The last few years have brought a barrage of cozy games," video games expressly designed to generate good vibes. That said, coziness isn't a virtue in and of itself. If you're looking for games to help you wind down, allow us to help. We've curated a selection of our favorite chill titles, ones that purposefully deemphasize fail states, grinding, intense violence and other aggressive urges, but aren't insufferably twee, dull or same-y. Yes, these include the Stardew Valleys and Animal Crossingsof the world, but we've also highlighted a number of lesser-known gems that span across genres. Here's a few of the best relaxing games for your Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox, PC or mobile device. Recent updates January 2025: We've added Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley and Little Kitty, Big City to the list. Check out our entire Best Games series including the best Nintendo Switch games, the best PS5 games, the best Xbox games, the best PC games and the best free games you can play today.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/best-relaxing-video-games-140048572.html?src=rss
Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket has successfully made it to space for its maiden flight, a few days after its planned January 13 launch was scrubbed. The vehicle passed the Karman line, the internationally recognized boundary of space, shortly after 2AM Eastern time on January 16. New Glenn's booster separated from the rest of the rocket to make its way back to Earth towards a landing platform in the ocean by 2:10 AM, while its second stage and payload went on to reach orbit. The company has just announced on its live feed that it failed to land New Glenn's booster, but it was never the launch's primary purpose.Dave Limp, the company's CEO, previously stressed that the mission's objective is to reach orbit. "Anything beyond that is a bonus," he wrote in a tweet. He said that landing the booster was "ambitious" but that Blue Origin is still going for it and expects to "learn a lot" from the effort. Notably, it took SpaceX three years of landing tests before it was successfully able to land Falcon 9's first stage on a drone ship in the ocean.New Glenn is a heavy-lift launch vehicle with a booster that was designed to be reused for a minimum of 25 flights. Blue Origin describes it as its "giant, reusable rocket built for bigger things." It has a massive payload capacity and can carry more than 13 metric tons to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) and 45 metric tons to low Earth orbit (LEO). For its maiden flight, the vehicle carried the company's Blue Ring Pathfinder, which is part of its Blue Ring platform that will offer spacecraft services to clients like the Pentagon. The mission is meant to test Blue Ring's core flight and ground systems, as well as its operational capabilities.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/blue-origins-new-glenn-rocket-launches-into-orbit-on-its-maiden-flight-073451555.html?src=rss
LG Display is introducing its 4th-generation OLED TV displays today, which manage to not only be brighter than what it showed off in 2024, but also more power-efficient and less reflective. The LG OLED evo M5 was one of Engadget's favorite announcements from CES 2025, thanks in part to the LG Display panels it uses.LG Display's new 4th-generation OLED TV panel can reach a maximum brightness "as high as 4,000 nits," according to the company, which is 33 percent brighter than the previous generation panel. It's worth noting maximum brightness is not the same thing as uniform brightness across the same display panel, but it's still a notable improvement when OLEDs can struggle with brightness. Especially when those gains are paired with better energy efficiency, which LG Display says is "around 20 percent greater" on a 65-inch 4th-generation panel.LG DisplayThe changes to the new OLED's efficiency are due to enhancements to the panel's "structure and power supply system" while the brightness improvements have to do with a clever to tweak to how LG is arranging the LEDs in the panel. The 4th-generation OLED uses a "Primary RGB Tandem structure" which stacks independent layers of red and green light elements with two blue layers. Each layer produces more light which helps improve brightness and "color purity."LG Display is also aiding color reproduction (and presumably purity) with a new film coating that reduces the amount of light reflected from the surface of the panel and light absorbed and reflected inside the panel. The company says all of these developments are in service of making better "AI TVs" but if that doesn't sway you, it sounds like TVs with these new panels should just look better too.The 4th-generation OLED panel will appear in "top-of-the-line mass-produced" TVs this year, and LG Display says the "Primary RGB Tandem structure" will be gradually introduced into Gaming OLED monitors in the future, as well.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/lg-displays-new-oleds-are-even-brighter-and-more-power-efficient-020010221.html?src=rss
The Super Bowl tends to be a cultural moment, even for people who don't know an extra point from a safety. This year, if you want to see the whole program, including the halftime show by Kendrick Lamar, there will be a free streaming option. The broadcast will be available in 4K on Tubi, the free ad-supported streaming TV platform owned by Fox.This year marks the first time Tubi will have the NFL's final matchup as part of its programming. Fox Sports announced its plans to mark the occasion of Super Bowl LIX with a "takeover" of Tubi, including not just the livestream of the game, but also a special red carpet pre-show. Tubi will also have a Countdown to the Super Bowl on the NFL channel starting January 28 that will highlight big moments from the championship's history.Super Bowl LIX will be available to watch on FOX, FOX Deportes, Tubi and Telemundo, as well as on NFL digital properties, without requiring any paid-TV authentication. The game takes place on February 9.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/tubi-will-livestream-the-2025-super-bowl-for-free-in-4k-232831563.html?src=rss
Sonos is continuing to clean house as the company recovers from the hits it took following a disastrous mobile app redesign last year. Just a day after CEO Patrick Spence departed the company, chief product officer Maxime Bouvat-Merlin is also leaving. He will act as an advisor to interim CEO Tom Conrad during the leadership transition before fully exiting Sonos.According to The Verge, Conrad informed Sonos employees about the latest leadership change in a company-wide email today. The CPO role is being made redundant, with Sonos' product team reporting directly to Conrad for the time being.A day after Bouvat-Merlin was let go, The Verge reported that chief commercial officer Deirdre Findlay was also leaving the company. However, an internal email from Conrad clarified that Findlay has no timeline yet for her departure and her reasons for leaving Sonos are not related to the recent leadership changes.Sonos has been in a tailspin since releasing a mobile app update in May that contained many bugs and was missing key features. The company's financial results took a dive, and it laid off about 100 employees in August. Sonos has made several efforts to keep customers aware of its plans to recover from the app launch, and the decision to replace top leadership seems like the latest move to win back public trust in the business.Update, January 15 2025, 4:50PM ET: This story was updated to include details of Sonos' chief commercial officer also leaving the company.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/sonos-chief-product-officer-is-also-leaving-the-company-223256031.html?src=rss
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a suit against John Deere, accusing it of unfair" practices that force farmers to pay higher-than-average repair costs. The federal organization, along with attorneys general for Illinois and Minnesota, are alleging that the company engages in practices that keep farmers from being able to make repairs on equipment they own.In other words, this is another salvo in the ongoing right-to-repair battle. The complaint states that John Deere engages in dubious practices, like incorporating software into farm equipment, to dissuade people from trying to fix stuff on their own. Additionally, the suit points to decades" of unlawful behavior that pushes farmers to the company's authorized network of dealers for repairs.
Sony is set to freshen up the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for Extra and Premium subscribers with a bunch of new additions in January. The obvious headliner here is God of War Ragnarok(PS4 and PS5), one of PlayStation's biggest blockbusters from the last few years.The epic 2022 adventure sees Kratos and his son Atreus attempting to prevent an event that could bring about the end of the world. Studio Santa Monica expanded on the core game in late 2023 with the free addition of a roguelite mode that acts as an epilogue. Kratos can wield permanent upgrades as well as temporary ones that only last for the duration of a given run.If you haven't done so already, we'd highly recommend playing through God of War before delving into Ragnarok. The story of the 2018 game feeds directly into that of the sequel (and it's a darn good game too). Thankfully, God of War is also in the Game Catalog.Another new addition that's well worth checking out is the brilliant rhythm action title Sayonara Wild Hearts(PS4). It tells the story of a young woman attempting to repair her broken heart through a series of imaginative levels, all set to an absolutely banging pop music soundtrack. Sayonara Wild Hearts was an Apple Arcade launch title, but it left that service a few months ago. It's one of my two favorite games of all time, and I can't recommend it enough.The highly regarded sci-fi RPG Citizen Sleeper is in the mix as well. It'll hit the Game Catalog a week and a half before the sequel, Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector, drops on January 31.Other newcomers to the Extra tier include the 2023 Like A Dragon spinoff, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name (PS4 and PS5), action RPGs Atlas Fallen: Reign Of Sand (PS5) and SD Gundam Battle Alliance (PS4 and PS5), action-adventure title ANNO: Mutationem (PS4 and PS5), tower defense game Orcs Must Die! 3 (PS4 and PS5) and Poker Club (PS4).Premium subscribers will get access to another two games on top of all of those. Those are Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings (PS4 and PS5), which debuted on PS2 in 2009, and Medievil II (PS4 and PS5), which originally hit the PS1 in 2000.These games will hit the PS Plus Game Catalog on January 21. As a reminder, PlayStation Portal owners can now stream certain PS5 games in the catalog from the cloud.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/god-of-war-ragnarok-headlines-the-playstation-plus-game-catalog-additions-for-january-191024729.html?src=rss
Google is partnering with The Associated Press to bring real-time information from the news agency to its Gemini app, the search giant announced on Wednesday. The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The deal builds on an existing partnership Google had with The Associated Press to source real-time information for its search engine. This will be particularly helpful to [Gemini app] users looking for up-to-date information," Google says of the deal.AP and Google's longstanding relationship is based on working together to provide timely, accurate news and information to global audiences," said Kristin Heitmann, The Associated Press senior vice president and chief revenue officer. We are pleased Google recognizes the value of AP's journalism as well as our commitment to nonpartisan reporting, in the development of its generative AI products."In 2023, The Associated Press was among the first news publishers to forge a partnership with an AI firm, signing a two-year deal with OpenAI that gave the company access to select news content dating back to 1985. Since then, many other publishers have followed suit with their own agreements. In fact, just earlier today, Axios announced a three-year deal with OpenAI that will see the AI startup fund four new local newsrooms. Last year, OpenAI partnered with People publisher Dotdash Meredith, a deal that has since been reported to be worth at least $16 million annually.Correction 6:23PM ET: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that The Associated Press was following other publishers in signing agreements with AI firms. We regret the error.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-brings-real-time-information-from-the-associated-press-to-gemini-190317150.html?src=rss
Xbox has announced a few more sustainability efforts, including an expansion of its repairability program. You'll be able to buy official replacement parts for Xbox Series X/S systems from the Microsoft Store and iFixit so you can repair your console yourself, even if it's out of warranty. Until now, Microsoft had only offered controller parts through its own store, but now you can buy components for the Series S and both the all-digital and disc drive editions of the Series X. Along with various parts and step-by-step repair guides, iFixit also has an Xbox toolkit for sale.Meanwhile, as of January 20, uBreakiFix by Asurion will be the first Xbox Authorized Service Provider. It will repair the consoles at nearly 700 participating locations in the US. Previously, authorized in-person Xbox repairs were only available at the Microsoft Store, so gamers will have many more places where they can go to get their console fixed without breaking the warranty.These are positive steps forward for the right-to-repair movement. They should help reduce the number of games consoles that are consigned to the scrapheap."By expanding the number of ways players can get support and repair for their Xbox consoles, we also help extend the longevity of Xbox devices, reduce waste, promote re-use and ultimately reduce our environmental impact," Trista Patterson, director of gaming sustainability at Xbox, wrote in an Xbox Wire post. In addition, there are no longer any single-use plastics in Xbox Series X/S packaging following a switch to fully paper- and fiber-based materials.Elsewhere on the sustainability front, Microsoft says that, through recent efficiencies in how the Xbox Series S handles video content, there's been an average power reduction of 10 percent while media apps are in use. As for the company's game studios, they've been using the Xbox Sustainability Toolkit to make more energy-efficient games, Microsoft says.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/microsoft-and-ifixit-now-sell-official-xbox-series-xs-replacement-parts-for-diy-repairs-173948884.html?src=rss
It's been a long wait, but Daredevil: Born Again premieres on March 4 via Disney+. The streamer just dropped another trailer that's filled with new footage, much of it proving that the pseudo-sequel series will stay true to its violent roots.The trailer's anchored around Matt Murdock sitting at a diner with arch-nemesis Wilson Fisk, calling to mind that famous scene in Heat between Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino. The relationship between these two was one of the main reasons that the Netflix series worked so well, and the actors still have plenty of chemistry.The footage is also ultra-violent, which should please fans of the original show. The bone-crunching looks to be extra, uh, visceral. Eagle-eyed viewers will also spot a bearded and disoriented Frank Castle, aka The Punisher, likely on his way to mow down 400 gangsters.Daredevil's best buds Karen and Foggy are in the footage, but briefly and without any speaking lines. We know they were only recently added to the show after a complete retool, which leaves me wondering how much we'll see of the pair.Daredevil: Born Again stars Charlie Cox, Vincent D'Onofrio, Jon Bernthal, Ayelet Zurer and Wilson Bethel, among others. It's been over six years since the final season of the Netflix show premiered, so we are more than ready to go back to Hell's Kitchen. As previously mentioned, this show has been in the works for a while. Disney+ actually filmed a large portion of the season before scrapping it all and starting over.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/daredevils-new-trailer-is-heavy-on-violence-and-nostalgia-164430782.html?src=rss
Honda has announced that its first original EV design, the Acura RSX, will use its proprietary Asimo operating system, according to The Verge. If those names sound familiar it's because RSX is a Honda nameplate from the early 2000s, and Asimo was a Honda project to build humanoid robots from the area, which was finally mothballed in 2018. Everything old is new again.Asimo OS was mentioned at CES 2025 alongside its 0 Series SUV and Saloon sedan EV concepts, but the Acura RSX will be the first production vehicle to get it. The operating system uses technology similar to its namesake robot to recognize external environments and understand people's intentions, according to the company. It will also assist in the vehicle's automated and advanced assisted driving functions.The company's current EVs - the Acura ZDX and the Honda Prologue - are both based on the General Motors Ultium platform. Production of the Acura RSX will take place in Honda's new Fayette County, Ohio factory. The final beams of the plant were only erected a little less than a year ago, and it's projected to have battery and RSX production up and running by the end of this year. Consumers should be able to get their hands on the new vehicle sometime in 2026.While Honda is working hard on its EVs, its plans to merge with Nissan, announced at the end of last year, continue. The two companies have been collaborating on making EV components and software since August.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/the-acura-rsx-calls-dibs-on-hondas-proprietary-asimo-os-162231318.html?src=rss
We recommend several Dyson models in our guide to the best cordless vacuums. While the Digital Slim isn't on the list per se, it's still an option perhaps worth considering if you're in the market for a new vacuum - not least because that model is half off right now. You can snap it up from both Amazon and Dyson directly for $250. This isn't quite a record low price for this model. The Dyson Digital Slim was $270 off for Black Friday back in November. Still, half off is a decent deal by just about any metric. At 4.4 pounds, the Dyson Digital Slim cordless stick vacuum is about a third lighter than the company's popular V11 model. That should make it relatively easier to handle. On the downside, the Digital Slim will run for about 40 minutes on a single charge. That means it's probably best suited for smaller homes. That said, there is an LCD display that shows how much battery life is left, so you shouldn't be caught unaware before it runs out of juice. The Digital Slim offers three power modes so you can balance power and runtime. The vacuum has a capacity of 0.1 gallons and there's a no-touch emptying mechanism. It also turns into a handheld with a single click for those hard-to-reach places and to help with cleaning the couch or your car. Dyson says the vacuum has a fully sealed, whole machine filtration system that captures dust and seals in 99.99 percent of particles as small as 0.3 microns. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/this-dyson-cordless-stick-vacuum-is-half-off-right-now-153116755.html?src=rss
It's an understatement to say that cell phones have evolved in the 30-plus years since they entered mainstream society. But, despite all the stuff our smart phones offer, they'll never hit the same way those early models did. Now, there's an opportunity to step back in time, thanks to the new digital Nokia Design Archive sharing sketches, photos, interviews and videos spanning from the mid-1990s to 2017.Aalto University, in Nokia's home country of Finland, is responsible for the Nokia Design Archive. Its team of researchers curated 700 entries and included a repository with another 20,000 items and 959GB of born-digital file. The never-before-seen content from Nokia, which released its first GSM hand-portable phone in 1992, doesn't disappoint. Anyone feeling extra nerdy (ahem, me) can even read through presentations with mood boards and concept designs.The ensuing nostalgia dive provides not only an ode to the classic Nokia devices (and their very 90s styling), but also an interesting look into how technology evolves. "In the early ages of Nokia, there was a genuine wish to understand people, how they live, what makes them tick. Now we're at a similar point of societal transformation with AI. Nobody has concretised what it is yet, but we need to get people thinking about what could be," said lead researcher Professor Anna Valtonen in a release. The Archive reveals how designers made visions concrete so that they could be properly explored long before they became reality. It reminds us that we do have agency and we can shape our world - by revealing the work of many people who did just that."NokiaThe Design Archive looks a bit like a word graph floating through space, with topics including Mobile Games and Gaming - which provides an overview of the infamous Snake game's creation - and Phones Fashion and Accessories. The free platform offers four topic filters: products, aesthetics, design process and design strategy. Plus, you can narrow in on specific years for a better look at your favorite model's time period. The team hopes to continue adding more content as the project develops further.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/the-nokia-design-archive-has-20-plus-years-of-never-before-seen-images-sketches-and-strategy-150044971.html?src=rss
Axios is expanding its local newsletter presence from 30 to 34 cities. The catch? OpenAI is funding it. In its continued pretense of benefiting newsrooms, OpenAI has partnered with Axiosin a three-year deal to cover Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Kansas City, Missouri; Boulder, Colorado; and Huntsville, Alabama. What does OpenAI get in exchange for its funding? Oh, just the ability to use Axios content to answer users' questions.Like the close to 20 newsrooms that OpenAI has already partnered with, Axios seems to have forgotten that the scorpion did end up stinging the frog. Instead, we have this starry-eyed statement from Axios co-founder and CEO Jim VandeHei: "We launched Axios Local nearly four years ago with the bold goal of bringing local news to communities across the country. OpenAI's investment allows us to continue our expansion and aid us in bringing essential local news to deserving audiences."Axios will be able to use OpenAI's technology to create its own AI-powered systems and products. However, VandeHei issued a memo to employees stating the aforementioned technology won't be used for reporting stories (sure, because no one has been laid off in favor of AI before - oh wait, wait some more and the list continues). The Axios announcementdoes, however, point out that The New York Times is currently suing both OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement, so maybe there's some awareness of what its entering into.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/axios-partners-with-openai-forgetting-the-scorpion-stung-the-frog-144242204.html?src=rss
The rise of AI NPCs has felt like a looming threat for years, as if developers couldn't wait to dump human writers and offload NPC conversations to generative AI models. At CES 2025, NVIDIA made it plainly clear the technology was right around the corner. PUBG developer Krafton, for instance, plans to use NVIDIA's ACE (Avatar Cloud Engine) to power AI companions, which will assist and banter with you during matches. Krafton isn't just stopping there - it's also using ACE in its life simulation title InZOI to make characters smarter and generate objects.While the use of generative AI in games seems almost inevitable, as the medium has always toyed with new methods for making enemies and NPCs seem smarter and more realistic, seeing several NVIDIA ACE demos back-to-back made me genuinely sick to my stomach. This wasn't just slightly smarter enemy AI - ACE can craft entire conversations out of thin air, simulate voices and try to give NPCs a sense of personality. It's also doing that work locally on your PC, powered by NVIDIA's RTX GPUs. But while all of that that might sound cool on paper, I hated almost every second I saw the AI NPCs in action.TiGames' ZooPunk is a prime example: It relies on NVIDIA ACE to generate dialog, a virtual voice and lip syncing for an NPC named Buck. But as you can see in the video above, Buck sounds like a stilted robot with a slight country accent. If he's supposed to have some sort of relationship with the main character, you couldn't tell from the performance.I think my visceral aversion to NVIDIA's ACE-powered AI comes down to this: There's simply nothing compelling about it. No joy, no warmth, no humanity. Every ACE AI character feels like a developer cutting corners in the worst way possible, as if you're seeing their contempt for the audience manifested a boring NPC. I'd much rather scroll through some on-screen text, at least I wouldn't have to have conversations with uncanny robot voices.During NVIDIA's Editor's Day at CES, a gathering for media to learn more about the new RTX 5000-series GPUs and their related technology, I was also underwhelmed by a demo of PUBG's AI Ally. Its responses were akin to what you'd hear from a pre-recorded phone tree. The Ally also failed to find a gun when the player asked, which could have been a deadly mistake in a crowded map. At one point, the PUBG companion also spent around 15 seconds attacking enemies while the demo player was shouting for it to get into a car. What good is an AI helper if it plays like a noob?Poke around NVIDIA's YouTube channel and you'll find other disappointing ACE examples, like the basic speaking animations in the MMO World of Jade Dynasty (above) and Alien: Rogue Incursion. I'm sure many devs would love to skip the chore of developing decent lip syncing technology, or adopting someone else's, but for these games leaning on AI just looks awful.To be clear, I don't think NVIDIA's AI efforts are all pointless. I've loved seeing DLSS get steadily better over the years, and I'm intrigued to see how DLSS 4's multi-frame generation could improve 4K and ray-tracing performance for demanding games. The company's neural shader technology also seems compelling, in particular its ability to apply a realistic sheen to material like silk, or evoke the slight transparency you'd see from skin. These aren't enormous visual leaps, to be clear, but they could help deliver a better sense of immersion.Now I'm sure some AI boosters will say that the technology will get better from here, and at some undefinable point in the future, it could approach the quality of human ingenuity. Maybe. But I'm personally tired of being sold on AI fantasies, when we know the key to great writing and performances is to give human talent the time and resources to refine their craft. And on a certain level, I think I'll always feel like the director Hayao Miyazaki, who described an early example of an AI CG creature as, "an affront to life itself."AI, like any new technology, is a tool that could be deployed in many ways. For things like graphics and gameplay (like the intelligent enemies in F.E.A.R. and The Last of Us), it makes sense. But when it comes to communicating with NPCs, writing their dialog and crafting their performances, I've grown to appreciate human effort more than anything else. Replacing that with lifeless AI doesn't seem like a step forward in any way.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/nvidias-ai-npcs-are-a-nightmare-140313701.html?src=rss
If you know anyone in the job market right now, then you've probably heard stories about just how tough it can be to even land an interview. Part of the problem, according to LinkedIn, is that too many people are applying for jobs they aren't actually qualified for, which makes it harder for good candidates to stand out.The company is hoping its new AI-powered Job Match" feature can help address some of that disconnect. The feature, which is beginning to roll out today, uses AI to provide detailed summaries alongside job listings that let users know how qualified they actually are for a given role.LinkedIn product manager Rohan Rajiv says that the AI-powered feature goes beyond the kind of simple keyword matching that job hunters may already rely on. Instead, it attempts to understand the breadth of your experience and how it aligns with the qualifications outlined in the job description.The goal, Rajiv tells Engadget, is to help surface the jobs a person is most qualified for and discourage people from applying to roles they aren't. When you're qualified, we'll be able to help you, but also, when you're not qualified, we can hopefully find you other places where you are qualified," Rajv told Engadget.While Job Match" will be available to all LinkedIn users, there are some added benefits for subscribers to LinkedIn Premium, including more granular information about their job match level. Eventually, Rajiv says, LinkedIn will also be able to surface more qualified applicants on the recruiter side as well, to make it less likely for good candidates to be overlooked.Whether any of this will actually ease the pain of would-be job seekers is less clear. The tech industry lost tens of thousands of jobs to layoffs in 2024. So did the video game industry. Media and entertainment hasn't fared much better, either.All that would seemingly create even more competition for the same job openings - a dynamic AI seems ill-equipped to fully address. I think there's a portion of this that will always be labor market dynamics, but I would argue that there's a significant portion of this that is just pure lack of transparency," Rajiv says. He notes that early tests of the feature have suggested that a non-trivial chunk" of the problem is more solvable than we think."On their part, recruiters seem to be endorsing LinkedIn's latest advice regarding applying for fewer jobs. The company's blog post features testimonials from recruiters practically begging unqualified applicants to stop flooding their inboxes.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/linkedin-wants-you-to-apply-for-fewer-jobs-140049139.html?src=rss
The United States, Japan and South Korea have issued a warning against North Korean threat actors, who are actively and aggressively targeting the cryptocurrency industry. In their joint advisory, the countries said threat actor groups affiliated with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) continue to stage numerous cybercrime campaigns to steal cryptocurrency. Those bad actors - including the Lazarus hacking group, which the US believes has been deploying cyber attacks all over the world since 2009 - target "exchanges, digital asset custodians and individual users." And apparently, they stole $659 million in crypto assets in 2024 alone.North Korean hackers have been using "well-disguised social engineering attacks" to infiltrate their targets' systems, the countries said. They also warned that the actors could get access to systems owned by the private sector by posing as freelance IT workers. Back in 2022, the US issued guidelines on how to identify potential workers from North Korea, such as how they'd typically log in from multiple IP addresses, transfer money to accounts based in the People's Republic of China, ask for crypto payments, have inconsistencies with their background information and be unreachable at times during their supposed business hours.Once the bad actors are in, they then usually deploy malware, such as keyloggers and remote access tools, to be able to steal login credentials and, ultimately, virtual currency they can control and sell. As for where the stolen funds go: The UN issued a report in 2022, revealing its investigators' discovery that North Korea uses money stolen by affiliated threat actors for its missile programs. "Our three governments strive together to prevent thefts, including from private industry, by the DPRK and to recover stolen funds with the ultimate goal of denying the DPRK illicit revenue for its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs," the US, Japan and South Korea said.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/north-korea-stole-659-million-in-crypto-assets-last-year-the-us-says-133029741.html?src=rss
DJI has lifted its geofence that prevents users in the US from flying over restricted areas like nuclear power plants, airports and wildfires, the company wrote in a blog post on Monday. As of January 13th, areas previously called "restricted zones" or no-fly zones will be shown as "enhanced warning zones" that correspond to designated Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) areas. DJI's Fly app will display a warning about those areas but will no longer stop users from flying inside them, the company said.In the article, DJI wrote that the "in-app alerts will notify operators flying near FAA designated controlled airspace, placing control back in the hands of the drone operators, in line with regulatory principles of the operator bearing final responsibility." It added that technologies like Remote ID [introduced after DJI implemented geofencing] gives authorities "the tools needed to enforce existing rules," DJI's global policy chief Adam Welsh told The Verge.Still, the update is an odd one, given that DJI is already on shaky ground in the US and could be banned from selling its products stateside as early as next year. DJI's former head of policy, Brendon Schulman, criticized the move on Twitter in a series of posts. "There was substantial evidence over the years that automatic drone geofencing, implemented using a risk-based approach, contributed significantly to aviation safety," he wrote.
After a more than two-year investigation, the Securities and Exchange Commission has sued Elon Musk over his delayed disclosure of the Twitter stock he amassed before announcing his intention to acquire the company in 2022.In a court filing, the SEC says that Musk filed paperwork with the SEC disclosing his purchase of Twitter shares 11 days after an SEC-mandated deadline to do so. (Federal law, as the SEC notes in its statement, requires investors to publicly report when they have acquired a more than 5 percent stake in a company.) This delay, according to the regulator, allowed Musk to buy up even more Twitter stock at a time when other investors were unaware of his involvement with the company.From the lawsuit:
Pixelfed is now available as a mobile apps for both iOS and Android. The open source, decentralized platform offers image sharing similar to Instagram. However, Pixelfed has no advertisements and does not share user data with third parties. The platform launched in 2018, but was only available on the web or through third-party app clients. The Android app debuted on January 9 and the iOS app released today.Creator Daniel Supernault posted on Mastodon Monday evening that the platform had 11,000 users join over the preceding 24 hours and that more than 78,000 posts have been shared to Pixelfed to date. The platform runs on ActivityPub, the same protocol that powers several other decentralized social networks in the fediverse, such as Mastodon and Flipboard.Many Instagram users have been seeking out alternatives to the Meta-owned platform after the company said it would eliminate third-party fact checking and revised its "Hateful Content" policy to allow denigrating comments against women and trans people, among other changes. Meta also blocked some links to Pixelfed on Facebook, treating them as spam and deleting those posts. A representative from the company said this was an error and that the posts would be reinstated.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/pixelfed-instagrams-decentralized-competitor-is-now-on-ios-and-android-205059236.html?src=rss
We've been hearing about the latest animated movie based on The Witcher franchise for a while now, but we've only ever gotten a short teaser and an equally short clip. Now, finally, there's a legit full-fledged trailer. This is opportune timing, as The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep hits Netflix on February 11.The big hook here? Geralt is voiced by Doug Cockle, reprising his role from the video games. Anya Chalotra and Joey Batey (Yennefer of Vengerberg and Jaskier in the live action show) are also reprising their roles. It's set in the universe of the TV show, surrounding events that occurred during the first season, but is based on a short story by franchise creator Andrzej Sapkowski.The original story, called A Little Sacrifice," involves Geralt investigating a series of attacks in a seaside village, leading to a conflict between humans and merpeople. It's generally considered one of the better short stories in the canon. There's an underwater city, which is always a good time.The movie is directed by Kang Hei Chul. He was a storyboard artist for The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, which was a prequel that followed Geralt's mentor Vesemir. Studio Mir is on animation duties, the same South Korean studio that worked on Nightmare of the Wolf.This company has an absolutely amazing pedigree. It animated the hit cartoon X-Men 97, but also stuff like The Legend of Korra, Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, My Adventures with Superman and Voltron: Legendary Defender, among many others. The studio is currently finishing up the upcoming Devil May Cry anime, also for Netflix.A fourth game in The Witcher franchise is coming, but this one stars Ciri instead of Geralt. The fifth and final season of The Witcher TV show is expected to premiere on Netflix in 2026.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/the-new-witcher-animated-film-finally-has-a-legit-trailer-195457579.html?src=rss
ChatGPT has had support for voice conversations since the end of 2023, but if you're new to OpenAI's chatbot, figuring out how to converse with it can be tricky since there are a couple of ways to go about it. In this guide, I'll explain the main differences between ChatGPT's two voice modes and how to use both of them.What is ChatGPT Advanced Voice Mode?As of the writing of this article, OpenAI offers two different ways of interacting with ChatGPT using your voice: Standard" and Advanced." The former is available to all users, with usage counting against one's message limit. Advanced," meanwhile, has more granular restrictions.As a free user, OpenAI offers a monthly preview of the tool. Subscribing to the company's $20 per month Plus plan allows you to use Advanced Voice daily. OpenAI notes daily limits may change, but either way, the company promises to notify users 15 minutes before they're about to hit their usage cap. Pro users can use Advanced Voice as much as they want, provided they do so in a way that's reasonable" and complies with the company's policies.Outside of those limits, the primary difference between the two modes is the sophistication of the underlying models powering them. Per OpenAI, Advanced Voice is natively multi-modal, meaning it can process more than just text input. In practice, this translates to Advanced Voice offering capabilities that aren't possible with Standard Mode, which is limited to reading a transcript of what you say to your phone. In addition to hearing" your voice, ChatGPT in Advanced Voice can simultaneously process video and images. It's even possible to screen share with the chatbot, making it possible for it to guide you through using an app on your phone.Additionally, OpenAI says Advanced Voice's multi-modality means ChatGPT can produce a more natural voice and is better able to pick up non-verbal cues.How do you start a voice conversation with ChatGPT?Igor Bonifacic for EngadgetAs mentioned above, OpenAI offers two different ways of interacting with ChatGPT using your voice. The steps below will show you how to access them on your iPhone or Android device.First, you need to download the ChatGPT app (Android, iOS). The features detailed in this guide aren't available through the ChatGPT integration offered by Apple through its AI suite.To use Standard mode, tap the microphone icon to the right of the Message bar. If you need to grant the ChatGPT app access to your phone's microphone, you can do so through its settings menu.After ChatGPT begins recording your prompt, tap the checkmark icon for the chatbot to start processing your question. If you want it to discard what you said, press the x icon.To use Advanced Mode, tap the waveform icon to the right of the Message bar. Tap the microphone icon if you want to mute your phone's mic. You can exit Advanced Mode at any time by pressing the x icon.How do you share a photo of your screen with ChatGPT while having a voice conversation?If you want to screen share with ChatGPT or share a photo or video with it, tap the three-dots icon and select Share Screen, Upload Photo or Take Photo.If you don't see those options, update to the latest version of the ChatGPT app. You may also live in a country where OpenAI isn't offering those features yet. See below for more information.How many voice options are available?The first time you use Advanced Voice Mode, you'll be prompted to select a tone of voice for ChatGPT. Right now, OpenAI offers nine different options. I've listed them below, along with the company's descriptions of each one.
The Department of Justice and the FBI shared today that they have completed a project to remove malware used by Chinese hackers from computers in the US. The effort was essentially a court-approved counter-hack that remotely deleted malware known as PlugX from more than 4,200 computers. The agencies will notify the US owners of those impacted machines about the operation through their internet service providers.According to the DOJ press release, hacker groups known as Mustang Panda and Twill Typhoon received backing from the Chinese government to use PlugX to infect, control and gather information from computers outside China. The action to delete the PlugX malware from US computers began in August 2024. It was conducted in cooperation with French law enforcement and with Sekoia.io, a France-based private cybersecurity company. Sekoia.io has found PlugX malware in more than 170 countries.The Mustang Panda group has been conducting infiltration efforts around the world since at least 2014. For instance, cybersecurity firm ESET found that Mustang Panda gained access to cargo shipping companies' computers in Norway, Greece and the Netherlands in March. And the group was one of several China-linked hacking organizations identified as compromising telecommunications systems across the Asia-Pacific region in reports last summer.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/doj-remotely-cleaned-thousands-of-computers-infected-with-chinese-malware-191837967.html?src=rss
Meta is preparing for even more layoffs, according to reporting by Bloomberg. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a company memo that he plans on cutting about five percent of its "low-performers."I've decided to raise the bar on performance management and move out low-performers faster," Zuckerberg said in the memo. We typically manage out people who aren't meeting expectations over the course of a year, but now we're going to do more extensive performance-based cuts during this cycle."All told, this could result in 10 percent fewer staff at Meta, once attrition is accounted for. Bloomberg suggested that the forthcoming pink slips will focus on people who have been with the company long enough to receive a performance rating."Between increased layoffs and attrition, nearly 7,000 Meta staff might be leaving the company in the near future. This follows a firing spree that began in late 2022, eventually impacting over 20,000 workers. The company also laid off 60 technical program managers earlier this month."A leaner org will execute its highest priorities faster. People will be more productive, and their work will be more fun and fulfilling," Zuckerberg said in 2024. Nothing says fun and fulfilling" like living in constant fear of being fired.Meta has had an unusual year so far. We are only halfway through January and the Zuck has already ended third-party fact checking across Meta platforms, appointed UFC CEO Dana White to Meta's board and took a trip to Mar-a-lago to bend the knee. The company also changed its "Hateful Content" policy to make it safer for homophobes and it came out that Instagram had been shadowbanning common LGBTQ hashtags.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/mark-zuckerberg-plans-to-lay-off-an-additional-five-percent-of-metas-workforce-182651886.html?src=rss
Last week, Meta decided it would replace its professional fact-checking program with X-style "Community Notes" and it looks like a version of the feature is already being tested on Threads. Alessandro Paluzzi, a developer who frequently posts leaked details on Meta's apps, shared three screenshots that show an early look of what the Community Notes might look like in Threads.In a statement, a Meta spokesperson described the screenshots as an "internal prototype" and said the feature wasn't being tested outside of the company.Paluzzi's images show a new "Write Community Note" option in the menu you can access in the corner of a Threads post. If you select it, it looks like you'll be able to anonymously submit your note, and if it's rated as helpful, it will appear under the post. The whole setup is not dissimilar from how X uses Community Notes, which started as a feature called "Birdwatch" on Twitter before Elon Musk acquired and renamed the company.Alessandro Paluzzi Community Notes are just one of the ways Threads is changing under Meta's new approach to moderation. The app, which was against the sharing and promoting of "political" content, will now also suggest political posts. Instagram and Threads head Adam Mosseri demonstrated how you can adjust the amount of political content you see in your feed in a short video shared to Threads today. Meta is giving users three options to choose from: "See less," which attempts to weed out political content, "Standard," which suggests some political content and "See more," which treats political content like everything else on the app.It's not clear that Community Notes or toggles for political content address the actual issues users have with Threads, or if they'll make anyone happier. They do fit with the "free speech warrior" image Meta is trying to project, though.Update January 14, 2025, 12:26 PM ET: This story has been updated to add more information from a Meta spokesperson.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/threads-is-starting-to-test-community-notes-232150151.html?src=rss
Substack tested live video last year, allowing Substack Bestsellers (the company's top users) to stream video and connect with a live audience and even collaborate with other Bestsellers. Now, the feature is open to every Substack publisher who wants to go live. The only primary requirement besides needing an account is having at least 10 free subscribers.Publishers who go live can read comments as they come in, similar to Twitch. They can also collaborate with other publishers by asking them to hop on a call. Currently, Substack is only supporting up to three people in a single call.After your stream ends, you get a copy of the VOD and also some AI-generated notes. The VOD can be posted as its own post to ensure readers and fans who missed out can experience the stream on their own time. The VODs are made public by default when shared as a post, but they can also be paywalled. Substack's AI can generate clips you can share to attract viewers to watch the main VOD if you're interested in promoting your content elsewhere.Substack claims that its Bestsellers are happy with the feature, which allows them to engage with their readers and viewers better than before. The full impact of live video on Substack still remains questionable until more publishers try it out. Given how many options there are for streaming live video these days, it's far from a sure thing it'll catch on here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/substack-is-now-letting-all-publishers-broadcast-live-video-165321645.html?src=rss
Photoshop is officially becoming a team project. Adobe has announced the creation of live co-editing on Photoshop, allowing multiple individuals to simultaneously work on the same file from different computers. If you're sick of waiting around for a document back then this is probably great news, but, if you're keen to only share the final product, then you might not want to alert your boss.Adobe suggests a slew of uses for live co-editing in Photoshop, such as collaborating with other designers, allowing clients to directly edit and comment on a document or having students follow along to a teacher's lesson. To be fair, my design skills might be better if I had that option during my college Photoshop class.The feature isn't completely finalized, with live co-editing only available in beta testing right now - though the company does offer a similar feature in Adobe Express. You can sign up to be part of the beta testing group here if you want to test it out for yourself. You can also look at competitors like Canva, which already offers real-time collaboration.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/adobe-tests-live-co-editing-on-photoshop-155202670.html?src=rss
The Anker Soundcore Space A40 wireless earphones are now back to their Black Friday and Cyber Monday price, dropping from $80 to $45. These earbuds have made it onto our list of the best budget wireless earbuds and won first place. This pair of earbuds boasts some great features, such as sound customization using the Soundcore app and multipoint connectivity, which lets them connect to two devices at once. Of course, they have active noise cancellation (ANC) to block out background noises. The ANC is unexpected for headphones at this price range, and it's adaptive and has adjustable levels. The sound profile of the Soundcore Space A40 earbuds is warm with a boost in the upper-bass, but the higher frequencies have some cutting, which can reduce the clarity of some finer details. However, the bass profile is still pleasant and not overwhelming like many cheaper earphones have. The earbuds have a battery life of 10 hours on a full charge, but the case adds 50 hours more, an impressive number. The case also supports wireless charging. The main downside is that quality when using them for voice calls isn't great, but if you stick to tunes you'll likely be happy. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/our-favorite-budget-wireless-earbuds-are-down-to-a-record-low-price-154206363.html?src=rss
Sony has revealed a first proper look at Until Dawn, the movie adaptation of Supermassive's choose-your-own-adventure horror game. Rather than offering up a teaser or a trailer, the company has opted to unleash more of a vignette, with the film's writer and director explaining how their project differs from the game.As mentioned during Sony's CES 2025 keynote last week, Until Dawn has a new story and different characters from the original work. Director David F. Sandberg (Lights Out, Shazam!) says the film has sort of the same tone, the same vibe, but it expands on the universe."In the game, the characters' fates are determined by your narrative choices, many of which lead to grisly deaths for them. There will be something similar at play here, as things start over and the characters get to try again after everything goes to hell, Sandberg explained. Every time they come back to life, it's like they're in a new horror genre," the director added. To survive, they have to make it until dawn."It's an interesting attempt to replicate the structure of a video game, in which you can just start over if things aren't going your way. That said, the premise does make Until Dawn sound a little like the very fun Happy Death Day, in which the main character is killed every day but keeps coming back to life until she can figure out the identity of the murderer.Until Dawn is set to hit theaters on April 25. Sony says a proper trailer is coming soon. In the meantime, you might like to check out the remake of the game, which arrived on PS5 and PC in October.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/sony-offers-a-first-look-at-the-until-dawn-movie-151305432.html?src=rss
Amazon had been planning to roll out a new Alexa powered by generative AI in October 2024, but that obviously didn't happen. According to reports that came out back then, the company pushed back its new voice assistant's release to sometime this year. Now, a new report by The Financial Times says the company still needs to be able to overcome "several technical hurdles" before it can launch a more powerful version of Alexa. One of the main problems it has to solve is "hallucinations," which are incorrect or false results that generative AIs produce at times.Hallucinations have to be "close to zero," Rohit Prasad, leader of Amazon's artificial general intelligence (AGI) team told FT. Since people tend to use Alexa throughout the day, it could end up spitting out a lot of false information if Amazon fails to address the issue. Prasad admits that hallucinations are "still an open problem in the industry," but his team is "working extremely hard on it." Amazon also has to work Alexa's response speed or latency, because users expect to get a response quickly after they ask the assistant a question or after they ask it to perform a task.The Amazon AGI lead said that getting Alexa to that last mile has been really hard. "Sometimes we underestimate how many services are integrated into Alexa, and it's a massive number," he told FT. His team has to ensure that the new assistant will be able to work with hundreds of third-party apps and services. The new Alexa is expected to be powered by Anthropic's Claude AI and the company's in-house Amazon Nova models, and it will reportedly require a subscription as a way for the company to make money. But it still has no solid release date, and based on what a current employee told the publication, it's not rolling out anytime soon. Amazon still has a lot of things to do, they said, such as making sure it works "close to 100 percent of the time," adding child safety filters and testing Alexa various integrations.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/amazons-ai-lead-says-technical-issues-are-holding-back-alexa-ai-150017067.html?src=rss
Weber introduced the all-new Searwood smart pellet grill in early 2024, offering a new design in the follow-up to the SmokeFire series that debuted in 2020. In a bid to offer quality performance at a lower price, the company has announced its Smoque grill (pronounced "smoke"). With a versatile temperature range of 180 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, this new model is still a do-it-all pellet grill, and a new vent system circulates smoke and heat around the cooking chamber efficiently. The Smoque has a very similar overall design to the Searwood, but the most noticeable difference on the new model is the simplified controller. You still get support for two wired food probes, but this grill is controlled by a single knob. Despite the smaller display, the LCD panel can still be easily read from a distance, providing real-time updates on grill temperature, food temperature, timers and more. The controller works with the Weber Connect app to send all of those stats to your phone. And thanks to Wi-Fi connectivity, you can monitor the cooking process from anywhere. The biggest change on the Smoque is inside the cook box. Here, Weber has designed a vent system that sits between the burn pot and the cooking grates. This replaces the company's trademark Flavorizer bars from both the SmokeFire and Searwood (and what you'll find on its gas grills). The new setup circulates air and smoke evenly around your food, according to Weber, while also directing grease directly into the easily removable pan. Ash falls to the bottom of the cooking chamber during use and it can be swept into the same receptacle without the need for a vacuum. Weber Like Searwood, the Smoque is equipped with Weber's Rapid React tech that enables the grill to recover quickly after you open the lid. What's more, the new model hits the target temperature in 15 minutes and a Smoke Boost setting can be activated with via the turn-and-press knob. The Smoque is also compatible with the Weber Works and Weber Crafted lines of accessories, including the super handy grill caddy that reduces trips back inside. You can also add front-folding, side and bottom shelves for an additional cost. The 22-inch Weber Smoque is $699 while the 34-inch XL version is $899. Both will be available from retailers and the company's website later this year. For reference, the Searwood 600 is $899 and the XL model there is $1,199. Alongside the Smoque, Weber also revealed updates to its gas grill lineup as well as its flat-top griddles. First, the company upgraded the Spirit gas grill with Boost Burners in a specialized Sear Zone and an easy-to-read digital thermometer akin to what's available on the Slate griddles. And speaking of Slate, there's now a 28-inch version for $549. You still get three burners and Weber's pre-seasoned, rust-resistant cooking surface. A snap-on rail accommodates Weber Works accessories and the griddle's burners can hit temperatures over 500 degrees Fahrenheit in as little as 10 minutes. The new Spirit grills are available now in two-, three- and four-burner options starting at $399. The new size of the Slate will be available in early 2025. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/kitchen-tech/weber-aims-to-deliver-smart-grilling-performance-at-a-lower-price-with-the-smoque-150013216.html?src=rss
DirecTV just launched its new sports-only streaming service, MySports. The initial launch includes 40 sports from channels like ESPN, Fox Sports, the Golf Channel and more. It also includes sport-specific channels like the MLB Network, the NFL Network and NBA TV. The service will initially be available in 24 metro areas, including New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Los Angeles. It'll also include local channels owned by ABC, Fox and NBC so that people can watch games exclusively available on those channels. DirecTV will also add more channels to the mix in the future, as it's currently in talks with CBS to gain access to its content. A MySports subscription costs $70 a month, but if you sign up right now, you can pay $50 a month for the first three months. This offer lasts until February 25. If you don't want to commit so soon, there's also a five-day free trial, Varietynotes. A MySports subscription is around $10 cheaper than what competitors like YouTube TV and Fubo offer, priced at $83 and $80 a month, respectively. You can watch MySports content using the DirecTV app on iOS and Android. It's also available on smart TV platforms like Fire TV, Android TV and Apple TV. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/directv-is-launching-its-first-sports-only-subscription-144553549.html?src=rss
I recently came back from a trip and the whole journey home I had one goal: find an outlet. My phone was at about 30 percent by the time I got to the airport, so I searched for outlets across the terminal and then worried about finding access on the train back home. All of this stress was simply because I didn't bring my Anker Nano Power Bank with me. Now, I have the option with a lightning charger, but, if you're also traveling quite a bit (or even often out all day), then check out the sale on Anker's Nano Power Bank with Built-in USB-C Connector. Right now, the power bank is 33 percent off, down to $20 from $30. This deal brings it to just about $4 more than its record-low price last Black Friday. We've rated the Anker Nano Power Bank with Built-In USB-C as the best portable charger for Android devices (though it's also great for the iPhone 15 and 16). It's compact enough to fit in a small purse or a pocket and doesn't require any cord attached to it. We found the 5,000mAh battery had enough juice to charge a Galaxy S23 Ultra to 65 percent in about an hour, so it works best for a quick boost while you're running around. Plus, you can see how much battery is left thanks to four indicator lights on its front. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/pick-up-this-anker-5k-usb-c-power-bank-while-its-only-20-143636981.html?src=rss
Motorola has refreshed its budget Moto G and Moto G Power phones. The two 5G handsets have larger displays than last year's models with a 0.1-inch bump to 6.7 inches and 6.8 inches, respectively. Both have a high-brightness mode that reaches 1,000 nits to help make the screens more visible in bright daylight. They have a 120Hz refresh rate as well.The Moto G 2025 and Moto G Power 2025 each have Dolby Atmos support, along with bass boost tech and hi-res audio. What's more, they each have a 5,000 mAh battery and run on the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 chipset.The Moto G starts at $200. It boasts a 50MP main camera and Gorilla Glass 3, along with an IP52-rated water-repellent design. The handset, which will be available in forest gray and sapphire blue, has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage (expandable up to 1TB via microSD) in its base configuration.MotorolaAs for the latest Moto G Power, that doubles the Moto G's RAM and base storage, while it has Gorilla Glass 5 instead of 3. It should be more robust as well, since it has IP68/69 water protection. The Moto G Power starts at $300 and will be available in leaf green and slate gray.The Moto G 2025 will arrive at select US retailers on January 30 and the Moto G Power will hit shelves one week later, on February 6. Folks in Canada will need to wait until May 2 for both handsets, which run Android 15 out of the box.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/motorola-refreshes-its-moto-g-and-moto-g-power-phones-with-slightly-larger-displays-140027125.html?src=rss
The UK's Competition and Market's Authority (CMA) has launched an antitrust investigation into Google's search services, following similar steps from the likes of Japan, the United States and the European Union. It's the CMA's first probe under the UK's Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) Act, which went into effect on January 1, 2025. The regulatory body previously announced it would launch two separate investigations this month.The CMA's investigation will look at whether Google is hindering outside innovation, giving its own services preference and collecting or using data without users' consent. "Millions of people and businesses across the UK rely on Google's search and advertising services - with 90 percent of searches happening on their platform and more than 200,000 UK businesses advertising there," said Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive of the CMA, in a release. "That's why it's so important to ensure these services are delivering good outcomes for people and businesses and that there is a level playing field, especially as AI has the potential to transform search services."The DMCC Act allows the CMA to designate certain companies with "Strategic Market Status" (SMS) around a specific digital activity - in this case Google's search and search advertising services. The companies must have a global turnover of 25 million or 1 billion in the UK.This label allows the CMA to have greater regulatory power over these services and implement pro-competition directives. For example, if the CMA gives Google's search and search advertising services an SMS designation then it could force the company to make collected data available to competitors or to give publishers greater control over how Google utilizes their data. The investigation can take up to nine months and the CMA is asking for comments until February 3 from interested parties.Google has fought previous calls investigations into its search engine. However, in December, the company shared proposed changes to its search services in the US, following the Department of Justice's call for it to sell off Chrome.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/uk-opens-antitrust-investigation-into-googles-search-practices-140002739.html?src=rss
If you made a resolution in the new year to read more, giving audiobooks a try could open up a fresh way of consuming fiction and nonfiction alike. Audible's most recent deal will make it easier to dive in - new subscribers can get three months of access to the Premium Plus plan for only $1 per month, or a total of $3. We last saw this deal during the Black Friday shopping period last year, and considering a standard Premium Plus plan costs $15 per month, it's a great way to try out the service at a deeply discounted price. You can get this offer now through January 21. This is a solid deal for either yourself or someone special in your life who loves books. The Audible Premium Plus plan gives you one credit a month to unlock any audiobook of your choosing. You'll retain access to those audiobooks even after your subscription lapses. Along with that, Premium Plus subscribers get access to a library of other audiobooks they can listen to while their plan remains active. The service also includes a string of Audible Originals as well as podcasts. That's not bad at all for a buck a month. If, after a couple of months, you decide Premium Plus isn't for you, you can always cancel the plan before the price jumps up. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-latest-audible-deal-gives-you-three-months-of-access-for-only-3-144427336.html?src=rss
DJI continues its streak of innovative (and highly leaked) drones with the launch of the Flip, a lightweight and people-safe model that folds in a new direction - downward - to accommodate the large, shrouded propellers. The new model should appeal to beginners and experienced users alike with features like a large sensor, 4K 100p video, safety features, a three-axis gimbal and an affordable price. The company says the Flip "combine[s] the simplicity of the DJI Neo with the stunning photo capabilities of the DJI Mini," but in many ways, it's better than both. It borrows a LiDAR system from the Air 3S for obstacle detection and the Flip's propellers are protected on all sides, making it all but impossible to hurt someone with them. DJI says the support structure for the guards is made of carbon fiber string that's 1/60th the weight of polycarbonate material and just as strong. That made it possible to keep the weight under 249 grams, so buyers will be able to fly it without a permit in most countries. DJI For beginners, the Flip is just like the Neo in that users can place it in their hand and select from one of six intelligent shooting modes like Dronie or Boomerang. Then, it'll take off automatically and perform that flight mode, capturing high-quality video at up to 4K 60p while avoiding obstacles using the LiDAR sensor. That'll help creators who are new to drones safely grab quick and interesting aerial shots. More advanced users can also fly it with a controller, either the RC 2 with a screen or the RC-N3 without one. That allows full manual control and also unlocks DJI's FocusTrack tech (with ActiveTrack 4.0, Spotlight 2.0, and Point of Interest 3.0), letting you track yourself or another subject automatically. At the same time, it'll avoid forward obstacles using the LiDAR and objects below with the 3D infrared system. However, the Flip can't track obstacles behind it, so users need to beware when flying backward. If you're hoping to use the Flip as an FPV drone, you can forget about that. Unlike the Neo, it doesn't support the Goggles N3 and Motion 3 controller combo, and there's no word if it'll do so in the future. Steve Dent for Engadget The Flip can fly forward at up to 26 MPH in sport mode (with object detection disabled) - pretty fast for such a small drone. Given the light weight and large surface area when unfolded, though, it's not going to be the best drone in high winds. However, the large propellers also mean the Flip is far quieter than the Neo in flight, meaning it'll be more practical to use at events like weddings or concerts. The batteries are feather light at 83.5 grams, but pack in 3,110 mAh of power, allowing the Flip to remain aloft for about 34 minutes max (about 28 minutes in the real world). They can be charged either directly on the drone or much more quickly using the four-battery charger in the Fly More kit (70 minutes for two batteries with 65W of power). To keep the weight down, the Flip has no built-in internal storage, so you'll need a high-speed microSD card. DJI The Flip supports DJI's O4 transmission system with live video up to 1080p at 60fps. That allows for a maximum range of 8 miles in the US, or 5 miles in Europe - darn good for such a small device. Like the Neo, the Flip can also be controlled by a smartphone via WiFi, but only out to 50m at most. With the same 1/1.3-inch sensor as the Mini 4 Pro, you can expect to get about the same (very good) video and photo quality. The flip supports 4K at up to 60fps or 4K at 100fps in slow-motion mode, in either regular, HDR or D-LogM quality. Unlike with the Mini 4 Pro, though, the camera doesn't, er, flip sideways to allow for full resolution vertical shooting, so that's limited to 2.7K - a bit of a bummer for TikTok or Insta creators. DJI's latest drone appears to be a response, in part, to its rival HoverAir. HoverAir also makes lightweight drones with shrouded propellers that fold down, while offering palm takeoff and creator-friendly features. However, the Flip has larger propellers and double the flight time. DJI One small downside I noticed is that the Flip's propellers don't have a huge amount of ground clearance, so they tend to snag even in short grass on takeoff. As such, you'll generally need to take off from a flat, smooth surface or your hand. For more detailed information, stay tuned for my full Engadget review arriving shortly. Otherwise, the Flip looks like another solid drone from DJI, providing more benefits than the Neo (and far less noise) for just over $200 more. The Flip is now available at $439 with the RC-N3 controller, $639 with the RC 2 screen controller or $779 in the Fly More kit with the RC 2 screen controller, charging hub, carrying case and two extra batteries. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/djis-flip-combines-the-best-of-its-lightweight-drones-for-439-130054569.html?src=rss
Welcome back to the newsletter. We are changing things up, so expect to see at least two editions each week, with the occasional special edition. The newsletter will continue to live on Engadget.com too, but if you haven't subscribed, you should do that.Next week, Samsung will reveal its next family of Galaxy phones. Not the foldables, no, but the traditional S series devices. Going on track record, we can expect to see three S25 devices: standard, Plus and Ultra.There's unlikely to be a huge change to aesthetics, but we expect some subtle differences - rounded corners, flatter edges and (of course) thinner bezels. Inside, at least in the US, the S25 series will probably be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite, designed for on-device generative AI. The chip promises 45 percent faster single- and multi-core performance while using 27 percent less power than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, so it could improve battery life too.Some rumors suggest a Galaxy S25 Slim with a - you guessed it - slimmer design. It's all very on trend. However, given the FCC certifications only appear to cover the usual trio of flagships, that device may not arrive until later in the year. (If at all.)Expect an awful lot of AI razzle-dazzle too. One rumor suggests the Galaxy S25 series will include an AI Agent that provides personalized clothing suggestions and transport information," even though Google and myriad third-party apps already fully service the latter. I'd put money on a laborious bragging segment from Samsung and its AI tricks - many of which will fall by the wayside. A request: Please steal the Pixel's Add Me photo feature.We'll be reporting live from Samsung's first Unpacked event of 2025. Mark your calendar for January 22!- Mat SmithGet this delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!The biggest tech stories you missed
With TikTok likely just days away from being banned in the US, the app's users are pushing some previously little-known apps to the top of Apple and Google's stores. The app that has so far seemed to benefit the most is a Chinese social media app called RedNote" or Xiaohongshu, which translates to "little red book."The TikTok-like app for shortform video is currently the number one app in Apple's App Store and is in the 34th spot in Google's Play Store. RedNote has been gaining popularity as many TikTok creators have begun posting about their experiences trying out the Chinese app. Meanwhile, over on RedNote, a number of creators have shared videos about welcoming TikTok refugees" to the service.The app is set up very much like TikTok, with the ability to vertically scroll through feeds of shortform videos based on your interests. Much of the app's interface is in Chinese, so it can be a bit confusing to navigate, though there are some helpful videos on TikTok that explain how to change the app's language to English.While RedNote seems to have come out of nowhere, the app has been popular in China for years. CNBC reports that the more than decade-old app is seen as a challenger to ByteDance's Douyin and e-commerce giant Alibaba, with about 300 million users.RedNote isn't the only app that's been boosted by anxious TikTok users. Another ByteDance app, Lemon8, is also trending in both Apple and Google's stores, where it's in the second and first spot, respectively. But while TikTok itself has at times boosted the app, Lemon8 will likely face the same fate as TikTok should the Supreme Court side with the Biden Administration, which seems likely.Another video app called Flip, which describes itself as where social meets shopping," is also trending in both app stores. The app, from Los Angeles-based Humans, Inc., features shortform videos and an in-app storefront. It's currently ranked number 14 in Google's store and number four in Apple's. The company was valued at more than $1 billion last year, according to Crunchbase.Another app that has seemingly benefited from the impending TikTok ban is something called ReelShort." While the app's name sounds like a play on Instagram's reels and YouTube Shorts - both of which are well established TikTok clones - the app seems to be less of a TikTok clone and more of a wannabe streaming platform. The app features bite-sized clips of longer movies" with bizarre titles like The Heiress Blacklisted her Husband" and In Love with the Alpha." ReelShort is number seven in the App Store number two in Google Play.While it's unlikely any of these apps will remain popular for long, the fact that so many relatively unknown apps have risen to the top of the app stores so quickly is yet another sign of how influential TikTok's users and creators can be. It also highlights how banning TikTok alone won't curb the influence of Chinese tech companies in the US.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/chinese-social-media-app-rednote-is-the-number-one-app-as-tiktok-ban-looms-235929802.html?src=rss
Alarmo, the most important hardware announcement Nintendo's made in the last year, will soon be available to a lot more people. Nintendo says the motion-tracking alarm clock will be able to be purchased "in stores at participating retailers" in March, without the need for a Nintendo Switch Online subscription or a visit to a physical Nintendo store.Nintendo's alarm clock originally launched in October 2024. It combines beloved sound effects from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, and Pikmin 4 with motion sensors that can track your tossing and turning. This gives the Alarmo some rudimentary sleep tracking features, and morning alarms that can get louder the more you flop around, only stopping when you actually sit up.
Meta appeared to be blocking links to Pixelfed, a decentralized photo-sharing platform, on Facebook, according to both users on Bluesky and 404 Media. A small group of posts that linked to "pixelfed.social" was deleted, with Facebook's "Community Standards on spam" used as a justification.When asked to comment, a Meta spokesperson said removing the posts was a mistake and that they'd be reinstated.Pixelfed runs on the ActivityPub protocol and is part of the wider "fediverse" of decentralized posting platforms. It functions a lot like Instagram in its ability to let you share, like, and comment on images, but because its on ActivityPub, your posts could show up in other apps or be ported to entirely different takes on photo sharing if you want. Meta is slowly adopting parts of ActivityPub into Threads, which makes it possible to post to Threads and Mastodon at the same time, for example.The timing of these deletions is enough to make anyone suspicious. Meta just announced pretty dramatic changes to how it plans to moderate speech on its platforms. The company decided to end both its third-party fact checking program and change its Hateful Conduct policy last week. The company's loosening standards now allow for speech that would be defined as hateful under any normal circumstance, based on what Wired was able to dig up.It's not unreasonable to imagine users might consider jumping ship to an alternative like Pixelfed in response, and the platform did share on Saturday that it was "seeing unprecedented levels of traffic to pixelfed.social." It's also not unreasonable to imagine the new right-leaning Meta might preemptively block its competitors, just like X did with links to Mastodon and Substack.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-admits-it-deleted-links-to-decentralized-instagram-competitor-pixelfed-194624098.html?src=rss
Samsung just announced new sleep-tracking tools available via the company's Health app. This includes a new analysis tool that leverages other SmartThings enabled devices. Each morning, users receive a sleep environment report" that takes factors like temperature, humidity, air quality and light intensity into account.The app will also let folks automatically adjust room settings via the aforementioned connected devices. This should help people create the ideal sleep environment."There's another tool called sleep time guidance" that suggests the optimal bedtime and wake-up time for each individual user. This is determined by analyzing sleep patterns, nightly habits and room conditions. Finally, the app now includes a new mindfulness tracker that helps manage mood, breathing and stress levels."The company also made some announcements regarding the Galaxy Ring, just ahead of Samsung Unpacked on January 22. New sizes of the smart ring will be available for purchase on that date, which include two larger variants. This brings the number of available ring sizes to 11, with three color options. Additionally, the device is coming to new regions. These countries include Greece, Singapore, Japan, Taiwan and many more.This news likely indicates that there won't be a Galaxy Ring 2 announced at Unpacked. Instead, the event should focus on new smartphones and (of course) AI junk, er, I mean tools.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/samsung-introduces-new-sleep-tracking-metrics-that-take-advantage-of-smartthings-enabled-devices-182052999.html?src=rss
I think it's safe to say that most humans on this planet are growing, how can I put this lightly, weary of the current billionaire stewards of our social media ecosystem. X is a hateful mess. Meta is trying to become a hateful mess. TikTok is likely on its way out. Social media is just not that fun or useful anymore.However, a cadre of celebrities and notable ex-Twitter users are trying to save social media from billionaire capture" by creating something called FreeOurFeeds. These folks want to build a new social media ecosystem, one that is focused on the public good instead of profit-driven incentives, as reported by User Mag.
At a time when Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have shown that the whims of one person can upend an entire social network, Mastodon's CEO and creator, Eugen Rochko, is heading the opposite direction. In a blog post published today, the Mastodon team announced its intention to let a new nonprofit organization take over the company. In other words, Rochko is voluntarily handing over the reins to the service he founded almost a decade ago.The company took some actions towards forming a US-based non-profit itself a year ago, and that entity will continue to exist as a "fundraising hub." However, the company as a whole will continue to headquarter its operations overseas. "We are taking the time to select the appropriate jurisdiction and structure in Europe," the company wrote, "Then we will determine which other (subsidiary) legal structures are needed to support operations and sustainability." Mastodon says the restructuring will take place within the next six months.Rochko has made his stance against Musk clear. He told Musk to get off the internet" two years ago. He has also called the recent Meta moderation changes deeply troubling." While Mastodon has not been as obvious a player in terms of raw user numbers as, say, Threads or Bluesky in the post-X restructuring of social media, Mastodon might still find the most moral path forward.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/mastodon-will-soon-be-owned-by-a-nonprofit-entity-170009789.html?src=rss
Amid signs of a stagnating economy, the UK is going all-in on AI. On Monday, British Minister Keir Starmer announced a new AI Opportunities Action Plan. At the center of the initiative are AI Growth Zones," which the government plans to establish in de-industrialized areas throughout the country.In these areas, the Labour government will fast-track planning approvals for data centers and offer better access to the national energy grid. Starmer said the UK's first AI Growth Zone would be established in Culham, Oxfordshire, home to the country's Atomic Energy Authority. More zones will be announced in the summer.At the same time, Starmer's government plans to increase state-owned compute capacity by a factor of 20, starting with the immediate" construction of a new supercomputer with enough AI power to play itself at chess half a million times a second." As of November 2024, the UK has 14 supercomputers on the TOP500 list, putting it behind - by a significant margin - the US and China.Additionally, the plan will see the government establish a National Data Library, which it says will make the country more attractive to investors by allowing private industry to safely and securely unlock the value of public data." Finally, a new AI Energy Council will work with energy companies to meet the power demands of the AI industry in a way that's in line with the government's clean energy strategy.Artificial Intelligence will drive incredible change in our country. From teachers personalising lessons, to supporting small businesses with their record-keeping, to speeding up planning applications, it has the potential to transform the lives of working people," Starmer said. But the AI industry needs a government that is on their side, one that won't sit back and let opportunities slip through its fingers. And in a world of fierce competition, we cannot stand by."Over the next 10 years, Starmer's government estimates that its strategy could generate as much as 47 billion ($57 billion) in annual economic growth. The announcement comes after the UK economy failed to grow in the third quarter of last year. From that perspective, making the country more attractive to outside investment isn't the worst idea - especially with companies like Microsoft planning to spend $80 billion on new data centers this year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/uk-to-fast-track-data-center-approvals-as-part-of-ai-action-plan-163753744.html?src=rss
Sonos CEO Patrick Spence is stepping down from the company after eight years on the job, according to reporting by Bloomberg. This follows last year's disastrous app launch, in which a redesign was missing core features and was broken in nearly every major way.The company has tasked Tom Conrad to steer the ship as interim CEO. Conrad is a current member of the Sonos board, but was a co-founder of Pandora, VP at Snap and product chief at, wait for it, the short-lived video streaming platform Quibi. He also reportedly has a Sonos tattoo. The board has hired a firm to find a new long-term leader.I think we'll all agree that this year we've let far too many people down," Conrad wrote employees in a letter. Getting back to basics is necessary, but clearly not enough to unlock the future we all envision for Sonos." He also suggested that he wants the company to expand well beyond" home speakers and related gear.As for Spence, he'll be just fine. His payout package includes $7,500 per month until June, a cash severance of $1.9 million and his unvested shares in Sonos will vest. He was with Sonos for more than a decade.The decision to swap leadership comes after months of turmoil at the company. It rolled out a mobile app back in May that was absolutely rife with bugs and missing key features like alarms and sleep timers. Some customers even complained that entire speaker systems would no longer work after updating to the new app. It was a whole thing.Sonos tried to win back customer trust by extending the manufacturer warranty for home speaker products and creating an advisory board that would provide the company with "feedback and insights from a customer perspective to help shape and improve our software and products before they are launched."That didn't ease the financial burden faced by the company. The stock price has fallen by around 13 percent since the app launched. Sonos laid off over 100 people in August as it tried to fix the software and revenue fell 16 percent in the fiscal fourth quarter, which ended on September 28. Analysts project an additional 15 percent decline throughout the holiday period.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/sonos-ceo-patrick-spence-falls-on-his-sword-after-horrible-app-launch-160704330.html?src=rss
Folks who are in the market for a good deal on a dedicated machine for playing Balatro tablet might be interested in taking a peek at Apple's iPad mini 7. The company's latest compact tablet has dropped to its lowest price to date at $399. That's a cool $100 discount. Apple refreshed the iPad mini last October with upgraded internals and support for the Apple Pencil Pro. This configuration has 128GB of storage and Apple's A17 Pro chip. It also boasts 8GB of RAM, which is enough to support Apple Intelligence features The iPad mini 7 is our pick for the best compact iPad - in part because it's the only one. We gave it a score of 83 in our review. The device has an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display which is, sadly, limited to a 60Hz refresh rate. The lack of a Face ID sensor and one of the M-series chips that are present in Apple's flagship iPads are our other major drawbacks with this one. But it's a solid tablet otherwise. The iPad mini 7 runs on the same chipset as the iPhone 15 Pro and Apple doubled the base storage from the previous generation. It weighs 0.65 pounds, so you may not have too much trouble holding it in one hand. The Touch ID sensor is encased in the power button, and there are stereo speakers and decent cameras (12MP on each side). Like pretty much all of Apple's other devices these days, the iPad mini 7 has a USB-C port rather than a Lightning one. Speaking of which, the tablet should run for up to 10 hours before you need to recharge it. And although there's no cellular connectivity here, the iPad mini 7 supports Wi-Fi 6E. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-ipad-mini-7-is-100-off-right-now-155549086.html?src=rss
The Meta Quest 3S 256GB model is currently down to $349, its lowest price yet. This is our favorite cheap VR headsets, and at $51 off it's even cheaper than ever. If you purchase a Meta Quest 3S now, you also get a copy of Batman: Arkham Shadow and a three-month free trial of Meta Quest+. Both freebies have a combined value of $70. The Meta Quest+ subscription unlocks around 25 games, as well as multiplayer support for some titles. Additionally, you can redeem two free games a month. All redeemed apps belong to you, too, so they won't disappear if your subscription ends. The Meta Quest 3S doesn't only do VR; its mixed reality capabilities are also excellent. You can adjust how much VR immersion you want and it supports multiple windows in your display for effortless multitasking. The headset itself has speakers, but if you want better sound, you'll have to choose between USB-C earphones or slotting a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter for your other earphones. If you're interested in a deeper dive into the Meta Quest 3S capabilities, take a look at our review. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-256gb-meta-quest-3s-is-down-to-its-lowest-price-yet-153735525.html?src=rss
The Biden administration has unveiled its AI diffusion rule," which aims to restrict the export of GPUs that are most coveted for AI applications. Although it does not mention the nation by name, it's broadly viewed as a means to prevent China from outpacing the US in AI development.The rule proposes three licensing tiers. The first tier is unrestricted and includes the domestic market as well as 18 strategic allies. The majority of countries fall into a second tier, which will have caps on how much compute power they can import via top GPUs from the US. The third tier includes China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, and effectively bars US companies from selling their most powerful GPUs there.US-based companies would also be prevented from sharing many details of their AI software models with countries outside that first tier, and would need to ask permission from the federal government before building large data centers in any tier two nation.Many parties, including the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), issued statements condemning the decision, believing that the restrictions will do more to push nations towards working with China. "The new rule risks causing unintended and lasting damage to America's economy and global competitiveness in semiconductors and AI by ceding strategic markets to our competitors," SIA wrote.
Samsung's 32-inch Smart Monitor M8 (M80D, 2024 refresh) can act not only as a monitor with a webcam, but a smart TV as well thanks to the built-in speakers and support for cloud gaming and streaming platforms. It normally costs $700, but it's back down near an all-time low of $400 at Amazon, netting you a savings of $300 or 43 percent. The refreshed Smart Monitor M8 has the same features as past models, but can now do even more things with the need for a computer or console - including video calls via the detachable webcam and streaming content from providers like Netflix and Prime Video. There's even a tool that lets you quickly send images and text from other Samsung devices, like Galaxy smartphones and Book laptops, to the monitor. It also integrates with Galaxy Buds to offer a surround sound-like experience" with minimal latency. It offers UHD (3,840 x 2,160) resolution at up to 60Hz, along with HDR10+. With a VA panel, it's decently bright at 400 nits, offers a 4-millisecond response time and displays up to a billion colors, with 99 percent sRGB coverage. Input-wise, you get USB-C and Micro HDMI 2.0 inputs, along with a USB-C charging interface. Finally, it has a a detachable SlimFit Cam for video calls, making it a solid choice for work or light content creation. That's just the half of it, though. It's a WiFi-capable smart TV that supports Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Apple TV, as well as cloud gaming platforms. It comes with built-in dual 5W speakers and a home hub that allows you to use it to control SmartThings-compatible IoT devices like lights and thermostats. It even has built-in support for Microsoft 365, so you can edit documents or browse the web without having to connect it to a computer. Other features include the ability to change the angle and position with the high-adjustable stand, along with a game bar that makes it easy to switch between cloud services. Normally it sells for $700, making the $400 sale price a particularly good deal - so it's best to act fast while it's in stock. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/samsungs-2024-smart-m8-monitor-is-on-sale-for-just-399-130009470.html?src=rss
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