes a better 5MP camera for video calls.Echo Show 10The latest generation of the Echo Show 10 smart display is on sale for $90 off the list price. That makes it $160 and matches its lowest price ever. The Show 10 is unique among smart displays in that it can pivot to face the screen towards you as you move around the room. Combined that with the upcoming chatbot update to Alexa, and it feels like we're getting closer to the advent of house robots. In the meantime, you can use the smart display to show you the weather, tell you a joke or start playing M3gan.Eero Pro 6E mesh Wi-Fi routerIf you want to take advantage of that 6 GHz Wi-Fi band, you'll need a router (and devices) that support it. Amazon's own Eero Pro 6E mesh Wi-Fi router is $400 for a set of three, that's a 27 percent discount and matches the lows it's hit a few times before. The set of three routers should blanket up to 6,000 square feet with Wi-Fi coverage. In our tests, the routers performed well enough; they're easy to set up and use, with an app that has a clean UI and step-by-step instructions. Unfortunately, many of the management features are paywalled, whereas systems by Google offer many of those tools for free.Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo's Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog's experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/these-are-the-10-best-amazon-black-friday-deals-on-kindles-five-tv-devices-and-echos-that-you-can-get-right-now-153025921.html?src=rss

If you're in the market for a premium smart speaker that sounds better than sub-$100 options, this Sonos Black Friday deal may be what you're looking for. The company is taking $50 off the Sonos Era 100, which offers improved bass and clarity over its predecessor, the Sonos One. In addition, the company has notable discounts on the Sonos Ray soundbar and Sonos Roam portable speaker, letting you save on a variety of home audio products thanks to early Black Friday sales.Usually $250, the Sonos Era 100 is one of Engadget's picks for the best smart speakers in 2023. Engadget's Nathan Ingraham gave the device a review score of 88, writing, The $250 Era 100 is a complete redesign, inside and out, and the end result is a worthy upgrade and a very versatile speaker."The Sonos Era 100's audio is a cut above budget choices like the Echo Dot and Nest Mini, and it gives you the option of Alexa or the Sonos assistant for voice control. If you pick up two speakers, you can turn them into a stereo pair that fills your room with rich, immersive audio. The WiFi-connected speakers even have Bluetooth as a secondary option.If you're looking for a soundbar this holiday season, the Sonos Ray may also be of interest. Engadget found it to have a solid balance of price and performance with its clear dialogue, rumbling bass and solid stereo presence. Usually $279, Sonos' Black Friday deal brings the soundbar down to $223, making it a much more attractive buy for enhancing your TV's audio.Photo by Nathan Ingraham / EngadgetMeanwhile, the Sonos Roam lets you take your music with you. Sitting at over six and a half inches tall and weighing less than a pound, its sound quality transcends the simple Bluetooth speakers it could easily be mistaken for. Holding down a button is all it takes to switch from its standard WiFi to Bluetooth when taking the little sound machine to a party or outdoor excursion. Speaking of the latter, the speaker is rated IP67, meaning it can withstand sitting in three feet of water for 30 minutes. When reviewing it for Engadget, Ingraham stuck it in a bucket of water and tossed it across the room; it kept playing without skipping a beat. The speaker even adjusts its audio depending on whether it's sitting upright or horizontally.Sonos' sale runs from today through November 27 (Cyber Monday).Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo's Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog's experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sonos-black-friday-deals-discount-the-era-100-smart-speaker-to-199-140002193.html?src=rss

Samsung's Amazon store is selling the 2023 version of its Smart Monitor M8 at a discount, and it's the lowest we've seen the device go for on the website. You can get the smart TV-monitor hybrid for $400, a full $300 less than its retail price and $100 less than its list price during October's Prime Day sale. Absolutely not bad for a model that only became available for purchase in June this year. The new Smart Monitor M8 is an updated version of the device that launched at CES 2022. It's slimmer than its predecessor and can rotate to portrait mode for when you want to see the entirety of long documents onscreen.The 32-inch smart monitor comes with built-in smart TV experience, complete with streaming apps such as Netflix and YouTube. You can enjoy your movies and shows in 4K and 4K HDR for anything that supports it, but it's still very much a monitor that you can do work on. In fact, its Workmode will allow you to remotely access another PC and use Microsoft 365 programs. You can also use the monitor as an internet-of-things hub to control your smart home devices. That means you can change the lighting around your home or adjust the temperature right from the monitor, as long as you connect your smart home products to Samsung's SmartThings.In addition, the model comes with a SlimFit camera that you can use for video calls and conferences. You can easily use the camera's cover for privacy, or even detach it from the monitor if you're not going to use it anytime soon. The Smart Monitor M8 is on sale for $400 as an early Black Friday deal, so it'll most likely go back to a higher price after sales for the season are over.Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo's Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog's experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsungs-refreshed-smart-monitor-m8-falls-to-a-new-low-in-early-black-friday-deal-123505651.html?src=rss

Apple has announced it will begin supporting the RCS messaging standard at some point next year. RCS, or Rich Communication Services, was developed by the mobile industry as an upgrade on SMS and MMS. But Apple has been resistant to adopt it both because it prefers its home-grown iMessage platform, and because it's not secure by default. It doesn't help that Google has used RCS as a cudgel in its own text-message-bubble-color culture war with the iPhone maker.In a statement, presumably typed through gritted teeth, Apple said RCS would offer better interoperability compared to SMS and MMS. But added that iMessage, which, unlike RCS, is end-to-end encrypted by default, remains the best and most secure messaging experience." It's likely the change was, in part, motivated by the European Union, which has been turning its attention to the ways the technology industry makes life harder for consumers.- Dan CooperYou can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!The biggest stories you might have missedThe best home theater giftsThe best wireless headphonesGoogle's AI-powered search tool can help tackle your holiday shoppingThe best gifts for book loversLucid's Gravity electric SUV will have a max range of 440 milesMicrosoft's Copilot AI is officially coming to Windows 10Amazon will start selling Hyundais next yearYou can click and collect (from your local dealership).AmazonIt's hard to tell if there's magic in buying a car, or if the dealership just puts on a show to make you think there is. We'll find out for ourselves next year when Amazon enables direct car sales on its platform. The first automaker to sign up is Hyundai, who is, in return, adding Alexa to its 2025-era vehicles.Continue Reading.YouTube's first AI-generated music tools can clone artist voices and turn hums into melodiesJohn Legend and Charli XCX will let you use their vocal stylings.YouTube's newest feature uses an AI to cook up 30-second backing tracks using the voices of high-profile artists. With Dream Track, users specify a general idea for the system to knock out music and lyrics in the style of a selected star. That includes Charli XCX and John Legend, who have both signed up to lend their simulated pipes to your next short clip.Continue Reading. Unity launches a suite of AI tools intended to simplify game creationUnity Muse costs $30 a month.Unity is now making its suite of AI-enhanced game development tools available to everyone for $30 a month. It's designed to take a lot of the hard work out of making a new title, by automating the coding process. In the future, you can expect to see tools to create game graphics, set NPC behaviors and animate characters, which could be a very big deal indeed.Continue Reading.Hackers use a new SEC rule to snitch on the company they infiltratedWho'd have thought?Earlier this year, the SEC mandated companies had four days to notify regulators if they suffer a material cybersecurity breach. So, when hackers accessed fintech company MeridianLink and saw the SEC hadn't been notified, they took matters into their own hands. Reporting was a way to force the company to negotiate, but it's still wild to think they reported their own hack to regulators.Continue Reading.Kia's latest EV concepts go big on geometrics and cabin vibesRetro-futurism never looked so boxy.KiaKia's concept vehicles merit attention because so many features wind up carrying over to the production model. So, if you're curious about what a next-generation Kia will look like, take a gander at this gallery. Hope you love boxy shapes and straight lines.Continue Reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-apple-will-adopt-rcs-in-2024-121529849.html?src=rss

In May 2022, just months before Elon Musk acquired Twitter (now X), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) hit the platform with a $150 million fine and consent decree that imposed stipulations for safeguarding users' personal data. The ruling was imposed after the FTC found that Twitter had violated a previous consent decree by inappropriately sharing user phone numbers and email addresses with advertisers.After acquiring Twitter, Elon Musk went to court in an attempt to overturn that consent decree, arguing that the FTC had increased scrutiny on X and pressured a third-party assessor to find fault with its security practices. In a post on X at the time, Musk called the FTC's actions "a shameful case of weaponization of a government agency for political purposes and suppression of the truth."However, a federal judge just rejected that motion, ruling that his court lacked the authority to block the FTC's court order, while also blocking Musk's request to avoid a deposition that's part of a separate investigation, The Washington Post reported. In other words, X must still adhere to the strict privacy reporting standards imposed by the FTC last year.The judge listed other issues with X's argument, noting that the FTC had good reason to increase scrutiny on X after Musk took over. "The government says this increase in investigative activity should not be surprising because Musk directed at least five rounds of terminations, layoffs or other reductions in X Corp.'s workforce, which affected the security, governance, risk and compliance team," he wrote in the ruling.He added that the third-party assessor said he faced steady delays due to executive turnover at X. Finally, the judge ruled that Musk can't avoid being deposed by the FTC, as "the government argues that the major changes to the company appear to have been initiated by Musk himself."Musk's FTC problems started shortly after his acquisition of X, when key executives on Twitter's privacy and security teams departed. Still, Musk seemed willing to comply with the rules, telling employees at the time that "Twitter will do whatever it takes to adhere to both the letter and spirit of the FTC consent decree."Back in March, though, the FTC stepped up its probe into Musk's actions in an effort to get more information about the company's handling of layoffs, X Premium subscriptions, the "Twitter Files" and other issues.Meanwhile, the platform can't seem to stay out of the news, as IBM recently said it would pull advertising on X after discovering its ads were being placed next to pro-Nazi content. Musk himself faced criticism after he appeared to endorse an antisemitic post on the platform.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/judge-rejects-attempt-by-x-to-nullify-ftc-privacy-settlement-111536396.html?src=rss

YouTube videos that feature breastfeeding content can now earn money on the platform, so long as they meet a certain set of criteria. The website has updated its policy to allow monetization of breastfeeding videos that show the mother's areola, as well as those wherein the person in the video is demonstrating how to use a breast pump with nipples visible. Those videos, however, must include contextual reference to breastfeeding and must include a child in the scene. Otherwise, they still won't be able to earn money from ads.Breastfeeding videos with exposed nipples previously couldn't earn money on the website. A spokesperson told TechCrunch that YouTube reconsidered after getting feedback on how helpful they are for those navigating that particular stage of parenthood.In addition, YouTube has also changed its guidelines when it comes to what it calls "non-sexually graphic dancing." Creators can now earn money for videos with dance moves such as twerking and grinding, unless those videos were made to deliberately focus on the dancers' "extreme minimal clothing" or on their breasts, butt and genitalia. They also won't be earning any money if they use moves that mimic sexual acts, such as grabbing a partner's genitalia while dancing. Showing "fleeting minimal clothing" is fine, though, as well as "fleeting caresses of sexual body parts" and doing moves that mimic or simulate sexual acts in a professional setting, such as a dance studio. TechCrunch says the website is now reviewing existing content that could be eligible for monetization under the new rules and will switch on their ads if they'd actually adhered to its advertiser-friendly content guidelines.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/youtube-will-now-let-breastfeeding-and-twerking-videos-be-monetized-084535300.html?src=rss

Qualcomm just unveiled the latest mobile chipset to join its armada, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3. Obviously, this is a refresh of the mid-range Snapdragon 7 Gen 2 and brings some new features to the table. We've long known that Qualcomm chips were about to get on-device AI integration, and the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 is no exception.Nearly every aspect of this chip seems to have been designed with artificial intelligence in mind, with Qualcomm saying that the components deliver across-the-board advancements to ignite on-device AI." This should significantly speed up generative AI applications, with advertised benchmarks of just one second to create Stable Diffusion images from a text prompt.Of course, a mobile CPU is more than just AI, despite what marketing wants you to believe, and the 7 Gen 3 seems powerful for a mid-range chipset. It boasts 2.63GHz peak CPU speeds, a 50 percent bump in GPU performance compared to the previous gen and incredible power efficiency" that should ease the strain placed on your phone's battery. Qualcomm also boasts that the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 will help unlock extraordinary camera capabilities" and allow for increased 5G integration.Mobile chipsets are only as good as the phones they power, so Qualcomm has announced partnerships with OEMs like Honor and Vive. The company says there will be an announcement later this month to officially unveil the first smartphone that uses the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3. Maybe it'll show up in the just-announced Honor Magic 6, which also boasts a built-in LLM.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/qualcomm-announces-snapdragon-7-gen-3-mobile-chipset-with-ai-acceleration-063019422.html?src=rss

Bluesky has just crossed 2 million users a year after the service's first ever post was created. While that's nowhere near the numbers Threads has already reached, it's still a big accomplishment for the X rival that only opened the app to users in February and still requires an invite for access. Bluesky hit 1 million users merely a couple of months ago, in September, which could mean that the platform has been sending out more invites recently. In its post announcing the milestone, the Bluesky team has also revealed that it's launching a public web interface around the end of November.The interface will allow anybody, even those without an account, to view posts on the platform. Its launch could make more potential users aware about the service's existence, and Bluesky believes making its posts more accessible "will be especially useful for real-time commentary and breaking news." In the long run, it could make the service one of people's go-to social networks for news in the same way X users rely on the website to read about current events.And for those waiting for Bluesky to become a more open platform like Mastodon, the team says federation is "timelined for early next year if development continues as planned." To become a federated or a decentralized and distributed social network, the team is currently developing the AT Protocol, which will give users the power to migrate both their identities and their content from one personal data server to another. "This is one of the core features of Bluesky that makes it 'billionaire-proof,' - you'll always have the freedom to choose (and to exit) instead of being held to the whims of private companies or black box algorithms," the announcement post reads.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/bluesky-hits-2-million-users-and-will-soon-release-a-public-web-interface-062757340.html?src=rss

The LinkedIn-like job search tool that X has been experimenting with is now live. A beta version of the feature launched in August to verified users, but the web version of the tool is now open to everyone on X, with iOS and Android availability expected soon," according to the company.The job search feature appears to already be populated with open positions at numerous tech companies, including those run by Elon Musk. There are currently roles listed for SpaceX, Tesla and Neuralink, as well as X and Musk's newest venture, x.ai.While Musk previously promised we will make sure that the X competitor to LinkedIn is cool," it appears to be very basic for now. Users can browse job listings and descriptions, but are directed to third-party sites to complete an application, even for roles at X. Elsewhere, the company has been testing job cards" so that individual postings are more easily shareable throughout the platform.But there have been signs the company has more ambitious plans for career-oriented features on its everything app." The company recently updated its privacy policy to note that it may collect data related to users' employment history for job applications and recommendations." This may hint at some kind of recruiting feature for X or other, more advanced job finding features down the line.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/xs-job-search-tool-is-now-live-on-the-web-010200007.html?src=rss

IBM is pulling back from X after its ads were placed alongside pro-Nazi content on the platform. The company says it has suspended all ads from the network after nonprofit watchdog group Media Matters reported that it found ads for IBM and several other tech giants next to pro-Nazi memes and other posts promoting Hitler.IBM has zero tolerance for hate speech and discrimination and we have immediately suspended all advertising on X while we investigate this entirely unacceptable situation," the company said in a statement. Comcast, whose ads were also highlighted by Media Matters, told the Financial Timesit was looking into the situation.An executive at X told Engadget that the posts identified by Media Matters will no longer be monetizable" and will appear with sensitive media" labels that require users to click through a warning in order to view the content. They added that while we understand it's not an ideal placement for any ad," the post had only racked up about 8,000 impressions."It's not clear how many campaigns are affected by IBM's decision to suspend ads. But another high profile company pulling back from the platform, even temporarily, is another blow to the company's already battered advertising business.In a post on X, CEO Linda Yaccarino said that discrimination by everyone should STOP across the board," though she didn't reference IBM or Media Matters' report directly. X has also been extremely clear about our efforts to combat antisemitism and discrimination," she wrote. There's no place for it anywhere in the world - it's ugly and wrong."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ibm-suspends-advertising-on-x-after-its-ads-were-placed-next-to-pro-nazi-content-234332820.html?src=rss

Epic has introduced a new tool for documenting toxic behavior in Fortnite. Players will now have access to voice reporting, which will continuously record voice chats in 5-minute segments for players to submit as evidence to moderators when reporting bullying and other forms of harassment. For anyone under the age of 18, this feature will automatically be turned on.Fortnite players who are over 18 will have a bit more say over how voice reporting is applied. In the game's main settings, they'll have the option to set it as Always On," which would apply to every channel they're in, or Off When Possible," which would disable it in Party Channels with friends as long as everyone's preferences match.In what's likely an effort to quell privacy concerns, Epic says audio clips won't be kept for long and they'll only be stored locally on the user's device unless submitted as evidence. And, in those cases, you'll have to move fast. As each new recording comes in, the previous will be deleted. This means only the immediate last five minutes of audio is reportable," Epic said.Epic GamesUnder normal circumstances, audio clips will be auto-deleted either after 14 days or once action has been taken, the company added. If the accused player appeals the decision within that time, it may be extended for another 14 days. However, Epic says it will hold onto an audio clip as long as necessary if legally required to do so.The move follows similar action taken by companies like Activision, Microsoft, Sony and others in the recent past as they attempt to clamp down on harmful online behavior. Earlier this year, Xbox introduced a system for submitting 60-second audio clips alongside reports of abuse in voice chats.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/fortnite-players-can-now-submit-audio-clips-as-evidence-when-reporting-in-game-abuse-220905599.html?src=rss

A hacking group deployed a surprising tactic after infiltrating a financial software company's network. They reported the breach to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).DataBreaches.net initially reported on the incident, which was conducted by ALPHV / BlackCat, a group known for breaching entities as diverse as MGM Resorts and Reddit. The hackers reportedly infiltrated the servers of fintech company MeridianLink on November 7, stealing company data without encrypting it. However, when the business neglected to negotiate directly, the hackers increased the pressure by filing a report with the SEC.They did so citing a new rule the SEC passed this summer, which requires companies falling victim to material cybersecurity incidents" to report them to the agency within four business days.However, the four-day requirement may not have taken effect yet. At least one official form claims the rule kicked in 90 days after the date of publication in the Federal Register (they appear to have been published on August 4, making that alleged effective date November 2) or December 18. But the Federal Register document says, With respect to compliance with the incident disclosure requirements in Item 1.05 of Form 8-K and in Form 6-K [the part referring to the four-day requirement], all registrants other than smaller reporting companies must begin complying on December 18, 2023." Adding to the confusion, Reuters reported in October that the rule takes effect on December 15.Engadget reached out to the SEC to clarify whether the rule is active yet. We'll update this article if we hear back.MeridianLink told BleepingComputer that it quickly worked to contain the threat. Based on our investigation to date, we have identified no evidence of unauthorized access to our production platforms, and the incident has caused minimal business interruption," the company wrote. The company says it's still trying to determine if any consumer personal information was breached, promising to notify affected parties if it was.Whether the SEC has any teeth (or desire) to do anything about MeridianLink's failure to report the incident in four business days, the rule could, ironically, serve as a new tool for cyber attackers. Rather than contacting customers or making calls to tighten the grip and pressure companies to comply with their demands, perhaps they can now simply rat them out to Uncle Sam.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/hackers-use-a-new-sec-rule-to-snitch-on-the-company-they-infiltrated-201242292.html?src=rss

Lucid's Gravity all-electric SUV has been on our radar for a while now, since originally being introduced back in 2022. Now we have more details, including pricing, availability and those all-important range metrics. First, the bad news. This thing likely won't ship until 2025, as production doesn't officially ramp up until late 2024, as reported by Sustainable Mobility Solutions (SAE).We already knew some details surrounding the EV, including the roomy three-row interior, but now we have range data. Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson promises a range of at least 440 miles, so it looks like it could inch further than that once the Gravity hits the assembly line. The company has stated in the past that this EV would boast a greater electric range than any SUV on the market today."So let's look at some metrics. According to Kelly Blue Book, the Gravity will easily exceed this promise, as the current top-range EV SUV is the Fisker Ocean, with a max driving range of 350 miles per charge. As a matter of fact, if Lucid's forthcoming SUV truly gets 440 miles per charge, that'll place it near the top of the list for any electric vehicle, SUV or not. The only competition will be another Lucid automobile, as the Air Grand Touring sedan gets 516 miles per charge, according to MotorTrend.Like the Air line, the Gravity is built on a 900-volt electrical architecture that supports DC fast-charging. The company says the forthcoming EV can go from 0 to 60 in 3.5 seconds, via its dual-motor setup, and boasts a payload capacity of 1,500 pounds with the ability to tow a further 6,000 pounds.Beyond metrics, Lucid also lifted the veil on the interior of the SUV. The Gravity will boast a 34-inch OLED main display and an optional lower display, with multi-tasking available between the two. In other words, you can throw navigation on one screen and the media player on the other. These displays won't get in the way of the dash cluster and will even offer gaming applications in the future, according to Derek Jenkins, senior vice president of design and brand at Lucid.The steering wheel includes two touch controllers inspired by the Apple TV remote, as minute thumb movements select items from the infotainment screen and adjust dashboard display elements. Of course, this is a three-row vehicle, so there's plenty of room for friends and family, if you're into that kind of thing. It seats up to seven people.As previously mentioned, the price should be around $80,000, though things could change before these cars hit showrooms in 2025.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/lucids-gravity-electric-suv-will-have-a-max-range-of-440-miles-193859560.html?src=rss

The Amazon Echo Show 5 smart display is on sale for $40 as part of an early Black Friday deal. This matches a record low price for the device and represents a savings of more than 50 percent, as the typical MSRP for the display is $90. The sale applies to various colorways, including white, charcoal and blue.This discount is only for the device itself, so you'll have to pay extra for accessories like a stand. The Echo Show 5 finds a lot of use as a smart home controller, so Amazon also sells bundles that ship with smart light bulbs, the Blink Mini security camera and an Alexa Emergency Assist subscription.The Echo Show 5 easily made our list of the best smart displays in 2023 for a number of reasons. The diminutive 5.5-inch screen makes it easy to place just about anywhere in the home and allows it to double as a highly useful alarm clock. The ambient light sensor automatically adjusts the screen's brightness so you can get some sleep and there's a handy tap-to-snooze function. There's even a sunrise alarm feature that slowly brightens the screen.The smart home controls are handy if you have plenty of installed gadgets throughout the home. The Echo Show 5 is also a decent option for video calling, thanks to the integrated camera system. If the idea of an always-on smart display with a camera makes you feel a bit icky, it ships with a physical cover.For those who balk at the relatively small 5.5-inch display size, Amazon is also selling the much larger Echo Show 10 for $160 as part of the same Black Friday deal. This represents a savings of $90.Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo's Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog's experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazons-echo-show-5-falls-to-a-record-low-of-40-in-a-black-friday-deal-183059264.html?src=rss

Next year, Amazon will let you add a whole ass car to your shopping cart. The company announced today that it will launch vehicle sales in the US next year. The first cars available to purchase will be from Hyundai, as part of an Amazon partnership with the company, but more brands will presumably be added.

Kia's concept EVs often get more than the usual amount of attention because it tends to incorporate a lot of the ideas in the final production models - with the EV9 electric SUV being a good example of that. With that in mind, the company just unveiled the Concept EV3 and Concept EV4 representing its "Opposites Unite" design philosophy, with an emphasis on interior vibes, geometric shapes and sustainable materials.The smallish crossover Concept EV3 looks more production-ready, and Kia says it "offers the technology, practicality and design of [our] flagship SUV, the EV9." That may be true, but the EV3 carries a bold, futuristic design as well. Like the EV9 concept, it has distinct geometric patterns including octagonal wheel wells that flare out considerably from the body, and echoes those shapes in the side skirts and taillights.KiaThe windshield is pushed forward to open up interior space, while the glass roofline slopes front to back and appears to float thanks to the disconnected C pillar. "The unexpected treatment of volumes and graphics simultaneously interlock with each other, creating a logical yet emotional design," the company added in some top-tier concept car PR fluff.KiaThe interior is more fanciful, with a nearly button-free layout designed to emphasize the voluminous interior and create a "transformative cabin ambience," Kia said. It features a horizontal screen mounted on top that functions as both gauge cluster and infotainment system, along with an oval steering wheel and real mirrors. The wide center console "table" converts to four modes, including "focus, social, refreshing and storage." Meanwhile, the fiber weave materials and bioplastics make the cabin inviting and modern.KiaThe Concept EV4 is a clean-sheet design with an emphasis on sportiness that also uses some strong geometric shapes. To that end, it has a low nose and long-tail silhouette with a wide stance, along with a "technical roof spoiler" - two small extensions on either side of the roof. Again, we're seeing bulgy fenders, lots of bold lines and creases, a sloping glass roof and geometric lighting front and back.KiaThe interior is broadly the same as the Concept EV3, but an "HVAC user interface incorporates a control panel that can be neatly stored in the center console when not in use," according to Kia. It incorporates handwoven fabrics in the vehicle's storage area and dashboard to create a 3D effect, and features natural dies and recycled cotton in the interior.KiaKia didn't get into the power, battery or other powertrain features of either car, and painted both as test cases to see what people think. "That's why we came to Los Angeles and America's savviest EV consumers, to gauge reaction to two potential opportunities within the Kia lineup," said Kia America's COO Steven Center. It looks like Kia has nailed these designs once again, so don't be surprised to see them appear in some form as real production vehicles.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/kias-latest-ev-concepts-go-big-on-geometrics-and-cabin-vibes-190529735.html?src=rss

In a landmark decision, the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Agency (MHRA) approved the use of a gene-editing therapy called Casgevy for patients with sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia - both of which are hereditary disorders related to genetic mutations of the red blood cells. The treatment, manufactured by Vertex, is the first-ever approved therapy that utilizes CRISPR-based gene editing technology to treat eligible patients.The UK approval of the novel therapy is informed by two previous global clinical trials that indicated the treatment's efficacy. 97 percent of patients using Casgevy were relieved of severe pain associated with the blood disorders for at least 12 months after treatment during the trials. The results suggest that the gene editing treatment could replace the current standard for care. Stem cell therapy and bone marrow transplants are currently the only pathways to cure sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia, however, they involve a lot of risks.Both sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia are blood disorders characterized by defective red blood cells that can't carry oxygen, and require patients to get monthly blood transfusions that can be costly and time-consuming. Casgevy works by specifically targeting the genes in the bone marrow stem cells that produce faulty blood cells. For the treatment to work, a patient's stem cells need to be extracted from their bone marrow, edited in a lab and then re-infused into the patient.

The green bubble-blue bubble divide may be getting smaller soon. 9to5Mac is reporting that Apple has confirmed it will support the RCS messaging standard that it's long eschewed. That's not to say that messages from Android devices will no longer appear green on Apple's Messages app. It does mean that texts from iPhones to non-iOS devices will support the newer Rich Communication Services protocol, meaning they will not have to go through the aging SMS (and MMS) system. In the statement provided, Apple said "We believe RCS Universal Profile will offer a better interoperability experience when compared to SMS or MMS."That support will "work alongside iMessage, which will continue to be the best and most secure messaging experience for Apple users." With new features like voice memo transcriptions and check-in that aren't available on RCS, iMessage could still outshine default text messaging apps on Android. It also means there might not be change to any of the colors of the conversation bubbles.Google has long taken potshots at Apple for not supporting RCS, saying the texting experience between iPhones and non-iPhones is so outdated it might as well be using a pager. With RCS support, messages between Android and iOS devices will be more secure (than over SMS), while media can be shared at higher quality.A GSMA spokesperson told Engadget earlier this year that the RCS Universal Profile (UP) "provides the industry with an open, consistent and global messaging service across networks and devices. It simplifies interoperability and enables OEMs and OS providers to achieve scale and give consumers a richer and more consistent messaging experience regardless of device or network."It's not yet clear exactly when Apple plans to enable support for RCS UP, though the statement said "later next year." Today's announcement just happens to fall on the date that's the deadline for companies to file challenges at the European Union's General Court. Apple is reportedly looking to challenge the EU's decision to put all of the App Store on a digital antitrust list under its Digital Markets Act.In September, Apple launched the iPhone 15 series, which are the company's first phones to come with USB-C charging ports in place of Lightning. This week, we also saw news about the release of the Qi 2 wireless charging standard with the new iPhones among the first available devices compatible with the updated protocols.Whether it was brought on by EU regulations or other motivations, it's clear Apple is opening up parts of its walled garden to play nice with other devices. And maybe, just maybe, you won't have to "buy your mom an iPhone."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-will-start-supporting-rcs-in-2024-182232923.html?src=rss

If you've been wanting to splurge on a classic-ish synthesizer this holiday season, now just might be your time to shine. Reverb's offering a massive discount on 2021's Korg ARP 2600 M recreation. This deal brings the price down to $1,150 instead of $2,000, a savings of $850 or 42 percent. It's worth noting that this sale is for brand-new models and not refurbished synthesizers, further sweetening the deal.Korg's ARP 2600 M reissue was 39 years in the making, as it recreates a synthesizer that stopped production all the way back in 1981, which is before E.T. even came out. This is a relatively faithful remake, though it's much smaller and lighter than the original, which accounts for the M" (mini) moniker.You still get those three iconic oscillators and a dual-mode, self-oscillating low-pass filter that lets you peruse different sounds drawing from ARP's storied history. There's even a true spring reverb tank included and a pair of built-in speakers, which are great for hashing out ideas but shouldn't be used for microphone recordings. For laying down tracks, use one of the TS style jacks, as this model lacks XLR audio outs.It's worth re-emphasizing how much the miniaturized and lightweight form factor streamlines the music-making process, despite the lack of a dedicated keyboard. This thing is half the size of the original and weighs just 13 pounds, making it easy to gig with or to move between studios. As a reference, the original ARP 2600 weighed nearly three times that. Also, snagging an original 1970s model can set you back as much as $13,000.This is part of Reverb's Dream Deals event that offers steep discounts on a wide range of products, from Focusrite audio interfaces to Fender guitars, and beyond. All of these deals end when the instruments and gadgets sell out.Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo's Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog's experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/korgs-iconic-arp-2600-m-synthesizer-on-sale-for-1150-via-reverb-180839298.html?src=rss

Microsoft's AI ambitions are moving a bit backwards: Today, the company has confirmed that it's bringing Copilot AI to Windows 10. At first, it'll be available to Windows Insider users in an upcoming Release Preview update, where Copilot will appear on the right side of the Task Bar. Once selected, you'll see the familiar Copilot interface, which you can use to ask the AI questions, manage Windows features or interact with documents. Microsoft says the Copilot window won't overlap with desktop content or block open windows.If this all sounds familiar, it's because Windows Central reported that Windows 10 would be getting Copilot earlier this month. The move isn't exactly surprising. While Windows 11 is Microsoft's latest OS, it only accounts for 26 percent of Windows installations, according to GlobalStats. Windows 10, meanwhile, still holds 69 percent of the Windows market.In 2020, Microsoft announced that Windows 10 reached 1 billion devices, and it still appears to be above that figure. Windows Central's reporting suggests that Windows 11 is on 400 million devices, in comparison. Just one look at those numbers and it makes sense why Microsoft is bringing its latest tech into an aging OS (its "end of service" date is still October 14, 2025). If the company was able to declare it brought Copilot's AI to 1.4 billion devices in 2023, this year of over-accelerated AI hype will have been worth it.Windows 10's Copilot will be previewed in North America, as well as parts of Asia and South America over the next few months. For Windows Insiders who want to get in line for the update, Microsoft suggests installing today's November preview update. Additionally, they'll need to enable the "Get the latest updates as soon as they're available" feature in Windows Update.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsofts-copilot-ai-is-officially-coming-to-windows-10-180020032.html?src=rss

Amazon is selling the diminutive Echo Dot smart speaker for just $23 as part of an early Black Friday deal. That's a record low price for the gadget and represents a savings of more than 50 percent, as it typically costs $50. This deal is for the latest and greatest Echo Dot, and not a model from several generations ago.The sale applies to various colorways, like gray, blue and black. The Echo Dot may be small in stature, but there's a reason it made our list of the best smart speakers in 2023. This thing is actually pretty useful. The sound quality won't blow you away when compared to its larger siblings, but the speaker gets plenty loud. It also features a temperature sensor and built-in Eero capabilities.The globe-shape is pleasing, the colors are on point and set-up is simple, thanks to the affiliated Echo app. We liked this smart speaker at $50, so we certainly like it at $23. If you've been wanting to experiment with Alexa but were waiting for a good deal, this is it. If you buy this speaker, make sure to ask Alexa to sing the song about cats. Trust me.Amazon's sale extends beyond the company's tiniest smart speaker. You can also nab the standard full-sized Echo speaker for $55, which represents a savings of $45. Additionally, the Echo Dot with Clock is on sale for $35 instead of $60. As the name suggests, this is the above Echo Dot, but with an LED clock. If you don't want to spring for this version, you can always just ask Alexa to tell you the time.Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo's Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog's experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-echo-dot-drops-to-a-record-low-of-23-in-an-amazon-black-friday-deal-174541440.html?src=rss

Instagram is rolling out an app update that is surprisingly robust, bringing a whole bunch of new features to content creators. First and foremost, there's finally some new camera filters, which should shake things up for a while. These filters range from subtle color edits" to more expressive and stylized options.There are some other minor Camera Roll improvements to make it easier to find what you need as you edit. These include updated previews, a refined search function and even the ability to zoom.As for video editing, there's a new undo/redo tool that lets you, surprise, undo actions and redo them with the press of a button. Instagram also says it's testing the ability to scale, crop and rotate individual clips as part of the editing process. The audio tools are also getting some love, as you can pull audio clips from a dedicated media hub to accompany a Reel. Followers can remix this content as they see it. If this sounds a lot like TikTok, well, that's because it is.To that end, there are 10 new English text-to-speech voices to choose from, though they are only available in select countries for now. Additionally, there are six new text fonts and styles available to caption up your Reels or Stories, in addition to bolded outlines that should really make your copy pop. Hopefully.InstagramIf you really want to make something weird, Instagram now allows you to pull any part of a photo or video and turn it into a custom sticker. This also works the other way around, so users can pull eligible content from a favorite creator and turn it into a sticker. This particular tool was aided in development by Meta's custom Segment Anything AI.Finally, there are some updated tools for creators to keep track of their slow and steady rise to viral fame. The Retention Chart will offer a moment-by-moment insight into how many people are watching your content, though it's not rolling out for a couple of months. The rest of these tools are available today.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/instagram-update-adds-new-camera-filters-and-video-editing-tools-for-content-creators-171537564.html?src=rss

In a trial run by Verve Therapeutics, a Cambridge-based biotech company, researchers discovered that a single infusion of a gene-editing treatment called VERVE-101 was able to reduce cholesterol levels in patients. This treatment was tested in individuals with hereditary conditions that made them susceptible to developing clogged arteries and heart attacks. Scientists were able to use CRISPR editing techniques to tweak liver gene cells. The researchers turned off" a cholesterol-raising gene called PCSK9, which is found in the liver, in order to lower LDL-C - sometimes called "bad" cholesterol -which causes plaque to build up in arteries in the first place.PCSK9 was lowered by as much as 84 percent in the cohorts that received higher infusion rates of the treatment. At those higher treatment doses, Verve scientists said that the reduction of those LDL-C-related proteins lasted 2.5 years in previous studies on primates.Verve Therapeutics From a clinical standpoint, this gene editing therapy has the potential to disrupt the current standard treatment for high cholesterol. The current go-to's include prescription statins and PCSK9 inhibitors, but they require strict adherence and can have bad side effects like muscle pain and memory loss.CRISPR, while seemingly miraculous, is a long way from replacing daily medications though. According to Nature, two of the 10 participants in the study suffered from a cardiovascular event" that coincided with the infusion. Verve says one was not related to the treatment at all and the second was potentially related to treatment due to proximity to dosing." The use of a gene-editing technology will always carry some risk because the edits could occur elsewhere in the genome.Before a single infusion therapy for high cholesterol can reach consumers, the FDA mandates that the treatment will need to be studied for up to 15 years. Verve recently received FDA clearance for an Investigational New Drug Application for VERVE-101, meaning that the company can begin to conduct trials in the US. The current trials in New Zealand and the United Kingdom will look for willing clinical trial participants to expand the study.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/researchers-developed-a-gene-editing-technology-that-reduces-bad-cholesterol-170040293.html?src=rss