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Acer just announced several new budget-friendly laptops, and they each offer access to NVIDIA's latest RTX 5050 GPU. This GPU features 2,560 CUDA cores and 8GB of GDDR7 VRAM.First up, there's the Acer Nitro V 16 AI Copilot+. This model is available with an AMD Ryzen 5 240, Ryzen 7 260 or Ryzen 7 350 CPU. It's also available with up to a RTX 5070 GPU. These laptops ship with a 16-inch WUXGA 180Hz display and 16GB of RAM. Storage options start at 512GB. Prices start at $900. The Nitro V 16 line will be available at Walmart this August.AcerThe standard Nitro V 16 will also be available this August, though at various retailers beyond Walmart. It ships with either an Intel Core Ultra C5 210H or C7 240H CPU. It offers 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of internal storage. The 16-inch display is available with either a 165Hz or 180Hz refresh rate. Prices start at $1,000.AcerThe Nitro V 15 laptop comes with either an Intel Core i5 13420H or i7 13620H CPU, with storage options up to 1TB. The laptop offers 16GB of RAM and a 15.6-inch FHD 165Hz display. It'll be available at the end of July at Walmart, Microcenter, Newegg and several other retailers. Pricing starts at $900.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/new-budget-friendly-laptops-from-acer-feature-nvidias-latest-rtx-5050-gpu-160018329.html?src=rss

Google Earth is celebrating its 20th birthday, and to mark the occasion, Google is bringing historical Street View imagery to the service. In a blog post, Google said the anniversary update allows users to "explore the wonders of the planet from even more viewpoints, whether it's a bird's eye view or at street level."From today, when you load up Google Earth you'll see a new option for historical imagery in the toolbar, which allows you to move back and forth between now and years gone by. Seemingly predicting that you might be overwhelmed by the prospect of having the entire planet at your fingertips, Google offers some suggestions. You might want to look at a timelapse of Berlin between 1943 and the modern day, in which time the Berlin Wall was built and fell, before the city underwent huge urban transformation. You could also observe the rapid expansion of Las Vegas since the 1980s, or how Houston's NRG Stadium was built on top of what was just farmland back in 1944. Some Maps users have even used the historical view to look up, say, pictures of their homes from years gone by, occasionally finding imagery of lost loved ones in the process.Google also announced further updates to Google Earth, including new AI-driven insights for professional users in the US. Urban planners will soon be able to access information about things like tree canopy coverage and surface land temperatures of different areas of a city using built-in Gemini insights.Google Earth first launched in 2005, and according to Google was downloaded 100 million times in its first week. It's had a number of major updates over the years, adding features such as searchable wallpapers and 3D timelapse videos.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-brings-historical-street-view-to-google-earth-153040270.html?src=rss

It seems the cuts just keep on coming within Microsoft's gaming division. A company-wide reorganization is taking place, and that's slated to include another major round of layoffs within the Xbox team. Those cuts will be confirmed next week, according to Bloomberg. Engadget has contacted Microsoft for comment.Microsoft confirmed last month that it would lay off about three percent of its total workforce across all teams, levels and regions in an attempt to streamline operations and flatten its management structure. That equates to around 7,000 people losing their jobs. Per Bloomberg's report, Xbox managers are anticipating "substantial cuts across the entire group."Microsoft cut 1,900 workers from its gaming division in January 2024, and another 650 last September. It also closed down Arkane Austin and Alpha Dog Games last year, while merging Roundhouse Studios into ZeniMax Online Studios. It shut down Tango Gameworks as well, but Krafton - the publisher of PUBG: Battlegrounds - acquired that studio last August.For the first three months of this calendar year, Microsoft reported net revenue of $25.8 billion. It also said that its Xbox content and services revenue had increased by eight percent year-over-year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/xbox-will-reportedly-conduct-another-major-round-of-layoffs-next-week-145846887.html?src=rss

NVIDIA's add-in board partners won't start selling the GeForce RTX 5050 until mid-July, but it looks like the company has given the early go-ahead to OEMs to start announcing laptops with the new entry-level GPU. Wccftechand Videocardz report that 5050-equipped laptops are available to order in China as of this morning from domestic manufacturers like Mechrevo.Over in the US, companies like MSI and Acer have begun announcing their own RTX 5050 laptops. The former, for instance, will sell the Katana 15 for $999 through Walmart. Alongside the 5050, it features a Core i7-14650HX processor, 16GB of RAM and a 144Hz display. We've reached out to NVIDIA for more information on global availability, and we'll update this article once we learn more.In the meantime, the Chinese listings give us a good idea of what to expect from the new GPU. It features 2,560 CUDA cores, 8GB of GDDR7 VRAM and a TDP of 115W. The memory spec is interesting. Before today's announcement, the desktop variant of the 5050 was rumored to include GDDR6 memory. The fact the laptop version has GDDR7 VRAM would suggests its sibling will as well since it wouldn't make much sense for NVIDIA to hobble the desktop card in that way. With a 128-bit interface, the RTX 5050 should have a memory bandwidth of 384 GB/s, putting on par with the 5060 mobile in that department.As for performance, the 5050 laptop should land somewhere in the middle between the 4050 and 5060, with decent generational gains on offer but nothing too exciting. This being an entry-level card, the fact it only comes with 8GB of VRAM is more understandable, and it fits the bill for a GPU most people will only use for occasional gaming.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/nvidias-rtx-5050-arrives-early-in-laptops-from-acer-msi-and-more-143309816.html?src=rss

Amazon Prime Day deals are already popping up online, and one of the best ones we've found so far is on a teeny, tiny 8BitDo controller. The 8BitDo Micro Bluetooth gamepad is on sale for only $15 right now, which is $10 off its usual price and a record low. It comes in green and blue, but the discount only applies to the former. While designed for the Nintendo Switch and Android devices, the Micro should also work well with devices like iPhones and even in the Steam Deck. The company also released a firmware update for Switch 2 compatibility, so that should work too. This is an extremely tiny gamepad that still manages to pack in 16 buttons. It's a near-perfect way to play retro-tinged 2D platformers. Did we mention it's small? This thing will easily fit in a pocket or just about anywhere else. The company wasn't kidding around when they named it Micro. There's one caveat. The diminutive size of the 8BitDo Micro doesn't allow for actual joysticks and there's no haptic engine for rumble or anything like that. This isn't the best controller for brand-new AAA games, so just keep that in mind.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-8bitdo-micro-bluetooth-gamepad-drops-to-15-ahead-of-prime-day-151924531.html?src=rss

The limited-edition, Xbox-branded Meta Quest 3S headset has arrived. Reports over the weekend suggested that this model, which Meta announced a little over a year ago, would become available on June 24 and that turned out to be the case. This version of the headset comes in Xbox's classic black aesthetic with a green trim, and a matching Xbox Wireless Controller and Touch Plus controllers. You'll be able to connect other controllers to the headset, including the Xbox Wireless Controller, Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 and Xbox Adaptive Controller, as well as third-party gamepads like the Backbone Pro. The Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition has 128GB of storage and comes with an Elite Strap, as well as three months of access to both Meta Horizon+ and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. With the latter, you can play games via the cloud on the Xbox app, including supported games you own that are not part of the Game Pass Ultimate catalog. At $400, this bundle costs a bit more than the standard $300 Meta Quest 3S. Microsoft says that the Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition is available now, but "quantities are extremely limited." If you'd like to pick one up, you can do so from Meta's website, Best Buy in the US and Argos and EE in the UK. It's only available in those two countries. The Xbox app with cloud gaming support has been available on Quest headsets since late 2023. Still, this partnership aligns with Microsoft's push to have Xbox games accessible on as many devices as possible. The company recently announced Xbox-branded ASUS ROG Ally handheld gaming PCs that will be available later this year, and it has hinted at a more open future for the Xbox platform. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/the-meta-quest-3s-xbox-edition-is-out-now-and-it-costs-400-134358869.html?src=rss

As AI reignites Big Tech's push for smart glasses, here's a tech that could play a central role. xMEMS, which debuted a solid-state "fan on a chip" last year, has a new one for wearables. This could help future smart glasses melt your face figuratively - and not literally.Founded in 2018, xMEMS specializes in micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) technology. The California-based company started with solid-state speakers. Last year, it introduced its Cooling "fan on a chip" for phones and other thin devices. Now, it's applying its technology to wearables.As smart glasses incorporate more advanced tech, the devices require cooling. But you can't exactly walk around with fans blowing on your face. That would be... noisy. Mechanical fans would also take up precious real estate, leading to diminished performance or bulky glasses. The tech that xMEMS made its bones on could offer a solution.xMEMSxMEMS says its Cooling chip can help smart glasses use their full power without overheating. The company claims the silicon gives glasses 60 to 70 percent more power to work with. (They could use more power before hitting their thermal limit.) The chip also kept the devices up to 40 percent cooler. It also reduced thermal resistance by up to 75 percent.The company states that this translates to cooler skin-contact surfaces, crucial in a face-worn device. (That's where you avoid melting your face the wrong way.) It also leads to sustained performance, improved comfort and long-term reliability.The chip architecture doesn't have any motors or bearings. It operates silently and vibration-free. It's also tiny: as small as 9.3 x 7.6 x 1.13 mm."Heat in smart glasses is more than a performance issue; it directly affects user comfort and safety," xMEMS Marketing VP Mike Housholder wrote. "xMEMS' Cooling technology is the only active solution small, thin and light enough to integrate directly into the limited volume of the eyewear frame, actively managing surface temperatures to enable true all-day wearability."xMEMS has samples available for interested manufacturers. The company expects volume production to begin in early 2026.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/the-xmems-fan-on-a-chip-is-ready-for-smart-glasses-130032660.html?src=rss

The HDMI forum, which develops and manages HDMI specification, has officially launched the final and full specifications for HDMI version 2.2. First revealed at CES 2025, version 2.2 was designed to make it significantly easier to send videos with higher refresh rates and resolutions to modern TVs, such as those with 4K and 8K displays. Version 2.2 cables are required to be branded with the Ultra96 feature name, which indicates that they support up to 96Gbps in bandwidth and all HDMI 2.2 applications.The label ensures buyers that they're purchasing a certified product with the features they need, as the current ultra high-speed HDMI cables only support up to 48Gbps in maximum bandwidth. HDMI forum will require testing for each model length to guarantee compliancy, and the label is required to be displayed on the cable itself.HDMI 2.2 cables are capable of sending content with up to 12K resolution at 120 fps and 16K resolution at 60 fps to supporting devices. They also support uncompressed full chroma formats such as 8K resolution at 60 fps/4:4:4 and 4K resolution at 240 fps/4:4:4 at 10-bit and 12-bit color. In addition, they come with a new feature called Latency Indication Protocol (LIP) that improves audio and video synchronization. It will be especially useful for more complex system configurations, such as those that include audio-video receivers or soundbars. Now that the Forum has officially released HDMI Version 2.2's full specifications, we'll just have to wait for certified cables and compatible devices to be available.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/hdmi-22s-full-specs-have-been-finalized-with-better-support-for-modern-displays-130020213.html?src=rss

Netflix's games arm is struggling. The streamer is removing over 20 games from its library, including popular titles like Hades and all three Monument Valley games. It follows the closure of Netflix's AAA gaming studio in October.The games will leave Netflix in July, so there's not much time left to play them. Here are all the titles dropping off of the streamer:

The UK might introduce new regulations for Google. The country's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has proposed designating the company's search services with "strategic market status" (SMS). In doing so, the regulatory body could direct Google to create fairer business rankings on search, for instance.The CMA launched an antitrust investigation into Google Search in January -its first probe under the UK's Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) Act. Concerns include search advertising costing more than in a competitive market, minimal transparency on ranking search results and Google's vast access to websites and historical searches. There's also the issue of publishers getting fair terms and control over their content's use in search and AI-generated summaries."Google search has delivered tremendous benefits - but our investigation so far suggests there are ways to make these markets more open, competitive and innovative." Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive of the CMA, said in a statement. A final decision on Google's SMS designation will come by October 13.It would also apply to AI-based search features, but not Gemini AI Assistant - though the CMA states this is subject to change.If the labeling goes ahead then the CMA will likely enact "early priorities" like the following:

The third Unpacked of 2025 (following installments in January and May) will be on July 9 at 10AM ET, kicking off in Brooklyn, New York. The company usually debuts its latest foldables in the summer, so we're expecting to see the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7 here. However, there's an extra wrinkle (don't say wrinkle with foldables!): It's looking like the premium Galaxy Z Fold Ultra is joining the family.What exactly can you expect? We've written all about it. When it comes to foldables, one recent leak suggested Gemini Live will be a core part of the foldables' presentation - which would make sense with this form factor. You'd be able to chat with the foldables without having to unfurl them. Leaked renders suggest the Galaxy Z Fold 7 will have a slimmer profile than the prior model and even a navy blue option. Escape from the grey! If the renders are accurate, the cover display and inner display will be bigger too. The Galaxy Z Flip 7 will also get a bigger screen, apparently.SamsungThen there's the Galaxy Z Fold Ultra. There are no specs teased yet, but the company insists this will have industry-leading hardware, cutting-edge performance and seamless AI integration optimized for the foldable format." This doesn't appear to be the tri-fold design we've heard and seen in various places, however. Maybe that's a Fold 8 situation.Typically, Samsung will take the opportunity to update its accessories too, so there's a good chance we'll see the Galaxy Watch 8 and/or the Galaxy Buds. Roll on July 9 to see what appears.- Mat SmithGet Engadget's newsletter delivered direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!The news you might have missed

T-Mobile's satellite service, or simply called T-Satellite, with Starlink will be available across the US starting on July 23, even to customers of other carriers. The company said the service can cover 500,000 square miles of area that traditional carriers can't reach, which are mostly remote locations far from cell towers. T-Satellite will support texting for both Android and iOS devices at launch. Android owners will also be able to send MMS, images and short audio clips from the start, while support for iOS devices will follow. On October 1, T-Mobile will enable a data-based satellite service.Starlink has already 657 direct-to-cell satellites in orbit that can provide coverage for T-Satellite customers. The carrier has been testing the service for a while now, enabling it for use during emergencies in the past, such as when Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida in 2024. In February, T-Mobile launched the beta version of the service's texting feature, which will continue to be free until July when the full service becomes available.The carrier says the beta program has been "incredibly successful" and has 1.8 million users who've sent out over a million text messages from "areas unreachable by any terrestrial provider," including national parks. In addition, the number of messages received by users was three times the number of messages received, demonstrating that they were connected to the service even while they weren't really using it.T-Satellite will work with select apps optimized for satellite data to start with, including AccuWeather, AllTrails, Google, WhatsApp, X and more. T-Mobile's Experience Beyond subscribers will be able to access the service for free. Everyone else, including AT&T and Verizon subscribers, can pay $10 a month for access. T-Satellite will also roll out free 911 texts even to non-subscribers and regardless of the carrier later this year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/t-mobiles-starlink-satellite-service-launches-on-july-23-120050567.html?src=rss

Uber and Waymo's robotaxi services are officially available in Atlanta. Now, Uber users who request an UberX, Comfort or Comfort Electric could have Waymo's all-electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicle pull up for the same cost. Notably, customers will receive a notification ahead of time and can opt-out of having a self-driving vehicle.At the same time, anyone who wants the experience can increase their chances by updating their ride preferences. "Atlantans are now able to experience the same safety, comfort, and convenience of Waymo's fully autonomous driving technology that millions of people around the US - from San Francisco to Austin - currently have the access to," Nicole Gavel, Head of Business Development and Strategic Partnerships at Waymo, said in a statement.The launch is a long time coming as Waymo first started tests in Atlanta back in January 2018. Then, last September, the company announced its services would arrive to Georgia's capital city in "early 2025." If you can count the first half of the year as "early" then Waymo is making it just under the wire.Uber also provided an update on its Waymo fleet in Austin - launched in March. It now has 100 Waymo vehicles available in the city, with more coming. Uber claims that customers have given the rides in self-driving cars an average rating of 4.9 stars. However, there's new competition in town, as Tesla launched its own robotaxi service on Sunday, June 22.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/waymo-and-uber-launch-robotaxi-service-in-atlanta-110056091.html?src=rss

Cycling season may have only just started, but that's not stopping Garmin from looking ahead to when all the roadies need to take their bikes indoors. On Tuesday, the company announced the Tacx Alpine, an indoor gradient simulator for its family of NEO smart trainers. The accessory can replicate inclines of up to 25 percent and declines of up to -10 percent, with adjustments made either manually through a built-in control panel or automatically when using the device with a compatible apps like Zwift and Garmin's own Tacx Training software.In those same apps, the Tacx Alpine also allows for real-time virtual steering adjustments. Naturally, Garmin Connect support is also included for stat tracking and more. In short, the Tacx Alpine is designed for those who want spice up their off-season training since pedaling a road bike on an indoor trainer is about the most boring thing ever.Garmin says mounting the front of your bike is easy. Inside the box, you'll find adapters for both quick release skewers (9 x 100), and thru axles (12 x 100, 15 x 100 and 15 x 110), so the Tacx Alpine will work with most modern road bikes. However, trainer compatibility is limited to Garmin's NEO 2T and Neo 3M models. Those cost $1,400 and $2,000 new respectively, and the accessory itself will set you back $1,100, with Garmin not planning to offer bundles at launch.That might seem like a lot to pay for an accessory designed to make your indoor rides less monotonous, but it's broadly comparable with the rest of the industry. Wahoo, for instance, sells its Kickr Climb simulator for $750, but it doesn't come with a steering feature. Meanwhile, the Elite Rizer, which offers both steering and gradient simulation, costs $1,000. Either way, if you're looking at one of these, chances are you already spent a pretty penny on a fancy carbon road bike and the thought of dropping another $1,000 on your hobby doesn't phase you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/the-tacx-alpine-is-a-1100-gradient-simulator-for-your-garmin-smart-bike-trainer-110041344.html?src=rss

As Meta's platforms fill up with more AI-generated content, the company still has a lot of work to do when it comes to enforcing its policies around manipulated media. The Oversight Board is once again criticizing the social media company over its handling of such posts, writing in its latest decision that its inability to enforce its rules consistently is "incoherent and unjustifiable."If that sounds familiar, it's because this is the second time since last year the Oversight Board has used the word "incoherent" to describe Meta's approach to manipulated media. The board had previously urged Meta to update its rules after a misleadingly edited video of Joe Biden went viral on Facebook. In response, Meta said it would expand its use of labels to identify AI-generated content and that it would apply more prominent labels in "high risk" situations. These labels, like the one below, note when a post was created or edited using AI.An example of a label when Meta determines a piece of Ai-manipulated content is "high risk."Screenshot (Meta)This approach is still falling short though, the board said. "The Board is concerned that, despite the increasing prevalence of manipulated content across formats, Meta's enforcement of its manipulated media policy is inconsistent," it said in its latest decision. "Meta's failure to automatically apply a label to all instances of the same manipulated media is incoherent and unjustifiable."The statement came in a decision related to a post that claimed to feature audio of two politicians in Iraqi Kurdistan. The supposed "recorded conversation" included a discussion about rigging an upcoming election and other "sinister plans" for the region. The post was reported to Meta for misinformation, but the company closed the case "without human review," the board said. Meta later labeled some instances of the audio clip but not the one originally reported.The case, according to the board, is not an outlier. Meta apparently told the board that it can't automatically identify and apply labels to audio and video posts, only to "static images." This means multiple instances of the same audio or video clip may not get the same treatment, which the board notes could cause further confusion. The Oversight Board also criticized Meta for often relying on third-parties to identify AI-manipulated video and audio, as it did in this case."Given that Meta is one of the leading technology and AI companies in the world, with its resources and the wide usage of Meta's platforms, the Board reiterates that Meta should prioritize investing in technology to identify and label manipulated video and audio at scale," the board wrote. "It is not clear to the Board why a company of this technical expertise and resources outsources identifying likely manipulated media in high-risk situations to media outlets or Trusted Partners."In its recommendations to Meta, the board said the company should adopt a "clear process" for consistently labeling "identical or similar content" in situations when it adds a "high risk" label to a post. The board also recommended that these labels should appear in a language that matches the rest of their settings on Facebook, Instagram and Threads.Meta didn't respond to a request for comment. The company has 60 days to respond to the board's recommendations.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/the-oversight-board-calls-metas-uneven-ai-moderation-incoherent-and-unjustifiable-100056893.html?src=rss

If you've ever struggled with mushy grains, burnt bits or inconsistent texture, investing in the best rice cooker for you can transform how you cook rice at home. These smart kitchen tools take care of the timing, temperature and technique, freeing you from stovetop babysitting and delivering reliably fluffy rice every time. Whether you're making a quick cup of rice on a busy weeknight or prepping for a family feast, a good rice cooker is a game-changer for convenience and consistency.

It's almost time for another one of Samsung's Unpacked events. The third Unpacked to be held this year (following installments in January and May) will take place on July 9 at 10AM ET. It will emanate from Brooklyn, New York and stream on the Samsung Newsroom, the company's website and its YouTube channel.Samsung is promising a look at the "next evolution of Galaxy AI and the ever-expanding Galaxy ecosystem." The company usually debuts its latest foldables in the summer, so we are expecting to see the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7 here. As if there was any doubt that this Unpacked will focus on foldables, an image Samsung sent out along with event invitations (embedded below) makes that clear. It's looking like the rumored Galaxy Z Fold Ultra is in store too, as a teaser video includes the phrase "Ultra Unfolds." Way to be subtle, Samsung.SamsungA new Galaxy Watch also seems likely to make an appearance, while rumors have been flying around that this Unpacked may feature a Galaxy S25 FE, which is slated to arrive later this year. We may even get a glimpse of a Samsung tri-fold phone. Meanwhile, the Android XR headset that Samsung has been working on with Google is slated to arrive this year - this Unpacked seems like a good opportunity for the company to spill the beans on that.If you're already pretty sure that you're going to switch to a new Samsung device, you don't necessarily have to wait until July 9 to make a reservation for one of the upcoming models. In fact, if you make a reservation starting tonight on Samsung's website, you can receive a $50 credit.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/the-next-samsung-unpacked-event-takes-place-on-july-9-230044736.html?src=rss

The more things change, the more they stay the same. After unveiling some new visual elements to the next generation of its operating systems during WWDC 2025, Apple has already walked back some of the proposed design revisions. 9to5Mac noticed that the most recent developer betas included changes to the new Liquid Glass operating system appearance and to the Finder app icon.Liquid Glass was divisive from the start. The idea of layering transparency in the user interface appealed to some, while others felt it was needlessly fussy and hard to read, especially when using the Control Center. In the second developer beta of iOS 26, Apple has increased the darkness and blur on the background when the Control Center is active.The other controversial change centered on the imagery for the Finder app in macOS Tahoe. The previous developer beta flipped the colors in the icon, putting blue on the right and white on the left. It's a reversal of decades of Mac design, which has long had a lighter shade on the right and a darker color on the left, even as other details of the face illustration have changed. And people were not pleased about it. The usual color layout has returned in the current developer beta.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-read-your-mean-tweets-about-liquid-glass-and-finder-222230726.html?src=rss

Tesla launched its robotaxi service over the weekend, with only a small number of cars and heavy human supervision on and off the road. While less impressive than previously promised, the company's caution ultimately seems for the best - at least one robotaxi attempted to drive on the wrong side of the road, based on a video posted to X and spotted by Bloomberg.The ride video shared by Rob Maurer is largely uneventful, with the Tesla navigating turns and lane merges with few issues. Except for around seven minutes or so into the ride, when the Tesla's wheel starts jerking back and forth and the car briefly crosses onto the wrong side of the road. As Bloomberg notes, "a honking horn can be heard as the Tesla re-enters the correct lane over a double-yellow line, which drivers aren't supposed to cross."

Media Matters for America has sued the US Federal Trade Commission, claiming that the agency is unfairly targeting it in retaliation for past criticisms of the social media platform X in violation of the organization's First Amendment rights. It's the latest move in the ongoing hostilities between the nonprofit media watchdog and X owner Elon Musk."The Federal Trade Commission seeks to punish Media Matters for its journalism and speech in exposing matters of substantial public concern-including how X.com has enabled and profited from extremist content that proliferated after Elon Musk took over the platform formerly known as Twitter," the complaint from the watchdog states. "The campaign of retribution against Media Matters must stop."This back-and-forth legal battle began in 2023 when Media Matters published a report finding that X ran advertisements next to antisemitic posts, which led to many prominent companies withdrawing their ads from the social media network. After Musk threatened to file a "thermonuclear lawsuit" in response, X sued Media Matters later that year, claiming the organization was attempting to push advertisers into boycotting its service. CEO Linda Yaccarino called the report "misleading and manipulative" in a note to X employees, while a representative from Media Matters told Engadget: "This is a frivolous lawsuit meant to bully X's critics into silence. Media Matters stands behind its reporting and looks forward to winning in court."Last month, while Musk was still closely tied to President Donald Trump's administration and working with the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, the FTC launched its own investigation into Media Matters to determine whether the group illegally colluded with advertisers. The FTC is now comprised of only three Republican commissioners following Trump's dismissal of two Democratic commissioners, which those former civil servants said was an illegal action by the president since their terms cannot be ended early without "good cause." Considering that earlier today, the FTC allowed a $13.5 billion acquisition within the advertising agency on the condition that purchaser Omnicom cannot engage "in collusion or coordination to direct advertising away from media publishers based on the publishers' political or ideological viewpoints," it seems unlikely that the regulator will be receptive to Media Matters' case.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/media-matters-is-suing-the-ftc-to-block-investigation-into-x-advertiser-boycott-204514805.html?src=rss

The National Science Foundation just shared the first images captured by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, a sample of the footage it'll capture as part of a planned decade-long survey that's starting later in 2025. The project, dubbed the "Legacy Survey of Time and Space" is predicted to lead to the discovery of "millions of new asteroids within the first two years" the survey is running.In just a 10 hour period, the National Science Foundation says that the Rubin Observatory "discovered 2,104 never-before-seen asteroids in our solar system, including seven near-Earth asteroids." The long-term survey project could lead to even more insights, particularly into larger cosmic unknowns like dark matter and dark energy.The idea is appropriate given the observatory's origins. Jointly funded by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy's Office of Science, the Large Synoptic Telescope in Cerro Pachon, Chile was renamed the Vera C. Rubin Observatory after astronomer Vera C. Rubin, who's research into gravitational rotation was used as conclusive evidence of the existence of dark matter.The short video embedded above should give you a good sense of the scale of the Rubin Observatory's operation. That's a stitched together view of about 10 million galaxies captured during 10 hours of photography, "roughly .05 percent of the approximately 20 billion galaxies" the observatory will capture during its survey."The amount of data gathered by Rubin Observatory in its first year alone will be greater than that collected by all other optical observatories combined," the National Science Foundation says. "This treasure trove of data will help scientists make countless discoveries about the universe and will serve as an incomparable resource for scientific exploration for decades to come."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/the-vera-c-rubin-observatory-shares-first-images-from-planned-decade-long-survey-of-the-sky-192557094.html?src=rss

Microsoft is getting ready to make the Xbox PC app your go-to gaming hub, regardless of where you buy your games. The company has announced that Xbox Insiders enrolled in the PC Gaming Preview will get early access to a new aggregated gaming library within the Xbox PC app for Windows 11 PCs as well as handheld devices. The new feature is coming to the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X this holiday season.Gamers' libraries are often split across different platforms like Steam, Xbox, Epic Games, and others. With this new update, Windows aims to aggregate your gaming library entirely within the Xbox app, allowing your Game Pass titles, as well as titles from Battle.net, to all be launched from one place. The announcement did not call out any other launchers or libraries by name but made references to more storefronts being supported in the future.When a player installs a game from a supported PC storefront, it will automatically appear in My library' within the Xbox PC app, as well as the Most recent' list of titles in the sidebar-making it easier than ever to jump back into your games," said Manisha Oza, product manager for Xbox. They added, And this is just the beginning. We'll continue rolling out support for additional PC storefronts over time."Users will be able to curate these combined libraries, while hiding or excluding particular storefronts and including others. The rollout is exclusive to the Xbox Insider Program for now, which is free to join if you're curious to try the new PC Gaming Preview.Microsoft has been making moves recently to bring its gaming services to par with other major players in the space, including a rumored unification of its console, PC, and handheld platforms. With Microsoft having recently announced its ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, it makes sense to strive for a more seamless player experience where all compatible games can be launched from one environment. We have reached out to Microsoft for clarity on what libraries are being included in this new all-in-one launcher model.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/the-xbox-pc-app-will-soon-integrate-your-various-game-libraries-into-one-place-192452664.html?src=rss

Here's a bit of sad news for gamers. Hypixel Studios is shutting down and ending development of Hytale. The game looked pretty nifty, combining action-RPG mechanics with Minecraft. Riot Games purchased the developer back in 2020, though it has been working on Hytale a lot longer than that.Development is ending immediately and the company will be shutting down "over the next few months." Hypixel CEO Aaron "Noxy" Donaghey said the decision was made when it "became clear we couldn't bring Hytale to life in a way that truly delivered on its promise.""Over time, as our vision evolved and the genre matured around us, the bar kept rising," he continued. "Our technical ambitions grew more complex, and even after a major reboot of the game engine, the team found that Hytale still wasn't as far along as it needed to be."Donaghey doesn't blame Riot. He went on to say that the company behind League of Legends and Valorant offered the staff "generous severance" and is helping impacted employees find new opportunities. We contacted Riot Games for a comment and will update this post if we hear back.This is a bummer. The game looked pretty darn cool and recent developer updates teased reworked biomes, improved graphics and a lot more. Now we'll never know what could have been.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/riot-games-shuts-down-hypixel-studios-and-ends-development-of-hytale-190435047.html?src=rss

US congressional staffers have reportedly been told that they're no longer allowed to use WhatsApp on government devices. The House of Representatives' chief administrative officer (CAO) is said to have informed workers on Monday that the app - including the mobile, desktop and web-based versions - is not permitted on House-managed devices."The Office of Cybersecurity has deemed WhatsApp a high risk to users due to the lack of transparency in how it protects user data, absence of stored data encryption and potential security risks involved with its use," the CAO wrote in an email, according to Axios. Microsoft Teams, Wickr, Signal (despite how easy it might be to accidentally invite a reporter to a sensitive group chat), iMessage and FaceTime were reportedly cited as acceptable alternatives, and the CAO reminded workers to be vigilant regarding potential phishing scams."We disagree with the House Chief Administrative Officer's characterization in the strongest possible terms," Meta spokesperson Andy Stone wrote on X. "We know members and their staffs regularly use WhatsApp and we look forward to ensuring members of the House can join their Senate counterparts in doing so officially. Messages on WhatsApp are end-to-end encrypted by default, meaning only the recipients and not even WhatsApp can see them. This is a higher level of security than most of the apps on the CAO's approved list that do not offer that protection."The step follows limitations on congressional staffers' use of other apps (including generative AI ones) that the CAO has deemed to be risky. Those include ChatGPT, TikTok, DeepSeek (which some states and federal departments have also banned from government devices) and Microsoft Copilot.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/us-house-reportedly-bans-whatsapp-on-government-devices-161557444.html?src=rss

In previous years, the Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 probably would have been called an Inspiron. However, after the company revamped its naming scheme earlier this year, all of its consumer PCs now share its name, with a few extra identifiers that call out size, design and status (aka how fancy it is). While I still think Dell's choice to ditch the iconic XPS tag is a mistake, streamlining its portfolio makes a lot of sense, especially for people simply looking to buy a new laptop. The Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 is one of the company's first consumer laptops to feature its updated naming scheme and refreshed styling. And to little surprise, this machine is a solidly competent midrange laptop for everyday productivity with a bit of extra flexibility thanks to its convertible design. But despite all these changes, it feels like something is missing. Design Like it did with its model names, Dell has reworked the design of its laptop family. The 16 Plus 2-in-1 features a solid build consisting of smooth aluminum panels on top and bottom with a matte finish and rounded edges. Its 360-degree hinges are small and subtle while still providing plenty of support for tent and tablet modes. But in some ways, it feels like Dell may have gone a bit too minimalist, as the laptop's only distinguishing characteristic is the classic Dell logo in the center of its lid. Port selection is good, but not outstanding, with two USB-C sockets (one supports Thunderbolt 4 while the other handles DisplayPort 1.4), one USB-A, a HDMI 2.1 slot and a 3.5mm audio jack. However, considering its size, I would have liked to see one more USB-C connector, particularly on the right side of the system. Only being able to charge using the ports on the left can be a bit awkward depending on your setup. The lack of a microSD card reader isn't ideal for content creators either. Sam Rutherford for Engadget The keyboard feels great and includes a full number pad for those who need one. Unfortunately, I don't love the 16 Plus' touchpad. Even though it's rather large, it felt surprisingly unresponsive. At first, nearly a quarter of the time I tried to right-click, I simply got nothing. Granted, I was able to adapt, but no matter what I did, clicking never felt quite right. Dell's speakers are also somewhat disappointing as they are hidden behind two small slits on the bottom of the system. This results in audio that sounds flat, hollow and distant, even when the volume is turned up. Given the choice, I would trade the physical number pad for up- or forward-firing speakers positioned on either side of the keyboard, though I admit that might not be a popular choice for anyone who has to do a lot of data entry. Display Sam Rutherford for Engadget The 16-inch touch display on our review unit is a bright spot as it features Dell's optional 2,560 x 1,600 mini LED screen. Not only can it produce up to 600 nits of brightness, it also has a slightly faster 90Hz refresh rate than the default 300-nit 1,920 x 1,200 FHD+ panel. And after using it for several weeks, this display is definitely one upgrade worth paying for. Colors are richer and more saturated while also providing better brightness, contrast and black levels than a basic LCD panel. Performance Packing either an Intel Core Ultra 5 226V or Ultra 7 258V chip, along with up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, the 16 Plus has more than enough speed for everyday computing tasks. Because these laptops can reach either 40 or 47 TOPS, depending on the processor, they support all of Microsoft's Copilot+ AI features. That said, it doesn't support discrete graphics, so this machine isn't a great choice for anyone who regularly needs to do things like serious video editing, gaming or 3D modeling. Battery life Sam Rutherford for Engadget Thanks to its 64WHr battery, the Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 offers above average longevity. On PCMark10's Modern Office rundown test, it lasted eight hours and 12 minutes. That's significantly better than rivals like HP's Spectre x360 16 (slightly over five hours), but still a far cry from smaller and less powerful models like the ASUS Zenbook A14 (18:16). I also appreciate that Dell's included 65-watt charger is relatively compact. The 16 Plus supports charging over USB-C (with either of its ports), so you can also use a third-party brick if you prefer. Wrap-up The Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 is a perfectly competent hybrid laptop. Its hinge allows the system to transform into various modes to better adapt to your needs. Its chassis is well built even though it's not particularly eye-catching. Performance is solid and battery life is slightly better than average for its class, while Dell's optional mini LED display provides a great viewing experience. And starting at just $750 (or around $1,400 for the fully loaded model review here), this system feels very reasonably priced. Sam Rutherford for Engadget My main issue is that between its revamped name and new streamlined design, the Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 suffers from a complete lack of personality. It's a totally serviceable machine, but it doesn't have a single trait or feature that endears itself to its user. Same goes for its name. At least with Apple, you know you're getting a MacBook or an iPad. With this thing, Dell is the name of the company, but now it's also the name of the laptop too? Or is it just called the 16 Plus 2-in-1? Either way, it's awkward. Now I fully admit that not everyone feels this way about their gadgets, because at the end of the day, a PC is just a tool. But as someone who likes to feel connected to the devices I buy, Dell's PC revamp has produced something that's hard to love.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/dell-16-plus-2-in-1-review-technically-proficient-but-lacking-soul-153003908.html?src=rss

The first thing in F1 the Movie, before a single word of dialog is uttered, is a pair of AirPods Max. They're so comfortable, Brad Pitt's lovable loser protagonist Sonny Hayes is able to sleep with them all night, then hop up and begin his day of driving fancy race cars. If you paid $550 for the AirPods Max, you too could be like Brad Pitt!It's hard to ignore the blatant commercialism of F1 the Movie; you might as well call it a $300 million ad for Formula One everything Apple. The film is produced by Pitt and F1 darling Lewis Hamilton, and it's Apple's first stab at producing a big budget summer blockbuster for theaters. In the hands of Joseph Kosinski, the director behind the thematically similar Top Gun: Maverick, F1 the Movie is undoubtedly thrilling, delivering an unparalleled sense of speed that more than rises to the occasion of "big, dumb, fun summer flick." As a connoisseur of action films and just about anything that features wildly fast cars, I'd go as far to say that F1 is one of the best racing films ever made.AppleSure, you've seen this movie before - one where absurdly beautiful people devote their lives to their sport, all for the love of the game. In many ways, Kosinski and writer Ehren Kreuger are just repeating what they did for the Top Gun sequel. F1 the Movie swaps Tom Cruise with Brad Pitt as a talented-but-washed up lead (who is always right about everything, of course), and replaces fighter jets with Formula One racers. Kosinski even replicates part of the magic of that previous film by placing cameras within the cars (powered by iPhone sensors and Apple's A-series chips, Wired reports, as well as unreleased Sony 6K cameras) to accurately capture the experience of driving at speeds of 200 miles per hour.If you can get past the generic characters and formulaic nature of the film - Pitt's Sonny Hayes is a fallen racing star recruited by an old friend (Javier Bardem) to save his struggling F1 team, all the while butting heads with a young publicity-obsessed teammate (Damson Idris) - F1 the Movie'ssheer technical prowess makes it a must-watch Summer blockbuster on the biggest screen you can find. On IMAX screens, it'll be presented in that format's extra-tall 1.90:1 aspect ratio for its entire duration, instead of switching between aspect ratios like other IMAX films. (I saw it on a local theater chain's premium screen and it looked great, but I also plan to get a full IMAX viewing soon.)While Apple would probably want us to focus on the novelty of using iPhone cameras in Formula One cars, it's the Sony cameras that truly make F1 more than your typical racing film. As you can see in behind the scenes footage, those cameras can rotate quickly in the middle of the race. That helps Kosinski capture the hectic nature of driving at incredibly fast speeds - we instantly go from seeing the point of view of the road to the driver's struggle to keep pace with the action. They're reacting to extreme G-force and struggling to hold onto the wheel,and we're right there with them.F1 is one of those films where you might find yourself unconsciously holding your breath during its most extreme set pieces. But it's also one of those movies where you'll probably have to turn off your brain a bit to truly enjoy it. Ignore the uncritical adoration for Formula One racing, the fact that Pitt's character is almost a total cipher or the stereotypical romance.AppleThe riskiest thing F1 does is place Sonny Hayes' AirPods Max - which aren't waterproof or water resistant in any way - perilously close to his ice bath after a brutal race. (I could easily see Apple executives giving Kosinski a note to make sure the AirPods Max never touches water. We wouldn't want to have unrealistic expectations for Apple products, after all.)Some sports films are transcendent explorations of the nature of human endurance (Chariots of Fire), or character dramas where winning isn't really the point at all (Rocky.) And sometimes car go fast. That's still perfectly enjoyable..This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/f1-the-movie-review-a-shameless-apple-ad-that-will-blow-your-socks-off-144808364.html?src=rss

For years now, most Chromebooks have run some variety of Intel or AMD processor. The occasional device used a MediaTek chip, but they were often underpowered and cheap devices that were hard to recommend. ARM-based processors have worked tremendously well for Apple on the Mac, and they're being used in more and more Windows PCs as well. Now, Lenovo (makers of my favorite Chromebook) and Google are giving ARM a real shot with the $649 Chromebook Plus 14. The companies say the MediaTek Kompanio Ultra 910 chip and its AI NPU can handle up to 50 TOPS - but more intriguing to me, Lenovo is also promising up to 17 hours of battery life. I'll believe that claim when I see it; mediocre at best battery life has plagued nearly every Chromebook I've used in recent years. But switching to ARM could improve on what Intel-powered Chromebooks have delivered, both in terms of battery life and overall performance. Time for the nitty-gritty specs. Lenovo's Chromebook Plus 14 is, as you'd expect, a 14-inch laptop that looks quite similar to a silver MacBook Pro. It's certainly more stylish and sleek than Lenovo's more utilitarian (and awkwardly-named) IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus. It weighs only 2.58 pounds (about a pound less than the Flex 5i) and is just over .62 inches thick. In addition to the Kompanio Ultra 910 chip, Lenovo is including either 12GB or 16GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage. Lenovo isn't skimping on the screen, either. The 14-inch OLED panel can be outfitted with a touchscreen and has a 1,920 x 1,200 resolution. The resolution is relatively modest, but totally in line with what you'd expect for the price. Lenovo There are a few other nice touches throughout. Lenovo's latest is the first Chromebook with Dolby Atmos sound via a quad-speaker system that includes two downward-firing woofers. Audio quality on laptops has increased significantly in recent years, so I'm looking forward to hearing what Lenovo can deliver. The 5-megapixel webcam has a much higher resolution than most other Chromebooks, and there's also a fingerprint reader for secure logins. All told, this Chromebook is on the more expensive side compared to many other options. But when you compare its specs and design with other Chromebooks in this price range, Lenovo's latest comes out looking pretty good. Of course, we'll need to make sure the MediaTek chip is powerful enough and also see what battery life is like, but Lenovo's track record is strong enough that I'm looking forward to seeing if we have a new king of the Chromebooks. New AI features Given that Google is relentlessly focused on adding AI features everywhere you turn, it's no surprise that there are a handful of new AI tricks here. First are two that are currently exclusive to Lenovo's Chromebook Plus 14: Smart Grouping and AI image editing in the Chromebook's Gallery app. Google has been teasing Smart Grouping for a while now; it'll look at your open tabs and documents and ask if you want to organize them into a separate virtual desk. And the Gallery app now has some AI-powered editing features like removing backgrounds or turning your images into stickers. Beyond these are a bunch of AI features that are coming to all Chromebook Plus laptops, many of which will feel familiar if you've paid attention to what Google has released to other platforms in recent months. For example, you can now long-press the launcher and select an area of the screen to run a search. As usual, the default example is shopping - see a pair of shoes you want, highlight it and let Google find them for you. The integration does look nice, though, with a pop-over window showing you results so you don't have to leave the app you're using. Similarly, Text Capture analyzes text in an image and suggests things like calendar appointments based on what it reads. Or highlighting an image of a recipe can pull all of the items you need for it into a Google Docs list. Lenovo The Quick Insert key, which was first introduced last year on Samsung's Galaxy Chromebook Plus, can now be used to generate and insert AI images into anywhere your text cursor is pointing - it's not just limited to Google apps. Finally, Google's help me read" tool has a new simplify" option that can take complex language (think scientific explanations) and put it in plain language to make it easier to understand. Anyone buying a Chromebook Plus this year will get a solid perk that Google first introduced last year: a full 12 months of the Google One AI Pro plan, which includes 2TB of Google Drive storage and access to more advanced Gemini features (you can find all the exact details here). Given that this is a $20 per month plan, it's a solid additional value - at the very least for the storage, if you're not all that interested in Gemini. As for Lenovo's new hardware, I'm looking forward to trying it soon to see if the ARM architecture can deliver the massive battery life and performance improvements that the company is promising. But if you want to throw down your cash now, Lenovo's Chromebook Plus 14 is available at Best Buy and on Lenovo's site to order as of today. (Note that, at least for now, only the more expensive version of the Chromebook Plus 14, with a touchscreen at 16GB of RAM, is available at Best Buy.) This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/lenovo-promises-17-hours-of-battery-life-on-its-new-chromebook-plus-14-130018894.html?src=rss

Noise-cancelling headphones are a must-have for anyone who travels often and wants to drown out airplane noise, commuters who want some peace and quiet amongst the crowds and anyone else looking to dull the daily chaos of life. Sony's 1000X line has had our favorite noise-cancelling headphones for a long time, and it remains the same now with the latest edition to that family. Sony released the WH-1000XM6 edition of its wireless noise canceling headphones in May, and really the only downside about them is their new, higher price tag. But if you're on the market for a new pair of cans right now, Amazon will throw you a bone if you opt for the XM6. Right now, you can get the Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones plus a free $30 Amazon gift card for $448. While you're not saving much on the price of the headphones (a whopping $2), you're getting a $30 gift card for free on top of it, which you can use towards anything else you want to buy on Amazon. Sony released the WH-1000XM6 headphones three years after their predecessor, but the new model quickly proved to be worth the wait. We gave the M6s a 94 in our review thanks to features like improved sound and better active noise cancelation. One of the best things about this model compared to the M5s is the return to a folding design - I love my M5s but it's very annoying that they don't shrink at all. The M6s are also very comfy and have a wider headband for easy wear.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/get-a-free-30-amazon-gift-card-when-you-buy-the-new-sony-wh-1000xm6-headphones-144511198.html?src=rss

The June 22 launch of Tesla's robotaxis in Austin, Texas, actually occurred. It's a tentative first step for the company, however: a human "Tesla Safety Monitor" is accompanying the first riders. There are also only ten cars and rides are limited to certain Tesla users. Those early riders and influencers have been sharing their experiences on social media, mostly (surprise) on X.Most of the early riders appear to be pro-Tesla users, with a company mention in their social media bio or a Tesla cap in their profile picture (or both), so consider these initial reactions within that context. Having said that, an autonomous car ride is... an autonomous car ride. Many livestreams show the safety monitor gripping a handle on the right side of the passenger seat, possibly with emergency controls. However, that hasn't yet been confirmed. Many passengers attempted to talk with their safety monitors, with, er, limited success.

A good keyboard can make all the difference for your work setup. If you primarily work on a laptop, switching from the built-in keyboard to a wired or wireless keyboard can be more comfortable and ergonomic while adding functionality like extra keys and shortcuts into the mix. If your daily driver is a desktop, a keyboard will be an essential accessory that can elevate your rig whether you're using it to work a 9-to-5 with it or play AAA games in your free time.

One of the games that really caught my eye during the Xbox Games Showcase at the beginning of June was The Blood of Dawnwalker, a dark fantasy action-RPG from Rebel Wolves, the studio co-founded by Witcher 3 director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz. First teased earlier this year, The Blood of Dawnwalker is a single-player open-world game set in a version of 14th-century Europe that's crawling with vampires.The first two trailers gave us a bit of a glimpse at what the gameplay will be like, but the developer has now shared an in-depth look in a 21-minute video, which you can watch below. It looks pretty sick - but keep in mind that this footage is from the "pre-beta" game, so there's still a lot of polishing to be done.In The Blood of Dawnwalker, "You play as Coen, a young man turned into a Dawnwalker, forever treading the line between the world of day and the realm of night. Fight for your humanity or embrace the cursed powers to save your family." It's slated to hit PC, Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2026.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-blood-of-dawnwalker-developers-share-a-look-at-gameplay-from-the-upcoming-vampire-fantasy-rpg-185720914.html?src=rss

Perplexity is planning to open up its Comet browser that's powered by "agentic search" to Windows users, according to the company's CEO. Aravind Srinivas posted on X that the Windows build of Comet is ready and has sent out invites to early testers already. Perplexity's CEO also hinted at a potential release for Android devices, adding that it was "moving at a crazy pace and moving ahead of schedule."In May, Perplexity launched a beta version of its AI-powered Comet browser, only available to Mac users running Apple Silicon. The intelligent browser comes with AI features baked in, like the ability to ask it questions, check shopping carts for discounts and dig up unanswered emails. The beta version even showcases a "Try on" feature where users can upload a photo of themselves and Comet will generate an image of them wearing a selected piece of clothing.There's still no official debut set, but Srinivas previously hinted at an upcoming release in an X post earlier this month. Comet is still only offering a waitlist for those interested, but the browser has already stirred up controversy. The company's CEO previously made comments during a podcast interview that Perplexity would use Comet "to get data even outside the app to better understand you." Srinivas later clarified on X that the comment was taken out of context, adding that "every user will be given the option to not be part of the personalization" when it comes to targeted ads. When Comet is released, the agentic browser will face competition from Opera Neon and similar offerings from Google and OpenAI.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/perplexitys-ai-powered-browser-opens-up-to-select-windows-users-180629870.html?src=rss

Starting September 1, fully autonomous cars will require a permit to operate in Texas. This new restriction comes after the state's governor, Greg Abbott, signed into law the SB 2807 bill that requires authorization from the state's Department of Motor Vehicles for self-driving cars on public streets without human interaction.The signing of the new law coincides with Tesla's launch of its robotaxi service in Austin today where invited guests got to ride in fully autonomous Model Ys. While the law doesn't go into effect until a few months later, Tesla's robotaxi launch could have skirted this new regulation since all rides are accompanied by a human "safety monitor" in the front passenger seat.

I didn't really need an excuse to begin another playthrough of Look Outside, but the developer just dropped an update that provides plenty of reasons to dip back into the survival horror RPG if you were looking for any. Update 1.5 brings new crafting recipes, new interactions with people in the apartment building - some familiar, some not - and big changes to the flooded basement area, along with a slew of other tweaks and bug fixes. You can take a look through the update notes to see everything that's been added, or just jump right in and let yourself be surprised. Look Outside is a survival horror game with turn-based combat that was released on Steam in March. The game sees the player character Sam trapped in an apartment building for two weeks to ride out some strange, apocalyptic event happening outside. The weirdness, of course, makes its way inside too, and you'll find yourself up against all sorts of body horror monstrosities and trying to figure out who you can trust. Between the art, the music and the story, it's an all-around masterpiece that I haven't been able to stop yapping about since playing it for the first time back in April. It's really cool to see the developer is continuing to add to it because this is one of those games that's just made to be played over and over. If you haven't picked it up yet, there's no time like the present. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/look-outside-just-got-a-big-update-bringing-a-bunch-of-new-creepy-experiences-162541662.html?src=rss

Xbox has come a long way since its humble beginnings as a chunky console. It's recently taken on the form of an Asus gaming handheld, and it might even be packaged as a VR headset soon. According to an image leaked on X and Game Sandwich, Xbox is reportedly teaming up with Meta to release an Xbox-branded Quest 3S headset in the coming days. The rumored specs show a very similar build to the base model Quest 3S with 128GB of storage, but will reportedly be bundled with an Xbox wireless controller, a Meta Quest Elite strap and three months of Xbox Game Pass.There's been no official announcement from Xbox or Meta yet, but a blog post from 2024 noted that the two companies were working together to "create a limited-edition Meta Quest, inspired by Xbox." While it's important to take this rumor with a grain of salt, Xbox seems interested in opening up its hardware for collaboration with other companies, as indicated by the recent release of the ROG Xbox Ally.As for the rumored Xbox version of the Meta Quest 3S, those who already own the base model headset might not be the target demographic since you can already run Xbox Game Pass on it. Instead, this VR headset could be marketed as a convincing entry point for anyone looking to get into VR and is already familiar with the Xbox ecosystem. According to Game Sandwich's sources, this Xbox-branded VR headset will cost $399 and is set to drop on June 24.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/xboxs-vr-headset-with-meta-could-release-sooner-than-we-thought-180512994.html?src=rss

NetEase, the Chinese video game company that published Marvel Rivals and Bungie's Destiny: Rising, has announced its first single-player AAA game. It's a story-driven third-person action-adventure game called Blood Message, and as Polygon notes, it's in the vein of Uncharted and Assassin's Creed. The story is set in the final years of the Tang Dynasty, which ruled imperial China from 618 to 907. In Blood Message, players take control of a nameless messenger and his son "to deliver a message that holds the fate of their war-torn homeland."Players will have to journey through desolate deserts and the vast wilderness of East and Central Asia. The trailer shows the messenger and his son fighting enemies in the desert, surviving avalanches, working with mysterious characters and discovering ancient artifacts. It also shows the game's cinematic cutscenes, stealth and survival mechanics, as well as the landscapes players can expect to see."We are ushering players into a new generation of high adventure with Blood Message," said Zhipeng Hu, the Lead Producer and NetEase Executive Vice President. "As our first completely single-player focused experience from NetEase Games, after two decades of deep dedication to the gaming industry, we are prepared to deliver a truly epic and cinematic experience for players around the world."NetEase has yet to announce a release date, but Blood Message will be available for consoles and the PC. The game's announcement shows that Chinese developers are increasingly making more inroads into the AAA space. Black Myth: Wukong, which is widely considered as the first AAA game from China, was originally released last year and will be available on the Xbox in August.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/chinese-company-netease-is-making-an-aaa-action-adventure-game-called-blood-message-170052713.html?src=rss

A select few will soon get to experience Tesla's robotaxi service for the first time, but they won't be alone in the car. The company plans to launch its fully autonomous ride-hailing service in Austin, Texas tomorrow, but a "Tesla Safety Monitor" will accompany the first riders, according to email invitations sent out to "Early Access Riders." It's unclear what capabilities the safety monitor will have, but they will sit in the front passenger seat of a self-driving Model Y.The email outlined several parameters, including that users were limited to a geofenced area that excludes airports, could run into unavailability due to bad weather and can only hail a robotaxi between 6 am and midnight. This restrictive launch will reportedly only offer 10 cars and comes after a delay from an initial launch date on June 12.With the official date set, Tesla will only offer its robotaxi service with its Model Y for now. This robotaxi service will lay the groundwork for an eventual Cybercab release, which isn't expected to start production until at least 2026, according to the company. For now, Tesla's robotaxi service will face competition from Waymo, which started offering its competiting services in March to Austin residents.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/tesla-inaugural-robotaxi-rides-will-have-a-human-safety-monitor-on-board-161307639.html?src=rss

Apple's executives are thinking of acquiring Perplexity AI both to get more talent and to be able to offer an AI-based search engine in the future, according to Bloomberg. Adrian Perica, Apple's head of mergers and acquisitions, has reportedly already talked about the idea with services SVP Eddy Cue and the company's top decision-makers with it comes to its AI efforts. It's early stages, however: Apple has yet to talk to Perplexity about a bid, and the internal talks may not even lead to a formal offer.The executives also reportedly discussed an alternative, wherein instead of buying Perplexity outright, it'll team up with the AI company instead. Either way, the idea is to develop an AI search engine powered by Perplexity and to integrate Perplexity's technology into Siri. While Apple has yet to make a formal offer, Bloomberg says it met several times with Perplexity over the past few months.In May, Cue revealed that Apple discussed a possible Safari-integration with Perplexity while on the stand for Google's ongoing Search antitrust case. Cue took the stand due to Apple's long-standing deal with Google to make its search engine the default on the iPhone. (In turn, Apple gets billions of dollars a year - $18 billion in 2021 - from the arrangement.) Cue didn't share any definitive plans, however, including the possibility of an acquisition.If regulators order Apple to end its partnership with Google, purchasing Perplexity would make it easier for the company to develop an AI-based search engine. In addition, it would allow the company to acquire talent needed to be able to catch up with other companies when it comes to artificial intelligence. Apple, like Meta, has been scouting for new AI talent. Bloomberg says it's even competing against the Facebook owner to hire Daniel Gross, the founder of AI company Safe Superintelligence Inc. The company does seem to need help to be able to release the AI features it wants to provide its users. A few months ago, for instance, Apple delayed the rollout of a more powerful Siri that was a key component of its original pitch for Apple Intelligence.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/apple-is-reportedly-considering-the-acquisition-of-perplexity-ai-150012746.html?src=rss

Earlier in this Playdate season, I commented in a review that I "love a game that pisses me off a little." Well, I may have shot myself in the foot with that one. Week four of Playdate Season Two brings us not one game that got my blood boiling, but two. CatchaDiablos is a roguelike with a unique movement mechanic that is both pretty cool and absolutely infuriating: running in circles with the crank. Shadowgate PD, on the other hand, is a remade-for-Playdate version of the classic point-and-click adventure that's filled with tricky puzzles and hidden death traps.This week is not for the faint of heart. Am I having fun? Yes. Am I suffering? Also yes. I haven't yet had a chance to check out the latest update to Blippo+ because I've been fighting for my life with these two titles, but I sure am looking forward to turning my brain off soon and getting lost in that strange, strange world as a treat after all this.CatchaDiablosAmanoAmano, the developer behind CatchaDiablos, kind of has a knack for games featuring unusual methods of movement. Amano previously gave us Pullfrog Deluxe, a Tetris-like (that I highly recommend checking out) in which you rearrange falling blocks as a frog that pulls stuff around using its tongue. In CatchaDiablos, things are a bit more complicated. You play as something of a demon wrangler on an unnamed moon, rounding up "Diablos" that are scattered all over the place. Of course, as any witch knows, the way to do this is by drawing a chalk circle around the entity, so that's exactly what you do. But, following the chalk line is also the only way you can move.CatchaDiablos basically throws you right into the deep end. There is a very brief tutorial at the beginning to introduce you to the idea of traveling along an arc of pre-determined length, but then you're on your own to take on swarms of the little devils. To make a circle, you aim using the crank and, once you've got the outline placed where you want it, you hold the A button to draw. You have to draw a complete circle around a monster (or a group of monsters, for more points) in order to catch it, but when it comes to moving, you can stop the drawing at any point and you'll only move as far as the chalk extends.Doing this while trying not to run into any Diablos - you take damage every time one touches you - is hard. It gets even harder when some of those Diablos start firing projectiles at you, and they're surrounding you in greater and greater numbers. Everything descends into chaos and it becomes really difficult to try and think fast enough to outmaneuver the Diablos while also trying to run in haphazard half-circles by swinging the crank. And after some time has passed (three eyes at the top of the screen will open), a boss will show up to make things even worse. This is a roguelike, so once your health is depleted, you're dead for good and have to start it all over.I want to be clear: I really, really like this game. I found it hard to put down once I got going, and it's another fun example of how the crank can be used in unexpected ways. It's just kicking my ass. A lot. CatchaDiablos isn't entirely unforgiving, though. As you catch monsters, a status bar on the right side of the screen will start to fill up, and you'll eventually be rewarded with power-ups that can dramatically improve your odds. These come in the form of discs that will pop up in random places and bring perks like extra health spaces, the ability to draw a wider chalk circle and faster movement.Roguelikes aren't for everyone, but if you are into them, this is a great one for the Playdate. As a plus, there's a "Diablory" bestiary of sorts where you can see drawings of every type of creature you've encountered so far. You can access this from the title menu, and it's really worth flipping through after you've sunk a good deal of time into the game.Shadowgate PDPixel Ghost"You seem to be wasting your time." It wasn't exactly a good sign for me when Shadowgate hit me with this message repeatedly in the first room of the damn game, where I found myself stuck for much longer than I'd like to admit and clicking on literally everything in my desperation. Anyone familiar with Shadowgate (1987) or the NES version (or the several other versions beyond that) might already have been braced for the difficult path forward from the get-go, but as someone who never played the original... let's just say we got off to a rougher start than expected. Such a rough start that I was forced to do something I generally avoid at all costs: look for a guide online.So, I must concede that while I have navigated the treacherous castle halls, I had a good amount of help in doing so, which makes it feel like much less of an accomplishment. Bruised ego aside, though, Shadowgate makes for a really cool game on the Playdate. You must explore the castle room by room, solving puzzles, picking up keys and items to access locked areas along the way, defeating enemies and generally just trying not to die. It's a lesson in persistence, really.There are many different ways to die, and much of the fun in games like these for me lies in keeping track of all those that I succumb to. There are the classic deaths, like plummeting after a floor suddenly drops away or getting incinerated by a dragon, and then the silly, unexpected ones, like tripping in the dark and falling flat on my face... fatally. (You really need to pay attention to your torch use). Thankfully, you'll be revived in the room where you died so you don't lose too much progress every time. The art and music really elevate the whole experience. The atmosphere is just right.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playdate-season-2-review-shadowgate-pd-and-catchadiablos-130020943.html?src=rss

The Nintendo Switch 2 has been all the rage around the Engadget HQ for the last few weeks. Even the editors who didn't write the official review have had their hands glued to their new toys. Of course, we've been testing other things too, mainly a repairable laptop that's design for student use. Read on to catch up on the reviews you might've missed over the last two weeks. Nintendo Switch 2 Nintendo Switch 2 finally made its way to gamers this month and several of us have been putting the portable console through its paces. Senior reviews reporter Sam Rutherford wrote our full review, noting that the company managed to take everything that make the original model so good and make it better. However, there's still room for improvement, especially with regards to battery life. "The Switch 2 has everything that made the original so great, but now there's more of it to enjoy," he said. "Granted, Nintendo's latest console commands a higher price, but as the successor to the iconic system that revived handheld gaming, this thing is worth it." Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller A new Switch means a new Pro Controller, so senior reviews reporter Devindra Hardawar took a deep dive on Nintendo's new accessory. Despite being "the most refined gampad" the company has ever made, he took offense to the price and the lack of advanced design features. "As much as I like the Switch 2 Pro Controller, it's undoubtedly an extravagance at $85 when 8Bitdo's Ultimate gamepad offers even more features for $50," he explained. "But if you're a dedicated Nintendo fan, or you just can't accept third-party controllers, it's also one of the best gamepads you can buy today." Framework Laptop 12 The Framework Laptop 12 takes the company's familiar spin on modular, repairable machines and puts it in a smaller body with students in mind. However, the price is an issue and overall performance isn't good enough. "The limited performance and battery life here gives me pause and I'm not sure a machine that, right now, needs a stretch to run Fortnite would be too popular," senior reporter Dan Cooper wrote. "My gut tells me Framework had intended to sell this for less before tariffs pushed the prices up beyond what made sense." A Playdate Season 2 update Weekend editor Cheyenne Macdonald recently proclaimed that there haven't been any flops at the halfway point of Playdate Season Two. The two newest additions are Long Puppy and Otto's Galactic Groove!!, two games that are fun but still offer a challenge. You can also revisit her thoughts on The Whiteout and Wheelsprung or the initial column on Fulcrum Defender and Blippo+.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/engadget-review-recap-switch-2-playdate-games-and-a-framework-laptop-130056621.html?src=rss

Summer is finally here - at least for those of us north of the equator - and you might be planning to spend more time outdoors. Thanks to a swathe of great handheld devices, it's never been easier to play some fantastic indie games wherever you might be, so you can soak up the sun while unlocking achievements.There are a bunch of intriguing new indies you can check out right now, as well as a significant update for a certain thirst-inducing roguelite that's still in early access. I've also a few upcoming titles in this, the latest edition of our indie roundup. One of them has a Steam demo that you might end up spending several enjoyable hours with.Before we get started, a quick word of warning: Your wishlist and resolve are about to be tested as the Steam Summer Sale starts next week. I mean, good luck in advance with the bargain hunting!New releasesI have to hold my hands up, I was skeptical about Rematch. When it was revealed that Sloclap - the team behind martial arts games Absolver and Sifu - was making an action-focused soccer game, I had some doubts that it would work. Rematch looked like the studio had taken Rocket League and retrofitted it with human characters. And with both that car soccer game and EA Sports FC 25 as competition, Sloclap was really going to have to do something special to break through. I think the studio might have just pulled that off.Rematch is entirely skill-based with no stat upgrades for your character. You control one player throughout the match, and you'll transition between attacking and defending while rotating the goalkeeper role with teammates. The action is very fluid and fast, and the controls are responsive (they'd have to be). Like in Rocket League, the ball doesn't go out of bounds. There are no fouls or offsides either.I've really enjoyed my first dozen or so games of Rematch. I came to realize that I'm more effective in a midfield/playmaker role or even as the goalkeeper than as an attacker. I haven't been able to get the hang of using the twin-stick controls to aim and shoot at the goal well enough as yet, but I've figured out a way to both help my team and have fun.There are some bugs that the developers are racing to fix and the lack of cross-play at the jump is a bit disappointing (Sloclap says it ran into some technical issues there, but getting that sorted is a top priority for the team). Still, Rematch feels like a very sticky game that I imagine many folks are going to sink dozens of hours into. It's already off to a strong start - it surpassed a million players on its first day.Rematch is out now on Steam, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. It's on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.After some delays, it's finally time to date everything in Date Everything!As the title of this dating sim from Sassy Chap Games and publisher Team17 suggests, you can romance anthropomorphized versions of things around your home. There are more than 100 voice-acted characters you can woo, from the doors and wall, to a mouse trap and dust bunny behind a couch, to fire and air. Things get pretty meta, as you can also date the devs, the game itself and "your overwhelming sense of existential dread."There are multiple endings for each character and around 70,000 lines of dialogue, so there's plenty to explore here. Reviews have been generally positive, with praise for the writing and design. I can't wait to see the reactions of my seatmate when I'm playing it on my next flight.Date Everything! is out now on Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.Lost in Randomwas received fairly well a few years back and now a roguelite spinoff has arrived. Lost in Random: The Eternal Die is out on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.This is a run-based action game with an isometric perspective and some permanent progression. So, it's very much Hades-coded, though it gives the genre a gothic storybook spin with a dice-rolling element.Speaking of which (and in case you missed it), the third major early access update for Hades II arrived this week. Oh, sure, there are new bosses and combat options and so on. All of that's great.But for many fans, the biggest addition this time is proper character art for Narcissus. Unsurprisingly, he's hot and he knows it.UpcomingFrom time to time, I'll start playing a demo and very quickly feel that GIF of Ralph Wiggum from The Simpsons pop into my head. You know, the one where he goes "Haha, I'm in danger!" (the GIF is actually from a crossover Family Guy episode in which characters from that show visited Springfield, fact fans). Such is the case with Ball x Pit, a game that I am already certain is going to absorb many, many hours of my life.I didn't get to the Ball x Pit demo until after Steam Next Fest ended, but it's still available until the full game goes live later this year (it's coming to Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch too). After playing the demo, it's easy to see why publisher Devolver Digital dedicated the entire Summer Game Fest edition of its Devolver Direct showcase to this project from indie developer Kenny Sun and half-a-dozen collaborators.Ball x Pit is a blend of Breakout and Vampire Survivors with base-building elements. As you play the brick-breaking survival levels, you'll earn resources you can use to build out your homestead, which feeds back into the projectile chaos. It's an absorbing loop, but the real fun for me comes in the pit.Here, your character will (either manually or automatically) fire magic-infused balls at enemy tiles while avoiding their attacks and making sure the bad guys don't reach the bottom of the screen. You'll collect more projectiles and passive upgrades throughout your run. The real magic happens when you're able to fuse together a pair of balls to combine their effects. So, a ghost ball that passes through enemies instead of bouncing between them might also deliver a laser attack to other baddies in the same row or column.It's already apparent that the gameplay here will run deep. There will be a host of levels, characters and upgrades to unlock. I really can't wait for Ball x Pit to entirely ruin my productivity.I loved the Goosebumps books and TV show as a kid, so a stealth game based on the series caught my eye. In Goosebumps: Terror in Little Creek (from PHL Collective and publisher GameMill Entertainment), you'll try to avoid monsters in a nightmarish town but if you run into any, you can defend yourself with your slingshot.This game includes puzzles and an original story with multiple endings, while the art style looks charmingly old-school. It's coming to Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Steam on August 29.Let's close things out for this week with the latest look at PowerWash Simulator 2. I enjoyed the first game immensely, and the new trailer shows off some more fresh features that are coming to the sequel, which is slated to hit PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S later this year.This time around, you'll be able to abseil or use a scissor lift to get to grimy, hard-to-reach spots. Multi-stage jobs are also new in PowerWash Simulator 2, and there will be a public restroom (ick) to make pristine. In addition, you'll be able to buy and restore antique furniture for your home base, while your pet kitties can join you on cleaning jobs. Cute!This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/silky-soccer-romancing-everything-and-other-new-indie-games-worth-checking-out-110055973.html?src=rss

New York City's Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) have settled on new minimum-wage rules for rideshare drivers, Bloomberg reports. Drivers will receive a five percent raise under the new proposal, a compromise to keep Uber and Lyft from locking drivers out of their apps.The proposal needs to be voted on by the TLC's board of commissioners before it goes into effect, but assuming it does, it'll end months of uncertainty for drivers working in the city. Uber began sporadically locking drivers out of its app in May 2024, preventing them taking rides and earning money. The company was blocking access to its app to avoid having to pay drivers who were working but not actively taking rides. Besides introducing a minimum wage for drivers that started around $18 per hour in 2022, New York also included stipulations in its law that required drivers be paid for the downtime between rides, something Uber and Lyft naturally had a problem with.Bloomberg writes that the TLC initially proposed a 6.1 percent raise in an attempt to disincentivize Uber and Lyft from locking drivers out. The proposal would adjust how driver pay is calculated, in exchange for an upfront raise and a guarantee that drivers are warned before they lose access to a rideshare app. Settling on a five percent raise and a commitment to not raise wages yearly and instead based "changing industry dynamics," is a further capitulation. One that's still not enough for Lyft, apparently. The company told Bloomberg that, "while these changes are a step in the right direction, we still have concerns that the underlying pay formula will still deprive drivers of earning opportunities, drive up prices for riders and reduce ride availability."Uber and Lyft have long had a contentious relationship with city and state governments over driver protections. In comparison to the passing of Prop 22 in California, which reclassified gig workers as contractors after another law did the opposite, even a diminished minimum wage law in New York is better than nothing.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/nyc-proposes-5-percent-raise-for-rideshare-drivers-in-a-bid-to-appease-uber-and-lyft-220011937.html?src=rss

Remedy has shared its plans to improve FBC: Firebreak, the new multiplayer Control spinoff, following a string of less-than-stellar reviews that criticized the game's rough early hours. FBC: Firebreak was announced in October 2024 as the first online multiplayer game from Remedy, and another pitstop on the way to an eventual Control 2.The full patch notes for Remedy's first update are available to view on Steam, but in brief, the biggest change the developer is making is to how missions are unlocked. Previously, Firebreak required players to play a simpler, shorter version of the game's missions (like dealing with multiplying post-it notes or pink goo, for example), before a more complex version of the mission became available. Now those full-fat missions are available from the start, and completing one unlocks the next type. Remedy's update also rebalances the cost of cosmetics and makes it easier to see and find in-game collectibles, among other tweaks.The developer is planning to make larger changes to how FBC: Firebreak explains the synergies of in-game weapons and abilities, but those onboarding improvements will take longer to implement. Future updates adding new missions and cosmetics where already planned for the game, so fixes will presumably be worked into the existing roadmap.We enjoyed our hands-on time with FBC: Firebreak, but reviewers report a less rosy picture after playing the game over a longer period of time. Eurogamer found Firebreak charming in Remedy's typical oddball way, but also inconsistent in terms of difficulty. GameSpot noted similar messiness in the game's mission design, and also the general lack of explanation for weapons and abilities. The more damning and existential problem highlighted by TechRadar is the dearth of story in the game, something that Control generally excelled at. Remedy doesn't appear to have a plan to address any perceived narrative shortcomings in FBC: Firebreak, and since it's a multiplayer game, the company may just have different goals.FBC: Firebreak is available now for $40 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. If you pay for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or PlayStation Plus Game Catalog, you can play the game at no additional cost.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/remedy-is-trying-to-fix-fbc-firebreak-in-response-to-middling-reviews-and-player-feedback-203805921.html?src=rss

If anyone was holding out hope that the Oversight Board would provide some kind of check on Meta's rewritten hate speech policy, Meta has just made it clear exactly where it stands. The company published its formal response to the board's criticism, and has declined to commit to any substantive steps to change its rules.The Oversight Board previously criticized Meta's January policy changes as "hastily announced" and wrote that it was "concerned" about the company's decision to use the term "transgenderism" in its rewritten community standards. The company's policy, announced by Mark Zuckerberg in January shortly before President Donald Trump took office, now permits people to claim that LGBTQ people are mentally ill."We do allow allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation, given political and religious discourse about transgenderism and homosexuality and common non-serious usage of words such as 'weird,'" the policy now states. In a decision related to two videos depicting public harassment of transgender women, the Oversight Board had sided with Meta on its decision to leave the videos up. But the board recommended that Meta remove the word "transgenderism" from its policy. "For its rules to have legitimacy, Meta must seek to frame its content policies neutrally," the board said.The word has a long association with discrimination and dehumanization, human rights groups have said. Human Rights Campaign noted that the term is "socially and scientifically invalid" and "often wielded by anti-trans activists to delegitimize transgender people." GLAAD has likewise noted that "framing a person's transgender identity as a 'concept' or 'ideology' reduces a core identity to an opinion that can be debated, and therefore justifies dehumanization, discrimination, and real-world violence against transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming people."In its formal response, Meta officials said they were still "assessing feasibility" of removing the word from its policies. The company said it would "consider ways to update the terminology" but added that "achieving clarity and transparency in our public explanations may sometimes require including language considered offensive to some."Meta also declined to commit to the board's three other recommendations in the case. The board had recommended that Meta "identify how the policy and enforcement updates may adversely impact the rights of LGBTQIA+ people, including minors, especially where these populations are at heightened risk," take steps to mitigate those risks and issue regular reports to the board and the public about its work.It had also recommended that Meta allow users to designate other individuals who are able to report bullying and harassment on their behalf, and that the company make improvements to reduce errors when people report bullying and harassment. Meta said it was "assessing feasibility" of these suggestions.Meta's response raises uncomfortable questions about just how much influence the ostensibly independent Oversight Board can have. Zuckerberg said that Meta created the Oversight Board so that it wouldn't have to make consequential policy decisions on its own. Previously, the social network has asked the board for help in major decisions, like Donald Trump's suspension and its rules for celebrities and politicians. But Zuckerberg's decision to roll back hate speech protections and ditch third-party fact checking took the board by surprise.Meta has always been free to ignore the Oversight Board's recommendations, but it has allowed it to influence some of its more controversial policies. That seems like it could be changing, however. Zuckerberg's decision to roll back hate speech protections and ditch third-party fact checking took the board by surprise. And the company now seems to have little interest in engaging with the board's criticism of those changes.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-tells-the-oversight-board-it-isnt-removing-the-word-transgenderism-from-its-hate-speech-rules-180438796.html?src=rss

Stop me if you've heard this one before: Microsoft is making it harder to use Chrome on Windows. The culprit? This time, it's Windows' Family Safety feature. Since early this month, the parental control measure has prevented users from opening Chrome. Strangely, no other apps or browsers appear to be affected.Redditors first reported the issue on June 3 (via The Verge). u/Witty-Discount-2906 posted that Chrome crashed on Windows 11. "Just flashes quickly, unable to open with no error message," they wrote. Another user chimed in with a correct guess. "This may be related to Parental Controls," u/duk242 surmised. "I've had nine students come see the IT Desk in the last hour saying Chrome won't open."A Google spokesperson pointed Engadget to a statement in its community forum. "Our team has investigated these reports and determined the cause of this behavior," Community Manager Ellen T. wrote. "For some users, Chrome is unable to run when Microsoft Family Safety is enabled."Curiously, Microsoft hasn't fixed the bug after 17 days. (Go figure!)MicrosoftWindows Family Safety is an optional parental control feature for families and schools. It lets them manage children's screen time, filter their web browsing and monitor their activity.There are a couple of workarounds while we wait for the company to take action. One is to turn off the "Filter Inappropriate Websites" setting in Family Safety. However, that removes the security feature, letting the kids run wild on the World Wide Web. (Weeee!!) A simpler fix is to navigate to your Chrome folder and rename chrome.exe to something like chrome1.exe.Engadget emailed Microsoft for a comment. We haven't heard back, but we'll update this story if we do.If you've ever installed Chrome on Windows, this bug may trigger deja vu. Microsoft has a long history of desperate tricks to keep you on its default products. That has included obnoxious prompts, pop-up ads for Bing and begging users to stick with Edge. At least European users will get some relief. Microsoft is scaling back its cheap tactics there to comply with EU regulations.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/windows-parental-controls-are-blocking-chrome-170247515.html?src=rss

Members of the ZeniMax Workers United-CWA union have ratified the contract agreement with parent company Microsoft. This agreement with the union representing the video game studio's quality assurance employees marks the first time Microsoft has entered into any union contract in the US. ZeniMax Studios is probably best known for its work on The Elder Scrolls Online. Stephen Totilo first reported on this news; we've reached out to Microsoft and the Communications Workers of America for additional comment.As with many organizing efforts, this step has been a long time coming. The group of employees voted to unionize in 2023, and Microsoft immediately recognized ZeniMax Workers United-CWA following the vote results. Microsoft also made its policy of neutrality toward union organizing at ZeniMax official in 2024. The QA workers from ZeniMax and Microsoft reached a tentative contract this May.The contract includes provisions for wage increases and minimum salaries, as well as industry-specific content such as a clearer crediting policy recognizing the role of QA and protections for the employees regarding use of AI.Update, June 20 2025, 12:18PM ET: Microsoft provided Engadget with the following statement, attributed to the company's Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Amy Pannoni: This agreement reflects our ongoing commitment to employee voice and collaborative labor relations. Reaching this milestone with the ZeniMax quality assurance team and CWA is another step toward helping everyone here do their best work."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/zenimax-and-microsoft-ratify-union-agreement-224148192.html?src=rss

Snap has acquired Saturn, a calendar app for high school and college students. The company didn't disclose the terms of the deal but said that close to 30 of Saturn's full-time employees will be joining Snap as part of the acquisition.It's not clear what exactly Snap has planned for Saturn, but the company confirmed to Engadget that the calendar app will continue to operate as a standalone service. It also suggested that the acquisition could help Snap bring calendar-focused features into Snapchat.A calendar app may seem like an odd choice for Snap, but there's clearly a lot of overlap between the two services' users. According to Snap, about 80 percent of US high schoolers attend schools that support Saturn (its App Store page says it's available at more than 17,000 high schools). Snap is used by more than half of US teens, per Pew Research.Saturn is also much more social than the typical calendar app. It has a Snapchat-like design that allows teens to easily share and compare their schedules with friends. It also supports features specific to many high school students' routines, like block schedules, rotation calendars and extracurricular activities. Saturn also has features for college students, though it doesn't seem to be as widely used among that slightly older demographic.The startup, founded by Dylan Diamond (Saturn's CEO) and Max Baron (COO) has previously raised money from a number of high-profile investors, including Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi and Jeff Bezos' Bezos Expeditions. Forbes reported in 2021 the startup had raised $44 million.Jim Lanzone, the CEO of Engadget's parent company Yahoo, joined the board of directors at Snap on September 12, 2024. No one outside of Engadget's editorial team has any say in our coverage of the company.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/snap-is-acquiring-saturn-a-calendar-app-used-at-thousands-of-high-schools-160046915.html?src=rss

Nothing has probably made its biggest impression in the tech world with its distinctive mid-range Android phones (like the 3a Pro pictured above). But the UK-based brand's first product was actually wireless earbuds, and now it's preparing to unveil its first over-ear headphones on July 1. As is often the way, though, we don't have to wait until then to get our first look at the upcoming cans, as pictures have leaked online ahead of the London launch event.As you'd expect from a Nothing product, the Headphone 1 - if these leaked images are indeed legitimate - looks like nothing else on the market. A number of photos uploaded to Instagram by Nothing Fan Blog show off a typical transparent design, which looks a bit like someone has glued a cassette tape to a slab of smooth metal. It looks like the headphones will be available in black/gray and silver/white colorways.

Companies that develop generative AI always make it a point to say that they include links to websites in the answers that their chatbots generate for users. But Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince has revealed to Axios that search traffic referrals keep plummeting. Publishers are facing an existential threat, he said, because people aren't clicking through those chatbot links and are relying more and more on AI summaries without digging deeper.Prince told Axios that 10 years ago, Google sent a publisher one visitor for every two pages it had crawled. Six months ago, the ratio was one visitor for every six pages, and now it's one for every 18. OpenAI sent one visitor to a publisher for every 250 pages it crawled six months ago, while Anthropic sent one visitor for every 6,000 pages. These days, OpenAI sends one visitor to a publisher for every 1,500 pages, whereas Anthropic sends one visitor for every 60,000 pages.People have come to trust AI chatbots more over the past few months. The problem for publishers is that they don't earn from advertisements if people don't click through links leading to their websites, and that's why Prince is encouraging them to take action to make sure they're fairly compensated. Prince said Cloudflare is currently working on a tool to block bots that scrape content for large language models even if a web page already has a "no crawl" instruction. If you'll recall, several outlets had reported in 2024 that AI companies have been ignoring websites' Robots Exclusion Protocol, or robots.txt, files and taking their content anyway to train their technologies.Cloudflare has been looking for ways to block scrapers since last year. But it was only in March when Cloudflare officially introduced AI Labyrinth, which uses AI-generated content to "slow down, confuse, and waste the resources of AI Crawlers and other bots that don't respect 'no crawl' directives." It works by linking an unauthorized crawler a series of AI-generated pages that are convincing enough but don't actually have the contents of the site the tool it's protecting. That way, the crawler ends up wasting time and resources."I go to war every single day with the Chinese government, the Russian government, the Iranians, the North Koreans, probably Americans, the Israelis, all of them who are trying to hack into our customer sites," Prince said. "And you're telling me, I can't stop some nerd with a C-corporation in Palo Alto?"This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/cloudflare-ceo-says-people-arent-checking-ai-chatbots-source-links-120016921.html?src=rss

When the Trump family announced its debut into the glitzy world of phone carriers with Trump Mobile, it came with a phone, too: a not-gold slab called the T1. The biggest heady claim (beyond the fact that its sole $47.25 plan would be true value") is: how can any modern smartphone claim to be made in the US?Alex Cranz takes Trump Mobile's sales pitch to task. While we know a lot of the specs, there's no reference to a processor - and that's because practically all smartphone processors are not made in the US. That's just the start.- Mat SmithGet Engadget's newsletter delivered direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!The news you might have missed