We've already had a ton of gaming news this month but we're far from done. Annapurna Interactive is hosting its own showcase on June 29th, for one thing. Before that, though, there's the small matter of a Nintendo Direct. The second full-fledged Direct of 2023 will stream on June 21st at 10AM ET on Nintendo's YouTube channel.The showcase will run for around 40 minutes and it will primarily focus on Switch titles that will arrive this year. With Nintendo not planning to release a Switch successor until at least next spring, it makes sense to start padding out the release slate for the rest of 2023. Currently, the only first-party games on the horizon are Everybody 1-2-Switch! (which will arrive on June 30th) and Pikmin 4. We'll learn more about Pikmin 4, which has a release date of July 21st, during tomorrow's Direct.
You no longer need to be at a fixed address if you're craving pizza. Domino's is introducing a Pinpoint Delivery feature in the US that, as the name implies, will send pies to a GPS pin you drop on the map. You can get pizza at the beach, or feed the soccer team without leaving the field. The company tells Engadget that deliveries are available anywhere a restaurant serves, so long as the driver can safely pull over. You won't get a pie while you're at the top of a mountain during a hike, then, but you could have Domino's bring the pie to the trailhead when you've returned to your car.You'll have to pre-pay for your order online and agree to text updates on your driver's status. You can track the delivery person's GPS location as you would with regular deliveries. Sorry, you can't pay cash once the driver arrives. Once they do, you can turn on a "visual signal" on your phone (like you do with some ride-hailing services) to flag them and complete the pickup.The company claims it's the first "quick-service" restaurant chain in the US to offer GPS pin-based deliveries. That's a narrow category, and some delivery apps like Instacart at least offer the option to modify your location once you pick an address. Still, it's clear the company is betting that a rideshare-style approach to delivery could help it win business. You're theoretically more likely to pick Domino's if you know you can get it virtually anywhere, not just at your home or office.Domino's frequently uses technology as a marketing hook. You can already order pizza from your car, or fetch your food from a self-driving delivery vehicle. In that sense, Pinpoint Delivery is just a logical extension of the company's strategy - it's a way to reel in tech enthusiasts who may order from whichever restaurant is the most convenient or novel.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/dominos-can-now-deliver-pizza-almost-anywhere-using-gps-pins-143013196.html?src=rss
Rivian is joining GM and Ford in gaining access to Tesla's Supercharger network. The automaker will offer R1T and R1S owners an adapter to connect their EVs to Supercharger stations as soon as spring of next year. Rivian will also adopt North American Charging Standard (NACS) charge ports as standard in R1 vehicles starting in 2025, as well as in the upcoming R2 platform.The move means that Rivian owners will soon be able to top up their vehicle's battery at more than 12,000 Tesla Superchargers across the US and Canada. Rivian plans to keep expanding its Adventure Network of DC fast chargers too.
Here is your first peek at Cadillac's Escalade IQ. The brand has started to tease the upcoming EV, which it will formally unveil on August 9th. As you might expect, the first glimpse doesn't reveal much about the Escalade IQ. It appears to have LEDs in the grille, including a stylized, digital version of the Cadillac badge.This will be Cadillac's first full-size, completely electric SUV. It follows the mid-sized Lyriq and the Celestiq sedan. The brand is introducing the Escalade IQ as part of its transition to an entirely electric lineup by the end of this decade. The EV is widely expected to use GM's Ultium battery technology.Parent company GM will build the Escalade IQ at its Factory Zero plant in Michigan. GM says $2.2 billion was spent on renovating the facility for an EV-focused future. It's not clear exactly when the first Escalade IQ is expected to roll off the factory floor, but Cadillac has said the vehicle will arrive later this year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cadillac-teases-the-electric-escalade-iq-ahead-of-an-august-9th-reveal-140045265.html?src=rss
Earlier this year, Panasonic launched the S5 II and S5 IIX full-frame cameras, finally embracing phase-detect autofocus that puts it on par with rivals. I've already tested the S5 II and found it to be one of the company's best cameras yet for content creators. Now, we're looking at what I think is the more interesting model, the S5 IIX.It has an identical design and shares many of the same features as its sibling, like the new autofocus system and highly effective in-body stabilization. However, it adds a key function: the ability to record high-quality, easy-to-edit ProRes video internally onto SSDs via the USB-C port. With a bit of rigging, you can record hours of 4K or even 6K video to a relatively inexpensive drive.What's surprising is that the S5 IIX only costs $200 more than S5 II. ProRes RAW is also included for free, whereas it's a $200 upgrade on the S5 II. To see if it's worth that, I shot photos and videos in Paris, Brittany and elsewhere around France.Body and HandlingI've already looked at the S5 II's body and controls, and the S5 IIX has an identical layout - but it's worth revisiting them briefly - particularly in the context of video and content creation.One key difference is the general appearance. The S5 IIX has a distinctive dark design, with a black logo and subtle gray graphics on the controls. The only dash of color to be found is the red record button. Quite a number of bystanders have oohed and aahed over the black-on-black look.Like the S5 II, the X model is a nice handling camera. The grip is large and uses relatively tactile materials, and features a ridge at the ring finger so it won't slip out of your hands. The controls are spot on, with the record button in an easy-to-find location on top. That said, it would've been nice to have another one on the front like the GH6. The menus are also among the best among camera companies (and nearly the same as the GH6), with most settings easy to find.It weighs 714 grams, a bit more than Sony's A7 IV and the Canon EOS R6 II. An external SSD can also add 100 grams or more, making it a bit heavy if you're holding it out at the end of your arm while vlogging.The screen fully articulates for self-shooting and has a sharp 1.84-million-dot display. It features a 3.69-million dot electronic viewfinder with resolution that's comparable to rivals and easily enough to check focus when shooting on a bright day. It has a full-sized HDMI port that's key for a camera with RAW video output, and USB-C for capturing internal video.The S5 IIX also includes dual UHS-II SD card slots, headphone and mic ports, plus the same battery as the original S5, GH6 and other models. You can get about 370 shots on a charge by CIPA stands, fewer than most of its rivals. For video, you can shoot for about 45 minutes at 4K 60p, again, a touch less than rivals.If you're planning to rig the S5 IIX to use SSDs, many folks are using the SmallRig universal holder with a hotshoe mount, though any clamping type device will work (I'm using a smartphone tripod mount from Joby). If you need to use a shotgun microphone along with the SSD, you may need to mount it elsewhere on the camera, though, or use a cage. As for SSDs, Panasonic lists models from Samsung and SanDisk compatible with the GH6 (which has the same USB-C feature) and those should work for the S5 IIX as well. Other high-speed models should work as well.VideoYes, the S5 IIX is a hybrid camera, but video is the main attraction. With high-quality ProRes capture to an SSD, plus RAW video over the HDMI port, it offers a lot of capability for the price.First, let's look at capture via the USB-C port. It supports internal 10-bit ProRes capture to supported SSDs, which is a huge benefit to videographers. Media is relatively cheap, and there's no need to transcode or even transfer footage - you can just hook up an external drive to a PC or Mac and start editing.Image by Steve Dent for EngadgetIn ProRes USB-C mode, there's a strange mix of recording formats. It captures 5.8K 17:9 30p footage in either ProRes HQ (1.6Gbps) or regular ProRes (1.1Gbps), but not at 16:9. It can only capture 17:9 C4K at 60p with a crop, or 30p supersampled video without a crop. But again, not 16:9 Ultra HD. The 17:9 part isn't a huge deal as you can crop the edges, but it's odd considering most vloggers shoot 16:9 UltraHD. Perhaps that's something Panasonic can address in a future update.Luckily, you can capture 16:9 5.9K 25p footage and 4K 60p and 30p at 16:9 in the .MOV format. The latter supports All-I with data rates up to 800Kbps when capturing to USB-C, which is nearly as good as ProRes quality-wise though a bit slower for editing.On top of that, you can record 12-bit ProRes RAW or Blackmagic RAW files to Atomos or Blackmagic recorders via HDMI. It supports recording up to 5.9K 30p at 16:9 and not 17:9, or the rather odd 4.1K 4,128 x 2,176 17:9 format. Again, not a huge issue as you can crop the sides, but also a bit weird.Image by Steve Dent for EngadgetAs with other Panasonic models, you can capture open gate" 6K 3:2 footage that uses every pixel on the sensor. That allows content creators to easily output both horizontal and vertical formats, but also to capture anamorphic video with supported lenses.Finally, you can record to regular old SD UHS-II cards. Where the S5 II is limited to recording longGOP files that aren't very easy to edit, the S5 IIX can do most formats using an All-I codec at up to 600Mbps.So how is the quality of all the video? Mostly excellent, depending on the format. 4K 30p video is supersampled, so it's extremely sharp. Panasonic's colors are accurate, quite natural and easier to work with than Sony's files, I find. Skin tones aren't as flattering as Canon offers, though.4K 60p video is cropped to an APS-C size which isn't ideal, considering Canon's like-priced R6 II has uncropped 4K 60p. Sharpness also drops a hair, as it's pixel-for-pixel instead of supersampled. 5.9K video is also captured on a pixel for pixel basis, but I like that format as it allows for a lot of cropping options.Compared to other mirrorless cameras with the same resolution, it has good low-light capability. The Dual ISO system does a good job keeping noise down at ISOs as high as 12,800 or even 25,600.Image by Steve Dent for EngadgetPanasonic's V-Log delivers extra dynamic range, particularly with ProRes. Of course the best option, quality-wise, is V-Log RAW video. That lets you edit video just as you would with RAW photos, with a lot of room to recover highlights and shadow details. With those things together, the S5 IIX delivers results in line with expensive, professional video cameras.Pros will also appreciate the new hybrid phase-detect autofocus. It's designed to eliminate the wobble inherent in Panasonic's past contrast-detect AF camera, and it does that very effectively.The S5 IIX offers continuous AF modes along with subject tracking, for both humans and animals. It's not quite up to Sony and Canon models like the A7 IV and R6 II, as subject tracking isn't quite as fast or reliable. However, it's as good or better than Nikon and Fujifilm's latest models.Image by Steve Dent for EngadgetThe S5 II has updated in-body stabilization borrowed from the GH6, and it's powerful and impressive - the best on any camera on the market for video. It can't match a gimbal, of course, but the electronic mode smooths out steps much better than the S5, despite some side-to-side sway.It also has a Boost IS" for handheld video with no movement, keeping shots locked off like the camera's on a tripod. One cool feature not seen on too many other cameras is full stabilization support for anamorphic lenses (most types) via a setting.And finally, it supports high audio quality either through the mic port or an XLR adapter that attaches to the hotshoe.PhotographyIf you need to use the S5 IIX for photography from time to time, it's not bad at all. You can shoot at up to 7 fps with the mechanical shutter or 30 fps in electronic mode. The buffer is quite impressive, as it allows for 200 shots in RAW before throttling. Oddly though, a USB-C drive doesn't improve that number much compared to an SD card.The autofocus can keep up as well, but as with video, it's not quite as fast or smart as the AF on recent Sony cameras. It's particularly noticeable when using the AI subject modes - for example, it can lose a subject's eyes if they turn their heads. Tracking is also a bit more limited than Sony and Canon models. Still, for vlogging and most types of content creation, it performs well.The stabilization system is rock solid for photos. And photo quality is outstanding, with dynamic range comparable to Sony and Nikon's latest models. You also get natural looking colors and skin tones. It also shines in low light situations thanks to the stabilization, dual ISO system and relatively large pixels.Wrap-upImage by Steve Dent for EngadgetWhen I reviewed the S5 II earlier this year, I said that its biggest competition would be the X version, and now I'm sure of that. Simply put, this is a $2,200 near-professional camera with the image quality and most of the features a content creator needs.The new autofocus is good but not quite up to the Sony A7 IV, and it lacks full-frame 4K 60p video like the Canon R6 II. It's far better for video than both of those models, though, thanks to the ProRes and other features nowhere to be found in either rival model. And the AF is as good or better than you'll find on like-priced Nikon and Fujifilm models, with the focus wobble of past models a thing of the past.One thing that might give you pause is the L-Mount lens choice and value. However, Panasonic recently lowered the prices on key lenses, including this 24-70m f/2.8 model. It now has 14 of its own lenses, on top of 31 from Sigma. All told, if I was looking for a new camera system for around $2,000, I wouldn't hesitate to grab the S5 IIX.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/panasonic-s5-iix-review-power-and-value-in-one-vlogging-package-133058128.html?src=rss
Rumors about a Spotify HiFi tier have been around since at least 2017, and the company even announced plans to launch such a feature in 2021 - only to back off the next year. Now, the company may finally be ready to launch a high-fidelity plan (dubbed "Supremium" internally) that would be its most expensive tier, according to Bloomberg.The aim would be to drive more revenue and address investor demands that it raise its prices. Spotify reportedly delayed rolling out the plan back in 2021 as two of its primary rivals, Apple Music and Amazon Music, started including the feature for no charge in their standard plans.In addition, Spotify may enhance its regular Premium offering with expanded audiobook access, either through a certain number of free hours per month or a specific number of books (with an option to purchase more). Audiobooks are currently only available on Spotify via individual purchases.There's no word on whether audio would be lossless at up to 24-bit and 192kHz, as it is on Apple Music and Amazon Music. Lossless audio generally doesn't work on Bluetooth speakers or headphones (including Apple's AirPods and AirPods Max), due to the high bandwidth, so users need a wired or WiFi setup.Pricing hasn't been revealed, either. Spotify has kept its Premium plan at $9.99/month in the US, unlike Apple and Amazon, which raised their rates to $10.99. CEO Daniel Ek said in a recent earnings call that the company tries to balance subscriber growth with revenue, so pricing varies by region depending on which of those it's trying to boost. Earlier this month, the company announced that it would cut its staff by two percent, after laying off six percent of its workforce in January.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/spotify-may-finally-be-ready-to-launch-a-premium-hifi-audio-tier-123847826.html?src=rss
You can grab a power bank, a power strip and other charging accessories you may need at a discount right now from Anker's ongoing sale at Amazon. If you're looking for a small every day power bank or one that won't weigh down your bag too much when you travel, then you may want to check out Anker's 511 PowerCore Fusion 5K. The 5,000mAh power bank is currently on sale for $22.49, or 44 percent less than its retail price of $40. It's shaped like a tube of lipstick, though a bit bigger, with a built-in foldable plug that eliminates the need to carry a charger with you.The 511 PowerCore Fusion 5K comes with Anker's PowerIQ 3.0 fast charging feature, and the company says it can charge an iPhone 13 Pro in just 1.3 hours. Also, based on Anker's data, it can retain its maximum battery capacity of 90 percent even after 20 months of being charged once every two days.Anker's Amazon sale also has something for you if you're looking for a magnetic portable battery for your iPhone. The upgraded version of the Anker 622 Magnetic Battery (MagGo) model in Misty Blue is currently on sale for $40, which is 43 percent less than its retail price of $70. It has a 5,000mAh capacity and is only 0.5 inches thick, so you can still use your iPhone with one hand. Plus, it has a built-in kickstand that can prop up your mobile device.If what you really need is a new compact charger, then there's Anker's 521 Charger aka the Nano Pro. It has a 40-watt output and can charge a MacBook Air at full speed - it can also charge an iPad and an iPhone at full speed at the same time. The Nano Pro's list price is $37.67, but you can get it right now for $25.19. Finally, if you're looking for some USB-C-to-Lightning cables with a hard-wearing nylon exterior, Anker has a two-pack for sale, as well. The two-pack bundle for the six-feet cables will set you back $16, or 41 percent less than usual.Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ankers-charging-accessories-are-up-to-44-percent-off-in-amazon-sale-120519469.html?src=rss
Following his departure as host of The Daily Show last December, Trevor Noah is partnering with Spotify to launch a podcast, Variety first reported. Weekly episodes of the yet-to-be-named series should feature "in-depth and freewheeling" discussions with influential figures across the globe.The announcement came during a conversation between Noah and Spotify co-founder and CEO Daniel Ek at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity about connecting with audiences as a creator. Noah said he is excited to "engage in interesting and meaningful conversations with some of the world's most fascinating people. We'll also probably fix every single issue humankind has ever faced so you definitely want to join us for every episode."Noah credited the ability to record a podcast from anywhere in the world as one of the things that attracted him to the medium. The sentiment reflects part of his reasoning behind leaving The Daily Show after seven years: "I miss learning other languages and going to other countries and putting on shows. I miss just being everywhere, doing everything."The news comes only days after Spotify and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex parted ways. The reported $25 million deal led to the creation of a single podcast in three years, Archetypes. Over 12 episodes, Meghan Markle interviewed well-known figures - including Noah - about the stereotypes women face. Unlike Archetypes, which was exclusive to Spotify, Noah's upcoming podcast will be available on other platforms.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/trevor-noah-is-launching-a-weekly-talk-show-podcast-on-spotify-113516329.html?src=rss
Maybe Android tablets aren't dead after all. Maybe they just needed a smart display dock and a beguiling kickstand/hanger... thing to make them more functional. According to Engadget's Cherlynn Low, the $500 Pixel Tablet is not a particularly exciting tablet, but it is an intriguing smart display.EngadgetWith its charging speaker dock and $80 case, Google presents a far more compelling proposition. There are some unusual quirks, especially with Chromecasting, but it's a stylish hybrid display with a lot going for it. Check out the full review right here.- Mat SmithThe Morning After isn't just a newsletter - it's also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.The biggest stories you might have missedApple Watch Series 8 is back on sale for $329The best smart scales for 2023 Opera's generative AI-infused browser is ready for the masses The FCC is preparing to take a 'fresh look' at internet data capsIt's also looking to see if it can legally 'take actions' against them.Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairperson Jessica Rosenworcel wants to open a formal Notice of Inquiry into the impact of internet data caps on consumers. The regulator will also consider "taking action" to ensure data caps don't harm competition or impact access to broadband services."Internet access is no longer nice-to-have, but need-to-have for everyone, everywhere," Rosenworcel said. "When we need access to the internet, we aren't thinking about how much data it takes to complete a task, we just know it needs to get done." Rosenworcel would be unable to take any action on data caps at the moment, though. The FCC currently has just four members (two Democrats and two Republicans), as the Senate refused to confirm President Biden's first nominee, Gigi Sohn, and she subsequently withdrew her name for consideration.Continue reading.The best E Ink tablets for 2023Scribble to your heart's content.EngadgetE Ink tablets combine the feeling of writing in a regular notebook with many of the conveniences of digitized documents. With them, you can take with you and scribble all of your notes on one device. Unlike regular tablets and styli, though, E Ink tablets are nowhere near as ubiquitous - they remain a worthwhile purchase to only a very select group of people. Is that you? And if so, what are your best options?Continue reading.Black Mirror' finds new life in our modern hellscapeSeason six brings plenty of old and new elements to the series.In the three years since Black Mirror's previous season, we've had a global pandemic, watched a US president trigger a mob attack on the Capitol and we're talking about AI everywhere. According to Engadget's Devindra Hardawar, season six of Black Mirror, which hit Netflix last week, is the series at its best: shocking, incisive and often hilarious.Continue reading.Samsung brings its self-repair program to the UKGalaxy S20, 21 and S22 owners can replace the screen, back glass and charging ports.Samsung has announced its self-repair program is now available in the UK and other European countries, after launching in the US last year. Users can access tools and parts needed to fix supported devices, namely the Galaxy S20, S21 and S22 smartphones, along with the Galaxy Book Pro regular and Galaxy Book Pro 360 laptops.In addition to the UK, the program will be available in Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden. Samsung collaborated with iFixit in the US, but parts distributors ASWO and 2Service will handle sales and distribution of the repair kits in Europe.Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-the-verdict-on-googles-pixel-tablet-111558309.html?src=rss
Philips Hue is introducing some new features that make it easier to match brightness levels on different lights and fine-tune motion sensor automation, manufacturer Signify announced. The company also unveiled three new lighting products, including a bulb and two panels, though only in the UK, it appears.The first update is called brightness balancer, developed in response user requests. If you have multiple lights in the same room with different brightness levels, the feature makes it easier to balance them by dimming bright lights more than dim lights. That allows users to create even lighting or "decide which part of the room gets the spotlight when you are syncing to your TV, movies, games or music," Philips said.The other feature enhances the functionality of Philips Hue motion sensors. Right now, the Philips Hue bridge app only supports two time slots for automating light conditions when a sensor detects movement, for instance cool in the morning and warm in the evening. With the update, you'll be able to customize lighting conditions based on motion sensors with a total of 10 times lots when motion is detected. "The natural light scene can be selected as part of these time slots, to mimic the sun throughout the day," the company noted.PhilipsIn the UK, Philips also introduced the E14 luster bulb (30 for a 1-pack or 55 for a 3-pack), based on its smallest golf ball-sized bulb, offering millions of shades of white and color light. It also has a pair of new panel lights, the Surimu panel starting at 210 for the 300x300mm model, along with the Aurelle (above) in black, priced at 150 for a 300x300 panel. All of the lights arrive today in the UK, and the new Hue Bridge features are set to launch in Q3 2023.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/philips-hue-lights-are-getting-brightness-balancing-and-better-motion-sensor-automations-105005772.html?src=rss
Terraform Labs founder Do Kwon is wanted in South Korea and the US for a scheme that lost investors $40 billion when the company's cryptocurrency plummeted last year - but, for now, he will sit in a Montenegrin prison. Kwon has been found guilty on charges of forging official documents and sentenced to four months in jail after a late March arrest while trying to board a flight to Dubai from Podgorica Airport with fake Costa Rican passports, local newspaper Vijesti reported. Han Chang-joon, Terraform Labs' former finance officer, was also charged and sentenced on the same count. The pair were also found to have forged Belgian passports in their luggage, as well as computers sought by both the South Korean and US authorities.Kwon and his associates marketed TerraUSD and Luna as stablecoins pegged to the US dollar, purportedly giving them more, well, stability. They collapsed in May 2022 and took many of their investors' life savings along with them, with these individuals subsequently filing complaints that Kwon had run a Ponzi scheme. South Korea first announced an arrest warrant against Kwon and five associates last September, but he, his family and some of Terraform Labs' finance employees had already fled to Singapore, where the company had registered. Interpol soon put Kwon on the "red notice" list at the request of Korean authorities, signaling law enforcement worldwide to arrest him. Montenegrin authorities cited this as another reason for arresting Kwon.The US Securities and Exchange Commission charged Kwon in February with failing to "provide the public with full, fair, and truthful disclosure as required for a host of crypto asset securities, most notably for LUNA and Terra USD. We also allege that they committed fraud by repeating false and misleading statements to build trust before causing devastating losses for investors." The US District Court in Manhattan publicly released an indictment against Kwon with eight counts, including securities fraud and conspiracy, following his arrest.Though Montenegro doesn't have extradition treaties with the US or South Korea, the idea is still on the table. The four-month jail sentence comes shortly after Montenegrin authorities increased their custody stay by six months while determining if and how to proceed with the two nation's extradition requests.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/terraform-labs-founder-do-kwon-handed-four-month-sentence-in-montenegro-100507468.html?src=rss
Vimeo is one of the latest companies to launch AI-powered tools of its own, and as you'd expect, they're geared towards making it easier for creators to edit their videos. The video hosting platform says most people "lack the skills, time, or resources to effectively create and edit videos," and these features are meant to eliminate those barriers.Perhaps the most useful of the three new AI tools is the text-based video editor that can automatically delete long pauses and parts of the video with filler words, such as "um" and "ah," with just a single click. Users will also be able to easily remove any part of the video they want by searching for certain words in the transcript that the tool generates and then clicking delete. If they want to create short clips for social media, they can search the transcript for a specific word, highlight and right-click on the word, sentence or paragraph, and then select "keep only this."Vimeo has also launched a script generator that can conjure a full script based on a text prompt written by the user, the intended video length and the "tone" (such as confident, funny or casual) they choose. According to TechCrunch, it's powered by OpenAI's GPT technology, made into a part of the editing suite through its API. Finally, the company has introduced an on-screen teleprompter that can display scripts with the font size and the pacing the user sets. It could help creators stay on script while maintaining eye contact with the camera.All three tools will be available in July as part of Vimeo's Standard and Pro subscription plans. While users can test them as part of those plans' seven-day trial period, they ultimately have to pay at least $20 a month (when billed annually) to be able to keep using them.VimeoThis article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/vimeos-new-ai-powered-editing-tools-are-designed-for-beginners-091529203.html?src=rss
With a new update, WhatsApp wants to make spam calls less annoying and let users select the optimal privacy settings, the company announced. The first feature, called Silence Unknown Callers, does exactly that - the calls won't ring on your phone, but will appear in your call list, in case the call is important but you have to respond. For most users, that should offer a decent blend of practicality and privacy.And speaking of privacy, WhatsApp also introduced a feature called Privacy Checkup. "Selecting Start checkup' in your Privacy settings will navigate you through multiple privacy layers that strengthen security of your messages, calls, and personal information," the company said. Doing so provides options like "Choose who can contact you," "Control your personal info," "Add more privacy to your chats" and "Add more protection to your account."WhatsAppWhatsApp also released an emotional new video encouraging users to check in on friends they may be concerned about. The company even provides a template: "Hey, I've been thinking about you. I'm here if you need to chat. No one else can see this but us. And you can also turn on disappearing mode or use the chat lock feature." It's a way for WhatsApp to promote key privacy features - chat lock was just introduced last month, for example. It could also be counterprogramming to the notion that chat lock is tailor made for cheaters, as many commenters pointed out when it launched. The new features are now rolling out.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/whatsapp-can-now-automatically-silence-unknown-callers-082512152.html?src=rss
The Pixel Tablet is like an emotionally unstable partner. On good days, it's reliable and helpful, always ready to listen and support me. Every now and then, though, I feel gaslit and annoyed by its inconsistencies and mixed messages. This might be because Google's latest tablet/smart-display hybrid straddles two product categories: one at which it excels and another where it's just adequate. As a smart display, the Pixel Tablet mostly shines. It has a useful dashboard, an easy-to-read interface and impressive audio quality. As a tablet, it's decent, but doesn't blow me away. Throw in the case that Google made though, and it immediately becomes more versatile. At $500 with an included charging speaker base, the Pixel Tablet is a compelling marriage of two products with a reasonable price.Hardware and designIf we do the math, since you can buy additional speaker docks for $120 each, this means the tablet basically costs $380. But it certainly doesn't feel like a sub-$400 device. While the nano-ceramic coating isn't outstanding to look at, it lends a glass-like sensation to the back that makes it feel more expensive. Impressively, the Pixel Tablet manages to weigh just 1.09 pounds (493 grams), making it lighter than the Galaxy Tab S8 and the OnePlus Pad. Though, it's still heavier than the iPad Air.The review unit Google sent was the Rose color option, which is pleasant and inoffensive. It's the most exciting out of the three colors (black and white being the other two, so that's not saying much), and it blends (or blands) well with my living space. I prefer the green hue of the OnePlus Pad, but it's worth noting that when I handed the Pixel Tablet to my colleague Nathan Ingraham, who recently reviewed the $480 OnePlus Pad, he thought Google's device felt more premium.Photo by Cherlynn Low / EngadgetWhat really sets the Pixel Tablet apart from other recent Android slates is the fact that it's designed to attach to a charging speaker base and double as a smart display. Now, let's not forget other devices do this, primarily numerous Amazon and Lenovo tablets with a Show mode that turns them into Alexa-enabled screens. But it's a first for the Google ecosystem.Before I get to how the Pixel Tablet works as a smart display, though, a quick word on its appearance. If you've seen one Google Home product, you've basically seen them all. The Pixel Tablet, when docked on the speaker, looks almost exactly like the Nest Hub Max. It has the same rounded rectangle shape, white bezel surrounding the 11-inch screen and the base has a similar mesh fabric covering to the rest of the company's smart home products. Again, it's inoffensive and pleasant but doesn't stir my heart the way a West Elm or Article ornament does. (I know, I'm basic.)As a smart displayI was excited to stick the Pixel Tablet on the chest of drawers (from Article) in my bedroom so I could watch shows on it instead of having to buy a second TV or play them on my phone. Google cautioned against having multiple Assistant-enabled devices in one room, and I should have disconnected the Nest Mini speaker I already had on my nightstand. But it didn't create too many problems during the few days I had them both in there - when I said Hey Google" while standing nearer the small speaker, the volume of the video playing on the Pixel Tablet dipped so I could be heard more clearly.After a week, I can now confidently remove the Nest Mini. Not only is the Pixel Tablet adept at hearing my commands, it also offers much better audio quality and is simply more useful. That's kind of an obvious statement - of course, a display would be more versatile than a speaker alone. But I'm surprised at the improvement in sound from the speaker dock, since it's not much bigger than the Mini. It provided ample bass in my endless binging of The Weeknd and Jay Chou playlists, while trebles and voices sounded crisp.Photo by Cherlynn Low / EngadgetI'm not the sort of person to hover in front of a smart display to fiddle with my connected home controls, nor do I have people over often enough that I need some kind of guest-friendly interface to turn on my lights. For those who do, though, the Pixel Tablet's Hub Mode is likely very useful. Tapping on the house icon at the bottom left of the lock screen brings up a dashboard showing all devices in your home, and you'll be able to monitor your camera feeds, switch lamps on and more. Guests will also be able to ask the Assistant to set timers, alarms, play music and more without needing to unlock your tablet, as long as you've set the permissions properly.Lack of visitors aside, it's easy to see things on the Pixel Tablet's screen whenever I set foot in my room, no matter how dark or bright it is. At night, the display goes into a dim mode that shows the time in large font but isn't so bright that it burns your retinas. Since my dresser is in the furthest corner away from the door, it's nice not to have to squint to see info like the time, countdowns or the temperature. And like a true narcissist, I also set the Pixel Tablet to show a rotating stream of photos of my favorite people (mostly me).Not that any of this is unique to the Pixel Tablet, by the way. The Nest Hub Max has similarly larger fonts for timers and other info, and the photo frame feature is basically a staple of any smart display.Back to the main thing I wanted to use this tablet for, though: as a TV substitute. Since it's the first tablet to be a Chromecast receiver, the Pixel Tablet can be controlled remotely with your phone as it streams from apps like YouTube, Disney+, Hulu and more. Of course, other larger smart displays like the Nest Hub Max can also do this, and since this doesn't work on the Pixel Tablet when it's not docked, it's not really a tablet you can cast to. We're getting really technical with definitions here, but in practical use, it means you can't cast to the Pixel Tablet when you have it hanging or propped up elsewhere in your home, for example. It's not a problem, but it limits the versatility of this feature.Photo by Cherlynn Low / EngadgetInterestingly, Netflix doesn't support Chromecasting to the tablet, unlike the other apps. It's all the more strange considering it works on Google's other larger smart displays. I also encountered a bug where YouTube refused to cast videos from a specific channel, saying they weren't allowed when I was in Restricted mode. But none of the devices I was logged into had that setting enabled. Other reviewers I spoke to didn't have this issue, so this might be a bug specific to my setup.It did infuriate me though, because it's easier to Chromecast my favorite commentary videos since I can skip ads or add more titles without having to drag myself out of bed. Sadly, I had to do just that since I ended up playing them via the native YouTube app. My hatred for this bug grew each time I had to get out and hit Skip ads" on the screen. (No, you won't convince me to get YouTube Premium.) This small bug aside, though, Chromecasting is a nice touch on the Pixel Tablet, even if it isn't unique.I have multiple Google Home products in my apartment, and some of my issues with the Pixel Tablet as a smart display are ecosystem-wide instead of specific to the device. For instance, when I set up an Automation through the Home app, I wanted it so that saying I'm home" would start a playlist on the pair of Nest Audios in my living room. However, at the moment only the device that heard you can be the one playing the music. You can't decide which of your connected speakers does the action.Depending on the way your home is set up, like if you have a Mini in your entryway and prefer your beefier living room system to be the output, this might be frustrating. Luckily for me, the correct devices heard me most of the time, and I almost always got my desired outcome.Photo by Cherlynn Low / EngadgetThat's more of a complaint about Google's smart home system instead of just the Pixel Tablet, which frankly I am pretty happy with. Not only is it a good connected display, but it's also useful as a second screen when sat next to my laptop.Since it runs full Android, I can have apps like Solitaire or Slack open on it while I work on a review. You can also take video calls through Meet, Zoom, Teams or more, using the 8-megapixel webcam up top. The angle at which the speaker dock props up the tablet makes for a very unflattering shot, though. To mitigate that, Google built in an auto-framing feature that kicks in whenever you take a Meet call while connected to the base. It only works with Meet, though, so you'll have to rely on third-party apps to provide their own solutions.I found that removing the tablet and propping it up with the kickstand on Google's case made for the best view. In fact, I'm pretty much in love with this accessory.As a tabletLook, a kickstand on a tablet isn't a groundbreaking concept. Lenovo made tablets with built-in stands that also worked as hangers years ago, while Surface devices have featured similar mechanisms for ages. But neither Lenovo's Yoga Tablet nor any of the Surfaces doubled as smart displays. Google was also thoughtful enough to build the kickstand so that it wouldn't get in the way of attaching the tablet to the speaker. In fact, the ring-shaped kickstand almost perfectly encircles the dock when folded into the case.What I love about the kickstand-hanger-combo is that it allows you to place the Tablet pretty much anywhere. So when I want to hang it off a kitchen cabinet to follow along with a recipe video or keep watching Love Is Blind for example, I can. And though the 2,560 x 1,600 LCD panel isn't as vibrant as the OLED on Samsung's Galaxy Tabs, it still produced crisp details and colorful images.I've waxed poetic about the case, but it's not without flaws. The way it wraps around the power button makes accessing the fingerprint sensor difficult. The cases Google sent us for review are pre-production samples, though, so it's possible the company will improve this before launch.I also played endless rounds of Solitaire with the tablet propped up on my table while I had dinner and watched TV. That's honestly what most tablets are good for - entertainment - , but often not much else. Google does offer some multitasking features in Android, but it doesn't make a keyboard specifically for the Pixel Tablet.Photo by Cherlynn Low / EngadgetYou can connect your own Bluetooth keyboard, of course, but Android L still isn't the best platform for productivity. Yes, you can run two apps side by side or drag and drop pictures between things like WhatsApp and Gmail. And plenty of first-party and third-party apps support this feature and are now optimized for larger screens. But quirks persist.When you drag the vertical divider to resize apps, for example, you'll sometimes need to relaunch them. It happens often when you shrink something down from taking up half the screen to about a third. The system will ask you to tap a button to re-open it, at which point it changes to the smartphone version. Thankfully, relaunching an app doesn't take long, and when I had to do this with the New York Times crossword, it opened again exactly where I left off instead of forcing me to start over from the home page.The new taskbar that Google introduced on the Pixel Tablet makes it easier to launch apps in split screen, though the gesture takes a bit to get used to. Like the row of predicted apps in the Android app drawer, this taskbar will study your habits and over time, start to surface things it suspects you want.Another thing that the Pixel Tablet might be good for, in theory, is drawing and taking notes. Though Google does make a $30 stylus for the device, it did not send samples along with review units, so I wasn't able to test it for this review.Here's the thing: I barely used the Pixel Tablet undocked. I rarely felt the need to pick it up, unless my phone was dead and I wanted to play more Solitaire. The upside of always placing the Tablet on its dock is that when I do want a larger screen for reading, more immersive gaming or watching movies on the go, the Tablet is always charged and ready for me.Photo by Cherlynn Low / EngadgetBecause of that, it was challenging to get a real sense of the day-to-day battery life. Whenever I was done with the few moments I needed the device, I instinctively placed it back on the dock, where it would slowly juice back up.When you do need the tablet to last you longer than a few moments in your home, though, it's more than up to the task. On our video rundown battery test, the Pixel Tablet clocked 21 and a half hours at 50 percent brightness, which is more than the longest international nonstop flights.If you ever do run out of juice, it takes the Pixel Tablet about three hours to get back to fully charged if you use a cable. On the speaker dock, Google optimizes charging to preserve battery life, maintaining it at about 90 percent instead of fully topping it off. I haven't measured if the charging speed here is slower than with a wire, especially since I'm not usually in a hurry to pick the tablet back up after docking it.Wrap-upMaybe Android tablets aren't dead after all. Maybe all they needed was a dock to call home and kickstand/hanger that made them more functional. But, despite its name, the Pixel Tablet is far less exciting as a tablet than a smart display. With its charging speaker dock and $80 case, Google presents a far more compelling proposition for its latest product. And despite some quirks, I've found life with the Pixel Tablet to be enjoyable, and most of its problems seem solvable. I can only hope Google keeps working on it and doesn't unceremoniously cast the Pixel Tablet into its graveyard of unloved products. With some software updates, there's a potentially bright future for the Pixel Tablet.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-pixel-tablet-review-clever-accessories-transform-an-unexciting-tablet-070147119.html?src=rss
Opera says its generative AI-infused browser is ready for public consumption. Opera One is now out of early access. It's more broadly available on Windows, Mac and Linux. You can download it from the company's website.Opera features an integrated AI called Aria that you can access from the sidebar. You can use a keyboard shortcut (CTRL or Command and /) to start using Aria as well. The AI is also available in Opera's Android browser starting today.The AI stems from Opera's partnership with ChatGPT creator OpenAI. Aria connects to GPT to help answer users' queries. The AI incorporates live information from the web and it can generate text or code and answer support questions regarding Opera products. In addition, Opera One can generate contextual prompts for Aria when you right click or highlighting text in the browser. If you prefer to use ChatGPT or ChatSonic, you can access those from the Opera One sidebar too.Opera says users don't have to engage with the browser's AI features if they don't want to. For one thing, you'll need to be logged into an Opera account to use Aria.Additionally, Opera One has a fresh look based on modular design principles. Opera says this will help the browser adapt to users' needs by surfacing key features. "The relevant modules within Opera One will adjust automatically based on context, providing the user with a more liquid and effortless browsing experience," it wrote in a blog post.Opera is hoping to clean up tab clutter as well with a feature it calls tab islands. Opera One uses context to group related tabs together such as hotels and routes you might be looking at for a trip itinerary, or all the Google Docs you have open for a work project.Meanwhile, Opera has retooled the browser under the hood. It employed a new architecture with a multithreaded compositor in the aim of offering a faster and smoother user interface. The company says this approach will also help it add new features and make Opera One stand out from other browsers based on Chromium. It said more AI-focused updates are in the pipeline for later this year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/operas-generative-ai-infused-browser-is-ready-for-the-masses-070013098.html?src=rss
Sennheiser is the next big brand to offer over-the-counter hearing aids, and it's clearly aiming at people who are already fans of its personal audio hardware. The newly introduced All-Day Clear (shown below) and All-Day Clear Slim (above) both include a charging case that behaves much like those you'd get with the Momentum True Wireless line or other Bluetooth earbuds. While the aids last up to 16 hours on a charge, this should save you hassles when it's time to top up.Not surprisingly, Sennheiser claims strong audio quality with smart scene detection that optimizes voices based on the environment. You can customize the sound for your hearing levels through a mobile app within five minutes, the company says. And if you're ready to tune others out, you can listen to music like you would with regular wireless earbuds.SennheiserYour choice mainly comes down to dimensions and price. The hearing aids will be available in mid-July starting at $1,400 for the standard All-Day Clear, and $1,500 for the All-Day Clear Slim. An In-Clinic Care Package will also be available if you'd still like professional help.These aren't the most affordable or compact over-the-counter hearing aids. Sony's CRE-C10, for instance, is billed as one of the smallest options on the market and delivers up to 70 hours of battery life. Lexie's Bose-powered B1 currently costs $849. Sennheiser's devices are still far less expensive than prescription models (typically $1,000 or more per ear), mind you, and may be worth the extra outlay if the quality matches the brand's reputation.The launch isn't surprising, at least. Sennheiser sold its consumer audio business to Sonova, a hearing aid specialist, in 2021. This was meant to expand Sonova's audience to a younger crowd while giving Sennheiser the chance to focus on its pro products. From now on, the two companies are working together - products like the All-Day Clear can theoretically benefit from the expertise of both firms.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sennheisers-first-over-the-counter-hearing-aids-come-with-a-modern-charging-case-050001207.html?src=rss
This is a good moment to get an Apple smartwatch if you're more concerned about price than anything else. Amazon is once more selling the Apple Watch Series 8 with a 41mm case and GPS for $329, or a steep $70 discount that's very nearly a record low. This applies to all but the Product Red color, and you'll also see bargains for cellular and 45mm models.The Apple Watch Series 8 may be an iterative update, but it remains our favorite overall smartwatch. You can expect brisk performance, an exceptional display, solid fitness tracking and robust health features that include ECGs, blood oxygen monitoring, crash detection and a temperature sensor for sleep and reproductive cycle tracking. More importantly, there's a strong ecosystem that includes a wide range of third-party apps as well as tight integration with other Apple products. You can seamlessly switch AirPods between your iPhone and watch, or unlock your Mac.The catch, aside from the iPhone requirement, is simply that Series 8 is several months old. We won't be surprised if there's an Apple Watch Series 9 in September. The current generation is much easier to justify at $329, though, and it will easily handle watchOS 10 when the software upgrade arrives later this year. And right now, this is arguably the best value in the lineup. While the second-generation Apple Watch SE is priced lower at $249, the gap is small enough that it may be worth the extra money for the 8's always-on display and more advanced health sensors.Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-watch-series-8-is-back-on-sale-for-329-141547847.html?src=rss
Samsung has announced that its self-repair program is now available in the UK and other European countries, after launching in the US last year. Users will be able to access tools and parts needed to fix supported devices, namely the Galaxy S20, S21 and S22 smartphones, along with the Galaxy Book Pro regular and Galaxy Book Pro 360 laptops."Samsung is working to extend the lifecycle of our devices to encourage users to experience the optimised performance of their Galaxy device for as long as possible," said Samsung's president and Head of Mobile eXperience, TM Roh. "We are committed to scaling access to our Self-Repair program around the world while improving the repairability of our products."In addition to the UK, the program will be available in Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden. Samsung collaborated with iFixit in the US, but parts distributors ASWO and 2Service will handle sales and distribution of the repair kits in Europe. The program is already live in parts of Europe, and will come to other regions including the UK by the end of June.Galaxy S20, S21 and S22 series owners will be able to replace the phone screen, back glass and charging ports. If you need to fix a Galaxy Book Pro, you'll have access to seven parts, including the case front, case rear, display, battery, touchpad, power key with fingerprint reader and rubber feet.Repair kits cost around 30 in Germany (UK pricing isn't yet available). For a Galaxy S20, the charging port and back panel are around 50, while the display costs 200. That climbs for newer and higher-end models, up to 310 for the Galaxy S22 Ultra display. Samsung has how-to videos and more on a dedicated support page.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-brings-its-self-repair-program-to-the-uk-125913488.html?src=rss
In February, Reddit revealed it had been the victim of a targeted phishing scheme that exposed internal docs, dashboards, code and contracts, along with some advertisers' and current and former employees' information. None of the data appears to have found its way to the public, but that could soon change. Ransomware gang BlackCat, also known as ALPHV, has just taken responsibility for the hack and claims to have 80GB of compressed data. In a post called "The Reddit Files," BlackCat announced it would delete the information if Reddit gives it $4.5 million and reverses API price increases.BlackCat captured the information through a scheme that saw employees receive "plausible sounding prompts" to visit a website designed just like Reddit's intranet gateway. One individual fell for the trick, allowing hackers to steal their login details and second-factor tokens. The person then self-reported their mistake, and it's believed the security breach didn't compromise Reddit users' personal information.Now, months later, the hackers have publicly revealed themselves in the midst of site-wide protests against API price hikes (yes, the same ones BlackCat is so admirably demanding be undone). The increased cost is forcing popular third-party apps like Narwhal and Apollo to shut down, with Apollo creator Christian Selig claiming he would need to spend $20 million per year to stay in business. Developers also fear losing third-party apps will lead to more censoring and less opportunity for growing ad revenue.A massive protest saw up to 8,000 subreddits go dark at one time, but the results are mixed, with Reddit doubling down on its plans. "These people who are mad, they're mad because they used to get something for free, and now it's going to be not free," Reddit CEO Steve Hoffman said in an interview with The Verge. He has also suggested making it easier to remove moderators who aren't making "popular" decisions. Though Reddit shows no signs of reversing its decision, some advertisers have paused on the site while blackouts continue.It's uncertain how, if at all, this new development will impact API prices, with Reddit yet to comment on whether it will meet the demands. BlackCat claims Reddit ignored its past two contact attempts, in April and June, and doesn't have much hope a public ultimatum will make a difference. "We are very confident that Reddit will not pay any money for their data," BlackCat stated in its post. "We expect to leak the data."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/reddit-hackers-demand-45-million-and-api-changes-in-threat-to-leak-80gb-of-data-114041164.html?src=rss
Tudum, Netflix's in-house mix of Comic Con and shareholder presentation, took place this weekend. The company used the moment to tease plenty of forthcoming projects, including its live-action remakes of One Piece and Avatar: The Last Airbender. It also showed off its adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning World War II novel All The Light We Cannot See.The streamer also revealed the first teaser for the adaptation of Liu Cixin's award-winning sci-fi novel The Three Body Problem. That has the distinction of being the first (finished) project to come from Game of Thrones co-creators / co-ruiners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss since all of that.But what's likely to be the biggest new release was the game show adaptation of blockbuster dystopia Squid Game, which will land in November. The series puts 456 contestants through a set of grueling challenges until one winner walks away with $4.56 million in prize money. Bear in mind that participants have already described their experiences on the show as absolutely inhumane," and plenty of contestants required medical attention during the challenges. Satire, eh?- Dan CooperThe Morning After isn't just a newsletter - it's also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.The biggest stories you might have missedThe Pixel 8 Pro could feature a flat displayMicrosoft confirms June Outlook and OneDrive outages were caused by DDoS attacksSony Bravia TV owners can soon take Zoom calls from the couch Google unexpectedly sells its domain-hosting business to SquarespaceSummer Game Fest 2023: All the games announced Biden administration announces $930 million in grants to expand rural internet accessMeta rolls back COVID-19 misinformation rules in many countriesTime to let people shout fire' in that crowded theater.Facebook's parent company has rolled back its slightly more active stance on COVID-19 misinformation. Late on Friday, it said it would loosen the rules in territories which no longer have the pandemic listed as an active public health emergency. In those countries, like the US, users should expect a spike in mistruths, conspiracy theories and other nonsense. If you lost a loved one, either to the pandemic itself or one of its second-order effects, consider this a pointed insult to their memory from Mark Zuckerberg straight to you.Continue Reading.Google's designers on why the Pixel Fold isn't just another foldableLearn all about the trials of making a folding phone.GoogleSamsung's dominance of the foldables space puts pressure on new entrants, like Google, who can't be seen to be playing catch-up. Ahead of the launch of the Pixel Fold, Sam Rutherford sat down with two of the people behind the device, George Hwang and Andrea Zvinakis. The trio discussed the importance of that front-facing display, the challenges of developing software for multi-screened devices and why we still need to be smart with hinges. Read on to learn all of the thought that goes into building something that'll be under so much scrutiny.Continue Reading.The Reddit blackout is already forcing unexpected changesThird-party analytics data says the protests did cause a fall in traffic.Karissa Bell has written an exhaustive report into everything going on at Reddit right now, which is well worth your attention. As CEO Steve Huffman goes on the offensive, threatening to depose protesting moderators, this fight is already damaging the platform's reputation. Some communities are hunting out alternative venues, while some advertisers have pressed pause to sit out the unrest. And, much as Huffman's putting a brave face on things, analysts believe the protests did cause a noticeable drop in Reddit's daily traffic numbers.Continue Reading. Binance reaches deal with SEC to avoid US asset freezeA stay of execution, at least for now.Until the resolution of its lawsuit, the SEC will allow Binance to continue operating in the US. Officials sued the exchange for various alleged misdeeds and had initially sought to freeze its assets entirely, essentially putting it out of business. But a judge has forced a compromise, allowing Binance to keep going, doing just enough to safeguard its users' assets and enable withdrawals before the courtroom drama begins proper.Continue Reading. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-all-the-cool-things-netflix-showed-off-over-the-weekend-111523740.html?src=rss
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairperson Jessica Rosenworcel wants to open a formal Notice of Inquiry into the impact of internet data caps on consumers, according to an FCC document spotted by Ars Technica. The regulator will also consider "taking action" to ensure that data caps don't harm competition or impact access to broadband services, according to the letter."Internet access is no longer nice-to-have, but need-to-have for everyone, everywhere," Rosenworcel said in a statement. "When we need access to the internet, we aren't thinking about how much data it takes to complete a task, we just know it needs to get done. It's time the FCC take a fresh look at how data caps impact consumers and competition."With the Notice of Inquiry, the FCC would "seek comment to better understand why the use of data caps continues to persist despite increased broadband needs of consumers and providers' demonstrated technical ability to offer unlimited data plans," according to the letter.Rosenworcel would be unable to take any action on data caps at the moment, though. The FCC currently has just four members (two Democrats and two Republicans), as the Senate refused to confirm President Biden's first nominee, Gigi Sohn, and she subsequently withdrew her name for consideration. The White House has since nominated telecom attorney Anna Gomez, who appears to have the support of the telecom industry. A nomination hearing for Gomez is scheduled for this Thursday, June 22nd.During the COVID-19 pandemic, broadband provider Comcast temporarily removed data caps, but it continues to impose a 1.2TB data cap on certain contracts in some US regions. Charter's deal with the FCC to not impose data caps on its Spectrum service (struck when it acquired Time Warner) ended this year, but the company recently said it has "no plans to [restart data caps] when the condition sunsets."Along with the proposed Notice of Inquiry, the FCC has opened a new portal to allow consumers to share how data caps have affected them (on fixed or wireless broadband networks) at fcc.gov/datacapstories. That will help the FCC determine how data caps impact access for everyone "including those with disabilities, low-income consumers, and historically disadvantaged communities, and access to online education, telehealth and remote work," the Commission wrote.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-fcc-is-preparing-to-take-a-fresh-look-at-internet-data-caps-084245899.html?src=rss
Between all the trailers Netflix shared yesterday during its Tudum event for properties like One Piece and 3 Body Problem, you may have missed some of the more grounded dramas the company was promoting at the same time. One of those was its upcoming adaption of Anthony Doerr's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, All The Light We Cannot See. Netflix shared a new teaser for its four-part miniseries of the same name.If you haven't read Doerr's excellent 2014 novel, All The Light We Cannot See is set during the Second World War and follows Marie-Laure, a blind French girl, and Werner, a German orphan who is conscripted into the Nazi war machine at the start of the conflict. The two are connected to one another over the radio. Doerr's lyrical prose is a highlight, but so is the novel's attention to detail, with much of the narrative unfolding in the town of Saint-Malo.In addition to a star-studded cast that includes Mark Ruffalo, as well as Aria Mia Loberti and Louis Hofmann as the story's protagonists, All The Light We Cannot See features some noteworthy talent behind the camera. Steven Knight, best known for his work on Locke, Spencer and Peaky Blinders, wrote the adaption, while Stranger Things producer Shawn Levy directed the series. All The Light We Cannot See will start streaming on November 2nd, giving you some time to read the source material if you're so inclined.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/netflix-shares-teaser-for-world-war-ii-drama-all-the-light-we-cannot-see-211706050.html?src=rss
If Google’s Pixel Pro family has had your interest for a while, but the thought of using a phone with a curved display prevented you from buying the Pixel 7 Pro or Pixel 6 Pro, the Pixel 8 Pro could be interesting. According to an Android Authority report published Saturday, Google’s next flagship will feature a flat display.After writing last week about the camera upgrades Google has planned for the Pixel 8 family, leaker Kamila Wojciechowska says the Pixel 8 Pro will sport a 6.7-inch OLED panel sourced from Samsung with a 1,344 x 2,992 resolution and 490 PPI pixel density. If you don’t have a Pixel 7 Pro on hand, each figure is slightly smaller than the specs offered by Google’s current flagship, which features a curved 6.71-inch display with a 1,440 x 3,120 resolution and 512 PPI pixel density. However, according to Wojciechowska, the Pixel 8 Pro’s screen will get much brighter, reaching 1,600 nits of peak brightness – compared to 1,000 nits on the Pixel 7 Pro – when displaying HDR content. Additionally, the 120Hz panel will be able to transition more smoothly between refresh rates.As for the Pixel 8, it too is slated to receive a new display. Interestingly, the device will reportedly feature a smaller screen than the one found on the Pixel 7. Android Authority claims the phone will ship with a 6.17-inch screen that has a 1,080 x 2,400 resolution. That’s the same resolution as the Pixel 7’s 6.31-inch screen, meaning the new phone will offer a higher dot pitch. Moreover, the screen reportedly offers 1,400 nits of peak brightness, up from 1,000 on its predecessor, and a 120Hz refresh rate instead of 90Hz like the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7a. Speaking of Google’s latest mid-range phone, there have been rumors the 7a could be the company’s final a-Series phone, which may explain why the Pixel 8 reportedly comes with a smaller display.Android Authority reports both the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro will feature more rounded corners than Google’s current pair of high-end phones, corroborating a previous report from leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer. That change would make them easier to use with one hand. Between their new displays and the larger primary camera sensor Google reportedly plans to equip the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro with, the company’s new phones are shaping up nicely. Expect more information to come out about devices in the weeks and months leading up to their release later this year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-pixel-8-pro-could-feature-a-flat-display-200049745.html?src=rss
Earlier this month, a group known as Anonymous Sudan took credit for a service outage that disrupted access to Outlook, OneDrive and a handful of other Microsoft online services. After initially sharing little information about the incident, the company confirmed late Friday it had been the target of a series of distributed denial-of-service attacks. In a blog post spotted by the Associated Press (via The Verge), Microsoft said the attacks “temporarily impacted” the availability of some services, adding they were primarily designed to generate “publicity” for a threat actor the company has dubbed Storm-1359. Under Microsoft's threat actor naming convention, Storm is a temporary designator the company employs for groups whose affiliation it hasn’t definitively established yet.“We have seen no evidence that customer data has been accessed or compromised,” the company said. In a statement Microsoft shared with the Associated Press, the tech giant confirmed Anonymous Sudan was responsible for the attacks. It’s not clear how many Microsoft customers were affected by the attacks, or if the impact was global. The company believes Storm-1359 likely relied on a combination of virtual private servers and rented cloud infrastructure to carry out its operation.Per Bleeping Computer, Anonymous Sudan began carrying out cyberattacks at the start of 2023. At the time, the group claimed it was targeting countries that meddle in Sudanese politics and promote anti-Muslim policies. However, some cybersecurity researchers believe the group is in fact an offshoot of the Kremlin-affiliated Killnet gang, and the reference to Sudan is a false flag designed to mislead casual onlookers. The likelihood of that link became more apparent on Friday when Anonymous Sudan said it was forming a “Darknet Parliament” with Killnet and Revil, another pro-Russian gang. As a first order of business, the alliance threatened to target SWIFT, the international interbanking system the United States and European Union cut Russia off from in response to its invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-confirms-june-outlook-and-onedrive-outages-were-caused-by-ddos-attacks-173431319.html?src=rss
The Biden administration on Friday announced $930 million in grants designed to expand rural access to broadband internet. Part of the Department of Commerce’s “Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program,” the grants will fund the deployment of more than 12,000 miles of new fiber optic cable across 35 states and Puerto Rico. The administration said Friday it expects grant recipients to invest an additional $848.46 million, a commitment that should double the program's impact.“Much like how the interstate highway system connected every community in America to regional and national systems of highways, this program will help us connect communities across the country to regional and national networks that provide quality, affordable high-speed internet access,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said.
At its Tudum 2023 event today, Netflix revealed new trailers for two highly anticipated live-action adaptations of beloved animated series. One Piece gets a full trailer ahead of its August 31st premiere on the streaming service, while we’ll have to settle for a brief teaser trailer for Avatar: The Last Airbender, which won’t arrive until 2024.The 90-second One Piece trailer shows the cast and settings of the live-action take on the manga and long-running anime series. We see plenty of star Iñaki Godoy as the naive but kind protagonist Monkey D. Luffy, who can stretch like rubber. The other Straw Hat Pirate crew members are Mackenyu as Roronoa Zero, Emily Rudd as Nami, Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp and Taz Skylar as Sanji.Meanwhile, the 37-second Avatar: The Last Airbender teaser doesn’t give us any shots of the cast or environments from the live-action remake. Instead, we see symbols of the four nations (Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation and Air Nomads) fading in and out. Each includes a subtle audio cue corresponding to its element. Whenever we do finally see its cast, it will include Gordon Cormier as Aang, Kiawentiio as Katara, Ian Ousley as Sokka and Daniel Dae Kim as Fire Lord Ozai.You may recall from a few years back that Avatar: The Last Airbender original series creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko departed the project, raising questions about how faithful the new adaptation will be to the source material. “I realized I couldn’t control the creative direction of the series, but I could control how I responded,” DiMartino said in 2020. “So, I chose to leave the project. It was the hardest professional decision I’ve ever had to make, and certainly not one that I took lightly, but it was necessary for my happiness and creative integrity.” Still, he added at the time that the Netflix adaption “has the potential to be good.” We’ll have to wait until next year to find out.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/netflix-offers-a-peek-at-one-piece-and-avatar-the-last-airbender-live-action-adaptations-222828717.html?src=rss
When Samsung hosts its next Unpacked event in Seoul next month, the company is widely expected to announce a new Galaxy Z Flip device with a larger cover display. Now we have a better idea of exactly how much bigger the Z Flip 5’s external screen could be when it arrives later this year.An alleged marketing render shared by MySmartPrice (via The Verge) shows a phone with a secondary display that covers most of the front of the device when you have it flipped closed. MySmartPrice didn’t share the size of the cover display, but judging from the render, it’s significantly larger than the 1.9-inch one found on the Z Flip 4. Additionally, it appears Samsung has found a more elegant way to shape the display around the Z Flip 5’s main camera array than Motorola has done with the Razr+.MySmartPriceNaturally, a larger cover display would make it easier to frame selfies with the Z Flip’s main camera, but there are also some potential drawbacks. For one, a bigger secondary screen would impact battery life on the Z Flip 5 unless Samsung equips the phone with a higher-capacity battery. It’s also worth pointing out that a small cover screen is part of the Z Flip 4’s appeal. The minimal functionality it offers is a good way to partially unplug from the typical distractions that come with a smartphone while still having easy access to some information.Samsung is expected to announce the Galaxy Z Flip 5, alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 5, in late July. We’ll find out then if the company’s latest foldable display flip phone has a bigger screen.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/leaked-samsung-galaxy-z-flip-5-render-shows-a-bigger-cover-display-214020400.html?src=rss
Netflix just dropped the first reveal trailer for the forthcoming 3 Body Problem science fiction series at its Tudum fan event, along with a premiere month of January. This is a short delay for the anticipated series, as it was originally supposed to air this year.If the name of the show sounds familiar, it’s likely for two reasons. First of all, the showrunners are the former Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, along with Alexander Woo. Despite the bone-deep hatred among viewers for the final season of HBO’s fantasy epic, Benioff and Weiss are still a known quantity that could draw in some eyeballs.Secondly, 3 Body Problem is based on a highly successful book series, just like Game of Thrones, only this one is already finished. Let’s hear it for pre-existing endings! The book series, authored by Chinese writer Liu Cixin, is one of the most celebrated sci-fi epics of recent years, so we could be in for something special here.To that end, Netflix dropped a trailer that’s heavy on eye candy and light on story. That’s okay, though, as those who want spoilers can just read the books. Some of the actors set to star in the series include Benedict Wong (The Martian, Doctor Strange), Eiza González (Baby Driver) and Game of Thrones veterans John Bradley and Liam Cunningham.January is not that far off, so we don’t have long to wait until we learn all about the titular three bodies and any associated problems. Here’s hoping Benioff and Weiss earn back some goodwill with this show. At any rate, this is a much cooler idea than that weird alt history/slavery thing that the duo almost pushed through at HBO.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/netflixs-3-body-problem-first-look-confirms-january-2024-premiere-213927002.html?src=rss
Netflix is finally offering a peek at its Squid Game reality show. The streaming service has shared a teaser trailer for Squid Game: The Challenge, a competition series now set to premiere this November. The clip doesn't reveal much of how contestants will participate, but it's evident that Netflix is trying to recreate as much of the original production's atmosphere as possible — right down to the giant "red light, green light" doll. Without the bloodshed, of course.The 10-episode run has 456 people competing in events both "inspired" by Squid Game and new for the show. The winner receives a large $4.56 million prize, so there's a strong incentive to stick through to the end. Netflix filmed the series earlier this year.There's no mystery behind the existence of The Challenge: it's a bid to capitalize on the success of Squid Game. The Korean drama remains Netflix's most popular TV show of all time, with over 1.6 billion viewing hours as of June (even Stranger Things season 4 has 'just' over 1.3 billion). Given that Netflix is fond of spinoffs for popular shows, it may have just been a matter of time before the company built on demand for its best-known series.There isn't as much pressure to release Squid Game: The Challenge as there was upon its announcement in 2022, when Netflix dealt with rare subscriber losses. The company is in a stronger position as of mid-2023 — it added nearly 1.8 million subscribers in the first quarter, and appears to be reaping the rewards of a password sharing crackdown. The firm still faces stiff opposition from rivals like Amazon, Disney and Paramount, however, and a series like this could be key to growing viewership alongside expected blockbusters like 3 Body Problem and the next seasons of Bridgerton and The Witcher.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/netflixs-squid-game-reality-competition-show-debuts-this-november-204334075.html?src=rss
When more than 8,000 subreddits went dark for 48 hours earlier this week to protest Reddit’s forthcoming API changes, there were signs the action had an immediate effect on the platform. On the morning of the first day of the protest, Reddit suffered a “major outage” affecting its desktop and mobile websites, as well as mobile apps. Days later, company CEO Steve Huffman went on a media offensive where he attempted to cast aggrieved users and moderators, many of whom give countless hours of their free time to make Reddit the vibrant platform it is today, as unreasonable. “These people who are mad, they’re mad because they used to get something for free, and now it’s going to be not free,” he said in an interview with The Verge.But beyond those signs, it was hard to tell how much of a practical effect the protest had on the website’s traffic. Now we have a better idea. According to data provided to Engadget by internet analytics firm Similarweb, the impact was small but noticeable. On the day before the blackout began on June 12th, Similarweb logged more than 57 million daily visits to Reddit across desktop and mobile web clients. By the end of the first day of the protest, daily visits were below 55 million. Then, at the end of June 13th, Similarweb recorded fewer than 53 million daily visits to Reddit. Compared to the website’s average daily volume over the past month, the 52,121,649 visits Reddit saw on June 13th represented a 6.6 percent drop.Over that same time period, Similarweb recorded a more dramatic decrease in the amount of time Reddit users were spending on the platform. The day before the protest began, an average session on the website was about eight minutes and 31 seconds long. A day later, that metric fell to seven minutes and 17 seconds, or the lowest that stat has been in the past three years. Reddit did not immediately respond to Engadget’s comment request.Looking forward, a temporary drop in daily traffic is unlikely to affect Reddit’s near-term prospects. But as many subreddits continue to protest the company’s plans and its leadership contemplates policy changes that could change its relationship with moderators, the platform could see a slow but gradual decline in daily active users. That’s unlikely to bode well for Reddit ahead of its planned IPO and beyond.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/reddits-average-daily-traffic-fell-during-blackout-according-to-third-party-data-194721801.html?src=rss
In the three years since Black Mirror's previous (and somewhat disappointing) season, we've lived through a global pandemic, watched a US president trigger a mob attack on the Capitol, and AI has gone mainstream. We’re barreling towards the future faster than ever, but loneliness remains a key issue in modern life. What better time for Charlie Brooker to bring back his feel-bad series for another season?In 2019, I argued that Brooker was running out of things to say with the show, despite his deft ability to predict our tech-infused dystopia with Black Mirror's first few seasons. Something was lost with his transition to Netflix, which led to bigger budgets and more notable stars, but less of the sharp insight that made the show so memorable. (At least we got “San Junipero,” though.) Thankfully, a few years away from the project seems to have helped. Season six of Black Mirror, which hit Netflix on June 15th, is the series at its best: Shocking, incisive and often hilarious. It also finds new life by looking back into the past frequently, as well as exploring horror more directly than before.Minor spoilers ahead of Black Mirror season six."Joan is Awful" is the perfect way to kick off the new season – it's the most stereotypical Black Mirror setup. A disaffected big tech HR worker is surprised to find a show on Streamberry (an obvious Netflix stand-in) that recounts her daily life. That includes the cringeworthy layoff of a colleague (and supposed friend), and a therapist appointment where she reveals she's dissatisfied with her fiance.It's a relatable Millennial malaise setup, the sort of thing Charlie Brooker captured so well early on in the series. Joan, played by Schitt's Creek star Annie Murphy, says she doesn't feel like a main character in her own life, so she coasts through everything on autopilot, almost always taking the easiest and less confrontational option. You'd think that it would be illegal for a network to just recount her life for all of its subscribers — turns out, she should have read the Terms of Service more closely.I won't spoil where, exactly, that episode goes, or the familiar faces you end up seeing. But as the twists revealed themselves and it reached its inevitable bonkers conclusion, I couldn't help but smile. It was like Charlie Brooker shouting at me through the screen, "Black Mirror is back, baby!"NetflixWhat's truly surprising, though, is that this season of the series also feels refreshing in the ways it veers away from what we expect. "Loch Henry" is a fascinating exploration of our obsession with true crime dramas, and the impact they can have on the people affected by those stories. But aside from the presence of Streamberry as a service thirsty for true crime narratives, the story is more cultural than technology criticism.Sure, we have more tools than ever to make true crime documentaries – there's a drone being used to make sweeping aerial shots, and the digital cameras are perfectly suited to shooting in dimly lit basements – but the desire to tell and consume these stories is purely human. And when it comes to macabre drama we can't help ourselves.Black Mirror also gains some fresh perspective by exploring the past — or at least, timelines without smartphones and ubiquitous fast cellular internet. “Beyond the Sea” is an elegant yet brutal story set in 1969, focusing on two astronauts on a deep space mission who also wirelessly control mechanical bodies back on Earth. The episode is less interested in how any of that tech works — just accept the mystery, folks — and more about how it affects those astronauts, their families and society as a whole.It's not too surprising when deranged hippie cultists appear, believing that mechanoid people are an affront to humanity. Both astronauts, played by Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) and former heartthrob Josh Hartnett, are also trapped by the societal norms of the '60s. They may be world-class astronauts, but they're also men who can't share their feelings properly, who hit their kids to "keep them in line," and who have rigid expectations from the women in their lives. Beyond the Sea may not fully earn its tragic conclusion, but the journey is certainly powerful.I was surprised to see how much Black Mirror leans into pure horror this season: “Demon 79” is a direct callback to '70s horror films, from its explosive score to its overall aesthetic. The story revolves around an immigrant shoe sales clerk who inadvertently summons a demon, and is tasked with murdering three people to prevent the apocalypse. There isn't a sliver of tech involved — perhaps that’s why the opening credits refer to it as a "Red Mirror" episode. But it's still a fun horror romp, with plenty of subtext around the South Asian experience in '70s London (thanks to co-writer Bisha K. Ali, who also served as the showrunner for Ms. Marvel).“Mazey Day” also brings Black Mirror into fresh territory, but you're better off discovering how for yourself. I can reveal that its story of a young paparazzi photographer (Zazie Beetz) is a refreshing glimpse of the mid-2000's, filled with then cutting edge tech (the square iPod Shuffle! Dashboard GPS!), but also plenty of old school touches. You still needed big paper map books in that era, because GPS wasn't always reliable. And even though high speed internet was widely available, it wasn't unusual to find people still relying on dial-up in 2005.It’s impossible for Black Mirror to feel as fresh as it did over a decade ago. Since then, the downsides of Big Tech have become impossible to ignore. But at least now, especially with some extra time to craft these episodes, it seems like Charlie Brooker has found something new to say with the show.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/black-mirror-season-six-review-netflix-130015184.html?src=rss
Sony Bravia TVs will be the first hardware to support the upcoming Zoom for TV app on Google Play. Although remote work has dwindled as corporations beckon their underlings back to the office, those still enjoying work-from-home or hybrid arrangements could soon attend virtual meetings from their living room couches. It follows Apple’s WWDC 2023 announcement that FaceTime is coming to Apple TV (via mounted iPhones) later this year.Bravia TVs don’t have built-in webcams, so you’ll need to buy a Bravia Cam to make the setup work. In addition to enabling Zoom calls, the $200 accessory can adjust sound and picture settings based on your location and distance from the television. It also allows you to control your TV with hand gestures without picking up the remote, enables a proximity alert that detects when kids sit too close (as they’re wont to do) and adds a power-saving mode that dims the screen if nobody is watching.SonySony says the Zoom for TV app will be available for Bravia TVs “by early summer.” The company’s head of Bravia product design, Shusuke Tomonaga, said, “This partnership will make it possible for our customers to enjoy more realistic video communication on a large TV screen in the living room, enabling them to be more connected with the people they care about, whether they are working from home, learning remotely, or just catching up with friends and family.”This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sony-bravia-tv-owners-can-soon-take-zoom-calls-from-the-couch-213024871.html?src=rss
Meta is expanding the audience for Quest headsets by inviting preteens into the fold. The Facebook owner is lowering the age for Quest 2 and 3 accounts from 13 to 10 later this year by introducing parent-controlled accounts. Kids will need their parents' approval to set up accounts, download apps and block access to already-present software. Those adults can set time limits.The company says it's implementing strict privacy controls. Meta will provide "age-appropriate" app store experiences like recommendations if parents volunteer their child's age. It won't serve ads to kids, however, and parents will have the choice of whether or not data is used to refine the experience. These younger users' Meta Horizon profiles are private by default and will require approval for follows and active status updates. Horizon Worlds will still require that users are 13 and older.Meta portrays this as a boon for education. This could give kids virtual science lessons and a raft of educational games, the company says. Most educational titles on the store are rated for ages 10 and older, so there shouldn't be a shortage of material.Whether or not there's a trouble-free launch is another matter. Meta's policies theoretically comply with COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act), which bars collecting personal data from kids under 13 without parental consent. The New York Timessources claim Meta is already discussing its plans with regulators. However, there are concerns about safety. VR apps, particularly social ones, are sometimes prone to creeps, harassment and similar abuse. Meta can't necessarily shield young users against what happens inside third-party apps.There's also the question of whether or not it's healthy for children to use VR headsets in the first place. As Duke University optometrist Dr. Nathan Cheung explains to ZDNet, these wearables can introduce eye and neck strain that may be particularly problematic for kids with smaller bodies and developing eyes. There's also a lack of definitive research on how VR can affect depth perception and focusing. The technology isn't definitively dangerous for kids, but it's not guaranteed to be safe, either.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-will-lower-the-quest-headsets-recommended-age-from-13-to-10-211153535.html?src=rss
The last remnants of Virgin Orbit have been offloaded. Firefly Aerospace has agreed to buy the defunct satellite-launch company’s remaining assets for $3.8 million. Firefly’s purchase included the leftovers from a May auction that cleaned out most of the company’s possessions, netting $36 million in Virgin Orbit’s bankruptcy proceedings. Firefly’s purchase was reported in June 15th filings in a Delaware bankruptcy court (viaSpaceNews).Firefly Aerospace’s purchased assets include inventory at two of Virgin Orbit’s former Long Beach, CA, production facilities. Among them are engines and other components for Virgin’s LauncherOne vehicles and two additional engines stored at a Mojave, CA, test site. At last month’s auction, Virgin Orbit said it “deemed it in the best interests of the Debtors’ estates” to hang onto the remaining assets for the time being. Negotiations reportedly continued afterward, leading to this week’s sale to Firefly.Once-promising Virgin Orbit, a spinoff of Virgin Galactic specializing in the air-launching of satellite rockets from a modified Boeing 747, saw its stock nosedive in the months leading up to its downfall. Only four of the company’s six flights between 2020 and 2023 were successful, and its most recent attempt earlier this year reportedly failed because of a dislodged $100 fuel filter. The company began an “operational pause” in March as a last-gasp attempt to find new investors before filing for bankruptcy protection and finally throwing in the towel a couple of weeks later.Meanwhile, Firefly Aerospace, based in Cedar Park, TX, is developing a launch vehicle called Firefly Alpha. The two-stage, liquid-fueled rocket is designed to be launched from various sites. Its first attempt failed in 2021, but the rocket had a partially successful orbital launch the following year. The company expects to launch a third time for the US Space Force.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/firefly-aerospace-buys-the-final-scraps-of-doomed-virgin-orbit-193049970.html?src=rss
Bonnaroo takes place this weekend and, as with the last two years, you can watch the festival from the comfort of your home on Hulu. Through Sunday, the streaming service is offering two channels of live music coming to you from Manchester, Tennessee. You'll find the streams on the Hulu homepage or by searching for "Bonnaroo."This year's headliners are Kendrick Lamar, Odesza and Foo Fighters. There are many other notable names on the bill, including Three 6 Mafia, Jenny Lewis, Tyler Childers, Sheryl Crow, My Morning Jacket, Franz Ferdinand, Paramore and Pixies. As things stand, Hulu will show all of those artists' sets except for Lamar's. You can check the platform's website for the up-to-date schedule. Unfortunately, you won't be able to stream the sets on Hulu after the fact — you'll have to tune in live to catch them.You'll need to be a Hulu subscriber to watch the livestreams, but the service is offering a seven-day trial for new and eligible returning users. Hulu has been the streaming home of Bonnaroo since 2021, when it took over the rights from YouTube. Later this year, you'll be able to watch Lollapalooza and the Austin City Limits Music Festival on the platform as well.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/hulu-is-streaming-bonnaroo-this-weekend-for-the-third-year-in-a-row-190034636.html?src=rss
Google Domains is a quick and simple way to get a jumpstart on building your website, but now the company will soon leave that business. Today, Squarespace announced that it will acquire approximately 10 million domains from the search giant. The company expects the transaction to close in the third quarter of 2023.Under the purchasing agreement, Squarespace says that it will honor existing customer pricing for at least 12 months following the completion of the purchase. The company claims that it will use Google’s infrastructure to ensure a "seamless transfer of domains."Once everything is set and done, Squarespace will become the exclusive partner for anyone looking to purchase a domain alongside their Google Workspace domain. For existing customers, Squarespace says that it will provide billing and support for Google Workspace customers who’ve already purchased domains through Google Domains. But as time goes on and as subscriptions start to renew, these customers will likely be forced to migrate to Squarespace’s billing system.Squarespace is already a behemoth in the websites and domain space, so it’s not surprising it had an interest in acquiring Google Domains. It’s a little more surprising that Google is selling, though the company is notorious for abandoning established products at any time. Meanwhile, Squarespace is constantly adding new features to its platform, including the ability to add a "Members Area" (more commonly known as a paywall) to new and existing sites.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-unexpectedly-sells-its-domain-hosting-business-to-squarespace-183001176.html?src=rss
Meta is rolling back COVID-19 misinformation rules for Instagram and Facebook in countries that no longer deem the pandemic to be a national emergency. The policy will no longer apply in the US, along with some other territories.Last July, Meta asked its Oversight Board for its opinion on the misinformation policy after noting that the pandemic had "evolved." It took some time for the Oversight Board to weigh in, but in April, the group suggested that Meta should keep removing false claims about COVID-19 that are “likely to directly contribute to the risk of imminent and significant physical harm." The Oversight Board also told the company to "reassess" the types of pandemic claims that it removes under the policy.In addition, the advisory group suggested that Meta make preparations ahead of the World Health Organization nixing the emergency status of COVID-19 "to protect freedom of expression and other human rights in these new circumstances." The WHO lifted its COVID-19 emergency designation in May and Meta has now made its response to the Oversight Board's recommendations."We will take a more tailored approach to our COVID-19 misinformation rules consistent with the Board’s guidance and our existing policies. In countries that have a COVID-19 public health emergency declaration, we will continue to remove content for violating our COVID-19 misinformation policies given the risk of imminent physical harm," Meta wrote in an updated blog post. "We are consulting with health experts to understand which claims and categories of misinformation could continue to pose this risk. Our COVID-19 misinformation rules will no longer be in effect globally as the global public health emergency declaration that triggered those rules has been lifted."Soon after the onset of the pandemic, social media platforms faced pressure to combat COVID-19 misinformation that people were spreading, such as inaccurate claims about vaccines. Many — including Meta, Twitter and YouTube — established policies to tackle COVID-19 falsehoods.Those rules have evolved over time. For instance, in May 2021, Meta said it would no longer remove claims that COVID-19 was "man-made." As the Oversight Board noted last year, Meta removed 27 million Facebook and Instagram posts that contained COVID-19 misinformation between March 2020 and July 2022.Twitter stopped enforcing its COVID-19 misinformation policy in November, not long after Elon Musk took over the company and laid off thousands of workers. Meanwhile, YouTube recently updated its misinformation policy to no longer prohibit videos containing 2020 election denialism.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-rolls-back-covid-19-misinformation-rules-in-many-countries-174746077.html?src=rss
Summer can be a sleepy time for deals, but there was actually a fair amount of savings to be found on tech this week. Amazon's Prime Day is probably about a month away, but the company looked like they were getting a head start with discounts on Kindles, two Echospeakers, Fire TV devices and Blink mini cameras. Those prices may go lower during the event, but the savings are still good if you can't wait. Our favorite Sony headphones dropped back down to $348 and a few different Beats earbuds, including the Powerbeats Pro saw discounts of up to 36 percent. Apple's latest laptop, the 15-inch MacBook Air is already $100 off and last year's XPS 15 from Dell is currently $800 off. Here are the best deals from this week that you can still get today.Amazon Echo Dot + smart plugPair a smart speaker with a smart plug and you have the underpinnings of a smart home setup. Right now, Amazon is selling its Echo Dot smart speaker with a Kasa Smart Plug Mini for just $28. That's a substantial $45 discount and cheaper than buying the Dot on its own. The new Echo Dot is is our favorite smart speaker under $50 and is basically a more compact version of its full-sized sibling, the Echo. Despite measuring less than four inches in diameter, the Dot can pump out decent sound that's surprisingly clear.Alexa is a competent voice assistant who can set timers and reminders, tell you the weather and news, play your music and, of course, control your smart home devices, like smart plugs. All of the Kasa smart plugs I tested for our guide paired nicely with my Echo Dot. You can program the plug through the Kasa app or via the Alexa app, having it do nifty things like turning on a lamp an hour before sunset or shutting things off when you say, "Alexa, goodnight."Sonos SaleSonos speakers rarely go on sale, so if you've been thinking about a new soundbar or speaker, you may want to jump over to Sonos as their ongoing Father's Day sale ends Sunday the 18th. The sale first went live two weeks ago and includes discounts of up to 25 percent on some of their more popular audio devices. Sonos equipment is well-regarded for its sound quality and reliable connectivity — pairing easily with existing equipment, supporting most streaming services and syncing seamlessly with other Sonos speakers.Here are a few of the more noteworthy deals:
Avoiding manual floor maintenance is a lovely thing, but a good robot vacuum will cost you. Our current favorite pick for a mop and vac combo, iRobot's Roomba j7+ usually sells for $1,099 but Wellbots will knock $300 off the list price when you use the code 300ENGADGET at checkout. That beats a $200 discount we saw earlier this year and represents an all-time low for a gadget that "earned its place" in on of our senior editors' smart home. Wellbots has a few other vacs on sale too, also with discount codes, listed below.Unlike some combo machines, in which you have to program where to mop and where to use the vacuum, the Roomba Combo j7+ senses when it's rolling over hard floors and drops down the on-board mop pad accordingly. It comes with a clean base, which sucks out the dry debris after a run, but you'll have to take care of adding and emptying the mop water yourself. iRobot machines continually top our lists, in part thanks to the accurate room mapping, easy-to-use app and excellent obstacle avoidance — qualities it shares with the vac-only sibling.Wellbots is currently discounting the Roomba j7+ by $220 when you use the code 220ENGADGET. That brings the unit down to $579, which also beats a previous discount from the same seller earlier this year, and is the lowest price we've seen outside of Black Friday promotions last November. The standard (non-combo) Roomba j7 is the runner up mid-range vac in our guide and this version simply includes a clean base to suck out the dirt after it runs. One thing we should note is that process is loud but it gets you a bit closer to fully autonomous cleaning.If you're fine with emptying the collected debris yourself, you can save a little on the base model Roomba j7. Wellbots is also offering $220 off that model, using the same code. That brings it down to just $379, which doesn't quite beat the deal Wellbots offered late last year, but is still a tidy discount.And finally, if premium is what you want, you can get just that with iRobot's Roomba s9+. The same code also takes $220 off the $999 list price, making it $779 instead. It's the premium pick in our robot vacuum guide and comes complete with copper accents. Of course, doesn't just look pretty, our resident robot expert, senior commerce editor Valentina Palladino, calls it, "nothing if not one of the best robot vacuums out there."Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/irobots-roomba-j7-combo-vacuum-is-300-off-right-now-140009152.html?src=rss
ispace is done analyzing data from its failed Hakuto-R lunar landing, and it sounds like tricky terrain and a late change in the landing site are to blame. Apparently, Hakuto-R was able to complete the whole deceleration process in preparation of touching down on lunar soil. The spacecraft activated its descent sequence when it reached an altitude of around 100 kilometers (62 miles) and was able to slow down until it was only moving at a speed of less than 1 m/s.However, its software had mistakenly estimated its altitude to be zero when it was still hovering around 5 kilometers (3 miles) above the ground. In other words, it thought it had already landed when it hasn't yet, and it continued descending at a very slow speed near the surface until its propulsion system ran out of fuel. ispace wasn't able to establish contact with the spacecraft again, but it believes it went on a free fall and ultimately crashed on the moon.That's the how, but what about the why? Well, the company thinks the most likely reason why Hakuto-R's software suffered from an altitude estimation issue was because it got confused. While it was flying to its landing site, it passed over a large cliff that was determined to be the rim of a crater. The spacecraft's onboard sensor got an altitude reading of 3 kilometers when it passed by the elevated terrain, and that was apparently larger than the estimated altitude value the Hakuto-R team set in advance.The spacecraft's software erroneously thought that the sensor reported an abnormal value, and it kept filtering out its altitude measurements afterward. ispace built the ability to reject abnormal altitude measurements into the lander as a safety measure in the event of a hardware issue with the sensor. However, it backfired for Mission 1 because simulations of the landing sequence failed to incorporate the lunar environment on the spacecraft's route. ispace made the decision to change Hakuto-R's landing site after its critical design review was already completed in 2021.The Hakuto-R Mission 1 was poised to become the first successful moon landing by a private company and the first Japanese lunar landing overall. While it didn't get to land on the moon, ispace will use the data from the mission to design preparatory landing sequences for Mission 2 and 3, which are scheduled for launch in 2024 and 2025, respectively.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/japans-ispace-says-hakuto-r-crashed-because-it-got-confused-by-a-crater-rim-113115803.html?src=rss
We can all agree that robocalls are the worst. While there might never be a way to get rid of them entirely (though agencies are certainly working on it), one the most prolific sources of these intrusions is finally getting hauled into court.CBS News reports that Attorneys General from 48 states (as well as DC) are coming together to file a bipartisan lawsuit against Arizona-based Avid Telecom, its owner Michael D. Lansky and vice president Stacey S. Reeves. The 141-page suit claims that the company illegally made over 7.5 billion calls to people on the National Do Not Call Registry. Arizona Attorney General Kris Meyes claims that nearly 197 million robocalls were made to phone numbers in her state over a five-year period between December 2018 and January 2023.The lawsuit says that Avid Telecom spoofed phone numbers, including 8.4 million that appeared to be coming from the government or law enforcement, and others disguised as originating from Amazon, DirecTV and many more. The suit alleges that Avid Telecom violated the Telephone and Consumer Act, the Telemarketing Sales Rule and several other telemarketing and consumer laws.The AGs are asking the court to enjoin Avid Telecom from making illegal robocalls, and to pay damages and restitution to the people it called illegally. They're also pursuing several statutory avenues to make Avid cough of money on a per-violation basis, which given the enormous volume of calls it has made, could add up quickly. Sumco Panama, which was responsible for a comparatively smaller 5 billion robocalls, was fined nearly $300 million by the FCC late last year.Earlier this month, it was reported that XCast Labs is being sued by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission over allegedly helping other companies call those on the National Do Not Call Registry.In 2017, Dish reached a settlement that cost them $210 million. The company allegedly made millions of calls in an attempt to sell and promote its satellite TV service. Dish ultimately had to pay a $126 million civil fine to the US government, and $84 million to residents in California, Illinois, North Carolina and Ohio. Hopefully, we’ll see a similar result with Avid Telecom.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/company-responsible-for-75-billion-robocalls-sued-by-nearly-every-attorney-general-220050450.html?src=rss
Google has just been hit with a $32.5 million penalty for infringing on a patent held by Sonos. According to Law360, a California federal jury ordered the fine after determining that Google infringed on a patent Sonos holds relating to grouping speakers so they can play audio at the same time, something the company has been doing for years.US District Judge William Alsup had already determined that early version of products like the Chromecast Audio and Google Home infringed on Sonos' patent; the question was whether more recent, revamped products were also infringing on the patent. The jury found in favor of Sonos, but decided a second patent — one that relates to controlling devices via a smartphone or other device — wasn't violated. They said that Sonos hadn't convincingly shown that the Google Home app infringed on that particular patent. This follows the dismissal of four other patent violations that Sonos originally sued over.Google provided Engadget with the following statement: "This is a narrow dispute about some very specific features that are not commonly used. Of the six patents Sonos originally asserted, only one was found to be infringed, and the rest were dismissed as invalid or not infringed. We have always developed technology independently and competed on the merit of our ideas. We are considering our next steps.”Sonos provided Engadget with the following statement: "We are deeply grateful for the jury’s time and diligence in upholding the validity of our patents and recognizing the value of Sonos’s invention of zone scenes. This verdict re-affirms that Google is a serial infringer of our patent portfolio, as the International Trade Commission has already ruled with respect to five other Sonos patents. In all, we believe Google infringes more than 200 Sonos patents and today’s damages award, based on one important piece of our portfolio, demonstrates the exceptional value of our intellectual property. Our goal remains for Google to pay us a fair royalty for the Sonos inventions it has appropriated."Today's findings feels like a win for Sonos, who originally filed suit against Google all the way back in January of 2020. Specifically, Sonos claimed that Google gained knowledge of the patent through prior collaboration between the two companies, back they collaborated to allow for integration between Sonos's speakers and Google Play Music.Since then, Google counter-sued Sonos, claiming that Sonos had in fact infringed its own patents around smart speakers. As with any good legal battle, Sonos then expanded its own lawsuit a few months later. More recently, Google sued Sonos in 2022, saying that its new voice assistant infringed on seven patents relating to the Google Assistant.Whether today's decision will slow the legal battle between the two companies remains to be seen, though we'd expect the bickering to continue full-throttle in the months to come. There are plenty of suits out there between the companies that aren't yet resolved, and we'd expect Google to appeal this decision as well.Update, May 26th 2023, 5:30PM ET: Added a statement from Google.Update, May 26th 2023, 8:00PM ET: Added a statement from Sonos.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-fined-325-million-for-infringing-on-sonos-patent-210411398.html?src=rss
One of the most notable omissions from this week's PlayStation Showcase was anything from Naughty Dog. Many (including yours truly) expected the studio to reveal more details about its Last of Us multiplayer game, but we'll need to wait a little longer to learn more about that title.In a statement posted on Twitter, Naughty Dog said "we're incredibly proud of the job our studio has done thus far, but as development has continued, we've realized what is best for the game is to give it more time." As such, it now seems unlikely that we'll hear much about the game during Summer Game Fest (where Naughty Dog offered a first peek at concept art from the project last year) on June 8th or on June 14th, which is the 10th anniversary of The Last Of Us arriving on PS3.
Bluesky, the Jack Dorsey-backed decentralized Twitter alternative, has released one of its most significant updates to date: the ability for users to choose their own algorithms. The service, which is still in a closed beta, released its “custom feeds” feature, which allows people to subscribe to a range of different algorithms and make their own for others to follow.In practice, the feature works a bit like pinning different lists to your home timeline on Twitter in that users can subscribe to multiple feeds and easily swipe between them in the app. But custom feeds, because they’re algorithmic, are also more powerful than simple account lists.For example, there’s a feed dedicated to posts from your mutuals —people you follow who also follow you back. That may sound like a list, but unlike a Twitter list, the feed should change as you gain more mutual followers. And while Bluesky’s app stills defaults to the chronological “following” timeline, most custom feeds are not chronological.Bluesky The feeds also provide a window into the different communities forming on Bluesky, as well as what’s trending on the platform. There are already custom feeds devoted to furries, cat photos, queer shitposters, positive thoughts and the hellthread. Early adopters have been able to experiment with the feature for awhile thanks to third-party apps, like SkyFeed and Flipboard, which added the feature before BlueSky’s official app.For now, creating a feed for Bluesky is open to anyone, though it’s “currently a technical process,” Bluesky’s protocol engineer Paul Frazee said in a post. “In future updates we'll make it easy for users to create custom feeds in-app.”The update could end up being a defining feature of Bluesky. Jay Graber, CEO of Bluesky, has said that algorithmic choice could address “backlash against the perceived algorithmic manipulation of people’s timelines.” It also offers a hint of what’s to come for the early-stage platform. Graber has outlined a similar vision for content moderation with users in control of the level of moderation and filtering they want.“Our goal is to assemble a social media architecture that composes third-party services into a seamless user experience, because an open ecosystem is likely to evolve more quickly than a single approach to curation or moderation developed within one company,” Graber wrote. “By creating the interfaces for innovation in these areas, we hope to provide a dynamic and user-driven social experience.”The idea of custom algorithms is one that’s long been embraced by Jack Dorsey, who floated the idea of allowing users to choose their own algorithms multiple times while he was still running Twitter. It also comes as there is industry-wide scrutiny on how social media algorithms impact users and whether the companies running major platforms are, even inadvertently, putting their thumb on the scale for one group of users. The appeal of custom algorithms is that users know upfront what each feed is prioritizing and can easily move between different experiences, most of which are not controlled by the platform.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/bluesky-now-lets-you-choose-your-own-algorithm-183824105.html?src=rss
It's once again time to watch skilled gamers rip through their favorite titles as quickly as possible in the name of a good cause. Summer Games Done Quick (SGDQ) is back with another week-long charity speedrun marathon. The event starts at 1PM ET on Sunday, May 28th and it will end in the early hours of June 4th. You'll be able to watch all the action as it happens on the Games Done Quick (GDQ) Twitch channel, which is embedded below. If you miss a run you're interested in, you'll be able to catch up later on the GDQ YouTube channel.The action kicks off with the debut of Sonic Frontiers at SGDQ and the event will wrap up with a co-op run of Super Metroid (here's hoping the runners save the animals). There will be many, many runs in between, including half a dozen The Legend of Zelda titles. The heavy focus on Zelda probably shouldn't come as a surprise given that Tears of the Kingdom has taken over the gaming world over the last few weeks.You'll be able to marvel at a runner beating Breath of the Wild in just a couple of hours while wearing a blindfold and another conquering Elden Ring as quickly as possible without using any glitches. I'm particularly looking forward to the Super Mario Maker 2 relay race. Those are always a blast at GDQ events. I'm also intrigued by runs of Ring Fit Adventure, Choo-Choo Charles,Hi-Fi Rush and one of my all-time favorite games, The Curse of Monkey Island. You can check out the full schedule on the GDQ website.SGDQ will stream live from Minneapolis with an audience in attendance. GDQ events are so much better with a live crowd reacting to astonishing feats of video game prowess. Organizers will be hoping to raise millions more dollars for Doctors Without Borders after bringing in over $3 million during SGDQ 2022. They'll be aiming to beat the record for a GDQ event, which was set during Awesome Games Done Quick 2022. Over $3.4 million was raised for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. You'll be able to donate via the GDQ website.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/how-to-watch-the-summer-games-done-quick-2023-speedrun-marathon-162028988.html?src=rss
Apart from being a time to honor those who've served our country and the unofficial start of summer, Memorial Day also brings a number of sales on various appliances and electronics. As we round into the holiday weekend, we've sorted through the cruft and picked out the best tech sales we could find ahead of this Memorial Day. The notable deals include $50 off Sony's excellentWH-1000XM5 headphones, Amazon's Fire TV Stick 4K Max back at an all-time low of $35 and Apple's iPad Air down to $500. There are a few sweeping sales on other gear we like as well, including Solo Stove fire pits, Ooni pizza ovens, Samsung storage devices and PC games from the Epic Games Store.Amazon Fire TV streamer dealsAmazon has discounted all of its Fire TV streaming devices ahead of Memorial Day. The standout is the Fire TV Stick 4K Max for $35, which is a price we've seen several times before but still matches the device's all-time low. This is the fastest streaming stick Amazon sells, plus its remote comes with Alexa voice control baked in. If you just want a cheap way to put apps on an older 1080p display, the Fire TV Stick Lite is also worth considering at $20, which is $5 more than the lowest price we've seen.Beyond that, the base Fire TV Stick 4K is down to $32, the standard Fire TV Stick is down to $25, and the Fire TV Cube, which blends a 4K streamer with an Alexa smart speaker, is down to an all-time low of $120. All Fire TV streamers tend to prioritize Amazon's own content and stuff their UI with ads, so we generally recommend Roku and Google streamers to most people. (The Roku Streaming Stick 4K is an OK value at its current deal price of $40, though we've seen it go for less in the past.) Still, if you use services like Alexa and Prime Video on a regular basis, or if you just want to save a few bucks, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max is mostly on par with its peers in terms of performance and app support.Sony headphone dealsSony has put a number of headphones and earbuds back on sale, including the flagship WH-1000XM5 for $348. While that's not an all-time low, it's the first notable discount we've seen on the noise-cancelling over-ears since February and a $50 drop from the pair's usual going rate. The XM5s are the top pick in our guide to the best wireless headphones, and we gave them a review score of 95 last year thanks to their powerful ANC, lightweight design, punchy sound and deep feature set.If you want to save a little extra cash, the XM5's predecessor, the WH-1000XM4, is also worth a look at $278. Again, that's not the lowest these headphones ever been, but it's still $70 below their typical street price. This pair is slightly bulkier than the XM5, its sound is a bit boomier out of the box and it has a worse mic for phone calls. Its ANC, battery life and general feature set are similar, though, and it can fold up for easier storage. The XM5s also use an automatic ANC adjustment system, which some may prefer to avoid. We gave the XM4 a score of 94 back in 2020.Samsung storage device dealsSamsung has kicked off another round of deals on its microSD cards, SSDs, thumb drives and other storage devices. The offers include the 128GB Samsung Pro Plus, the top pick in our best microSD card guide, paired with a USB reader for $18. That's $8 off its MSRP and a new low. (You can also get the card without the reader for a dollar less.) If you don't need something quite as fast, the Samsung Evo Select is the top value pick in that guide; its 256GB model is down to an all-time low of $18 as well.Besides microSD cards, the Samsung Fit Plus, an ultracompact flash drive we recommend in our best SSDs guide, is back at a low of $15 for a 128GB model. A 2TB version of the T7 Shield, a rugged version of one of our favorite portable SSDs, is down to $120, while the 4TB model is available for $220. If you're looking for a PCIe Gen 4 SSD to upgrade a PlayStation 5 or high-power gaming PC, the 2TB version of the 980 Pro with an integrated heatsink is about $20 less than usual at $150. The speedier 990 Pro, meanwhile, is down to $100 for a 1TB unit, another all-time low.Solo Stove saleSolo Stove is running a site-wide Memorial Day sale that takes up to 45 percent off a number of its popular (mostly) smokeless fire pits. The discounts include the Bonfire 2.0 for $250, which is $150 off the medium-sized pit's MSRP and $50 off its usual street price. What's more, you can add the company's Mesa tabletop fire pit for no extra cost if you add it to your cart and use the code FREEMESA at checkout. Normally, the device goes for $120. The sale also includes the Pi Pizza Oven for $400, which is $100 off its typical going rate. We've sung the praises of Solo Stove's fire pits multiple times in the past, and we currently recommend the Pi in our pizza oven buying guide.Ooni pizza oven saleOoni makes several of the other picks in our pizza oven guide, and this week it's discounted a couple of those as part of its own Memorial Day sale. The deals include the Fyra 12 for $244, which is $105 off its MSRP, and the Karu 16 for $639, which is a $160 discount. Both do well to actually make pies, but we recommend the former if you'd prefer a more compact oven that runs on wood pellets, while the latter is a larger and more versatile option for bigger servings that can use wood, charcoal or gas. We also recommend the Karu 16 in our guide to the best grills and grill accessories.Epic Games Store Mega SaleThe Epic Games Store has rolled out its latest "Mega Sale," bringing discounts on a number of PC games. While the promotion includes a handful of decent price drops, its real value comes from the "Epic Coupon," which takes 25 percent off most purchases of $14.99 or more. The offer applies whether you buy one or multiple games at a time and stacks on top of any existing discounts. This brings many games back around their best prices to date: Red Dead Redemption II, for instance, is already on sale for $20, but with the coupon it drops to an all-time low of $15.The coupon also works on games that aren't otherwise part of the sale, so you can take 25 percent off newer titles like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Dead Island 2, which haven't received major discounts elsewhere. (The former's PC port has had a rocky launch, to put it mildly, though a few patches have helped stabilize it.) And because the coupon renews after each eligible purchase, you can use it continuously until the promotion ends on June 15. It won't work on pre-orders, though. If you prefer to get your PC games through Steam, meanwhile, note that Valve's Summer Sale will kick off on June 29.Apple Gift CardIf you pick up a $100 Apple gift card at Best Buy, the retailer will throw in a $10 Best Buy gift card for no extra cost. The offer also includes a few extended trials to Apple's TV+, Music and News+ subscriptions for new and returning subscribers. We see this deal periodically, but if you shop at Best Buy anyway and plan to use services like the App Store, Apple Music or iCloud, it essentially gets you a bit of free money. Just note that the deal only applies to digital gift cards, not physical ones.Razer Huntsman MiniThe top pick in our guide to the best 60 percent keyboards, the Razer Huntsman Mini is down to $70 for a model with Razer's Clicky Optical switches. That's $5 more than the ultracompact gaming keyboard's all-time low but still about $15 less than its usual street price. If you prefer a quieter switch with a smoother feel while typing, a variant with Linear Optical switches is on sale for $80, which is about $20 below its typical going rate. Either way, we like the Huntsman Mini for its sturdy build quality, smooth PBT keycaps and per-key RGB backlighting.Apple iPad AirThe latest iPad Air is once again down to $500, matching the second-best price we've seen and coming in $100 below Apple's MSRP. We gave the Air a review score of 90 last year and call it the best tablet for most people in our iPad buying guide. While it lacks the top-tier M2 chip, 120Hz refresh rate and improved speakers of the iPad Pro, it provides a similarly elegant design at a much lower price, with a better display, faster processor and wider accessory support than Apple's lower-end tablets.Apple Mac MiniApple's entry-level Mac Mini is back on sale for $499, which matches the compact desktop's previous all-time low. This model includes Apple's M2 chip, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. Those specs (along with the device's lack of upgradeability) mean you'll want to stick to relatively light workloads. However, if that's all you need, this is the most affordable route into a competent Mac desktop. If you need more storage, a version with a 512GB SSD is also on sale for $679, which is another all-time low. We gave the Mac Mini with a faster M2 Pro chip a review score of 86 earlier this year, but outside of the CPU bump and a couple extra Thunderbolt ports, the devices are virtually identical.Apple PencilThe Apple Pencil has dropped to $85, tying the lowest price we've tracked for the iPad stylus. This is roughly $15 below the device's typical street price in recent months and $44 below Apple's MSRP. We recommend the Pencil in our best iPad accessories guide: For digital artists and note-takers, it's a consistently accurate pen and the only stylus to offer pressure sensitivity across iPadOS. It's also easy to charge and pair, since it can attach to the side of a recent iPad magnetically. Just make sure your iPad is compatible with this second-gen model if you want to take the plunge.Intel and AMD CPU dealsIf you're looking to build or upgrade a PC, we're seeing a handful of good prices on both Intel and AMD processors. Among the better deals available, the Intel Core i5-13500 is down to $210, which is about $40 below the chip's usual going rate and an all-time low. For something more powerful, the Core i7-13700F is available for a new low of $330, which is about $40 less than its typical street price. This is a strong performer for both gaming and productivity at that price; just note that it lacks an integrated GPU. If you prefer an AMD build, meanwhile, the Ryzen 7 7700X might be worth a look at $297. It's not as good of a value as something like the i7-13700F, especially since it requires an AM5 motherboard and DDR5 RAM to work, but it's still a solid mid-range option for gaming if you must have a Ryzen PC.Dashlane Premium saleA password manager is a simple but effective way to boost your online security and simplify the amount of login credentials you need to remember. Dashlane is one of the better options available; in fact, it'll soon be a pick in an upcoming buying guide. If you want to give the service a try, you can get a year of Dashlane Premium for $30 when you use the code MEMDAY23 or MEMORIAL23 at checkout. That's a 50 percent discount. Though Dashlane has a free tier, the Premium plan lets you use the service across multiple devices. It also includes a bundled VPN, a password strength analyzer and "dark web monitoring," which lets you know if your email addresses have been leaked in data breaches.Paramount Plus and Showtime bundleParamount has rolled out a promotion that gives new subscribers three months of its Paramount+ Premium + Showtime bundle for $6 per month, or $18 in total. That's half off its usual going rate. With the glut of streaming TV options available, it's hard to call Paramount+ essential, but we do list it in our guide to the best video streaming services for its growing sports coverage, kid-friendly Nickelodeon shows and original fare like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Showtime, meanwhile, has its share of shows and movies worth checking out, from Yellowjackets to Billions to the recent Oscar winner Everything Everywhere All at Once. This offer is set to run until June 4. If you end up not digging the service, remember to cancel before the trial ends so your subscription doesn't auto-renew at full price.Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-memorial-day-2023-tech-sales-we-could-find-153031692.html?src=rss
After Google I/O and ahead of WWDC, it's Microsoft's turn to step up to the plate and host a developer conference. We'll learn a lot about where the company plans to go in the coming months, with the keynotes covering many of the major updates. The first keynote starts at noon ET today.It won't be a surprise to anyone who's paid attentionto Microsoftthis year that AI is the focus of Build 2023. Today's keynotes will take place across three back-to-back sessions: "Microsoft Build opening," "The era of the AI Copilot" and "Next-generation AI for developers with the Microsoft Cloud."In the first 25-minute session, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella will discuss some of the ways in which the company "is creating new opportunities for developers across our platforms in this new AI era." The second session will feature Open AI president and co-founder Greg Brockman. You can watch today's keynotes right here:Microsoft has lined up another keynote for Wednesday, titled "Shaping the future of work with AI." Again, the keynote will start at noon Eastern Time. Microsoft executive vice president and chief product officer Panos Panay will take the stage along with Rajesh Jha, executive vice president of experiences and devices. They'll discuss "how developers can shape the future of work with Microsoft 365 Copilot and unlock a new era of AI and productivity with Windows 11." You'll be able to check out that keynote below:This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/watch-the-microsoft-build-keynotes-here-starting-at-12pm-et-023009440.html?src=rss
It’s hard to believe, but iconic synth manufacturer Moog is turning 70. Synthesizers didn’t become mainstays in popular music until the 1970s, but Bob Moog started manufacturing and selling theremins in 1953, with actual synths following in 1963. To celebrate the anniversary, the company launched a web app filled with interactive experiences for music historians and casual fans alike.The app places a distinct focus on the company’s iconic Model D synthesizer, which was first released in 1970 and recently reissued for $5,000. To that end, there’s a jukebox with nearly 50 of the most influential songs that feature the synthesizer, including disco, reggae, hip-hop, pop and more. The theater page goes a step further by showing a full range of videos of the 50-year-old synth in action, with both live stage performances and in-studio sessions. The archives section is for true historians, with interactive information chronicling the entire history of the Model D and the people who designed it.History is nice and all, but synthesizers are made to be played. The app’s practice room let you do just that, choosing from famous leads, bass sounds and percussion sounds via a faithful digital recreation of the Model D. You can fool around with sounds, sure, but the app even lets you save and share original recordings using riffs from famous songs as a starting point. These creations can only be around a minute long. For the ultimate digital Model D experience, there’s a $30 app for iOS devices, though it sometimes goes on sale. Finally, the app includes a couple of quirky little add-ons. You can print out a PDF for making your own Minimoog decoration, so long as you have enough tape. The Instagram filter, codenamed Face Synth, quite literally turns your face into a musical instrument. Use facial expressions and body movement to trigger the Model D’s control parameters. The web app’s available today, so have at it.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/moog-celebrates-70th-anniversary-with-musical-web-app-140043922.html?src=rss
Bluesky, the Jack Dorsey-backed decentralized Twitter alternative, isn’t even out of beta yet but it’s already drawing the attention of more mainstream platforms. Now, Flipboard is adding Bluesky to its news reading app so users can browse their feeds alongside the app’s curated magazines.The update is part of a broader effort by the company to embrace the growing crop of decentralized social media platforms in the wake of Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter. The company released a similar integration with Mastodon earlier this year, and will soon add PixelFed, an open source Instagram alternative, to its app as well.At a basic level, the changes make Flipboard an increasingly useful utility for people who want to keep up with the happenings on decentralized platforms like Mastodon and Bluesky. Flipboard, which has long been praised for its design, could also serve as a more intuitive way to browse newer services that are sometimes criticized for being confusing to newcomers. It could also help increase the visibility of posts on Bluesky, which is still limiting new sign-ups, as users can “flip” content from their Bluesky feeds into Flipboard magazines.But for Flipboard CEO Mike McCue, embracing these upstart social platforms — sometimes collectively referred to as the Fediverse — is also a more fundamental shift. McCue, an early Twitter advisor and board member, has become disillusioned with the company he once advised. He now believes that decentralized platforms, and the protocols that power them, will define the future of social media just as closed platforms like Twitter and Facebook did more than a decade ago.“I was one of the early people helping to build the business model, and was a big believer in Twitter, and I think it's very sad,” McCue says of the current state of the Musk-owned company. “On the other hand, I think that this kind of change is extremely positive for the industry.”Among Silicon Valley insiders, McCue may be one of the most vocal advocates for this vision. But Flipboard isn’t the only legacy social app paying attention to the rise of decentralized platforms. Tumblr has said it plans to adopt ActivityPub, the protocol that powers Mastodon, PixelFed and other federated platforms. Meta, known for watching potential rivals closely, is also working on a decentralized Twitter alternative that will tie into Instagram. The effort, reportedly codenamed P92, is rumored to run on ActivityPub. Meanwhile Bluesky is building out its own protocol, the AT Protocol, which could eventually power multiple other services as well.All of these efforts are still in a very early stage, but it could be the start of something much bigger. “This is a really important moment when the death of Twitter is going to lead to the birth of the social web,” McCue says.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/you-can-now-use-flipboard-to-browse-bluesky-140012427.html?src=rss
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