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Google has announced a multi-year partnership with Steph Curry at its Made by Google event, and as part of that team-up, it says the NBA superstar will use AI from Google Cloud to improve his performance on the court. Yep, the company is claiming that Google Cloud AI can help the four-time NBA champ, two-time MVP and two-time scoring champion get even better at basketball. According to the company, AI insights can analyze his shot quality as well as sharpen his workout plans. Google's AI Basketball Coach experience, its AI experiment that turns Gemini into a jump shot coach with help from Pixel cameras, will also analyze his form and give him visual feedback.The basketball icon already tried out AI Basketball Coach during Curry Camp, his three-day basketball camp where he mentors 30 student athletes from across the US. "Through interactive demos and challenges, the next generation of athletes learned how our technology can help them elevate their game," Google said.Curry's partnership with Google goes beyond using AI to make him even better at his sport, though. Google is officially calling him a "Performance Advisor," and he and his team will actively work with the company's health experts and product and AI engineers to help shape the future of Google Health and upcoming Fitbit models. The athlete's team will be testing Google's personal health coach and giving the company feedback on how to improve its ability to create tailored advice for each individual. They will be using Pixel phones, watches and buds, as well. Their input, Google said, will be used to "fine-tune products, train algorithms and design future product experiences."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-says-steph-curry-will-use-its-ai-to-get-better-at-basketball-141532440.html?src=rss

The COSORI 9-in-1 air fryer is on sale for $90, cutting 25 percent off the retail price. Whether you've stumbled upon air fryers for health reasons, convenience or you're already a card-carrying member of the air fryer clan, a sale is a great time to pick one up. We selected the COSORI as the runner-up for best air fryer overall, and were impressed with its six-quart capacity despite its relatively small footprint on the kitchen counter. Our reviewers found the basket was super roomy enough to fit quite a few chicken wings and a whole block of tofu without too much crowding. With nine different preset cooking modes to work with, the COSORI is a true workhorse. It has a preheat mode for starting a cook at a precise temperature, a proof option for home bakers, a dedicated frozen setting and more, including standard broil, bake and roast modes. The COSORI has some creature comforts that we really appreciated too, like an easy-to-use touchscreen, a basket release button and an auto-pause feature that turns off the cooking element when you release the basket. The air fryer craze doesn't look to die down any time soon, and if you haven't jumped on the bandwagon, now might be the right time to do so. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/one-of-our-favorite-air-fryers-is-on-sale-for-90-140000065.html?src=rss

Xbox gamers will have a new option for taking their library on the go this fall. During Gamescom 2025, ASUS revealed that the Xbox Ally handheld consoles will be on store shelves on October 16. We heard a thorough explanation of the specs and availability for the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X this summer, but the arrival date is the only new info to come from the major gaming event in Cologne. There's still no price available for these handhelds, but we expect to receive that critical detail along with pre-order information some time in the coming weeks. For comparison, the 2024 ROG Ally X costs $800 while the simpler ROG Ally Gaming Console from 2023 costs $500. So if we were hazarding guesses, the ROG Xbox Ally might come in at a price tag around $650, while the spiffier ROG Xbox Ally X could be more in the ballpark of $900. The Official Xbox Podcast also included a segment about the upcoming handhelds, with a pair of Xbox execs talking about the devices and their experiences using them for titles like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Balatro. The chatter is unsurprisingly very positive about the hardware, but it might have enough tidbits to hold you over if you're super amped about getting your own hands on an Xbox Ally this fall. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/xbox-ally-handhelds-will-be-available-october-16-but-we-still-dont-know-the-price-134015698.html?src=rss

Last year, the most powerful geomagnetic storm in 20 years hit Earth. It produced stunning aurora displays in parts of the US that are normally too far south to see them. Normally, such storms are a headache for energy providers. In 1989, for example, the Canadian province of Quebec suffered a nine-hour blackout following a series of plasma ejections from the Sun. This time around, power companies were better prepared, and in the US and Canada, there weren't significant service disruptions.The episode highlighted the value of proper preparation against geomagnetic storms, and for the past couple of years, NASA and IBM have been working to give the scientific community and others a better way to predict solar weather. Today, they're releasing the result of their work, an open-source foundation model called Surya.Named after the Sanskrit word for the Sun, Juan Bernabe-Moreno, director of IBM Research Europe, UK and Ireland, describes the system as an "AI telescope for the Sun." IBM trained the model on nine years of high-resolution images from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), a satellite NASA has been using to study the Sun since 2010.IBMEffectively, Surya applies machine learning to solar image interpretation and forecasting, and the results are promising. In early testing, Bernabe-Moreno says IBM found the model was 16 percent more accurate at answering the question "will there be a solar flare in the next 24 hours?" than past systems. Additionally, the model can generate visual predictions of what the SDO might see ahead of time. So far, using data from the most recently completed solar cycle, IBM has found Surya can accurately predict what the sun will look like two hours ahead of time. "We're exploring the accuracy of even longer lead time predictions," Bernabe-Moreno told me.Two hours might not seem like a lot, but according to Bernabe-Moreno, who previously worked at one of Europe's largest energy companies, it could be a game changer for infrastructure providers, which have spent the last few decades building more responsive power grids. Moreover, Surya is a 366 million parameter model, meaning it's light enough to run on less powerful hardware.The irony of today's announcement is that it demonstrates the value of NASA's science team exactly at a time when its very existence is threatened. If you haven't been following what's been going on at the agency, President Trump plans to cut NASA's science budget by nearly half. The Solar Dynamics Observatory would be among the missions affected by the proposed cuts. It won't be cancelled like New Horizons and OSIRIS-APEX, but according to an analysis by The Planetary Society, the mission would have its operating budget slashed from $14 million annually to $8 million per year.IBMPolicymakers from both parties have pushed back on the proposal, but with the Senate and House not yet in agreement on the agency's 2026 operating budget, and the appropriations deadline quickly approaching, NASA's fate is uncertain. Even if the cuts don't go through, the agency is on track to lose close to 4,000 employees, or about 20 percent of its workforce, as part of the Trump administration's broader efforts to trim the number of workers across the federal government.Bernabe-Moreno says Surya wouldn't have come together without NASA's help. "From the very beginning, the science team at NASA have been informing us what the model should do, how to validate the model, and how to ensure it's robust," he said.If there's a silver lining to the funding situation, it's that the science team's work will live on. "The beauty of this model is that we created a capability - an AI platform, if you want," said Bernabe-Moreno. "And this capability has applications beyond NASA."If you want to check out Surya for yourself, you can download the model from Hugging Face.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/ibm-and-nasa-made-an-open-source-ai-model-for-predicting-solar-weather-130013974.html?src=rss

Capcom's Onimusha series has been on a long hiatus. Combining Resident Evil-style rendered backgrounds with more agile characters, adding in demons, magic and a feudal Japan setting, the series span multiple sequels - and consoles - til the fourth entry in 2006.Roughly two decades (and console eras) later, Capcom has returned to the series, even getting the definitive samurai actor, Tom Cruise Mifune Toshiro, to play the hero, the legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. At Gamescom, the company is now demoing an early slice of Way of the Sword, which covers most (but not all) of the game shown at SGF 2025 just a few months ago.It's an interesting time to return to the samurai-meets-demonic-threat universe of Onimusha, following a sudden boom in games tapping into feudal Japan. Most recently, the latest Assassin's Creed was set there, while, Sony's upcoming Ghost of Yotei (not to mention its predecessor) both tap bushido and swordplay in historical Japan.While I played through the demo, I made a lot of mental comparisons to Sekiro - a game that's now several years old and still unbeaten by me. Onimusha draws together similar themes of demon forces run amok, but has a more forgiving approach. Gameplay centers around blocks and parries, plus weak and strong attacks, all while pulling in orbs dropped by dying enemies that act as the game's currency. (Health orbs are also dropped by certain foes.)CapcomThe Oni gauntlet that absorbs these souls can also be used to see invisible demons and unlock areas that are spiritually blocked. It'll also act like a sort-of demonic movie projector, showing what happened during the demon invasion in the area.Early enemies were predictably sluggish demon swordsmen and archers, getting me back up to speed with how Onimusha fights play out. Even if it predictably looks lightyears ahead of its predecessors, Way of the Sword doesn't reinvent how you cut up these demon hordes.In comparison to other action games, guarding seems very forgiving. You can hold the guard button down, and it'll block basic projectiles and melee attacks from all directions I spent some time leaning into exhausting stamina gauges, timing parries for one-hit Issen critical attack and batting away arrows back where they came from.Don't get me wrong, it's satisfying and fun, but I'm itching to see how the series will build on what's pretty basic attack flow. Musashi had acccess to a dual-short sword special attack, Two Celestials, that barrages the enemy with attacks and tops up his health levels.This suggests more special attacks and magical flourishes should open up later in the game. The preview during SGF 2025 also showed ways to utilize the environment for defensive attacks, holding up wooden boards to block arrows, for instance, although that didn't trigger during my playthrough.CapcomThe highlight of the demo was a confrontation with Musashi's rival, Ganryu Sasaki. He's great villain fodder - and has also been somehow gifted his own Oni gauntlet. The duel was the only time I felt under threat during the demo, and even then, I didn't die once. There's enough of a health meter to test yourself against Sasaki's lavish sword attacks and lunges. Once you wear down more powerful enemies, you can make a single, concentrated attack to either glean more orbs from them or hit for heavy-duty damage.The early taste of Way of the Sword is a fun, easy romp, so I'm curious to see how Capcom evolves the formula of Onimusha - and where the true challenges might lie.Onimusha: Way of the Sword is set to be released in 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series S|X, and PC.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/onimusha-way-of-the-sword-might-be-a-more-forgiving-kind-of-samurai-epic-110020221.html?src=rss

Whether you're working on the go, gaming away from your desk or just want a second screen to boost your productivity, a portable monitor can be a handy solution. These lightweight displays are perfect for adding more screen space to your setup without taking up much room - especially useful if you're using a compact laptop or traveling often.

We may deliberate for days when buying a laptop or computer or spend hours lining up the most comfortable and stylish keyboard before aimlessly adding a utilitarian mouse to our basket. The impact of a good, feature-rich and - perhaps most importantly - ergonomic mouse can be huge. Not just to your productivity, but to the quality and comfort of your worklife overall. A good mouse has long offered some level of configuration and customization, but more modern options go beyond that with the ability to automate repetitive tasks or convoluted keypresses at the click of a button. Unsurprisingly, even mice haven't escaped the wave of AI hype, with many flagship models bringing services like ChatGPT or Copilot to your fingertips.

The White House has joined TikTok, the social media app that President Trump wanted to ban during his first term. Its first post shows clips of Trump in various events with Kendrick Lamar's track playing in the background. The New York Times notes that it references a popular video edit of Creed, a boxing movie starring Michael B. Jordan, on the app. In the TikTok post, Trump could be heard saying "I am your voice," while the caption reads "America we are BACK! What's up TikTok?"Trump's administration believes TikTok helped him win over young voters in the 2024 Presidential election, with the account he used to campaign having over 15 million followers. "President Trump's message dominated TikTok during his presidential campaign, and we're excited to build upon those successes and communicate in a way no other administration has before," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.The president wasn't always fond of the platform. He once vowed to ban the app in the US and signed an executive order to outlaw any transaction between the app and its China-based parent company ByteDance for national security reasons. TikTok's "data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans' personal and proprietary information - potentially allowing China to track the locations of Federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage," the executive order read.After taking office earlier this year, however, Trump quickly put a pause on the law that was supposed to ban TikTok in the US. He even delayed the ban a couple more times to give ByteDance more time to sell its US business. Trump previously claimed that a "very wealthy" group is poised to buy TikTok, but the administration has yet to reveal the identities of the people in it.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/the-white-house-now-has-a-tiktok-account-032420845.html?src=rss

Indie game hit Cult of the Lamb has been keeping players (fittingly) enthralled since its original launch in 2022 with several free content updates, such as Unholy Alliance and Sins of the Flesh. At the Opening Night Live of Gamescom 2025, the roguelike unveiled its next update, titled Woolhaven. The paid DLC will arrive early next year, but no price has been set yet.Woolhaven introduces a dangerous new mountain zone to the game, where you'll find two new dungeons to conquer and as well as a spreading corruption called Rot. And you'd expect from the main story, your choices about how to deal with the mountain's denizens have no right or easy answers. Things will also get frosty for your settlement with the addition of blizzards and freezing temperatures that create new reasons for followers to doubt your all-knowing guidance. But you can also keep them happy with the new ranching system for raising rare animals that can provide your cult with wool, food and a pretty sweet ride.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/cult-of-the-lambs-next-dlc-is-woolhaven-out-in-early-2026-225129643.html?src=rss

Game Science Studio isn't resting on its laurels after the success of Black Myth: Wukong. The developer teased a follow-up project as the closer to Gamescom's Opening Night Live showcase with a brief but beautifully detailed glimpse at Black Myth: Zhong Kui.There's no date attached to the cinematic teaser, and that's because the game is still very much a work in progress. According to the FAQ entry about a possible release window, the team says "Well, to be honest-even Yocar himself has absolutely no idea" when it'll be ready. But the same page does confirm that the plan is for Zhong Kui to launch on both PC and "all mainstream console platforms" whenever it is done.From the title and the previous Black Myth game, this new project will once again be drawing inspiration from Chinese mythology. Legends around Zhong Kui dub him a conqueror of ghosts and evil spirits, so perhaps there will be some supernatural vibes in this entry to the emerging game series. Pretty much the only other thing we know besides the name and character is that Black Myth: Zhong Kui will once again be a single-player ARPG and it will be "following the same business model as before."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/black-myth-zhong-kui-next-221537956.html?src=rss

Things are ramping up for a return to the wasteland this winter. Season two of Prime Video's Fallout TV show will debut on December 17. The second season had already been loosely pegged for a December release when the news of a third season appeared earlier this year, and the studio shared a few still images of the cast in the upcoming New Vegas setting just yesterday.The announcement during the Opening Night Live show for Gamescom 2025 also included a surprisingly lengthy teaser trailer with a few tidbits about what to expect in the next eight episodes of the hugely popular video game adaptation. It includes footage of the show's first Deathclaw, that well-known and oft-despised enemy from the world of the games. Alongside returning stars Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten and Walton Goggins, the teaser reveals that Justin Theroux has been cast as Mr. House, the enigmatic leader of New Vegas.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/fallout-season-two-has-a-teaser-trailer-and-a-december-17-release-date-211307692.html?src=rss

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is coming to the Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026. This marks the first Xbox game to be ported specifically to the Switch 2. The game, which we thought made a better movie than a game, has been making its way to other consoles, starting with the PS5 on April 17.We learned of this new port at the end of a trailer for a DLC called The Order of Giants. This all-new chapter will be released on September 4 and sees Indiana Jones uncover mysteries of the Roman Empire. The trailer aired during Gamescom Opening Night Live alongside a slew of other reveals, including the gameplay trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.New releases for the Switch 2, in the form of originals and ports, have been coming in quick succession in these early stages of the console life cycle. We learned earlier this summer that Persona 3 Reload, a remake of the 2006 Atlus classic, comes to Switch 2 in October. We just learned that Kirby Air Riders, the revival of the 2003 GameCube classic Kirby Air Ride, is coming exclusively to Switch 2 in November.Neither specifics on pricing nor an exact release date for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on Nintendo Switch 2 have been announced.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/indiana-jones-and-the-great-circle-is-coming-to-the-switch-2-203419271.html?src=rss

An Oregon man has been charged in a federal complaint today on allegations of operating a botnet for hire that conducted cyberattacks beginning at least in 2021. Ethan Foltz has been accused of running Rapper Bot, also known as Eleven Eleven Botnet and CowBot, and using it to execute coordinated distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. The complaint claims that Rapper Bot was used to target victims in more than 80 countries, and since April 2025, it has reportedly conducted more than 370,000 attacks against 18,000 unique victims."Rapper Bot was one of the most powerful DDoS botnets to ever exist," US Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska said. "Our office remains committed to disrupting and dismantling cyber criminals that threaten internet security and infrastructure in the District of Alaska and across the United States."One of Rapper Bot's alleged victims was X, which was taken down by a DDoS attack in March. At the time, owner Elon Musk made unsubstantiated claims about the attack being perpetrated by a "large, coordinated group and/or a country" and that it stemmed from IP addresses in Ukraine, although security researchers said it was possible the social network had left servers unsecured.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/prosecutors-charge-man-who-allegedly-used-botnet-to-take-down-x-this-spring-202312254.html?src=rss

On Tuesday, Meta rolled out its new voice dubbing feature globally. The Reels feature uses generative AI to translate your voice, with optional lip-syncing. Mark Zuckerberg first previewed the feature at Meta Connect 2024.At launch, the translations are only available for English to Spanish (and vice versa). The company says more languages will arrive later. At least at first, it's restricted to Facebook creators with 1,000+ followers. However, anyone with a public Instagram account can use it.The tool trains on your original voice and generates a translated audio track to match your tone. The lip-syncing add-on then matches your mouth's movements to the translated speech. The demo clip the company showed last year was spot-on - eerily so.MetaTo use the feature, choose the "Translate your voice with Meta AI" option before publishing a reel. That's also where you can choose to add lip syncing. There's an option to review the AI-translated version before publishing. Viewers will see a pop-up noting that it's an AI translation.Meta says the feature works best for face-to-camera videos. The company recommends avoiding covering your mouth or including excessive background music. It works for up to two speakers, but it's best to avoid overlapping your speech.The company frames the feature as a way for creators to expand their audiences beyond their native tongues. As such, it included a by-language performance tracker, so you can see how well it's doing in each language.YouTube launched a similar feature last year. Apple has gotten in on the action, too: Messages, Phone and FaceTime apps have live translation tools in iOS 26.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/metas-ai-voice-translation-feature-rolls-out-globally-200945034.html?src=rss

Google has reached a settlement over a lawsuit that claimed it illegally collected data from child users without parental consent through its YouTube video platform and then sent them targeted ads. The tech giant will shell out $30 million to settle the proposed class-action suit. According to Reuters, the plaintiffs' lawyers said there could be 35 million to 45 million class members. Children aged 13 or younger who watched YouTube between July 1, 2013 and April 1, 2020 could be covered. The proposed settlement was filed last night and now awaits judge approval.This settlement amounts to a slap on the wrist compared to the $170 million fine Google faced in 2019 following a similar suit brought by the Federal Trade Commission for alleged violations of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. Under the terms of that case, YouTube had agreed to stop collecting data on videos aimed at children, and both YouTube and Google were prohibited from future COPPA violations.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/youtube/google-to-pay-30-million-to-settle-class-action-suit-over-childrens-privacy-193903510.html?src=rss

Beyerdynamic has announced two new wireless gaming headsets at Gamescom 2025. The MMX 150 and MMX 230 are the latest entries in the company's MMX gaming lineup. The new headsets will be available exclusively in Europe and Canada, and are displayed in Cologne for gamescom attendees.The MMX 150 wireless is intended for casual gaming as well as everyday listening. It carries up to 50 hours of battery life and offers an EQ via the beyerdynamic app. It comes with a detachable voice microphone with sidetone, letting users hear themselves while gaming. The headset is powered by 40mm drivers. The MMX 150 features plug-and-play compatibility so gamers can use it seamlessly across console, mobile or PC.The MMX 230 wireless is the new flagship model, and it's the first Beyerdynamic gaming headset with a user-replaceable battery. The battery pack offers up to 60 hours of listening between charges. The 230 features Bluetooth 6.0 for low-latency connections, as well as a microphone with environmental noise cancellation for clear communications. The headset's 40mm drivers are tuned for spatial sound, helping gamers hear directional cues.Both the MMX 150 and MMX 230 will be available in black or white. Each model will ship with a low-latency USB-C dongle, a USB-A adapter and a 1.8-meter USB-C to 3.5mm cable.The MMX 150 will sell for $250 CAD while the MMX 230 comes in at $350 CAD. The headsets will be for sale via Beyerdynamic's online store in Q4 of 2025. It's not entirely clear at this point if they will be available in the United States.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/beyerdynamic-launches-two-new-wireless-headsets-at-gamescom-191011123.html?src=rss

Rod Fergusson, the head of the Diablo franchise for the last five years, is joining 2K Games to lead up the BioShock franchise. This is happening just a couple of weeks after Fergusson announced he was leaving Blizzard. He was also the studio head at Coalition once upon a time, where he oversaw the Gears of War franchise.Fergusson wrote on X that he will be "overseeing development of the next BioShock game" and will even have a say in that upcoming film adaptation for Netflix. The franchise is in dire need of a new steward, as it was reported earlier this month that 2K executives were unhappy with the direction of the upcoming sequel. The newly-hired franchise head says that he is "deeply grateful for the work done so far" and that he's "committed to building a BioShock game we'll be proud of."

Adaptations of video games continue to be big business. During Opening Night Live at Gamescom 2025, we learned that the punishing Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice by FromSoftware will be turning into an anime show. Sekiro: No Defeat will be available exclusively on Crunchyroll some time during 2026. The show will be directed by Kenichi Kutsuna, who previously worked as an animator on the One Punch Man and Naruto: Shippuden series.The vibe in the No Defeat trailer does feel distinct from its source material, with a hand-drawn aesthetic that's a little more vibrant than the muted and immersive world of Shadows Die Twice. But the violence is unchanged, with a couple pretty grisly attacks that point to the anime maintaining the "kill ingeniously" tagline from the game.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/fromsofts-sekiro-shadows-die-twice-is-becoming-an-anime-185050564.html?src=rss

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) continues to bear fruit. Images captured by the floating watchtower revealed a previously unknown moon orbiting Uranus. The discovery, made on February 2, increases the planet's moon tally to 29.The moon was easy to miss: It's only an estimated six miles wide. It's located about 35,000 miles from Uranus' center, orbiting the planet's equatorial plane. The moon has a nearly circular orbit, suggesting it could have formed near its current location.NASA's short video below shows the faint speck orbiting its ringed host.The new moon joins 13 other small moons in Uranus' orbit. The planet also has five major moons (Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania and Oberon) and 10 irregular ones. The new moon won't have a name until one is approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).It was detected using 10 40-minute long-exposure images taken by Webb's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam). A team led by the Southwest Research Institute pored through the telescope's images to identify it."No other planet has as many small inner moons as Uranus, and their complex inter-relationships with the rings hint at a chaotic history that blurs the boundary between a ring system and a system of moons," Matthew Tiscareno of the SETI Institute wrote. Moreover, the new moon is smaller and much fainter than the smallest of the previously known inner moons, making it likely that even more complexity remains to be discovered."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/webb-telescope-spots-a-new-moon-orbiting-uranus-182932627.html?src=rss

We learned earlier this summer that Nissan was working on a redesign of its Leaf EV, but today the company shared some additional information about the vehicle. One of the most notable details is the price, which will be $29,990 for the Leaf S+ trim. That's a lower amount for the third-generation car than the original 2011 Leaf cost, continuing what has become a trend of Nissan offering electric vehicles for modest prices. The Leaf SV+ will retail for $34,230 and the Leaf Platinum+ will cost $38,990, but no price has been shared yet for the entry-level Leaf S model.Another compelling aspect of these 2026 Leaf models is the maximum driving range of up to 303 per charge, depending on the model. This performance is a marked improvement over the range for most of its previous iterations. All the models will have a quick-charge time of 35 minutes and will be compatible with NACS charging ports. The higher-end trims will have additional perks such as bigger dual display screens, more audio speakers, and wireless phone charging for the interior.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/nissans-redesigned-leaf-ev-starts-at-29990-181520692.html?src=rss

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 will launch on November 14. Microsoft revealed the release date for the upcoming shooter sequel alongside a new trailer during Opening Night Live at Gamescom 2025. Notably, while Black Ops 7 will be on PC, PlayStation and Xbox at launch, it'll skip the Switch 2, despite a binding legal agreement between Microsoft and Nintendo that requires that the company's consoles receive the same access to Call of Duty as Xbox.Similar to past games in the series, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is leaning into a trippy narrative and a futuristic setting. The sequel is set 40 years after the events of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, and follows David Mason (as played by Milo Ventimiglia) and his squad of Black Ops operatives as they take on "a manipulative enemy who weaponizes fear above all else," according to publisher Activision.Microsoft, who owns the Call of Duty franchise following the completion of its acquisition of Activision Blizzard King in 2023, originally signed on for a 10-year pact with Nintendo to bring Call of Duty games to the Switch. The company made the commitment - and another, vaguer one with PlayStation - in an attempt to smooth over any opposition to gobbling up another large publisher. The acquisition was ultimately allowed to move forward, and Microsoft has so far ended up bringing even more of what could have been exclusive games to other consoles.Black Ops 7 has name recognition and a devoted fan base on its side, but it'll face some healthy competition this fall. Battlefield 6 is set to be released on October 10, and based on the response to the beta alone, it seems like time away has made EA' shooter franchise all the more popular.Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 will be available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Steam and Battle.net. Xbox Game Pass subscribers will get the game at launch. The game will come to Switch later in 2025.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/call-of-duty-black-ops-7-arrives-on-november-14-180834596.html?src=rss

Absolum, the fantasy beat-'em-up from the team behind Streets of Rage 4 will arrive on October 9, Dotemu shared today. Ahead of the announcement, the publisher hosted a new preview of the game, giving the gaming press a chance to check out a new playable character and zone (more on those in a moment).I didn't get a chance to play Absolum when it was first announced back in March, so going into this latest demo I didn't know what to expect. Now, after playing Absolum through most of the weekend, I can't wait for the final version in October. In fact, I think it might end up being a surprise game of the year contender for a lot of people. I've never been a fan of beat-'em-ups; most haven't had enough depth to keep me interested. Absolum solves that issue by smartly borrowing from modern roguelikes, with Supergiant's Hades standing as an obvious influence.Each run in Absolum starts with you selecting a "Ritual" for your character. Like Boons in Hades, these modify your character's abilities with special properties. For example, one Ritual I encountered in my second playthrough caused throwable rose daggers to spawn whenever I timed a dodge perfectly. In turn, these allowed me to quickly dispatch dangerous enemies at a distance. The further into a run you get, the more likely you are to encounter additional Rituals. And, once again borrowing from Hades and its idea of Duo Boons, some Rituals are designed to synergize with one another. Combined with the game's Arcana system, which allows you to select up to two special attacks for your character, there's great combat variety in Absolum.DotemuIn fact, it never feels like you're simply button mashing. Combat is very Souls-like in that there are many different enemies for the player to take on, and each one requires its own approach. What's more, dodging attacks is often more important than dishing out damage. Healing items in Absolum are few and far between, but to balance this, the game gives you a few different ways to avoid getting hurt. You can either side step away from an attack, dash directly into an enemy to block them or use your character's Skill attack to perform what the game calls a "Clash." If timed correctly, all three options allow you to punish an enemy for trying to get the jump on you. Of the three, however, Clashes - acting as Absolum's version of a parry - are the hardest to pull off, but can turn a boss fight in your favor, allowing you to deflect an attack that would have otherwise been devastating.With this preview, Dotemu let everyone try the game's full roster of four characters. Over the five hours I played the demo, I had the most fun with Galandra, a necromantic warrior with a sword on her back that would be big enough even for Guts. Each character feels distinct from their counterparts. Brome, for instance, who wasn't in the recent Steam Next Fest demo Dotemu released, is the game's only mage-like character. His playstyle centers around zoning your enemies with beams of power. Oh, and did I mention that he's a frog? Meanwhile, the new zone, Jaroba, did a great job of mixing things up just as I was getting used to ebb and flow of Absolum's combat. Enemies here employ much more devious attacks that are harder to dodge and counter.If rougelike fans didn't have Hades 2to look forward to this year, I think Absolum would easily be in the running for one of the best indie releases of 2025. As it stands, the game has tough competition, but if you're a fan of challenging and mechanically complex but fun combat systems, I think you owe it to yourself to check out Absolum come October when it arrives on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PS5.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/absolum-is-awesome-and-i-cant-wait-to-play-it-on-october-9-180037272.html?src=rss

Nintendo has confirmed that Kirby Air Riders, a modern revival of the 2003 GameCube cult classic Kirby Air Ride, will be released exclusively on Switch 2 on November 20. The announcement came during a marathon 45-minute Nintendo Direct devoted entirely to the new game, hosted by Kirby's creator Masahiro Sakurai. Sakurai said he was asked to create Air Riders while still working on DLC for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and drafted a written proposal for the game at the request of Shinya Takahashi, head of software development for Nintendo.The Direct showed a roster of playable characters, including King Dedede, Meta Knight, Bandana Waddle Dee, Knuckle Joe and others. Each rider has distinct traits and special attacks that influence how their machines perform. The ride mechanics will be fairly simple, with players able to boost, drift, glide and rail-grind their way around.Players will be able to customize and upgrade their vehicles throughout the game, which includes two major modes. Air Ride is the straightforward racing mode, with players competing on themed tracks. City Trial lets players explore a floating island called Skyah, where they can find power-ups and encounter random events like Dustup Derby, where they battle opponents to knock them out and earn more power-ups. Once players feel their machine is sufficiently powered up, they can head to the Stadium to complete different challenges against opponents. Local multiplayer supports up to eight players, while online lobbies can hold 16.A demo version of Kirby Air Riders will be playable by reservation for attendees of PAX West 2025 in Seattle at the end of the month. Masahiro Sakurai said a similar demo will be available to play at Gamescom in Cologne this week.Kirby Air Riders will release on November 20 and marks yet another Switch 2 exclusive coming early in the life cycle of the hit console. Nintendo has already found success with Donkey Kong Bananza and Mario Kart World.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/kirby-air-riders-launches-november-20-exclusively-on-switch-2-171054821.html?src=rss

Is it finally happening? Team Cherry just announced a livestream for the long-anticipated sequel Hollow Knight: Silksong. It takes place on August 21 at 10:30AM ET. The company says it will be making a "special announcement" about the game. We don't exactly know what this announcement will be, but it's starting to feel like a release date or at least a release window.Rumors have been swirling that the title would finally be getting a release date during this week's Gamescom festivities, with Geoff Keighley offering a tease a couple of days ago. This is all happening more than six years after the game was first announced.It's possible that the special announcement won't involve the release date at all, but will instead offer new game modes or a deeper dive into the story. It's worth noting that reports have indicated that the game would finally see the light of day this year, though we've been fooled by that kind of thing before.For the uninitiated, Hollow Knight: Silksong is the followup to Hollow Knight, which was an indie Metroidvania that absolutely took the world by storm. It actually started as DLC for the original game before the developers realized the scope of their ambitions would take nearly seven years to see through.Correction, August 19, 2025, 12:55PM ET: This story originally stated that the livestream was set for April 21. That was a mistake, as the actual date is August 21.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/theres-a-hollow-knight-silksong-livestream-on-august-21-at-1030am-et-153220026.html?src=rss

Helldivers 2 is getting a Halo crossover. On August 26, gear inspired by Halo 3: ODST will be available in the Sony-published Helldivers game. Practically speaking, this is about some new armor, guns and abilities - just another Tuesday in the gaming world. But symbolically, it evokes Sonic the Hedgehog's first appearance on a Nintendo console.The crossover's arrival coincides with Helldivers 2's arrival on Xbox Series X/S. (That's also on August 26.) It also comes amid rumors that Halo: The Master Chief Collection could arrive on PlayStation as soon as this year. The times they are a-changin', as Microsoft adjusts to its new reality as a console hardware also-ran.The gear will be available through the Helldivers 2 x Halo: ODST Legendary Warbond. In Helldivers, a Warbond is essentially a non-expiring equivalent of a battle pass. This one costs 1,500 Super Credits in the game's Acquisitions Center.Here, ODST no longer means Orbital Drop Shock Troopers. Adopting Helldivers' cheeky tone, it now stands for Obedient Democracy Support Troopers. Kind of them to lend a hand to the cause.PlayStationSo, what do you get for those Super Credits? The standout is the Halo 3: ODST armor, which has a Master Chief-esque flair. There are two variants: A-9 Helljumper Armor Set modeled after an ODST trooper. Meanwhile, the A-35 Recon Armor Set is a stealth-focused variant. Both include a Feet First passive boost. This makes you quieter, increases your range when finding points of interest and makes you immune to leg injuries.As for the guns, you get the Halo series' classic MA5C Assault Rifle and M6C / SOCOM Pistol. Also available for your arsenal: the M90A Shotgun and M7S SMG. And who doesn't love a cape? There are two of those - one with an ODST logo and an Eye of the Clandestine one for the stealth getup.The Helldivers 2 x Halo: ODST warbond arrives on August 26 at 8AM ET.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/sony-and-microsoft-continue-to-make-nice-with-halo-x-helldivers-2-crossover-165024127.html?src=rss

Inzone dropped a fresh batch of gaming peripherals today. Sony introduced the Inzone line in 2022 and it offers peripherals such as monitors and earbuds for gaming consumers. The new wave of gaming gear was developed with major esports organization Fnatic, and the specs are meant to target competitive players. All of the items are available for pre-order today.The lineup includes a pair of audio devices: the Inzone H9 II Wireless Gaming Headset and the Inzone E9 In-Ear Monitor. The H9 II headset has the same dynamic driver as the excellent Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones, and it sports a detachable mic. It can be used wired or as a Bluetooth wireless set. These headphones have active noise canceling and 360 Spatial Sound. It will retail for $350. The E9 monitor also offers 360 Spatial Sound and is designed for passive noise canceling. It costs $150. Fnatic's Valorant and Apex Legends teams assisted the creation of the audio products.Sam Rutherford for EngadgetThe company also has a new gaming mouse simply called Mouse-A that was designed with feedback from Fnatic pro players. The Mouse-A weighs a slight 48 grams and offers hybrid optical switches. The $150 mouse also has an 8,000Hz polling rate and promises up to 90 hours of battery life.For extra cushioning, Inzone has also unveiled two mousepads. The 6mm Mat-F is intended for strategic first person shooters and games that favor controlled stop and aim playstyles. The black design has a Slimflex base and will retail for $60. Mat-D costs $35 and is meant more for speedy gameplay with gliding movements. The purple gradient mousepad is 4mm and has a high density rubber base.Finally, the Inzone KBD-H75 is a $300 wired aluminum 75 percent rapid trigger keyboard that comes equipped with Hall-effect switches and an 8,000Hz polling rate.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/sony-inzone-launches-new-peripherals-in-collaboration-with-fnatic-160037799.html?src=rss

It feels like Summer Game Fest is only just in our rear view mirror and yet there's another video game extravaganza on the horizon. Gamescom is the planet's largest gaming event and we're sure to find out about a bunch of interesting new games at the Opening Night Live showcase. Xbox is broadcasting from the show floor across two days, and there will be other presentations that are worth keeping an eye on, including a "special announcement" for Hollow Knight: Silksong.Gamescom is taking place between August 20 and 24 this year, and we're learning bits and pieces about what to expect from the various showcases. The affair will kick off with Opening Night Live, a showcase hosted by Geoff Keighley that bridges the gap between his two other major events, Summer Game Fest Live and The Game Awards. That will be followed by two days of Xbox broadcasts, the latest edition of the Future Games Show and three days of Bethesda streams.There will also be news from Ubisoft on what's next for The Division 2. The company will host two panels related to the franchise during Gamescom. One will include more info about The Division Resurgence (a delayed mobile game), as well details about a "big Division 2 project."We'll update this preview with more Gamescom details as we get them, and embed video versions of each stream as they become available too. Here's our breakdown of how to watch Gamescom 2025 and what to expect from the event.Gamescom schedule

Google didn't need to make its own smartphone. Even though the company spent several years having other manufacturers build phones it could slap its "Nexus" branding on, selling hardware is not core to Google's business. Things like advertising and Search still handily dwarf the inroads the company's made as a smartphone manufacturer, and that will likely remain true for the foreseeable future.Compared to the contributions the iPhone makes to Apple's bottom line, the Pixel has always, in some sense, been a hobby. Which means Google finds itself in a familiar place heading into the launch of the Pixel 10. It's better than it's ever been at the business of building phones, but the task for the Pixel remains the same: get people to use Google software (especially Search).The first smartphones "made by Google"Google sold its own hardware, including a lineup of phones, under the Nexus brand from 2010 to 2016 - but it was always known that hardware manufacturers like HTC and Samsung were actually building the hardware.That changed with the Pixel, the first time Google started using the now-ubiquitous "made by Google" phrasing. Ever since the first Pixel phone arrived in October 2016, Google's phones have been defined by their camera skills. Google's significant breakthroughs in computational photography influenced the entire industry, and continue to do so today. The original Pixel and Pixel XL featured a single 12.3-megapixel camera and let anyone take great HDR photos without any fuss. Purchasing a Pixel or Pixel XL also unlocked unlimited full-resolution backups of your photos in Google Photos for free, a strong incentive to consider switching to Google's smartphone in its own right.The company's glass and aluminum phone was more than just its camera sensor, though. A big part of Google's early pitch for the Pixel, and other hardware like Google Home, was that it could serve as a vehicle for Google Assistant. The AI-powered voice assistant had shades of Siri, and voice control features previously available in Android. But it was far more integrated into Google's software and services and had a deep well of knowledge to draw on from Google Search. An "OK Google" could let you set a timer on your phone, but it could also answer trivia or tell you about an upcoming calendar event.Google continued to lean on software for the release of the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, which put Google Now-style proactive information on a new always-on display, along with a refined design with pressure sensitive sides that could activate specific functions on the phone. In terms of the camera, Google's major improvements over the original Pixel were the addition of optical image stabilization for video and a custom imaging chip, dubbed the Pixel Visual Core, that handled the image processing for both first-party and third-party camera apps. Besides being the first instance of Google sneaking some of its own custom silicon into its phone, the Pixel 2 was also was a significant challenge to Apple's dominance in the photography departmentThat pattern continued with the release of the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, which again featured a slightly modified design, wireless charging and a collection of new camera features. The biggest was Night Sight, Google's software solution for taking really good photos when there's barely any light available. The feature was released after the Pixel 3 came out, and gave the phone the ability to capture more or less light at night depending on the shakiness of your hand. The third-generation Pixel was also paired with the introduction of Google Assistant's Call Screen feature, a mixture of visual voicemail and audio transcription that allowed users to see why someone is calling and only pick up if they wanted to.Google would go on to introduce the first budget version of the Pixel a few months later with the Pixel 3a, a practice that continues to this day. In the following years, the company's releases were mostly memorable for gimmicks like the Pixel 4's Motion Sense feature (using radar to detect hand gestures to launch shortcuts) and the adoption of industry trends, with the Pixel 5's support for 5G.The company followed up those phones with a few releases that were only memorable for gimmicks like the Pixel 4's Motion Sense feature (essentially motion controls for specific apps) and the adoption of an industry trend, with the Pixel 5's 5G support.Say hello to the camera bar and Tensor chipIt would take the radical new design of the Pixel 6 to snap things back into focus for Google. Not only did the Pixel 6 have a massive, shelf-like camera bar on the back, but the phone was also the first to be powered by a custom SoC developed by Google. Rather than focus on raw power, the Google Tensor chip was designed to handle on-device AI tasks like Magic Eraser for editing photos, Live Translate for converting text to another language as you type and Direct My Call, which lets the Pixel navigate phone trees on your behalf.The splashy launch of the Pixel 6 in 2021 marks the new path Google's smartphones have been heading for the last four years. They're still good at taking photos, but their main role is to be a showcase for whatever AI feature the company has cooked up most recently. Google continued to refine the idea with the release of the Pixel 7, which was paired with the first Pixel Watch following Google's acquisition of Fitbit in 2021. 2023 brought the Pixel 8 as well as the company's first foldable, the Pixel Fold.The move also matched internal shifts at Google itself. The teams developing the Android operating system have long been separate from the teams building Pixel phones out of respect for Google's partners who make their own Android phones. That changed in 2024 when Google announced a reorganization that placed Pixel and Android under the same "Platforms & Devices" umbrella. The stated motivation was that aligning software and hardware would let the company release new AI features even faster, which bore out in the various Gemini features on the Pixel 9 lineup and whatever the company has planned for the Pixel 10. On some level the intimate role smartphones play in people's lives makes them an obvious venue for AI, something the company clearly wants to take advantage of based on in-development features like Project Astra.Google clearly experimented throughout the life of the Pixel, but the phone has always been a tool to sell software ideas. Demonstrating the potential of computational photography had early success, and now the company is trying to do the same thing with generative AI and Gemini. Competition remains fierce - OpenAI shared in December 2024 that ChatGPT had 300 million weekly users, making it a real threat to Google's core business. Google has never been a hardware company, nor has it needed to win at hardware. But with stiffer competition in software than ever, using the Pixel series to get people to use Google's many services is arguably more important than ever.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/10-pixels-in-the-purpose-of-a-google-made-smartphone-remains-the-same-160007404.html?src=rss

Apple is shifting more iPhone production to India ahead of next month's iPhone 17 launch, Bloomberg reports. The company will build all four iPhone 17 models there, and for the first time US-bound shipments for the entire lineup will come from India at launch.The shift comes amid production expansion across five factories in India, including two plants that recently opened. Apple has been working to decrease its reliance on China for the manufacturing of US-bound iPhones.According to Bloomberg, factories controlled by Tata Group, an Indian multinational headquartered in Mumbai, will account for as much as half of India's iPhone output over the next two years. Apple's longtime partner Foxconn Technology Group is also involved through its production hub in Bangalore.The iPhone 17 lineup is expected to be unveiled in September, though the exact date is still unknown. We expect to see the usual iPhone 17, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max models announced, with the added possibility of a slimmer premium model in the form of an iPhone Air. The iPhone 17e, the next generation of Apple's budget-friendly model, is more likely to arrive in early 2026 if it follows the same pattern as the iPhone 16e.In the United States, the Trump administration had threatened Apple with tariffs on iPhones if it continued manufacturing the devices overseas. More recently, however, Apple announced from the Oval Office that it would invest an additional $100 billion in the US as part of a new American Manufacturing Program." This was announced as part of a $600 billion overall investment by Apple to produce more components domestically.While India is among the many countries facing the Trump administration's ever-changing tariff landscape, Bloomberg reported earlier this summer that iPhones imported from India have so far evaded tariffs as the US Commerce Department works to determine what sectors it deems vital to national security. With that in mind, it's not surprising to see Apple shipping as many iPhones to the US from India as possible, at least for now.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/apple-is-reportedly-manufacturing-all-four-iphone-17-models-in-india-145528499.html?src=rss

NVIDIA is working on a new AI chip meant for the Chinese market that's more powerful than the H20, according to Reuters. It will reportedly be based on the company's latest Blackwell architecture, which can produce chips between seven and 30 times faster than its previous AI platform. Reuters says the product is tentatively named B30A and will have a single-die design, putting all its main components on a single piece of silicon. It will apparently be capable of half the computing power of NVIDIA's Blackwell Ultra GPUs, which have dual-die configuration. The product will also come with high-bandwidth memory and the company's NVLink technology for speedier data transmission between processors.It's possible that NVIDIA is developing the chip after the Chinese government discouraged local companies from using the H20, especially for government and national security purposes. Chinese regulators even reportedly ordered big tech corporations, including Alibaba, Bytedance and Tencent, to suspend their purchases from NVIDIA until the government is done with a national security review. China's warning to local companies came after the US government lifted its export restriction on the company's H20 chips.If you'll recall, the US blocked the company from selling its H20 chips to China back in April over concerns that the Chinese military could use the chips to develop AI technology. In July, NVIDIA announced that the government has assured the company that it will approve licenses to ship and export H20 chips to China. The Financial Times then reported in August that the government had agreed to grant NVIDIA (and AMP) export licenses in exchange for 15 percent of their profits.Reuters says NVIDIA is still finalizing the specs of B30A, but it's hoping to deliver samples to Chinese clients for testing as soon as September this year. Trump seems to already be aware that NVIDIA is working on a chip based on Blackwell for the Chinese market, but whether it gets regulatory and export approval remains to be seen: The president told reporters that NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huan is "coming to see [him] again about that."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/nvidia-is-reportedly-developing-an-ai-chip-for-china-more-powerful-than-the-h20-130057520.html?src=rss

Qualcomm revealed its latest mobile platform for more affordable smartphones and devices called the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4. Compared to its predecessor, the new Snapdragon chips have overall improved performance, support for more detailed displays and a feature that allows for better video quality in low-light situations.We were able to test the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 with smartphones like the Nothing 3a and 3a Pro, but this next-gen chipset represents a seven percent improvement with both the Qualcomm Adreno GPU and Kryo CPU. The Gen 4 specs also show higher peak CPU speeds of up to 2.7 GHz, compared to the previous generation's 2.5 GHz. On top of the overall performance boost, Qualcomm added support for WFHD+ displays that have a 2,900 x 1,300 resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate. For better video in dark scenarios, Qualcomm infused the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 with the Low Light Vision feature, which was previously reserved for the company's more expensive chips.Beyond these upgrades, the fourth-generation Snapdragon 7s chips keep the AI-powered ability to take 200-megapixel photos, Qualcomm's Quick Charge 4+ Technology that can recharge a device from zero to 50 percent in five minutes and support for real-time translation and transcription with multiple languages. It's a minor upgrade from the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 that was announced last August and Qualcomm hasn't announced any phone makers who plan to use this chip yet. However, we could see the latest chip being used by companies like Honor and Vivo, who previously used Qualcomm's Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 models.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/qualcomms-latest-snapdragon-chips-offer-slight-power-up-for-budget-smartphones-130017850.html?src=rss

Whether you love or hate them, PDFs are an inescapable part of the job for many of us. In fact, it's safe to say the format isn't going away anytime soon, with Adobe reporting there are 3 trillion PDFs in circulation worldwide. However, there's no denying they can be a pain to work with, and in an effort to make it easier to manage projects involving multiple PDFs, Adobe is launching a new product today called Acrobat Studio. And wouldn't you know it, the company is marketing the inclusion of generative AI tools as a major selling point of the suite.The main feature of Acrobat Studio are hubs Adobe calls PDF Spaces. Here, you can upload up to 100 files - including PDFs of course, alongside public web pages, RTFs, DOCXs and more - and Acrobat Studio's built-in AI assistants will help you make sense of everything. To start, the hub will generate a summary of all the documents, with a few pre-populated prompts to help with further analysis. Accompanying each bullet point from the AI is a citation you can use to verify the model's summary by quickly jumping to the document it pulled the information from. Sharing your PDF Spaces with colleagues is built right into Acrobat Studio.In addition to chatting with Acrobat Studio's AI assistant, you can create custom assistants to carry out specific tasks. By default, Adobe offers three of these - analyst, instructor and entertainer - to get you started. The names do a decent job of communicating each assistant's purpose. For example, the instructor will attempt to explain complex topics. You can create your own by writing a set of custom prompts.There are some notable limitations to PDF Spaces. For one, the hub's generative AI features currently only work with documents written in English. Adobe says it will add support for other languages "over time." Similarly, the hub can't analyze videos, handwritten notes and password-protected files.Outside of PDF Spaces, Acrobat Studio offers access to Adobe Express built right into the app, meaning you can use Adobe's Firefly AI models to generate commercially safe images for your PDFs. As you would expect, the suite also comes with Adobe Acrobat and all the tools you might need to create and edit your own protected documents.Pricing for Acrobat Studio starts at $25 per month for individuals, with a 14-day trial available.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/acrobat-studio-is-adobes-new-ai-powered-hub-for-pdfs-130003264.html?src=rss

Leave it to Tesla to charge its customers for a feature it purposely left out. The company is now selling an almost $350 retrofit turn signal stalk for its Model 3 cars after removing from the initial model. Instead, it used buttons to activate the turn signal.As of now, the add-on is only available in the Chinese market. But, Model 3 drivers will need to shell out another 2,499 yuan ($348) to get a normal part of almost every car. However, there's a slight catch: The turn signal stalk is only compatible with models produced from February 7 of this year onward.Only one month earlier, Tesla launched a refreshed Model Y that brought back the turn signal stalk. "We always say at Tesla, if you aren't deleting so much that you have to put something back, you have't deleted enough. Well, maybe we deleted too much," Tesla's vice president of engineering Lars Moravy said in an interview with Jay Leno shortly after.The option to buy a retrofit signal stalk isn't that surprising. Creator Chris Zheng first leaked the news back in February on X (formerly Twitter). It's unclear whether Tesla plans to bring the add-on to additional markets.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/tesla-offers-a-350-retrofit-turn-signal-stalk-after-removing-it-from-the-model-3-123034169.html?src=rss

They might be nearly three years old at this point, but Apple's second-generation AirPods Pro remain some of the most popular wireless earbuds around for a reason, and right now they're down to $169 on Amazon. That's a not-insignificant 32 percent off the usual $249 price of the noise-canceling in-ears. Apple's flagship AirPods were $100 off - a record-low $149 - during Prime Day, so we have seen them even cheaper than this, but for a non-sale period, Amazon's current deal is worth considering. The AirPods Pro 2 are our top choice for iPhone users looking for wireless earbuds, thanks to much beefier sound than the original model, rock solid ANC and transparency modes, and seamless switching between Apple devices. Throw in spatial audio support, hands-free Siri and more than acceptable battery life, and the AirPods Pro 2 are hard to top. Not everyone gets on with the sometimes fiddly touch gestures, but a lot of wireless headphones struggle with this. If there's anything to give you pause, it's that we might be getting the AirPods Pro 3 sooner rather than later. But if that's the case, you can be confident you'll pay a lot more than $169 for the privilege. The AirPods Pro aren't the only discounted AirPods right now. The AirPods 4 (without ANC) are down to $99. Usually priced at $129, you're saving $30 on a much improved entry-level AirPods offering. They fit and sound better than any non-Pro AirPods before them, and inherit some previously Pro-only features thanks to the H2 chip. If you travel a lot you'll also certainly rue the lack of ANC, but if that isn't a deal breaker for you, the $99 price point might be tempting. Check out our coverage of the best Apple deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/pick-up-apples-airpods-pro-2-while-theyre-down-to-169-142401518.html?src=rss

OpenAI has debuted its cheapest subscription yet for India only, product head Nick Turley announced on X. Called ChatGPT Go, the 390 rupee ($4.60) GPT-5 plan will offers users 10 times more message limits, image generation and file uploads than the free offering. "Making ChatGPT more affordable has been a key ask from users," Turley wrote. "We're rolling out Go in India first and will learn from feedback before expanding to other countries."The new plan was leaked earlier and OpenAI recently introduced local currency pricing in India via India's payment framework. With that, ChatGPT Plus and ChatGPT Pro are now offered for 1,999 rupees ($22.95) and 19,990 rupees ($229.50) - more expensive than the $20 and $200 users paid prior to the local currency rollout.ChatGPT Go now gives local users a more budget-oriented option. However, it doesn't offer access to GPT-5's advanced reasoning, has "limited deep research," no custom GPTs and lower message, image and file upload limits compared to the higher-end subscriptions, according to OpenAI's plan page in India.India is a key market for OpenAI, being second only to the US by user base. CEO Sam Altman recently met with India's IT minister about a plan to introduce lower-cost AI plans. According to Turley's X post, it looks like ChatGPT Go will come to other countries soon, though the company has yet to say which ones. Turley recently said that ChatGPT now has 700 million weekly users globally, up from 500 million in March.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openais-chatgpt-go-plan-arrives-in-india-only-for-under-5-per-month-120053087.html?src=rss

After focusing its big Google I/O 2025 on AI tech and Gemini's latest features, Google has new hardware. The next Made by Google event kicks off tomorrow, and Google has already confirmed how at least one of its new phones will look.GoogleExpect a little more fanfare than usual. The company dropped a video on X, teasing special guests," including Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Curry, Lando Norris and the Jonas Brothers. Surely, they'll make you buy a Pixel!Leaks suggest Google is giving all of its Pixel 10 phones telephoto cameras in 2025, though it's still possible the phone teased earlier is a Pixel 10 Pro. We're expecting to see four phones in total: Pixel 10, 10 Pro, 10 Pro XL and 10 Pro Fold. Then, if you can maintain focus, there's likely to be a new Pixel Watch with smaller bezels and a brighter screen, and maybe even new entry-level Pixel buds.The Pixel 10 launch event kicks off on August 20, tomorrow, at 1PM ET / 10AM PT. We'll be reporting live from the event. Here's a full breakdown of what we're expecting to see.- Mat SmithGet Engadget's newsletter delivered direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!The news you might have missed

UK officials will no longer compel Apple to create backdoor access to its users' data, according to US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. She wrote on X that she, President Trump and Vice President Vance worked closely with their "partners in the UK" over the past months. "As a result," she continued, "the UK has agreed to drop its mandate for Apple to provide a 'back door' that would have enabled access to the protected encrypted data of American citizens and encroached on our civil liberties."

Spotify routinely debuts new playlist features for its users, but the company's latest update has the potential to dramatically alter custom mixes. Starting today, premium users will have access to a new tool for creating customized transitions within playlists. This will allow seamless progression from one track to the next, with natural-sounding changeovers and no awkward silence.Once you've created a playlist, you'll notice a Mix option on the toolbar. When selected, the tool gives you the option to pick Auto and allow Spotify to instantly make the transitions, or you can tap in further to customize things as you see fit. From there, you can choose presets like Fade or Rise to quickly apply transition styles or try specific changes to volume, EQ and effects. The app will display a waveform for the two songs, helping you select the best place to make the swap.After making your transitions, you can save them for future use or for sharing with friends. And speaking of friends, the transition editor is available for collaboration on any playlists you build with your pals. Spotify allows you to toggle the Mix option on and off at any time, so you're free to listen without any of that creative customization if needed.To help you create a playlist that's ready for mixing, Spotify will show you the tempo in BPMs (beats per minute) and Camelot keys for each song once you tap Mix. The company reminds users that the best options for this tool are songs that were created for seamless transitions, so genres like house and techno will provide the best results. Spotify also recommends using the Mix tool for making running playlists with consistent BPMs to help with pace or to create roadtrip playlists that can maintain "the vibe." Lastly, you can create your own cover art for mixed playlists using Spotify's built-in editor that debuted last fall.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/spotify-now-lets-you-create-seamless-transitions-between-songs-on-your-custom-playlists-100051537.html?src=rss

Intel has had some recent struggles in delivering results for its shareholders, but the company could soon be answering to an additional boss. The current administration is reportedly in talks to have the US government acquire a stake in the chipmaker. Bloomberg first reported the news without specifics about the size or value of the potential share the government wants to buy. According to a newer report by Bloomberg and The New York Times, the Trump administration is looking to take a 10 percent stake in Intel as part of its efforts to give domestic chip manufacturing a boost.The administration is reportedly considering converting the $10.86 billion in federal grants Intel is getting from the US Chips and Science Act into equity instead. It's still early days, and the White House is still deciding on the exact size of the stake. Intel initially shared plans to construct a semiconductor facility in Ohio in 2022 while Pat Gelsinger was still at the helm of the company. Since then, the project has faced delays, and at its latest quarterly earnings report, execs said Intel would "slow the pace" on the Ohio construction, as well as scrapping other international building plans and making workforce cuts.The potential for government ownership of Intel is the latest swing of the administration's attitude toward the company. A few days after calling for his resignation over connections to China, President Donald Trump met with CEO Lip-Bu Tan and seemed to now hold a more positive outlook on the company leader.A representative from Intel told Bloomberg in a statement that the company is "deeply committed to supporting President Trump's efforts to strengthen US technology and manufacturing leadership. We look forward to continuing our work with the Trump administration to advance these shared priorities, but we are not going to comment on rumors or speculation."Update, August 18 2025, 10:31AM ET: This story has been updated to include new reports that the Trump administration is looking to take a 10 percent stake in Intel.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/trumps-administration-may-look-to-buy-a-stake-in-intel-213234862.html?src=rss

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced plans to investigate both Meta AI Studio and Character.AI for offering AI chatbots that can claim to be health tools, and potentially misusing data collected from underage users.Paxton says that AI chatbots from either platform "can present themselves as professional therapeutic tools," to the point of lying about their qualifications. That behavior that can leave younger users vulnerable to misleading and inaccurate information. Because AI platforms often rely on user prompts as another source of training data, either company could also be violating young user's privacy and misusing their data. This is of particular interest in Texas, where the SCOPE Act places specific limits on what companies can do with data harvested from minors, and requires platform's offer tools so parents can manage the privacy settings of their children's accounts.For now, the Attorney General has submitted Civil Investigative Demands (CIDs) to both Meta and Character.AI to see if either company is violating Texas consumer protection laws. As TechCrunch notes, neither Meta nor Character.AI claim their AI chatbot platforms should be used as mental health tools. That doesn't prevent there from being multiple "Therapist" and "Psychologist" chatbots on Character.AI. Nor does it stop either of the companies' chatbots from claiming they're licensed professionals, as 404 Media reported in April."The user-created Characters on our site are fictional, they are intended for entertainment, and we have taken robust steps to make that clear," a Character.AI spokesperson said when asked to comment on the Texas investigation. "For example, we have prominent disclaimers in every chat to remind users that a Character is not a real person and that everything a Character says should be treated as fiction."Meta shared a similar sentiment in its comment. "We clearly label AIs, and to help people better understand their limitations, we include a disclaimer that responses are generated by AI - not people," the company said. Meta AIs are also supposed to "direct users to seek qualified medical or safety professionals when appropriate." Sending people to real resources is good, but ultimately disclaimers themselves are easy to ignore, and don't act as much of an obstacle.With regards to privacy and data usage, both Meta's privacy policy and the Character.AI's privacy policy acknowledge that data is collected from users' interactions with AI. Meta collects things like prompts and feedback to improve AI performance. Character.AI logs things like identifiers and demographic information and says that information can be used for advertising, among other applications. How either policy applies to children, and fits with Texas' SCOPE Act, seems like it'll depend on how easy it is to make an account.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/texas-ag-to-investigate-meta-and-characterai-over-misleading-mental-health-claims-221343275.html?src=rss

Mark Rober will bring his scientific talents to Netflix with two upcoming projects. Rober is a former NASA engineer who parlayed his skills into an entertaining and educational YouTube career. In past years, we've seen him develop not just one, but two stinky glitter bombs to fend off porch package thieves, as well as leading work on a Guinness World Record-holding robot called the Dominator.According to an announcement from Netflix, Rober "will bring some of his most beloved, ambitious, and informative experiments" to the streaming platform later this year. Then in 2026, he'll also host a competition series aimed at kids and family viewers. Rober's CrunchLabs business and Kimmelot, late night host Jimmy Kimmel's production company, will be producing.Netflix has been adding several YouTube creators to its content lineup, with a particular angle toward family-friendly science programs. Earlier this year, it brought some content from Rachel Accurso's Ms. Rachel channel, with educational topics for very young children, to the platform.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/youtuber-mark-rober-is-bringing-his-experiments-to-netflix-201853920.html?src=rss

NVIDIA's GeForce NOW game streaming service is leveling-up in September with the addition of RTX 5080 GPUs, which will allow for 5K streaming at up to 120fps (or 1080p/320fps for the truly frame-hungry). While you'll need to be on the $20-a-month GeForce Now Ultimate tier to use RTX 5080 streaming servers, NVIDIA at least isn't raising that tier's price. Subscribers at that level will still receive 100 hours of monthly playtime (with 15 hours of rollover), up to eight-hour long sessions and access to all of GPU's respective DLSS features, including Frame Generation.NVIDIA claims the RTX 5080 GeForce Now servers will perform up to 2.8 times faster than the current RTX 4080 systems - but of course, that's due to the new GPU's 4X Frame Gen capabilities, which interpolates frames using AI modeling. The 4080 only supports up to 2X Frame Generation. At launch, GeForce Now's RTX 5080 servers will support popular games like Doom: The Dark Ages, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Cyberpunk 2077 and Flight Simulator. We're still waiting for a full list of supported titles from NVIDIA, as well updates on when we can expect more games that will support the RTX 5080.While the raw power of the RTX 5080 will be the main draw for the GeForce NOW Ultimate tier, NVIDIA is also improving something that's always bothered me with game streaming: image quality. No matter the resolution and framerate I've seen while streaming games across multiple services, I've always noticed that the color fidelity and overall sharpness doesn't look as good as rendering a game locally on a PC. NVIDIA's new Cinematic Quality Streaming (CQS) aims to change that, with support for YUV 4:4:4 chroma subsampling (for more accurate colors), smoother video streaming performance with the AV1 codec, and AI video filtering to reduce artifacts. CQS will also be able to automatically detect and optimize its settings for the DPI of your screen - that's helpful for high DPI laptop screens.With CQS turned on, GeForce Now streams will max out at a hefty 100Mbps. That'll make it ideal for people with 1Gbps or faster connections, but it could be out of reach if you've got slower internet or restrictive bandwidth caps. I've only seen a screenshot of CQS in action, but it's definitely something I'll be testing further once the new GeForce NOW servers launch in September.NVIDIA also plans to expand the number of titles on GeForce NOW with a new feature called Install-to-Play games, which will automatically get installed to cloud storage servers. Performance and Ultimate-tier subscribers will get 100GB of storage for free, and they can upgrade to 200GB for $2.99 monthly, 500GB for $4.99 per month and 1TB for $7.99. Typically, GeForce NOW games are preinstalled on servers and wait for players to queue them up. (It's also worth noting that the service taps into games you've already bought on existing storefronts like Steam, your subscription doesn't get you a collection of games to play like Xbox cloud streaming.)NVIDIA says that GeForce Now will have up 2,300 pre-installed games this year, and together with Install-to-Play options there will be over 4,500 games on the service. That goes a long way towards making GeForce Now more appealing to mainstream players - if you could play most new titles over the cloud for a monthly fee, why have a gaming PC at all?To that end, NVIDIA is also making GeForce NOW work even better across a wide variety of devices. It'll support up to 90fps on the Steam Deck through its native app, and it will also stream in 5K on newer LG OLED monitors. LG TVs will also get a native GeForce NOW app that supports up to 4K 120Hz streams, a first for any TV maker. NVIDIA also says that many Logitech racing wheels will be supported, as well. (Though I wonder how many people are traveling with wheels when they want to game on the go.)While its unclear if game streaming will ever replace local gaming, GeForce NOW is certainly getting close with the addition of RTX 5080 GPUs and a wealth of new features. And given the rise of streaming TV service costs these days, its pricing seems relatively fair. You can test out a free ad-supported version of GeForce NOW, or pay $10 a month (or $100 a year) for ad-free 1,440p support. For most people, especially if they're just streaming to laptops and handhelds, that'll be more than enough. But the Ultimate tier isn't unreasonable at $20 a month, $100 for six months or $200 annually. That's a small price to pay to game in 4K (and 5K!) without a huge rig.During my recent testing of GeForce NOW Ultimate with RTX 4080 servers, I noticed that it's relatively easy to launch games, performance is generally smooth and it works well across handhelds, TVs and multiple computers. I'd expect much of the same for the RTX 5080 servers, but I'll report back next month when they actually launch.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/nvidias-geforce-now-game-streaming-gets-rtx-5080-gpus-better-image-quality-and-more-193040331.html?src=rss

Human resources technology company Workday has confirmed that a data breach has affected its third-party CRM platform. In a blog post announcing the breach, the company said that a social engineering campaign had targeted its employees, with threat actors posing as IT or HR in order to trick employees into sharing account access or personal information.The company says that while the threat actors were able to access some information from the CRM, there is no indication of any access to customer accounts or the data within them. "We acted quickly to cut the access and have added extra safeguards to protect against similar incidents in the future," the post reads. Workday says that the information gathered from the CRM consists of "commonly available" business contact information such as names, email addresses and phone numbers. From the sound of its blog post, the information of Workday end users was not revealed, only information from the companies it has contracts with.What is known with some certainty at this point is that Workday's CRM was breached. The company's statement that "no indication" of a deeper customer data breach was found is far from a guarantee - often, the full scope of hacks like this aren't known until later.Earlier this year, Workday laid off around 1,750 employees, or around 8.5 percent of its workforce. The company said it was "prioritizing innovation investments like AI and platform development, and rigorously evaluating the ROI of others across the board."The precise third-party CRM Workday is referring to was not disclosed. Earlier this year Google fell victim to a hack via the Salesforce app, and last year Disney said it would stop using Slack, the Salesforce-owned messaging platform, after a hack exposed company data.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/workday-says-hackers-used-social-engineering-to-access-personal-data-during-a-breach-183451732.html?src=rss

The second season of Prime Video's Fallout is coming this December and the marketing machine is just starting to ramp up. The streamer has released some light plot details and, more importantly, several cool images. Two of these photos reference the franchise's iconic New Vegas location, which was teased at the end of the first season.Prime Video says that season two will take "audiences along for a journey through the wasteland of the Mojave to the post-apocalyptic city of New Vegas." However, we still don't know if the show's depiction will be franchise accurate. The released images show Cooper Howard (Walton Goggins) touring the actual Las Vegas in the before times, long before becoming the Ghoul.Prime VideoHowever, one picture does show the Lucky 38 casino, which is extremely important to fans of the games. The remaining images catch up with other major players from season one. There's one of Lucy (Ella Purnell) butting heads with the Ghoul and another showing Maximus (Aaron Moten) back with the Brotherhood of Steel after the events of the season finale.Prime VideoWe don't have a trailer yet, but that should be coming soon. December is just a few months away. The Fallout TV show has proven to be a huge hit, both with fans and critics. Prime Video has already renewed it for a third season.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/first-images-from-fallout-season-2-tease-new-vegas-182528357.html?src=rss

NordVPN announced today in a blog post that its Meshnet feature will shut down on December 1. All aspects of Meshnet will stop working on that date, though nothing else about NordVPN will be affected. If you were using Meshnet to connect computers, route web traffic through a personal device or share files, you'll need to find another solution by December.As I mentioned in my NordVPN review, Meshnet was one of the most envelope-pushing features on any VPN, letting users link their devices through a NordLynx tunnel without needing to go through a third-party server. Once the tunnel was set up, you could access either device through the other one to share files or access services. With enough connected devices, you could check your work email, visit a friend's media server, play a remote game on another server and watch your home-based TV subscriptions - all from a single laptop anywhere on the planet. Unbelievably, it was even free to use.I'm sad to see Meshnet go, but as NordVPN's blog post makes clear, it never found its audience. As exciting as it was to people like me who spend all day squinting at the guts of VPNs, it didn't provide enough everyday value to catch on with the majority of NordVPN's customers. Hindsight shows us that Meshnet's benefits, like remote desktop and file sharing, were mainly business-oriented; selling those was always going to be an uphill battle in a market where VPNs are more commonly used for personal reasons.If you're one of the few people who was actually using Meshnet, you have a few months to arrange alternatives. Should you want to stay within the NordVPN ecosystem, you can replace its file sharing features with NordLocker, which gives you 3 GB of storage for free. Of course, Google Drive is also an option. For remote access, NordVPN recommends ZeroTier, a platform where you can connect up to 10 devices without paying.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/vpn/nordvpn-will-discontinue-meshnet-on-december-1-175538284.html?src=rss

Substack now lets users subscribe to any paid publication via an in-app purchase from the official iOS app. The news comes after the company tested the feature with 30,000 creators.This makes subscribing to something a much speedier affair, with the entire process taking just a few taps on the old smartphone screen. Prior to this, it wasn't always possible to upgrade to a paid subscription directly in the app.Substack However, there's a fairly major caveat. It's likely that subscriptions paid for by in-app purchases will be more expensive than usual. That's to accommodate Apple's cut of the revenue. Substack says it "automatically sets" iOS app prices higher so creators take home approximately the same amount. These creators can dive into the settings to lower the price.There's another way to subscribe to your favorite Substack creators without burning too much time. Apple now allows iOS apps in the US to include external payment links, which stems from a legal ruling following a lawsuit from Epic Games. This isn't quite as speedy as an iOS sub, but the prices are right.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/substack-turns-on-ios-in-app-payment-option-for-all-paid-newsletters-172237507.html?src=rss

After largely focusing Google I/O 2025 on the ways the company wants Gemini to change everything from searching the web to filmmaking, Google is finally ready to launch new hardware. The next Made by Google event is on the books for August 20, and Google has already confirmed what at least one of its new Pixel 10 phones will look like.Google seems dead-set on making a big splash at this event, too. On the Friday before Made by Google, the company dropped a video on X noting that a number of "special guests" were participating, including Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Curry, Lando Norris and the Jonas Brothers. What they all will have to do with a phone launch remains to be seen.Google remains as leak-prone as ever, so nearly all the new hardware the company is expected to announce has all ready been reported on in one form or another. With that in mind and after sifting through what has leaked, here's what Google will show off at the Pixel 10 launch even in New York City on August 20.Pixel 10, 10 Pro, 10 Pro XL and 10 Pro FoldAndroid Headlines / Onleaks Google's invitation for the event says that the company is sharing "the latest on our Pixel phones, watches, buds and more," which more or less confirms the company will introduce a slate of products that's similar to what it launched in 2024. That means a Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL and Pixel 10 Pro Fold are absolutely on the menu.Google's tease of the Pixel 10 confirmed what leaked renders have already signaled: the company isn't abandoning the new design language the Pixel 9 established. The pill-shaped camera bump and flat front display will still be present on the Pixel 10, and the real changes will be in the details, like for example, how the flat sides of the Pixel 10 join with the phone's back.Those subtle changes will apparently also include the thickness of the Pixel 10s. While both the Pixel 10, 10 Pro, 10 Pro XL and 10 Pro Fold will use the same sized OLED screens as their Pixel 9 counterparts, they'll be housed in thicker and heavier bodies, according to Android Headlines. Google's new Pixels are also supposed to come in new colors. The Pixel 10 will come in "Frost" (a royal blue), "Lemongrass" (a yellow), "Indigo" (a light purple) and "Obsidian" (a dark gray), while the Pixel 10 Pro / Pro XL will come in Obsidian, "Porcelain" (off-white), "Moonstone" (a bluish gray) and "Jade" (a light green). Less information is known about the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, though recent leaks suggest it'll come in Moonstone and Jade, as well.Android HeadlinesThe most visible external change that'll be introduced on the Pixel 10 is the addition of a new telephoto camera. The new telephoto camera is a 11-megapixel 5x telephoto, Android Authority reports, similar to the one on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Meanwhile, the Pixel 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL are expected to feature a 50-megapixel wide, 48-megapixel ultrawide, 48-megapixel telephoto and 48-megapixel selfie cameras. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold could feature a different lineup, with a similar main camera, but 12-megapixel ultrawide and telephoto cameras, and 11-megapixel selfie cameras.Inside the new phones, Google is laying the groundwork for future performance gains with a new Tensor G5 chip. It's likely be much more power-efficient thanks to the company switching to a 3nm design produced by TSMC. Reports suggest the chip might not be all that different in terms of raw power, but the Tensor G5 is likely designed to be extra capable when it comes to using local AI features.As far as timing goes, it's worth noting that the latest rumors indicate that the Pixel 10, 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL will be available about a week after the event, on August 28. But the Pixel 10 Pro Fold (as well as the Pixel Watch 4 and Pixel Buds 2a aren't expected for more than a month after that. Those devices are rumored to be on sale as of October 9.While global tariff turmoil could justify a price increase, Google is reportedly keeping things consistent with the Pixel 10 family. They'll offer similar storage options, come in at the same prices and include the same freebies and incentives. The Pixel 10 will come with six months of Google AI Pro and Fitbit Premium, along with three months of YouTube Premium. Meanwhile the Pixel 10 Pro models will get a year of Google AI Pro, six months of Fitbit Premium and three months of YouTube Premium. The prices and storage options for the phones should breakout down as follows:

Big Tech's foray into nuclear power continues as Google announced the site of its first nuclear reactor today, as part of its 2024 deal with startup Kairos Power. Oak Ridge, Tennessee, will be home to the Hermes 2 plant, which will supply Google with 50 megawatts of power under a long-term purchase agreement with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).The Oak Ridge plant is the first in a 500-megawatt deal that comprises multiple small modular reactors (SMRs) to provide power for Google's data centers in Montgomery County, Tennessee, and Jackson County, Alabama. The Hermes 2 is scheduled to begin operations in 2030.In a statement, TVA CEO Don Moul said, "Nuclear is the bedrock of the future of energy security. Google stepping in and helping shoulder the burden of the cost and risk for first-of-a-kind nuclear projects not only helps Google get to those solutions, but it keeps us from having to burden our customers with development of that technology."Google's deal with Kairos Power is expected to reach its full 500 MW potential by 2035 and was the first-ever corporate deal to buy nuclear power from SMRs. The financial specifics of the deal have not been released.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-announces-first-nuclear-site-to-power-its-data-centers-162627123.html?src=rss

Nintendo has a few major first-party Nintendo Switch 2 games lined up for the rest of the year. One of those is Kirby Air Riders, a sequel to the 2003 GameCube title Kirby Air Ride. The company is set to reveal much (much) more about what it has in store for the new game, as it has lined up a dedicated Nintendo Direct. You'll be able to watch the showcase, which was first announced via the Nintendo Today! app, at 9AM ET on August 19. You won't have to go hunting for it on Nintendo's channel either, as you can click the big red button on the YouTube video above.The stream will run for about 45 minutes and "provide an in-depth look at the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 game," according to the company. On the surface, that seems like a very long showcase for a single game by Nintendo standards, considering that it's able to rip through a couple of dozen game reveals (or more) in a regular Direct that's as long or shorter. The recent Direct for Donkey Kong Bananza clocked in at just under 18 minutes and had a ton of info about that game.However, if you've ever seen a character reveal for game director Masahiro Sakurai's previous project, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, you'll be aware that the man tends to get into the nitty gritty. After all, the deep dive into the final SSBU fighter, Sora from Kingdom Hearts, is 42 minutes long. So a 45-minute Direct for a whole new Sakurai game suddenly doesn't seem as excessive.A release date for Kirby Air Riders seems like a safe bet for this Direct. The timing of the showcase is pretty interesting too, as it will air just before Gamescom gets underway. Perhaps Kirby Air Riders will be playable at Nintendo's booth at the event.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/a-nintendo-direct-focused-on-kirby-air-riders-is-set-for-august-19-134353712.html?src=rss