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Elgato has introduced the Stream Deck Studio, a new version of its creative control tech that's firmly targeting professional broadcasters. This 19-inch rackmount console has 32 LCD keys and two rotary dials. The $900 price tag shows that this is not an entry-level purchase. The company collaborated with broadcast software specialist Bitfocus on the Stream Deck Studio. The device can run the Companion software that works on other Stream Deck models, but also supports the company's new Buttons software. The Buttons app allows for additional interface customization designed specifically for the Stream Deck Studio. Elgato has been expanding its Stream Deck line, which began life as a simple sidekick for livestreamers, to reach a broader range of users. For instance, it introduced an Adobe Photoshop integration aimed at visual artists. This push to reach more pro-tier customers could put Elgato into more frequent competition with rival brands like Loupedeck, which Logitech acquired last year, along with established broadcast brands like Blackmagic. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/elgatos-latest-stream-deck-is-a-900-rackmount-unit-for-pros-215003305.html?src=rss

Google will beta test a new feature for Google Wallet that can turn US passports into a new form of digital identification. Google announced the new feature on its official blog.Now digital IDs made from passports and state issued IDs can be used as valid forms of identification at certain Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints at some US airports. Now you won't have to play Beat the Clock with all of your pockets frantically searching for your wallet as you slowly approach a TSA agent in line.This new digital ID feature won't work at every airport. As of Thursday, 21 states and the commonwealth of Puerto Rico have at least one airport that accepts digital ID. You can consult the TSA's digital map on its website to find out if the state you're leaving or flying to accepts digital IDs at security checkpoints.Digital ID adoption has grown across the country for both Android and iPhone users even if it's not available in every state. Major airports in Arizona, Colorado and Georgia started accepting state IDs from Google Wallet users. Last month, California started accepting IDs in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet at some airports.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/google-wallet-is-testing-turning-passports-into-digital-ids-213526915.html?src=rss

Valve has big savings on the entry-level (LCD) Steam Deck. You can take 25 percent off the 512GB model or 15 percent off the 64GB one, dropping their prices to $336.75 and $296.65, respectively. The sale runs through September 26 while supplies last for the two phased-out models. The 512GB (NVMe SSD) LCD Steam Deck initially cost $449, so the sale shaves over $112 off its MSRP. For some perspective, the OLED version with the same storage costs $549. This deal on the (lower-grade but still high-quality) LCD variant is a terrific chance to get started with handheld PC gaming on the cheap. The LCD Steam Deck has a seven-inch display (1200 x 800) with 60Hz refresh rates and 400 nits brightness. The 512GB model adds anti-glare etched glass that the 64GB lacks, so - if both fall within your budget - the former is a no-brainer upgrade at only $40 extra. Both variants have 40Wh batteries with a theoretical eight hours of uptime, but our tests found they averaged around 4.5 hours with regular use. (If needed, you can squeeze more out by lowering brightness and refresh rates.) Each model includes a standard carrying case. In Engadget's 2023 re-review of the LCD Steam Deck, Jessica Conditt concluded the entry-level model offers a fantastic return on investment," even compared to its premium OLED sibling. Most mainstream games that launch today are classified as either Verified or Playable on Steam Deck, and most gamepad-friendly games will fare well with the handheld. The bottom line: Although the OLED model is worth the upgrade if it fits your budget, this LCD model - especially when cut by up to 25 percent - is still a fantastic entry-level handheld gaming device that offers only a slightly compromised experience compared to the (much more expensive) high-end one. 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/gaming/pc/the-lcd-steam-deck-is-up-to-25-percent-off-right-now-194740400.html?src=rss

Sony just released a PS5 system update that includes new options for customizing the home screen. The just-announced Welcome hub is basically a blank canvas that users can fill with various widgets that display console storage space, battery level for accessories, online friends, trophies and a lot more. It replaces the current Explore tab.These widgets can be resized and arranged in various ways, adding another layer of customization. The background can also be changed, allowing players to choose from animated effects or screenshots. This is still a far cry (reference intended) from the kind of system-wide themes of the PS3/PS4 era, but it's a start.The PS5 Welcome hub starts rolling out to US customers today, though it's a gradual release so it could take a few days to hit every console. Sony says other parts of the world will get the feature over the coming weeks," with Japan and Europe grabbing first dibs.That's not the only feature arriving with this latest system update. Sony's also introducing personalized 3D audio profiles for headphones and earbuds, allowing players to make a variety of adjustments to better fit unique "hearing characteristics." This is in beta for now. There's also adaptive charging for PS5 Slim and the forthcoming (and uber-expensive) PS5 Pro, in addition to the ability to enable remote play for individual users.Sony Sony also teased something that's coming in the next few weeks. Soon, users will be able to share party voice chat links on any messaging or social media app. This means players will be able to invite people to join one of these chats even if they aren't friends on the PlayStation Network.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/the-ps5-is-getting-a-more-customizable-home-screen-192824758.html?src=rss

The White House released a statement today outlining commitments that several AI companies are making to curb the creation and distribution of image-based sexual abuse. The participating businesses have laid out the steps they are taking to prevent their platforms from being used to generate non-consensual intimate images (NCII) of adults and child sexual abuse material (CSAM).Specifically, Adobe, Anthropic, Cohere, Common Crawl, Microsoft and OpenAI said they'll be:

OpenAI has unveiled its latest artificial intelligence model called o1, which, the company claims, can perform complex reasoning tasks more effectively than its predecessors. The release comes as OpenAI faces increasing competition in the race to develop more sophisticated AI systems.O1 was trained to "spend more time thinking through problems before they respond, much like a person would," OpenAI said on its website. "Through training, [the models] learn to refine their thinking process, try different strategies, and recognize their mistakes." OpenAI envisions the new model being used by healthcare researchers to annotate cell sequencing data, by physicists to generate mathematical formulas and software developers.Current AI systems are essentially fancier versions of autocomplete, generating responses through statistics instead of actually "thinking" through a question, which means that they are less "intelligent" than they appear to be. When Engadget tried to get ChatGPT and other AI chatbots to solve the New York Times Spelling Bee, for instance, they fumbled and produced nonsensical results.With o1, the company claims that it is "resetting the counter back to 1" with a new kind of AI model designed to actually engage in complex problem-solving and logical thinking. In a blog post detailing the new model, OpenAI said that it performs similarly to PhD students on challenging benchmark tasks in physics, chemistry and biology, and excels in math and coding. For example, its current flagship model, GPT-4o, correctly solved only 13 percent of problems in a qualifying exam for the International Mathematics Olympiad compared to o1, which solved 83 percent.The new model, however, doesn't include capabilities like web browsing or the ability to upload files and images. And, according to The Verge, it's significantly slower at processing prompts compared to GPT-4o. Despite having longer to consider its outputs, o1 hasn't solved the problem of "hallucinations" - a term for AI models making up information. "We can't say we solved hallucinations," the company's chief research officer Bob McGrew told The Verge.O1 is still at a nascent stage. OpenAI calls it a "preview" and is making it available only to paying ChatGPT customers starting today with restrictions on how many questions they can ask it per week. In addition, OpenAI is also launching o1-mini, a slimmed-down version that the company says is particularly effective for coding.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openais-new-o1-model-is-slower-on-purpose-185711459.html?src=rss

A concerning report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) expresses some serious concerns about the future of America's space exploration agency.The NASEM report was written by a panel of aerospace experts and lays out what it sees as a possible "hollow future" for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). It addresses issues of underfunding due to declining long-term national emphasis on aeronautics and civil space," an assertion that NASA itself is aware of and agrees with. The report also notes that NASA's problems extend far beyond having enough funding to carry out its missions and operations.Some of the report's core findings" suggest areas of concern that could affect the space agency's future. These include a focus on short-term measures without adequate consideration for longer-term needs and implications," reliance on milestone-based purchase-of-service contracts" and inefficiency due to slow and cumbersome business operations." The report also raised concerns about the current generation of talent being siphoned off by private aerospace companies, and the next generation of engineers not receiving an adequate foundation of knowledge due to our underfunded public school systems. Finally the report states bluntly that NASA's infrastructure is already well beyond its design life."These and other issues could lead to even more serious problems. Norman Augustine, a former Lockheed Martin chief executive and the report's lead author, told The Washington Post that reliance on the private sector could further erode NASA's workforce, reducing its role to one of oversight instead of problem-solving.Congress could allocate more funds to NASA to address these concerns but that's not likely since it's constantly struggling to prevent government shutdowns. Instead, Augustine says NASA could focus on prioritizing its efforts on more strategic goals and initiatives.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/a-new-report-raises-concerns-about-the-future-of-nasa-184643260.html?src=rss

Apple Apple The Apple event on Monday revealed the newest selection of iPhones, which includes the iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max. If you're looking into upgrading to one of the latest models but are unsure of the differences between the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro (other than the price tag), we can help you decide which one is right for you. Now that we've officially seen the iPhone 16 lineup - and the bells and whistles included - we know that all versions will run iOS 18 and will have access to Apple Intelligence when those features begin to become available in October. But there are some extra perks you get if you spend the extra couple hundred bucks for an iPhone 16 Pro - for instance, better camera features and a slightly larger display. We'll tell you the differences between the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro below. For more, here's how the iPhone 16 Pro compares to the competition. And if you decide you're ready to take the plunge, note that pre-orders for the iPhone 16 series start September 13. The iPhone 16 starts at $799 and the iPhone 16 Pro at $999, with prices increasing $100 for each size and storage capacity from the 128GB baseline. Screen size and technology When it comes to screen size, the iPhone 16 Pro's display is only slightly larger than the iPhone 16. The 16 Pro has a 6.3-inch ProMotion technology and Always-On display (just like last year's iPhone 15 Pro), while the iPhone 16 has a 6.1-inch display. What all that means is that the Pro model offers a faster refresh rate up to 120Hz, delivering smoother video than the standard iPhone 16, which tops out at TKHz. Otherwise, the screen technology between the two models is very evenly matched. Both sport a Super Retina XDR display with the same HDR, brightness, P3 color gamut and True Tone specs. As for the actual phone sizes, there's really not that much of a difference between the two. The iPhone 16 is 5.81 inches tall, 2.82 inches wide and weighs six ounces, while the 16 Pro is 5.89 inches tall, 2.81 inches wide and weighs just over seven ounces. The resolution is also slightly different - the iPhone 16 has 2,556 x 1,179 pixels, while the 16 Pro has 2,622 x 1,206 pixels. Both phones have the latest-generation Ceramic Shield screen, which should make for good protection against drops and scratches. They also both offer the Dynamic Island (first introduced with the iPhone 14 Pro), which replaces the notch found on older iPhones. Camera and microphone differences As with previous models, two cameras sit on the back of the iPhone 16: the 48-megapixel Fusion main camera and the 12-megapixel ultra wide camera. That combo allows you to zoom out" for wide angle shots (0.5x) and zoom in up to 2x. The iPhone 16 Pro has a more sophisticated triple camera array: a 48-megapixel Fusion main camera and a new 48-megapixel ultra wide lens, along with a 12-megapixel Telephoto camera. That third lens 16 Pro lets you zoom in up to 5x, and out up to 0.5x. The Pro phone has second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilization," while the baseline iPhone 16 presumably only has the first-gen version of that feature. The Pro can also shoot in the Apple ProRAW file format, and offers night mode portrait shots not available in the baseline model. On the video side, both iPhone 16 lines can shoot 4K Dolby Vision video, but the Pro model offers capture up to 120 frames per second. That enables better slow-motion video. The Pro further lives up to its name by offering the Academy Color Encoding System, log video recording and ProRes video recording on the rear and front cameras. (If you have to ask what these are, you don't need them.) Otherwise, the camera capabilities between the two models are pretty much the same. That includes two new-for-2024 features: Photographic Styles and the Camera Control button. Photographic Styles is akin to old-school Instagram filters, but with a major twist: you can undo or change the styles after shooting a given photo. Meanwhile, the new Camera Control button also comes equipped on both the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro models on the bottom right side of the phones. It offers one-click access to photo and video shooting, and includes touch-sensitive manipulation to change modes, frame shots and so forth. New camera button on the iPhone 16 models. (Apple) Apple Lastly, the iPhone 16 Pro includes a studio-quality" four-mic array which offers better audio capture during video sessions and enables the new multi-track recording option in the Memos app. (No, that feature is not available in the baseline iPhone 16 models.) Under the hood: CPUs and RAM The iPhone 16 comes with a new-for-2024 A18 chip, which includes a 6-core CPU and a 5-core GPU, as well as a 16-core Neural Engine. The iPhone 16 Pro has an equally new A18 Pro chip with a 6-core CPU and a 6-core GPU, along with a 16-core Neural Engine. Both A18 chips offer the performance and power consumption advantages versus the equivalent models that appeared in the 2023 iPhone 15 models. Per Macrumors, all iPhone 16 models sport 8GB of RAM - the same as the iPhone 15 Pro models had last year. The combo of processing power and on-board memory ensure that all of the iPhone 16 models will run the upcoming Apple Intelligence features. USB speed While both the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro have USB-C ports, the 16 Pro supports USB 3 to allow for up to 20 times faster transfers. (For reference, the iPhone 16 supports USB 2.) That extra speed is useful for creators who are transferring video, audio and photos from the iPhone Pro. The charging speeds for these are the same, with a 50-percent charge in just 30 minutes when using a 20W adapter with the USB-C cord. Color options and design differences As per usual, the iPhone 16 models come in bright new colors, while the iPhone 16 Pro has more neutral colors. The iPhone 16 is made from aluminum with a glass back, and you can choose from new colors like ultramarine (periwinkle), teal, pink (but darker than last year's pink), or the standard white and black choices. As for the iPhone 16 Pro, it's made from titanium with a textured matte glass back, and your color options are desert (gold), natural (silver), white or black. Both phones come equipped with the Action button - only the iPhone 15 Pro currently has this - which lets you assign a litany of functions, including the ringer, flashlight or voice memo. (Remember, the camera now has its own dedicated button.) Apple Apple Battery life If you're looking for a phone with a battery that can last all day, the iPhone 16 should be a great option if it lives up to Apple's advertised specs. The iPhone 16 offers up to 22 hours video playback, up to 18 hours of streaming and up to 80 hours of audio playback. The 16 Pro offers up to 27 hours of video playback, up to 22 hours of streaming and up to 85 hours of audio playback. What about the iPhone 16 Plus and iPhone 16 Pro Max? The iPhone 16 Plus is just a bigger version of the iPhone 16 with a longer battery life, and the same goes for the 16 Pro Max. They have all the same features as their smaller counterparts but here's how the battery life and sizes differ. iPhone 16 Plus Battery: Offers up to 27 hours of video playback, up to 24 hours of streaming and up to 100 hours of audio playback. Actually better than the 16 Pro battery span. Size: Has a 6.7-inch display, and is 6.33 inches tall, 3.06 inches wide and weighs just over seven ounces. iPhone 16 Pro Max Battery: Offers up to 33 hours of video playback, up to 29 hours of streaming and up to 105 hours of audio playback. Size: Has a 6.9-inch display, and is 6.42 inches tall, 3.06 inches wide and weighs nearly eight ounces. But how do the new iPhone 16 and 16 Pro work in real life? Our full reviews of the new iPhones are still in the future. But our own Cherlynn Low spent some time with the new iPhones in the demo area at Apple Park on launch day. Check out her first impressions of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro. None iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max Price Starting at $799 Starting at $899 Starting at $999 Starting at $1,199 Dimensions 5.81 x 2.82 x 0.31 inches 6.33 x 3.06 x 0.31 inches 5.89 x 2.81 x 0.32 inches 6.422 x 3.06 x 0.32 inches Weight 6 ounces 7.03 ounces 7.03 ounces 7.99 ounces Screen size 6.1 inches 6.7 inches 6.3 inches 6.9 inches Storage options 128GB, 256GB, 512GB 128GB, 256GB, 512GB 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB 256GB, 512GB, 1TB Colors and finish Aluminum with glass back in colors ultramarine, teal, pink, black Aluminum with glass back in colors ultramarine, teal, pink, black Titanium with textured matte glass back in colors desert, natural, white, black Titanium with textured matte glass back in colors desert, natural, white, black Battery Up to 22 hours video playback Up to 27 hours video playback Up to 27 hours video playback Up to 33 hours video playback Resolution 2,556 x 1,179 (460 ppi) 2,796 x 1,290 (460 ppi) 2,622 x 1,206 (460 ppi) 2,868 x 1,320 (460 ppi) This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/iphone-16-vs-iphone-16-pro-specs-and-features-compared-side-by-side-182312186.html?src=rss

Unity has ditched a controversial fee it was charging game developers. The game engine maker says it's focusing on its seat-based subscription fee (i.e. an annual payment for each person using the software at a studio), though there will be a price increase for Pro and Enterprise users.The company announced the runtime fee a year ago. Initially, it was going to make developers pay up every single time someone downloaded one of their games after certain thresholds were met. The backlash was swift and intense, with some industry figures suggesting that it would make Unity unviable for indie developers. Many developers (some of whom were years deep into making a game with Unity) were outraged over the sudden change and some threatened to abandon the engine.Unity apologized a few days later and made some changes to the runtime fee. But the policy was a near-disaster for the company. Unity CEO and president John Riccitiello left through the back door the following month. In November, Unity laid off 265 workers in a move it attributed to its Weta Digital deal, but this occurred amid the company's ill-fated attempts to squeeze more revenue from developers. Two months later, Unity said it would lay off 1,800 people, about a quarter of its total workforce.Current CEO Matt Bromberg, who took on the role in May, is hoping to rebuild trust (or, perhaps, unity) with developers by abandoning a loathed pricing model. The runtime fee is gone, effective immediately. The Unity Personal plan will remain free for developers with under $200,000 in revenue and funding. They'll also have the option to remove the Made with Unity splash screen from their games starting with Unity 6, which will arrive later this year.On the flipside, pricing and annual revenue thresholds for Unity Pro and Unity Enterprise subscribers are changing on January 1. Pro users (those with at least $200,000 of total annual revenue and funding have to go with this plan) will need to pay $2,200 per seat per year. That's an eight percent increase. As for Unity Enterprise, which is required for developers with north of $25 million in annual funding and revenue, a 25 percent price increase will apply. Pricing is customized based various factors, such as the products and services Enterprise customers require.Bromberg says that, going forward, Unity plans to consider possible price increases only on an annual basis. Developers will also be able to continue using an existing version of Unity on existing terms if they're not on board with changes to the Editor software."We want to deliver value at a fair price in the right way so that you will continue to feel comfortable building your business over the long term with Unity as your partner. And we're confident that if we're good partners and deliver great software and services, we've barely scratched the surface of what we can do together," Bromberg wrote in a blog post. "Canceling the Runtime Fee for games and instituting these pricing changes will allow us to continue investing to improve game development for everyone while also being better partners."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/unity-dumps-the-runtime-fee-that-caused-a-developer-revolt-181559332.html?src=rss

Apple's recent iPhone event brought some nifty ideas, from the camera button to a reinvention of Google Lens and beyond. The company also announced that it's bringing simple multitrack recording to Voice Memos. This was particularly exciting for me since, well, I use Voice Memos a lot. I have nearly 500 of these little recordings that were made during the lifetime of my iPhone 14 Pro and thousands more in the cloud. You never know when you'll need a random tune you hummed while waiting for the subway in 2013.So this feature felt tailor-made for me. I write songs. I play guitar. I do everything that lady in the commercial does, including opening the fridge late at night for no real reason.AppleThen reality hit. This isn't a software update that will hit all iPhone models. It's tied to the ultra-premium iPhone 16 Pro, which starts at a cool $1,000. I don't really want to upgrade right now, so the dream of singing over an acoustic guitar track right on the Voice Memos app is dead on arrival.Why is this particular feature walled behind the iPhone 16 Pro? It's a simple multitrack recording function. From the ad, it looks like the app can't even layer more than two tracks at a time. This can't exactly be taxing that A18 Pro chip, especially when the phone can also handle 4K/120 FPS video recording in Dolby Vision.Pro Tools, a popular digital audio workstation, was first introduced in 1991. This was two years before Intel released the Pentium chip. Computers of that era had no trouble layering tracks. For a bit of reference, last year's A17 Pro chip had around 19 billion transistors. An original Pentium chip had around three million. In other words, a modern smartphone chip is around 6,300 times more powerful than a 1993 Pentium-based PC.So let us layer tracks on Voice Memos, Apple! It can't be that complicated. I've been using dedicated multitrack apps ever since the iPhone 3. Apple throws GarageBand in with every iPhone. Both GarageBand and third-party recording apps have a place, sure, but nothing beats the quickness and ease-of-use of Voice Memos. It'd sure be great to be able to make a quick-and-dirty acoustic demo of a song and send it out to someone without having to navigate a fairly complicated interface.AppleYeah. I see the elephant in the room. There's a part of the ad that I've been avoiding. The woman records the vocal layer over the guitar track without wearing headphones. She just sang into the phone while standing in front of that refrigerator. Now, that's something old-school Pentiums could not do. There's some microphone placement wizardry going on there, along with machine learning algorithms that reduce unwanted ambient noise. The iPhone 16 Pro has a brand-new microphone array, so I get that older models might not be able handle this particular part of the equation.But who cares? That's a really neat feature. It's also completely unnecessary. If you're reading this, you are likely already wearing earbuds/headphones or have some within reach. Record the first track without the headphones. Record the secondary layer while wearing headphones. That's it. Problem solved. You can even do it in front of the refrigerator.Also, both the base-level iPhone 16 and the Pro support Audio Mix, which lets people adjust various sound levels from various sources after capturing video. This is done without the new Studio Mics on the iPhone 16 Pro and seems to reduce ambient noise in a similar way. So it could be possible that there's a software solution here to handle even that elephant in the room. After all, the company credits "powerful machine learning algorithms" for this tech - if it can erase environmental wind noise, surely it can handle music playing in the background?So I am once again asking for Apple to let the rest of us play around with multitrack recording on Voice Memos. There's no reason every older iPhone model couldn't compute its way to a simple guitar/vocal two-track wav file. Pop the feature into a software update. I hear there's one for iOS 18 coming really soon, and another for Apple Intelligence after that.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/i-dont-get-why-apples-multitrack-voice-memos-require-an-iphone-16-pro-175134621.html?src=rss

This really solid Baseus 30W/10000mAh MagSafe power bank is on sale via Amazon for 40 percent off. That brings the price to $28, from $46. This is a record low for this particular power bank, but be sure to clip the coupon to get the deal. This is one of the best MagSafe batteries out there and easily found a place on our list of the best power banks. It specializes in magnetic wireless charging for iPhones, of course, but also has a built-in USB-C cable. This means you can use the device to charge the vast majority of modern gadgets, though not wirelessly. The USB-C cable is also used to recharge the bank itself at a power outlet. This isn't a Qi2-certified product, but it still managed to charge an iPhone 15 just as quickly as the latest Qi2 Anker bank. It gets a modern iPhone to 55 percent in around 30 minutes. It's also quite small and pocket-friendly, with a strong magnet that allows for one-handed smartphone use as it provides juice. On the downside, this is a fairly bare-bones device. There's no status display or a kickstand, such as the likes found with rival power banks. However, it nails the basics, especially for $26. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/one-of-our-favorite-magsafe-power-banks-is-40-percent-off-right-now-165924327.html?src=rss

The Food and Drug Administration has approved Apple's over-the-counter Hearing Aid feature. Designed for people with mild to moderate hearing loss, it transforms the second-gen AirPods Pro into OTC hearing aids. This follows the FDA's 2022 decision to allow adults with less-than-severe impairment to use corrective consumer hearing devices without a professional test, prescription or fitting. The FDA says Apple's software-based Hearing Test feature for AirPods Pro showed similar benefits to those who received a professional fitting of the wireless earbuds. Results also showed comparable performance for tests measuring levels of amplification in the ear canal, as well as a measure of speech understanding in noise," the FDA wrote in its announcement. The agency adds that it didn't observe any adverse events" from using the device as an OTC hearing aid. Apple's Hearing Aid feature, coming in iOS 18, starts with a hearing test on your paired iPhone or iPad. As the image above shows, the test begins by ensuring your earbuds have a good seal. After that, it activates active noise cancellation (ANC) and asks you to tap the screen when you hear tones in the left and right ears. Once you finish, your results will live in the iOS Health app, where you can see how your results change (or not) over time. You can download your results and give them to an audiologist anytime. (If the test determines you have severe hearing loss, it will recommend you seek a professional assessment since the AirPods feature is only approved for those with mild to moderate impairment.) Engadget's Billy Steele got an early preview of the feature after Apple's big iPhone 16 event earlier this week. It seems to be as quick and easy as Apple describes," our audio expert wrote. Although the demo was a simulation, it covered each step of the process, adding up to only about five minutes. Apple developed the feature using 150,000 real-world audiograms and millions of simulations. The company's FDA application was reviewed under the agency's De Novo premarket pathway, which provides a runway for novel devices that don't carry serious risk. Apple's Hearing Aid and Hearing Test features will arrive no earlier than when iOS 18 launches to the public on September 16. The AirPods Pro (second-gen) is required to use the feature. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/the-fda-greenlights-apples-hearing-aid-feature-for-airpods-pro-164912484.html?src=rss

It's not totally uncommon for major automakers to buddy up on projects, share their knowledge and try to find ideas that benefit all parties. The latest to snuggle up are GM and Hyundai. Through their collaboration, they hope to improve their competitiveness while trying to reduce the costs and risks involved with developing new tech.The two companies have signed a non-binding agreement and they'll immediately start assessing joint opportunities and working toward binding agreements. According to GM CEO Mary Barra, the aim "is to unlock the scale and creativity of both companies to deliver even more competitive vehicles to customers faster and more efficiently."Projects that the two sides are looking at working on together include co-development and production of passenger and commercial vehicles, internal combustion engines and electric and hydrogen clean energy tech. They'll also explore supply chain efficiency - combined sourcing for the likes of battery raw materials and steel could save them both a bundle. GM and Hyundai will look into ways that they can harness their scale and knowhow to do all of this while reducing costs.It might be a while before we see any fruits of these labors, but it's smart for automakers to team up and try to reduce costs, especially with the EV market being somewhat dicey. Ford's EV division, for instance, is on track to lose around $5 billion this year.There are other types of partnerships between automakers, of course. In June, Volkswagen and Rivian teamed up, with the former expected to invest $3 billion into the EV company and a further $2 billion on a joint venture between the two sides.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/gm-and-hyundai-plan-to-work-together-on-cars-and-clean-energy-tech-162625133.html?src=rss

Chrome is getting a series of safety updates that could improve your security while browsing online. In a release, Google announced the new features, which include protecting against abusive notifications, limiting site permissions and reviewing extensions.Safety Check, Chrome's security monitor, will now run continuously in the background to more readily take protective steps. The tool will let you know what steps it's taking, which should include removing permissions from sites you no longer visit and ones Google Safe Browsing believes are deceiving you into giving permission. It will also flag any alerts it deems you might not want and notify you of issues that require attention, like security issues. Plus, Safety Check on your desktop should alert you to any Chrome extensions that might pose a risk.Google is also reducing the number of permissions that last for sites on Chrome for desktops or Android devices. The new feature will allow you to approve mic or camera access for one time only instead of always for the site. Instead, they will have to request your permission again on the next use. Plus, Google is also expanding the ability to unsubscribe from a site on Chrome with one button beyond Pixel devices to more Android ones.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/chromes-latest-safety-update-will-be-more-proactive-about-protecting-you-160046221.html?src=rss

Roland just released the Aira Compact P-6, a battery-powered sampler with a built-in microphone for capturing ideas quickly. There's also a USB-C port and analog inputs for plugging in a higher-grade mic, a smartphone or an actual computer for even more sampling opportunities. Roland calls it a roving recorder," likely because it's nearly small enough to fit inside of a pocket.The P-6 can hold up to 48 samples at once, split across eight banks of six pads. There are four available sampling rates to suit different tastes, though the internal memory is on the smallish side. The keyboard lets you chop up and trigger these samples on the fly, in addition to playing samples polyphonically.Like many modern musical gadgets, the Aira Compact P-6 is something of a jack of all trades. Sampling is the main feature, of course, but this thing includes a granular synthesis engine and a 64 step sequencer. This sequencer is fairly feature-rich, with neat options like off-grid sequencing, sub-steps, micro-timing and a lot more. You can even manipulate samples in real time during the sequence, for improvisation purposes.There are also plenty of effects to make each sample your own. These include a vinyl simulator, a looper, a phaser, a resonator and a lo-fi emulator, among others. The granular synthesis engine allows for even more microscopic sound design" opportunities, with the ability to detune samples and adjust the grain shape.RolandIf the idea of manipulating samples on a tiny device gives you the sweats, Roland offers a dedicated software suite called SampleTool. This brings even more features to the table, like downsampling, click removal and precise editing.The battery should get around three hours of use per charge, so make sure to bring along a charger while out and about. The Aira Compact P-6 costs $220 and is available now. As the name suggests, this sampler is a sibling product to the rest of the Aira Compact line, which are all fairly diminutive gadgets. There's a drum machine, some synths, a vocoder and more.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/roland-just-released-an-almost-pocket-sized-sampler-with-a-built-in-mic-152737594.html?src=rss

AST SpaceMobile is taking another step toward its goal of providing a space-based mobile communications network - one that would turn any standard smartphone into a satellite phone, no additional hardware required. After announcing that its network of five commercial satellites is scheduled to launch into low-Earth orbit on September 12, the launch took place successfully this morning. You can watch the launch below; the 10-second countdown starts at 1:16:09 in the video.The company's five BlueBird satellites are equipped with communications arrays that aim to provide standard off-the-shelf smartphones with the same voice, data and video speeds as a broadband tower. Once in orbit, AST's satellites will provide "non-continuous cellular broadband service across the United States and in select markets globally." The network can allow unmodified mobile phones to act as satellite phones, which would provide an option for cell users to communicate even in areas with limited broadband tower coverage, such as rural communities or national parks.At the start, this BlueBird network will be focused on servicing beta test customers from the AT&T and Verizon networks. AST landed a deal with AT&T in May to offer satellite communication to its customers. The company also worked with AT&T to complete its first successful two-way voice call over its satellites in April 2023, followed by a successful 4G data download test in June 2023.Update, September 12 2024, 11:07AM ET: This story has been updated to confirm that the launch took place successfully this morning.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/starlink-competitor-ast-spacemobile-launched-its-bluebird-smartphone-satellites-this-morning-184506110.html?src=rss

A decade after its untimely demise and countless clones later, the original Flappy Bird is coming back. Under the banner of the Flappy Bird Foundation, some dedicated fans acquired the rights to the viral mobile hit, per a press release. Flappy Bird will return to iOS and Android as native mobile apps in 2025. But you'll be able to play it elsewhere before then. The team is planning to bring the game to other platforms, such as desktop and the mobile web, starting this fall.The Flappy Bird Foundation has some big plans for the revived title, and it showed off some of those in a trailer. While maintaining the original game design is key, you can also expect new modes, characters, progression and multiplayer challenges.A blend of difficult gameplay and a crude art style (including pipes that seemed very inspired by Mario games) helped Flappy Bird become a sensation. The challenge posed by tapping the screen to flap the bird's wings and squeeze through gaps between pipes caught the imagination of legions of gamers - more than 100 million of them, according to the Flappy Bird Foundation.Flappy Bird debuted in May 2013 but it didn't blow up until the following January. Developer Dong Nguyen soon revealed that the game was raking in $50,000 per day from advertising. However, Flappy Bird's success was all too much for its creator. Nguyen removed it from the App Store and Google Play in February 2014 for seemingly altruistic reasons (though he brought another version to Amazon Fire TV later that year).Flappy Bird was designed to play in a few minutes when you are relaxed," he told Forbes. But it happened to become an addictive product. I think it has become a problem. To solve that problem, it's best to take down Flappy Bird. It's gone forever." Thankfully for fans (but maybe not people who were reselling old phones with the original game still installed), "forever" isn't necessarily permanent.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/flappy-bird-is-finally-returning-10-years-after-its-demise-142756765.html?src=rss

If you're eager to get your hands on a MacBook Pro but want to save some cash, Amazon has a good deal right now on the 14-inch MacBook Pro M3. That laptop is down to $1,300 for the model with 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, which represents a $300 discount (a steeper sale than what we saw during Amazon Prime Day in July). The typical price for this version is $1,500, so you're saving a good chunk of change. Keep in mind, though, that October Prime Day is likely right around the corner - Amazon announced it would return this year, although no specific dates yet. There's a chance we could see a deeper discount during that sale event, but there's no guarantee. This is the latest MacBook pro with an M3 chip that was released last year. It comes with a 14-inch display, an 8-core CPU and a 10-core GPU. We loved this laptop in our official review, calling the design a major improvement" over previous MacBook Pro releases and praising the gorgeous" Liquid Retina XDR display, the abundant selection of ports and that speedy M3 processor. This machine also made our list of the best MacBooks, and for good reason. We called it the best MacBook for creatives" due to the incredibly efficient and powerful CPU. Apple silicon ain't no joke. The battery life is on point, lasting around 24 hours per charge. That's about three full work days. There's one caveat here. This is the model with 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. The storage is fine, as there are plenty of ports for external drives and an SD card slot. If you are going with a MacBook Pro over an Air, however, it might be a good idea to spring for a model with 16GB of RAM to get the most out of the machine. Luckily, the 1TB/16GB version is also on sale via Amazon for $1,700. October Prime Day 2024 is around the corner, serving as Amazon's (un)official kickoff to the holiday shopping season. If you're eager to snag some early holiday deals for those on your list (or yourself), here's what we know so far about the next Prime Day shopping event. When is October Prime Day 2024? Amazon has not announced the dates of fall Prime Day 2024 yet, but we do know it will be returning sometime in October. What is October Prime Day? October Prime Day is an extension of the regular Prime Day sale held annually in July. It features exclusive deals on Amazon for Prime members, although not quite on as big of a scale as the main summer Prime Day. How long is October Prime Day? In years past, October Prime Day has been two days long, just like Prime Day in July.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-discounts-the-apple-14-inch-m3-macbook-pro-below-its-prime-day-price-152341957.html?src=rss

Google's latest update for its AI-powered research tool NotebookLM can turn the materials you want to pore over into a podcast-like audio discussion. The new feature called Audio Overview takes information from documents you've uploaded and then generates a "deep dive" discussion between two AI hosts. In addition to summarizing your sources, Google says the hosts will be able to find links between different topics and even banter back and forth. Based on the example the company posted with its announcement, the AI hosts sounded human enough to listen to, though you could still determine that the voices were AI-generated from their inflections and odd pronunciations of certain words.Since the feature is still in its experimental stages, Google admits that it has its limitations. The hosts can only speak English at this time, and they sometimes say inaccurate information, which means you will have to double check your material and ensure you didn't just learn something that's not factual. You also can't interrupt the hosts while they're speaking yet, and it still takes several minutes for NotebookLM to generate an Audio Overview for notebooks with larger files. Biao Wang, Google Labs product manager, wrote in the feature's announcement post that his team is "excited to bring audio into NotebookLM" despite those limitations, since they "know some people learn and remember better by listening to conversations."The company launched NotebookLM back in 2023 as some sort of a digital assistant that you can ask questions about the documents you upload. In June this year, Google announced that NotebookLM has officially started running on Gemini 1.5 Pro, giving it new features and tools, and has expanded to over 200 countries and territories.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/googles-ai-notebook-can-generate-a-podcast-about-your-notes-140004869.html?src=rss

Are you looking for a pair of earbuds that will let you enjoy music on your commute without costing so much you have to cut out your daily iced coffee? Well, Anker's Soundcore Space A40 wireless earbuds are 40 percent off right now, dropping to $48, down from $80. This deal brings the earbuds to a record-low price - by $1, but, hey, we'll take it. We named Anker's Soundcore Space A40 as our choice for best budget wireless earbuds in 2024 for quite a few reasons. For starters, the earbuds offer the quality and features - including active noise cancellation - that you typically need to spend way more money to get. They offer wireless charging, an IPX4 water-resistance rating and the ability to connect to two devices at once. The battery lasts about 10 hours on its own and 50 hours with the case. You can also get about four hours of juice after just ten minutes of charge. The sound quality isn't going to be the same level as what you'd get from Bose or Sony, with a slight dulling of finer details. However, the Soundcore Space A40 earbuds do offer custom EQ tools through the Soundcore app, so you can tweak it a bit. Overall, between offering ANC and pretty good comfort, these earbuds are a steal at this price. October Prime Day 2024 is around the corner, serving as Amazon's (un)official kickoff to the holiday shopping season. If you're eager to snag some early holiday deals for those on your list (or yourself), here's what we know so far about the next Prime Day shopping event. When is October Prime Day 2024? Amazon has not announced the dates of fall Prime Day 2024 yet, but we do know it will be returning sometime in October. What is October Prime Day? October Prime Day is an extension of the regular Prime Day sale held annually in July. It features exclusive deals on Amazon for Prime members, although not quite on as big of a scale as the main summer Prime Day. How long is October Prime Day? In years past, October Prime Day has been two days long, just like Prime Day in July.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/these-anker-earbuds-we-love-are-cheaper-than-they-were-during-prime-day-135034318.html?src=rss

iFixit embodies the spirit of screw it, I'll just do it myself" that has always been a trait of some tech enthusiasts. As one of the Right to Repair movement's proponents, the company is now flexing its muscles with an electronics product of its very own. FixHub is a USB-C powered soldering iron designed to help fix whatever's on your workbench (and be easily fixable itself). The iron is joined by a 55Wh battery pack which acts as a stand and temperature control, ensuring you can fix things wherever you go.Founder Kyle Wiens explained FixHub was born of frustration with soldering irons, and their limits. He was annoyed that he had to drag an extension cord out on the street to fix his car stereo. So the iFixit team set about looking for a way to improve what has traditionally been an unsophisticated tool. That includes making it smarter, more flexible and easily repairable.The 100 watt iron can reach your desired soldering temperature in just five seconds. Nestled inside the iron's body is an accelerometer which can detect if the iron is idle and in its holder. If it does, it will automatically set it to cool down - hopefully wringing extra life out of the tip of the iron. And if the iron falls out of your hand it'll cut power to hopefully prevent any nasty accidents. There's also an LED ring on the body that'll tell you when the iron is cool enough to touch, warming up, or ready to go.Photo by Daniel Cooper / EngadgetYou can use the iron with any USB-C power source that can output 20W, but it'll stay set at the factory default temperature of 660f/350c. For more control (and portability), you'll need to grab the FixHub Power Station, the company's new 55Wh battery pack. It'll output up to 100W at once, with enough juice to run two irons simultaneously, or one iron while recharging another USB-C device. Up front, you'll get a display and a turn dial to let you control the iron's temperature should you need to tweak it.This being iFixit, both products are modular and repairable, with the usual commitment to ensuring easy serviceability. The packaging even contains an iFixit screwdriver that will let you disassemble both products as and when required. The hope is that you'll still be fixing your electronics with one of these in hand for decades to come.iFixit will begin shipping its FixHub products on October 15 in the US, Canada, Australia and Europe. The Smart Soldering Iron will set you back $80, while the Soldering Station, which includes the soldering iron and the battery pack, costs $250. You can also pick up the Soldering Toolkit for $300, which will include the above, plus lots of accessories and materials.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ifixit-wants-to-fix-the-soldering-iron-130040690.html?src=rss

September marks Suicide Prevention Month, a time to recognize the people impacted by suicide and suicidal thoughts, as well as the importance of working together to raise awareness and take preventive steps. A new collaboration aims to fulfill the latter, with Meta teaming up with the Mental Health Coalition to create Thrive, a signal-sharing program. Thrive should allow participating companies to send signals about content focused on self-harm or suicide to each other, thus locating and investigating the same or similar posts more easily. Snap and TikTok join Meta as founding members.Thrive will initially work through companies providing hashes (codes corresponding to the violating content). Each one will only provide information about the image or video and shouldn't include specific information about users or the account. Meta says it will prioritize content that is graphic or depicting or promoting viral challenges around suicide or self-harm.Meta announced the news in a statement and shared it's providing Thrive's technical infrastructure. The company, which has been far from a shining example in preventing harm on its site, also acknowledged the need for cross-platform collaboration. "Unfortunately this content isn't limited to any one platform - especially when it comes to viral challenges - and it's imperative that the technology industry works together to help prevent it from spreading," said Antigone Davis, vice president of Global Safety at Meta.Thrive's director, Dr. Dan Reidenberg, will oversee the program, stating, "The integration of signal sharing, coupled with cross-industry collaboration and moderated by an independent and neutral intermediary, represents a major breakthrough in industry collaboration and public protection on the global, public health crisis of suicide and ultimately save lives."In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255 or you can simply dial 988. Crisis Text Line can be reached by texting HOME to 741741 (US), 686868 (Canada), or 85258 (UK). Wikipedia maintains a list of crisis lines for people outside of those countries.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-and-the-mental-health-coalition-launch-a-data-sharing-program-to-reduce-violating-suicidal-content-124446825.html?src=rss

After slashing 1,900 jobs across Xbox and Activision earlier this year, Microsoft is laying off another 650 employees, according to an internal memo seen by The Verge. The cuts are again related to its Activision Blizzard acquisition and will mostly affect corporate and supporting functions, Xbox head Phil Spencer told employees."We have made the decision to eliminate approximately 650 roles across Microsoft Gaming... to organize our business for long term success," Spencer wrote. "No games, devices or experiences are being cancelled and no studios are being closed as part of these adjustments today."Microsoft completed its $68.7 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard in October 2023, following a 21-month battle with regulators in the US and UK. To clear the deal with the UK's Competition and Markets Authority, Microsoft agreed to sell its cloud gaming rights to Ubisoft so that titles will appear on multiple game-streaming services.Since then, the company has closed multiple game studios, including Redfall developer Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog Games and Roundhouse Games.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/microsoft-lays-off-another-650-xbox-employees-as-part-of-its-activision-deal-123042523.html?src=rss

Polaris Dawn astronauts Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis have successfully exited the confines of their Crew Dragon vehicle to perform the first ever commercial spacewalk on September 12. SpaceX and the Polaris crew started preparing for the event at 6:01AM Eastern time, checking that all their gear was in order and putting on the SpaceX extravehicular activity (EVA) suits that all four of them have to wear, because opening the Dragon's hatch will expose them to outer space. Pure oxygen was pumped into the suits to check for leaks before all the air was let out of the vehicle and before Isaacman opened the hatch.

The Nintendo Switch is now over seven years old and due for a refresh, even if the storied console maker isn't chasing technical specs, like its rival. Nintendo Switch 2 rumors (again, I'd wager real money it won't be called that) have been bouncing around for years, even. Sometimes they teased DLSS, NVIDIA's deep learning supersampling" upscaling tech to add polish and higher resolution to existing Switch games. Other times, rumors just ended up being the OLED Switch - largely the same console as the original.Will this be something like the Wii? Another left turn, console wise? Or something evolutionary, like the Wii U or GameBoy Color. It's unlikely the company will ditch the hybrid form-factor as it effectively married home and portable consoles together - and is probably a huge reason for the Switch's success.We're expecting it to be backwards compatible with the Switch's game library, while Nintendo's account system management should make it smoother to swap between console generations than in the past. Crucially, when will it launch? While it's mostly speculation, Nintendo's next console could arrive March 2025, but couch that with the necessary levels of skepticism.We've pulled together all the reports, leaks and rumors right here.- Mat SmithThe biggest stories you might have missedUltimate Ears Everboom reviewGoogle searches now link to the Internet ArchiveThe Apple Watch Series 10 deserves more than 18-hour battery lifeAdobe previews AI video tools that arrive later this yearYou'll be able to create AI clips from text, still images and existing video.Adobe's Firefly AI video generation tools will arrive in beta later this year. Like many things related to AI, the examples are equal parts mesmerizing and terrifying as the company slowly integrates tools built to automate much of the creative work done by folks who buy its software. The company, of course, reiterates that these tools are supplementary. Of course!Continue reading.The audio earrings Kamala Harris didn't wear during the debate barely even existSometimes, it's not the tech.Associated PressWith even Fox News and senior Republican figures admitting Vice President Kamala Harris won Tuesday night's presidential debate, some supporters of former president Trump are chasing the same old conspiracy theories: an earpiece used during debates. A tale as old as 2012, the same accusations were cast at President Joe Biden in 2020, at Hillary Clinton in 2016 and at Barack Obama in 2012. However, internet sleuths' finds boiled down to a Kickstarter startup called Nova and earring-styled earpieces that never quite made it beyond vaporware. We detangle the nonsense.Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-the-700-ps5-pro-111538227.html?src=rss

Two of Polaris Dawn's four astronauts could make history today by performing the first ever commercial spacewalk at around 700 kilometers (435 miles) above our planet. Jared Isaacman, the mission leader and funder, and SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis will leave the confines and safety of the Crew Dragon capsule for 15 and 20 minutes each. The other two crew members, Scott Poteet and Anna Menon, will stay inside the vehicle to monitor the spacewalkers' status and make sure everything's in order. SpaceX will stream the event live on its website and on X starting at 4:50AM Eastern time. In case the spacewalk has to be called off, the astronauts will have another opportunity on September 13 at the same time.

You can save big on a Disney+ subscription if you can live with some ads. New and returning customers can get a Disney+ Basic (with ads) subscription for $2 monthly for three months. That tier is currently $8 per month and includes all Disney+ content. A Disney+ Basic (with ads) subscription unlocks all of the platform's series and movies. That includes Disney-branded originals, Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel, The Simpsons and National Geographic (among others). It even has Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor's Version) for the Swiftie in your life. As for the fine print, the subscription will auto-renew at the full price after three months unless you cancel first. And that tier is about to get more expensive, increasing to $10 monthly starting on October 17. So, set a reminder to cancel if you only want to plow through Andor, the WandaVision spinoff Agatha All Along or The Acolyte'sfirst and only season before your three cheap months run out. The deal is only eligible for those 18 or older and expires on September 27. If $2 streaming tickles your fancy, head to the Disney+ website to sign up or reactivate your subscription. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/disney-basic-is-only-6-for-three-months-in-this-limited-time-deal-070055707.html?src=rss

Following a beta test earlier this year, Steam Families is now live with a new way for relatives to be connected on the gaming portal. Up to five family members can be invited into a group, which will grant access to a shared family library. Each person can create their own save files and collect their own achievements for games in the family library.The marquee development with the new family feature is that multiple people within the group will be able to play games from the shared library at the same time. And if you own multiple copies of a game, then multiple people can be playing that title at once. The caveat with family sharing is that a game developer may opt not to support the feature. Steam maintains a list of the titles that currently have family sharing enabled.Steam Families also folds in the features of the old Steam Family View, where the adults can monitor and limit what the children in the group can do on the platform. Any adult in the family will be able to restrict kids' access to Steam's store, communities or chat. They can also set playtime limits, approve extensions to the limits and recover a child's account if the password is lost.This type of family sharing plan doesn't always reflect a person's home environment, and Steam does have some restrictions on Steam Families' use. Adults can leave a family group at any time, but have to wait a year before they can join or create another family. Also, the Steam accounts need to be in the same country to join a family group.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/steam-families-is-live-and-you-can-all-play-at-the-same-time-231044827.html?src=rss

Xbox is changing its process for forming connections on the gaming platform. Its new method works like, well, just about every other social platform, where you'll send a friend request that is either accepted or denied.That sounds like the obvious way for this feature to function, but Xbox adopted a more passive approach to friends for the recent console generation. The way it works in the current system is that anybody can add another Xbox account to their follow list. When two accounts followed each other, they were upgraded to friends.MicrosoftThe change shouldn't yield much of a difference in players' social tab. If you're already friends, you'll stay friends. If you aren't mutuals, you'll continue following the account. That means you can still keep an eye on updates from individuals, clubs and games within the Xbox ecosystem.Xbox is also launching new privacy and notification options to help manage the return of friendship, so players can set who is able to follow them or send them friend requests. The blog post didn't give a release date for when the new friends system will get a public rollout, but it is available starting this week as a preview for people in the Xbox Insiders program.Today's announcement is the latest in a wave of Xbox news in the past month. The company also introduced the Game Pass Standard plan and opened pre-orders for the all-digital Xbox Series X.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/friend-requests-are-returning-to-xbox-220614785.html?src=rss

Nevada has a new helper in its quest to plow through a backlog of unemployment claims: Google AI. Gizmodo reports that the initiative will task one of the company's cloud-based AI models with analyzing appeals hearing transcripts and suggesting whether cases should be approved. Welcome to the future, where a robot weighs in on whether you get the government money you requested.The Nevada Independent wrote in June that the AI model, trained on the state's unemployment law and policies, will analyze transcripts of virtual appeals hearings. It will then spit out a ruling, which a state employee will review for mistakes and decide whether to honor.It replaces the current Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) process, which averages three hours for a real-life human to complete. Carl Stanfield, DETR's IT administrator, told the Nevada Independent that Google's AI (which uses the company's Vertex cloud system) can rule within five minutes. The time saving is pretty phenomenal," Stanfield said.It's easy to understand why Nevada would be eager to lean on the emerging tech. As recently as June, the state reportedly had a backlog of over 10,000 unprocessed appeals, about 1,500 of which were left over from the pandemic. And if the tech's reviews are accurate - or the human reviewers catch its mistakes -it could be an enormous timesaver.However, there could be psychological pressure for the employees reviewing the cases to rubber-stamp the AI's conclusions. If a robot's just handed you a recommendation and you just have to check a box and there's pressure to clear out a backlog, that's a little bit concerning," Michele Evermore, a former deputy director for unemployment modernization policy at the Department of Labor, told Gizmodo.Stanfield told Gizmodo that a governance committee will meet weekly while the state is fine-tuning the model and quarterly after it goes live to monitor for hallucinations and bias. The stakes could be high for claimants as the AI-powered system could affect their ability to appeal bogus decisions. In cases that involve questions of fact, the district court cannot substitute its own judgment for the judgment of the appeal referee," Elizabeth Carmona, a senior attorney with Nevada Legal Services, told Gizmodo. In other words, if the human reviewing the decision misses the AI's mistakes, a court may not have the legal standing to overturn it.One Nevada politician put it a bit more bluntly. Are we out of our ever-loving minds?" NV state senator Skip Daly (D-Reno) said to the Nevada Independent this summer. I'm just dubious of the whole concept of overreliance on algorithms and computers. I hope that we are cautious about it, and think before we just say, We got to be faster or better than the next guy.'"This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/nevada-will-use-google-ai-to-process-a-backlog-of-unemployment-cases-202718427.html?src=rss

It's easy to forget that there's another social network besides Threads for people tired of Elon Musk's totally normal X platform. Bluesky is a fine alternative, as it definitely feels" like Twitter. However, it has been lacking some of the features that made Twitter such an internet hotspot back in the day. Well, we just got a big one. The company just announced that users can now upload video content.There are some caveats. First of all, the videos have to be under a minute. That's a fairly huge hurdle for just about every piece of content other than TikTok-style shorts. As a comparison, Meta's Threads allows for five minute videos. Also, the videos autoplay by default, though that can be handled in the settings. Finally, there's a hard limit of 25 videos per user each day, though the company says it could tweak that in the future.The platform supports most of the major video file types, including .mp4, .mpeg, .webm, and .mov files. Users can also attach subtitles to each video, which is a nice little bonus. There are some guardrails in place to protect against spam and abuse." Only users who have verified their email address can upload videos and illegal content will be purged" from the infrastructure. There's also a way to submit reports to the moderation team. Additionally, each video will be scanned for CSAM by Hive and Thorn.Update to version 1.91 of the mobile app to get started, though it also works via the desktop client. Not every user will be able to access this feature right away, as version 1.91 will be a gradual rollout to ensure a smooth experience."Bluesky recently added direct messages into the mix, which is something Threads doesn't have. The platform may be a distant third, when compared to X and Threads, but it's certainly growing. A massive influx of Brazilian users recently joined the social media site after X was banned in the country.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/bluesky-now-lets-you-upload-videos-but-there-are-some-caveats-185702403.html?src=rss

On Wednesday, Adobe unveiled Firefly AI video generation tools that will arrive in beta later this year. Like many things related to AI, the examples are equal parts mesmerizing and terrifying as the company slowly integrates tools built to automate much of the creative work its prized user base is paid for today. Echoing AI salesmanship found elsewhere in the tech industry, Adobe frames it all as supplementary tech that helps take the tedium out of post-production."Adobe describes its new Firefly-powered text-to-video, Generative Extend (which will be available in Premiere Pro) and image-to-video AI tools as helping editors with tasks like navigating gaps in footage, removing unwanted objects from a scene, smoothing jump cut transitions, and searching for the perfect b-roll." The company says the tools will give video editors more time to explore new creative ideas, the part of the job they love." (To take Adobe at face value, you'd have to believe employers won't simply increase their output demands from editors once the industry has fully adopted these AI tools. Or pay less. Or employ fewer people. But I digress.)Firefly Text-to-Video lets you - you guessed it - create AI-generated videos from text prompts. But it also includes tools to control camera angle, motion and zoom. It can take a shot with gaps in its timeline and fill in the blanks. It can even use a still reference image and turn it into a convincing AI video. Adobe says its video models excel with videos of the natural world," helping to create establishing shots or b-rolls on the fly without much of a budget.For an example of how convincing the tech appears to be, check out Adobe's examples in the promo video:Although these are samples curated by a company trying to sell you on its products, their quality is undeniable. Detailed text prompts for an establishing shot of a fiery volcano, a dog chilling in a field of wildflowers or (demonstrating it can handle the fantastical as well) miniature wool monsters having a dance party produce just that. If these results are emblematic of the tools' typical output (hardly a guarantee), then TV, film and commercial production will soon have some powerful shortcuts at its disposal - for better or worse.Meanwhile, Adobe's example of image-to-video begins with an uploaded galaxy image. A text prompt prods it to transform it into a video that zooms out from the star system to reveal the inside of a human eye. The company's demo of Generative Extend shows a pair of people walking across a forest stream; an AI-generated segment fills in a gap in the footage. (It was convincing enough that I couldn't tell which part of the output was AI-generated.)AdobeReuters reports that the tool will only generate five-second clips, at least at first. To Adobe's credit, it says its Firefly Video Model is designed to be commercially safe and only trains on content the company has permission to use. We only train them on the Adobe Stock database of content that contains 400 million images, illustrations, and videos that are curated to not contain intellectual property, trademarks or recognizable characters," Adobe's VP of Generative AI, Alexandru Costin, told Reuters. The company also stressed that it never trains on users' work. However, whether or not it puts its users out of work is another matter altogether.Adobe says its new video models will be available in beta later this year. You can sign up for a waitlist to try them.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/adobe-previews-ai-video-tools-that-arrive-later-this-year-172021715.html?src=rss

Most early impressions of the Apple Watch Series 10 are quite positive. Not only does it have the biggest display yet on any Apple Watch (despite a smaller overall case size than the 49mm Ultra 2), but it weighs less and is somehow thinner than before. The display isn't just bigger, either - it has improved brightness when viewed at an angle, and the always-on screen can refresh once a second when at rest, rather than once a minute as it did before.Beyond the updated display and some lovely new case options (the new polished titanium and jet black aluminum look pretty fabulous), the Apple Watch is also getting a new health feature: sleep apnea detection. It's not exclusive to the Apple Watch Series 10, as last year's Series 9 will also get it as well, but it was still a main highlight of Apple's presentation and another example of how they want you to wear the Watch all day and all night.The only problem with that? Battery life is still rated for 18 hours, or 36 in battery-saver mode (half of what Apple claims for the Watch Ultra 2). That means if I get up and strap my watch on at 7AM, it'll be dead overnight. Of course, the reality of this isn't as extreme as I'm making it sound. While Apple has quoted an 18-hour battery since the Apple Watch was first released in 2015, recent models have easily exceeded that, despite changes like an always-on display. It's not unreasonable to wear it all day and overnight to track your sleep, and then give it a charge in the morning to get set for the next day. Apple has focused on quick charging in the last few models to make that more feasible - the Series 10 can be charged to 80 percent in just 30 minutes.The problem, at least in my experience, comes a year or so into an Apple Watch's life. I had a Series 7, and its battery health had dropped to below 90 percent capacity after less than a year, and under 85 percent capacity after about 14 months. That made a noticeable difference; if I wanted to wear my watch overnight for sleep-tracking purposes, it would have needed a mid-day charge. Things were even worse if I used LTE on a run and left my phone at home, as streaming music and tracking a workout could easily use more than 25 percent of my battery. My Series 9 that I got last December, however, appears to be doing much better, with battery health still at 100 percent. Maybe my Series 7 was a lemon, but I think Apple has done some solid charging optimization to keep things fresher here.Getting a day and change from the Apple Watch is in line with the Pixel Watch 3 that we just reviewed, though it lags behind Samsung's Galaxy smartwatches. But the comparison gets worse when you look at Garmin's line of fitness-focused watches, basically all of which can be used for well over a week without needing a charge. Granted, they're different from Apple and Google wearables that are tightly integrated with all aspects of your phone's OS, but that's not the point. If you want to use your watch to the fullest, wear it overnight to track sleep and not have to think about it the next day, the Apple Watch is far from your best option.That brings me back around to the Series 10. How psyched would we all be if Apple said this thing got three days of battery life? Even matching the 36-hour rating of the Apple Watch Ultra would be a win, as chances are good you'd get closer to two days in real-world use. Instead, though, Apple did what it often does and made the Series 10 thinner. Sure, comfort is crucial when you're talking about a wearable, but I personally would have traded a 1mm reduction in thickness (about a nine percent change) for a bigger, longer-lasting battery.Instead, we'll just have to make do with faster charging, which, don't get me wrong, does make a difference. It's pretty easy to imagine a world in which you wake up, drop your Apple Watch on the charger for 45 minutes while you get ready for the day and then don't think about it again until the next morning. But that's just another time you have to think about this thing that's supposed to live on your wrist. Charging overnight isn't necessarily the best option anymore, but having to charge every day without fail is still a bummer. I just wish I had an Apple Watch that I could forget about and just drop on a charger every couple days to top it up. Maybe next year.Catch up on all the news from Apple's iPhone 16 event!This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/the-apple-watch-series-10-deserves-more-than-18-hour-battery-life-170410297.html?src=rss

Earlier this year, Google said goodbye to its cached web page feature, saying it's no longer needed. While many were sad to see it go, we can now rejoice as Google is partnering with the Internet Archive to bring something substantially similar back. Thanks to the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine, you can now look at archived web pages easily.Clicking on the three dots beside any search result will let you begin to access cached pages. Next, look for the About this Result" panel and click More About This Page." Doing so will lead you to the Wayback Machine, allowing anyone to see snapshots of webpages from various times.Director of the Wayback Machine Mark Graham said some archived web pages won't be available because their rights holders have opted out of having their sites archived by the Internet Archive.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/google-searches-now-link-to-the-internet-archive-164814487.html?src=rss

Ultimate Ears has a history of building loud and rugged portable Bluetooth speakers with features to simplify the listening experience. Whether it's a party mode that supports over 100 speakers at once, or the ability to remotely power off the unit with your phone, the company's devices have consistently been among the best. Enter the Everboom ($250), a new option from UE that sits in the middle of its lineup in terms of size and power. Those handy Ultimate Ears features return, but so does the company's lack of clarity and fidelity. Design The Everboom is slightly smaller than the midpoint of Ultimate Ears' Bluetooth speaker lineup. The compact Wonderboom and cylindrical Boom 4 and Megaboom 4 are the smaller options, while the Epicboom and Hyperboom are larger. The Megaboom 4 is actually taller than the Everboom, but the latter is wider, making it bigger overall. Aesthetically, the Everboom is most like the Epicboom: an oval-shaped, cylindrical device with a rubber base. Where the two differ, other than size, is that the Epicboom has an attached strap around back while the Everboom has a loop. You use the included carabiner or opt for a clip or hook. And, like all recent UE speakers, large +" and -" buttons are part of the look, putting the volume controls right on the face of the speaker. Up top, there are buttons for power, Bluetooth, Outdoor Boost and play/pause. That last control also skips tracks with a double (forward) or triple press (back). Like most recent UE speakers, the Everboom is plenty rugged. The IP67-rated unit can survive being fully submerged, but you probably won't have to worry about that because it also floats. While UE highlighted this aspect in the announcement, I should point out that the Wonderboom also floats. The company says it drop-tested the Everboom at heights up to one meter (about three feet), so the occasional stumble shouldn't be an issue beyond scuffs or scratches. The UE Boom app and features Billy Steele for Engadget In order to use the Everboom's advanced features, you'll need to access them in the UE Boom app. Once the speaker is connected, the main interface displays battery status above controls for power, Outdoor Boost and a megaphone tool. There's a volume slider too, as well as a media player and tabs for PartyUp and EQ. The megaphone allows you to make announcements via your phone's mic and Partyup is Ultimate Ears' nomenclature for pairing multiple speakers together. You can actually sync up to 150 units in the same setup, so long as they're either Boom, Megaboom, Epicboom or Hyperboom models. A dive into the detailed settings menu reveals even more handy tools. There's the option to add playlists from either Amazon Music or Apple Music so you can start them directly from the Everboom's play/pause button (long press). You can add as many playlists as you want and cycle through them without picking up your phone. When one collection is playing, you'll also have access to playlists from the media player inside the app. There are a few more items in the settings that I'll point out. You can enable so-called Sticky PartyUp to keep speakers grouped if you change locations and you can also disable the ability for other people to add your device to their PartyUp arrangement. Bluetooth Standby is on by default, and it's how the app can remotely turn the speaker on or off. But it impacts battery life, so the company gives you the option to extend play time by disabling it. Sound quality Billy Steele for Engadget One of the best things about the Everboom is that the driver arrangement beams sound 360 degrees. You can clearly hear music when you're sitting on the side of the device, although the tuning there favors treble over bass. My main gripe with Ultimate Ears speakers is that it always seems like the company favors volume over fidelity. The speakers typically sound fine, and the Everboom is more of the same, but there's a lack of overall depth and detail that other Bluetooth speakers muster. Songs consistently sound compressed, noticeably lacking in the mid range, despite punchy highs and rumbling bass. There's just a lack of overall clarity on bluegrass tunes from Nickel Creek and the open, atmospheric instrumentation on Phantogram's Come Alive." Vocals always cut through clean, but the sound stage is confined to the two high and low extremes. Saosin's Live From The Garden Amphitheater is one of the better-sounding live albums I can remember, but the Everboom subdues the energy of the show with a lack of dynamics in its tuning. Of the EQ presets, Bass Boost is the only one that improves things, but not dramatically. Unlike most bass-heavy profiles, this one doesn't further muddy the audio quality. However, for some genres, like the brooding alt-rock of Balance and Composure, the added low-end makes the constant, rhythmic bass lines overbearing. In wide open spaces, Outdoor Boost can help improve the listening experience. According to the company, this increases the volume by one decibel (from 90dB to 91dB), and that's it. However, if you happen to activate it indoors, you'll be able to hear that the tuning also changes slightly. Outside though, all you'll notice is slightly louder, better-projected sound. The feature makes an obvious difference when you're no longer in a confined space, addressing a problem that typically plagues Bluetooth speakers when used outdoors. Battery life Billy Steele for Engadget The Everboom has enough juice to keep the tunes going for a good long while. Ultimate Ears promises up to 20 hours on a charge, more than enough for a full day's worth of music. After my tests, I can confidently say that the speaker will outperform that, unless you're running it at full volume for hours on end (you won't, trust me). After 12 hours, the UE app was still showing 70 percent battery remaining. These trials were mostly conducted indoors where a volume around 40 percent is plenty loud. Also, I didn't notice that the Bluetooth standby mode for turning the speaker on with the app had any impact on battery life like the company warns. The competition As I already mentioned, there are plenty of alternatives in the Ultimate Ears lineup if you're looking for similar features in a slightly different package. However, my recommendation is the Marshall Middleton ($250), a selection from our best portable Bluetooth speakers list for a speaker at this price and size. Right now you can get it for the same cost as the Everboom and it has several handy features the UE speaker doesn't offer. First, there's a joystick control knob up top, with a visual indicator for battery and volume levels. You can also make bass and treble adjustments on the device and there's a 3.5mm jack for wired input. Of course, you get all of the stylings of the iconic Marshall guitar amps and a Stack Mode allows you to use multiple units as a more robust setup. The Middleton is rated IP67 for water-resistance and offers 20 hours of battery life. Both of those specs are the same as the Everboom. Also, don't sleep on the new Beats Pill ($150). Sure, it's a smaller speaker, but it still delivers a big sound. The bass performance can vary depending on the album or genre, but overall there's nice low-end tone from the compact unit. What's more, angled drivers project sound better than previous versions and you have the option of lossless tunes via wired USB-C connection. And perhaps best of all: you'll save $100. Wrap-up Ultimate Ears are typically a solid bet for the price, even though the best value lies with the company's smaller speakers. The mid-sized Everboom brings the UE's best features to yet another new design, maintaining its robust dust, moisture and drop protections. All of the conveniences are offset by a sound profile that's deafeningly loud, but lacks the polish for detailed, immersive listening. For all of the punchy highs and deep bass, the overall sonic effect is murky and subdued in the absence of mids. Still, the fact that the speaker floats and the dedicated outdoor sound boost makes this a decent option for adventures. And one that will certainly annoy the people in the next campsite. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/ultimate-ears-everboom-review-a-floatable-outdoor-speaker-that-packs-a-punch-161532961.html?src=rss

With even Fox News and senior Republican figures admitting that Vice President Kamala Harris won Tuesday night's presidential debate, some supporters of former president Donald Trump are desperately seeking crumbs of comfort. Cue the predictable conspiracy theories.A frequent refrain that has emerged from conservatives (but curiously, not Democrats) over the last decade or so is that their guy's opponent was wearing an earpiece during debates. These baseless accusations were slung at President Joe Biden in 2020, at Hillary Clinton in 2016 and at Barack Obama in 2012. The theory was debunked on each occasion.In Harris' case, conspiracy theorists have claimed on X and other social media platforms that her earrings had earpieces built in. In search of an earpiece that resembles pearl studs, these sore losers declared Harris was using Nova's H1 Audio Earrings.The earrings are said to have directional sound that remains audible only to the wearer. Per their Kickstarter page, they "are placed on the earlobes and project the sound from inside the pearl straight into your ear canal." Sure, they look a little like the pearl earrings Harris wore on stage but they're not the same. Style bloggers have already identified the pair of Tiffany earrings Harris wore to the debate and at previous events (as well as noting that she has worn a chain from the same collection).The main trouble is that the Nova H1 Audio Earrings barely exist.As Newsweekpointed out, the device was part of a Kickstarter project that faded into the ether. The earrings aren't available to buy anywhere online and never have been. Nova Products, the company behind the campaign, hasn't logged into Kickstarter since May 2023, and backers have posted on the page asking for a status update on the earrings they were supposed to receive in exchange for their pledge.The URL for Nova Products' website, as listed on Kickstarter, now redirects to that of another company, Icebach Sound Solutions. That website showcases a pair of audio earrings with a different design and, in the wake of the debate, a message stating "special edition for presidential debates - soon available to everyone" was added to the site sometime between 7AM and 11:25AM ET, according to caches on The Wayback Machine. That presumably tongue-in-cheek claim added links to the CES 2025 website.Icebach Sound SolutionsBoth Icebach and Nova's website's list their domain registrar as one Stephan Berendsen of BBG Entertainment GmbH, an apparent mobile games developer based in Germany. What such a company has to do with audio products or the US presidential election remains a mystery, but we've reached out to BBG - as well as the Harris campaign - for comment."We do not know whether Mrs. Harris wore one of our products. The resemblance is striking and while our product was not specifically developed for the use at presidential debates, it is nonetheless suited for it," Icebach Sound Solutions managing director Malte Iversen told Engadget in a statement, in what we assume is an attempt to cash in on some sudden if unusual publicity. "To ensure a level playing field for both candidates, we are currently developing a male version and will soon be able to offer it to the Trump campaign. The choice of color is a bit challenging though as orange does not go well with a lot of colors."In any case, this seems like another straightforward job for Occam's razor. Harris almost certainly did not wear an earpiece because the earrings she wore look noticeably different and the product she's accused of wearing doesn't exist. By the same token, it's simply more plausible a seasoned politician can win a debate being extremely well-prepared and ready to throw an opponent with a notoriously fragile ego off their game without requiring a team to feed them information via an earpiece.The Nova H1 Audio Earrings show all the classic signs of being vaporware, right down to being shown off for the first time at CES 2023, though perhaps we'll see a new version under different branding somewhere on the show floor in January.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/the-audio-earrings-kamala-harris-didnt-wear-during-the-debate-barely-even-exist-161526009.html?src=rss

On Tuesday, Chief US District Judge Robert Shelby granted a preliminary injunction to block Utah from limiting the social media usage of minors. Republican Governor Spencer Cox had signed the Utah Minor Protection in Social Media Act earlier in March. It was supposed to take effect on October 1, but the court's decision to block the law is a victory for young social media users in Utah.This isn't the first time Utah's governor has attempted to limit social media use among the youths in the state. Last year, he signed two bills that required parents to grant permission for teens to create social media accounts, and these accounts had limitations like curfews and age verification. He replacing the older laws in March due to lawsuits challenging their legality.Under the law, social media companies would have been forced to verify the age of all users. If a minor registers for an account, they are subject to various limitations. The content they share would be seen only by connected accounts. Additionally, minor accounts could not be searched for or messaged by non-followers or friends, effectively nonexistent to strangers.The primary reason for the preliminary injunction is due to NetChoice's claim that the law constitutes a violation of the First Amendment. NetChoice is a trade association formed by tech giants such as X (formerly Twitter), Snap, Meta and Google. The association has managed to win in court battles and block similar laws entirely or in part in states like Arkansas, California and Texas.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/utah-judge-blocks-law-preventing-youth-from-accessing-social-media-freely-160008587.html?src=rss

Apple did not announce the Apple Watch Ultra 3 during its iPhone launch event, but right now, you can save big on the Apple Watch Ultra 2. The company's high-end, performance smartwatch is down to $689 at Amazon right now, much cheaper than what it was during Amazon Prime Day in July. That represents a savings of $110, which is one of the best discounts we've seen. Keep in mind that October Prime Day will be returning this year (although specific dates haven't been announced yet), so there's a chance this smartwatch could go on sale again in a few weeks' time. This high-end watch is geared toward serious athletes and others with specialized fitness-tracking needs, so the sensors are on point and the exterior is incredibly durable. It still features the same 49-millimeter form factor as the original, so it's not too chonky. The screen is much brighter than the OG Ultra, up to 3,000 nits. This should make it easier to read in low light conditions, which is another boon for extreme athletes who do early morning training sessions. As for power, the smartwatch includes Apple's new S9 chip, which allows for the aforementioned Double Tap gestural controls and upgraded Siri functionality. The battery can last up to 72 hours on a single charge, so long as it's in low power mode. Otherwise, it'll brick out after around 36 hours. This is a whole lot of smartwatch. Not only is it double the price of the Apple Watch 9, but it's chock full of features that most people don't need. This is a machine for serious fitness enthusiasts or those who go off the grid for long periods of time. With that being said, today's sale makes this thing pretty darn attractive for the rest of us. October Prime Day 2024 is around the corner, serving as Amazon's (un)official kickoff to the holiday shopping season. If you're eager to snag some early holiday deals for those on your list (or yourself), here's what we know so far about the next Prime Day shopping event. When is October Prime Day 2024? Amazon has not announced the dates of fall Prime Day 2024 yet, but we do know it will be returning sometime in October. What is October Prime Day? October Prime Day is an extension of the regular Prime Day sale held annually in July. It features exclusive deals on Amazon for Prime members, although not quite on as big of a scale as the main summer Prime Day. How long is October Prime Day? In years past, October Prime Day has been two days long, just like Prime Day in July.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-apple-watch-ultra-2-is-cheaper-now-than-it-was-during-amazon-prime-day-163255367.html?src=rss

September is here and, like clockwork, so are new iPhones. Apple unveiled its latest iPhone models at an event in Cupertino today, and as expected, the iPhone 16 handsets are largely iterative of last year's models. While the smartphones, standard and Pro versions, took center stage, Apple also showed off the new Apple Watch Series 10, two new pairs of AirPods and detailed hearing aid features coming to the second-generation AirPods Pro. The company also went into detail on its latest mobile chipsets that power the new iPhones, and reminded folks what they can expect when iOS 18 launches later this month with Apple Intelligence. If you weren't able to catch the announcements live, Engadget has you covered; here's everything announced at Apple's iPhone 16 event. iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus Apple Apple unveiled the new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus at the event, which feature a water- and dust-resistant design and new colors including ultramarine, teal and pink. The iPhone 16 has a 6.1-inch display, while the iPhone 16 Plus has a 6.7-inch display. Both of those can achieve up to 2,000 nits of brightness, and can go all the way down to 1 nit in the dark. The Action button has found its way to this series of iPhones as well, and it's just as customizable as the one we saw on last year's Pro-model iPhones. There's also a new easy-access camera control "button" of sorts, which allows you to quickly control the camera with a slide of your finger. This tool can also tap into Visual Intelligence, an AI-powered feature coming in iOS 18 that can tell you more about anything you point your camera at. It appears similar to Google Lens, and can do things like add live event dates to your calendar after you point your camera at a flyer you see on the street. The camera array on the standard iPhone 16 models includes a 48-megapixel main Fusion camera, a 12MP telephoto lens and a new ultrawide camera with autofocus. This array will also be able to capture Spatial Photos that can be viewed on Apple's Vision Pro. We confirmed in our hands-on text of the iPhone 16 that it has the same style of camera control button as the more expensive iPhone 16 Pro. It's a physical button, but haptics add another layer of feedback for when you make a "light press" rather than fully pressing the button down. Both standard iPhone 16 models run on the new A18 chip, which has a 16-core neural engine optimized for generative models. The internals feature a 6-core CPU and a 5-core GPU, both of which will be crucial for powering all of the new Apple Intelligence features coming to iOS 18. According to Apple, both the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus have larger batteries than their predecessors, and when combined with the efficiencies added from the A18 chipset and iOS 18 improvements, should make for a much longer-lasting battery lives overall (although Apple did not provide an exact estimate). Both the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus are available for pre-order today starting at $799 and $899, respectively, and will be widely available on September 20. Read more:

It's always exciting when one of our favorite items goes on sale. This time, it's our choice for the best budget Android tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+. The device is down to $170 from $220 on Samsung - a 23 percent discount. This model includes 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM and is also available for the same price on Amazon. In fact, this deal brings the tablet's price to only $20 more than its Prime Day offer. Samsung's Galaxy Tab A9+ is an 11-inch tablet with 1900p x 1200p resolution. The LCD screen has a 90Hz refresh rate and 480 nits. The device also has quad speakers that are powered by Dolby Atmos and a 7,400 mAh battery. Plus, it has optional 5G connectivity. If you want a bit more storage (and power), check out the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. That model is currently down to $220 from $270. There's also the Galaxy Tab A9+ Kids Edition, which is available for $230, down from $270 and has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. October Prime Day 2024 is around the corner, serving as Amazon's (un)official kickoff to the holiday shopping season. If you're eager to snag some early holiday deals for those on your list (or yourself), here's what we know so far about the next Prime Day shopping event. When is October Prime Day 2024? Amazon has not announced the dates of fall Prime Day 2024 yet, but we do know it will be returning sometime in October. What is October Prime Day? October Prime Day is an extension of the regular Prime Day sale held annually in July. It features exclusive deals on Amazon for Prime members, although not quite on as big of a scale as the main summer Prime Day. How long is October Prime Day? In years past, October Prime Day has been two days long, just like Prime Day in July.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/one-of-our-favorite-samsung-tablets-is-back-on-sale-for-close-to-its-prime-day-price-141030465.html?src=rss

Americans utilized more wireless data last year than ever before, using over 100 trillion megabytes throughout 2023, Reuters reports. This record number represented a 36 percent or 26 trillion MB boost from 2022, according to an industry survey. The number of wireless connections also grew in 2023 to 558 million - a six percent jump over 2022.Interestingly, these increases were fuelled more by new advancements than traditional outlets. Americans spent about 100 billion fewer minutes talking on the phone than the year prior and maintained a similar amount of text messaging. Instead, technology such as drones, space missions, self-driving vehicles and precision agriculture seemed to have moved the needle.However, in the US, there is continued uncertainty over how to find new spectrum for wireless communication. According to the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA) CEO Meredith Attwell Baker, "to continue to meet the insatiable demand for wireless, drive innovation, and support America's economic competitiveness, the wireless industry needs access to more full-power, licensed spectrum." In November 2023, the White House established the National Spectrum Strategy to improve spectrum access and management.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/americans-used-100-trillion-megabytes-of-wireless-data-last-year-123025183.html?src=rss

In a government inquiry about AI adoption in Australia, Meta's global privacy director Melinda Claybaugh was asked whether her company has been collecting Australians' data to train its generative AI technology. According to ABC News, Claybaugh initially denied the claim, but upon being pressed, she ultimately admitted that Meta scrapes all the photos and texts in all Facebook and Instagram posts from as far back as 2007, unless the user had set their posts to private. Further, she admitted that the company isn't offering Australians an opt-out option like it does to users in the European Union.Claybaugh said that Meta doesn't scrape the accounts of users under 18 years old, but she admitted that the company still collects their photos and other information if they're posted on their parents' or guardians' accounts. She couldn't answer, however, if the company collects data from previous years once a user turns 18. Upon being asked why Meta doesn't offer Australians the option not to consent to data collection, Claybaugh said that it exists in the EU "in response to a very specific legal frame," which most likely pertains to the bloc's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).Meta had notified users in the EU that it will collect their data for AI training unless they opt out. "I will say that the ongoing conversation in Europe is the direct result of the existing regulatory landscape," Claybaugh explained during the inquiry. But even in the region, Claybaugh said that there's an "ongoing legal question around what is the interpretation of existing privacy law with respect to AI training." Meta decided not to offer its multimodal AI model and future versions in the block due to what it says is a lack of clarity from European regulators. Most of its concerns centered around the difficulties of training AI models with data from European users while complying with GDPR rules.Despite those legal questions around AI adoption in Europe, bottom line is that Meta is giving users in the bloc the power to block data collection. "Meta made it clear today that if Australia had these same laws Australians' data would also have been protected," Australian Senator David Shoebridge told ABC News. "The government's failure to act on privacy means companies like Meta are continuing to monetise and exploit pictures and videos of children on Facebook."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/meta-scraped-every-australian-users-account-to-train-its-ai-120026200.html?src=rss

2024 might just be Google's year - for its Pixel-branded hardware, at least. After impressing us with the Pixel 9 phones, the company is ready to release the Pixel Watch 3. Spoiler alert: It continues the trend of this year's Pixel hardware feeling more mature and ready to take on the competition than ever. With the introduction of a new larger size and serious battery life improvements, the Pixel Watch 3 feels like a smartwatch worthy of the Fitbit and Google partnership. There are still some quirks the company has to iron out, but for now, the Pixel Watch 3 feels like the final evolution of a Pokemon that is ready to battle the big beasts from Samsung and Apple. Editor's note: At the time this review was first published, Apple had just begun its "It's Glowtime" event, where it's expected to unveil new versions of its smartwatch. Our review of the Pixel Watch 3 was largely conducted in comparison to the latest available model - the Series 9, and was also scored as such. We updated this piece on September 10 to include more details on Wear OS, navigation and the Pixel Watch 3's companion apps. None of that experience affects our score for the device. The Pixel Watch 3's design: A new size One of the biggest developments with the Pixel Watch 3 is the fact that Google has finally introduced a larger size. The previous 41mm size lives on, but it's now joined by a 45mm one, which is nice for people who always felt the original was just a little too dainty. You'll also be able to see more on the bigger screen, though the 41mm variant also has a bit more real estate since Google managed to shave the bezels down a tad (16 percent, to be exact). My colleague Sam Rutherford tested the 45mm model for us, and his exact words were, It's SOOO much nicer to have the big one." Sam adds that this is the size I wanted all along," and it's nice to see my bigger-wristed peers get considered at last. Fans of a more conventional-looking timepiece will appreciate that the Pixel Watch's face is circular like it's always been. Compared to the Pixel Watch 2, this year's smartwatch doesn't look noticeably different. It has shiny edges and, in the right light, the crown on the right side sparkles. Some of my more stylish reviewer friends paired their Pixel Watch 3 with a stainless steel mesh band, making it look right at home as part of their designer-decked outfit. I used the basic silicon sport band that came with my review sample, which I loved because I got the lovely pink color this year that goes with some new pants and bags I recently acquired. I remain an ardent fan of Google's soft elastic loop straps that make putting the watch on super easy. They're available in more colors and patterns this year, which is always nice. Sam goes as far as to call this the best-looking mainstream smartwatch," and, depending on our definition of mainstream," I'd have to agree. I still wish the company was able to reduce the size of the knob just a bit, or at least make it jut out less. It still pushes into the back of my hand whenever I do a pushup or a plank, unless I turn the watch to the inside of my wrist first. Though you'd also get this issue with the Apple Watch Ultra and the Galaxy Watch Ultra, it's not as prominent on the regular Apple Watch and I have a bit more space before accidentally triggering my Series 9. I also found the Pixel Watch 3 a little too thick. The Apple Watch Series 9 is 10.7mm (0.42 inches) tall, while Samsung's Galaxy Watch 7 is even thinner at 9.7mm. Google's smartwatch is the chunkiest at 12.3mm, and at these sizes, every millimeter feels like a lot. Cherlynn Low for Engadget The Pixel Watch 3's display: Bigger, brighter, dimmer and slower Every fraction of an inch also feels outsized when we're talking about displays that are just 41mm and 45mm (the screens themselves are actually 32.2mm and 36.2mm respectively). In comparison, the Pixel Watch 2's panel was just 30.5mm. While I didn't feel like I gained a ton comparing my 41mm Pixel Watch 3 to its predecessor, I certainly saw a lot more on the 45mm model's screen. Some of that is obvious - a larger display has more room for content or bigger fonts. But the improvements in readability cannot be understated, especially for anyone that needed something more legible. Google didn't simply enlarge the Pixel Watch's panels - it upgraded them. These watches feature the company's Actua displays that debuted on the Pixel 8 phones last year, which means they can get as bright as 2,000 nits or as low as 1 nit. That latter made a huge difference when I was in a theater watching Alien: Romulus. While I had to turn on Theater mode on my Apple Watch Series 9 to prevent its screen from scorching my retina during the show, the Pixel Watch 3 automatically dropped to the lowest brightness and remained readable without bothering me or fellow cinemagoers. The Pixel Watch 3's screen is also capable of a variable refresh rate of between 1Hz and 60Hz, so it can deliver smooth animations when, say, you're watching the live feed from your Nest camera. But when you're not doing anything, the system can drop down to a battery-friendlier 1Hz. This isn't something I really noticed in my daily use, but I'll tease right now that it probably has a significant impact on battery life. Cherlynn Low for Engadget The Pixel Watch 3 as a health and fitness tracker I was probably the most impressed by the Pixel Watch 3 as a health and fitness tracker. It does a lot of things that competing products like the Apple Watch and Galaxy Watch do, like automatically detect certain workouts, prompt you to move if you've been idle for too long and keep tabs on your pulse and calorie burn as you're exercising. But importantly, it does some of those things a lot better than its rivals. As someone who likes to track every single walk I take, no matter how short the distance, I found the Pixel Watch 3 a dream. It consistently caught on that I had been out for a stroll, usually prompting me to log a workout once I hit the ten-minute mark. This also worked well on the many Citi bike rides I reluctantly took in New York City, and the Pixel Watch 3's GPS tracking matched the Lyft app's log every time. Only twice in about a dozen walks and bike rides did the Apple Watch Series 9 I was also wearing record these activities, probably because it has a higher threshold of about 20 minutes of activity to hit before it would register something. Of course, the Galaxy Ring was the best at this, logging every little walk I took even if it was a mere quarter-mile journey that took just five to seven minutes. But that's a completely different gadget that served a different purpose, so I won't mention it much more in this piece. With the Pixel Watch 3, Google introduced a few new features around running and cardio activities. You can now create custom running workouts, with specific segments for sprinting and resting. I found this very easy to use, and had no trouble setting up a short session with a 5-minute warmup, one-minute sprint, one-minute rest, a repeat of the run and rest segments, followed by a 5-minute cooldown. (I know, that's the best running workout ever, very productive and demure.) Screenshots For the sprint segments, I had the choice of setting targets for pace, heart rate, distance or duration. When I eventually got into those windows when I was on the treadmill, it was clear I had overestimated my ability to hit an 8-minute mile speed, even for just a minute. I had pushed the treadmill to the 8 mph speed setting and was still getting alerts from the Pixel Watch 3 to hurry it up. I could barely guess what number I needed to be at to meet the mark that the watch helpfully displayed on a spectrum on the left of the screen. This is certainly not a tool for running newbies, who would be better served with some of the coaching tools in Fitbit Premium (or an app like Couch To 5K). But for runners with cadence and speed goals or those who only want to go fast enough to be in a fat-burning heart rate zone, this would be a useful tool. I liked letting the watch tell me when to run for my life and when I could catch my breath, but otherwise as a casual runner I was less impressed and more intrigued by its potential. Digging into the data was fun and insightful, and I have a general sense of what I could do better if I wanted to improve. When I was back to my regularly scheduled training program, I used both the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Pixel Watch 3 in my F45 HIIT, cardio and weight-training classes. During every session, both watches were never more than a beat or two from each other when it came to stats like my heart rate, cardio zone and calories burned. At the end of each workout, both devices delivered recaps on my performance, and I have a slight preference for how Apple lays out the information. I appreciate that Google congratulates and encourages me for having completed a workout, but its little celebratory graphic at the top just takes up space. I also like that the words on Apple's interface are slightly easier to read. Screenshots The Pixel Watch 3 also delivers a new stat called Cardio load," which can be used in tandem with your daily readiness score to help you train at a level that's suitable for your energy expenditure. If you've already done a lot that week, you might get a high Cardio Load number, which could mean a lower target the next day, depending on how well you've recovered. The latter figure is determined primarily by your sleep, and you'll only start seeing your readiness scores after having worn the Pixel Watch 3 to sleep on at least seven nights. I am a fussy sleeper and wearing anything on my wrist keeps me awake, and I wasn't able to test the Pixel Watch 3's sleep-tracking or readiness scores. But Sam has been wearing his 45mm model to bed and in his experience the Pixel Watch 3 remains as accurate a sleep tracker as its predecessors. Daily readiness is a feature that used to be limited to Fitbit Premium subscribers, and it's now available for free to all Pixel Watch owners, which is nice. Like the cardio load number, this score is not something I can easily evaluate. Not only is it a somewhat nebulous idea (how should I go about counting my cardio load during a HIIT session, for example), its utility is also dubious. Cherlynn Low for Engadget I'm not saying this is a bad feature, particularly since I haven't spent much time with it. I have used other sleep trackers in the past that would assign sleep scores and similar readiness results. The most I've ever done with that data is try to get a day off when I was told I had an awful night's sleep. And that didn't even work in my favor since none of my managers ever cared about that type of info. I like the idea of balancing activity and recovery, and applaud Google for making a more concerted effort to encourage that with the Pixel Watch 3. This is one of those features that's up to the user to make the most of, and is highly subjective, depending on each person's thirst for data and validation. Another metric that's notoriously difficult to verify and do anything with is stress-tracking. On multiple occasions during my testing, the Pixel Watch 3 buzzed and told me it detected potential signs of stress or excitement," along with the time it noted that reaction. These alerts typically came in ten minutes after the fact, by which point whatever was exciting or stressing me out was usually over. One time, I remembered to look at the clock after I was agitated by a bad driver in an extremely congested lane going into the Holland Tunnel. Ten minutes later, I was greeted by the Pixel Watch 3, saying it noticed my frustration, exactly when I checked the time earlier. Cherlynn Low for Engadget I was impressed by the accuracy of the observation, but otherwise didn't quite know what to do with the information. The alerts were vaguely worded (probably deliberately so), and you have the option of logging your mood or starting a mindful activity in the moment. It's not always easy to remember why I was annoyed or excited ten minutes ago, so I ended up either guessing or simply shrugging. Even if Google were to tally up the number of times I had these reactions, I have to wonder if having emotional reactions might just be a normal part of life. There is something useful to be observed here, I'm sure, but I'm not certain that this feature is fully baked just yet. One more thing that Google brought with the Pixel Watch 3 is loss of pulse detection" - a feature that is supposed to sense when the wearer has a heart beat. If you're having a cardiac arrest or respiratory failure, the device can check if you're responsive and ping emergency contacts if necessary. Thankfully, I didn't have a cardiac anomaly during the two weeks I've had the Pixel Watch 3, and never had a chance to test this feature out. But I can also say that it hasn't been triggered inaccurately or accidentally so far. In use - Wear OS 5 still needs some work If you're already familiar with Wear OS, the latest version of the software won't feel foreign. Swiping up, down or sideways will still bring up notifications, settings and tiles. Pressing the crown will pull up all apps, where you'll find icons laid out in a grid not unlike that on watchOS. There are a few new features on the Pixel Watch 3 that other Wear OS watches like the Galaxy Watch won't have. For one, the Fitbit-powered morning briefing is supposed to appear every day with details on your readiness and cardio load scores and targets. But Sam and I both wish it was more obvious. Instead of just appearing when you first put the watch on every day, you'll just see a small icon at the bottom of the home screen. It would even be preferable if the briefing showed up at the top of the notifications list each morning. This isn't a major gripe though, seeing as neither Apple nor Samsung surface this data either. Wear OS could also use some tweaking. Sam wishes basic functions like timers and stopwatches were easier to get to, though personally I don't mind relying on asking the Assistant for those tasks. And though many of the available watch faces are nice, Sam wishes there were more options, as nothing really stood out." I used both the Pixel Watch 3 and the Apple Watch Series 9 to navigate to a brewery in Red Hook, and the two devices fared similarly. I will say that Apple's GPS seemed more responsive, pinging me earlier than Google's to take upcoming turns. It even alerted me when I was basically at the entrance to the bar, whereas the Pixel Watch didn't seem to realize I was at my destination even after I was seated inside the establishment. Finally, an area you'll be spending a lot of time as a Pixel Watch 3 wearer is the Fitbit app on your phone. And the Watch app as well. Neither of these have changed much, and they're clean and easy to use. I feel like there's a lot of blank space that makes the interface feel sparse, and could possibly be put to better use and improve readability. But, again, that's not at all a complaint and, as it is, the app functions fine. The Pixel Watch 3's battery life: Huge improvement The Pixel Watch 3's biggest win is arguably its battery life. Google managed to prolong its runtime by quite a lot, ostensibly by doing a few things. First, the Actua displays' ability to drop to 1Hz when a high refresh rate is unnecessary probably helped conserve some battery. Wear OS 5 might actually be more power-efficient as well and combined with the watch's dual-chip architecture there were some gains made. Throw in the new auto bedtime mode that turns off notifications and the Always On Display when you're asleep, and you've got a watch that finally lasts well into the morning after a full day and night. According to Sam, the auto bedtime mode is effective, and the screen has stayed off for me reliably every night." To be clear, even in auto bedtime mode, the Pixel Watch 3 will still track your sleep, so you're not sacrificing precious data in exchange for battery life. It's also nice to not have to panic about putting the device on its charger the second you wake up. Both Sam and I found our review units typically lasted at least a day and a half, with the 45mm version staying around a few hours longer in general. My 41mm model was neck and neck with my Apple Watch Series 9, with both wearables hitting about 15 percent at about 11pm after a day out. This number depends on how much you've actively used the Pixel Watch 3, of course. A day of numerous Citi bike rides tracked later and my unit was down to 30 percent the next morning, and though the Apple Watch had a bit more juice that same period, it barely logged any of the activity. If you're in a pinch, you should be able to squeeze a couple of hours more juice when you turn on Battery Saver mode. According to Google, you should be able to get 24 hours of use on a Pixel Watch 3, and the power-saving mode should extend that to 36 hours, by disabling the Always On Display and limiting background app activity. One of the best improvements to the Pixel Watch 3 is its charging speed. The 41mm Pixel Watch 3 has basically the same size battery as its predecessor, but as it charges 20 percent faster, it'll get to 100 percent in 15 minutes less time than before. That's even if you place it on last year's charger, meaning the tweaks happened on the watch itself, not on the charging cradle. Cherlynn Low for Engadget Wrap-up It only took three generations. But for the first time, the Pixel Watch feels ready to unseat Samsung's Galaxy Watch as the best smartwatch for non-Apple users. Those on iPhones will probably find it easier to continue to stay in their ecosystems, but if you're looking for an Android answer to the Apple Watch, the Pixel Watch 3 might be it. People who own Samsung devices will likely benefit from the integrations with Galaxy phones, of course. So part of the Pixel Watch's success here has to do with whether people have already bought into Google's brand Which brings me to what this means for Google's greater hardware plans. One of the main reasons it's hard to leave Apple for Android has been the former's seamless vertical integration. Features like AirDrop and AirPlay make inter-device interaction so easy that there's no good substitute elsewhere. Then there's the RCS vs iMessage, green-bubble-blue-bubble stigma that locks people into iPhones, keeping many from switching. Getting the Pixel Watch 3 to a point that's as good as an Apple Watch is a major step towards vertical product integration parity, and could give Google a better shot at gaining and retaining new users. A lot of this will have to do with awareness and marketing, sure, but at the very least, Google finally has a solid smartwatch with which to start.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/pixel-watch-3-review-google-finally-got-it-right-especially-with-the-battery-life-170005758.html?src=rss

Oh, this week isn't just new Apple product announcements. No. Sony has elbowed its way in to officially introduce the long-awaited PS5 Pro, with more power and seemingly less compromise.Sony wants to narrow the gap between the fidelity and performance modes players are accustomed to choosing between - either high frame rates or high resolution, and you could switch between the two in most AAA games on the PS5.To do that, the PS5 Pro's GPU has 67 percent more compute units and 28 percent faster RAM than the standard PS5. According to the console's lead architect Mark Cerny, the new console will deliver up to 45 percent faster graphic rendering. Ray-tracing performance could be up to three times as faster - often an optional feature toggle on games as it can also hamper frame rates.Meanwhile, Sony's AI-upscaling tech (i.e., its take on the likes of NVIDIA's DLSS) is called PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, or PSSR, which should sharpen up in-game assets without the need to remake them. The new console includes a game boost tool to improve the performance of more than 8,500 backward-compatible PS4 games.SonyThe PS5 Pro is the same size as the not-small original launch model, but there's no disc drive model. That's another paid extra, on top of that $700 price. The good news is it does have a decent 2TB of storage built in.Interested? Pre-orders start on September 26, and it will arrive on November 7.- Mat SmithWe're having some issues with new subscriptions to the newsletter version of TMA, but our form should be back online soon! Thanks for reading!The biggest stories you might have missedApple needs to remember what the iPhone 16 is foriPhone 16 hands-on: More Pro than I expectedWhy AirPods 4 block sound better - and just sound betterAustralia's prime minister wants to ban social media for childrenThe government hasn't determined an age limit yet.Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has promised to introduce legislation that would prevent children under a certain age from using social media. Reuters reported that Albanese issued his statement in a TV interview on the Australian Broadcasting Corp. The Australian government would start by testing age verification technology sometime this year. He also didn't state a specific age limit but estimated he'd like the ban to be for children younger than 14 to 16 because we know that social media is causing social harm."Continue reading.Huawei's triple-fold smartphone is almost triple the price of a smartphone$2,800, depending on the exchange rate.EngadgetHuawei's flagship foldable, the Mate XT, is the first triple-fold phone to hit the market and will debut in China, starting at 19,999 yuan (approximately $2,800). That's enough to buy an 11-inch iPad Pro, M3 MacBook Air and an iPhone 16. The device folds up accordion-style, with one hinge bending outward and the other inward, leaving one panel available to use as a 6.4-inch exterior display. Unfolded, it creates a 10.2-inch screen, more like the tablets we use. It's technically impressive but financially prohibitive.Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-the-700-ps5-pro-111514318.html?src=rss

The US government has noticed the potentially negative effects of generative AI on areas like journalism and content creation. Senator Amy Klobuchar, along with seven Democrat colleagues, urged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Justice Department to probe generative AI products like ChatGPT for potential antitrust violations, they wrote in a press release."Recently, multiple dominant online platforms have introduced new generative AI features that answer user queries by summarizing, or, in some cases, merely regurgitating online content from other sources or platforms," the letter states. "The introduction of these new generative AI features further threatens the ability of journalists and other content creators to earn compensation for their vital work."The lawmakers went on to note that traditional search results lead users to publishers' websites while AI-generated summaries keep the users on the search platform "where that platform alone can profit from the user's attention through advertising and data collection."

The first-person shooter Doom has so many ports on so many different consoles and computers that modders have had to find new places to port the game like autonomous lawnmowers, digestive bacteria and even in Doom II itself.One port that's not nearly as popular or playable as the others is the Sega Saturn port that came out nearly four years after the game's release. Gamespot's Jeff Gerstmann called the Sega Saturn Doom port just about everything you can call a bad game without straying over the the boundaries of good taste: completely worthless," drab," jerky," to be avoided at all costs."Bo, a self-described reverse engineer of Sega Saturn games, gave the Sega Saturn port of Doom another chance and he discovered a cheat code in the game that's been laying dormant for more than a decade. He posted the secret cheat code he found on X.

Google announced that it has entered a partnership with Holocene to support its direct-air capture technology for collecting and removing carbon dioxide emissions from the atmosphere. Under this $10 million deal, Google will purchase carbon removal credits from Holocene at a rate of $100 per metric ton. This is the price the US Department of Energy set as a goal for direct-air capture technology to make it a viable part of efforts to reduce the rate at which we emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.As the name implies, direct-air capture can collect carbon dioxide out of the air, then concentrate the gas to be stored in underground reservoirs. It sounds great in theory, but the technology has proven expensive and difficult to scale. Google said its support should allow Holocene to capture and store 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by the early 2030s, in addition to helping the company further refine its DAC technology. Holocene has a more detailed explanation of its DAC approach on its website.Sustainability has become an important talking point for a lot of big tech. Google has made a big investment in buying carbon offsets, enough that it claims to have eliminated its entire "carbon legacy," and it aims to be carbon neutral by 2030. But its greenhouse gas emissions have risen almost 50 percent in the past five years thanks to the intensive data center demands of AI usage.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-announces-deal-with-direct-air-capture-startup-to-remove-carbon-emissions-225627149.html?src=rss

It's the day after Apple launched the iPhone 16, and though I published my hands-on with the iPhone 16 Pro right after the event, I didn't have a lot of time to spare for the base models until today. With that extra time, I've been able to learn more about the differences between the standard iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16 Pro, and honestly I'm pleasantly surprised that there aren't that many.One of the most obvious ways to tell the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro apart is in their color selections. The entry-level series has a pleasant, vibrant array of colors this year, with the teal, pink and blue options really catching my eye. These hues are saturated and punchy, compared to the light pastel shades from recent years. I especially like how deep the "ultramarine" blue is - the pictures don't do any of these finishes justice.The entire iPhone 16 series has the new camera control, meaning you can use the hardware switch to launch the camera app, and then tweak settings like zoom, depth and tone. Having played with them both, I can confirm that they're equally clicky and satisfying to use. Unlike last year, where only the Pro models got the Action button, the iPhone 16 has similar controls, so you're not missing out on a dedicated key by opting for a cheaper model.You also gain the ability to record spatial video and audio, thanks to the iPhone 16's updated cameras. In addition to a new ultrawide camera with autofocus and support for macro shots, the sensors have been realigned and are now vertically stacked atop each other. Most intriguing is that the iPhone 16 will also support the new Audio Mix feature that lets you more finely control the voices and sounds in your footage after capture.Cherlynn Low for EngadgetIt'd be easy to assume that the "four new studio-quality mics" on the iPhone 16 Pro are what's behind Audio Mix, but it appears to just be the ability to record spatial audio that enables the new feature. With this you can go into the iPhone 16's video editing interface, tap the tab for Audio Mix and choose between "In-frame," "Cinematic" and "Studio" options. The first one isolates the sound from subjects in the scene and cuts out background noise, while Studio mimics the acoustic environment of a recording studio, complete with dampening walls. Cinematic, meanwhile, consolidates all the sounds in the front and center of the space.I was able to get a demo of the Audio Mix feature, and was really impressed that the iPhone 16 was able to isolate voices of people it recorded speaking in an echoey outdoor deck in Apple's new Observatory space. Not only did switching between the different mixes effectively change how loud the various sources of sound were, but it was also nice to learn that you can tune the volume of specific streams in each profile. This is something I'm going to want to play with a lot more to better understand it, but for now I'm very intrigued by the possibility of using an iPhone 16 for future Apple event videos.One disappointing exclusion from the iPhone 16 is the multi-track recording feature coming to iPhone 16 Pro. That Voice Memo update is only going to be available on the Pro models.In fact, here are the main upgrades if you spring for a Pro: ProMotion screens with higher refresh rates and Always On Display, as well as superior camera hardware with a 48-megapixel ultrawide lens and a 5x telephoto option. The premium handsets also have support for 4K120p high-quality slo-mo footage and professional formats like ProRaw. The Pros also have the A18 Pro chip, compared to the iPhone 16's A18, and the differences mostly lie in GPU performance, so you might have a better time gaming on the more premium model.Other differences are fairly minimal, like the titanium build and faster USB speeds on the Pros. In general, though, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus feel like much less of a trade off for the cost savings, and you're also getting more fun colors. They also seem like a greater improvement from their predecessors, which is a welcome change after years of incremental changes.Catch up on all the news from Apple's iPhone 16 event!This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/iphone-16-hands-on-more-pro-than-i-expected-222843896.html?src=rss

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has promised to introduce legislation that would prevent children under a certain age from using social media. Reuters reported that Albanese issued his statement in a TV interview on the Australian Broadcasting Corp. (ABC).Albanese says the Australian government would start its social media initiative by testing age verification technology sometime this year. He also didn't state a specific age limit but estimated he'd like the ban to be for children younger than 14-16 because we know that social media is causing social harm."Meta issued a statement in response to the PM's proposal noting that Facebook and Instagram already have a minimum age requirement of 13 years for users. The social media company also noted it wants to empower young people to benefit from social media with parental controls and monitoring instead of just cutting off access."Lawmakers in the US and other countries have suggested and tried to implement a federal age limit on social media access. Last year, US Senator Josh Hawley introduced two bills to Congress that would prohibit teenagers under 16 from using social media. The state of Utah also passed laws in 2023 requiring teens to have parental consent and provide a copy of an ID instead of just inputting their birthday to access their accounts. The following year, Utah repealed the ID requirements.Social media use has become a greater health issue as experts raise concerns about its effects on younger users' mental well being. An open letter signed by 42 US attorneys general supported US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy's proposal to require social media websites to post visible health warnings the way that cigarette makers are required to do so on their products' packaging.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/australias-prime-minister-wants-to-ban-social-media-for-children-212139064.html?src=rss

The Xbox Game Pass Standard plan is available starting today. Microsoft announced a revamp to its Game Pass subscription plans in July, introducing the Standard option alongside a price increase for the Ultimate tier. The Standard plan costs $15 a month, while Ultimate will run you $20 a month.The Standard subscription tier will offer the essential features of the Game Pass program: online multiplayer gaming, access to a large library of games, and discounts on select game purchases. The big difference between Standard and Ultimate is that Standard plan members will not be able to play some blockbuster releases, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, on day one. The wait time on Standard varies by title, but can last up to or longer than 12 months. Ultimate plans also include membership to EA Play and access to Xbox Cloud Gaming.Xbox has been struggling to compete with PlayStation in this console generation. That's partially due to hardware differences: Microsoft offered an underwhelming refresh to its console lineup this summer whereas Sony managed to build lots of hype for the announcement of its expensive new PS5 Pro. But the Game Pass plan has also been struggling to generate continued revenue for Microsoft, with just 34 million subscribers reported in February.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/game-pass-standard-is-now-available-on-xbox-202451946.html?src=rss