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Samsung and LG got a headstart on Sony when they announced their new 2025 TVs a few months ago at CES. But now, the latter is catching up with the pending arrival of three new Bravia sets, including a refreshed flagship QD-OLED, a midrange mini LED option and an updated budget alternative.Before we get into the specific models, it's important to note that after revamping the naming scheme for all of its home theater gear last year, Sony isn't doing a full top-to-bottom overhaul of its entire lineup for 2025. Instead, it's introducing a handful of new TVs that will replace old models or slot into some existing gaps in its current portfolio. That means the Bravia 9 will continue to be the company's top-tier TV, with everything else falling in line under that.Sam Rutherford for EngadgetThis brings us to the Bravia 8 II, which as you may have guessed, is the replacement to the Bravia 8 and will be Sony's most premium QD-OLED TV. Like the Bravia 9, it features the company's XR processor which supports AI scene recognition tech to help preserve details in tricky scenes. The way it works is that by analyzing your content, the TV can compare what's being displayed with a reference library of known backgrounds and patterns to help fill in any gaps the source material may not have fully captured.I had a chance to see this AI trick in person and while the effect is subtle, it definitely makes a difference during shots with lots of foliage, rocks or other challenging textures. I also noticed that the Bravia 8 II demonstrated improved tone mapping and much more accurate color gradients, which resulted in more detailed and realistic images, especially in very bright or dark shots. And of course, you get those lovely deep blacks and the excellent contrast that modern QD-OLED panels are known for.Sam Rutherford for EngadgetMoving down the line, there's the Bravia 5, which neatly fills the void between Sony's existing 7 and 3 series TVs. It features a mini LED panel powered by the company's Backlight Master Drive tech, which delivers reduced digital noise and improved contrast. The most noticeable example I saw of this was the almost complete lack of halos or light bleed when viewing bright objects on a dark background. Another important spec is that the Bravia 5 is available in sizes of up to 98 inches, which makes it one of Sony's largest TVs (including the 83-inch flagship Bravia 9).Sam Rutherford for EngadgetFinally we come to the Bravia 2 II, where the biggest change is the shift to full direct lit LED instead of an edge lit panel like the previous model. This delivers much more vibrant colors in addition to significantly wider viewing angles on sizes ranging from 43 to 75 inches. Like Sony's other TVs, its OS is powered by Google TV and it includes an upscaler to bring old content up to 4K. The one major limitation on the Bravia 2 II is that it features a refresh rate of just 60Hz.Unfortunately, official pricing and availability for all of Sony's new TV's won't be available until sometime later this spring. So if you're currently shopping for a new set, you may want to hold off for another couple of months.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/sonys-2025-bravia-tv-lineup-includes-a-new-flagship-qd-oled-model-160019669.html?src=rss

Last spring, Sony debuted its Bravia Theater line of soundbars and speakers, ditching its confusing product names in the process. The initial group consisted of the flagship Bar 9, Bar 8, Bravia Quad speaker set and a Theater U neck speaker. Now the company is looking to offer a more compact midrange option that's still capable of Dolby Atmos and DTS:X audio. With the new Bravia Theater Bar 6, Sony gives users a 3.1.2-channel option, and this time, it comes with a wireless subwoofer in the box.The Bar 6 will be the entry-level option in Sony's Bravia Theater soundbar lineup when compared to the more robust Bar 8 and Bar 9. The company says the goal here is to provide both immersive sound and clear dialogue. The soundbar's two up-firing drivers are paired with three more across the front for Dolby Atmos and DTS/X dimensional audio. Sony provides up-mixing tech to transform stereo content to 3D sound when those immersive formats aren't available. For dialogue, Sony utilizes both a dedicated center speaker and so-called Voice Zoom 3. That latter item is an AI-powered tool that recognizes human voices and adjusts their volume as needed to keep speech clear.Sony is offering two packages for the Bar 6. First, you can opt for all-in-one setup that comes with rear satellite speakers and a subwoofer for a 5.1.2 surround sound setup. The company calls this the Bravia Theater System 6. If you don't need the rears, you can get the Bar 6 and a sub. Just note that the two subwoofers in those two configurations are different, and the back speakers with the System 6 don't have up-firing drivers.Sony's Bravia Theater System 6SonyOne item that's notable about the System 6 is Sony's new Multi Stereo Mode. With living room setups that have rear speakers, those satellites sometimes provide awkward audio performance for music. This feature on Sony's new all-inclusive package replicates stereo left/right channels to the center and rear speakers for a more enjoyable audio experience.Lastly, Sony has a new set of rear speakers, dubbed the Bravia Theater Rear 8. These are compatible with the company's soundbars and work with its 360 Spatial Sound Mapping tech to calibrate your system to your living room's acoustics. The Rear 8 are different from the speakers that come with the System 6, so you'll want to consider that when making your buying decision.When paired with a Bravia TV, Sony's soundbars can be controlled with the Bravia Connect app on a phone. Here, you can adjust volume and other settings without a remote or on-screen menu. Both the Bravia TV and Bravia Theater lineups can be controlled via on-screen prompts without having to change remotes. More specifically, a Bravia TV controller can be used to adjust volume, sound field and more on the Bravia Theater soundbars and speakers.There's no word on pricing or availability yet for the Bravia Theater Bar 6, Bravia Theater System 6 or the Bravia Theater Rear 8. All Sony has divulged thus far is that the trio of new products is set to arrive sometime this spring.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/sony-adds-the-bravia-theater-bar-6-to-its-dolby-atmos-soundbar-lineup-160012544.html?src=rss

The Switch 2 Nintendo Direct has officially come and gone, leaving in its wake some big news about the system and its upcoming games. One of arguably the cutest announcements came courtesy of Kirby Air Riders, a new game from Super Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai. So, while there's sadly no new Smash game on the horizon, you can glide around with Kirby and friends. Kirby Air Riders comes over two decades after Sakurai designed Kirby Air Ride for the GameCube. Yes, you can now take a moment if reading this has made you feel old. After nearly a minute of build-up, the trailer shows Kirby riding along on the Warp Star machine, through a pleasant looking valley. It ends with the "rs" being dramatically attached to the original Kirby Air Ride title. We don't have an exact release date for Kirby Air Riders yet, but Nintendo says it will be sometime this year. As for the Switch 2, you can pick one up for $450 on June 5, along with new games like Mario Kart World. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/super-smash-bros-directors-kirby-air-riders-will-come-to-the-switch-2-150234970.html?src=rss

Silksong, the long-awaited to sequel to 2017's Hollow Knight, will arrive later this year, according to a brief sizzle reel Nintendo shared during today's Switch 2 Direct. In fact, the snippet was so short you might have missed it if you blinked, and featured the same section of gameplay we first saw during the game's announcement trailer back in 2019.Of course this being Silksong we're talking about, I wouldn't count on the game's developer, Team Cherry, sticking to that date until we have the game in our hands. If you recall, back in 2022 there was speculation the game would arrive by June 12, 2023 after Microsoft included it in a Xbox Game Pass trailer and said all the titles featured in said clip would be available within 12 months. Well, June 12, 2023 came and went with no release of Silksong.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/hollow-knight-silksong-purportedly-arrives-this-year-144515332.html?src=rss

If you were hoping for Bloodborne 2, I have good and bad news. This isn't that, because that' Sony thing. However, FromSoftware's new game, coming to the Switch 2, looks to borrow a lot of the gothic cues and style of Bloodborne.The Duskbloods leans into a slightly more Steampunk style too, with what appears to be steam-powered automatons. There are also vampire shenanigans, a man with an axe in a pyjama onesie, a dinosaur and a rune-covered rodent. In short, there's lots of mystery, lots of violence and some magic, too.In today's brief trailer, we saw one of the characters leap into a busy Victorian cityscape, toured some shady churches and got a glimpse of a huge beast that we'll probably need to slay. We also got teases of several characters wielding different weapons and attack patterns.For now, The Duskbloods doesn't have a specific release date; it will land on Nintendo's new console sometime in 2026.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/fromsoftware-the-duskbloods-switch-2-2026-release-142025792.html?src=rss

Nintendo Switch Online is getting a Switch 2-exclusive upgrade. On June 5, the same day the new console goes on sale, the service's Expansion Pack service will begin including GameCube games. At launch, Nintendo will offer The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Soulcaliber II and F-Zero GX, with more games to come following the Switch 2's release.Games that support multiplayer, including F-Zero GX, will offer online play, with support for up to four players. Additionally, the Switch 2 will render every GameCube game at a higher resolution for improved image quality. Nintendo will also release a new version of the GameCube's classic controller that features a USB-C connection, wireless connectivity and a dedicated C button for GameChat functionality.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-nintendo-switch-2-will-play-gamecube-games-141025334.html?src=rss

If there's one thing Nintendo has always understood, it's that everyone may want to play together, but might not all own the same game. With the Switch 2, the company is launching GameShare, enabling local multiplayer on multiple consoles with just one copy of a title. Yes friends, this is the wireless multiplayer feature from the Nintendo DS or, depending on your era, the modern day GameBoy Link Cable. With the first Switch, multiplayer was limited to sharing JoyCons on the same console hardware. But for the successor, if two people each have a Switch 2 but one copy of a compatible game, then they'll be able to play wirelessly on their own hardware. But that's not all, as you'll also be able to do this with four consoles at a time, including original Switch and Switch Lite models. Unfortunately for now, the list of games compatible with GameShare is pretty thin, but Nintendo says more will be coming in the future. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-lets-switch-2-players-share-their-games-132431186.html?src=rss

The 2025 Audi e-tron GT RS Performance has a special way of welcoming you. As you approach, it does the usual show of blinking headlights and tail lights, plus puddle lamps projecting red RS logos on the ground. That's nothing special these days. But when you get to the door and reach for the handle the car literally rises to meet you, springing up two full inches to ease your entry into this ultra-low, extremely long sport tourer.At least, it will do that if you spend the extra $11,000 for the new active suspension, a very worthy add-on to this $167,000 sports car and just one of the dozens of upgrades Audi made to the big performance machine for 2025. And it's good that those upgrades are so substantial, because from the outside, the car looks barely different than what came before.Audi slightly massaged the front grille, while the diffuser projecting from beneath the rear bumper looks far cleaner than before. Still, you'd be hard-pressed to tell new from old from a distance - or up close, for that matter. The biggest exterior change is probably the roof of the e-tron GT, which is now available in your choice of shiny or matte carbon fiber. Or, if you're more interested in sunshine than weight savings, you can opt for a new glass roof with nine separate integrated liquid crystal panels that turn opaque at the touch of a button.That makes for a fun talking point if you feel the need to impress your friends, but the 912 horsepower on tap will surely take care of that. Fire up launch control, and even the most jaded motorheads will be left utterly breathless. The e-tron GT RS Performance rockets from zero to 60 mph in just 2.4 seconds, which is a world-class figure, but what's more impressive is how it just keeps on going. I had a chance to run the car up past 130 mph (on a closed track) and the feeling was right on the border between thrilling and terrifying. The forces squeezing me into the (thankfully quite supportive) sport seat made my animal brain scream for sweet release.AudiThat wasn't the only mindjob happening here, though. That new active suspension can be set to actually make the car lean into corners while also dipping the nose under acceleration and lowering the tail when you hit the brakes. It's all in an effort to create a more stable, predictable platform, enabling you to drive the car hard without your passengers losing their patience - or their lunches.The capabilities of the RS e-tron GT Performance are definitely remarkable in any condition. A quick twitch of your right toe is enough to send it leaping forward, and for those special moments, you can get about an extra 94 horsepower by pressing the big red BOOST button on the steering wheel.Unfortunately, that's about the only thing good about the wheel. For this new e-tron GT, Audi shifted to the type of capacitive touch buttons that everybody hates on the Volkswagen ID.4, which are both challenging to use by touch and yet easy to accidentally trigger. I kept raising the volume on the stereo every time I made a left turn. That's no good.The rest of the interface is much the same as before, with the 10.1-inch touchscreen angled in the middle of the dashboard. It's running Audi's MMI software though, which is a bit sluggish at times. Still, between the touchscreen, the Virtual Cockpit digital gauge cluster behind the wheel and the HUD projected on the windscreen, you have no shortage of displays to admire.The rest of the cabin is largely unchanged as well, which isn't a bad thing. Seats up front are supportive yet comfortable, power-adjustable in all the right ways, heated and ventilated, and sit low enough in the car to offer plenty of headroom. Seating in the back isn't bad either, with a bit of extra legroom provided by a division in the battery pack, creating space for rear passenger feet.That rear-seat layout is the same as before, but while the battery pack shape is the same, crack it open and you'll find all sorts of newness. Audi changed the chemistry of the cells and that, plus some design revisions, has boosted energy density, which means more capacity in the same space.The battery now offers 105 kWh of total capacity (95 net), which is up from 93.4 before, while other changes have boosted charging speed. The maximum charging current is up to 320 kW from 270 kW before, and the battery can now maintain that speed at a wider range of temperatures. The result is an 80 percent charge in just 18 minutes. That's about 240 miles worth of range in the time it'll take to make a pit stop yourself.All those battery upgrades provide up to 300 miles of range on the 670 horsepower S e-tron GT or 278 miles of range on the faster RS e-tron GT Performance. Those figures represent a gain of between 29 and 51 miles over the old car, depending on which spec you choose. That's a major boost in longevity, and since that new suspension is equally good at being soft and cosseting as it is sharp and exciting, the GT makes for a remarkably good touring car. I spent most of a day idling my way in and out of Las Vegas in one, and I would've gladly done many more miles without complaint.But with all that power and handling, the GT is happiest when it's pushed to its limits. The only challenge is your budget will be pushed, too. The 2025 S e-tron GT costs $125,500, while the faster RS e-tron GT Performance starts at $167,000. That means all the new battery tech and brain-scrambling power have added about $20,000 to the sticker prices of the previous year's car. And you'll spend even more if you want all the toys.So, the RS e-tron GT Performance is expensive, but impressive too. We're still barely a decade into seeing what high-performance EVs can do, an engineering journey that will surely take us to new heights in the years to come. But what this car can do today is remarkable, with acceleration so strong that it's uncomfortable, suspension so advanced it can dance, and yet all the comfort and poise befitting an Audi.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/audis-refreshed-rs-e-tron-gt-performance-brings-shocking-speed-for-a-premium-price-130154710.html?src=rss

The wait is finally over: The appropriately titled "Nintendo Direct: Switch 2" presentation will start today (April 2) at 9AM ET / 6AM PT, and will stream on Nintendo's YouTube channel. Today's presentation follows a shorter Direct video last week, in which the company teased a Tomodachi Life sequel and the last few Switch 1 games (all of which will also run on the new console, thanks to backward compatibility).Because of the short teaser video Nintendo released in January, we already know the basic details of the Switch 2's look and feel - a larger screen, some sort of mouse functionality for the Joy-Con controllers - and we even got a glimpse at what looks like a new Mario Kart game. But the company's April 2 presentation should answer a litany of remaining questions about the Switch successor, including the price and release date.You can read our article collecting Switch 2 rumors and reports for a preview of what Nintendo might cover. Particularly pertinent for anyone thinking about buying the new console, recent leaks indicate that Nintendo could open up pre-orders for the Switch 2 as early as April 9, and ship out the device in June.We'll have to wait for the Nintendo Direct to finalize those details, of course. Nintendo has indicated that the presentation will last about an hour, so that should be enough time to present a longer list of Switch 2 games beyond those initial fleeting seconds of a new Mario Kart. You can watch along on Nintendo's YouTube channel or right in this article once the stream goes live. We've also go a Switch 2 liveblog going for real-time commentary. Stay tuned to Engadget in the hours and days that follow for complete coverage.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/how-to-watch-todays-switch-2-nintendo-direct-210632768.html?src=rss

Whether you attach it to a dog's collar, put in on a set of keys or throw it in your purse, there's no denying that AirTags save you a lot of hassle. They get rid of the mental stress that is, "Where on Earth did I put that?" Thankfully, Apple's AirTags are not only convenient, but they're currently on sale. Right now, you can get a four-pack of AirTags for just $68, down from $99. For context, a single AirTag normally retails for $29 (currently $24 each), so you're getting four for just over the price of two. This 31 percent discount brings the set to just $3 more than its all-time low. There's not much to say about AirTags that hasn't already been said. They use the Find My network to locate your missing belongings and can do so with incredible accuracy. Their main fault is the lack of a key hole, but we've rounded up the best Apple AirTag accessories for 2025 to fix that problem. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/a-four-pack-of-apple-airtags-is-back-on-sale-for-68-125334495.html?src=rss

Wikimedia has seen a 50 percent increase in bandwidth used for downloading multimedia content since January 2024, the foundation said in an update. But it's not because human readers have suddenly developed a voracious appetite for consuming Wikipedia articles and for watching videos or downloading files from Wikimedia Commons. No, the spike in usage came from AI crawlers, or automated programs scraping Wikimedia's openly licensed images, videos, articles and other files to train generative artificial intelligence models.This sudden increase in traffic from bots could slow down access to Wikimedia's pages and assets, especially during high-interest events. When Jimmy Carter died in December, for instance, people's heightened interest in the video of his presidential debate with Ronald Reagan caused slow page load times for some users. Wikimedia is equipped to sustain traffic spikes from human readers during such events, and users watching Carter's video shouldn't have caused any issues. But "the amount of traffic generated by scraper bots is unprecedented and presents growing risks and costs," Wikimedia said.The foundation explained that human readers tend to look up specific and often similar topics. For instance, a number of people look up the same thing when it's trending. Wikimedia creates a cache of a piece of content requested multiple times in the data center closest to the user, enabling it to serve up content faster. But articles and content that haven't been accessed in a while have to be served from the core data center, which consumes more resources and, hence, costs more money for Wikimedia. Since AI crawlers tend to bulk read pages, they access obscure pages that have to be served from the core data center.Wikimedia said that upon a closer look, 65 percent of the resource-consuming traffic it gets is from bots. It's already causing constant disruption for its Site Reliability team, which has to block the crawlers all the time before they they significantly slow down page access to actual readers. Now, the real problem, as Wikimedia states, is that the "expansion happened largely without sufficient attribution, which is key to drive new users to participate in the movement." A foundation that relies on people's donations to continue running needs to attract new users and get them to care for its cause. "Our content is free, our infrastructure is not," the foundation said. Wikimedia is now looking to establish sustainable ways for developers and reusers to access its content in the upcoming fiscal year. It has to, because it sees no sign of AI-related traffic slowing down anytime soon.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/wikipedia-is-struggling-with-voracious-ai-bot-crawlers-121546854.html?src=rss

Samsung is releasing two Fan Edition models of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10, and they're both more affordable than their standard counterparts. The Galaxy Tab S10 FE and the Galaxy Tab S10 FE+ are powered by the Samsung Exynos 1580 chipset instead of MediaTek processors like the standard versions. Samsung's Galaxy Tab S10 FE+ model has a 13.1-inch display, which is bigger than the Tab S10+'s 12.4-inch screen but smaller than the 14.6-inch one on the Tab S10 Ultra. Take note that both models have a refresh rate of up to 90Hz, which is lower than the standard versions' 120 Hz refresh rate.That means the standard Tab S10 models are still the better options if gaming is your primary use for a tablet. But again, the new Fan Editions cost substantially less than they do. The Galaxy Tab S10 FE's prices start at $500, and it comes with 128GB and 256GB storage options. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Tab S10 FE+ will cost you at least $650 and come with the same storage options. The standard Galaxy Tab S10's prices start $999, while the Tab S10 Ultra will cost you at least $1,200.Like the the standard models, the Fan Edition versions come with AI capabilities, including Circle to Search with Google that makes it easy to look for information simply by encircling elements on your device. Their Samsung Note app also features Math Solver, which can do calculations based on handwriting and text, as well as Handwriting Assist, which can help you tidy up handwritten notes. Both Fan Edition devices will be available in the US starting on April 10. You'll get a $50 credit if you reserve a unit now, and you can buy a Book Cover Keyboard Slim for 50 percent off if you purchase one by May 11.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/samsungs-galaxy-tab-s10-fe-and-galaxy-tab-s10-fe-will-be-available-on-april-10-120019555.html?src=rss

The Washington Post reports that members of the White House's National Security Council have used personal Gmail accounts to conduct government business. National security advisor Michael Waltz and a senior aide of his both used their own accounts to discuss sensitive information with colleagues, according to the Post's review and interviews with government officials who spoke to the newspaper anonymously.Email is not the best approach for sharing information meant to be kept private. That covers sensitive data for individuals such as social security numbers or passwords, much less confidential or classified government documents. It simply has too many potential paths for a bad actor to access information they shouldn't. Government departments typically use business-grade email services, rather than relying on consumer email services. The federal government also has its own internal communications systems with additional layers of security, making it all the more baffling that current officials are being so cavalier with how they handle important information.Unless you are using GPG, email is not end-to-end encrypted, and the contents of a message can be intercepted and read at many points, including on Google's email servers," Eva Galperin, director of cybersecurity at the Electronic Frontier Foundation told the Post.Additionally, there are regulations requiring that certain official government communications be preserved and archived. Using a personal account could allow some messages to slip through the cracks, accidentally or intentionally.This latest instance of dubious software use from the executive branch follows the discovery that several high-ranking national security leaders used Signal to discuss planned military actions in Yemen, then added a journalist from The Atlantic to the group chat. And while Signal is a more secure option than a public email client, even the encrypted messaging platform can be exploited, as the Pentagon warned its own team last week.As with last week's Signal debacle, there have been no repercussions thus far for any federal employees taking risky data privacy actions. NSC spokesman Brian Hughes told the Post he hasn't seen evidence of Waltz using a personal account for government correspondence.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/national-security-council-adds-gmail-to-its-list-of-bad-decisions-222648613.html?src=rss

An Arkansas law requiring social media companies to verify the ages of their users has been struck down by a federal judge who ruled that it was unconstitutional. The decision is a significant victory for the social media companies and digital rights groups that have opposed the law and others like it.Arkansas became the second state (after Utah) to pass an age verification law for social media in 2023. The Social Media Safety Act required companies to verify the games of users under 18 and get permission from their parents. The law was challenged by NetChoice, a lobbying group representing the tech industry whose membership includes Meta, Snap, X, Reddit and YouTube. NetChoice has also challenged laws restricting social media access in Utah, Texas and California.In a ruling, Judge Timothy Brooks said that the law, known as Act 689, was overly broad. Act 689 is a content-based restriction on speech, and it is not targeted to address the harms the State has identified," Brooks wrote in his decision. Arkansas takes a hatchet to adults' and minors' protected speech alike though the Constitution demands it use a scalpel." Brooks also highlighted the unconstitutionally vague" applicability of the law, which seemingly created obligations for some online services, but may have exempted services which had the "predominant or exclusive function [of]... direct messaging" like Snapchat.The court confirms what we have been arguing from the start: laws restricting access to protected speech violate the First Amendment," NetChoice's Chris Marchese said in a statement. This ruling protects Americans from having to hand over their IDs or biometric data just to access constitutionally protected speech online."It's not clear if state officials in Arkansas will appeal the ruling. I respect the court's decision, and we are evaluating our options," Arkansas Attorney general Tim Griffin said in a statement.Even with NetChoice's latest victory, it seems that age verification laws are unlikely to go away anytime soon. Utah recently passed an age verification requirement for app stores. And a Texas law requiring porn sites to conduct age verification is currently before the Supreme Court.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/arkansas-social-media-age-verification-law-blocked-by-federal-judge-194614568.html?src=rss

You could call Shinichiro Watanabe's Lazarus a retread of his masterpiece, Cowboy Bebop. That's not to say the show is bad - based on the five episodes I've seen so far, Lazarus is still an entertaining and stylish ride. But I've just come to expect more from a legendary creator like Watanabe.It's set in the year 2052, a near-future when a renowned neuroscientist released Hapna, a drug that can erase all pain. If that sounds too good to be true, it is: Hapna's creator Dr. Skinner reveals to the world that everyone who took the drug will eventually die. And then he disappears. Like an evil Willy Wonka, he announces one hope for survival: Find him in 30 days, or humanity is doomed.To help find Skinner, the government sets up a covert group named Lazarus made up of convicted criminals. And that's where the similarities come in. There's the lead, Axel Gilberto, a parkour junkie who resembles Bebop's reckless and carefree Spike Spiegel. Rounding out the team is Christine, a gorgeous femme fatale; Eleina, a bright young hacker; and Doug, a gruff investigator who has little patience for Axel's shit. Those are all clear analogs to the Bebop crew of Faye, Ed and Jet. The one new element of the team is Leland, a cute college student who takes on various roles during the show (perhaps he's just an anthropomorphized version of Bebop's adorable pup Ein).There's a bit of Suicide Squad in the idea of using criminals to find humanity's greatest villain, but Lazarus doesn't really justify why that's the case (that may be answered later in the show's 13-episode run). And you'd think there would be more government efforts beyond a group of misfits to accomplish a humanity-saving mission. The Lazarus crew get a few chances to bond throughout each episode, but their interpersonal dynamics feel less organic than the Bebop characters, whose relationships were enriched by the pressure-cooker environment of an interplanetery spaceship, ever-present economic struggle and compelling backstories. By episode five of Lazarus, I didn't have any real understanding of these characters, whereas Bebop delivered the seminal episode Ballad of the Fallen Angels by then.Like Watanabe's Samurai Champloo, Lazarus is best enjoyed if you don't look too closely at its plot holes or contrivances (Axel's inhuman parkour abilities make Spike Spiegel's antics seem tame in comparison). It's better to sit back and enjoy the incredibly stylish vibes. That includes wonderfully fluid animation by Mappa; a catchy soundtrack by Kamasi Washington, Floating Points and Bonobo (with a great ending theme, Lazarus" by The Boo Radleys); and bone-crunching action choreography by John Wick director Chad Stahelski. It's hard not to appreciate all of the talent involved.Adult SwimBut again, I just wish the whole project felt more original. Lazarus's premise isn't far off from Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, which involved a terrorist plot to deploy nanomachines that would kill everyone on Mars. It's also funny to see the show arrive alongside a more inventive show like Max's Common Side Effects, which deals with the real-world consequences of miracle drugs that could heal any illness or injury. That show's characters are more grounded and relatable, and it explores why pharmaceutical companies would stop at nothing to kill such a miracle drug.The story began with Dr. Skinner... Is he a saint or a devil?" Watanabe said on the Engadget podcast via a translator (while he relaxed in shades with a mountain of records behind him, like the absolute boss he is). Exactly what does he want to do? That was a big initial driving part of the story. ... What you initially thought of Skinner at [the] start may change throughout the 13 episodes."Adult SwimIt's not a huge spoiler to say that Dr. Skinner isn't always portrayed as a villain in the show. Before the release of Hapna, he was a famous neuroscientist who pushed humanity to respond to the climate crisis. But instead of listening to him, the world's countries chose to pursue profit over the future of humanity. With that in mind, it's no shock Watanabe says the inspiration for Hapna was, in part, the opioid crisis.Throughout flashbacks and short opening monologues, Lazarus gives us glimpses into Hapna's effect on our main characters, all of which is more compelling than the actual quest to find Dr. Skinner. Did the pill really heal everyone's pain, or did it just close off their ability to feel true emotions?I'm sure newcomers to Watanabe's work won't have the same reservations with Lazarus as I do, I just wish the show had the same distinctive identity as his other series. Cowboy Bebop is a jazz-soaked noir; Space Dandy is a hilarious riff on the space opera genre; and Carol and Tuesday is a touching story of two young girls pursuing a pop music career. Lazarus is basically another action thriller, but this time it's scored to modern jazz and electronic music.I'm holding out hope that Lazarus matures into a more thoughtful show in its second half. But even if it doesn't, it's still worth celebrating anything new from Shinichiro Watanabe. There aren't many anime directors and writers with his sense of style and excellent taste in music and action cinema. Even if it's a lesser Watanabe project, it's still more entertaining and creative than the vast majority of shows bombarding us in the streaming TV era, anime or otherwise.Lazarus premieres on April 5 on Adult Swim, and it'll be available on Max the day after. Subtitled episodes will be available 30 days after their English dubbed versions.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/lazarus-review-wildly-stylish-but-its-no-cowboy-bebop-170300198.html?src=rss

TikTok's deadline to sell off or cede its US operations is once again approaching. The 75-day extension delaying the enforcement of a nationwide TikTok ban is set to run out Saturday, April 5, unless the company finally reaches an agreement to find a new owner. Who might buy it, and what happens if no deal is reached? Here's the shape of things right now:Potential buyersPresident Donald Trump has suggested that a deal" is imminent and could be reached before that deadline. What such an agreement will look like is still extremely unclear. A number of interested buyers have come forward, including YouTuber MrBeast, Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian and Perplexity AI. Oracle, which almost bought TikTok in 2020 and was a key part of TikTok's earlier negotiations to address national security concerns, is also in the running.Depending on which bid wins out, TikTok could end up looking very different. ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese owner, won't allow another company to take control of the app's coveted recommendation algorithm. That means a new owner would have to rebuild TikTok's central feature. Perplexity AI, for example, has said it would take on this task of reverse-engineering the app's For You" feed, making it open source and implementing some kind of Community Notes-style fact checking feature. Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian, who joined a group of investors known as Project Liberty," has hinted at a vision for TikTok that somehow ties in with blockchain technology.Option 2There's also another, potentially less disruptive option on the table. The White House is also considering a deal that would allow TikTok's existing US investors to roll over their stakes into a new independent global TikTok company," according to The New York Times. Under this arrangement, Oracle could also end up overseeing TikTok's US data while ByteDance hangs onto its algorithm, as the Financial Times reported in March.This would likely be a smoother transition than a full-on sale that would require a new owner to rebuild a significant part of the app. Aspects of it are also very similar to terms TikTok already agreed to under a previous agreement with Oracle known as Project Texas. However, this sort of deal may also not be entirely legal, as Politico recently pointed out. The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, the law passed by Congress and signed by former President Joe Biden last year, calls for a divestment of TikTok and its algorithm.It's also not clear whether Chinese officials would be willing to sign off on such an arrangement, though Trump has suggested he could use the threat of tariffs as negotiating leverage. We're dealing with China also on it because they may have something to do with it. And we'll see how that goes," Trump told reporters over the weekend.No dealSo what happens if Trump's deal" isn't finalized by Saturday? The answer, it seems, is... probably nothing. Trump has said he would likely extend the deadline again if the clock runs out on the current extension. (Once again, it's not entirely clear if another extension is legal, but CNN reports that a second extension might be an uphill battle if challenged in court.) In the meantime, TikTok is unlikely to go dark like it (briefly) did in January when the ban law first went into effect.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/tiktoks-ban-deadline-is-coming-what-happens-next-162420478.html?src=rss

Apple's Find My feature has finally been enabled in South Korea, according to a company announcement translated byApple Insider. This comes after years of public demand in which the finding network tool was absent from the country. The omission was especially odd when you consider that Apple sold AirTags throughout the region. Without Find My, they are basically just puck-shaped paperweights.The company never explicitly stated why it limited access to Find My in South Korea, but it appeared to be related to local laws that could have allowed the government access to the location data. The service first appeared during a beta test of iOS 18.4, but the official software update makes it available to everyone in the country. Find My has long been functional in South Korea's outlying territories like Baengnyeongdo and Ulleungdo."Find My is an important tool that allows users to grasp the location of the most precious things to them, such as friends, family and personal items, and I am very happy to be able to introduce this function to Korea," said David Dorn, senior director of Apple's service products, in a statement on the company's local website.The modern iteration of Find My launched in the US in 2019 as part of iOS 13. However, the tool actually dates back to a service called Find My iPhone that started in 2010. Apple recently expanded functionality to let users share the location of a lost item with other people on the network. This is helpful when negotiating the return of a lost item with a stranger.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/apples-find-my-has-finally-launched-in-south-korea-151437244.html?src=rss

If you ever needed a definitive example of how money doesn't necessarily buy you success or taste, take a look at Amazon's studio arm. The mega-retailer's production division, now known as Amazon-MGM, has been making movies for more than a decade. Very few of the entries in its lineup have been world-beaters, but that hasn't deterred the outfit from persisting. The New York Times is today reporting that under its new head, Courtney Valenti, Amazon's movie division has plans to own the in-person cinema experience.Amazon is apparently gearing up to release up to 14 big, broad commercial films a year to theaters nationwide and around the world." Each film would spend 45 days in the theaters before heading to pay-per-view and then to Prime Video at some point after. The move comes in the face of shrinking box office receipts and fewer people heading to the cinema in general. Not to mention it's also planning to produce an equal number of films that'll go direct to Prime, which seems counter-intuitive given the desire to push people toward theaters.That doesn't recognize the shift in viewing habits, especially among younger people, who'd much rather sit and watch YouTube for hours at a time. Or that the box office took a hit because of COVID-19 that it never really bounced back from. Or that a lot of people would rather wait for a film to become available for free" on a service they already pay for.It also doesn't take into account the fact cinemas are becoming increasingly unaffordable, and not that nice a place to sit for multiple hours. Last year, the cinema industry said it would spend $2.2 billion renovating their facilities to lure wary customers back. The planned additions included renovations for chairs and carpets, as well as the construction of ziplines and pickleball courts. Nowhere on the list was mentioned make cinema tickets cheaper" or don't make viewers sit through half an hour of TV adverts before the trailers."At the risk of sounding obvious, that's one hell of a lot of material for one company to put out in a year. Especially when so many competitors with better track records are putting out far fewer films and seeing success. On paper, 14 movies a year feels like the sort of strategy you could last get away with in the 1980s. After all, people had fewer options, cinemas were busier and studios could rely on the triple-whammy of the box office, rental and VHS markets.It doesn't help Amazon isn't pledging to make quality movies, just lots of them, which suggests a mindset that doesn't value scarcity. After all, there are many instances of things made and sold in small, limited quantities that garner far more attention than something mass-produced. Think about how hard it is for one of those latter-day Marvel movies to stick in the consciousness when you know there'll be another one along in a month or two.It calls to mind Amazon's battles with the Broccolis, until recently the custodians of the James Bond franchise. Let's not overthink this, they are just silly spy movies - but ones made with a level of craft and attention rarely seen in the modern era. The fact there can be a multi year gap between entries in the series means each film gets far more attention. That was in conflict with Amazon's apparent desire to use the Bond name to push out a thousand different streaming series, game shows and movies on a regular basis.And, at the risk of sounding uncharitable, it's not as if Amazon's movie slate has been a hit parade thus far. Many of the studios' buzzier hits were picked up at film festivals rather than coming from inside, while its homegrown fare has floundered. That's not to say its rivals are doing any better on this front - just read the reviews of The Electric State to show you how badly Netflix is throwing mad money at C+-tier projects.I often wonder if people look at the success of Disney's big Marvel tentpoles and assume that it's easy to replicate. A film like Avengers: Endgame was the payoff to a decade-long plan built from the ground-up on the backs of less successful films. Across 2024, Disney put 15 films into cinemas, but even a mega-behemoth like Disney does it across its seven or eight different divisions.In terms of attractive pitches, 14 films a year from the people who spent more than $200 million on Red One isn't particularly compelling. Amazon's going to have to give people a reason to get out to the theaters, but that's going to be a challenge if the emphasis is on putting more raw material into the pipeline rather than making anything halfway considered or compelling.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/amazons-new-cinema-plan-is-perfect-for-the-80s-150653674.html?src=rss

This year's Amazon Spring Sale has ended, but there are still some deals floating around that you can take advantage of. While this shopping event focused the discounts on household, outdoor and fashion gear, a number of our favorite gadgets made it into the sale. In line with the "spring" theme, we found great discounts on cordless vacuums, robot vacuums, air purifiers and other smart home tech, along with solid deals on headphones, streaming devices, mesh Wi-Fi systems and more. Here, we've collected the best Amazon Spring Sale deals you can still get today even after the event has ended. Best Amazon Spring Sale deals you can still get Amazon Fire TV Stick HD for $20 ($15 off): Our top pick for the best budget streaming device can play content at 1080p/60fps and now its remote can also control your TV's power and volume. There's also Alexa support built into the remote, so you can use voice commands to search for content. Sonos Ray for $179 ($100 off): This is our favorite midrange soundbar thanks to its compact, attractive design and easy setup. It's best for those who have a smaller living room or den they want to outfit with better TV sound. Also available at Sonos in their March Madness sale. Bose QuietComfort headphones for $249 ($100 off): These Bose over-ear headphones provide excellent noise cancellation, a comfortable fit and up to 24 hours of listening time on a single charge. A quick-charge feature will net you 2.5 hours of battery life in just 15 minutes of charging, so you'll rarely have to go without them, too. Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones for $329 ($100 off): These hold the top spot in our best wireless headphones guide for excellent noise cancellation. These cans will give you a step up in ANC, blocking out most noise and chatter of those around you. General audio quality has been improved as well, and they have a comfy fit. Beats Fit Pro for $169 (15 percent off): These are the best wireless earbuds for working out thanks to their comfortable, secure fit, good sound quality with thumping bass and handful of convenient features provided by Apple's H1 chipset. It provides quick-pairing and switching between Apple devices (and quick pairing with Android phones), Find My compatibility and hands-free Siri. Dyson AM09 heater and fan for $408 (13 percent off): The AM09 has been around for ages, and for good reason. It's an excellent heater during cold months and fan during warm months, so you can use it all year round. Jet Focus control lets you choose from Focused or Diffused for personal or whole-room heating or cooling, and the handy sleep timer lets you set when the device turns off in intervals from 15 minutes up to nine hours. Levoit Core 400S air purifier for $187 ($33 off): Our top pick for the best air purifier for most people, the Core 400S has easy-to-use onboard controls, powerful filtering technology that isn't too loud and relatively affordable replacement filters. It reliably improved air quality in our testing, and even though its mobile app is a little overstuffed, it gives you another way to control and monitor the device. Chipolo One for $20 ($5 off): The Chipolo One is the top overall pick in our guide to the best Bluetooth trackers. While Apple's AirTag can tap into a substantially larger crowd-sourcing network, we've found the One to send separation alerts faster when you've left an item behind and ring louder when you're back in its vicinity. Audible (three months) for $3 ($42 off): This deal gives you access to Audible Premium Plus, which includes one credit each month that you can spend on any book you'd like, along with listening access to thousands of other books, podcasts and Audible Originals. You also get to take part in Audible's exclusive member sales. Only US customers who are not already subscribed to Audible can take advantage of this deal. Apple Watch Series 10 for $329 ($70 off): Apple's flagship wearable is the best smartwatch you can buy, period. While the Series 10 was an iterative update, that's not necessarily a bad thing. It sports a slightly longer battery life, a slimmer design and wide-angle OLED screen for better viewing angles. It tracks workouts accurately and delivers alerts to your wrist efficiently. Apple Watch SE for $199 (20 percent off): Those on tighter budgets can opt for the Apple Watch SE and know they're getting the core Apple wearable experience with few compromises. We consider it to be the best smartwatch for newbies. iPad Air M3 for $549 ($50 off): The latest version of the iPad Air now runs on the M3 chipset, and it continues to hold the top spot in our best iPads guide. It has the best combination of power, design and extra features, so you can use it primarily as a media consumption device if you wish, or you can add iPad accessories like an Apple Pencil or a Magic Keyboard to turn it into a true workhorse. iRobot Roomba Robot Vacuum and Mop Combo for $149 ($126 off): This "essential" Roomba is relatively no-frills, but it has the added benefit of being a mopping robot in addition to a vacuum. It includes a washable mopping pad and a water reservoir so you can clean hard floors, and it will autonomously vacuum just like all of iRobot's other basic robovacs. Eufy 3-in-1 E20 robot vacuum for $400 ($200 off): If you can't decide between a robot vacuum or a lightweight stick vac, you don't have to. The new Eufy E20 combines a robo vac, cordless upright and handheld vacuum in one machine. Plus the automatically emptying base holds a lot of debris for its size. While we found the robot performance to be better than the stick vac suction, it's still impressive and convenient for an all-in-one model. Cosori 9-in-1 air fryer for $90 ($30 off): One of our favorites in our best air fryers guide, this Cosori model has nine preset cooking modes and a spacious cooking basket that can handle more food at once than you might expect. It's not too large, so it can sit on your countertop all the time, and the basket has a safety release button that prevents accidental pulls. TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro mesh Wi-Fi system for $280 (30 percent off): Our current pick for the best mesh Wi-Fi system you can get, this TP-Link bundle may be no-frills, but it gets the job done nicely. It's easy to set up and provides excellent Wi-Fi 6E performance, plus the three included nodes can cover up to 7,200 square feet. Samsung Evo Select microSD card (512GB) for $35 ($5 off): A value pick in our best microSD cards guide, this Evo Select card provides respectable read and write speeds, and it comes with a full-sized adapter. Samsung T7 portable SSD (2TB) for $140 (48 percent off): We're on the T9 series now, but if you're looking to save a bit of cash, the T7 remains a great option for on-the-go storage. It supports read and write speeds up to 1,050/1,000 MB/s and sports a pocket-friendly design.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-spring-sale-tech-deals-the-best-sales-you-can-still-get-from-apple-bose-irobot-dyson-and-others-130607704.html?src=rss

The Amazon Spring Sale might be over, but there are still lots of great deals to shop. For instance, there's a 33 percent discount on one of our favorite portable Bluetooth speakers for 2025. The Beats Pill is down to $100 from $150 - a record-low price for the speaker. Let's be honest, that first glimpse of warm weather is here and it's making us dream of sitting by the beach or picnics with friends. The Beats Pill is a solid option to provide the soundtrack to your summer. We gave it in 83 in our review thanks, in part, to its durability. The speaker has an IP67 waterproof rating, so you shouldn't have to worry at all if it gets a bit wet. The Beats Pill also offers 24-hour battery life and improved sound quality from its predecessor. However, we have found that the audio does hurt a bit when at loud volumes and it can have an inconsistent bass tone. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/pick-up-the-beats-pill-speaker-while-its-on-sale-for-a-record-low-price-140306981.html?src=rss

When we reviewed the iPhone 16 Pro last year, Apple Intelligence was barely available. Since then, the iPhone 16 series has benefitted from several new features, apps and improvements. Some (or most) of them were Apple Intelligence features that were teased back at WWDC 2024, months before the iPhone 16 Pro launched.AI features weren't the only changes this time around, with the iPhone 16 getting an entirely new button. The so-called Camera Control wasn't just a simple app shortcut, but an elaborate multifunction button that offered a haptic half-press and the ability to swipe across to adjust camera settings and options.Managing Editor Cherlynn Low said we were still "waiting on Apple Intelligence" in our initial review. Now, as we hit iOS 18.4, was it worth the wait?iOS 18 and Apple Intelligence so farMat Smith for EngadgetApple Intelligence was late, arriving as part of iOS 18.1 back in October 2024. Initial generative AI features included writing tools like proofreading and rewriting, as well as text summaries and live transcription for phone calls and voice notes in the Notes app. A few months later, iOS 18.2 gave us the Apple Intelligence features that made most of the headlines when first announced at WWDC. That included ChatGPT integration, AI image generation in Image Playgrounds and Genmoji.Starting with iOS 18.1, one of the most controversial Apple Intelligence features is actually my favorite: Notification Summaries. It's a good attempt at taming the wild west of countless group chats across multiple messaging apps, calendar reminders, Substack pings and everything else.You don't need to update every individual app for Notification Summaries to kick in. As soon as iOS 18.1 landed, my messy WhatsApp chats were streamlined. I thought it cute when my iPhone told me a friend had laughed at my comment, and suggested where we could meet and a date. That was distilled from a ten-message barrage they'd sent.Mat Smith for EngadgetIt's not perfect, though. Apple had to clarify that notification summaries are AI-generated, and make that clearer beyond a small Apple Intelligence icon. This was after the BBC complained about multiple summaries that twisted the content of some of its headlines. I've also had notification summaries that incorrectly guessed the subject of a sentence or entire topic of a thread, but on the whole, it's a useful utilization of AI smarts.There are more natural language hooks across most of iOS 18, too. You can now search for images in the Photos app with descriptions, dates, location and more. Those natural-language smarts take on a different function with writing tools, courtesy of Apple Intelligence. Even though I'm not a particularly clean writer (hey, Cher), these writing tools are not all that useful. I haven't used them much beyond quick email responses to work requests and events, but the ability to proofread, rewrite or check tone may prove useful to some.The writing tools also work inside the Voice Memos app, which can now transcribe conversations, meetings and more. Here, it helps make things more concise, with options to turn transcripts into summaries, key points, lists and even tables. If the recording is clear enough and they're not too long, iOS 18 does well on these transcriptions. Several times, the iPhone 16 Pro straight-up declined to summarize a transcript. Why? All I got was a notification that the tools aren't designed to work with this type of content."Elsewhere, Apple struggles to catch up with AI innovations on rival devices. Like Google Pixel's Magic Eraser (and all the other Android riffs), Clean Up now allows you to scrub out distracting elements and photo bombers from your pics. However, the results aren't quite up to the standard of the competition. Sometimes, however, it nails it.Some Apple Intelligence features have faded into the background after an initial buzz. Image Playground offers the ability to AI-generate your own images and had plenty of users itching to get off the beta waitlist to play around with the app. After a bit of testing, however, I haven't used it in the months since it launched.There might be a future for Playgrounds within iOS, though. For instance, Apple's Invites app lets you embed Image Playground results within your events, which is helpful if you don't have a photo to illustrate the invitation. As a standalone app, however, it doesn't quite deliver enough to live on my home screen. It's gone the way of GarageBand, Pages and Apple Maps on my iPhone.Genmoji, on the other hand, is easier to use, and I use it often. With it, you can create your own emoji reactions with specific people, objects and backgrounds. I already have several established favorites, like me eating cereal and a chronically late friend with clocks in the background, and I'll probably continue to make emoji as life demands it. For example, a passenger behind me on a flight to Barcelona last month had three cats with her. So, I made a cats-on-a-plane Genmoji. Exactly what Tim Cook intended.Mat Smith for EngadgetSome software features are also specific to the iPhone 16 Pro series (and the 15 Pro). Camera Control aside, the new button also offers access to Visual Intelligence with a long press. Visual Intelligence is Apple's take on Google Lens, tapping visual AI smarts to analyze what your iPhone is pointing at. It can recognize text, like words on menus, and even translate for you. If you get lucky, it'll even identify the outside of a restaurant and (with some ChatGPT power) tell you the opening hours and what kind of cuisine it offers. It's particularly effective in identifying landmarks, but busy scenes can quickly derail it. Unfortunately, you can't tap on a particular object in the frame to clarify specifics. However, the ability to create calendar events from a poster is pretty cool - even if I usually forget to use it.That's Apple Intelligence, for now. There are a lot of smart touches, but so far, it isn't remarkable. I credit Apple's attempts to make most of its AI features either processed on device, or connected to the company's Private Cloud Compute, which uses larger server-based models. Apple has reiterated that your data is never stored during these requests. Even with ChatGPT integration, if you don't use an account with OpenAI, only your request and attachments are sent to ChatGPT. Your Apple Account and IP address are not shared with OpenAI. Apple's deal with OpenAI means the latter can't use your request to improve or train its models, either.The patchy arrival of iOS features, especially Apple Intelligence, isn't a good look for the company.However, the rest of iOS 18 continues to deliver valuable new features and upgrades to the iPhone experience, like the aforementioned Invites app, additional content (and games) for News+ subscribers and my favorite feature since the AirPods introduced noise-cancellation, the ability to nod or shake your head to halt Siri announcements, Fitness prompts and even decline calls. I'm a busy guy!Cameras and Camera ControlMat Smith for EngadgetWith Camera Control, Apple has introduced its most intriguing interface change since the short-lived 3D Touch." That tech, if you forgot, offered haptic feedback on your screen tapping during the iPhone 6 era. Camera Control acts like a proper manual camera button, even when I know it combines a physical button with elaborate touch sensors. This enables deeper controls by swiping across it or semi-pressing.Instantly, it works as a basic camera app launcher, just like the iPhone's Action button has done in recent years. Already, it's better placed, though, lower on the right edge of the phone, ready for your thumb if held vertically, or index finger when held horizontally. It goes beyond being a launcher, though. Swiping across it lets you adjust zoom, exposure and even toggle the new Photographic Style options. Then, a half-press works as a way to confirm your settings.Depending on how you use the iPhone's camera, a lot of the settings might not deserve their place within the Camera Control's menus. While I often tinkered with Exposure and Zoom, Photographic styles are easier to adjust from the iPhone in the normal touchscreen way. I'm also not going to meddle with simulated f-stops when taking candid shots of my friends and family.Like Apple Intelligence, Camera Control launched incomplete. When the iPhone 16 Pro first went on sale, it lacked a half-press focus like ye olde traditional cameras, and it took till January 2025 for an AF-AE lock to arrive through iOS 18.3. The feature, however, remains buried in settings and has to be toggled on.It works well though. You tap on an object you'd like the iPhone to focus on, hold the button halfway, and it'll lock exposure and focus for as long as you keep your finger down - like a camera. It's frustrating that we had to wait this long for what seems like a core function of Camera Control.To be devil's advocate - and it's an argument regularly leveled at AI features, both Apple Intelligence and elsewhere - did you need Camera Control? Given how much I use my phone's cameras, I'd argue that a camera launcher is worth factoring into the hardware. But the Action Button covered that.Camera Control also seemed like a pro' iPhone feature, so it's surprising to see it across the entire device lineup, barring the more recent iPhone 16e.Another change worth noting is that the iPhone 16 Pro got camera parity with the larger Pro Max this year, with a 5x optical zoom I use most of the time. Of course, this isn't a remarkable feature if you were already using an iPhone 15 Pro Max. But if you prefer the smaller of the two Pro options, aside from battery life, there's no reason to stop you getting the cheaper iPhone 16 Pro.Repairability and longevityI haven't had to repair my iPhone 16 Pro so far, and there are no pronounced scratches on the 6.3-inch screen or body. While I am also a case dweeb, I don't use screen protectors - I haven't needed to. The latest iPhones do come with even more repair-friendly hardware and policies if the worst were to happen. Anecdotally, according to my experience the titanium body and Apple's Ceramic Shield treatment on the display do seem to make this generation of 'pro' iPhones tougher than its predecessorsApple's new Repair Assistant, designed to address parts pairing issues, lets both you and repair professionals configure new and used Apple parts directly on the device, with no need to contact Apple personnel on the phone to ensure iOS plays with new parts.Another improvement, while not part of the 16 Pro, is battery removal. On both the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, the battery can be released from its enclosure by running a low-voltage current through the iPhone's battery adhesive. However, the iPhone 16 Pro's battery is now encased in aluminum, making repairs less fraught, and protecting the battery more when exposed to repair tools. I haven't had to put it to use yet, but the company's increased willingness to embrace right-to-repair is headed in the right direction, especially after its sluggish response in the past.Six months on, the 16 Pro's slightly bigger battery is holding up, with the one I have still showing it's at full health. I am a heavy phone user, and 256 charge cycles later, iOS says it's still at 100 percent capacity, which I found impressive. If I need to replace the battery, I'm heartened that it's easier than ever on an iPhone.Wrap-upMat Smith for EngadgetThe iPhone 16 Pro is one of the best smartphones available. But if there's a particular area where Apple's phones are lacking compared to the flagship competition, it might be the messaging and the marketing. It took too long for Apple Intelligence to land on devices. If Apple Intelligence hadn't been so key to Apple's presentation both at WWDC and the iPhone 16 launch event, the delay wouldn't look so bad.Intriguingly, we're at a time when the likes of the Galaxy and Pixel series have never felt more like iPhones. Or do iPhones feel like Android phones? I'm not sure anymore. Either way, we haven't seen rival devices mimic the Camera Control button.I appreciate that a lot of the new features and additions don't seem to clog up the iPhone experience. Don't care for camera filters? You'll rarely see them. Want to swap the Camera Control button for another function? Go ahead. Want to prioritize Messages notifications, but not WhatsApp messages? Go wild.With a light, strong titanium build, there's still a tangible premium feel to the iPhone 16 Pro, compared to the aluminum iPhone 16. The same can be said about the cameras, with a 48-megapixel ultrawide sensor and 5x optical zoom, which the base iPhone cannot match. Functionality-twise, the base iPhone 16 now delivers the Dynamic Island and Camera Control, which makes a pro' iPhone a little harder to define. For the iPhone 16 series, it boils down to more premium materials and a powerful zoom camera.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/iphone-16-pro-longterm-review-apple-intelligence-134517480.html?src=rss

SpaceX has successfully launched the Fram2 private crewed mission on March 31 at 9:46 PM Eastern time on top of a Falcon 9 rocket. Fram2 is the first human spaceflight to explore the Earth's polar regions, which are not visible to the astronauts aboard the International Space Station. The crew will observe the Earth's poles through a panoramic cupola attachment from an altitude of 430 km (267 miles). SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule can fly from the North to the South Pole in around 46 minutes and Fram2 is a three-to-five day mission, so it's expected to provide scientists with a healthy amount of footage capturing the polar regions. In fact, SpaceX has already released the mission's first views of the Earth's poles from space.

ChatGPT's built-in image generation feature is now available to everyone. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said last week that the company is delaying its rollout to free tier "for a while," because the tool was way more popular than they had expected. But the company made the feature available to free users over the weekend, allowing them to generate images from within ChatGPT and without having to switch to OpenAI's DALL-E generator. Prior to its rollout to the free tier, the tool was only available to Plus, Pro and Team subscribers.Altman previously said that free users will get a limit of three images per day. Based on our experience trying it out, some accounts are limited to just one a day. Those who find themselves able to generate more than one will still have to wait anywhere between a few minutes and a few hours. One of the tool's most popular uses that we've seen so far is the creation of Ghibli-style images using real-life photos. Users simply have to upload the photo they want to use and then instruct ChatGPT in natural language to create a Ghibli-style version of it. The trend had raised concerns, yet again, about the legality of using copyrighted work as training data for artificial intelligence. It also resurfaced the reaction of Hayao Miyazaki, Studio Ghibli's founder, upon being shown AI-generated animation years ago. "I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself," the director said.In a tweet, Altman said that the tool could still exhibit erratic behavior and could refuse some generations that should be allowed. OpenAI is still fixing the issue. The company also told TechCrunch that it "takes action" if a generated image violates company guidelines, though it didn't exactly detail about what those actions are.

Creatives in the UK are once again speaking out against AI developers accessing copyrighted material. The Society of Authors have published an open letter calling for UK Secretary of State Lisa Nandy to hold Meta accountable for possible copyright infringement regarding its LLM, Llama 3. Signatories of the letter include successful British authors Richard Osman, Kazuo Ishiguro, Val McDermid and Sarah Waters.A March 20 article in The Atlantic served as the letter's impetus. It reported that Meta had used LibGen, a pirated collection of over 7.5 million books, to train its AI models. Anyone on the internet over the last few weeks has likely seen videos of distraught authors learning that their work is available on the database (and potentially used by Meta without their permission). A lawsuit in the US alleges Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg approved the use of LibGen's data to train its AI. The lawsuit's plaintiffs include writers Sarah Silverman and Ta-Nehisi Coates."These cases are shining a light on the unscrupulous behaviour exhibited by global tech companies which seemingly exploit copyright-protected material, safe in the knowledge that they will not be held to account," the Society of Authors' letter stated. "This must change, and global tech companies must now be held accountable and pay for the use they make of authors' works."The authors implore Nandy to bring Meta senior executives before Parliament and make them commit to respecting copyrights and compensating authors for any previous infringements."Authors are almost powerless given the enormous cost and complexities of pursuing litigation against corporate defendants with such deep pockets," the letter continued. "We call upon you and the UK Government to take all action available to ensure that the rights, interests and livelihoods of authors are adequately protected. Failure to act without further delay will unquestionably have a catastrophic and irreversible impact on all UK authors given that from development through to output, creators' rights are being systematically and repeatedly ignored."Artists across the creative industries have also recently protested the UK government's December 2024 proposal to change copyright law. The shift would provide AI developers with a copyright exemption and require creatives to "opt out" or allow access to their materials.In February, over 1,000 musicians released an album called Is This What We Want?, with 12 songs spelling out, "The British government must not legalise music theft to benefit AI companies." It coincided with the UK News Media Association's Make It Fair campaign calling on the government to support creative industries and compensate those individuals if allowing AI to train on their work.That same week creatives, from Paul McCartney to Helen Fielding, also shared an open letter against the proposal. Published in The Times, it stated, "There is no moral or economic argument for stealing our copyright. Taking it away will devastate the industry and steal the future of the next generation."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/british-authors-want-meta-to-answer-for-alleged-copyright-infringement-114501800.html?src=rss

I'm sidestepping the desperate attempts at April 1 shenanigans and focusing on the imminent Nintendo Direct broadcast, which is likely to confirm rumors and sink others.The last few Switch 1 games have been revealed, meaning tomorrow's Nintendo Direct: Switch 2 presentation, kicking off at 9AM ET / 6AM PT will be all about the new console - no distractions. (Although, I'd be cool with a Silksong release date, finally.)We already know the Switch 2 will be a bigger console, with a bigger screen and Joy-Cons. There also may be some sort-of-mouse functionality baked into the controllers this time, but Nintendo's focus is on tech specs - and the games. What does the company have cooking?- Mat SmithThe biggest tech stories you missed

We've reviewed plenty of cooking gear - and the best of those gadgets are rarely cheap. Now that we're down to the last day of Amazon's Big Spring Sale you still have a little time to save on some of the gadgets and appliances we've tested and are worthy of checking out. We've also linked to our guides and reviews so you can read up a little before making your purchase. But don't take too much time deciding - if history is any indicator, many of these deals will expire by tomorrow. If you've been pondering a new Instant Pot, sous vide machine or an air fryer, here's your last chance (until the next sale) to grab something new at a discount. The best Amazon Spring Sale deals on air fryers, Instant Pots and more Breville Juice Fountain Plus for $140 ($40 off): The powerful Juice Fountain impressed us with its extraction abilities. Plus it's relatively easy to clean (as long as you do it right after you juice). It takes up a good amount of space, but can extract an impressive amount of juice from even the driest-seeming carrot. This price isn't as low as the $110 Amazon sold it for back in January, but this is the lowest price we've tracked since then. Cosori 9-in-1 air frier for $90 ($30 off): Cosori's fryer earned a spot as the runner up for best overall air fryer in our guide. It has nine preset cooking modes and a six-quart capacity. We like that it doesn't take up too much space, but can still cook up a decent amount of food Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro for $320 ($80 off): If you want a more traditional toaster oven design with a huge capacity, go for our premium air fryer pick. The fryer-and-oven combo can accommodate a five-quart dutch oven, so it's almost an auxiliary oven, which could come in handy when you're cooking for a crowd. This isn't an all-time low - it went for $300 at the end of last year. Breville the Smart Oven Air Fryer for $260 ($90 off): This is the non-Pro version of the Breville air fryer we recommend. It has a slightly smaller capacity (0.8 cubic feet instead of one cubic foot) and is missing two cooking functions (dehydrate and proof). But if you're not making your own jerky or baking a ton of bread, this one can toast, broil, air fry and slow cook. You can even get it in cool colors like Red Velvet Cake for the same price. Ninja DZ401 Foodi 10-quart air fryer for $190 ($40 off): If you need to air fry two different foods at once, go for our recommendation for a dual-zone air fryer. It's a beast, so we think it's best for larger kitchens and people who make big meals. It went as low as $130 for Black Friday last year, but this is the cheapest price we've seen since then. Ninja AF150AMZ Air Fryer for $120 (25 percent off): This went as low as $100 for the holidays last year, but this matches the lowest price we've seen since then. The fryer gets an honorable mention in our air fryer guide because it makes good use of limited counter space with its taller design. The round cooking basket doesn't feel as roomy as square ones but it does have a dehydrate option that other cookers don't come with. KitchenAid Go Cordless Hand Blender for $100 ($30 off): The big selling point here is the removable battery that you can use for other KitchenAid Go appliances. In our testing, it had enough power to turn a roasted butternut squash into a smooth, creamy soup. The blender has hit this price a few times over the past few months and the deal isn't as good as the $77 it sold for at the end of last year. Instant Pot Pro Plus 9-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker for $133 ($67 off): We also suggest this fancier Pro Plus model in our guide to kitchen tech. It's a Wi-Fi connected unit with a canning function and you can even release the steam remotely using the companion app - which has over 800 recipes. This isn't an all-time low - it was $125 earlier this week and dipped as low as $99 for Black Friday last year. Fellow Stagg EKG Pro electric kettle for $165 ($30 off): This exquisitely designed kettle has an LCD panel built into the base so you can choose a specific temperature down to the degree. And the hold feature keeps water hot for up to an hour. This is the pro model of the version we recommend in our tea guide. Anova Culinary Sous Vide 3.0 for $129 ($70 off): We named this the best overall sous vide machine after testing a number of models for our buyer's guide. This is about $30 more than the low it hit for the holidays last year, but this is the lowest price we've seen in 2025. We appreciate the easy digital controls and found that the high flow rate maintains water temperature better than other machines. Plus, if you're at a loss for what to cook, you can check out the companion app which is replete with recipes. Expired deals Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker Nano for $100 ($50 off): This is the machine that led our editor to dub these machines the Millennial crockpot." She uses this one a few times a week to make unfussy meals that keep her alive. The Nano model is a slightly smaller and less expensive version of the top pick in our buyer's guide. This is about $10 more than the all-time low, but is the cheapest we've seen Amazon sell it for over the past couple of months. Instant Vortex 2QT Mini Air Fryer for $50 ($10 off): The budget pick in our guide doesn't go on sale often - it's already pretty cheap at its $60 list price. It's sold for as little as $48 for Prime Day in July, but this is the cheapest we've seen since then. Its two-quart capacity is probably best for small kitchens and can crisp up food for one or two people. Instant Pot Duo Plus 9-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker for $90 ($40 off): We like this Instant Pot model because it's simple to use and has several quick-cooking modes including beans, cake, sous vide and more. It went as low as $70 earlier this year, but this is still a 30 percent discount off the list price. KitchenAid Artisan 5-quart stand mixer for $380 ($80 off): Small wonder that the home cook's gold standard of mixers made its way onto our kitchen tech guide. Its ton of available attachments can be used to make pasta, grind food, strain or spiralize fruits and veggies and more. This is no unitasker. This is a solid $80 discount off of the MSRP, but we'll note that Amazon sold it for as low as $330 at the end of last year and for $350 last month.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-best-amazon-spring-sale-deals-on-kitchen-gear-from-ninja-breville-kitchenaid-and-others-092909893.html?src=rss

Amazon's latest Big Spring Sale ends tonight, and while the week-long event hasn't been as heavy on tech as Black Friday or Prime Day, it's still had a few noteworthy discounts on Apple devices. If you're looking for a new iPad, set of AirPods or Beats speaker, we've rounded up the best Apple deals that are still kicking right now. Truthfully, most of the offers below aren't explicitly tied to the Spring Sale, and several of the deals we saw last week have expired. Still, a handful of Apple gadgets we recommend remain cheaper than usual. Note that you don't need to be a Prime member to access these discounts. Best Amazon Spring Sale Apple deals Apple iPad (A16) for $329 ($20 off): The newest entry-level iPad only arrived three weeks ago, but Amazon is currently selling it for $20 less than Apple direct, which is a decent little savings if you planned on grabbing the tablet early anyway. This one is another small update, but it now comes with a faster A16 chip, more RAM and 128GB of storage as standard. It earned a score of 84 in our review - if you only need an iPad for media consumption and lighter work, it's still a fine value. Also at B&H and Best Buy. Apple iPad Air 11-inch (M3) for $549 ($50 off): Much like the deal on the base iPad above, this isn't a huge discount, but it's a nice chance to save a few bucks compared to buying from Apple directly. The new iPad Air was released on the same day as the iPad (A16) and is a similarly minor update; the only big addition is a more powerful M3 chip. However, we still prefer the Air over the base model if you can swing it: Its display is more color-rich and better at fending off glare, its speakers are more robust, it works with Apple's best accessories and its performance should hold up better in the years ahead. The older M2-powered model is an even better value if you can find it on sale, but either way the Air is the iPad we recommend to most people. Also at B&H, Best Buy and Walmart. The Apple iPad (A16). Jeff Dunn for Engadget Apple iPad Air 13-inch (M3) for $738 ($61 off): We gave the 13-inch iPad Air a review score of 89 earlier this month. It has a bigger and slightly brighter display than its 11-inch counterpart; otherwise, the two slates are the same. If you plan to keep your iPad hooked up to a keyboard, the extra screen space is lovely for taking in movies and multitasking for work. This is the lowest price we've seen for the 128GB model. Also at Walmart. Expired deals Apple AirPods 4 for $100 ($29 off): Apple's wireless earbuds are far from the richest-sounding or longest-lasting pair out there, and this entry-level model lacks wireless charging, Find My tracking and onboard volume controls. But it still gets you a host of Apple-friendly features - from fast pairing with iCloud devices to spatial audio to hands-free Siri - and its lightweight design should fit most ears better than past AirPods. If you truly hate the feeling of headphones that jut into your ear canal, they still sound a bit cleaner and more balanced than most open-back alternatives as well. Just keep in mind that this design inherently won't block much outside noise. This discount ties the lowest price we've seen outside of select in-store only deals. Apple AirPods Pro 2 for $170 ($79 off): The AirPods Pro 2 remain Apple's best set of wireless earbuds, as they offer the full set of Apple-focused features, strong ANC, onboard volume controls, a (generally) comfy in-ear design and a warm sound profile that most should find agreeable. They can even work as a hearing aid, though their six-hour battery life still isn't the best, and you should only get them if you're all-in on Apple hardware. If that's the case, though, we call them the best choice for iPhone owners in our wireless earbuds buying guide. We saw this pair drop as low as $154 back in December, but this deal comes within a dollar of its best price since then. Apple Mac mini (M4 Pro) for $1,199 ($200 off): It's still not cheap, but here's the lowest price we've seen for this higher-spec configuration of the latest Mac mini, which includes an M4 Pro chip, 24GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. This specific model is overkill for casual users, but it should be a decent buy for those with more professional needs who want a compact Mac but can't spring for the top-end Mac Studio. We gave the Mac mini a score of 90 in our review last November, praising its performance, pint-sized design and port selection, though it can get noisy under load and it still lacks an SD card reader. If you do only need a desktop for basic tasks, the entry-level model with a standard M4 chip, 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD has also dropped back to $499. That $100 discount matches the best price we've tracked. Apple Watch Series 10 for $299 ($70 off): The top pick in our guide to the best smartwatches, the Series 10 is a mostly iterative update, with faster charging, a slightly slimmer profile and a marginally larger display compared to the previous Series 9. That said, it remains a comprehensive fitness tracker, and no other smartwatch can integrate as neatly with iPhones and other Apple devices. It should be a welcome upgrade if you're looking to upgrade from an older Apple Watch (think pre-Series 7) - just keep in mind a patent dispute has locked it out the blood oxygen detection features found on those older models. This $100 discount matches the lowest price we've seen for the non-cellular model with a 42mm case. Apple iPad Pro 13-inch (M4) for $1,099 ($200 off): The iPad Pro is more tablet than most people need, but it's the ultimate iPad for those who can stomach its price tag. It's wonderfully thin, its OLED display is one of the best we've seen on a consumer device and its M4 chip can handle virtually anything you'd ever do on an iPad. It's also the only Apple tablet with Face ID, plus it has a better speaker setup than the iPad Air. We gave it a score of 84 in our review, with the only real drawback being how expensive it all is. This deal on doesn't truly lessen that - and it's another deal we've seen multiple times in recent months - but it still ties the 13-inch model's all-time low.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-spring-sale-apple-deals-airpods-ipads-and-more-are-still-up-to-100-off-092050849.html?src=rss

Amazon's Big Spring Sale ends tonight, and though it's been far less focused on electronics than something like Prime Day or Black Friday, it still includes a few tech deals worth calling out. If you're looking to grab a new gadget on the cheap, we've rounded up the best of those that are available for less than $50. The highlights include a handful of wireless earbuds, chargers and other accessories we recommend in our various buying guides. As a reminder, you don't need to be a Prime member to access most of the deals below. Best Amazon Spring Sale deals under $50 Anker PowerConf C200 for $48 ($12 off MSRP): The PowerConf C200 is our favorite webcam for those on a tighter budget due to its crisp video quality, easy setup, solid microphones and built-in privacy cover. Its USB cable is on the shorter side, and it can't match the overall accuracy of our top pick, but it's still a clear upgrade over a built-in laptop camera for a much lower price. This is another deal we've seen numerous times in the last year, but it's as low as the camera usually goes. Also at Anker. The Anker 525 Charging Station. Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget Anker 525 Charging Station for $30 ($36 off): We recommend this reliable desktop charging station in our remote worker gift guide. It can't provide the absolute fastest charge to your smartphone or laptop (topping out at a quick enough 67W), but it packs four USB ports - two USB-C, two USB-A - and three AC outlets in a frame that's small enough to fit on a crowded desk. This deal ties the lowest price we've seen. Also at Anker. Anker Nano Charger 30W for $13 ($10 off): It's hard to have too many portable wall chargers on standby. This one from Anker should be particularly useful for traveling: At just over an inch thick, it's small enough to fit in a pocket, while its 30W USB-C port is enough to top up recent iPhones at full speed. (That's not enough for some newer Android phones, though.) This discount matches the lowest price we've seen. Also at Anker. Blink Mini 2 for $20 ($20 off): This deal ties the lowest price to date for the Blink Mini 2, which is the budget pick in our guide to the best security cameras. This one comes with its share of trade-offs for the low price - its image quality isn't the best, it locks certain features behind a paywall and it won't automatically arm when you leave the house - but it still provides functional 1080p video, color night vision, motion alerts and Alexa support in a weather-resistant frame. It's fairly simple to set up, too, though you'll need to buy an external module if you want to store clips locally. Also at Best Buy and The Home Depot. The Blink Mini 2. Amy Skorheim for Engadget Amazon Fire TV Stick HD for $20 ($15 off): This is the budget pick in our guide to the best streaming devices. It can only play up to 1080p, so it's really meant for older or smaller TVs that you want to modernize with streaming apps. It's a bit more sluggish than Amazon's higher-end 4K sticks, too, and all Fire TV devices tend to promote Amazon-owned services like Prime Video above all else. Still, it works with nearly all the major streaming apps, and its remote has Alexa built-in, so you can control your TV and certain smart home devices with voice commands. It also supports basic HDR10 - but not Dolby Vision - plus it can pass-through Dolby Atmos audio to a compatible soundbar or receiver. You could do worse if you just want the cheapest streamer possible. This deal is $2 higher than the all-time low we saw during the holidays, but it matches the best price we've tracked otherwise. Amazon Music Unlimited 3-month trial for free ($24 off): Amazon is offering new subscribers three months of its Music Unlimited streaming service for free. Normally, it gives new users a one-month trial. Though Music Unlimited isn't a top pick in our guide to the best music services, it still gets you lossless streaming quality and an extensive library of both music and podcasts. You could do worse if you just want to bum a few months of music streaming for no cost. Just note that your subscription will auto-renew once the trial period ends until you cancel. Chipolo One for $20 ($5 off): The Chipolo One is the top overall pick in our guide to the best Bluetooth trackers. While Apple's AirTag can tap into a substantially larger crowd-sourcing network, we've found the One to send separation alerts faster when you've left an item behind and ring louder when you're back in its vicinity. Unlike the AirTag, it can also attach directly to a keychain. It probably isn't the safest choice for long-distance travel, but it's a convenient security blanket if you, say, leave your keys or wallet behind at a restaurant. This is another discount that's been available for a few weeks, but it's just 10 cents more the best price we've seen.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-spring-sale-tech-deals-under-50-the-best-discounts-you-can-still-get-on-chargers-earbuds-accessories-and-more-091512018.html?src=rss

The Amazon Big Spring sale may not be as huge as the company's Prime Day events - but it lasted longer. Now on the final day, we're continuing to track the best robot vacuum deals. Of course, the big news in robot vacuums right now is iRobot's announcement that it's not confident in its ability to continue operating. That's surprising considering the Roomba's dominance in the automated floor-bot market, with top picks in our budget and standard robo vac buying guides. Fortunately, a number of other brands make great vacs - and Roomba's are still available. We also found deals on a few of our recommended cordless stick vacs, which make great spot-cleaners to supplement the bots' automated runs. The best Amazon Spring Sale robot vacuum deals

Riot Games has unveiled new details for its upcoming tabletop game, called Riftbound - The League of Legends Trading Card Game. We first got a look at this TCG under the codename Project K in December. The latest trailer showed off new artwork for the cards, including fresh takes on the LoL characters that aren't just copies of their in-game champion portraits. The card UI has also gotten some extra polish compared with what was showed late last year.The team at Riot has been incorporating player feedback into the game's first set, called Origins. This set will have more than 300 different cards, and familiar LoL champions including Jinx, Viktor and Lee Sin will star in pre-built decks for this inaugural set. For the serious collectors, there will also be secret rare versions of the champion cards with unique art.In addition to the previously revealed multiplayer aspect, Riftbound offers a path for reaching fans who don't have experience in this card game genre. Riftbound will have a box called Proving Grounds where champions like Lux, Annie, Master Yi and Garen will help newer players to get acclimated to TCG basics.The timeline for the Riftbound is also starting to firm up, with its China launch is scheduled for summer 2025. Some English speaking countries will also see the game arrive this year, but other markets will have to wait until 2026; the devs didn't specify which regions will be on which timeline.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/riot-games-league-of-legends-tcg-is-officially-called-riftbound-212507458.html?src=rss

OpenAI has been doubling its audience for ChatGPT at a rapid rate, and the addition of its latest image generation feature has increased the AI assistant's popularity. Today, CEO Sam Altman posted to X that the service "added one million users in the last hour," calling it a "biblical demand" for the image generation.

Substack is taking one more step towards becoming an all-in-one social media / creator platform by adding a vertical video feed to its app. Technically, the new TikTok-style feed is a redesign of the existing Media tab that the company added to the app in 2024, but either way Substack's intentions are clear: It wants a piece of the short-video pie currently being shared by Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.The feed features scrollable videos from creators you're subscribed to and others that have been algorithmically suggested. Multiple forms of short-form content can be included, like videos posted through Substack Notes, the company's Twitter-esque microblogging feature, clips from longer video posts and eventually previews of podcasts.Adding multimedia features like podcasts and videos has been a boon to creators, according to Substack. The company says that "82% of Substack's top-earning writers are using multimedia, up from just over 50% last April." Supporting short-form videos is an attempt to push things even further.Substack added support for native video in 2022, expanded those features in 2023 and more recently, gave creators the ability to host live video streams in 2024. The company has been pretty upfront that it views Substack as a home for more than just newsletters, and it's been trying to court TikTok creators specifically since at least 2024.Redesigning the Substack app gives subscribers a new way to find creators to follow, and makes the platform a better home for a whole new type of creator. The timing of Substack's change is purposeful. The extra breathing room President Trump gave TikTok by not enforcing the app's ban is supposed to end in April, meaning there could be room for alternative vertical video apps.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/substack-updated-its-app-to-make-it-even-more-like-tiktok-193415204.html?src=rss

The only real way to increase the storage of an Xbox Series X/S is to use a specialized expansion card. Luckily, a really good one is heavily discounted right now. The WD 1TB C40 storage card is down to $110 as part of the Amazon Spring Sale. This is a discount of 30 percent, as the regular price is around $158. This is an officially-licensed product, so it'll be a plug-and-play experience. It also delivers roughly the same performance as the internal drive. It's important to note that this allows for both the storage and playing of games. Most external drives can only store, and not play, titles on an Xbox Series X/S. Most modern AAA games require at least 50GB of available space. In other words, this drive will accommodate around 20 of these titles. Indie games tend to be much smaller, so the drive could conceivably house hundreds of smaller releases. The 2TB model is also on sale, for $200 instead of $260. The 512GB version is still at the original $80 asking price. This is a handy drive that gets the job done. The only drawback is the price. Most 1TB external drives are cheaper than $110. It sucks that Microsoft went this weird route with storage, but that's certainly not WD's fault. On the positive side, this is a small and light card that won't add any real weight to the already bulky Xbox consoles.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/wds-1tb-c50-xbox-storage-card-is-30-percent-off-in-the-amazon-spring-sale-184918803.html?src=rss

If there's one thing you can count on with AI tools is that they'll launch without most of the promised features. It happened with Apple Intelligence. It happened with Galaxy AI. Now, it's happening with Alexa+, Amazon's AI-heavy upgrade to its virtual assistant. The tool is officially available but it doesn't do a whole lot, according to reporting by The Washington Post.The paper reviewed a number of internal company documents that noted the delay of many features. These documents suggest that a bunch of tools won't be available for two months or longer. Alexa+ users won't be able to use the platform to order takeout on Grubhub or identify family members via camera to remind them to do chores.The same goes for that neat-sounding tool that the company says will auto-generate a story to entertain kids. Also, Alexa+ cannot be used to brainstorm gift ideas or order groceries. Finally, there isn't a browser-based version available. The company says these delays are because the features do not meet Amazon's standards for public release."So what can Alexa+ do right now? I haven't gotten a chance to fool around with it, but the early access page suggests customers can use it to order an Uber, identify objects and draft emails. That's something, I guess.Alexa+ is included with Amazon Prime but non-members have to pony up $20 per month. It may not be accessible to everyone just yet, as availability is expanding over the coming weeks and months. Also, it only works on devices with screens. These include the Echo Show 8, 10, 15 and 21.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/alexa-is-out-but-missing-a-lot-of-features-amazon-demoed-last-month-180741504.html?src=rss

Apple has released iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, macOS 15.4 and visionOS 2.4, bringing a grab bag of new features to the companies devices and expanding Apple Intelligence to new countries and languages.As previously announced by Apple iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4 and macOS 15.4 include a new Apple News+ Food section in the News app that collects recipes and food-oriented articles, including exclusive recipes for Apple News+ subscribers. The updates also introduce new emoji, AI-sorted Priority Notifications in Notification Center, new ways to filter photos in the Photos app and lossless audio on the AirPods Max. That's on top of a random assortment of other quality-of-life features like:

A pair of cult classics from Sony's PlayStation Portable library are heading to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 and PC. As part of the Nintendo Direct showcase this March, Bandai Namco announced Patapon 1 + 2 Replay, a package that brings together brand new remasters of 2007's Patapon and 2008's Patapon 2. Originally developed by Pyramid and Sony Japan Studio, which shuttered in 2021, the two games combine elements from strategy and rhythm games.As the player, you must guide a tribe of anthropomorphic eyeballs to victory over their foes through a combination of drum beats. Patapon and Patapon 2 were well-received on release and went on to define the PSP's library of quirky but fun games. In addition to HD graphics, Patapon 1 + 2 Replay includes quality of life changes that should hopefully make this the best way to play these two gems.Update, March 31, 1:15PM ET: Bandai Namco confirmed that Patapon 1 + 2 Replay is coming to PS5 and PC as well as Switch, and this information has been included in the article.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/patapon-1--2-replay-brings-two-psp-classics-to-pc-ps5-and-switch-on-july-11-143627055.html?src=rss

The Looney Tunes film Coyote vs. Acme won't be rotting away in David Zaslav's basement for the next 50 years. Warner Bros. Discovery has sold the rights to the movie to Ketchup Entertainment, the same company that just released The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie.Ketchup ponied up around $50 million for the film and it'll hit theaters in 2026, according to reporting by Deadline. Warner Bros. funded the creation of the movie but then shelved it for a tax write-off. You know the drill. It's pretty much the same thing it did with the Batgirl movie and Scoob! Holiday Haunt. Nobody loves scrapping finished projects more than WB.This one, at least, has a happy ending. Coyote vs. Acme always seemed like a pretty nifty concept. It stars Will Forte and John Cena and follows Wile E. Coyote as he sues notorious manufacturer Acme after he repeatedly fails to catch his arch-nemesis, the roadrunner. Directing duties fell to Dave Green, who made Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. It was produced by Chris deFaria and James Gunn, with a screenplay by May December scribe Samy Burch.This hasn't stopped Warner Bros. Discovery from feverishly hitting the delete" key. It just pulled all of the original Looney Tunes shorts from the streaming platform Max. This happened just as The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie was hitting theaters. To be fair, that film didn't exactly blow up the box office.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/warner-bros-has-officially-sold-the-looney-tunes-film-coyote-vs-acme-170346994.html?src=rss

Regular YouTube users have likely noticed an abundance of AI-generated fake movie trailers this past year or so. This annoying AI slop is all over the platform. As it turns out, major movie studios have actually been making money from the videos, according to reporting by Deadline.The scheme worked sort of like a mob shakedown. Hollywood studios would not enforce copyright on these videos. Instead, they struck a deal with YouTube to ensure they got the ad revenue instead of the people that typed in a couple of prompts and did some light editing.One of the most famous of these videos is a bogus trailer for the upcoming Superman reboot. This one actually tricked French national television, leading director James Gunn to post three puking emojis on X. He likely didn't know that Warner Bros. Discovery was one of the companies racking up cash for these pale imitations.

There may come a point where you want to break ties with Amazon - maybe you're cutting down on impulse buys, trying to escape the subscription rabbit hole or just rethinking where your money goes. Whatever the reason, Amazon gives you two main options: you can cancel your Prime membership to stop the monthly (or yearly) payments, or you can go all in and delete your entire Amazon account including your order history, personal data and access to services like Kindle and Prime Video. This guide will walk you through both processes step by step so you can take control of your Amazon presence.How to cancel your Amazon Prime membershipCanceling Amazon Prime is a lot easier than you might think - especially if you're looking to save money or you're not using the perks much anymore. Prime comes with benefits like free shipping, access to Prime Video, Prime Reading and more, but if you're not using those, you may want to let it go.

If you're looking for a budget-friendly robot vacuum that can handle both vacuuming and mopping, iRobot's Roomba Combo Essential just hit its lowest price ever. Thanks to the Amazon Spring Sale, it's down to $149 from $275, matching the lowest price we've seen. It previously dipped to $149 during the holiday season and earlier this year, but it's unclear how long this deal will stick around this time. As you can see in our roundup of the best budget robot vacuums, we've consistently rated iRobot's machines highly for their reliability and ease of use. The Roomba Combo Essential is a simple, no-frills option that both vacuums and mops, making it a solid pick for small apartments, dorm rooms or anyone who wants a cleaner floor without spending a fortune. The vacuum uses special multi-surface brushes to pick up dirt, dust and pet hair from hard floors and carpets. Unlike some budget models that struggle with transitions, this one automatically adjusts to different surfaces, so you won't have to worry about it getting stuck. When it's time to mop, the built-in mopping pad wipes down hard floors, tackling light spills and everyday messes. It's not as advanced as iRobot's higher-end models with precision scrubbing, but it's a convenient way to keep your floors looking fresh with minimal effort. One of iRobot Roomba Combo Essential's most convenient features is its auto-adjusting cleaning power - the robot increases suction when it detects extra debris, so it's more effective on high-traffic areas like entryways or around pet bowls. It also has cliff sensors to prevent it from tumbling down stairs and a low-profile design that helps it slip under some couches and other furniture for a more thorough clean. Despite it being an entry-level robot vacuum, the iRobot Roomba Combo Essential comes with app control and voice assistant support, so you can set cleaning schedules and initiate cleaning whether you're at home lounging on the couch or away on vacation. For $150, this is a solid deal for an iRobot machine that can vacuum and mop, especially considering its usual $275 price tag. If you've been thinking about automating some of your floor cleaning, this is one of the most affordable ways to do it.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-spring-sale-vacuum-deals-this-irobot-2-in-1-vacuum-and-mop-is-still-on-sale-for-149-123058025.html?src=rss

How can we push CPUs forward? That's the question the computing industry has been asking since the Intel 4004 processor launched in 1971. Chipmakers have tried cranking up clock speeds, adding multiple cores and miniaturizing chip architectures to make them faster and more efficient. The conflict between RISC and CISC chip instruction sets (ISAs) - "reduced" designs versus "complex" ones - rages on to this day with RISC-V.For the past few years, AMD has been exploring a unique approach to speeding up some of its processors with 3D V-Cache, a technology that stacks more L3 cache on top of Ryzen cores. By doing so, the company avoids crowding the 2D plane of its chips, and it's able to cram in more memory without making its CPUs larger. With the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, AMD has now evolved 3D V-Cache to the point where every hardcore gamer will want one - even if few people actually need a $700 CPU.3D V-Cache first appeared in the Ryzen 5800X3D in 2022, and AMD brought it to laptops in 2023. While there were some obvious downsides initially - the 5800X3D had slower clock speeds than the standard Ryzen 5800 - AMD has steadily improved the technology. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D and Ryzen 9 7900X3D were both notable for reaching the same maximum clock speeds as their 2D counterparts. While AMD's second-generation 3D V-Cache technology isn't as big of a leap in the 9950X3D (and other recent chips like the 9900X3D and 9800X3D), the company has managed to overcome the few compromises it's had to make so far. Simply put, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D is a beast of a CPU for gaming and productivity work alike.What's new in the Ryzen 9 9950X3D?The 9950X3D is a 16-core processor with a 4.3GHz base clock speed and a boost speed of 5.7GHz, just like its 2D sibling the 9950X. The big difference between the two is in their total L2 and L3 cache: the 9950X has 80MB, while the 3D V-Cache technology crams 144MB in the 9950X3D. By having more cache, the 9950X3D is able to tackle more processing loads without hitting RAM, which could take eight to 10 times as long, according to Robert Hallock, AMD's director of technical marketing.The major upgrade in the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, in addition to being powered by AMD's new Zen 5 cores, lies in the positioning of its 3D V-Cache layer. Previously, it sat on top of Zen 3 and Zen 4 cores, which slightly hindered cooling and overall performance. Now, the 3D V-Cache layer sits below the 9950X3D's Zen 5 cores, which gives those hotter elements direct access to your CPU fan's heatsink. The 9950X3D has the same 170 Watt TDP (Thermal Design Profile) as its 2D variant, so cooling shouldn't be a huge problem, and unlike most other 3D V-Cache chips, it's also fully overclockable.Devindra Hardawar for EngadgetIn-use: An absolute powerhouseI expected the Ryzen 9 9950X3D to wallop every other PC CPU I've tested, but I didn't expect the leap to be so dramatic. In the Geekbench 6 single-threaded CPU benchmark, it was 20 percent faster than the Ryzen 9 7900X I was previously using. The 9950X3D was also 33 percent faster in the same benchmark's multi-threaded test. (I didn't have a 7950X3D for direct comparison, but based on a median of scores from 3DMark users, it hits 14,290 points. The 9950X3D reached 17,025, or 19 percent faster, in my testing)CPUGeekBench 6 CPU3DMark CPU ProfileCinebench 2024AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D3,366/18,95017,025 Max134/2,124AMD Ryzen 9 7900X2,822/14,21612,553 Max113/1,103Apple M4 Max4,090/26,394N/A190/2066Apple M2 Ultra2,776/21,403N/AN/AI've only seen better scores from Apple's hardware. The M4 chip is slightly faster for single-threaded tasks, while the M4 Max and M2 Ultra chips in the Mac Studio trounce AMD's multi-threaded Geekbench 6 scores. Still, you could build a solid Ryzen 9 system for far less than the Mac Studio M4 Max's $2,000 starting cost, even while accounting for the 9950X3D's $700 price tag.Apple doesn't always come out ahead. In the Cinebench 2024 multi-threaded benchmark, the 9950X3D slightly surpassed the M4 Max chip. That result is also a sign that AMD's flagship chip will be a big help for Windows-based content creators. The 9950X3D and the M4 Max both took 14 seconds to transcode a 4K clip into 1080p, which is the fastest result we've ever seen.The major appeal of the 9950X3D is that it'll also be able to handle demanding games over the next few years without bottlenecking high-end GPUs like NVIDIA's RTX 5080 and 5090. On my system, which is using an RTX 5090 and 64GB of RAM, the 9950X3D reached 195 fps in Cyberpunk 2077 while playing in 1080p with high graphics settings. The Ryzen 9 7900X, on the other hand, hit 166 fps with the same GPU and RAM. You'll see less of an immediate uplift at higher resolutions, where your video card is doing more of the work. Cyberpunk hit 64 fps in 4K without DLSS upscaling on the 9950X3D, while it struggled to reach 56 fps on the 7900X with the same settings.For 4K, in particular, the 9950X3D could be useful for scaling performance for monitors with faster refresh rates. On the 7900X, Dragon Age: The Veilguard ran at a smooth 250 fps in 4K with graphics settings and frame generation cranked up, but with the newer chip I saw 270 fps. If you're running a 4K 240Hz monitor with a less powerful GPU, you'll likely have a better shot of edging close to 240 fps thanks to 3D V-Cache.Given all of its power, I was surprised to find that the 9950X3D ran at a relatively cool 81.5 Celsius at 100 percent load. It also idles between 30C and 35C, depending on what you're doing. Those results are pretty impressive for a CPU that can push up to 170 Watts.Devindra Hardawar for EngadgetShould you buy the Ryzen 9 9950X3D?Much like NVIDIA's $2,000 RTX 5090, I can't easily recommend the $700 Ryzen 9 9950X3D to most people. Most gamers would likely be better off with the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, which sells for a more reasonable $479. Sure, it has half as many cores, but the majority of titles don't tap into many of those to begin with. There's also the $600 12-core 9900X3D, which could be more useful for people who actually need a healthy amount of CPU cores.You could of course consider AMD's current chips without 3D V-Cache, like the Ryzen 7 9700X, which has an MSRP of $359 but is currently selling for under $300. But if you're already in the market for an expensive video card, it's likely worth paying a bit extra to get more L3 cache. When AMD first debuted the 5800X3D, the company claimed 3D V-Cache alone boosted 1080p performance by 15 percent. As games get more complex and demanding, having more available cache could be even more useful. (And it's also easier to pay more for a better chip now than buying a new one in a few years.)As for Intel, it only has plans to bring its version of the technology, dubbed Local Cache, to next-generation Xeon server chips, according to der8auer and Bens Hardware (via Tom's Hardware). Intel's current high-end desktop chip, the 24-core i9-14900K, is no gaming slouch, but it's saddled with just 36MB of L3 cache.Wrap-upIf anything, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D is yet another sign that AMD is on a hot streak. After releasing a pair of excellent midrange GPUs, which showed that the company can genuinely go toe-to-toe with NVIDIA, this CPU and its accompanying 3D V-Cache technology is a reminder of how AMD is far ahead of Intel in many ways. And let's not forget that it was also the first x86 chipmaker to include NPUs in laptop and desktop CPUs. While it's certainly not the best deal around, if you can afford it, the 9950X3D is the best desktop CPU you can buy today.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/amd-ryzen-9-9950x3d-review-a-no-compromise-cpu-for-demanding-gamers-152452811.html?src=rss

Levoit's Core 400S air purifier is down to $190 from its usual $220 price, thanks to the Amazon Spring Sale. While it's not the lowest price we've seen - the air purifier briefly hit $177 last year - it's still a solid discount on one of the most convenient air purifiers for large spaces. Just clip the $30 on-page coupon to get the discount. This deal is part of a larger Levoit sale during the Spring Sale that includes other air purifiers, humidifiers and more. We've featured Levoit in our list of the best air purifiers for its strong performance and smart features. The Core 400S can cover rooms up to 1,980 square feet using a three-stage filtration system to capture allergens, dust, pet dander and smoke. It also includes a smart sensor that adjusts fan speed based on air quality, so you're not running it at full blast when you don't need to. One of the Levoit Core 400S' biggest selling points is its low noise output, which makes it a good fit for bedrooms or home offices. If you need to knuckle down and get some work done without distraction whilst keeping your room's air clean and fresh, even at higher speeds, it stays relatively quiet compared to bulkier purifiers. It also supports smart controls via the VeSync app, allowing you to tweak settings, set schedules or monitor air quality from your phone. If you have a smart home ecosystem in place, you can connect the purifier to third-party voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant - an added layer of convenience that allows you to control the Core 400S with simple voice commands. Its 360-degree filtration system uses activated carbon to remove gases and odors, while an efficient middle filter captures 99.97 percent of pollutants as small as 0.3 microns. The built-in air quality sensor continuously monitors pollution levels, automatically adjusting performance as needed. You can track real-time air quality data on the LCD screen or through the VeSync app, which is handy (and interesting) to have access to at all times. At night, sleep mode keeps things extra quiet and subtle, dimming the display and operating at the lowest settings - or you can turn off the display completely for total darkness. If you've been looking for an air purifier that can handle larger spaces without taking up too much room, this deal is worth considering, saving you over $30 on its usual price thanks to the Amazon Spring Sale.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/one-of-our-favorite-air-purifiers-is-still-down-to-a-near-record-low-price-for-the-amazon-spring-sale-133052953.html?src=rss

We've reached the final day of Amazon's Spring Sale, but there are still plenty of great deals to shop. That list includes a $50 price cut on our pick for best MacBook overall this year, Apple's 2025 MacBook Air M4. The 13-inch, 16GB model is available for $949, down from $999. Apple only released the new MacBook Air M4 in mid-March. It scored a 92 in our review, thanks to features like its M4 chip. The 13-inch base model boasts a 10-core CPU, 8-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine. It also has an excellent battery life, lasting more than 18 hours while playing HD video. The 2025 MacBook Air M4 is also well done from an exterior standpoint. It has a 13.6-inch liquid retina display and it's very lightweight. The smaller model (it's also available, and on sale, in a 15-inch option) is 0.44 inches thick and weighs 2.7 pounds.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-m4-macbook-air-is-50-off-in-the-amazon-spring-sale-132413964.html?src=rss

According to Mark Gurman in the Power On newsletter this weekend, we may see at least two devices with Apple's upcoming M5 chip before the end of the year. Gurman reports that the M5 iPad Pro has reached the late stages of testing, putting it on track for production in the second half of this year." And the M5 MacBook Pro should be here sometime in the fall, in line with the timing of the past few years' releases.This year's iPad Pro likely won't be the generation that adopts Apple's in-house modem, though. According to Gurman, that shift is expected to happen in 2027 with the arrival of the M6 models - which he reports that Apple has already begun early" work on. Apple introduced its first in-house cellular modem, the C1, with the iPhone 16e in February this year, and so far it seems to be performing pretty well.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/apple-is-reportedly-on-track-to-launch-the-m5-ipad-pro-and-macbook-pro-later-this-year-211013731.html?src=rss

An AI overhaul may be on the horizon for Apple's Health app. In the Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that Apple is working on a much more comprehensive version of its Health app under the code name Project Mulberry, with plans to integrate an AI agent that would somewhat replicate" a doctor and act as a personal health coach. In addition to making lifestyle recommendations based on users' health data, the app will reportedly include educational videos from real doctors about an array of health topics.The Health app will also put a new emphasis on food tracking, and may even offer form correction tips for workouts using the device's camera, Gurman reports. The service, unofficially being referred to as Health+, could arrive with iOS 19.4, which Gurman says is expected to be released next spring or summer. In the meantime, Apple reportedly has doctors on staff whose data is being used to train the AI agent, and it's planning to open a studio near Oakland, California where they can film content. Don't be surprised if Health+ arrives with a celebrity doctor on board, too - according to Gurman, Apple is on the hunt for a major doctor personality" to be the face of the service.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/apple-is-said-to-be-developing-a-revamped-health-app-with-a-built-in-ai-doctor-170020277.html?src=rss

Non-paying Gemini users can now play around with Google's newest model, the experimental version of Gemini 2.5 Pro. The company announced this weekend that it's making Gemini 2.5 Pro (experimental) free for everyone to use, albeit with tighter rate limits for non-subscribers. Google introduced Gemini 2.5 Pro just last week, touting it as its most intelligent AI model" yet, and rolled it out to Gemini Advanced users first. It's available now in Google AI Studio and the Gemini app.While free users can now try it out too, Google added that Gemini Advanced users have expanded access and a significantly larger context window." Gemini 2.5 Pro (experimental) is the first of Google's Gemini 2.5 thinking" models, which are said to deliver more accurate results through reasoning. In a blog post, the company explained that this refers to its ability to analyze information, draw logical conclusions, incorporate context and nuance, and make informed decisions."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/googles-new-experimental-ai-model-gemini-25-pro-is-now-available-to-free-users-too-150005863.html?src=rss

You have to be patient if you want to take advantage of the best streaming deals because they don't come around as often as discounts on laptops and smartphones. One of the best deals as of late comes from Disney: new and returning subscribers can get four months of the Disney+ Hulu Duo Basic bundle for only $12. But this deal ends March 30, so you'll have to grab it now if you've been interested in subscribing for less. You'll pay $3 per month for four months, and that represents a 72-percent discount off the standard $11-per-month price. For the whole period, you'll save a total of $32. Just keep in mind that the Duo Basic plan includes advertisements on both Disney+ and Hulu content. At a time when it feels like every streaming service, audio and video, is pushing their subscription costs ever-higher, it's a treat to get any amount of entertainment access for a discount. That's why we're big fans of the Disney+ Hulu Duo plans; even at the normal rate, it unites two of our favorite standalone content libraries in a single package that's a solid deal at its normal rates. Snagging the basic tier for an even lower cost feels like a no-brainer, especially if you're invested in any facet of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, if you're counting the days until the second season of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives or if you just like to hum along with Encanto in the background while you work. Keep in mind that the ad-free Duo Premium plan isn't covered in this promotion, nor is the option that also bundles ESPN into the package. Access to Duo Premium will still run you $20 a month, while the Trio bundles begin at $17 a month. Check out our coverage of the best streaming deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/this-disney-and-hulu-deal-ends-soon-get-four-months-of-access-for-only-12-123511829.html?src=rss

Back at CES, Samsung teased some of its upcoming high-end appliances for 2025. But more recently, I got a chance to check out the entire lineup all in one place. It seemed like a perfect time to do a quick rundown of some of the most interesting new products and features coming to Samsung's Bespoke portfolio later this year.The centerpiece of the Bespoke line remains Samsung's 4-door French-Door refrigerator, which is now available with two different-sized screens. There's a model with a smaller 9-inch screen that starts at $3,999 or one with a massive 32-inch panel called the Family Hub+ for $4,699. The former is ostensibly designed for people who want something a bit more discreet but still want access to Samsung's smart features, which includes widgets for your calendar, music, weather, various cooking apps and more. Meanwhile, the larger model is for families who aren't afraid of having a small TV in their face every time they open their fridge. You can even play videos from TikTok on it, if that's what you're into.Samsung's massive 32-inch Family Hub+ display supports a number of widgets for stuff like weather, music and even TikTok.Sam Rutherford for EngadgetThat said, Samsung is hoping to entice people to take advantage of those displays with even more AI-powered tools, most notably its improved AI Vision Inside object recognition. By using sensors mounted within the appliance, Samsung says its latest Bespoke fridge can detect 37 different types of fresh ingredients (e.g. produce and dairy) and up to 50 processed foods. This allows the device to keep an up-to-date list of items you may (or may not) have on hand, which you can view on the fridge's display or from your phone while you're grocery shopping.Samsung's smaller 9-inch display blends in much better for anyone averse to big screens in their kitchen.Sam Rutherford for EngadgetNow, I will fully admit that AI has become a somewhat empty buzzword recently, and in this situation, I'm not entirely sure what the difference between AI-based and traditional object recognition really is. But being able to have your fridge generate a list of what's inside when you're at the store is the kind of convenience I'd like to see more of. Other features on Samsung's Bespoke French-Door fridges include built-in Wi-Fi and SmartThings connectivity, a Dual Auto Ice maker that can create both regular and smaller Ice Bite" cubes and the always useful Beverage Center with its built-in cold water pitcher.Sam Rutherford for EngadgetIf all this isn't techy enough, Samsung also has a Hybrid version of its 4-door fridge (starting at $3,999) that chills its contents using both a standard compressor and a solid-state Peltier module. The idea is that in normal use, the compressor provides consistent baseline cooling while the Peltier module (through the power of AI) turns on to address big changes in temperature. For example, the module would kick on when you're loading groceries or simply have the doors open for too long. Not only does this help bring temperatures back to normal faster, it also reduces overall energy consumption. For people looking to cram a new fridge in a tight spot, Samsung also made the Bespoke 4-Door Flex Kitchen Fit Refrigerator (price is still TBD). While it doesn't have a Peltier module, the advantage of this model is that it has different doors and hinges that don't protrude nearly as much when open. This means the fridge only needs a gap of just 4mm (0.15 inches) on each side instead of multiple inches like a normal fridge.Samsung's Bespoke Auto Open Door Dishwasher has a dedicated pan holder and sprayers on its third-rack for glasses.Sam Rutherford for EngadgetFor cooking, Samsung's matte glass induction cooktops are mostly the same, but its Bespoke 30-inch single ($3,759) and double ($4,649) wall ovens have...you guessed it, more AI. In addition to a 7-inch display, there are also cameras and sensors inside the oven that can recognize up to 80 different recipes to provide optimal cooking times. But if you prefer to go off-script and create something original, Samsung says the oven will give you the option to save the recipe and temperature settings after cooking the same dish five times. And for a more fun application of its tech, the oven's cameras can record videos and create time-lapses of your baked goods for sharing on social media.When it's time to clean up, Samsung's $1,399 Bespoke Auto Open Door Dishwasher has a few tricks of its own. In this case, the washer uses AI (yet again) and sensors to more accurately detect food residue and optimize cleaning cycles. There's also a third rack with dedicated sprayers for glasses. But the best part is that while in use, the washer tops out at just 38 decibels, which Samsung says makes it one of the quietest models in its class.Samsung claims its all-in-one vented combo can do a full wash and dry cycle in as little as 68 minutes.Sam Rutherford for EngadgetMoving on to laundry, Samsung says its $3,099 Bespoke AI Laundry Vented Combo is the first of its kind, as most combined washer/dryers are typically meant for ventless installations like small apartments (of course, there is a non-vented model as well). But to me, the more impressive thing is that Samsung claims its combo laundry machine can perform a full wash and dry cycle in as little as 68 minutes, which is faster than many paired units can achieve.Finally, there's the $1,099 Bespoke AI Jet Ultra Cordless Stick Vacuum, which seems like Samsung's attempt to one-up Dyson. Thanks to its new HexaJet motor, the Jet boasts up to 400AW of suction while battery life is rated at up to 100 minutes. The company says that combo makes this stick vac the most powerful and long-lasting model available today. It also uses AI to better detect what surface its on to more effectively hoover up dirt and debris. The main downside is that the vacuum's shaft and housing are significantly thicker than what you get on many of its rivals, so it may not be quite as maneuverable.Sam Rutherford for EngadgetFinally, there's the $1,099 Bespoke AI Jet Ultra Cordless Stick Vacuum, which seems like Samsung's attempt to one-up Dyson. Thanks to its new HexaJet motor, the Jet boasts up to 400AW of suction while battery life is rated at up to 100 minutes. The company says that combo makes this stick vac the most powerful and long-lasting model available today. It also uses AI to better detect what surface its on to more effectively hoover up dirt and debris. The main downside is that the vacuum's shaft and housing are significantly thicker than what you get on many of its rivals, so it may not be quite as maneuverable.Pre-orders for Samsung's 2025 Bespoke appliances begin today and include discounts of up to $1,000, along with an additional year of warranty.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/kitchen-tech/samsungs-2025-bespoke-appliances-are-going-all-in-on-ai-020018377.html?src=rss