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Bluesky experienced explosive growth last year, particularly toward the end, necessitating that the platform ramp up its moderation efforts. In its recently released moderation report for 2024, Bluesky said it grew by about 23 million users, jumping from 2.9 million users to nearly 26 million. And, its moderators received 17 times the number of user reports they got in 2023 - 6.48 million in 2024 compared to 358,000 the previous year.The bulk of these reports were related to harassment, trolling or intolerance," spam and misleading content (including impersonation and misinformation). The presence of accounts posing as other people has been a known issue in the wake of Bluesky's popularity spike, and the platform updated its impersonation policy in November with a more aggressive" approach in an attempt to crack down on it. At the time, it said it had quadrupled its moderation team. The new report says Bluesky's moderation team has grown to about 100, and hiring is ongoing. Some moderators specialize in particular policy areas, such as dedicated agents for child safety," it notes.Other categories Bluesky says it received a lot of reports about include illegal and urgent issues" and unwanted sexual content. There were also 726,000 reports marked as other." Bluesky says it complied with 146 requests from law enforcement, governments, legal firms" out of a total of 238 last year.The platform plans on making some changes to the way reports and appeals are handled this year that it says will streamline user communication," like providing users with updates about actions it has taken on content they've reported and, further down the line, letting users appeal takedown decisions directly in the app. Moderators took down 66,308 accounts in 2024, while its automated systems took down 35,842 spam and bot profiles. Looking ahead to 2025, we're investing in stronger proactive detection systems to complement user reporting, as a growing network needs multiple detection methods to rapidly identify and address harmful content," Bluesky says.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/blueskys-2024-moderation-report-shows-how-quickly-harmful-content-grew-as-new-users-flocked-in-000149354.html?src=rss

If you've been waiting for a deal on Apple's flagship AirPods Max, now is the time to buy a pair. Amazon has discounted the USB-C model to $449, or 18 percent off their suggested $549 price. Since we first posted this story earlier, most colors have sold out, but the starlight color is still available at the time of this update. The AirPods Max need no introduction, but it's worth taking a moment to consider if they make sense to buy in 2025. No doubt, they sound great and offer tight integration with other Apple devices, but if you don't count the minor refresh Apple made this past September, the AirPods Max are now more than four years old. In that time, the competition has only gotten better; in fact, the AirPods Max aren't even on Engadget's list of the best noise-canceling headphones you can buy in 2025. Even taking into account their current $100 discount, there are options like the Sony WH-1000XM5 that are better and cheaper. Still, there's a case to be made for the AirPods Max, particularly for someone deeply invested in Apple's ecosystem. As easy as Sony's app makes pairing, the process is still nowhere near as easy and seamless as Apple's native integration. If you're a frequent Siri user, the AirPods Max win there too. Just keep in mind Apple is likely to release a proper update to the AirPods Max later this year. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice. Update, January 19 2025, 6:55 PM ET: This story has been updated to reflect that fewer colors remain in stock at the discounted price.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-airpods-max-with-usb-c-drop-to-their-lowest-price-yet-154204100.html?src=rss

It hasn't even been a full day since ByteDance shut down TikTok in the US, and now it says the app is coming back. In a statement posted on X Sunday afternoon, TikTok wrote, In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service."The statement also thanked Trump, who will be sworn in on Monday and who previously said he was considering giving TikTok an extension amid reports of potential bidders (though ByteDance has expressed no interest in selling). We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States," TikTok said.At the time of this writing, the TikTok app is once again up and running for me despite previously showing a message saying I can't use TikTok for now." Phew, what an agonizing - checks watch - 12 hours that was without it. TikTok doesn't yet seem to be back in the App Store or Google Play Store, though, so if you deleted the app from your phone, you'll probably have to wait a little longer to get it back. CapCut, one of the other ByteDance-owned apps affected by the ban, also isn't available.

Instagram head Adam Mosseri took to Threads on Sunday with yet another announcement this weekend, the timing of which surely had nothing at all to do with TikTok and other ByteDance-owned apps (briefly) going dark: a new, free video-editing app called Edits is on the way. Instagram's Edits will cater to people who edit videos on their phone, and will offer a full suite of creative tools." That includes higher-quality recordings, shareable drafts, trending audio, insights about your Reels' performance and an inspiration tab," on top of the usual editing tools.If all that reminds you of CapCut, TikTok's sister app for video editing, you're not alone. In response to the immediate comparisons, Mosseri called Edits CapCut, but more for creators than casual video makers."Edits isn't available yet, but you can pre-order it on the App Store if you're an iOS user and Mosseri says an Android version is coming soon." While he puts the release sometime in February, the App Store page says March 13. And don't expect anything too polished when it arrives. The first version is going to be incomplete, so please be patient, but I'm really excited to put this in all your hands," Mosseri said.The Edits app logoEdits/App StoreThe announcement came shortly after TikTok said its app was coming back online in the US, a mere 12 hours or so after it shut down. CapCut hasn't come back yet, but it's expected to follow suit. Trump said on social media that he would announce an executive order after he's sworn in that would extend ByteDance's time to sort out TikTok's future.While Threads users have been calling Instagram out for the timing of the announcement, Mosseri said the app has been in development for months, and I think it'll end up pretty different than CapCut." On that note, he said, Edits will have a much broader range of creative tools and probably a smaller addressable audience. Think a place to track all your ideas instead of templates. Think AI video editing tools on a per clip or per video basis. Think new insights on why your videos are succeeding or struggling."One way it appears Edits may have a leg up on CapCut, at least, is the App Store page says videos won't have a watermark when they're exported. While the free version of CapCut has long added the easily removable ending logo to videos at the time of export, it recently started adding a corner watermark too.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/instagram-is-rushing-out-a-new-video-editing-app-that-sure-sounds-a-lot-like-capcut-205054034.html?src=rss

Update, January 19 2025, 2:06PM ET: After shutting down its app and being delisted from various app stores about 12 hours ago, TikTok is now in the process of restoring services in the US. This story addresses more recent changes to this evolving situation; below is the original text of this report.It's been unclear in the leadup to the TikTok ban what the fate of parent company ByteDance's other apps would be, but now we know: they've gone dark in the US too. At the same time TikTok went offline this weekend, so did other apps ByteDance has developed or is affiliated with, including the popular video-editing tool CapCut, the social media platform Lemon8 and Marvel Snap. All are now displaying messages to US users that their services are unavailable. Ben Brode, Chief Development Officer for Marvel Snap developer Second Dinner, wrote on Threads that getting caught up in the ban was a surprise to us" and that the team is working on getting it back online.Second Dinner echoed this on X and in its in-app message to users, adding, MARVEL SNAP isn't going anywhere." While Marvel Snap was created by the US-based developer, its publisher Nuverse Games is a ByteDance subsidiary. Other Nuverse games appear to be affected too.CapCut and Lemon8 may be less surprising casualties, both having been developed by ByteDance, but given the law's focus on TikTok alone as its target, their shutdown is still sure to come as a shock to many users. CapCut is widely used for video editing, especially among social media creators. And many TikTok users looking for an alternative in light of the ban flocked to Lemon8; just a few days ago, Lemon8 was the second most-popular app on the App Store.On a new support page listing some of the affected apps, Apple notes, If you already have these apps installed on your device, they will remain on your device. But they can't be redownloaded if deleted or restored if you move to a new device. In-app purchases and new subscriptions are no longer possible." These apps also won't receive updates.Along with TikTok, CapCut, Lemon8 and Marvel Snap, Apple names Lark, Hypic - an AI photo editing tool - and Gauth: AI Study Companion as apps that have been pulled as a result of the ban. But there are many others that aren't listed that may be swept up in it too.Apple is obligated to follow the laws in the jurisdictions where it operates," Apple said in a statement on the support page. Pursuant to the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, apps developed by ByteDance Ltd. and its subsidiaries - including TikTok, CapCut, Lemon8, and others - will no longer be available for download or updates on the App Store for users in the United States starting January 19, 2025."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/marvel-snap-capcut-lemon8-and-other-bytedance-apps-have-also-shut-down-in-the-us-alongside-tiktok-153002137.html?src=rss

Update, January 19 2025, 1:17PM ET: After shutting down its app and being delisted from various app stores about 12 hours ago, TikTok is now in the process of restoring services in the US. This story addresses more recent changes to this evolving situation; below is the original text of this report.The switch has flipped on the US TikTok ban. TikTok's app stoped working and was removed from the App Store and Google Play on Saturday night, just hours before the January 19 ban was expected to take effect.People who have previously installed the app are instead greeted with a pop-up. "Sorry, TikTok isn't available right now," it says. "A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can't use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that president Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned."The notice gives the option to close the app or "learn more," which directs users to TikTok's website, which has similar language. Existing users can also download their data from the website. ByteDance's popular video editing app, CapCut, is also no longer available within the US, along with a slew of other apps.Following the passage of the "Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Apps Act" by President Biden, TikTok had six months to divest itself from Chinese parent company ByteDance. The company opted to fight the law, bringing a case to the Supreme Court claiming that its First Amendment rights were violated by the measure. The high court, with a limited amount of time to consider the case, ruled unanimously against the app.As part of the ban, Apple's App Store, Google's Play Store and any other app marketplace must remove TikTok or be subject to a fine of $5,000 for every user in the US that downloads the app. White House officials said earlier in the week that the ban would not be enforced during President Joe Biden's final hours in office, but TikTok said that the government had "failed to provide the necessary clarity and assurance to the service providers that are integral to maintaining TikTok's availability to over 170 million Americans."In a statement on its support page about the ban, Apple confirmed that TikTok and other ByteDance apps would no longer be available from the App Store in the US as of January 19. "Apple is obligated to follow the laws in the jurisdictions where it operates," the company wrote.Multiple attempts have been made to ban TikTok in the US over concerns of spying, but this is the first time one has stuck, at least temporarily. President-elect Donald Trump was a major supporter of a ban during his first term in office and, ironically, is TikTok's only hope of surviving after his second inauguration. Earlier on Saturday, Trump told NBC News that he would "most likely" grant a 90-day extension to the company after taking office.Should an extension come, it's not clear what kind of arrangement the company may work out to remain in the US after all. Perplexity AI has reportedly submitted a bid to merge with TikTok's stateside operations, CNBC reported. Others, including investor Kevin O'Leary (of Shark Tank fame) have also made proposals or expressed interest in buying the service.Additional reporting by Karissa Bell.Update, January 19 2025, 11:20AM ET: This story has been updated to include a statement from Apple's support page addressing the ban.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/tiktok-is-no-longer-available-in-the-us-040204115.html?src=rss

Canoo said on Friday night that it has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and will cease operations effective immediately," after failing to secure enough funding to keep it going. The writing was on the wall for the EV startup leading up to the announcement; the company has lost multiple executives in recent months, announced furloughs and reported to the SEC in November that it had just $700,000 in the bank, per TechCrunch.In a press release announcing the filing, Canoo said it was unable to get funding from the Department of Energy's Loan Program Office or from foreign sources of capital" that executives had been in talks with. In light of the fact that these efforts were unsuccessful, the Board has made the difficult decision to file for insolvency," it said. Canoo owes a total of over $164 million to hundreds creditors, and has about $126 million in assets, according to TechCrunch. Under the filing in Delaware, Canoo's assets will be liquidated and the proceeds will be distributed to its creditors. In a statement, CEO Tony Aquila said, We are truly disappointed that things turned out as they did."Canoo made a few electric vans for NASA and a prototype for the US Army, and had deals for larger fleets with the likes of USPS and Walmart, but only a small number of its vans appear to have ever materialized.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/ev-startup-canoo-has-filed-for-bankruptcy-and-stopped-all-operations-232719895.html?src=rss

Kids and younger teens might soon be unable to play Genshin Impact'sgachas. The developer behind the game has agreed to block players under 16 years old from making in-game purchases without parental consent in order to settle a complaint from the Federal Trade Commission. It has also agreed to pay a $20 million penalty. Samuel Levine, the director of FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, said "Genshin Impact deceived children, teens, and other players into spending hundreds of dollars on prizes they stood little chance of winning."The developer's marketing actively targeted children, the commission said in its complaint, and the company also violated COPPA by collecting personal info from kids under 13. HoYoverse, the developer's US entity, allegedly deceives players "about the odds of winning" its rarer loot box prizes and uses a confusing virtual currency system that's unfair to kids and younger teens. The FTC says this misleads players on how much they actually have to spend to be able to get rarer prizes. Genshin Impact uses a gacha system instead of a traditional loot box mechanic, wherein players can "pull" on banners to win a random item or character.Under the FTC's proposed order, it wants to prohibit Genshin Impact from selling loot boxes using virtual currency unless it also provides an option to purchase them directly with real money. It wants to prohibit the developer from misrepresenting loot box odds and processes, and it wants to require the company to disclose gachas' odds and the virtual currency exchange rate. The commission wants to order HoYoverse to delete personal information collected from kids until 13 unless it was obtained with parental consent, as well. A federal judge still has to approve the proposed order with all these requirements, though, so they won't be enforced immediately.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ftc-orders-genshin-impacts-developer-to-block-young-teens-from-making-in-game-purchases-221532729.html?src=rss

Just one day before TikTok is expected to shut down in the US, startup Perplexity AI has submitted a bid to TikTok's parent company ByteDance proposing a merger that would allow it to continue operating, CNBC reports. Citing an anonymous source, CNBC reports that the proposed merger would create a new entity combining Perplexity, TikTok US and New Capital Partners." It comes after the Supreme Court on Friday ruled unanimously to uphold a law that requires ByteDance to sell TikTok or it will be banned in the US. The company has so far resisted the idea of a sale.According to CNBC's source, Perplexity - which currently offers an AI-powered search engine and is being sued by news organizations for copyright infringement - is hoping a merger rather than a sale will be more appealing to ByteDance. The new structure would allow for most of ByteDance's existing investors to retain their equity stakes and would bring more video to Perplexity," CNBC reports. If ByteDance were to accept the proposal, there's a chance the company would be given a 90-day extension by Trump to work out a deal, which he told NBC News' Kristen Welker that he would most likely" do when he takes office on Monday. But there is as yet no indication that ByteDance will go this route.Despite rampant speculation about potential buyers, TikTok said it will be forced to go dark on January 19" when the law takes effect unless the Biden Administration immediately provides a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers assuring non-enforcement." The outgoing administration, however, reportedly says it's leaving all that for the Trump team to deal with. Per MSNBC, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called TikTok's claim about shutting down a stunt," and said we see no reason for TikTok or other companies to take actions in the next few days before the Trump Administration takes office on Monday."We have laid out our position clearly and straightforwardly: actions to implement this law will fall to the next administration," Jean-Pierre said, according to MSNBC. So TikTok and other companies should take up any concerns with them."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/perplexity-ai-has-reportedly-submitted-an-11th-hour-bid-to-save-tiktok-in-the-us-215012514.html?src=rss

Instagram is rolling out a bunch of changes this weekend that will conveniently make it look a lot more like TikTok, which could go dark in the US on Sunday now that the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the law banning the app if parent company ByteDance doesn't sell it. Those changes include extending Reels to three minutes long and changing the longstanding square grid on your profile to a rectangular layout, as Adam Mosseri announced in an Instagram post and on his Story, respectively. Considering how some users have crafted a specific look for their pages around the square grid, the latter isn't likely to go over well with everyone.Nor is the third thing: there's now a tab in your Reels feed that shows you videos your friends have liked or added Notes to, Mosseri shared on Threads. Which means, of course, that your friends can more easily see what you've been liking and interacting with, too. Didn't we already agree this was kind of invasive back when Instagram had - and eventually removed - a whole feed dedicated to seeing the activity of the people you follow? In any case, the changes have already begun rolling out. You'll now see a button showing your friends' activity at the top right of the Reels tab, which will bring you to the new feed.

Bang & Olufsen announced its new $499 premium earbuds, the Beoplay Eleven, back in November, touting among other things their replaceable batteries for sustainability" and alignment with the EU's impending device repairability requirements. But an iFixit teardown tells a more complicated story about actually replacing those batteries, describing the process of just getting the case open as a very onerous and labor intensive task... even for a trained technician." And inside, the battery is affixed to other components in ways that require heat to remove it, which in itself wouldn't comply with the EU's upcoming rules. Given all the work involved, the earbuds scored an abysmal 1/10 on iFixit's repairability scorecard.Bang & Olufsen said the earbuds' design allows for battery replacement by service," which, as iFixit notes, suggests that this isn't meant to be a repair you can do yourself at home. It did ultimately turn out to be possible to take one of the earbuds apart without damaging any of the electronics inside, but the laborious teardown calls into question how feasible - and sustainable - battery replacement would be even when carried out at a B&O service center. After opening up the case and finding a plastic weld mark barring access to the battery," iFixit's Shahram Mokhtari notes in the video that, at a minimum, any battery replacement service would need to dispose of the plastic housing completely."I'd love to see B&O's process for changing these batteries out," Mokhtari wrote in the blog post. I'm willing to bet it's neither cheap nor waste-free but I would love to be proven wrong." The teardown also revealed the Beoplay Eleven to be a carbon copy" of the 2022 Beoplay EX internally. Even the peel-away film on the rear of each earbud says Beoplay EX' - not Beoplay Eleven,'" Mokhtari wrote. Yikes.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/bang-and-olufsens-new-earbuds-with-replaceable-batteries-dont-seem-to-be-very-repairable-174949894.html?src=rss

Amazon's drones won't be making any deliveries in the foreseeable future. According to Bloomberg, the company has paused all commercial drone deliveries in Texas and Arizona after a previously undisclosed event in which two of Amazon's MK30 drones had crashed at the Pendleton, Oregon airport it uses for testing. MK30 is the company's next-gen drone model, which is lighter and has a longer range than its predecessor, the MK27. The incidents took place in December, with one of the drones even catching fire after it fell. Amazon reportedly determined that its drones crashed due a software issue that's linked to the light rain drizzling at the time the tests were being conducted.The company said, however, that the crashes weren't the "primary reason" why it's putting its drone deliveries on hold. Amazon spokesperson Sam Stephenson told Bloomberg that it's "currently in the process of making software changes to the drone" and that the operational pause is voluntary. After the updates are completed, Amazon still has to secure an approval from the Federal Aviation Administration before it can resume its operations. "Employees at the drone sites, who were told of the action Friday, will continue to be paid during the pause," Stephenson added.In addition to the crashes in December, two MK30 drones collided during another test a few months earlier. Stephenson explained that Amazon expects to see incidents like these during testing and that they help the company improve the service's safety. Amazon has been sending out non-medical shipments via drones in Texas since 2022 before adding prescription medication a year later. In 2024, Amazon halted drone deliveries in California, but it also launched the service in Phoenix, Arizona.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/amazon-puts-its-drone-deliveries-on-hold-following-two-crash-incidents-140026835.html?src=rss

The Supreme Court has sided with the Biden Administration on a law that could ban TikTok in the coming days. In a unanimous ruling, the court upheld the law, writing in an unsigned opinion that "TikTok's scale and susceptibility to foreign adversary control, together with the vast swaths of sensitive data the platform collects, justify differential treatment to address the Government's national security concerns."The ruling marks the end of TikTok's many legal challenges to a law, passed last spring, that requires ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban in the United States. It comes amid mounting tensions between the US and China, and just days after the Biden Administration moved to restrict the export of GPUs used for AI applications.In a statement, TikTok said that "unless the Biden Administration...provides a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers assuring non-enforcement" immediately, it will unfortunately be forced to go dark on January 19. "The statements issued today by both the Biden White House and the Department of Justice have failed to provide the necessary clarity and assurance to the service providers that are integral to maintaining TikTok's availability to over 170 million Americans," it said.White House officials said Thursday that the Biden Administration would not enforce the ban on President Joe Biden's last day in office. Incoming President Donald Trump, who will be sworn in one day after the ban is supposed to take effect, has suggested he wants to save" the app. That's caused some speculation that he could instruct the Justice Department not to enforce the law or find some other arrangement that would allow the app to remain accessible."The Supreme Court decision was expected, and everyone must respect it," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. "My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation." He also said that he had discussed TikTok with China's Xi Jinping on Friday, but did not provide details. Earlier in the week, The Washington Post reported that Trump was considering an executive order that would give TikTok an additional "60 or 90 days" to comply with the law. TikTok CEO Shou Chew is expected to attend Trump's inauguration where he will sit alongside Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk.In a brief statement shared on TikTok, Chew thanked Trump, but didn't say whether the app would go dark this weekend when the ban goes into effect. " I want to thank President Trump for his commitment to work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States," he said. "This is a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship." Representatives for TikTok, Google, Apple and Oracle (which hosts TikTok's US data) have not responded to questions about their plans to comply with the law.In a concurring opinion, Justice Neil Gorsuch acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding TikTok's future. "Even what might happen next to TikTok remains unclear, " he wrote. "All I can say is that, at this time and under these constraints, the problem appears real and the response to it not unconstitutional."Free speech groups have denounced the law and the Supreme Court's decision to uphold it. The Supreme Court's ruling is incredibly disappointing, allowing the government to shut down an entire platform and the free speech rights of so many based on fear-mongering and speculation," Patrick Toomey, deputy director of ACLU's National Security Project, said in a statement. By refusing to block this ban, the Supreme Court is giving the executive branch unprecedented power to silence speech it doesn't like, increasing the danger that sweeping invocations of national security' will trump our constitutional rights."The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights group, said in a statement that "the ban or forced sale of one social media app will do virtually nothing to protect Americans' data privacy - only comprehensive consumer privacy legislation can achieve that goal."TikTok users have also vocally opposed the ban. Before the law was passed, legions of fans called their Congressional representatives' offices, urging them to not support the bill. The move may have had unintended consequences as some members of Congress accused TikTok, which had encouraged users to make the calls, of interfering with the legislative process." More recently, TikTok fans have pushed a number of previously unknown apps, including a Chinese social media app known as RedNote" or Xiaohongshu, to the top of the app stores as they search for alternatives.Update, January 17, 2025, 9:45 AM PT: This post has been updated to add details from a statement made by Shou Chew.Update, January 17, 2025, 10PM ET: Added TikTok's statement.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/supreme-court-upholds-tiktok-ban-150901494.html?src=rss

On Thursday, The New York Times published a lengthy story about the rise in power of Stephen Miller, a longtime loyalist of Donald Trump known for his hardline views on immigration. Normally, a story like that wouldn't get much attention in the tech press. But the piece opened with an anecdote about Mark Zuckerberg that immediately raised eyebrows.The story detailed a recent meeting Miller had with Zuckerberg when the Meta CEO traveled to Mar-a-Lago last year. According to The Times, Zuckerberg - who would soon renounce Meta's prior fact checking efforts and ditch corporate diversity programs - blamed his former chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, for an inclusivity initiative at Facebook that encouraged employees' self-expression in the workplace."That line set off a fresh round of speculation (and some outrage) in tech circles. Sandberg, who left Meta in 2022 and rose to fame after authoring her women in the workplace manifesto Lean In, was known for her once close partnership with Zuckerberg at the top of Facebook. That Zuckerberg would blame his former top lieutenant for fostering inclusivity" at his company, raised eyebrows even among longtime observers of the company.She always knew who Mark Zuckerberg and covered for him," New York Times reporter Sheera Frankel, who co-wrote a book about Facebook's dominance, observed on Bluesky. The question is whether she will continue to do so when he so blatantly throws her under the (Trump) bus." Journalist and longtime tech pundit Kara Swisher likewise noted that folks I talked to tonight from the Mark/Sheryl Facebook era are shocked but not surprised by his blaming her."I also weighed in on my Threads account, sharing a link to a Business Insider story from February that quoted an interview in which Zuckerberg said that Sandberg had raised him like a parent." I joked that the comment hadn't aged well.But on Friday, Zuckerberg decided to let me (and I guess everyone else) know that he and Sandberg are still cool, after all. Sheryl did amazing work at Meta and will forever be a legend in the industry," he wrote in a reply to my post. She built one of the greatest businesses of all time and taught me much of what I know."ThreadsA few minutes later, Sandberg jumped in to helpfully let me know there are no hard feelings on her side, either. Thank you, @zuck. I will always be grateful for the many years we spent building a great business together - and for your friendship that got me through some of the hardest times of my life and continues to this day."Zuckerberg responded with a single heart emoji.I asked Zuckerberg if he felt Sandberg was too focused on DEI initiatives at Meta, or whether she took away from the masculine energy" he recently told Joe Rogan corporations should embody. Notably, he has not denied The Times' reporting about his comments regarding Sandberg, though he claimed they are being misconstrued."I answered a question about where the phrase 'bring your whole self to work' came from, and now there's a whole bogus narrative saying I blamed Sheryl for a bunch of stuff that I never did and never will," he said. (Bringing your "whole self" to work is a slogan popularized by Sandberg in Lean In. Similar language often appeared on Meta's careers site when the company highlighted diversity among its employees. "Being your authentic self is the foundation of who we are as a company," Meta wrote on a since-deleted page of its corporate website where it shared its internal diversity reports.)So, I guess that settles it. Nothing to see here, folks. Mark and Sheryl are definitely still friends. They may not work at the same company anymore, but they are still able to come together to head off a potential PR crisis. What could be more inspiring than that?Update, January 17, 2025, 4PM PT: This post was updated to reflect an additional comment from Zuckerberg.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/mark-zuckerberg-and-sheryl-sandberg-want-you-to-know-theyre-still-friends-and-definitely-not-mad-at-each-other-222145203.html?src=rss

The Federal Aviation Administration is ordering SpaceX to conduct a mishap investigation into what caused the company's Starship rocket to explode mid-flight on January 16. Until the FAA approves SpaceX's investigation reported, the company won't be allowed to proceed with future Starship missions.SpaceX's launch seemed to be going as planned prior to the explosion. Starship successfully made it off the launch pad and SpaceX was even able to catch the ship's boosters. But then, only eight and a half minutes after taking off, the Starship spacecraft exploded, according to SpaceX's post-launch blog post. In response to the sudden explosion, the FAA activated a "Debris Response Area" and slowed or diverted nearby flights to prevent further accidents, severely delaying flights from multiple airlines, according to CNBC.

Greta Gerwig's follow-up to Barbie, an adaptation of one of C.S Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia books, will be exclusively viewable in theaters for four weeks before it hits Netflix on Christmas, according to a new report from Puck. Netflix is historically anti-theater, but it seems like it can set that aside for the right filmmaker.Theaters will have a four-week exclusive window on the film globally - longer than the week Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery got - but it will only be available to watch on IMAX screens to start. IMAX is guaranteeing the film will be shown in the format for two weeks, according to Puck, and is willing to add another week if there's demand. After that, the film could come to non-IMAX theaters, too.Netflix, while owning a few theaters itself, is philosophically-opposed to theatrical exclusivity. It'll put Netflix movies in theaters for the amount of time required to qualify for awards season, but otherwise avoids them like the plague. That might be nice for subscribers who've become accustomed to watching everything at home, but most filmmakers want their films to be seen on the big screen. For example, Netflix reportedly lost the chance to distribute Saltburn director Emerald Fennel's next film, an adaptation of Wuthering Heights, because it refused to give the film time in theaters, according to The New York Times.Rumors circulated that IMAX, Gerwig, and Netflix were discussing a deal in October 2024, and it seems the director got her way. It's strange to have to fight tooth and nail for what could be a blockbuster movie to be seen by a paying audience. There's plenty of evidence that putting films in theaters makes money, but it's a lesson that even company's like Disney have had to relearn after the streaming boom. Moana 2 started as a Disney+ filler before it was tweaked and turned into a theatrical release that made over $200 million in December 2024.It's impossible to say if this decision signals a longterm change at Netflix, but future filmmakers working with the company now have interesting precedent to point to for their own theatrical deals.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/greta-gerwigs-narnia-movie-will-get-up-to-four-weeks-in-theaters-203920581.html?src=rss

The seven-year wait is finally over. Nintendo has officially revealed its next console, the Switch 2. Now that the reveal has actually happened, after months of speculation, we can all move onto something else, right? Not so fast. The short introduction video actually created more questions than answers. There's a whole lot we don't know about Nintendo's forthcoming hybrid console, so let's get into it.When will it come out?We don't know! Nintendo has a Direct livestream planned for April 2, in which we'll probably get that information. It'll be sometime after that, but during 2025. Maybe they'll do a quick turnaround and have it ready for sale by the end of April, but a summer release is far more likely. It's also possible the company will wait until the beginning of the lucrative holiday season. Folks will be able to play it in the near future, however, as Nintendo is holding in-person events throughout the world in April through June.What are the internal specs?This is another mystery. The introduction video merely showed the exterior of the console, along with the updated controllers. There was no mention of internal specs. Of course, there are plenty of rumors regarding the power of Nintendo's next console, but nothing concrete. Some analysts predict the console will include an eight-core Cortex-A78AE processor, 8GB of RAM, and 64GB of internal eMMC storage, while others say it'll be powered by an NVIDIA-produced Tegra239 SoC (system on a chip). Most people seem to agree that the system will include some version of NVIDIA's DLSS deep learning supersampling" upscaling tech.What about the screen?NintendoWe've seen the screen in action, likely running some version of an upcoming Mario Kart game. The video gave us some insight into the size of the display, as it looks to be around 30 percent larger than the current model. This tracks with rumors indicating an 8-inch screen. However, we don't know the type of display that accompanies the console. Rumors vary here. Some analysts predict a Mini-LED screen, while others expect a traditional LCD. It probably won't be an OLED, as the company will likely save that for a future upgrade.What's the battery life?There aren't even any credible rumors on this one, but there was some speculation last year regarding the company's adoption of a performance mode feature with the Switch 2. Nintendo likes to hit that mass market sweet spot, so I'd be very surprised if the battery life didn't match the Switch OLED's 4.5 to nine hours of playtime per charge. The console will be more powerful than the OG Switch, certainly, but it's also bigger. That extra room can house a beefy battery.How much will it cost?This is yet another unknown. Nintendo will likely reveal pricing information on April 2. The original Switch launched at $300, as did the Wii U. However, inflation is real and supply chains are rickety. Rumors have been circulating that the price could shoot up to $400, or even higher. Nintendo does tend to increase base level console prices every couple of generations. The GameCube originally cost $200 and the Wii was $250.Do the controllers feature optical sensors?Nintendo There's been a long-standing rumor that the Switch 2 will incorporate mouse-like functionality via optical sensors on the Joy-Cons. We don't have exact confirmation on that, but the introduction video sure seems to imply it. Eagle-eyed viewers probably spotted a segment that featured the Pixar-like controllers moving around a table like, well, two computer mice. If true, Nintendo will likely develop some wacky software that combines mouse and controller inputs. In any event, this addition will certainly make stuff like Civilization VI easier to play. It could also hint at a new Mario Paint.What's that unmarked button on the right side?NintendoViewers also likely spotted a new button on the bottom of the right Joy-Con. This was previously rumored to be a C" button, but it's unmarked in the introduction video. We don't know what it does, so your guess is as good as ours. Maybe it calibrates controllers or initiates voice chat. We'll probably find out on April 2.What's the deal with backwards compatibility?NintendoYes, the Switch 2 is backwards compatible with original Switch games. This is fantastic news, but the intro video did note that "certain Nintendo Switch games may not be supported on or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2." We don't exactly know what that means or how many titles it will impact. It's a fair bet that it refers to some of the wackier stuff from the previous generation, like Nintendo Labo or Mario Kart: Home Circuit.Will stick drift be a problem?We'll have to wait and see on that one, but the reveal video did take some time out to show a joystick doing cute little full circles. Previous leaks have indicated that Nintendo has learned its lesson regarding stick-drift and the new console will include Hall effect joysticks. We sure hope so.What will the UI be like?The Switch's user interface, for better or worse, is extremely minimal and bare-bones. This carries over to the online shopping experience. We don't know if the Switch 2 will incorporate some Nintendo-grade wackiness when it comes to the UI. My hope is that it brings back its long-forgotten social network Miiverse. It was silly and fun. Modern social media apps are a lot of things, but I wouldn't exactly call them silly or fun.Will there be any Nintendo weirdness?From the headache-inducing 3DS to the, well, equally headache-inducing Virtual Boy, Nintendo has always marched to the beat of its own drum. The Switch 2, however, seems to be an extremely conservative release for the company. It's a more powerful and slightly bigger Switch.Will there be any of that Nintendo weirdness that saved the company in the age of the Wii and nearly ruined it during the Wii U era? We don't know yet. It's entirely possible the aforementioned optical sensors or "C" button could lead to wild and wacky gameplay experiences. It's also possible that there are features yet to be announced. This is Nintendo we are talking about here.What are the launch games?NintendoThis is a total unknown, though fans hoping for a new Mario Kart certainly got a jolt by that reveal video. It included a fair amount of footage from what looked to be a brand-new Mario Kart, complete with revamped character designs and the potential for 24-person races.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/everything-were-still-dying-to-know-about-the-nintendo-switch-2-195606756.html?src=rss

With CES behind us and Samsung's Unpacked ahead, the Engadget crew had a quick chance this week to catch its collective breath. But we still kept one eye on the deals machine to see what tech sales are worth your dollars. Right now, we're seeing a few good Apple deals - one on the latest iPad mini and another on the new 15-inch MacBook Air - as well as a first-time discount on the Kindle Colorsoft ereader. There's a couple of Bluetooth tracker discounts to help you keep tabs on your keys and bags. And Best Buy is still running a promotion for three free months of Apple TV+ so you can start watching the just-dropped season two of Severance. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.

Amazon expanded its ereader lineup a few months back with the Kindle Colorsoft, its first model with a color display. However, at $280, it was certainly on the pricier end - especially compared with similar devices from competitors. That equation has changed a bit, at least for Amazon Prime members. They're currently able to pick up the Kindle Colorsoft for $230. That equates to a discount of 18 percent. It's the first time that Amazon has reduced the price of the Colorsoft, though you do need to be a Prime member to take advantage of the deal. There were some teething issues with the Colorsoft, with reports that some customers were seeing a yellow band at the bottom of their display. That issue emerged on our review unit as well. Amazon offered refunds or replacements for affected devices. The company sent us a second review unit on which the yellow band wasn't present. The display seemed warmer in general too, which makes it look more like physical book pages. We have removed the score from our review until we've been able to test the replacement unit for a longer period and made sure the yellow-band problem doesn't reoccur. Page turns are swift on the seven-inch display, which has a 300 pixel-per-inch (ppi) density for black-and-white material and 150 ppi for color content. The device has 32GB of built-in storage and it supports Audible audiobooks. The Kindle Colorsoft will run for up to eight weeks on a single charge and you can top up the battery wirelessly or via USB-C. The ereader has an IPX8 rating. That means it can withstand immersion in up to two meters of freshwater for up to 60 minutes and 0.25 meters of seawater for three minutes, according to Amazon. So, you can take the Kindle Colorsoft to the pool or beach without worrying too much about it getting wet. There's a pinch-to-zoom feature that should be helpful for those who read graphic novels on the Colorsoft. The auto-adjusting front light is handy too. Another major positive is that, unlike other Kindle models, the Colorsoft doesn't feature lock screen ads by default. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/prime-members-can-now-get-50-off-the-kindle-colorsoft-173501943.html?src=rss

UK EV startup Charge Cars has been acquired by a group of private investors. The company will continue development of the 67, which is an all-electric replica of the iconic 1967 Ford Mustang.CEO Paul Abercrombie said in a statement that the acquisition will allow final development at our new global HQ" in the UK and that the company will be rapidly delivering this exciting luxury vehicle to consumers." He also noted that more details would be forthcoming.The 67 is hand-crafted, with a body licensed by Ford. It will include central floor-mounted batteries, for an optimized center of gravity, with quad-motor technology that offers 400kW of peak power and 1,520 Nm of torque. The company promises the highest standards of safety and vehicle dynamics."The car will boast an all-new fully bespoke digital touchscreen interface," which is the first time I've ever read the word bespoke" in reference to a touchscreen. The infotainment system will offer Apple and Android compatibility.Charge Cars started this project all the way back in 2016, but has run into a series of hiccups along the way. The company has long-been linked to the EV company Arrival, sharing a founder in Denis Sverdlov and certain technologies. Arrival had a promising start, inking a deal with UPS to supply delivery trucks throughout the US and Europe.Unfortunately, Arrival went belly up. Charge Cars struggled on, but the reliance on Arrival's tech and components became a real problem. It looks like this cash injection will solve that particular issue. Charge originally planned on making around 500 of the 67 replica EV, but we don't know if it plans on sticking to that. The company says that further news will be revealed imminently."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/charge-cars-rescued-by-private-investors-so-bring-on-that-electric-67-mustang-replica-171205211.html?src=rss

The Nintendo Switch 2 is finally official, and while we still don't know when anyone will be able to own the new console, we do know when some lucky people will get to try one for themselves. Nintendo is holding hands-on events starting on April 4 and running through June where you'll be able to try the Switch 2 for yourself in select cities in North America, Europe, Oceania and Asia.You can register for a "Nintendo Switch 2 Experience" event starting today, January 17 from 3PM ET / 12PM PT through January 26 at 11:59PM local time for each event location. If you're planning on registering, you'll need to be 18 years or older and have either a free Nintendo Account, or a Nintendo Account Family Group if you're planning on going with a group. There's no need for any kind of paid Nintendo Switch Online membership and you don't have to worry about family members under six having an account as long as they're accompanied by an adult that does.Nintendo says the hands-on event should last two hours and 20 minutes, but didn't share what ticket holders will actually get to try during the experience. Maybe some Mario Kart?It's important to also stress, heading to Nintendo's website and registering for tickets doesn't mean you'll actually get to attend. Nintendo refers to the process as a drawing because attendees or groups of attendees will be chosen randomly. Signing up early doesn't guarantee you'll have a better chance of getting in.Where Nintendo Switch 2 Experience events are being heldNintendo is hosting its Switch 2 events for around three days in each city, though it's only announced hands-on locations in the first three cities.In North America, you'll be able to register for a hands-on in:

Apple's excellent 15-inch M3 MacBook Air is on sale in a rare promotion that features discounts on more than just a single model. Amazon has cut the price of the 512GB version by 17 percent or $250, making it $1,249 for a limited time. With all four colors - midnight, silver, space gray and starlight - included in the sale, alongside the 24GB RAM variant, there's no need to settle for the base model either. Indeed, if your budget allows for it, this is a great opportunity to pick up the 24GB model for $1,449 or 15 percent off its usual price. As the proud owner of an M3 MacBook Air, I agree with everything my colleague Devindra Hardawar wrote in his review last year. The latest Air is a tremendous laptop, offering plenty of performance for all but the most demanding tasks. It also features a great keyboard and trackpad that make the laptop a joy to use. For those reasons and more, it's why Engadget recommends the M3 MacBook Air as the best MacBook for most people. Moreover, now that 16GB of RAM is standard on all of Apple's new laptops, it's easier to recommend a base model without the usual caveats. My only wish is that the MacBook Air had more ports. In my mind, it's an SD card slot away from being a perfect computer. Apple could also offer more reasonable pricing for SSD upgrades. Amazon's current sale doesn't address those issues, but it does make a great computer more affordable. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-latest-15-inch-macbook-air-is-250-off-right-now-163029482.html?src=rss

As part of an ongoing investigation into X, the European Commission has requested documents from the company related to how its recommendation systems work. The European Union's regulatory arm is particularly interested in any recent changes to the algorithm. The EC said it asked X to provide the information by February 15 as it steps up the Digital Services Act (DSA) probe.On top of that, regulators asked for access to certain APIs that X provides so it can conduct direct fact-finding on content moderation and virality of accounts." The Commission has also slapped X with a retention order. This requires the company to retain internal documents related to future changes to the algorithm through the rest of 2025 (or earlier if the investigation wraps up before then).Today, we are taking further steps to shed light on the compliance of X's recommender systems with the obligations under the DSA," Henna Virkkunen - the Commission's executive vice-president for sovereignty, security and democracy - said in a statement on Friday. "We are committed to ensuring that every platform operating in the EU respects our legislation, which aims to make the online environment fair, safe, and democratic for all European citizens."The EC opened the investigation in December 2023 to look into potential violations of the DSA. Companies that are deemed to have breached the law face fines of up to six percent of their global annual revenue.Thierry Breton, the former European commissioner for internal market, said the bloc was looking into whether X failed to live up to its obligations regarding transparency and tackling illegal content. Possible deceptive design practices are also under the Commission's microscope.Regulators stepped up their investigation after X owner Elon Musk publicly backed the Reform party in the UK, as well as the far-right Alternative for Germany party ahead of an election in February. As Reutersnotes, some European politicians have claimed that Musk is meddling in elections. He decried the criticism as an attack on free speech and democracy.To that end, the Commission is looking into whether X's algorithms shadowban certain perspectives while amplifying a single narrative. However, it said that Musk is free to speak as he wishes.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/the-eu-wants-to-know-just-how-xs-recommendation-algorithm-works-161000963.html?src=rss

The US Treasury Department announced in a letter back in December that it had been the victim of a security breach, attributing it to a China state-sponsored Advanced Persistent Threat actor." Now we know more about the extent of the hack, thanks to reporting by Bloomberg.The hacking group got into more than 400 laptop and desktop computers, many of which were linked to senior leaders focused on sanctions, international affairs and intelligence." They also accessed employee usernames and passwords, in addition to more than 3,000 files on unclassified personal computers. These documents included travel data, organizational charts, sanction materials and foreign investment metrics.An agency report indicates that the perpetrators likely stole a whole lot of this data, but were unable to get into the Treasury's classified or email systems. Subsequent reporting, also from Bloomberg, indicates around 50 classified files were stolen from the computer of Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. The hackers also accessed materials regarding investigations run by the Committee on Foreign Investment. This committee reviews security implications surrounding real estate purchases and foreign investments in the US.The agency report also notes that there wasn't any evidence to suggest that the hackers tried to hide in the Treasury's systems for the purpose of long-term intelligence gathering, and they didn't leave behind any malware.

Temperature is a crucial aspect of grilling. Whether you're searing steaks and burgers or slow smoking brisket, you need an accurate reading of both your grill's heat levels and the internal temperature of your food. There are tons of options, from instant-read thermometers to probe-based devices that keep tabs on your cook the entire time. Of the latter, some are wired and some are wireless, and the lack of cords criss-crossing your grates can be a real upgrade. Wireless grilling probes aren't new, but they are for a big name in grill thermometers that only launched one this year. ThermoWorks, the company behind the popular Thermapen, finally debuted its take on wireless temperature tracking with the RFX Meat ($159). For the sake of supreme accuracy, the company takes a different approach than many of its competitors, giving both backyard and commercial grill masters a reliable and versatile sous chef. The RFX technology ThermoWorks' RFX series relies on sub-GHz radio frequency (RF) wireless tech instead of solely using Bluetooth. This enables 1,500 feet of line-of-sight range between the probe and the receiver, although you'll likely want to keep the latter close to your grill just to be safe. Like previous ThermoWorks probe-based grilling thermometer sets, there are magnets on the back of the probe's charging cradle and receiver, so they'll stick on a cool side of your grill with ease. The RF signal is strong enough to consistently beam though the thick walls of an offset smoker or the confines of a Dutch oven even when it's inside the grill. Beyond the wireless tech, ThermoWorks offers some key features that stack up well with the wireless probe competition. For example, by charging the RFX Meat probe in its skinny charging block for just 10 minutes, you'll get up to 52 hours of cook time. The Gateway receiver provides the necessary Wi-Fi connectivity that allows you to monitor the grill remotely from anywhere. It also can connect to up to 70 wireless probes at once, which makes it suitable for commercial environments. The RFX Meat is IP69K rated, so it's dishwasher safe and built for deep frying and sous vide cooking. The probe can also withstand temperatures up to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which means you can use it to precisely monitor steaks during a high-heat sear. Lastly, the RFX Gateway supports ThermoWorks' Billows BBQ temperature control fan. This device turns smokers - offset, ceramic, barrel or drum - into smart grills by maintaining the desired temperature. Billows gets temperature updates from the Pro-Series Air Probe via the RFX receiver. It's great when you prefer to use wood or charcoal for low-and-slow cooking instead of a pellet grill and still want a slightly hands-off workflow. The RFX starter kit and standalone options Since you need both the RFX Meat and the RFX Gateway to get started, the best initial option is to get one of ThermoWorks' bundles. Dubbed the RFX Starter Kit, this package includes the Gateway receiver and the wireless probe. It also includes a Pro-Series Air Probe for ambient grill temperatures, a grate clip, charger (for the Gateway) and colored probe rings. The company gives you the choice of one, two or four-probe bundles, all of which will save you money over buying each item separately. They currently cost $159, $239 and $349 respectively, but ThermoWorks notes these are the introductory lowest price," so I expect everything to get slightly more expensive soon. If you really need to purchase the RFX Meat or RFX Gateway separately - if you lose one or encounter some other culinary tragedy - the wireless probe is $89 while the receiver is $79. Again, those are initial prices that I anticipate will go up. Using the RFX Meat on the grill Billy Steele for Engadget The RFX Meat is the fourth ThermoWorks product I've tested. I've used two models of the Thermapen instant-read thermometers as well as the Smoke X. The Thermapen One remains a kitchen and patio staple at my house, especially for checking the internal temperatures of meat and fish. I'm consistently amazed by how the company builds devices that are reliable, easy to use and highly accurate. All three of those traits also apply to the RFX duo. Like some of the competition, ThermoWorks put multiple sensors in the shaft of the probe. Those four components give you a more accurate reading for the internal temperature of your food within 0.9 degrees. The company opted for the separate, wired Pro-Series ambient temperature probe that plugs into the RFX Gateway receiver for keeping tabs on the grill. There are a couple of benefits to this. First, the separate probe moves the sensor away from your meat, so that the initial cool zone or evaporation around larger cuts of meat doesn't skew your readings. Second, you have the freedom to move the probe around since it's not attached to the main wireless device. Even if your grill has a built-in sensor inside the cooking chamber, ThermoWorks' Pro-Series option is a good secondary sanity check because most grill companies don't position their probes level with the cooking grates where food sits. The RFX system provided a consistent connection during my test sessions, which included an all-day, low-and-slow smoke for a pork butt and a quicker, three-hour cook for my Thanksgiving turkey. I didn't experience any drop-outs, and in the case of that bird, I was able to keep the RFX Meat probe in place during the rest phase. This was crucial since I pulled the turkey off the grill at 160 degrees Fahrenheit in the breast, so I needed to make sure that it hit 165 with carryover cooking before I carved it up. ThermoWorks ThermoWorks' app won't win any design awards, but it gets the job done. Frankly, I'll take reliability and ease of use over aesthetic polish any day. There are plenty of grilling apps that look better but don't work as well, and when you're trying to cook a $100 brisket, any source of uncertainty can be stressful. Similar to the competition, ThermoWorks' app lets you set high and low alarms for any of the probes, and you can also choose how often the app updates its readings. This means that when you're searing a steak, you can track every degree, but for longer cooks you can opt for three-degree intervals. RFX sends updates based on temperature changes, not time, so you'll want to give this some attention. True grilling nerds will also appreciate temperature graphs and the ability to add notes as needed. The company recently added an Advanced Mode that plots temperature data for all four internal RFX Meat sensors on a graph. Each line is a different color, giving you an in-depth look at changes over time during the entire session. One of the first things I noticed about the app's main (Devices) screen is that a carousel of the company's products and cooking tips appears by default. This was off-putting to me, taking up space in an area where I just wanted my valuable cooking data. Thankfully, you can hide that box, and I'm sure I won't be alone in desiring to do so. The competition There are a few companies that make wireless grilling probes, but the brand I've spent the most time with is Meater. The Traeger-owned company has several different options with the Meater Pro ($99.95), formerly the Meater 2 Pro, being the best Bluetooth tool for most backyard cooks. It has multiple sensors for internal meat temperatures as well as an embedded ambient sensor on the opposite end. The Meater Pro is extremely durable and can withstand both high-heat searing and deep frying. It's also dishwasher safe like the RFX Meat, which is a big perk. If you want Wi-Fi built in though, you'll need to splurge for the two-probe Pro Duo, which is $100 more. Meater's app also provides estimated completion times, which is nice to have, but the guesses are not always accurate. Wrap-up Meater 2 Plus and RFX went head-to-head on my Thanksgiving turkey. Billy Steele for Engadget ThermoWorks' initial RFX bundle is a reliable and simple way to keep tabs on your grill without standing right in front of it. The devices ensure that you're cooking at the correct temperature and that you achieve the exact doneness you desire. I like the separate wired ambient probe for the RFX gateway for its increased accuracy, and it's easy enough to route the cable out of the way. Sure, the RFX starter kit is more expensive than the likes of the Meater Pro, but ThermoWorks has already confirmed that more products that work with the Gateway are coming soon. The company does need to deliver on its promise to offer an offline mode via Bluetooth quickly though, so grillers who aren't in range of a Wi-Fi network can still use the RFX to cook. But having both is a key advantage over some of the company's rivals. And no matter how you connect to it, the RFX starter kit is further proof why chefs and pitmasters rely on ThermoWorks' accuracy for their cooking needs. The company simply does not miss.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/kitchen-tech/thermoworks-rfx-review-a-wireless-grilling-tool-with-unparalleled-accuracy-140056393.html?src=rss

A much-awaited feature is coming to the Pokemon TCG Pocket app sometime this month: Trading. In the game, which The Pokemon Company brought to mobile late last year, players can collect cards by opening digital booster packs. They can then use the Pokemon cards they get to battle each other. When the trading feature goes live, they'll also be able to improve their decks by trading with other people, though the feature will come with a set of limitations.Players will only be able to trade cards with their friends, and the cards must be of the same rarity. Both criteria potentially limit the cards players can obtain. To note, the game has eight rarity levels, and cards from the three highest tiers - the ones most difficult to draw - cannot be traded for now. In addition, The Pokemon Company has revealed that "items must be consumed in order to trade," though it didn't specify what those items are and how many will be expended per transaction. Finally, while only certain cards from the Genetic Apex and Mythical Island booster packs can be traded at launch, the company said that it's planning to expand the pack selection players can trade from.There's no specific release date for trading yet, but the company seems to be open to suggestions when it comes to improving the feature. It's inviting everyone to try the feature and send in feedback when it becomes available, so that "the game can continue to evolve in an enjoyable way for everyone."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/card-trading-is-coming-to-the-pokemon-tcg-app-133009689.html?src=rss

Sony has canceled two more live-service games, one from its remake and remaster studio Bluepoint and another from Days Gone developer Bend Studio in Oregon, the company confirmed to Bloomberg. Neither studio will be closed, though the company has yet to say if any layoffs will occur. "We are working closely with each studio to determine what are the next projects," a spokesperson said.Bluepoint is the studio that created the much-lauded remakes of Demon's Souls and Shadow of the Colossus. The company reportedly helped with God of War Ragnarok from 2022-2022, and following that, was working on the live-service project canceled yesterday, Bloomberg's Jason Schreier said in a post on BlueSky. Bend Studio has been a first-party developer for Sony since 2000, with its most recent project being the action-adventure game Days Gone, released for PS4 in 2019.The cancelations are the latest failures for Sony in the GaaS (games as a service) arena, following the spectacular flameout of Concord in September 2024. While the company did have a hit with Helldivers II last year, it reportedly canceled several other live-service games in the last several years, including one based on Spider-Man. Sony Interactive Entertainment cut around 1,120 jobs in 2024 across various studios, including Bungie, Naughty Dog and Insomniac - part of an unfortunate trend in the industry.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/sony-axes-two-more-live-service-games-130048000.html?src=rss

So it looks like the TikTok ban may actually be happening, barring a last-minute Supreme Court decision. In this episode, Senior Writer Karissa Bell joins Devindra and Ben to discuss the potential finale of TikTok in America, as well as why some users are finding refuge in RedNote, a Chinese Instagram clone. They also dive into why Meta is giving up on third-party fact checkers, and how this relates to Mark Zuckerberg's descent into the right-wing world. Finally, we explore the tidbits of information from Nintendo's Switch 2 unveiling.Stay tuned to the end of this episode for Devindra's chat with Dan Erickson, the creator of Severance, about season two of his hit show.Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcast, Engadget News!Subscribe!

Cold weather is an especially rough time for keeping track of one's keys - so many more layers with so many more pockets - really, they could be anywhere. Stick a Bluetooth tracker on your keyring and suddenly finding items is as easy as tapping a button in an app. Of course, these trackers are good for bags, luggage, wallets and even jackets themselves. And if something goes missing out in the city, an anonymous finding network can help lead you to your lost item. We tested out most of the major tracker brands out there, comparing their everyday utility, compatibility, the size of the connected networks and other handy features to help you find the best Bluetooth tracker for you. What to look for in a Bluetooth tracking device Bluetooth trackers are small discs or cards that rely on short-range, low-energy wireless signals to communicate with your smartphone. Attach one of these gadgets your stuff and, if it's in range, your phone can ring" the chip so you can find it. These tracking devices offer other features like separation alerts to tell you when you've left a tagged item behind, or where a lost item was last detected. Some can even tap into a larger network of smartphones to track down your device when you're out of range. Depending on what you want the tracker to do, there are a few specs to look for when deciding which to get. Device compatibility Like most things from the folks in Cupertino, AirTags only work with products in the Apple ecosystem. The company has opened up access to its Find My network to third-party manufacturers, including Chipolo and Pebblebee. Those finders work with Apple's large tracking network, but only pair with Apple devices. Chipolo's classic trackers will work with either Android or Apple devices, as will Tile trackers. Samsung's latest fob, the Galaxy SmartTag2, only works with Samsung phones, but new tags from Chipolo and Pebblebee that rely on Google's new Find My Device network will work with any Android phone (running Android 9 or later). Finding network Crowd-sourced finding capabilities are what make headlines, with stories about recovering stolen equipment or tracking lost luggage across the globe. Using anonymous signals that ping other people's devices, these Bluetooth tracking devices can potentially tell you where a tagged item is, even if your smartphone is out of Bluetooth range. Apple's Find My network is the largest, with over a billion iPhones and iPads in service all running Apple's Find My app by default. So unless an iPhone user opts out, their phone silently acts as a location detector for any nearby AirTags. Apple recently increased the AirTag's finding power by enabling you to share the location of a lost tag with a third party, like an airline. Chipolo fobs that work on Apple's network have the same ability. Now that Google's Find My Device network is up and running, it's a close second for the largest in the US. Like Apple, Android users are automatically part of the network, but can opt-out by selecting the Google services option in their phone's Settings app and toggling the option in the Find My Device menu. Samsung's SmartTag 2 and related network also defaults to an opt-in status for finding tags and other devices. Tile offers a large finding grid that includes Tile users, Amazon Sidewalk customers and people running the Life360 network. Life360 acquired Tile in 2021, and, according to the company, the Life360 network has more than 70 million monthly active users. In our tests, AirTags offered nearly real-time location data and were quickest to find items abandoned in spots around Albuquerque, including a bar, bookstore and coffee shop in Nob Hill, along with various outdoor hangouts on UNM's campus. Samsung's SmartTags were able to locate our lost items most of the time, though not with the same precision finding accuracy as AirTags. Google's newish Find My Device network was a little slower than Apple's network when using the community finding feature, but the accuracy was better than Samsung. In our tests, Tile's finding network wasn't able to consistently locate its lost fobs. Chipolo's classic trackers, on the other hand, don't have much of a crowd-sourced network to speak of. Yet as we used the trackers, the size of the finding network started to feel less important in the face of typical, everyday use cases. It was their ability to out-perform in every other way that boosted Chipolo's classic trackers to the top of our list. Amy Skorheim / Engadget Separation alerts Here's where a tracker's day-to-day utility really shines. A separation alert lets you know when you've traveled too far from your tagged items, which is useful if you want to make sure your laptop bag, or jacket or umbrella always comes with you when you leave the house. These notifications work when you're out and about too. If you've got a Bluetooth tracking device in your wallet and walk out of a restaurant without it, the separation alert should kick in, resulting in fewer lost items. This feature also tells you where your tagged item and phone were last paired, allowing you to retrace your steps if you happen to miss the alert. Each tracker handles left-behind items differently. Both AirTags and Chipolo include the feature by default. Tile trackers require a yearly subscription to enable the alerts (currently $30 per year). And tags working with the Google Find My Device network don't offer the feature at all. Both AirTags and Tiles allow you to turn off separation alerts at certain locations, meaning you can set your home as a safe" place where items can be left behind, but alerts will still trigger elsewhere. Chipolo doesn't offer safe locations, but you can toggle out-of-range alerts on a per-item basis. In our tests, the Chipolo sent an alert after we got between 250 and 450 feet away from our tagged item. AirTags alerted us between the 600- and 1,400-foot mark. And Tiles sent a notification after about an average of 1,500 feet. Tile notifications were more consistent when using an Android phone than an iPhone. Connectivity, volume and design The feature you may use most often is the key finder function, which makes the tracker ring when you hit a button in the app. With Apple's AirTags, you can say "Hey Siri, where are my keys?" and the assistant will ring the tag (assuming it doesn't mistakenly think you're asking for directions to the Floridian archipelago). Asking Alexa or the Google Assistant to find your keys will work with Chipolo, Tile and Pebblebee trackers linked to your Android device. The SmartTag2, Tile, Chipolo classic and Pebblebee trackers using the Pebblebee app will also let you double click the device itself to make your phone ring. AirTags and any third party tags running on either the Find My (Apple) or Find My Device (Google) app don't offer this feature. The volume of the Bluetooth tracking device may determine whether you can find an item buried in your couch cushions or in a noisy room. AirTags have a reputation for being on the quiet side, and that aligned with what we saw (measuring roughly 65 decibels). All three versions of Chipolo's keychain-style tags and Tile's Pro model were the loudest, measuring between 83 and 86 decibels on average. Design will determine what you can attach the tracker to. AirTags are small, smooth discs that can't be secured to anything without accessories, which are numerous, but that is an additional cost to consider. Chipolo, Pebblebee and Tile offer trackers with holes that easily attach to your key ring, and all three companies also offer card-shaped versions designed to fit in your wallet. Batteries are replaceable for AirTags, Tile Pro and Chipolo One; the first two have a one-year battery life and the Chipolo can go up to two years. Tile Mate and all card-shaped trackers don't have replaceable batteries, which means you'll have to replace the entire unit whenever it dies. Pebblebee trackers are rechargeable and come in both a key fob and wallet variety. Stalking, theft and data privacy AirTags have gotten a lot of attention and even prompted some lawsuits for Apple due to bad actors planting them on people in order to stalk them. While this fact may not influence your buying decision, any discussion of Bluetooth trackers should note what steps Apple, Google and Tile have taken to address the issue. Last year, all the major players in the Bluetooth tracker business teamed up to combat misuse and standardize how unauthorized tracking detection and alerts work for iOS and Android. Last year, Tile launched a feature called Anti-Theft Mode, which enables you to render one of its trackers undetectable by others. That means if someone steals your tagged item, they won't be able to use the anti-stalking features to find and disable the tracker. That sort of negates one of the major ways potential stalking victims can stay safe, so Tile hopes ID verification and a $1 million penalty will deter misuse. Separately, Tile was recently hit by a data breach, raising different privacy concerns. The company issued a statement about the event, which it shared with Engadget:

The Starship's seventh test flight ended in an explosion when the vehicle's upper stage "experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly during its ascent burn" over the Atlantic Ocean. SpaceX chief Elon Musk posted a video of the event, with debris streaking across and lighting up the sky. During the company's webcast, Dan Huot from SpaceX's communications team said they "saw engines dropping out on telemetry" by the end of the ascent burn and that they ultimately lost contact with the Ship, which is what the company calls the vehicle's upper stage. SpaceX said in a tweet that it will continue reviewing data from the test to understand the explosion's root cause.

Pre-orders are now open for four new PlayStation 5 accessories in a new colorway: Midnight Black. That's better than other types of black because it stays up past bedtime. The collection includes the DualSense Edge wireless controller, the Portal remote player and the Pulse Explore wireless earbuds - each going for $200 - and the Pulse Elite wireless headset, which is selling for $150. All four are expected to ship February 20.Sony announced the collection earlier this month and the new accessories join the already-available Midnight Black standard Dual Sense controller ($75) and PS5 console cover ($55). Like PlayStation's 30th Anniversary collection, the Midnight Black accessories let you add a bit of personalized flair to your gaming setup, but these are far more sleek and brooding. If previous PlayStation releases are any indicator, there's a chance these new accessories will sell out before everyone gets one, so if Midnight Black feels as sexy to you as the video makes it look, you might want to start adding things to your cart.Pre-order the DualSense Edge wireless controller for $200: Compared to the standard DualSense controller, the Edge model gives you a few more features and options for customization. Buttons below the sticks change button assignments while switches adjust the triggers' pull length. It comes with two sets of rear paddles as well as extra joysticks, all magnetically swappable. A matching case is also included. Also direct from PlayStation.Pre-order the Portal remote player for $200: The Portal remote player got a lukewarm assessment from us back in 2023, but we started to come around once Sony started cloud gaming. The gateway has an 8-inch LCD screen (1080p at 60fps), haptic feedback and connects to your PS5 over Wi-Fi.Pre-order the Pulse Explore wireless earbuds for $200: The earbuds connect both via Bluetooth and Sony's own PlayStation Link tech, that promises ultra-low latency connection to a PS5, PC, Mac and the Portal remote player. AI-powered noise rejection technology will make sure your banter is heard clearly. A Midnight Black charging case is included. Also direct from PlayStation.Pre-order the Pulse Elite wireless headset $150: The Elite headset comes with a headset charging stand so you can show off your new accessory properly, while making sure it's ready for next time (and yes, the stand is the same late-night hue). These have the same dual-connection tech and AI-powered noise cancellation as the earbuds. Also direct from PlayStation.Most of the accessories are limited to one per customer from Sony's site.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/heres-how-to-pre-order-the-ps5-midnight-black-accessories-012150262.html?src=rss

The Federal Trade Commission has taken action against General Motors and OnStar for allegedly sharing details about drivers to third parties without their consent. The agency launched an investigation into the automotive company after The New York Times found that GM had collected data about customers' vehicle use and sold it to third-party platforms used by insurance companies.The information came from the OnStar Smart Driver program, which customers with GM vehicles were encouraged to participate in or didn't realize they had agreed to join. The program gathered data about behaviors such as hard braking, late night driving and speeding and reportedly sold the information to LexisNexis Risk Solutions and Verisk, which in turn sold that data to insurance companies. Shortly after the Times report, GM said it had stopped sharing the sensitive information with the two data brokers.Today, the FTC proposed a settlement that will see both GM and OnStar banned from disclosing consumers' geolocation and driver behavior data to consumer reporting agencies for five years. These companies will also be ordered to take additional steps to increase the transparency and choice for customers surrounding the information they collect and share."GM monitored and sold people's precise geolocation data and driver behavior information, sometimes as often as every three seconds," FTC Chair Lina M. Khan said. "With this action, the FTC is safeguarding Americans' privacy and protecting people from unchecked surveillance."Update, Jan 17, 4:14am ET: In a statement, GM said its Smart Driver program was ended last year due to customer feedback and ended its relationships with third-party platforms. It added it would also seek affirmative customer consent to collect and use connected vehicle data. In addition, it has pledged to give drivers "more transparency and control," allowing affected users the chance to access their personal information and request its deletion.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/ftc-bans-general-motors-from-selling-driver-data-for-five-years-000019615.html?src=rss

With a TikTok ban seemingly imminent, TikTok users have spent the last few days fleeing to Chinese social media app RedNote," trying to learn Mandarin, and bidding heartfelt farewells to their Chinese spy." But it's looking increasingly unlikely that TikTok will actually disappear on January 19.Most Supreme Court watchers expect the court to uphold the law that requires ByteDance to sell TikTok's US business or face a ban on January 19. But it seems there's little appetite to actually enforce the law that was passed with overwhelming bipartisan support last year. Incoming President Donald Trump, who formally asked the Supreme Court to delay the ban, has said he wants to save" the app.Yesterday, The Washington Post reported that Trump was considering" signing an executive order shortly after taking office on January 20, that would suspend enforcement of the TikTok ban-or-sale law for 60 to 90 days." Now, NBC News reports that unnamed White House officials" are saying they don't want TikTok to be banned on their watch, either.

Awesome Games Done Quick has already wrapped up for 2025 (with a cool $2.5 million raised for the Prevent Cancer Foundation), but the philanthropic group has other programs year-round that raise money for worthy causes. Two of those are hosted by the Frame Fatales, a community for women and femmes in speedrunning under the GDQ umbrella. The group's Frost Fatales event runs from March 9-16 and will raise money for the National Women's Law Center. The schedule just dropped today and here are a few of the highlights.The event starts with a pair of my personal favorite games to watch: the punishing 2D platformer Cuphead followed by the wahoos of Super Mario Odyssey. I'm also amused that Lanaruse will run Coffee Caravan, but with the category "Any% No Coffee." That kicks of the show on March 13 at 1 PM ET. The March 14 lineup looks particularly exciting, with Jaypeg tackling Snufkin: Melody of Moomin-valley, GretaIceVixen and Corvimae showing off Pokemon Sword & Shield, and Bloupeuh playing Undertale Yellow. Frost Fatales is set to close out with SawaYoshi tackling a one-handed run of Celeste, which sounds like required viewing.And if you can't wait until March to see some excellent gamer philanthropy, then be sure to tune in during Back to Black, GDQ's event highlighting Black speedrunners. This year, the showcase will be raising money for Race Forward, a racial justice nonprofit, from February 6-9.It's only a few days long, but Back to Black has a bunch of great talent in the lineup. Bobbeigh running any Castlevania game is a must-watch, and he'll play Rondo of Blood on Feb. 6 at 7:08 PM ET. Super Smash Bros. pro-turned-speedrunner Ryan Ford is on the schedule twice, with The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX on Feb. 8 at 4:05 PM ET and Super Metroid on Feb. 9 at 8:04 PM ET. Check out the full Back to Black schedule of games, runners and hosts here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/agdq-just-ended-but-theres-already-a-schedule-for-frost-fatales-and-it-owns-212907587.html?src=rss

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced today that's it's ordering Block, the creator of Cash App and parent company of Square, to pay up to $120 million in "refunds and other redress to consumers" and a $55 million fine over how the company handled fraud on its payment platform.Per the CFPB, Cash App's Terms of Service at one point claimed that any bank linked to an account for transferring funds was responsible for addressing disputes around fraudulent charges, something that's not generally true under the Electronic Fund Transfer Act. Block would use that claim to avoid assuming responsibility, and when it would investigate a complaint, it relied on "intentionally shoddy investigation practices to close reports of unauthorized transactions in the company's favor," CFPB's statement explains.Accessing any kind of customer service for Cash App was a challenge, too, according to the CFPB. Block included a customer service number on Cash App cards and in the app's Terms of Service, but calling it would it ultimately lead users to "a pre-recorded message directing consumers to contact customer support through the app." And reaching out to the company through the app or physical mail often led to delayed or confusing responses.Besides the up to $175 million in fees Block owes, the CFPB is also directing the company to set up a live 24/7 customer support line. Block has agreed to comply with the order. "While we strongly disagree with the CFPB's mischaracterizations," the company shared on its blog, "we made the decision to settle this matter in the interest of putting it behind us and focusing on what's best for our customers and our business."The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has taken an increasingly aggressive approach towards regulating payment apps and digital wallets in the last year of the Biden Administration. The CFPB expanded its purview from just banks to wallets and payments apps in November 2024, and came after the payment app Zelle not even a month later.These attempts at regulation are facing pushback, too. NetChoice, a trade association for online companies, and TechNet, "a bipartisan network of technology CEOs," are both suing the CFPB over its efforts to clean up digital payments, with familiar claims of government overreach and that the CFPB failed to explain the risks it was addressing when it decided to regulate payment apps in the first place.Update, January 16, 5:36PM ET: This story was updated after publishing to clarify that the cost of Block's combined CFPB fine is up to $175 million, rather than $175 million.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/cfpb-fines-block-175m-over-cash-apps-lax-fraud-controls-210749768.html?src=rss

Google has told the EU it will not comply with a forthcoming fact-checking law, according to a copy of a letter obtained by Axios. The company states that it will not be adding fact checks to search results or YouTube videos and will not use fact-checking data when ranking or removing content.It's important to note that Google has never really participated in fact-checking as part of its content moderation policies. The company did, however, invest in a European fact-checking database ahead of recent EU elections.The upcoming fact-checking requirement was originally implemented by the European Commission's new Code of Practice on Disinformation. It started as a voluntary set of self-regulatory standards to fight disinformation" but will soon become mandatory.Google's global affairs president Kent Walker said the fact-checking integration "simply isn't appropriate or effective for our services" in a letter to the European Commission. The company also touted its current approach to content moderation, suggesting it did a bang-up job during last year's unprecedented cycle of global elections."Google also points to a new feature added to YouTube last year that enables certain users to add contextual notes to videos, saying that it has significant potential." This program is similar to X's Community Notes and, likely, whatever fresh hell Meta is cooking up.Walker went on to say that Google will continue to invest in current content moderation technologies, like Synth ID watermarking and AI disclosures on YouTube. We have no idea what the EU will do in response to Google once digital fact-checking practices become law.This is happening just after Meta announced it would be ending its fact-checking program in the US, so who knows if Mark Zuckerberg will comply with EU laws. X scaled back its professional fact checkers a while ago. Big tech certainly seems to have a big problem with, um, facts.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-decides-it-wont-comply-with-eu-fact-checking-law-201514781.html?src=rss

Some significant changes are coming to Apple Intelligence notification summaries. With the latest slate of developer previews for iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3 and macOS Sequoia 15.3, Apple has suspended the system's aggregated notifications, specifically from news and entertainment apps, while it works on improvements to the alerts.The company has also added a new disclosure that appears when users first enable notification summaries. It states that the notifications are a beta feature and that they may produce unexpected results. Separately, the betas add a new option that allows users to decide from the lock screen whether they want notifications from an app summarized. Lastly, the AI-generated alerts use italicized text to further distinguish them from their non-summarized counterparts.Last week, Apple told Engadget it was working on an update to notification summaries. "Apple Intelligence features are in beta and we are continuously making improvements with the help of user feedback," Apple said. "A software update in the coming weeks will further clarify when the text being displayed is summarization provided by Apple Intelligence. We encourage users to report a concern if they view an unexpected notification summary."Notification summaries are one of the features that arrived alongside the initial release of Apple Intelligence with iOS 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1. Shortly after rolling out to regular users, they quickly led to bad press for Apple. Notably, the BBC published multiple reports accusing the blurbs of spreading misinformation. One especially unflattering example saw a summary claim that Luigi Mangione, the alleged murderer of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, had shot himself.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/apple-pauses-ai-notification-summaries-of-news-alerts-in-latest-ios-beta-195900023.html?src=rss

Austrian privacy advocate NOYB has launched its first GDPR complaints against Chinese businesses. The organization has filed complaints against TikTok, Xiaomi, Shein, AliExpress, Temu and WeChat, alleging that these companies unlawfully shared information about European users with parties in China. The group is seeking suspension of data transfers to China as well as fines of up to four percent of a firm's global revenue. NOYB is an acronym for "none of your business" and is led by activist Max Schrems, known for his campaigns against Facebook.The General Data Protection Regulation is a rule covering information privacy in the EU. Under that regulation, data transfers outside of the EU are only allowed if the destination country doesn't undermine data protection. Calling China an "authoritarian surveillance state," NOYB is arguing that data transfers should not be allowed to the country."According to their privacy policy, AliExpress, SHEIN, TikTok and Xiaomi transfer data to China," NOYB said in a release announcing the action. "Temu and WeChat mention transfers to third countries. According to Temu and WeChat's corporate structure, this most likely includes China."NOYB has previously filed complaints against American big tech firms, including Apple and Meta, for potential GDPR violations.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/tiktok-temu-and-more-face-complaints-alleging-gdpr-violations-in-eu-195115567.html?src=rss

If you're a cinephile who misses the old Apple TV app for movie trailers, MoviePass CEO Stacy Spikes knows your pain. So he decided to build a trailer app of his own, one that could easily help viewers keep track of upcoming films. But the MoviePass Screening Room isn't heading to Apple TV devices and set-top boxes - instead, Spikes quietly launched it in VR for the Meta Quest and Apple Vision Pro."I'm in VR all the time," Spikes told Engadget in an interview. "And when I saw how beautiful the imagery was in the Vision Pro, and I know Meta is going to catch up pretty quick on optics, I just said 'This is a great way to watch movie trailers.'"When he tried to actually watch trailers in VR, though, it involved searching through YouTube and hoping he actually landed on a high quality version of what he was looking for. So why not launch a trailer app of his own? One that could help everyone keep tabs on upcoming films, as well as eventually make it easier for MoviePass subscribers to book tickets. "We wanted to be top of mind," Spikes said, as people determined which films to watch.MoviePassIn its current form on the Vision Pro, the MoviePass Screening Room is fairly straightforward. Once you launch the app, you're presented with a list of trailers for recent and upcoming films like Sonic 3 and Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning. Select a title, and it begins playing almost instantly. Spikes says he acquires trailers from Nielsen, directly from studios and from the marketing agency PaperAirplane. The goal is to get the highest quality possible - in many cases that's just 1080p, but some studios offer 4K options.After perusing several trailers, I noticed that the bitrate and encoding quality looked better than most YouTube offerings (it's particularly easy to see when you're blowing screens up to the size of cinemas in VR). Mostly, though, I just appreciated having a single place to go to find high quality trailers. Exploring YouTube on the Vision Pro is still a clunky browser-based affair, and it's also filled with tons of low-quality videos and fan edits.MoviePassWhen I asked if there's some sort of data collection play with this app, especially since Nielsen is a source, Spikes replied, "We do not intend to go down that path. We see it much more as expanding our own ecosystem. And, you know, when you get into the data world, you're really getting into the advertising world. And that's not the space that we're headed into."Watching trailers has always been a way for me to wind down after a long day. The best of them are more than just ads, they give us a brief glimpse of cinematic magic coming on the horizon. Spikes himself admits that he used to check the Apple TV trailer app "religiously," so it's not a huge surprise he essentially wants to replicate that experience. While the MoviePass Screening Room is only available on the Vision Pro and Meta Quest at the moment, Spikes says he intends to retool it for the Apple TV, Roku and other platforms eventually, as well as add trailers directly into the MoviePass app.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/moviepass-made-a-film-trailer-app-for-the-oculus-quest-and-apple-vision-pro-190822710.html?src=rss

If your gaming plans for this weekend somehow don't involve stomping around as Godzilla in Fortnite, I don't know what to tell you. The legendary titan is dropping onto the island for a limited time starting on January 17, and you even might get the opportunity to take control of him.According to developer Epic Games, there's a small chance that a portal will pop up on the map during Battle Royale matches. The first player to locate and jump into it will emerge as the magnificent beast. Godzilla can use a roar ability to reveal nearby players, use a stomp attack to send 'em flying and tear through buildings with a heat ray.Godzilla is also a de facto boss for other players. They can attack weak spots to deliver extra damage and chip off collectible fragments that provide a health boost and dash charges. Epic has also brought the rail gun back into the game to help players take down the colossal critter. It appears that the event will run until the current season ends on February 21.It wouldn't be Fortnite if there weren't a bunch of cosmetics that tie into the event. Players who have the current battle pass can unlock a reactive Godzilla skin by completing quests. The outfit will start glowing after you secure your first kill in a match and grow brighter after each elimination - so it might actually punish you for playing too well if you become more visible to enemies.There's also a Kong and Mechagodzilla outfit bundle coming to the shop. The latter glows when you attack enemy players. The unveiling of that outfit in the event trailer is very funny, with Mechagodzilla stomping buildings until the camera zooms out to reveal a miniature city. I truly hope that's part of a new emote.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/fortnite-will-let-you-play-as-godzilla-if-youre-lucky-170615837.html?src=rss

Leica has unveiled its latest full-frame mirrorless camera, the 24-megapixel SL3-S with improved performance and video compared to its predecessor, the SL2-S. It largely resembles the photo-centric 60-megapixel SL3 unveiled in March last year, but is geared toward hybrid users who shoot both stills and video. Spec-wise, it resembles Panasonic's $2,200 S5 IIX mirrorless camera and may use a similar sensor. The L-mount SL3-S has a much chunkier body than the Leica rangefinder cameras you may be used to. It does offer front and rear dials to control key functions, along with a pair of mode dials, a joystick and several more buttons. However, it lacks some controls found on models like the S5 IIX - so you may need to wade into the menus to change some settings. Leica Luckily, the rear touchscreen is large and very high in resolution (5.7-million dots), though it only tilts and doesn't fully articulate which is unfortunate for a hybrid camera. The electronic viewfinder (EVF) offers 5.76-million dots of resolution, which is solid but a bit low compared to similarly priced rivals. A key improvement is faster autofocus, thanks to the updated 24-megapixel full-frame BSI CMOS sensor. That allows burst shooting at up to 30fps with continuous phase-detect AF, with fairly long capture times thanks to support for fast CFexpress Type B memory cards. The company is also promising 15 stops of dynamic range that should allow for fine adjustments when shooting RAW files. Leica Another key new feature is on the video side, with 6K 3:2 "open-gate" capture (5,952 x 3,968 to be exact) recording, or 5,888 x 3,312 RAW 10-bit (to an external recorder), along with 4K 60p. The SL3-S also supports ProRes recording to a USB-C device or CFexpress B cards. (It's not clear if internal RAW video recording is supported, though a spec sheet from B&H Photo Video shows that to be the case.) Those video specs line up closely with Panasonic's S5 IIX, though the latter lacks a CFexpress card slot. The main benefit of a Leica camera is Leica's sharp (and expensive) lenses, though the SL3-S can also use glass from L-Mount partners, Panasonic and Sigma. The only big advantage over the S5 IIx is the addition of a CFexpress card slot, but otherwise the two models have similar specs - so whether that red Leica dot is worth an extra $3,100 is up to buyers to decide. Leica's SL3-S is now on sale for $5,295 at B&H Photo Video and elsewhere. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/leicas-sl3-s-mirrorless-cameras-boasts-6k-prores-video-and-faster-autofocus-164600817.html?src=rss

If you're in the market for a power bank, one of our favorite models is back down to its Black Friday price. Amazon has discounted Anker's 20,000mAh Prime Power Bank - with optional base included - to $110 or 41 percent off its regular $185 price. As mentioned, the last time the Anker Prime was $110, its current all-time low price, was during the Thanksgiving holiday. The Anker Prime is Engadget's favorite premium power bank. Outside of its sleek design, the primary reason to consider the Prime over other, more affordable models is the ease of use you get when you pair the power bank with its optional base. The accessory features magnets that make it easy to align the charging pins, so you never need to fiddle around with a cable to start the recharging process. What's more, the base, with one USB-A and two USB-C connections, doubles the number of ports the Anker Prime offers. As for charging speeds, they're in line with what you can expect from other 20,000mAh power banks. In our testing, the Prime charged an iPhone 11 from dead to 75 percent in 47 minutes and to full in an hour and 48 minutes. With a phone that features a 3,110mAh capacity like the iPhone 11, you can expect the Prime to fully charge your device three to four times before it needs a recharge of its own. The one downside of the Anker Prime is how expensive it is at its regular price. At $110, it's a much better purchase. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/ankers-20k-power-bank-with-charging-base-is-down-to-a-record-low-price-163833147.html?src=rss

The long wait is finally over. In a YouTube video with little fanfare, Nintendo officially introduced the long-awaited Switch 2. The first true next-gen follow-up to the original Switch includes backwards-compatibility for owners of existing Switch games. We'll learn more about the console in a Nintendo Direct presentation on April 2, 2025. There's still no firm release date, though.Nintendo is also planning to host first-look experience events in cities around the globe starting in April, the first of which take place in New York City and Paris from April 4 to April 6. More cities around North America, Europe, Oceania and Asia will follow.This trailer and accompanying press release are truly light on details. We see how the Switch 2 evolves from the original, with a larger screen and accompanying Joy-Con controllers that do appear to be attachable via magnets and a tiny port on the side of the controller. That's it, though - no price, specs or any details on what games are coming to the Switch 2.That said, we did see a few shots of a Mario Kart game running on the Switch 2 - so all the rumors surrounding a Mario Kart 9 launching alongside the Switch 2 got another shot in the arm today.The announcement of the Switch 2 has been a long time coming. Today's news caps off months of speculation about when the company would unveil new hardware. The community interest in a Switch 2 was vocal enough that president Shuntaro Furukawa posted on X ahead of the June 2024 Nintendo Direct not to expect any new console news, although he did confirm that the Switch's successor would be introduced by March 2025.Nintendo has given players some minor upgrades over the years since the Switch first arrived on the scene in 2017. The Switch Lite offered a more compact handheld ideal for gaming on the go, and the Switch OLED delivered a premium screen. But even within the limitations of a portable gaming device, the Switch has lagged far behind other consoles when it comes to power and performance. Of course, trying to compete with Sony and Microsoft's consoles on pure power hasn't been Nintendo's concern for decades at this point. Once we get our hands on the Switch 2, we'll know whether it delivers enough oomph to feel worth the wait.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2-is-official-with-more-details-coming-on-april-2-2025-131325484.html?src=rss

Sony just dropped a full-fledged trailer for the Until Dawn movie, just days after releasing a shorter teaser. The new footage gives us a proper introduction to the Groundhog Day-style gimmick that separates the film from the game.The game is known for permadeath, as any of the eight main characters can die and the narrative will just barrel along without them. The movie, however, takes a different approach. When these characters die, they wake up to start the night over again. This is like Groundhog Day, sure, but also Edge of Tomorrow, Happy Death Day and more Star Trek episodes than you can shake a stick at. Time loops are fun!Sony says that the movie will connect to the game universe, despite the differing storytelling mechanic. For instance, Peter Stormare voices Dr. Hill in the game, but shows up in the trailer working at a gas station. The film will delve into his character's involvement in the events of the game, raising questions for fans to explore."The film's directed by David F. Sandberg, who also helmed Shazam! and Lights Out. It's written by Gary Dauberman and Blair Butler. Dauberman is best known for writing films in The Conjuring universe, like Annabelle, Annabelle: Creation, The Nun and Annabelle Comes Home.Until Dawn stars the aforementioned Peter Stormare, but also younger actors like Ella Rubin, Ji-young Yoo, Michael Cimino and Maia Mitchell. It hits theaters on April 25. In the meantime, a remake of the game arrived on PS5 and PC in October.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/until-dawn-trailer-shows-the-movies-groundhog-day-style-gimmick-in-action-162626389.html?src=rss

Well, it finally happened. After years of waiting and requests, Amazon debuted the $280 Kindle Colorsoft, its first ereader with a color display. The company's ereaders have dominated this space since the original Kindle came out 17 years ago, but in this case, it feels like Amazon is playing catch-up. Color E Ink displays aren't novel: we've tested and reviewed a number of color ereaders and E Ink tablets from Kobo, Boox and reMarkable in recent years. But Amazon is essentially trying to pull an Apple with the Colorsoft: with claims that color E Ink technology just wasn't good enough to put into a Kindle until now, Amazon's promising the Colorsoft gets this implementation right thanks in part to the custom tweaks it made to the display. And, unsurprisingly, Amazon's ready to charge you a premium for it. So is it all it's cracked up to be? As you might suspect, the answer isn't as simple as yes or no. Update 1/16/25: Following the multiple reports of Kindle Colorsoft owners seeing a yellow band at the bottom of their ereader's display (myself included), I reached out to Amazon to receive a new review unit. I did so after the company stated publicly that it would make appropriate adjustments" to resolve the issue. Amazon sent me a second Colorsoft review unit at the end of 2024 and, in short, the new one did not have the yellow-band issue and the display appeared warmer overall. An Amazon spokesperson told me that a combination of software and display adjustments" was implemented to fix the yellow-band issue, and those are the only differences between my original review unit's display and that of the new one. The difference in warmth between the Kobo Libra Colour's screen and the Kindle Colorsoft's screen was dramatically reduced on my second review unit. That's a good thing for the Colorsoft because its screen now better mimics the look of actual, physical book pages. I've adjusted our pros and cons list to reflect my experience with the new review unit, and what follows is our original review. Update 11/5/24: There have been multiple reports of Kindle Colorsoft owners seeing a yellow band at the bottom of their ereader's display. My review unit was not affected during the time I spent testing the Colorsoft, but upon checking on the morning of November 4, 2024, it appeared for me, too. Upon reaching out to Amazon for comment, a spokesperson told Engadget: "A small number of customers have reported a yellow band along the bottom of the display. We take the quality of our products seriously - customers who notice this can reach out to our customer service team for a replacement or refund, and we're making the appropriate adjustments to ensure that new devices will not experience this issue moving forward." In the meantime, we've removed our score and recommended labeling until we're able to get a replacement Colorsoft and test it for a longer period of time to ensure this issue has been fully resolved. Screen technology and comparisons Let's get the tech details squared away first. The Kindle Colorsoft's seven-inch screen is based on E Ink Kaleido 3 technology, but a representative from the Kindle team explained to me that they developed a custom display stack for this device. That means they made quite a few changes to the tech in order to achieve things like higher-contrast pigments and improved speeds overall. The Colorsoft's custom oxide backplane uses 24 driving volts to move pigments around more quickly and it helps those pigments appear with better contrast. Nitride LEDs enhance colors and brightness, and a custom coating in between the display's layers helps focus light through each pigment so there's less color mixing. Some of the same tech helps make page-turns quicker and supposedly reduces excessively noticeable screen refreshing when you go from one color page to another, or pinch-and-zoom on an image. That's all to say that Amazon would like you to believe that this E Ink Kaleido 3 screen is not like the other girls in this space, and while I do not doubt the Kindle team's efforts, the differences are not as dramatic as the story would suggest. Until Kobo updates the Sage with color, the closest competitor to the $280 Kindle Colorsoft is the $220 Kobo Libra Colour (in size, platform and overall experience), so I did a lot of side-by-side comparisons of the two. The biggest difference I saw was that the Kobo's screen skews warmer than the Kindle's; I kicked the brightness up to the maximum and turned all warm/natural light settings down to zero on both devices and the difference was noticeable, regardless of if the displays were showing color images, black-and-white text or a mix of the two. This would suggest that the Kindle will show more accurate colors more often since there's less of a warm lean to its display. But on the flip side, the Kindle screen's blue tint was just as noticeable, particularly in low-light situations (like a dark office or a dimly lit living room). At max brightness with warmth down to zero, the Kindle's screen was borderline uncomfortable to read in those environments - but all it took was a slight adjustment to warmth level four (out of 24) to get it to match the Kobo's display in warmth almost exactly (at least to my eyes). That made it more comfortable to stare at in dark spaces. I also compared the Colorsoft's screen to my personal Kindle Paperwhite (previous generation) and the blue skew was noticeable there too. Ultimately, how much warm or cool light you prefer while reading is up to personal taste. My preferences would lead me to adjust the warmth on the Kindle to be a bit higher than zero, mimicking that of the Kobo. In an unscientific poll of the Engadget staff, both in person and with device photos, everybody preferred the screen on the Kobo. I think the slight added warmth in Kobo's screen makes colors appear a bit more saturated and more inviting overall. It also gets close to mimicking the look of actual physical pages (as much as one of these devices could, at least), and that's the experience I'm going for when I read pretty much anything. But I could understand why some hardcore comic fans would want to start off with the most color-accurate baseline as possible, and then adjust from there to fit their preferences. In addition to adjusting the warm light, the Kindle Colorsoft has vivid mode, which enhances color in less saturated images." For the sake of efficacy, most of my time was spent in standard mode when testing the Colorsoft. But in trying out vivid mode, I noticed that its enhanced saturation was most noticeable in warm-toned images: reds appeared ever-so-slightly more striking, while oranges and yellows had a more bronze effect and the like. But I had to turn vivid mode on and off a few times to clock the effect because it's quite subtle. Then there's the question of actually reading words on the Colorsoft. Even the Kindle team representative I spoke with acknowledged that, due to the extra physical layer in the screen that enables color, one might notice a bit less sharpness and contrast in black-and-white text on the Colorsoft's screen. That's not unique to this particular Kindle - every color ereader will have this issue to some degree. When comparing the text-only experience of the Kindle Colorsoft to that of the Kobo Libra Colour, I found both to be quite good and comparable to one another. Where there's a bigger possibility for discrepancies is in a comparison of the Colorsoft to, say, the new Kindle Paperwhite. I did not have the latter device to compare to, but I did have my personal, previous-generation Paperwhite, and the difference was ever so slight, with the standard Paperwhite having the (small) upper hand in the contrast and sharpness departments. Reading experience Photo by Valentina Palladino / Engadget The color screen is the most consequential thing about the Kindle Colorsoft, and chances are if you've had a Kindle in the past, the reading experience on this new device will feel quite familiar. The Kindle UI hasn't changed much, still dividing the main screen into Home and Library options. The former is basically a space for Amazon to serve you personalized book recommendations and promote new Kindle releases, while the latter shows your entire digital library including books, documents, Audible audiobooks and library loans. The Library page is striking in color and there is something undeniably satisfying about seeing all of your title covers in full-color glory. While reading a book, you can still customize and save different themes with fonts, font sizes and page layouts that best suit your preferences. You still have the option to quickly navigate within a title by page, location, chapter and even popular highlights. Page turns are speedy and will likely be an improvement for anyone coming from an older Kindle or other ereader. Annotations and your own highlights are collected in the same place for easy reference, and with the latter, you can filter by highlight color as well. You have four colors to choose from on the Colorsoft - orange, yellow, blue and pink - so if you use the yellow highlighter to mark favorite quotes, you can then filter by just that color. Note that all highlighting and note-taking must be done with your fingers because, unlike the Kindle Scribe, the Colorsoft has no stylus support. The pinch-to-zoom feature on the Colorsoft is good for those who read a lot of graphic novels and comics. Amazon developed a custom algorithm to make this motion as smooth as possible, and it's a pretty good experience, albeit not a unique one. You can also pinch to zoom on the Kobo Libra Colour, which mostly helps get in closer to comic panels to read small text or better see minute details. On both devices, there are full-screen refreshes when you pinch to zoom on color images and the speed of completion is roughly the same. I also found image quality to be quite similar as well, and it's worth noting that art style can skew your impression of an image's quality. A comic that employs clean, distinct lines compared to one that's more grungy and watercolor-like will always come off more crisp. The Colorsoft, like the regular Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition, also has an auto-adjusting front light that promises to illuminate the display just right depending on if you're reading outside on a sunny day, in the dark cabin of an airplane or anywhere else. It's a nice hardware perk to have and, with the feature turned on, removes much of manual fiddling that some might find annoying to do when they take their Kindle into different environments. The competition Photo by Valentina Palladino / Engadget While we already went through the screen comparisons for the $280 Kindle Colorsoft and the $220 Kobo Libra Colour, there are plenty of other differences between the two that you should consider when picking your next ereader. I've added a spec list below to break down the basics, and the most consequential to me are the fact that the Kobo has page-turn buttons and stylus support. The former is really a matter of preference - you either love physical buttons or you find no use for them - but the latter is pure added value even if you do have to purchase the $70 Kobo stylus separately. It essentially allows you to turn the Libra Colour into a makeshift Kobo Sage or Kindle Scribe, which could be useful for anyone in academia (students and educators alike) or anyone who just loves the feeling of putting pen to paper." Meanwhile, the Kindle has the upper hand in its wireless charging capabilities and its slightly cleaner flush-front design. When it comes to actual content available on Kindle and Kobo devices, the libraries you can purchase from on both are vast: both have ebooks and audiobooks available, and both the Colorsoft and Libra Colour support Bluetooth, so you can listen to audiobooks directly from the device with your wireless headphones. At the time of writing this review, all of the top five New York Times bestseller titles were available on both platforms at the same prices, with the only discrepancies being one that was on sale as a Kindle ebook and one that was available to read for free for Kindle Unlimited and Kobo Plus subscribers. Both of those monthly subscriptions give you unlimited reading access to thousands of titles, but I would give the advantage to Amazon on this one since Kindle Unlimited has been around for much longer. Amazon also has Prime Reading and Kids+ subscriptions that work with Kindle devices and provide even more content to paying subscribers. As far as borrowing ebooks from your local library goes, it might be a draw. Kobo integrates elegantly with Overdrive, making it nearly seamless to get borrowed books on your ereader. Simply connect your Overdrive account and library card in the settings menu and you can then either browse your library's offerings directly on device, or use the Libby mobile app to borrow titles and those will appear automatically on your Kobo. My only gripe with this system is that it works best if you have just one library card, since you can only connect one at a time. I'm a unique case where I have at least three library cards and I switch among them in Libby depending on which has the title I'm looking for. Those like me might prefer the send to Kindle" option in Libby, which just takes a couple more clicks to get any book from any library network to your Kindle device. The biggest downside here is that my Colorsoft review unit did not show all of my library book covers in full-color glory on the lock screen. After troubleshooting with a representative from Amazon, it was determined to be a title-specific issue. According to Amazon: "For library books, the lock screen is taken from the designated marketing cover for the book used by the library, which may not be the same as the actual book cover." So just know that if you get most of your reading material from your local library, there's a chance some of the covers may not display properly on the Colorsoft. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the $250 Boox Go Color 7, which earned a spot in our best ereaders guide after my colleague Amy Skorheim tested it. First, it's imperative to know that Boox devices require a bit more tech-savvy than a Kindle or a Kobo, as well as a willingness to experiment. They are full-blown Android tablets after all, and that might be exactly what you're looking for if you get your reading material from many different sources, since it offers access to the Google Play Store and all of its apps. As for specs, the Go Color 7 has a seven-inch Kaleido 3 display with 300 ppi in black and white and 150 ppi in color (similar to the Colorsoft), along with a warm light, page-turn buttons, a splash-resistant design and 64GB of storage (and a microSD card slot for more space!). It's even more similar to the Kobo Libra Colour in feature set and price, so it's another option for anyone willing to think a bit outside the standard ereader box. The decision between Kindle, Kobo and Boox is infinitely more complicated than choosing between the Colorsoft or the standard Kindle Paperwhite - and that's precisely because of the stark price difference. The Colorsoft is $120 more than the regular Kindle Paperwhite ($100 more if you pay to remove the lock screen ads from the Paperwhite, and $80 more than the Signature Edition) and aside from the color panel, it only adds wireless charging, the auto-adjusting front light sensor and doubles the storage. Remove color from the equation, and arguably the most useful of all of those is the extra storage but, make no mistake, 16GB of space on the Kindle Paperwhite is nothing to scoff at and will be just fine for most people. Unless you're 100-percent certain that color will make a huge difference in your day-to-day reading experience, the standard Paperwhite is the better value. Wrap-up Photo by Valentina Palladino / Engadget While it's very late to the color E Ink party, the Kindle Colorsoft is a solid premium ereader that provides an excellent experience both in color and black and white. I focused a lot on comparisons in this review because most people will not have the opportunity to have the Colorsoft and any of its contemporaries side by side (unless you're my dad, who buys almost every ereader and small tablet under the sun). But to be clear, the Colorsoft is a good Kindle, and in many ways, Amazon did pull an Apple here. If you're already heavily entrenched in the Kindle ecosystem and have been holding out for a color ereader, this is the device to get - just be prepared to pay a premium for it. Also, like Apple and its various operating systems, there's something to be said about the convenience and ubiquity of the Kindle ecosystem. The library is seemingly endless (with discounts galore), supplemented by Prime Reading and Kindle Unlimited, so it's easy to get sucked in when you're already shopping on Amazon for household goods and holiday gifts. But when it comes to value for your money (and a pure spec breakdown), you can get more from Kobo and Boox devices. Kindle isn't the only name in town anymore for ereaders, and it hasn't been for a long time, and that seems to be a more pronounced fact now with the introduction of the Colorsoft. If nothing else, Amazon has finally filled a glaring hole in its ereader lineup with this device. Amazon Kindle Colorsoft vs. the competition Amazon Kindle Colorsoft Kobo Libra Colour Boox Go Color 7 Price $280 $220 $250 Display size 7-inch color E Ink Kalaido 3 (with custom display stack) 7-inch color E Ink Kalaido 3 7-inch color E Ink Kalaido 3 Pixel density 300 ppi (black-and-white), 150 ppi (color content) 300 ppi (black-and-white), 150 ppi (color content) 300 ppi (black-and-white), 150 ppi (color content) Storage 32GB 32GB 64GB Battery life Up to 8 weeks Up to 6 weeks 2,300 mAh capacity; "long-lasting" battery life Page-turn buttons No Yes Yes Adjustable warm light Yes Yes Yes Auto brightness adjustments Yes No No Auto warm light adjustments No Yes No Waterproof rating IPX8 IPX8 Not provided Pinch-to-zoom support Yes Yes Not provided Stylus support No Yes No Audiobook support Yes, Audible audiobooks Yes, Kobo audiobooks Yes, via Android apps Library support Yes, via Overdrive's "Send to Kindle" option Yes, via built-in Overdrive integration Yes, via Android apps Wireless charging Yes No No USB-C charging Yes Yes Yes Wi-Fi Yes Yes Yes Bluetooth Yes Yes Yes This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/kindle-colorsoft-review-the-missing-link-in-amazons-ereader-lineup-131529685.html?src=rss

Grill companies are taking a different approach in 2025. Instead of refining premium smart pellet models and adding even more features, they're aiming to provide a solid outdoor cooking experience for less money than usual. Weber did so with the Smoque earlier this week and now Traeger is following suit. With the Woodridge series, Traeger offers an all-new look and simplified controls, and even the most affordable option is equipped with Wi-Fi connectivity. Plus, you can upgrade them all with additional accessories. The regular Woodridge is the cheapest option of the new trio. At $800, it's the same price as the smallest Pro series model, the Pro 575, and $1,000 less than the mid-range Ironwood grill. The entire Woodridge series has a novel design that differs from the pricier Timberline and Ironwood grills, and Traeger ditched the touchscreen for a simplified setup. But don't let the price fool you, the company didn't cut many corners to keep costs down. The Woodridge is a workhorse, and in some ways it's better to cook on than Traeger's more expensive grills. Design The first thing I noticed about the Woodridge is that Traeger got rid of the touchscreen controls. I don't doubt that component was expensive, and in my opinion it was unnecessary. Instead, there's a simple set of buttons for timers, food probes, ignition and menu. Next to them is a multi-color display with large numbers that make temperature, time and other stats easy to see, even from a distance. On the far right of the panel, a single knob allows you to scroll through and adjust temperature settings and more. Like other Traeger models, the controller is installed on the pellet hopper, which doubles as a small side shelf. On the Woodridge, the hopper has a 24 pound capacity, more than enough for most low-and-slow smoke sessions. These new grills also have Traeger's Pop-And-Lock (PAL) rail system around the outside. These allow you to customize your grills with things like shelves, paper towel holders and condiment baskets. There's also ample rack storage built in, with spots to store both the longer top rack and the smaller bottom ones, too. The Woodridge is the most basic of the new grills, and it doesn't have any kind of shelf or cabinet underneath. Instead, there's just an X-shaped bracket that keeps the legs snug and tight. On the hopper end, there are two wheels with rubber tread and two legs on the other. There's no handle to lift the grill to move it, so you have to use the side-mounted PAL rail. On the underbelly, you'll get Traeger's so-called EZ-Clean Grease & Ash Keg that collects all the waste from the cook chamber for easy removal. Even the lid and cook box on the Woodridge have a new shape. The lid is flatter and looks more like a gas grill than the oval tops of the Timberline, Ironwood and Pro series. You still get two levels of grates inside covering 860 square inches of cooking area, but there's less vertical space to stack food. Traeger redesigned the components under the cooking surface too, installing handles on the drip tray for easy removal and a cover for the grease keg. The path for grease is now more enclosed, so errant embers should be less of a concern. Overall, I'm impressed with the build quality on the entry-level Woodridge. It would've been easy for Traeger to use cheap materials to reduce cost, but the grill is sturdy and should last for years. The legs are rock solid and everything feels hefty and strong, which is a welcome surprise compared to other budget friendly options. Cooking with the Woodridge Billy Steele for Engadget If you're looking for a straightforward pellet grill that gets the job done, the Woodridge is a great option. It isn't loaded down with features you might not use, but does everything from low-and-slow barbecue to high-heat searing with a temperature range of 180-500 degrees Fahrenheit. I typically use pellet grills for smoking, so most of my testing focused on that, but I can vouch for the Woodridge's ability to maintain temperatures of 500 (and slightly above). The Woodridge doesn't have Traeger's signature Super Smoke mode, but the grill still imparts lots of smoke into your food. I particularly enjoyed the layered flavor on a double-smoked, glazed ham over the holidays. The convection air flow inside the cooking chamber moves smoke around to blanket your food with the nuance of the wood pellets. Even at higher smoking" temperatures of 300 degrees and above, the grill was still producing significant amounts of smoke. A big feature on the Woodridge is Traeger's WiFire tech. This Wi-Fi connectivity sends vital cooking stats to the company's app on your phone, allowing you to keep tabs on the process from anywhere. For the Woodridge, this means you can see data from wired or wireless food probes, adjust grill temperature, set timers, activate Keep Warm mode and shut down the grill on your phone. As always, the Traeger app has a wealth of recipes when you need some inspiration, complete with guidance for beginners. The app is one of the best tools on Traeger's grills, so it's nice to see the core features from the software are available on this base model. Other Woodridge options The regular Woodridge is the base model in the new trio with the Woodridge Pro and the Woodridge Elite above it. The Pro has 970 square inches of cooking space, Super Smoke mode, a folding side shelf and a bottom storage shelf. It also offers an upgraded controller with a pellet-monitoring sensor inside the hopper. Those upgrades cost $200, as the Woodridge Pro is $1,000. On the Woodridge Elite, you get some of the best aspects of Traeger's most expensive grills - the Timberline and Timberline XL. Those conveniences include insulated construction for better heat retention, a 1,100-watt infrared side burner and an enclosed cabinet base. The additions come on top of the 970-square-inch cooking area and other key specs from the Woodridge Pro. You'll pay a lot more for this grill, though, as the Elite is $1,600. So, it's much less attractive than the other Woodridge options. The Woodridge, Woodridge Pro and Woodridge Elite were just announced today, but the first two are available now at Traeger's website or from retailers in the US and Canada. Final thoughts on the Woodridge After Traeger went even more premium with its Ironwood makeover in 2023, the company had a big gap between its most affordable models and its more expensive ones. The original Ironwood was a nice bridge between the Pro series and the Timberline, but all of those upgrades killed that value proposition. The new Woodridge series reclaims some of that territory, and even the base trim gives you everything you'd want in a basic pellet grill. In fact, I'd argue it goes beyond that. The Woodridge and Woodridge Pro are massive upgrades compared to the Pro 575 and Pro 780. Every time I use the Woodridge I'm amazed by the sturdy build quality Traeger delivered while keeping the cost down. The new look is certainly a departure from the company's other grills, so it'll take some getting used to. But, when you're using it, that doesn't matter. I prefer the new simplified controls to Traeger's affinity for a touchscreen and the Woodridge performed well every time I cooked on it. If you think most of Traeger's lineup is too expensive, and that the Pro series has been around too long to invest in one, the Woodridge might be right for you. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/kitchen-tech/traeger-woodridge-review-a-big-upgrade-for-the-entry-level-pellet-grill-160010591.html?src=rss

The UK has spent over a decade attempting to regulate who can access adult content online and has failed, again and again. But things might just change, as OfCom, the country's government-approved communication services regulator, has finally published its age checks guidance. How exactly, they'll enforce that guidance is unclear, but baby steps.The new obligations stem from the October 2023 Online Safety Act, which requires services to stop children from accessing pornographic content. Ofcom released an initial draft of expectations for services in late 2023, stating it would publish its final guidance in early 2025 - so, we're right on time."For too long, many online services which allow porn and other harmful material have ignored the fact that children are accessing their services," said Melanie Dawes, Ofcom's chief executive, in a release. "Either they don't ask or, when they do, the checks are minimal and easy to avoid. That means companies have effectively been treating all users as if they're adults, leaving children potentially exposed to porn and other types of harmful content. Today, this starts to change."First off, Ofcom is requiring all applicable services to determine if children are likely to access any part of their offerings by April 16. That same month, Ofcom will publish its Protection of Children Codes and guidance on conducting a children's risk assessment. Any service likely to be used by children will need to conduct said assessment by July. They also need to have protective measures in place if children try to use their services, such as age checks. Any site that has pornography (whether created by the service, users or generative AI) must introduce strict age checks as soon as possible.As Ofcom puts it, "age-checking methods deployed by services must be technically accurate, robust, reliable and fair in order to be considered highly effective." These techniques can include photo ID matching, facial age estimation, digital identity services, and mobile network operator age checks, to name a few. Users self-declaring their age and online payments in which a person doesn't have to be 18 are not acceptable methods. Pornography shouldn't be at all visible before or while these checks are occurring. However, the regulator stresses that services must balance protecting adult users' privacy and access rights.Ofcom states it will contact many adult services about these requirements and "will not hesitate" to act against or investigate services that ignore their obligations. Again, these exact actions are unclear, so we'll see how well these regulations will be enforced.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/uk-demands-adult-content-sites-introduce-effective-age-verification-methods-150057997.html?src=rss

Not to be cliche, but if losing things was an Olympic sport then I'd at least get a bronze. To that end, I rely on Find My programs to keep track of my devices, but I've put off dishing out money on a Bluetooth trackers. Now, I don't have an Android but, if you do, then it might be time to learn from my mistakes and tag all your items. Right now, the Chipolo One Point four pack - our favorite Bluetooth tracker for Android - is on sale for $63, down from $79. The 20 percent discount brings this set down to a new all-time low price. The Chipolo One Point uses Google's Find My Device to keep track of items. We liked how easy it was to set up and how loud it rings. Plus, unlike AirTags, it comes with a hole in it so attaching the tracker to a key ring is simple. However, the One Point isn't as accurate as an AirTag and Find My Device doesn't offer left behind notifications. But, it's still a great option for Android users. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/a-four-pack-of-our-favorite-bluetooth-trackers-for-android-devices-is-cheaper-than-ever-143719990.html?src=rss

In a few days, TikTok could be banned in the US, rendering the app unusable and removing it from app stores. Instead of making do with Instagram Reels, people looked for a closer alternative and found Chinese social media app "RedNote" or Xiaohongshu, which translates to "little red book." It shot to the top of the Apple App Store download list, and according to Reuters, more than 700,000 users joined the service within just a couple of days. Apparently, though, RedNote isn't the only app that has benefited from TikTok's looming ban. The language learning app Duolingo has revealed that it has seen a "216 percent growth in new Chinese (Mandarin) learners in the US compared to this time last year."

Insta360 is back with another smartphone gimbal and it looks pretty darn great. The Flow Pro 2 is an upgrade over its predecessor in nearly every major way, and we already loved the original. This is another great tool for any content creator to have at the ready. First of all, the Flow 2 Pro offers a sturdier build, for enhanced durability, and a much stronger tripod. The unit also includes an exterior selfie mirror, so users can quickly get a fit check in the middle of a vlog or whatever. Insta360 The new design allows for something called Free Tilt Mode, which means that users can angle the gimbal in unique ways to get creative shots. The company says folks will be able to use this mode to get crane shots, tilt shots and multiple combinations thereof. The stabilizer also supports 360-degree pan tracking. The software suite has received a major upgrade. Just like the original iteration, the Flow 2 Pro integrates with Apple DockKit for automatic tracking. However, there's also something called Active Zoom Tracking, which can close in up to 15x while following a moving subject. The company says this will ensure that shots are crystal clear and perfectly framed, no matter the distance" The company's Deep Track AI-powered tech has also gotten an update. Deep Track 4.0 brings new capabilities and quality-of-life features to make sure that all shots are perfectly framed and effortlessly smooth." The software even allows for multi-person tracking. The gimbal can be controlled via an Apple Watch or a secondary smartphone and the battery lasts around ten hours per charge. The Insta360 Flow 2 Pro is available right now for $160, with availability in gray and white. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/insta360s-flow-pro-2-gimbal-offers-a-sturdier-build-and-a-selfie-mirror-130016865.html?src=rss