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Microsoft is taking inspiration from the AI-driven workflows of "vibe coding" and has now set out to make "vibe working" a thing (yes, those are the words the company chose.) Does AI in the workplace even lead to worthwhile outputs? Does it mortgage our brains' ability to learn? There are many seemingly critical question unanswered. But in the meantime, sure: vibe working it is.Using Office Agent within Office apps or Copilot chat, users can begin a document with a single prompt and then work iteratively alongside Copilot to develop a finished product. Microsoft says this is the "new pattern of work for human-agent collaboration." The Agent Mode tool supports Excel and Word workflows, and Microsoft says PowerPoint support is coming soon; Office Agent works with PowerPoint and Word, with Excel coming soon.The company waxes poetic about the "full power of Excel" being available only to expert users and promises that an Agent Mode that can "speak Excel" will change all that. In data shared as part of the announcement, Microsoft said that Copilot Agent Mode in Excel achieved 57.2 percent accuracy on the SpreadsheetBench benchmark. This is compared to a 71.3 percent human score, though it's not clear if that's for average users, Excel power users or how many human users that score is derived from. Still - not great numbers!Agent Mode also works in Word to summarize, edit and of course help to create entire drafts (though its unclear what those relative accuracy rates are.) Both the Excel and Word Agent Modes are powered by OpenAI's latest models. Office Agent in Copilot chat is powered by Anthropic models and can create PowerPoint presentations and Word documents in what Microsoft calls a "chat-first experience."Agent Mode for Excel and Word, as well as Office Agent, are available today through the Frontier program. Agent Mode is currently limited to the web-based versions of Word and Excel and is coming to desktop soon.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/microsoft-is-trying-to-make-vibe-working-a-thing-163334367.html?src=rss

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently published a 163-page PDF showing the electrical schematics for the iPhone 16e, despite Apple specifically requesting them to be confidential. This was most likely a mistake on the part of the FCC, according to a report by AppleInsider.The agency also distributed a cover letter from Apple alongside the schematics, which is dated September 16, 2024. This letter verifies the company's request for privacy, indicating that the documents contain "confidential and proprietary trade secrets." The cover letter asks for the documents to be withheld from public view "indefinitely." Apple even suggested that a release of the files could give competitors an "unfair advantage."To that end, the documents feature full schematics of the iPhone 16e. These include block diagrams, electrical schematic diagrams, antenna locations and more. Competitors could simply buy a handset and open it up to get to this information, as the iPhone 16e came out back in February, but this leak would eliminate any guesswork. However, Apple is an extremely litigious company when it comes to stuff like patent infringement.The FCC hasn't addressed how this leak happened or what it intends to do about it. AppleInsider's reporting suggested that this probably happened due to an incorrect setting in a database. This was likely not an intentional act against Apple, which tracks given that the company has been especially supportive of the Trump administration. CEO Tim Cook even brought the president a gold trophy for being such a good and important boy.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/fcc-accidentally-leaked-iphone-schematics-potentially-giving-rivals-a-peek-at-company-secrets-154551807.html?src=rss

Have you played around with the new iOS 26 yet? Here's how to download it on your iPhone if you haven't yet - once you do, you'll notice several new changes, including a clear design called Liquid Glass. The translucent look can be found within apps as well as your lock and home screens. (You can't turn it off, but you can reduce the transparency to make it less clear.) The overhaul is one of several big changes that come with iOS, macOS, iPadOS, watchOS and the rest of Apple's software suite - the new operating system updates for those gadgets are also available to download now.You'll also see multiple useful additions in the Phone and Messages apps. For instance, the ability to weed out spam texts or unknown senders and an option to hold your spot on a phone call when you've been waiting for a representative to pick up. And for fun, you can now create polls in group texts. Other new improvements coming include a confirmed AirPods live translation feature, and a new bouncy animation on the passcode screen and in the Control Center.If you're planning to upgrade your phone this year, take a look at all the new models Apple unveiled during its iPhone 17 event, from the iPhone 17 lineup (check out our review of the iPhone 17) to the all-new ultra-thin iPhone Air (take a look at our hands-on review). If you missed the keynote, you can catch up on everything Apple announced here or rewatch the full iPhone 17 launch. The company rounded out its announcements with three new Apple Watch models, as well as the brand-new AirPods Pro 3.Most newer iPhone models are eligible to download iOS 26. We've rounded up a full list of new features you'll have to check out. If you're waiting to update your phone until iOS 26.1 becomes available, note that the beta version is available now so it shouldn't be too long before it's released to the public.What is iOS 26 and should I download iOS 18.7 first?Instead of releasing iOS 19, Apple skipped its naming convention ahead to iOS 26. The company has decided to line up its iOS version numbers with a year-based system, similar to car model years. So while iOS and its sibling operating systems were released in 2025, they're all designated "26" to reflect the year ahead.Apple also released iOS 18.7 alongside iOS 26 to address security issues - great news if you don't have a phone that's eligible to run the latest OS. If you're wondering which one to download first, it's really up to you. Do you want to wait for Apple to quash any bugs in iOS 26 or do you want access to all the new features everyone's talking about now?It's official, we're moving to iOS 26. (Apple)What is Liquid Glass design?Let's be honest. Out of everything announced at WWDC this year, the new Liquid Glass design was the star of the show. The iPhone's home and lock screens have looked pretty much the same year after year - the last exciting thing (in my opinion) was the option to add your own aesthetic to your home screen by customizing your apps and widgets. So seeing the home and lock screens' new facelift is refreshing.So what exactly is Liquid Glass? Apple calls it a "new translucent material" since, well, the apps and widgets are clear. However, the screen can still adapt to dark and light modes, depending on surroundings. You'll also notice buttons with a new floating design in several apps, like Phone and Maps. They're designed to be less distracting than the current buttons, but are still easy to see.While the design overhaul has proven to be controversial since its announcement, some - including Engadget's Devindra Hardawar - like the new direction, even if it's somewhat reminiscent of Microsoft's translucent Windows Vista Aero designs from nearly twenty years ago.That said, while it was in beta mode, Apple incorporated some user feedback into the design, dialing back the transparency in at least some places. And while it will continue to evolve, Apple users won't be able to escape it: The company says Liquid Glass was designed to make all of its platforms more cohesive.Here's a look at how the translucent aesthetic looks with the new macOS Tahoe 26 on your desktop.How to turn iOS 26 Liquid Glass settings offIf you find you don't like the new clear look after downloading iOS 26, you can change a couple Accessibility settings, though you can't completely turn off Liquid Glass. For starters, you can reduce the liquid look by going to Settings > Accessibility > Motion > toggle on Reduce Motion.You can make your drop-down menus more opaque instead of translucent by going to Settings >Accessibility > Display & Text Size > toggle on Reduce Transparency.You can also change your clear apps back to the way they were. Just press and hold any app on your screen and select Edit Home Screen. From here, tap Edit (top left) and Customize. You can swap out to Default, Dark or Tinted.What are the new and notable features of iOS 26?iOS 26 has a laundry list of new features. Among the most worthwhile:Phone app redesign: You can now scroll through contacts, recent calls and voicemail messages all on one screen. It also comes with a new feature called Hold Assist that'll notify you when an agent comes to the phone so you can avoid the elevator music and continue on with other tasks.Live Translation in Phone, FaceTime and Messages: iOS 26 brings the ability to have a conversation via phone call, FaceTime or text message with someone who speaks another language. Live Translation uses Apple Intelligence and it will translate your conversation in real time, which results in some stop-and-go interactions in the examples Apple shared during its presentation.Polls in group chats: Tired of sorting through what seems like hundreds of messages in your group chat? You and your friends can now create polls in group messages to decide things like which brunch spot you're eating at or whose car you're taking on a road trip.Filtering unknown senders in Messages: If you haven't received spam texts about unpaid tolls or other citations, you're lucky. For those of us who have, those annoying messages will soon be filtered away in a separate folder.Visual Intelligence: Similar to a reverse Google image search, this new feature will allow you to search for anything that's on your iPhone screen. For instance, if you spot a pair of shoes someone is wearing in an Instagram photo, you can screenshot it and use Visual Intelligence to find those shoes (or similar ones) online.Photos tabs are back: For anyone who's been frustrated with last year's changes to the Photos app, you'll be happy to know that your tabs are back. Library and Collections have their own separate spaces so you don't have to scroll to infinity to find what you're looking for.Camera app updates: Navigating the Camera app should be simpler in iOS 26, as all the buttons and menus are in convenient spots - less swiping, more photo taking. Plus, there's a new feature that tells you if your lens needs to be cleaned.FaceTime "Communication Safety" feature: A newer addition to iOS 26 appears to be the FaceTime "Communication Safety" feature that pauses communications if and when nudity is detected. The feature appears to be a child safety feature that uses on-device detection, thus obviating any cloud-based privacy issues.New lock screen options: The iPhone lock screen is more customizable in iOS 26, with a cooler clock, 3D wallpaper effects, more widgets and better focus mode options.New alarm setting: You'll no longer be stuck with the 9-minute snooze setting in your alarms. Instead, you now have the option to change your snooze time from one to 15 minutes.Screenshots look different: You'll notice several new features when you take a screenshot, including "highlight to search," the option to search your image on Google and ChatGPT is there for any questions you have about the image.Preview on iOS 26: There's a new app called Preview that lets you scan documents, fill out PDF forms, as well as highlight, underline or strike through text in a PDF file. You can also remove backgrounds from images in this app.Apple's Hold Assist will be nifty for those pesky services that put you on hold for 10 or more minutes. (Apple)New changes with iPadOS 26Your iPad isn't getting left behind when it comes to big updates. Here's what to look for.Multitasking and real windowing: When you download the newest update, you'll be able to have multiple apps running on your screen at the same time. Once you open an app, it'll appear on your screen as normal but you'll be able to resize and move it across your screen to make room for other apps. This feature is optional so you can turn it off if you don't like it.Visual update: Along with the other new OSes, iPadOS 26 also has the Liquid Glass aesthetic. This new look appears on the lock and home screens, as well as the drop-down menus.New menu bar: When you swipe down on your screen, the new menu bar will appear with options like File, Edit, Windows and more. There's also a search option if you're looking for something specific.There's more beyond that, so be sure to check out our first impressions of iPadOS 26.What about AirPods?AirPods are also getting updated with iOS 26. Here are some of the more notable functions.Enhanced audio recording: Apple calls this "studio-quality" audio recording, and with it, you'll notice more clarity while in noisy environments.Camera remote control: Using this, you can take a photo or start and stop video recording with just one press on your AirPods. When taking photos, you'll get a three-second countdown before your iPhone or iPad snaps the picture.Live translation feature: Live translation is available on AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 with ANC when paired with iPhones running iOS 26. Apple says that when someone speaks to you in a different language, you can use your AirPods to translate what they're saying.Heart rate monitoring: Apple introduced new AirPods Pro 3 earbuds this month, which include heart rate monitoring. It will work with Apple's Health app and other fitness apps that track heart rates.Did Siri get an update?Siri is in a holding pattern. Apple has previously specified that its smarter voice assistant - first promised at WWDC 2024 - is delayed until some point "in the coming year," so you shouldn't expect any major changes right now. But there are reports that Apple is aiming to give Siri a bigger brain transplant by basing it on third-party artificial intelligence models like OpenAI's ChatGPT or Anthropic's Claude, which could make 2026 a pivotal year. The company is also reportedly working on a "stripped-down" AI chatbot to rival ChatGPT.Which iPhones will be able to upgrade to iOS 26?A few iPhone models that run the current version of iOS - iPhone XR, XS and XS Max - aren't compatible with the latest upgrade. But any iPhones from 2019 or later will be eligible for iOS 26:

Your AirPods may soon become your most important pieces of fitness gear. One of the AirPods Pro 3's new features is heart rate tracking for both workouts and periodic pulse checks. Apple's latest earbuds are equipped with photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors that shine infrared light hundreds of times per second to measure how light is absorbed in blood flow. What's more, the AirPods Pro 3 work in tandem with the iPhone's accelerometers, gyroscope, GPS and on-device AI for more comprehensive cardio insights and to estimate calories burned during exercise. Here's how to use heart-rate monitoring with the AirPods Pro 3, along with some maintenance tips to keep the tech in prime working condition.How the AirPods Pro 3 measure your heart rateAn important aspect of getting accurate data from your AirPods is understanding how the earbuds track your heart rate. If you're using Apple's Fitness app, the AirPods Pro 3 will continuously monitor your pulse during a workout. In addition to the heart rate sensor and accelerometer in the earbuds, details like location, barometric pressure and health information are also pulled from your iPhone, and they're all used to estimate the calories you burn each session. Lastly, if you're wearing both an Apple Watch and the AirPods Pro 3 during a workout, the device with the most accurate data over the last five minutes will be used to track your heart rate.If you prefer to keep one ear completely unobstructed for whatever reason, you might be happy to know you only need to wear one of your AirPods Pro 3 during a workout to track your heart rate. Both earbuds are equipped with heart rate sensors; you can wear either one so you won't have to forego your favorite ear.Required devices for heart rate tracking on the AirPods Pro 3It probably goes without saying, but you need a set of the AirPods Pro 3 to use the heart rate feature. None of the older AirPods models have onboard heart rate sensors. The only other option in Apple's stable that does is the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2.You'll also need an iPhone that's capable of running iOS 26. This is every model from the iPhone 11 and newer, including the second-generation iPhone SE.How to turn the AirPods Pro 3 heart rate sensing on/offTurning heart rate sensing on and off on the AirPods Pro 3 is simple. The feature is enabled by default, but you can turn it off in the AirPods settings menu on your iPhone.

Beleaguered video game giant Electronic Arts has agreed to a $55 billion acquisition that will take the company private. Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF), Silver Lake and Affinity Partners have reached a deal to buy EA, the company said in a statement.Some details about the proposed arrangement surfaced over the weekend. The deal, the largest-ever leveraged buyout, according to Bloomberg, marks the end of EA's 35-year run as a publicly traded company. Our creative and passionate teams at EA have delivered extraordinary experiences for hundreds of millions of fans, built some of the world's most iconic IP, and created significant value for our business," EA CEO Andrew Wilson said in a statement. "This moment is a powerful recognition of their remarkable work."EA hasn't been immune from the forces that have upended the games industry. Last year, the company laid off more than 650 employees, which it labeled an attempt at "streamlining" its business. This year, the company has canceled an upcoming Black Panther game and closed the studio behind it, and has reportedly "shelved" its Need For Speed Franchise.The company said it expects the deal to close sometime in the first quarter of 2027, noting that it will need regulatory approvals. EA said that Wilson will continue as CEO and that its Redwood City, California headquarters will not change. In a statement Silver Lake Co-CEO Egon Durban said that the group plans to "invest heavily" in the video game company and help it "expand its reach worldwide." Silver Lake is also part of the forthcoming deal to spin off the US version of TikTok into a new, American-owned company.

X is challenging an Indian court order it says would require it to comply with millions of takedown requests without due process. In a statement, the company said it was "deeply concerned" about the ruling, which allows police officers "to issue arbitrary takedown orders through a secretive online portal" called the Sahyog.X's challenge comes after the Karnataka High Court dismissed X's initial challenge of the Sahyog portal last week. As the BBC notes, the Sahyog "describes itself as a tool to automate the process of sending government notices to content intermediaries such as X and Facebook." But X has labeled it a "censorship portal," saying that it allows "millions" of officials, including local police officers, to order content to be removed.

If you want to upgrade your iPad experience, finding the best iPad accessories can do the trick. It's certainly much cheaper than buying a new tablet, and often times, all you need is a few well-chosen accessories to make a familiar device feel fresh again. From a slim folio for iPad that protects your screen to a Magic Keyboard case that turns it into a full-blown laptop alternative, there are dozens of solid accessories to choose from. Accessories aren't just about looks, either. Swapping out worn pencil tips, grabbing a longer Lightning cable or finding the right stand can make a big difference in how smoothly you move through your favorite apps. We've tested a plethora of accessories over the years, and these are the best iPad accessories you can get right now. Table of contents

The vacuum world has gone cordless, untethering us from outlets and saving us fights with pesky wires. Cordless vacuums can be great alternatives to traditional corded models since they're lightweight and easier to maneuver around your home. They've also gotten much more powerful in recent years. Some even come with extra features like app connectivity, self-emptying bases and more. But just like the robot vacuum space, there are dozens of cordless vacuums to choose from now (no, Dyson isn't your only option).

Snap is imposing a new storage limit on Snapchat's Memories feature, which has racked up impressive numbers since its introduction in 2016. According to Snap, users have saved more than one trillion Memories across its platform, and it's now introducing "Memories Storage Plans" for users who exceed 5GB of Memories.In a press release, Snap detailed that the introductory storage plan allows up to 100GB of storage for Memories for $1.99 a month. Snapchat+ subscribers, who pay $3.99 a month, will get up to 250GB of storage, while Snapchat's highest-tier Platinum subscribers will get 5TB included with their $15.99 monthly cost.Snap said that a "vast majority" of its Snapchat users won't notice any changes since they're far from hitting the 5GB limit. For users who hold onto thousands of Snaps, the company is now rolling out these storage plans. To ease the transition from unlimited storage to paid options, Snap will give anyone exceeding 5GB of Memories a year of temporary storage. These new storage subscriptions follow Snap's latest paid option for its Lens+ subscription, which costs $9 a month.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/snapchat-introduces-a-paid-storage-option-for-all-the-memories-hoarders-out-there-203013294.html?src=rss

Business Insider has obtained the guidelines that Meta contractors are reportedly now using to train its AI chatbots, showing how it's attempting to more effectively address potential child sexual exploitation and prevent kids from engaging in age-inappropriate conversations. The company said in August that it was updating the guardrails for its AIs after Reuters reported that its policies allowed the chatbots to "engage a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual," which Meta said at the time was "erroneous and inconsistent" with its policies and removed that language.The document, which Business Insider has shared an excerpt from, outlines what kinds of content are "acceptable" and "unacceptable" for its AI chatbots. It explicitly bars content that "enables, encourages, or endorses" child sexual abuse, romantic roleplay if the user is a minor or if the AI is asked to roleplay as a minor, advice about potentially romantic or intimate physical contact if the user is a minor, and more. The chatbots can discuss topics such as abuse, but cannot engage in conversations that could enable or encourage it.The company's AI chatbots have been the subject of numerous reports in recent months that have raised concerns about their potential harms to children. The FTC in August launched a formal inquiry into companion AI chatbots not just from Meta, but other companies as well, including Alphabet, Snap, OpenAI and X.AI.

Martin Shkreli, better known as Pharma Bro for his price-gouging antics with AIDS medication Daraprim, is going to have to defend against claims of misappropriating trade secrets with the unique Wu-Tang Clan album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin. Earlier this week, US District Court Judge Pamela Chen wrote in a decision that Shkreli has to face a lawsuit that accuses him of improperly saving copies and playing the one-of-a-kind album for followers, which reduced its value and exclusivity.The lawsuit was filed by PleasrDAO - which, according to its own website, is a collective of people involved with cryptocurrency, NFTs and digital art. Once Upon a Time in Shaolin has a strange ownership history, starting with Shkreli purchasing the one-of-one studio album in 2015 for $2 million. After a fraud conviction, Shkreli had to forfeit his assets, including the album, leading to PleasrDAO acquiring it in a government auction for $4 million.On top of the album's highly exclusive nature, it has a condition where it can't be "commercially exploited for 88 years" by any subsequent owners. The collective's argument stems from claims that Shkreli admitted in livestreams that he made copies of the album and played it for his followers, even allegedly posting "LOL i have the mp3s you moron" in response to a member of PleasrDAO posting a photo of the album. If PleasrDAO wins the case, Shkreli will have to give up any copies of the album, as well as provide info on all copies, who they were distributed to and what profits he made from it.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/martin-shkreli-has-to-face-claims-of-copying-one-of-a-kind-wu-tang-clan-album-174730388.html?src=rss

The latest Apple silicon is about to hit the assembly lines, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In the latest Power On newsletter, Gurman said that Apple "is nearing mass production of its next MacBook Pros, MacBook Airs and two new Mac monitors." Gurman added that these upgraded products are scheduled for release sometime between the end of this year and the first quarter of next year.Earlier this year, Gurman noted that Apple was expected to start production on the M5 MacBook Pro during the second half of 2025. All signs seem to point toward Apple following its typical release schedule, where the latest MacBook Pro makes its fall debut, followed by the reveal of the upgraded MacBook Air in the spring. However, Gurman previously mentioned in a July edition of his newsletter that "Apple is now internally targeting a launch early next year" for the MacBook Pro instead.Beyond the upcoming MacBooks, we're expecting one of the two Mac monitors to be the upgraded Studio Display. First released in March 2022, Apple's Studio Display could use a refresh, which some rumors say will include a mini-LED display, along with overall improvements to brightness and color quality.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/apple-is-reportedly-nearing-production-for-its-latest-m5-powered-macbooks-154148070.html?src=rss

Escape from Tarkov players may finally get the chance to escape from the fictional war-torn city in northwest Russia, but it won't be easy. During a live Q&A at Tokyo Game Show, Nikita Buyanov, the game's director, told the audience that there will be four endings that players can achieve, which will be determined by the playthrough's completion and progression. Buyanov added that the "best ending" will be "really hard" and "not everyone will escape from Tarkov.""I think it will be something around two percent of all of the player base," Buyanov said of how many players the team expects to reach the toughest ending. "It will be really challenging, and you can treat it as an achievement of your life to finally escape from Tarkov."After being in beta for more than eight years, Escape from Tarkov is scheduled for a 1.0 release, along with its debut on Steam. Even after the November release, Buyanov said that the team still has a ton of content planned for the game's future over the next five years. Much of the new content is still being kept under wraps, as is whether or not the developer plans to do another wipe before the official release that would reset player progression.Buyanov said during the Q&A that there will be seasonal characters subject to typical wipes, along with a permanent main character that can retain progress indefinitely. Buyanov later posted on X that there will be no wipe and that the team will implement "softcore settings," which allow for some experimentation before release, in comparison to the hardcore wipe that took place in July.Update, September 28 2025, 10:40AM ET: This story has been updated to reflect Buyanov's post on X stating that there will be no wipe for Escape from Tarkov before its release.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/only-two-percent-of-escape-from-tarkov-players-may-get-to-see-its-best-ending-174416980.html?src=rss

With iOS 26, Apple has expanded its native call recording feature with transcripts, Live Translation, summaries and tighter integration with Notes. It's a more polished and useful tool than before, especially if you rely on your iPhone for interviews, meetings or important conversations.Call recording itself first arrived with iOS 18.1 in October 2024. The feature has always been region- and language-dependent, and that hasn't changed. If it's available where you live, you can capture calls directly from the Phone app without third-party apps or hardware. If it's not, there are still alternative methods worth knowing about. Here's how it works, plus what to do if the option isn't available in your country.How to check if call recording is availableFirst, confirm that the feature is supported in your region. Apple maintains a feature availability page that lists countries where call recording isn't offered, including the European Union, Saudi Arabia and South Africa. If your country is on that list, you won't see the option in the Phone app.Before recording your phone call, you'll need the consent of the person on the other end of the line. When you start recording, both parties hear an audio notice stating that the call is being recorded.How to record a call on iPhoneRecording a call is straightforward:

The National Labor Relations Board has withdrawn "many of the claims" it made against Apple in relation to cases brought in 2021 by former employees, according to Bloomberg. In particular, it dismissed an allegation that Apple CEO Tim Cook violated workers' rights when he sent an all-staff email that year, which said "people who leak confidential information do not belong" in the company. Cook also said in the email that Apple was "doing everything in [its] power to identify those who leaked" information from an internal meeting the previous week, wherein management answered workers' questions about pay equity and Texas' anti-abortion law.Apple didn't tolerate disclosures of confidential information, whether it's product IP or the details of a confidential meeting," Cook wrote at the time. The NLRB has now withdrawn some of the claims made in complaints by former employee Ashley Gjovik, including that Apple told employees not to disclose company communications, and that it had suspended Gjovik in retaliation and fired her unlawfully. But, not all of the allegations have been withdrawn. Apple settled a separate case with Gjovik back in April, which she announced as a win for workers, as the settlement required Apple to revise rules around employee agreements and discussions of company information to clarify "that employees can talk about their pay, working conditions, and union organizing without retaliation," and speak to the press, among other things.In addition dropping its claim that Cook's email violated workers' rights, the labor board is also withdrawing its allegation that the firing of activist Janneke Parrish, one of the leaders of the #AppleToo movement, broke the law. It's dismissing its previous allegations that Apple broke the law by imposing confidentiality rules and surveilling workers or making them think they were under surveillance, as well. After an investigation, NLRB previously came to the conclusion that Cook's email and Apple's overall behavior were "interfering with, restraining and coercing employees in the exercise of their rights."Bloomberg says this is just one instance of the NLRB being more friendly to companies under President Trump. We've reached out to the NLRB for more information.Correction, September 27, 2025, 6:42PM ET: This story incorrectly stated that the NLRB had withdrawn claims made against Apple in complaints filed by employees including Cher Scarlett. Scarlett's charges against Apple, which relate to pay equity, suppression of wage discussions and constructive discharge, have not been withdrawn or dismissed.This article has also been updated to include additional information about allegations by former employee Ashley Gjovik that have been withdrawn, and about Apple's previous settlement with Gjovik.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/us-labor-board-drops-allegation-that-apples-ceo-violated-employees-rights-143053792.html?src=rss

These are some recently released titles we think are worth adding to your reading list. Get lost in Bitter Karella's splatterpunk, cosmic fever dream, Moonflow, and the new zombie apocalypse comic, Everything Dead & Dying. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/what-to-read-this-weekend-moonflow-and-everything-dead--dying-191722871.html?src=rss

Google first teased some enticing upgrades for its Pixel Buds Pro 2 during the Made by Google event in August. More than a month later, Google is finally rolling out the update that makes its wireless earbuds earn the Pro label.The Pixel Buds Pro 2 now get an Adaptive Audio feature in the Active Noise Control section of the Pixel Buds app. This ANC mode automatically adjusts the volume depending on your surrounding environment, balancing between hearing your music or podcasts and the world around you. If you want to drown out the outside world a little more, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 now also have the Loud Noise Protection feature, which can detect and reduce any sudden loud noises, like a passing ambulance siren or construction work. While these two features are already found in Apple's AirPods Pro 3, they're a welcome addition to the more affordable Pixel Buds Pro 2.For anyone who frequently uses Gemini Live, you'll notice that the AI assistant will be able to hear you better in noisy environments thanks to advanced audio processing that prioritizes your voice and eliminates background noise. For a truly hands-free experience, the update even adds gesture controls that let Pixel Buds Pro 2 users nod their head to answer a call or start dictation for a text reply and shake their head to decline a call or dismiss a text. Google is rolling out its 4.467 update to its users gradually, which takes about 10 minutes to download and another 10 minutes to install.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/pixel-buds-pro-2-get-adaptive-audio-gesture-controls-and-more-in-latest-update-155116813.html?src=rss

We can all be honest and say that carrying around a bulky power bank almost makes it seem like your phone dying isn't so bad. Between the heaviness and any necessary cords, they can just be a pain. So, we were intrigued when Anker debuted a new, very thin power bank this summer: the Anker Nano 5K MagGo Slim power bank. Now, both Anker and Amazon are running sales on it, dropping the price from $55 to $46. The 16 percent discount a new low for the power bank and available in the black and white models. It's just about a third of an inch thick and attaches right to your iPhone. On that note, it works with any MagSafe compatible phone with a magnetic case. Anker's Nano 5K MagGo Slim is our pick for best, well, slim MagSafe power bank. It took two and a half hours to charge an iPhone 15 from 5 percent to 90 percent. However, it could boost the battery to 40 percent in just under an hour. Overall, though, the minimalist design and easy to grip matte texture, really sold it to us. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/this-anker-magsafe-power-bank-is-down-to-a-record-low-ahead-of-prime-day-121512235.html?src=rss

Electronic Arts is close to reaching a $50 billion deal that will turn it into a privately held company, according to The Wall Street Journal. The video game company filed for an IPO way back in 1990 and has been public ever since, but now a group of investors are in talks with the company to take it private. Those investors reportedly include private equity firm Silver Lake, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners, whose largest source of funding is also Saudi's PIF.It's worth noting that EA's shares are already tied to major financial organizations, even though it's publicly traded, with Saudi's PIF owning almost 10 percent of the company. As Reuters notes, analysts believe Saudi is interested in buying out EA due to its annual release of popular sports titles, including Madden and NHL, which makes for predictable earnings.Saudi has made several major investments in the video gaming industry overall as part of its efforts to prepare for a post-oil economy. In addition to its investment in EA, it also purchased stakes in Take-Two Interactive, Activision Blizzard, Nintendo and the Embracer Group. In March, Pokemon Go maker Niantic sold its gaming division to a Saudi-owned company, as well. Unlike PIF and Kushner's Affinity Partners, Silver Lake doesn't have a huge stake in EA at the moment and doesn't have notable gaming investments other than its stake in Unity.Bloomberg and The Financial Times report that the company could announce the buyout as soon as next week, but details could change since nothing has been finalized yet. If the $50 billion deal does push through, it'll become the biggest leveraged buyout of all time.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ea-reportedly-plans-to-go-private-with-help-from-silver-lake-and-saudi-arabia-123011751.html?src=rss

Setting your PlayStation 5 as your primary console ensures other users on that system can access your digital games and PlayStation Plus benefits. This includes offline access to your library and shared access for other local profiles on the same device.This guide explains how to enable Console Sharing and Offline Play on your PS5, along with tips to manage your account and avoid common issues. After all, sharing is caring, and this can be a great way for your squad at home to experience a stack of games at no extra cost, while claiming all the trophies (and the glory) for their own profiles.What Console Sharing and Offline Play doConsole Sharing and Offline Play is the PS5 equivalent of designating a primary" console. When enabled on your PlayStation 5, it provides the following perks:

Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. It's been a packed week, with tons of new releases worth highlighting and Tokyo Game Show taking place.Before we get started, make sure to check out our recap of Kojima Productions' 10th anniversary showcase if you need to catch up. I can't quite get my head around how a literal walking sim from Hideo Kojima might work. Sony had a bunch of things to show off during its PlayStation State of Play this week, including a few tasty-looking indies like Chronoscript: The Endless End. So too did Xbox in its Tokyo Game Show stream - Double Dragon Revive looks neat, as does Rhythm Doctor.Also, the developers and publishers of several of this week's arrivals delayed them to get some breathing space from Hollow Knight: Silksong... only to run right into Hades 2. That's extremely unfortunate. But the teams behind some newcomers - Baby Steps, CloverPit, Aethermancer, Star Birds and Deadly Days: Roadtrip - are doing something about that. They've teamed up for a special Steam sale and bundle of their games. Love to see indie developers supporting each other.New releasesHades 2 is finally out of early access on PC. The full game is now available on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 as well.Reviews have been pretty stellar for Supergiant's sequel. I played a little of it in early access last year, but decided to hold off getting in too deep until the full version arrived. And, of course, I now have a ton of other games to play. I'll absolutely spend some time with Hades 2 eventually. But there's another roguelite that's soaking up a lot of my time right now...I feel grimy when I'm playing CloverPit. I'm imprisoned in a tiny, rusty, metallic room that wouldn't look out of place in Silent Hill's Otherworld. I have a debt to pay and deadlines to meet, with some coins, lucky charms and a slot machine to help me reach my goals and hopefully escape. Failure means plunging into a dark abyss.Whenever I haven't been playing EA Sports FC 26 in my free time, I willingly keep returning to this disgusting cell. I try desperately to find synergies between the lucky charms to break the slot machine and make sure I earn enough coins to resolve the arrears. Offers made by telephone, almost Deal or No Deal-style, can help while perhaps adding a greater risk of losing all my coins.Panik Arcade has stressed that this is a horror game, not a gambling simulator. The whole idea is to bend the rules in your favor.I haven't yet had a successful run. I did pretty well a few times with builds focused on cherries and diamonds, though deadline 11 has remained out of reach for me thus far. No spoilers here, but there's a big jump from the 10th deadline's debt level.The game is incredibly sticky, and I can see myself sinking many, many more hours into CloverPit. (I won't be alone there. I just watched a video of someone who put 155 hours into the demo.)CloverPit, which is published by Future Friends Games, is out now on Steam.I had fun with the Baby Steps demo this summer, but after looking forward to this literal walking simulator for a couple of years, I realize that I'm more likely to watch a YouTube video of someone playing it than try to beat it myself. I'd probably do that on a treadmill so I can get my own steps in at the same time.This is the latest game from Bennett Foddy (QWOP, Getting Over It), Gabe Cuzzillo and Maxi Boch, who previously made Ape Out together. It sees "an unemployed failson" being forced to get up off his rear end and make it to the peak of a mountain. To take Nate there, you'll need to pick up one foot and move it onto (hopefully) stable ground before moving his other leg, taking one clumsy step at a time to reach his destination.Baby Steps is supposed to be as funny as it is frustrating. You will fall. A lot. Sometimes in a way that erases much of your progress. But as with working out, progress is the point. If only Nate would actually use his damn arms for stability as well. Then you might really start to see some results.Baby Steps is out now on Steam and PS5.I've had my eye on Bloodthief for a while. It's a vampiric, medieval take on fast-paced dungeon running in the vein of Ghostrunner with Ultrakill-style murdering. A solo developer who goes by Blargis is behind this game, which hit Steam this week.Giving so much of my attention to CloverPit and don't-call-it-FIFA (and a few others we'll get to momentarily) means I haven't much time to check out Bloodthief yet. Still, I look forward to being as terrible at it as I am at Ghostrunner 2.One of the highlights of Playdate Season 2 is Blippo+, a parody of cable TV. The FMV experience from Yacht, Telefantasy Studios, Noble Robot and publisher Panic has moved into the color TV age, as it's now available on Nintendo Switch and Steam.As you channel surf the otherworldly broadcasts and observe the offbeat alien TV personalities doing their thing, you might start to piece together a deeper story that's playing out across the shows and news programs. Blippo+ is such a strange, wonderful thing. I'm glad it exists and that more people have the chance to enjoy it.Consume Me is a coming-of-age life sim about a student who is entering her last year of high school and dealing with the stress and complexity of that painful time. For Jenny, that means managing chores (such as laundry and walking the dog), her studies, dates with her boyfriend and an eating disorder. Time management is a key factor, and you'll try to stay on top of everything by playing minigames.Consume Me, which is based in part on co-developer Jenny Jiao Hsia's own experiences as a teenager, won the Seamus McNally Grand Prize at this year's Independent Games Festival. AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P and Ken "coda" Snyder are the other developers of the game, which Hexecutable published. Consume Me is out now on Steam for PC and Mac.Hotel Barcelona brought together two famed game directors, Swery (Hidetaka Suehiro), of Deadly Premonition fame and No More Heroes creator Suda51 (Goichi Suda). The latter came up with the concept for this game, which Swery announced all the way back in 2019. So the roguelite had been in the works for quite some time before it checked in to PC and consoles this week.Here, you'll fight your way through a hotel that serial killers have overrun. You can rope in a couple of friends to help you thanks to multiplayer support. In the style of many FromSoftware titles, you'll also have the option to invade other players' games and play spoiler by taking them out and undoing their progress. That seems really mean, though.I don't know why anyone would do that.Hotel Barcelona, from Swery's White Owls Inc. and publisher Cult Games, is out now on Steam, Xbox Series X/S and PS5.UpcomingAnnapurna Interactive is always a publisher worth paying attention to given its strong track record. This week, it revealed three upcoming adventure games during a showcase at Tokyo Game Show. I checked out demos for a couple of them, and I've already added all three to my wishlist.D-topia is set in an apparent utopia run by artificial intelligence. You play as a maintenance worker who tries to keep things humming along by solving logic puzzles in the factory and helping out others with their problems. Your choices decide how the story plays out and, shock horror, things might not be going entirely smoothly behind the scenes.I dig the very clean look here. It reminds me a bit of Mirror's Edge. The dialogue in the demo is fun too. Expect to see this narrative-driven puzzler from Marumittu Games land on Steam, Epic Games Store, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Windows PC via the Xbox App in 2026.Also coming to Steam, Epic Games Store, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Windows PC via the Xbox App next year is People of Note by Iridium Studios. This is billed as a "musical narrative adventure" that sees pop singer Cadence seeking stardom with the help of other musicians who specialize in other genres. You'll need to time your attacks to the beat to make them more effective, while genres play a role in making battles more dynamic.Turn-based combat generally isn't my bag and I didn't enjoy it in this demo either. However, Iridium wants people to be able to play the game their way. People of Note will include the option to disable things like turn-based combat and environmental puzzles. That immediately makes the game more appealing to me, especially because I like what I've seen of the world, story and characters. The promise of "full-length cinematic musical sequences" sure sounds good to me too.The third game Annapurna showed off is Demi and the Fractured Dream. I haven't had a chance to try the demo for this one as yet, but it looks like a Zelda-esque action adventure with environmental puzzles, platforming and plenty of hacking and slashing. As Demi, a cursed hero who is trying to save the world by slaying a trio of Accursed Beasts, you'll have a variety of tools and spells at your disposal. Time your dodges just right, and you'll power up your next set of attacks.This game from Yarn Owl is coming to Steam, Epic Games Store, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Windows PC via the Xbox App in 2026.This week's State of Play included a gameplay trailer for Halloween, from IllFonic and co-publisher Gun Interactive. We also got a release date for it. The horror game is coming to PlayStation, Xbox, Steam and Epic Games Store on September 8, 2026. Why it's not dropping in late October is beyond me.This is an asymmetric multiplayer game in the vein of Friday the 13th: The Game (also from IllFonic and Gun) and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which Gun published. Three teammates will play as civilians who are trying to save the intended NPC victims of Jason Voorhees. If you'd rather go it alone, though, you can terrorize Haddonfield, Illinois as the legendary killer in a single-player mode.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/hades-2-slot-machine-horror-and-other-new-indie-games-worth-checking-out-110000884.html?src=rss

Assuming it can turn its Project Orion augmented reality glasses into a real product people can buy, Meta apparently wants to get into robots next. That's according to Sources' Alex Heath, who spoke to Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth and reports that much like Apple, Google and Tesla, Meta is researching robotics.Unlike those other companies, though, Meta apparently isn't all that focused on competing in hardware. It has a "Metabot" in the works, but its real goal is to create software that other companies can license, much like Google does with Android. "Software is the bottleneck," according to Bosworth, and the hope is that the combined powers of Meta's robotics team - led by Marc Whitten, the former CEO of Cruise - and its highly publicized Superintelligence Labs can produce a solution.That work apparently starts with the development of a "world model" that can help a robot "do the software simulation required to animate a dexterous hand," but will presumably extend to more complicated movements and tasks down the road. In February 2025, Meta was reportedly looking at building a robot that could handle household chores like cleaning or folding laundry. Given how early everything sounds, that's likely a long way off.Meta isn't alone in pursuing robotics. Apple is reportedly working on its own home robots, starting with a table-mounted arm with a display. Tesla has regularly demoed versions of its Optimus robot to the public, though often in highly-controlled scenarios. Meta has yet to realize its goal of usurping the smartphone with AR glasses. Whether or not it does, it sounds like robots will be the thing it burns money on next.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/meta-wants-to-become-the-android-of-robotics-220701800.html?src=rss

Google is expanding access to YouTube Premium features like faster playback speeds and high-quality audio to more types of devices. Most people subscribe to YouTube Premium to remove ads from YouTube and access to YouTube Music, but Google also includes a variety of "power-user" features that give subscribers more granular control over their viewing or listening experience. Now those features will be available in more places.YouTube Premium's faster playback speeds (in 0.5x increments from 1x to 4x speed) are now available on Android, iOS and the web, after initially only being available in the mobile YouTube app. The ability to have YouTube automatically download Shorts to view offline or watch Shorts in a picture-in-picture window is now also available on both iOS and Android, after originally launching on Android. Google says Premium's Jump Ahead feature for skipping to "key moments" of a video is now also available on smart TVs and game consoles.In terms of the music side of the house, the big change has to do with audio quality. When you're watching a music video, Google says you'll now be able to select "High" from the audio settings and listen at a 256kbps bitrate. This change applies to "Art Tracks" as well, which are videos of songs available on the wider YouTube platform that don't have an official music video. The "High" quality option was originally only available in the YouTube Music app, but now Google says you can access it across the Android and iOS version of both YouTube Music and YouTube.None of these updates change what the main benefit of a $13.99-per-month YouTube Premium subscription is, of course, but for the price, it's good Google is trying to unify the experience across devices.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/youtube/youtube-premium-adds-high-quality-audio-and-4x-playback-for-ios-android-and-desktop-212214797.html?src=rss

It's been nearly a year since DJI sued the Department of Defense over its designation as a "Chinese military company." On Friday, a judge ruled against the drone maker. US District Judge Paul Friedman said the DoD presented enough evidence that DJI contributes to the Chinese military."Indeed, DJI acknowledges that its technology can and is used in military conflict but asserts that its policies prohibit such use," Friedman wrote in his opinion. "Whether or not DJI's policies prohibit military use is irrelevant. That does not change the fact that DJI's technology has both substantial theoretical and actual military application."DJI challenged the designation in October 2024. It told the court it is "neither owned nor controlled by the Chinese military." The company claimed in its filing that it suffered "ongoing financial and reputational harm" as a result of the inclusion. The designation can prevent companies from accessing grants, contracts, loans and other programs.The drone maker has a contentious history with the US government. The Department of Commerce added it and 77 other companies to its Entity List in 2020, effectively blocking US businesses from dealing with them. A year later, the Treasury Department included DJI on its "Chinese military-industrial complex companies" list. That designation was for its alleged involvement in the surveillance of Uyghur Muslim people in China. Last year, US customs began holding up DJI's consumer drones at the border.The company now faces a potential import ban in the US by the end of this year. The ban was initially scheduled for 2024. But a clause in the $895 billion US Defense Bill gave it a year to prove that its products don't pose a national security risk. In March, DJI pleaded with five national security agencies (DHS, DoD, FBI, NSA, and ODNI) to begin evaluating its products "right away."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/dji-loses-lawsuit-over-pentagons-chinese-military-company-list-204804617.html?src=rss

In the pursuit of actually releasing the updated version of Siri the company promised way back at WWDC 2024, Apple is taking a page out of OpenAI's book. According to Bloomberg, the company has created a ChatGPT-inspired app to test Siri's new capabilities ahead of the release of the improved voice assistant next year.This new app, called "Veritas" internally, will likely never make its way to the public in its current form, but offers Apple employees a faster way to test Siri's new skills. That includes letting users search through personal data stored on their phone, like their emails and messages, or taking action in apps, like editing photos. The new app is apparently also a way for Apple to "gather feedback on whether the chatbot format has value," Bloomberg writes.While an internal app doesn't make it any clearer how useful Apple's updated Siri will be, it does suggest the project is in a more advanced stage than before. Given the difficulty the company's faced actually releasing its various AI products - including publicly delaying the Siri update back in March 2025 - that's meaningful.Apple's original promise for Apple Intelligence was that it could offer a curated selection of AI-powered features with a level of privacy and polish that its competitors couldn't muster. The reality is that Apple shipped a collection of so-so features that worked, but couldn't pull off its truly impressive demo: a Siri informed on the context of your life and with the ability to actually do things on your phone.Apple is only realizing that vision in 2026, Bloomberg reports, through a combination of its own AI models, and at least one third-party model from its competitors. In June, the company was reportedly considering using a model from either OpenAI or Anthropic, but as of August, the company is now apparently circling a partnership with Google.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/apple-reportedly-made-a-chatgpt-clone-to-test-siris-new-capabilities-194902560.html?src=rss

The long-awaited sequel to The Social Network will hit theaters next fall, according to a report by Deadline. The official release date is set for October 9, 2026, which is just about 16 years after the first film dropped.We also have plenty of other information, including the full cast and the actual name of the movie. The official name is The Social Reckoning, which makes sense as the movie follows recent events in which Facebook got into legal and political trouble when a whistleblower alleged that the company knew the platform was harming society but did nothing about it.The cast is being led by Jeremy Strong from Succession, who takes over Zuckerberg duties from actor Jesse Eisenberg. Mikey Madison is playing the aforementioned whistle blower Frances Haugen and The Bear's Jeremy Allen White portrays Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horowitz.Bill Burr is also appearing in this flick, though we don't know in what capacity. The Hollywood Reporter has suggested he will play a fictional character invented for the film that will be an amalgamation of several people. Aaron Sorkin is both writing and directing this one. He wrote the first movie, but David Fincher directed it.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-social-network-2-is-coming-next-fall-and-stars-jeremy-strong-as-mark-zuckerberg-191021848.html?src=rss

Microsoft has finally revealed how much the ROG Xbox Ally handheld consoles will cost you, now that they're available for preorder. The ROG Xbox Ally X, which the company describes as the "ultimate high-performance handheld" that's "built for the most demanding players," will set you back $1,000. Meanwhile, the ROG Xbox Ally is "for everyone from the casual player to the avid enthusiast." That model costs a more palatable $600. ASUS + Xbox Microsoft unveiled the devices during the Xbox Games Showcase at Summer Game Fest in June, with the promise that they'd be available by this year's holiday shopping season. It was revealed a couple of months later that the consoles will be on store shelves by October 16. However, they hadn't announced their prices until now. Microsoft teamed up with ASUS' ROG division to develop the handhelds. They're powered by Windows 11 and lets you play any Xbox game you've purchased, whether you bought it on your console or your computer, as well as PC games from any store that you install directly on the device. You can use it to stream Xbox games from your console anywhere in your home or from the Xbox Cloud Gaming service. And yes, you'll be able to continue where you left off when you jump from one device to another. At launch, Xbox will mark thousands of games as Handheld Optimized or Mostly Compatible to indicate if they play well on handhelds. Specs Digging into their specs accentuates those differences. The ROG Xbox Ally uses an AMD Ryzen Z2 A chip, while the ROG Xbox Ally X has a more powerful AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme. The standard model has 16GB RAM (6,400 MT/s), while the premium version has 24GB (8,000 MT/s). The ROG Xbox Ally has a 512GB SSD; the ROG Xbox Ally X boosts that to 1TB. However, they each have a microSD slot to help you store more games. (And they both use upgrade-friendly M.2 2280 SSDs.) The premium model has a larger battery, measuring 80 Wh. The entry-level version has a 60 Wh one. But that doesn't necessarily mean longer battery life. We'll have to wait for extended testing to know that. Each variant has two USB-C ports, but (again) you get a higher-end version in the higher-end model. The Xbox ROG Ally includes two USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports. The Xbox ROG Ally X has one of those, along with a USB 4 Type-C port. The latter is more versatile, supporting Thunderbolt 4, DisplayPort 2.1 and eGPUs. Each model has a seven-inch 1080p, 16:9 display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 500 nits of brightness. They're anti-reflective, use Corning Gorilla Glass Victus and support FreeSync Premium. How to pre-order The standard ROG Xbox Ally is more readily available. In the US, you can pre-order it from Xbox, Microsoft Store, Asus, Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart. Meanwhile, the ROG Xbox Ally X is only available from Microsoft ("sold out" at the time of publication), Asus and Best Buy. Both handhelds are more expensive than their non-Xbox counterparts, which range between $500 and $800. A SanDisk microSD card designed specifically for the handhelds and a SeaGate SSD that supports Microsoft DirectStorage are now also available for preorder. The devices are also available around the world. You can also preorder the consoles in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Vietnam, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Slovenia, South Africa, Thailand and Ukraine. All these markets, including the US, are getting the console on October 16. The handhelds will also be available in additional markets in the future. These will include Brazil, China, India, Luxembourg, Malaysia, the Philippines and Switzerland. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/the-rog-xbox-ally-x-handheld-gaming-device-will-cost-you-1000-120029250.html?src=rss

Microsoft has a fix for long shader compilation wait times. The system is called Advanced Shader Delivery, and it's being first introduced for ASUS ROG Xbox Ally handhelds and games listed on the Xbox app.Just about every PC gamer knows the feeling of booting up a highly anticipated new AAA title, excited to explore its sprawling environments or open world, only to be hit with "compiling shaders" and a progress bar that seems to move at a snail's pace. Depending on what specs you're rocking and what game you've just installed, the wait could be as much as one to two hours for those with slower CPUs and older systems.While it seems increasingly common that huge games are using these shader compilation screens before even getting to the main menu (looking at you Hogwarts Legacy), games that choose not to use them still need to load and compile shaders. If they aren't done ahead of time, then they must be done during gameplay, which can lead to in-game stuttering that many gamers are also familiar with.Advanced Shader Delivery would preempt this by doing the entire compilation process ahead of time and storing those compiled shaders in the cloud. The catch is that shader compilation is hardware-specific, and since there are myriad GPU and driver combos, it would take a few dozen sets of compiled shaders to cover all the most common setups, and that's per game. Extrapolate that out even just to all the AAA titles released yearly, and you've got yourself a massive database.This is similar to how shader compilation works on consoles, but you're talking about at most two or three versions per console, or even fewer in the case of the Nintendo Switch. In fact, that's precisely why Microsoft is starting with the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, which comprises only two hardware configurations.Microsoft's Agility SDK for game developers now supports Advanced Shader Delivery, meaning devs could start building it into new games already. In practice, it can take years to fully capitalize on new technologies like this.That's exactly what we've seen with Direct Storage, another Microsoft technology meant to reduce asset load times. Three years after its release, we still see only a handful of big titles incorporating Direct Storage. It might be a long time before we see Advanced Shader Delivery incorporated into most popular games and available on different store fronts like Steam.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/microsofts-fix-for-pc-shader-compilation-stutter-could-take-years-to-fully-implement-183904449.html?src=rss

YouTube just announced YouTube Labs, which is being described as a "new way for users to take our cutting edge AI experiments for a test drive." This looks like a YouTube-centric version of the pre-existing Google Labs, which is another place for folks to test out experimental AI tools.There's already something new to play with here. YouTube Labs is testing AI hosts for its Music app. These hosts are designed to deepen a listening experience by providing "relevant stories, fan trivia and fun commentary about your favorite music." This is just the latest music-streaming platform to introduce AI hosts, as Spotify introduced an AI DJ earlier this year.YouTube Labs is only available for Premium members. Sign-ups are open right now, but just for a "limited number of US-based participants." We don't have any data as to how many people will get accepted to join the AI tomfoolery.Regular YouTube users have probably noticed the proliferation of AI slop on the platform these past several months. It's becoming a whole thing. While the prospect of virtual music hosts is rather innocuous, it will likely lead to even more AI being forced on the platform.YouTube recently added a boatload of AI tools for creators, including the ability to turn spoken dialogue into a slop-filled song. It's also handing over age verification to AI and is testing its own version of Google's famous (or infamous) AI overviews.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/youtube/youtube-music-is-testing-ai-hosts-that-present-relevant-stories-trivia-and-commentary-174042191.html?src=rss

Apple's four iPad models each have their value - the mini is super portable, the standard model with the A16 chip is ideal for casual use while the Pros can handle complex tasks better than some laptops. The iPad Air falls somewhere in between, offering a balance between power and price. But these popular tablets don't come cheap, which is why we keep track of sale prices on iPads and round them up each week. We've reviewed every current model so if you want to check out our thoughts before you buy, you can. Here are the best iPad deals you can get right now, along with discounts on other Apple gear we recommend. Best iPad deals Apple iPad (A16) for $299 ($50 off): The most recent entry-level iPad comes with a faster A16 chip, 2GB more RAM and 128GB of storage by default. It earned a score of 84 in our review - if you only need a tablet for roaming the internet, watching shows and doing some lighter productivity tasks, it should do the job. With the new iPadOS 26 update, it also has most of the same multitasking features available with the more expensive models. We've seen this price for most of the past several months, but it's still a bit cheaper than buying direct from Apple. Also at Walmart and Best Buy. Apple iPad Air (13-inch, M3) for $649 ($150 off): Engadget's Nate Ingraham gave the 13-inch iPad Air a score of 89 when it was released in March. It has a bigger and slightly brighter display than its 11-inch counterpart; otherwise, the two slates are the same. If you plan to keep your iPad hooked up to a keyboard, the extra screen space is lovely for taking in movies and multitasking for work. This is another all-time low, and it applies to several color options and storage configs. Also at Walmart. Apple iPad Pro (11-inch, M4) for $899 ($100 off): The iPad Pro is much more tablet than most people need, but it's the ultimate iPad for those who can stomach its price tag. It's wonderfully thin, its OLED display is one of the best we've seen on a consumer device and its M4 chip can handle virtually anything you'd ever do on an iPad. It's also the only Apple tablet with Face ID and it has a better speaker setup than the iPad Air. We gave it a score of 84 in our review, with the only real drawback being its price. Also at Best Buy, Target and B&H. The 13-inch model is on sale for $1,099 as well, a $200 discount, but be warned: Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that Apple could release updated iPad Pros as soon as October. So if you can hold out, you probably should. Best Apple deals Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 42mm) for $389 ($10 off): The latest Apple Watches only hit the market last week, but Amazon is already offering a $10 discount on certain colorways. It doesn't show up as a percentage off, but you'll see some models listed at $389, while others show up at the full price of $399. If you're new to Apple's wearables or are ready to upgrade from a Series 9 or older, this is a good model to grab. If you're coming from a Series 10, however, there's not much need to upgrade as the only major change from last year's model is a slightly larger battery and a tougher screen. Apple Watch SE 3 (GPS, 40mm) for $240 ($9 off): You'll see a similar stealth discount on Apple's newest budget model, the SE 3 at Amazon. It goes for $249 regularly. Apple gave this model some badly needed updates from its predecessor, including a faster charging battery, better sensors and the same processor that you'll find in the new Apple Watch Series 11. Apple MagSafe charger (25W, 2m) for $35 ($14 off): Here's a record-low price on Apple's fasted wireless charging puck. It'll work with any iPhone as long it's an iPhone 8 or newer, but if you have an iPhone 16 or 17, this cable can charge your device at 25W when paired with 30W power adapter. Also at Best Buy. The one-meter model is on sale at Walmart for $27.30. Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M4) for $799 ($200 off): Apple's latest MacBook Air is the top pick in our guide to the best laptops, and it earned a score of 92 in our review. It's not a major overhaul, but the design is still exceptionally thin, light and well-built, with long battery life and a top-notch keyboard and trackpad. Now it's a bit faster. (Though we'd still love more ports and a refresh rate higher than 60Hz.) This discount ties an all-time low for base config with 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. Models with more memory or storage are also $200 off. Also at Best Buy. Apple MacBook Air (15-inch, M4) for $999 ($200 off): The 15-inch MacBook Air is nearly identical to the smaller version but has better speakers and a more spacious trackpad alongside its roomier display. Outside of one very brief drop around $980 in June, this ties a record low for the base model. Other configs are similarly discounted if you need more power. Also at B&H and Best Buy. Apple Mac mini (M4, 16GB/256GB) for $499 ($100 off): The newest version of Apple's tiny desktop PC has a smaller overall footprint, a faster M4 chip, 16GB of RAM as standard (finally), two front-facing USB-C ports (finally!), an extra Thunderbolt 4 port and the ability to drive three external displays. It doesn't have any USB-A ports, however. We gave the M4 Pro model a review score of 90. This deal is for the entry-level version with a base M4 chip, 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD - we've seen it fall as low as $469 in the past, but this is still a decent savings. Also at Best Buy, Walmart and B&H. Apple Mac mini (M4, 16GB/512GB) for $689 ($110 off): If you want your tiny Apple desktop to have a little bit more storage capacity, you may want to spring for the 512GB model. It's currently $110 off at Amazon and B&H Photo. The model with 24GB of RAM is down to $904 after a $95 discount. Apple AirTags (4-pack) for $75 ($24 off): We may see an updated model by the end of 2025, but the current AirTags are the best Bluetooth trackers for iPhone users thanks to their vast finding network and accurate ultrawide band features that make it easy to locate things that are close by. Just note that you'll need a separate AirTag holder to attach them to your keys, wallet or bag. This isn't a great deal for a four-pack - the bundle was as low as $65 in July - but it's still a bit lower than its list price. Also at Walmart. Apple Pencil Pro for $99 ($30 off): The highest-end option in Apple's confusing stylus lineup, the Pencil Pro supports pressure sensitivity, wireless charging, tilt detection, haptic feedback and Apple's double tap and squeeze gestures, among other perks. It's a lovely tool for more intricate sketching and note-taking, but the catch is that it's only compatible with the M4 iPad Pro, M2 and M3 iPad Air and most recent iPad mini. We've seen this deal fairly often over the year, but it's a solid discount compared to buying from Apple directly. Also at Walmart, Best Buy and Target. Apple 35W Dual USB-C Port adapter for $39 ($20 off): It's always good to have a few extra ports around. This is the adapter that ships with the M4 with 10core GPU MacBook Air, and it can quickly charge iPads, iPhones and anything else powered by USB-C, too. Walmart is also selling Apple's 2-meter fast charge cable for $23 (a $6 discount). Read more Apple coverage:

The long-awaited sidescroller Possessor(s) will be available on November 11 for PC and PS5. It's a horror-tinged action game with Metroidvania elements. It also happens to look extremely beautiful.The game was developed by Heart Machine, which is the same company behind Hyper Light Drifter and its prequel Hyper Light Breaker. Publishing duties fall to Devolver, which has had a hand in a boatload of recent indie hits from Enter the Gungeon to Cult of the Lamb. The developer just dropped a launch date trailer for Possessor(s) and it's filled with both gameplay and story elements.As for that story, the game's set in a quarantined metropolis that's been invaded by ghostly forces. Exploration will slowly unravel what happened to the city. There's an open-ended narrative with multiple paths and plenty of characters to meet.The combat looks really slick, with lots of melee using found objects. The protagonist can also slide down long corridors and swing from a grappling hook. Weapons can be upgraded and there looks to be a skill tree of some kind.We only have around five weeks until we can get our hands on this one. Pre-orders on both platforms are up right now, but there's no price yet.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/horror-tinged-sidescroller-possessors-hits-pc-and-ps5-on-november-11-152851427.html?src=rss

Facebook and Instagram users in the UK will soon be offered paid subscriptions that remove ads. In the coming weeks, those over the age of 18 can pay 3 ($4) per month on the web, or 4 ($5) per month when using Meta's iOS or Android apps. If you're wondering why the mobile version is more expensive, Meta blames that on fees levied by Apple and Google in their respective app stores.A no-ads subscription will apply to any Facebook and Instagram account added to a Meta Accounts Center, which is what Meta uses to let users connect various Meta logins on its different platforms. Any additional account listed in a user's Accounts Center will automatically gain their own subscription for an extra 2 ($3) per month on the web or 3 ($4) per month for iOS and Android. Anyone who chooses to decline Meta's offer will continue to see ads on its free platforms as normal, and can still use Ad Preferences to choose which ads they would prefer to see more or less of.Meta says the change is a response to new regulatory "consent or pay" guidance from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), whereby users are given the choice between consenting to an organization using their data to personalize ads, or paying to avoid it. Meta previously introduced a similar change for its EU users, offering an ad-free subscription option for 10 ($11), but was fined 200 million by the European Commission for allegedly failing to comply with its stricter Digital Markets Act (DMA) laws. The company later offered a revised, cheaper, ad-free plan that was still being assessed by the EC earlier this year.Meta praised the ICO for its "constructive approach" to personalised ads, which it insists provide the best experience for both its users and businesses, and criticised EU regulators for continuing to "overreach" with its privacy regulations. As reported by Bloomberg, digital advertising accounted for around 97 percent of Meta's revenue in 2024.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/meta-announces-paid-subscriptions-for-both-instagram-and-facebook-in-the-uk-140913304.html?src=rss

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced a new requirement for all working adults in the country to carry a digital identification called the Brit Card. In practice, the Brit Card will be based on the One Login infrastructure already used by the UK government.Supporters of the plan say digital ID cards can ensure that people have the right to work in the UK, and thus could help crack down on illegal immigration and exploitative employment schemes. "It will send a clear message that if you come here illegally, you will not be able to work, deterring people from making these dangerous journeys," Starmer's office wrote bluntly in the announcement. The UK government also plans to have an "outreach programme, including face-to-face support" for those "who aren't able to use a smartphone" or those who "aren't as experienced with the digital world, like the homeless and older people."The announcement claims the scheme will use "state-of-the-art encryption and authentication technology" and that "digital credentials will be stored directly on people's own device." However, critics say the IDs may infringe on civil liberties by requiring citizens to give the government additional personal information. They also raise concerns about how the administration plans to protect all those sensitive details from misuse or theft."No system is immune to failure, and we have seen time and again governments and tech giants fail to protect people's personal data," said David Davis, a Conservative MP and former cabinet minister. "If world-leading companies cannot protect our data, I have little faith that Whitehall would be able to do better."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/uk-announces-plans-for-digital-id-cards-133833359.html?src=rss

You can save big today on a new Roomba. The flagship Roomba Max 705 + AutoEmpty dock, which launched in April, is available for $320 off. The robovac, which typically costs $899, is on sale for $579. Enter our exclusive code ENG320 at checkout to snag the deal. iRobot says the Roomba Max 705 offers 180 times the suction power of its budget Roomba 600. The high-end model has dual multi-surface rubber brushes with an anti-tangle design. That could be especially handy for pet owners. The robovac includes an edge-sweeping brush to handle corners and edges. There's also a feature called Carpet Boost that automatically increases suction when it reaches carpet. And it uses LiDAR for precision navigation and obstacle avoidance. The AutoEmpty dock lives up to its name, allowing the vacuum to dump its own debris automatically. iRobot says it can do that for up to 75 days before you need to manually empty the dock. This model doesn't mop, which may be harder for some to justify at its typical $899. But for $579, a high-powered vacuum with an auto-emptying dock starts to look more sensible. Just remember that code: ENG320. Roomba Plus 405 Combo iRobot If you're looking for something more affordable (but with a different feature set), there's the Roomba Plus 405 Combo. Although its suction isn't as powerful as the aforementioned 705 model, this one does mop. Its AutoWash dock supports up to 45 days of auto-emptying and four weeks of mopping and pad washing before requiring your attention. The iRobot Roomba Plus 405 Combo robot + AutoWash dock typically retails for $799. With our code ENG320, you can have it for $479. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/roomba-robot-vacuums-are-more-than-300-off-right-now-130043860.html?src=rss

One thing I need to make clear right from the start: this is a review of Norton VPN (formerly Norton Secure VPN, and briefly Norton Ultra VPN) as a standalone app, not of the VPN feature in the Norton 360 package. They're similar, but Norton VPN has a few more features, including the ability to choose cities as server locations in countries with more than one option. I'll state my opinion up front. Norton VPN isn't a bad service, but it's not good enough to get ahead of its direct competitors. ExpressVPN, Surfshark, Proton VPN and NordVPN are all either faster, more feature-rich, more secure, more affordable or some combination of the four. There's no reason to go with Norton as your VPN unless you're getting it as part of another Norton 360 bundle. For this review, I ran rigorous tests that highlighted Norton VPN's strengths (well-designed user interfaces, a verified privacy policy) along with its weaknesses (holes in its security, renewals that double the price, weak customer support). Norton's history of focusing on Windows means that app is by far the most complete; if you're on any other platform, expect to miss out on the best VPN protocols and the complete feature set. Editor's note (9/26/25): We've overhauled our VPN coverage to provide more detailed, actionable buying advice. Going forward, we'll continue to update both our best VPN list and individual reviews (like this one) as circumstances change. Most recently, we added official scores to all of our VPN reviews.Check out how we test VPNs to learn more about the new standards we're using. Table of contents

Buying a car in America is usually a hellish experience involving pushy salespeople, mysterious fees, and hours-long financing negotiations. That's something Carvana aimed to solve with its online used car marketplace when it launched 13 years ago. In this episode, Devindra chats with Carvana Chief Product Officer Dan Gill about how the company moved beyond the flashy marketing of its early car vending machines, and how it's still trying to perfect the online car buying experience. We also dive into some of the issues the company has faced - including delayed registrations and vehicle issues - and how it's trying to learn from them.Subscribe!

Monitors are more than screens to plug into your PC - they shape how you work, play and create. Whether you need the best monitor for gaming, video editing or everyday tasks, there are plenty of options that balance price, performance and design.

We all want to protect our phones from the inevitable drops, scratches and tumbles of daily life, but what if your cell phone case could protect more than just your device? The best eco-friendly phone cases offer a great blend of durability and sustainability, helping to reduce plastic waste and better the planet.

Forget smart glasses, autofocus lenses have the potential to help far more people by offering a high-tech alternative to clunky bifocal and varifocal eyewear. Those traditional solutions involve looking at specific portions of glasses for near and far objects. While that's more convenient than swapping frames constantly, it requires retraining your eyes a bit and can also lead to eye strain.Finnish startup IXI's autofocus glasses aim to go one step further: It has developed eyewear with built-in eye tracking and LCDs that can automatically focus on whatever you're looking at, just like fixed frame glasses. Even better, they look just like regular eyewear, even more-so than Meta's thick-framed Ray-Ban smart glasses. While IXI isn't yet ready to start shipping its hardware yet, the company announced today that it's one step closer to production by acquiring the lens manufacturing company Finnsusp and entering into a "long-term strategic partnership" with OptiSwiss.IXI's autofocus frames with built-in LCDIXIWhile IXI isn't the only company working on autofocus frames -- we covered ViXion01's Star Trek-esque glasses at CES last year -- it's the closest to bringing the technology to normal-looking spectacles. Sure, they're not as flashy as Meta's Ray-Ban lineup, and they don't exactly scream high-tech, but IXI's reserved approach could make its glasses more compelling to older audiences. Not everyone wants to look like a trendy supergeek, after all, but the idea of having glasses that could make your eyes feel decades younger practically is a huge draw.IXI has developed "the world's lowest power eye-tracking" to make its glasses possible, CEO and co-founder Niko Eiden told Engadget in an interview. The company stuffed tiny batteries into the thin frames of its glasses, which Eiden claims can last for a day of usage. The assumption is that you'll charge them overnight by connecting a cable to their temple area (unfortunately, that also makes them too unwieldy to power up while you're wearing them). If they do completely lose power, they'll function purely as far-sighted spectacles.With the Finnsusp acquisition, IXI will be able to begin low-volume production of its glasses for in-house testing, while the OptiSwiss partnership will eventually help it to scale for the mass market. Eiden says the company isn't announcing pricing or availability yet, but he expects it to be in the high end of existing glasses." More so than Meta's hyped-up smart glasses, IXI's products are targeted at people who are already wearing glasses and who could quickly see the value of in autofocus lenses. Eye degradation comes for us all eventually.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/ixis-autofocus-glasses-are-one-step-closer-to-reality-060000152.html?src=rss

Neon is an call-recording app that pays users for access to the audio, which the app in turn sells to AI companies for training their models. Since its launch last week, it quickly rose in popularity, but the service was taken offline today. TechCrunch reported that it found a security flaw that allowed any logged-in user to access other accounts' phone numbers, the phone numbers called, call recordings and transcripts.TechCrunch said that it contacted Neon founder Alex Kiam about the issue. "Kiam told TechCrunch later Thursday that he took down the app's servers and began notifying users about pausing the app, but fell short of informing his users about the security lapse," the publication reported. The app went dark soon after" TC contacted Kiam. Neon does not appear to have a timeline about if or when the service will resume or what additional security protections it may add.The full report from TechCrunch is here and certainly worth reading if you've used Neon.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/call-recording-app-neon-goes-offline-after-security-flaw-uncovered-223425297.html?src=rss

Doug Bowser, Nintendo of America's President and Chief Operating Officer, is stepping down on December 31, 2025, according to Nintendo. Bowser's leadership responsibilities will now be split between two executives: Devon Pritchard, NoA's Executive Vice President of Revenue, Marketing and Consumer Experience, will take over as President, and Satoru Shibata, the current Corporate Director and Managing Executive Director, will act as the company's CEO.Bowser first joined Nintendo in 2015 as Vice President of Sales and Marketing, before replacing long-time President Reggie Fils-Aime in 2019. In comparison to some of the company's other leaders, Bowser was much less of a public-facing presence, but he still guided Nintendo of America through a transformative portion of the company's history. Nintendo not only opened a theme park while Bowser was in charge, but also had a major Hollywood release in The Super Mario Bros. Movie and a successful console launch with the release of the Switch 2 earlier this year. Bowser also weathered his fair share of controversies, including reports that Nintendo of America was failing to address issues of gender discrimination among its employees."Leading Nintendo of America has been the honor of a lifetime, and I am proud of what our team has accomplished in both business results and the experiences we've created for consumers," Bowser said in a statement. "Now, it's time for the next generation of leadership and Devon's track record speaks for itself," Bowser continued. She is an exceptional leader, and her promotion is a testament to her strong performance and strategic contributions to the company's growth."According to Nintendo, "Pritchard plans to build on the many experiences that allow consumers to connect with Nintendo's characters and worlds, from video games to entertainment to retail experiences." The company might be too big and successful now to feature someone with as much personality as Fils-Aime, but if Pritchard plans to stick with business-as-usual, maybe Shibata could become the public face Nintendo has been missing.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/bowser-is-leaving-nintendo-of-america-221650389.html?src=rss

The Meta AI app - you know, the one where people publicly shared their private conversations with the chatbot by accident - now has a dedicated feed for AI slop. The Vibes feed is a home for AI-generated short-form videos in the Meta AI app and website. Users can scroll the creations of other people, or can make their own clips, either by building from scratch or adapting other videos from the feed. The videos people make can also be shared via DM or cross-posted to Instagram or Facebook.The company said it plans to add more features for AI-generated creation in the future. According to a Threads post by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Vibes is "an early look at some of the new product directions we're exploring." He added that Meta Superintelligence Labs will work with Midjourney and Black Forest Labs on upcoming AI projects.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-now-has-a-feed-for-ai-slop-205751808.html?src=rss

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order finalizing some of the terms of a deal to bring TikTok's US business under American control. The new TikTok entity will be owned by a group of US-based investors, while ByteDance will maintain a smaller stake in the new company and keep the app's algorithm.TikTok has faced more than a year of uncertainty about its future in the United States since former President Joe Biden signed a law last year requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban. In January, the Supreme Court upheld the law and TikTok briefly went dark just as Trump took office. Trump promptly signed an executive order extending the ban deadline for the app. (He signed off on a fourth extension last week.) Today's order declares that the plan to split off a US entity from the ByteDance-owned company will meet the requirements of the ban order.The executive order comes after a flurry of interest in TikTok from US companies and investors. Microsoft, Amazon, Perplexity AI, Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian and YouTuber MrBeast were all reportedly among those vying for the business.Under the new arrangement, US investors will have a large stake in the US entity. CNBC reported that Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX would be part of a core group of investors that own 45 percent of the business. Trump confirmed Oracle's involvement, and also mentioned Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch as investors as part of the deal. ByteDance, TikTok's current owner, will have a 19.9 percent stake and the rest will go to a group of investors that includes ByteDance's previous investors. Vice President JD Vance said the new company would be valued at around $14 billion.Oracle, which has previously partnered with the company on data security, will continue in its role overseeing the app's algorithm and security. The fate of the TikTok algorithm has been a major question. Some lawmakers have questioned the decision to license the algorithm from ByteDance. Earlier this week, both the Republican chair and Democratic ranking member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party expressed concerns about any arrangement that doesn't put the algorithm squarely in American hands.Answering questions after Trump signed the order, Vance said to reporters that the deal ensures that US investors will have "control over how the algorithm pushes content toward users." In reponse to a question about whether the algorithm would prefer MAGA content, Trump lamented that although he would love for the platform to be 100 percent MAGA, it would in fact treat "everyone fairly." Trump described China as "fully on board" with the deal.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/trump-signs-executive-order-saying-his-tiktok-deal-is-legal-204607521.html?src=rss

Google is asking the Supreme Court to step in and pause the ruling the company received in its lawsuit with Epic Games, according to a filing the company shared with Engadget. The company is making its request following a major legal loss to Epic Games in October 2024, which required it to open the Google Play Store to third-party app stores for a period of three years.Google is asking the justices to intervene by October 17, three days before the injunction Epic won starts to go into effect. The company hopes that after offering a stay, the Court will take up the case for a full review. Asking the Supreme Court for relief wouldn't have even entered the picture if Google's appeal hadn't already been denied by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The company's filing includes multiple technical reasons why the Ninth Circuit Court's ruling should be overturned. It also offers several examples why the original injunction Epic won is bad for Google, developers and consumers.Google believes the injunction "[creates] enormous security and safety risks by enabling stores that stock malicious, deceptive or pirated content to proliferate," and that it burdens developers with "constantly monitoring dozens or hundreds of stores that might suddenly carry their apps without their knowledge." The company also notes that the injunction will make it "substantially easier for developers to avoid compensating Google," for Play Store services that have nothing to do with payments.On the losing end of its four-year legal battle with Fortnite developer Epic, Google wasn't just ordered to open up the Play Store to third-party app stores, it's also no longer allowed to make deals around pre-installing the Play Store on phones or force developers to use its billing system. In contrast to Epic's case with Apple, where the developer only won a small, if meaningful concession, Google's loss gave Epic nearly everything it asked for.When both Apple and Google asked the Supreme Court to review their case last year, the court denied their requests without explanation. It's not clear if Google will get what it wants, but given the much larger changes it'll be forced to make if the injunction moves forward, it's possible the court could respond differently. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-asks-supreme-court-to-rescue-it-from-its-epic-lawsuit-195555490.html?src=rss

Elon Musk's xAI is suing OpenAI, alleging that the ChatGPT maker has stolen its trade secrets. The lawsuit comes after the company recently sued a former employee, Xuechen Li, for allegedly stealing confidential information from the company before taking a job at OpenAI.In its latest lawsuit, which was reported by Sherwood, xAI says that Li's alleged actions are part of "a broader and deeply troubling pattern of trade secret misappropriation, unfair competition, and intentional interference with economic relationships by OpenAI." According to xAI's lawyers, OpenAI also hired two other xAI employees who stole proprietary information from Musk's company."Another early xAI engineer-Jimmy Fraiture-was also harvesting xAI's source code and airdropping it to his personal devices to take to OpenAI, where he now works," the lawsuit states. "Meanwhile, a senior finance executive brought another piece of the puzzle to OpenAI-xAI's 'secret sauce' of rapid data center deployment-with no intention to abide by his legal obligations to xAI.""This new lawsuit is the latest chapter in Mr Musk's ongoing harassment. We have no tolerance for any breaches of confidentiality, nor any interest in trade secrets from other labs," OpenAI said in a statement the company shared with Engadget.Musk, of course, has a complicated history with the ChatGPT maker, and this isn't the first time his rival AI company has sued OpenAI. Last month, xAI filed lawsuits against OpenAI and Apple over Grok's placement on App Store charts. Musk alleged that ChatGPT rank in the top spot represented an "unequivocal antitrust violation." Musk has also filed numerous lawsuits against OpenAI over its relationship with Microsoft and its move to become a for-profit company.Update 2:49 PM ET: Added comment from OpenAI.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/xai-accuses-openai-of-stealing-its-trade-secrets-in-new-lawsuit-152926944.html?src=rss

Anker has opened up pre-orders for the Soundcore Nebula X1 Pro home theater system after teasing the product at IFA. This is being done via the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter and prices start at $3,000, which is an early bird discount from the eventual $5,000 price tag.The Nebula X1 Pro is something of an all-in-one home theater system, as it includes a 4K projector, a soundbar, a subwoofer and satellite speakers. It boasts a unique design, with the subwoofer floating inside a spring-type assembly system to avoid transferring vibrations. The soundbar speakers fold out to the left and right of the projector and two wireless satellite speakers allow for surround sound.The system supports Dolby Atmos and offers IP43 protection from light rain and dust. This makes it a great projector for outdoor get togethers, which is assisted by a retractable power cable, a telescopic handle and rolling wheels on the bottom.The motorized lens allows for an easy setup and the speakers can be used to stream audio without any accompanying video. It even comes with a pair of wireless microphones for getting the crowd pumped up before movie night. In other words, this is a portable party machine.This is a refinement of the pre-existing Nebula X1 projector, which we absolutely loved. We said that it offers "the clearest, most vivid image quality" that we ever experienced with a projector. That also costs $3,000, but features a less expansive speaker system. The audio quality with the original projector was "very respectable" but will likely pale in comparison to a full Dolby Atmos system with satellite speakers and the like.The Nebula X1 Pro has already sailed past its funding goal, so it's definitely coming. Deliveries are expected to go out this December.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/anker-opens-pre-orders-for-its-nebula-x1-pro-projector-system-184635440.html?src=rss

Nintendo recently announced that the next mainline Fire Emblem game is coming in 2026, and it looks like the company has another take on the popular strategy series to tide you over while you wait. Fire Emblem Shadows is a new mobile spin-off that combines the series' tactics gameplay with some of the social dedication mechanics popularized by games like Among Us, and it's available to download now.Shadows follows groups of heroes - the typical collection of royals, rogues and anime archetypes - navigating an underground labyrinth. "Players choose to take on the role of either a disciple of light, aiming to find their way through the labyrinth, or a disciple of shadow," Nintendo writes."After the initial battle, players vote to determine who they believe is the treacherous disciple of shadow. The outcome of the vote affects whether the next battle is more favorable or more challenging."Unlike a typical Fire Emblem match, though, you don't have direct control over your characters during battles. Instead, you can see the path they'll take through a map and are tasked with deploying spells that hurt enemies, heal heroes or offer other buffs while they move. The gameplay-style makes the whole thing feel hands-off and even a little boring in early battles, but it's possible that could change with more difficult foes. You also earn upgrades as you play, and Nintendo is selling a season pass that unlocks premium rewards while you work your way through either of Fire Emblem Shadows' two plots.While Nintendo's push into mobile games has slowed in recent years, the company has fairly consistently updated its original spin-off,Fire Emblem Heroes, since it was released in 2017. That game offered a take on the series' gameplay that hewed closer to the original, just with a gacha-style lottery system for unlocking new characters. If it proves popular, it seems likely Fire Emblem Shadows will see the same level of support.Fire Emblem Shadows is available to download for free on iOS and Android.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/fire-emblem-shadows-mixes-in-a-little-social-deduction-with-its-tactics-182907183.html?src=rss

ChatGPT already tries to answer all your questions. Now it's trying to answer questions before you ask them. OpenAI's new feature for its AI chatbot is ChatGPT Pulse, a summary of personalized updates. The blog post explaining Pulse positions it as a bulletin to start the day based on asynchronous research done by ChatGPT.Users can direct Pulse toward or away from particular topics, and the summaries will also draw on chat history and, if connected, your Gmail and Google Calendar.The examples OpenAI gave for what Pulse recommendations might look like were "follow-ups on topics you discuss often, ideas for quick, healthy dinner to make at home that evening, or next steps toward a longer-term goal such as training for a triathlon."For now, ChatGPT Pulse is available for Pro tier subscribers to test. However, OpenAI aims to eventually roll the feature out to all users.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/openai-introduces-personalized-daily-summaries-with-chatgpt-pulse-181532935.html?src=rss

The European Union has summarily rejected calls from Apple to repeal and replace its Digital Markets Act (DMA), the law that governs much about how giant tech companies must operate within the 27-nation bloc. As first reported by France 24, EU digital affairs spokesperson Thomas Regnier responded to Apple's open letter regarding the DMA's effect on users in the EU."Apple has simply contested every little bit of the DMA since its entry into application," said Regnier. He added that the Commission had "absolutely no intention" of dismantling the DMA. The landmark legislation was passed in 2022 in an effort to rein in the ever-growing reach and power of big tech and to level the playing field for smaller would-be competitors.Since then, Apple has found itself in hot water in the EU over its App Store rules, cross-device interoperability and its browser options. Earlier this year, the Commission fined Apple approximately $570 million for anti-competitive activities, which the company is appealing.This summer, the Commission opened a period of public consultation for the DMA with a deadline for submission of September 24. Apple submitted an official response, while also taking the time to publicly decry the DMA through a blog post.In the post, Apple says "it's become clear that the DMA is leading to a worse experience for Apple users in the EU." The company says it is "urging regulators to take a closer look at how the law is affecting the EU citizens who use Apple products every day," alleging that the implementation of these laws is opening users to higher risks of scams, exposure to harmful apps and weakened security surrounding user data.The back-and-forth over the DMA and the hefty fines being levied against big tech companies has become part of the political discourse amid trade negotiations between the US and the EU. President Donald Trump expressed his ire at American companies facing such heavy fines, and The Wall Street Journal alleged that the EU was using these fines in part as a bargaining chip in trade negotiations.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/eu-tells-apple-it-has-no-intention-of-repealing-the-digital-markets-act-175950691.html?src=rss