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Following President Joe Biden’s announcement that he’s running for re-election, the Republican National Committee (RNC) was primed with a new attack ad. However, new for 2023, the ad uses AI-generated imagery to create almost-realistic visions of what might happen. This includes hypothetical domestic and international incidents the RNC suggests might happen if Biden wins again: "This morning, an emboldened China invades Taiwan," a fake news announcer says.The RNC told Axios it was the first time it had used a video made entirely with AI. The ad features a faint disclaimer in the top-left corner noting the ad was "built entirely with AI imagery." Given I thought the Pope in a puffer jacket was real, this is, unfortunately, probably just the start.– Mat SmithThe Morning After isn’t just a newsletter – it’s also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.The biggest stories you might have missedWhatsApp now lets you use your account on multiple phones AT&T helps complete the first 'space-based voice call' using a standard smartphone 'The Witcher' season 3 trailer shows Henry Cavill's last stint as GeraltNVIDIA made an open-source tool for creating safer and more secure AI modelsGM will stop making the Chevy Bolt EV later this yearThe company is shifting to a new battery system.On an earnings call with investors, General Motors CEO Mary Barra said the company plans to cease production of the Chevy Bolt EV and EUV by the end of 2023. Between them, the models account for most of GM's EV sales. However, the Bolt's battery cells are based on an older design, and GM is transitioning to its Ultium system. According to Barra, GM will modify a Detroit-area plant where it makes the Chevy Bolts, so it can produce the electric Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra there starting in 2024.Continue reading.ASUS ROG Ally handheld gaming PC hands-onPossibly the most powerful portable gaming PC yet.EngadgetValve released the Steam Deck over a year ago. Now it’s finally time for some true competition. Thanks to potent specs, a speedy screen and a slick design, this might be the most powerful PC gaming handheld yet. Not only does it feature a new Ryzen Z1 chip – which is a customized Zen 4/RDNA 3 APU designed specifically for handheld gaming PCs – it also has a 7-inch 1080p screen with 500 nits of brightness and a 120Hz refresh rate. That alone represents some very premium upgrades compared to the Steam Deck. But we still don’t know when the Ally will land – or how much it’ll cost. Still, you can read about it.Continue reading.DJI's Mavic 3 Pro drone comes with a triple-camera setupThe new 70mm equivalent camera gives a portrait-like view of subjects.DJI has unveiled its new flagship consumer drone, the Mavic 3 Pro, with a triple-camera setup that includes a new 70mm lens designed for "powerful subject framing." It also includes a new 10-bit D-Log M color mode, improvements in the tele cameras and ProRes capture on the Mavic 3 Pro Cine option. As for the price, the Mavic 3 Pro is only a bit more expensive than the Mavic 3's current $2,049 starting price. The Mavic 3 Pro with a DJI remote control starts at $2,199, while the Fly More combo with the DJI RC, three intelligent flight batteries, a charging hub, carrying bag and one ND filter set is $2,999. It’s set to go on sale next month.Continue reading.Opera One is a browser designed for generative AI featuresThe early access version of Opera's redesigned browser coming out later this year.Opera has released the early access version of its completely redesigned browser, Opera One. It can automatically and intuitively group websites people open based on their content. It will open all pages with menus and restaurant details in one island, for instance, and all tabs with Google Docs in another. Opera One also comes with ChatGPT, ChatSonic and AI Prompts enabled by default. If you recall, the company introduced sidebar integration for the AI chatbots back in March, allowing users to quickly launch them in a separate window in the browser.Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-ai-generated-political-ads-are-here-111524202.html?src=rss

ispace's Hakuto-R Mission 1 was poised to make history. It was going to be the first successful moon landing by a private company and the first Japanese lunar landing overall. But shortly before the spacecraft was supposed to touch down on the lunar surface, ispace lost contact with it. Now, the Japanese company has announced that there was a "high probability that the lander eventually made a hard landing on the moon's surface." It didn't use the word "crash," but the spacecraft is clearly not in a condition that would allow the company to proceed with the mission.The spacecraft was scheduled to land on the moon on April 26th at 1:40 AM Japan time (April 25th, 12:40PM Eastern time). ispace said it was able to confirm that the lander was in vertical position as it approached the surface and that its descent speed rapidly increased by the time its propellant was almost gone.By 8AM Japan time, ispace has determined that "Success 9" of Hakuto-R's mission milestones, which is the completion of its lunar landing, was no longer achievable. The company has yet to detail what happened to the spacecraft and what the root cause of the failure was, but it's currently analyzing the telemetry data it had acquired and will announce its findings once it's done.Hakuto-R launched on top of a SpaceX rocket around 100 days ago, carrying payloads from NASA, JAXA, as well as the UAE's first lunar rover called Rashid. While the mission failed to reach its ultimate goal, ispace said it was "able to acquire valuable data and know-how from the beginning to nearly the end of the landing sequence" and that it will use what it has learned from this event to enable a "future successful lunar landing mission." The company still intends to push through with Mission 2 scheduled for launch in 2024 and Mission 3 for 2025.

A young Harrison Ford will grace cinema screens for 25 minutes this summer — aided by some new Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) software. The news that LucasFilm's Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny would feature a de-aged Ford came at the end of last year, but an interview with director James Mangold in Total Film just revealed it will be for almost a fifth of the film's running time.The fifth Indiana Jones iteration starts with an opening scene from 1944 — about eight years after Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark took place. "My hope is that, although it will be talked about in terms of technology, you just watch it and go, ‘Oh my God, they just found footage. This was a thing they shot 40 years ago," Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm and a producer, told Empire. The rest of the movie shoots forward to 1969, with Indy on a mission to prevent a comeback of Nazism.The news of Ford's extended return to his thirties comes a few months after Disney, which produced the movie alongside LucasFilm, announced it had built an AI that could make an actor appear older or younger with relative ease at the end of last year. The researchers behind the AI, known as FRAN (face re-aging network), explained it would only work with real people if there were images available of the person in those poses and lighting at a younger age.Footage of Ford's earlier roles was pulled from the Lucasfilm archives to accomplish this. Ford also acted with dots across his face to aid the system — and with the agility of a young man, according to Mangold. Then, the technology would quickly do its thing. Mangold would "shoot Harrison on a Monday as, you know, a 79-year-old playing a 35-year-old, and I could see dailies by Wednesday with his head already replaced."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/indiana-jones-5-will-feature-a-de-aged-harrison-ford-for-the-first-25-minutes-103553183.html?src=rss

Tile, best known for its AirTag-like trackers that help you locate lost objects, can now find something that can get lost on purpose — your cat. The $40 Tile for Cats tracker from Life360 is a modified version of the Tile Sticker with a silicon collar attachment and 250 foot Bluetooth range. The idea is to give you peace of mind that your cat is somewhere in the house, and then help you figure out exactly where that sneaky floof is hiding.The battery on the Tile for Cats lasts a generous three years, and you can easily replace the sticker. It even offers AI assistant integration with Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant, so you can locate Sir Fluffybutt with a voice command.For the $40 price tag, you get a Tile sticker and attachment that's compatible with most cat collars, including breakaway collars. The attachment can stretch up to 1.7 times without breaking and is water resistant, so it'll continue to function even if hit with a few drops.Tile for Cats is Life360's first pet tracker, though the company was already marketing its regular Tile Trackers for the same purpose. It's designed for indoor use only, though, due to the limited range. If you're worried about your pet getting lost outside, you'd be better off with a dedicated pet tracker, typically costing around $100 plus a subscription fee.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tiles-latest-accessory-helps-track-your-cat-095531840.html?src=rss

Beats might release its next-gen Studio Buds model on May 18th. MacRumors spotted an Amazon listing that showed images and details for Apple's Beats Studio Buds+ — the page even allowed customers to pre-order the earbuds until it was yanked offline. The earbuds, which were listed for $170 or $20 more than the current model, will have a transparent option that puts their internal components on display, similar to Nothing's design. That said, they will also be available in black and ivory for those who aren't quite as intrigued or enamored by transparent electronics.According to the listing, the Studio Buds+ can run up to 36 hours, instead of just 24 when combined with the charging case like the current model. Speaking of the charging case, it seems to retain its predecessor's shape, except it's most likely lighter. The upcoming product's item weight is 3.87 ounces, while the current Studio Buds' is listed as ‎4.5 ounces.The Studio Buds+ microphones are three times larger than the current model's, and they also have a more powerful processor. Those components enable 1.6 more active noise cancelling power and a transparency mode — that is, the mode that lets some ambient noise in so the user remains aware of their surroundings — that's apparently twice as effective.The upcoming earbuds also support spatial audio for immersive sounds, "always on" Siri and compatibility with Apple's "Find My" tracking app. Plus, they feature one-touch pairing with both Apple and Android devices, as well as automatic switching that makes it easy to use them with multiple phones and tablets. Considering the Amazon page for the Studio Buds+ seems to have the complete details about the model, we'll likely see it go back up in the coming weeks when Apple is ready to take pre-orders.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/beats-studio-buds-leak-on-amazon-with-a-may-18th-release-date-091639570.html?src=rss

TikTok may soon let you create AI stylized avatars not unlike what you can with deep learning apps like Midjourney or Lensa, according to a Twitter thread from social media guru Matt Navarra seen by The Verge. Called AI Avatars, the tool lets you upload three to 10 photos of yourself and choose from five art styles. It will then generate up to 30 separate avatars in a couple of minutes. You can then download one, several or all of the images to use as a profile picture or in stories.Though the styles are more limited than what you can get on Lensa, the results look pretty good — so the feature is bound to be popular. Likely for that reason, TikTok will only let you use it once a day to presumably avoid overloading servers.Matt NavaraThough generative AI images seem like harmless fun, they're not without some controversy. For both Lensa and Midjourney, artists have complained that the AI has sampled their work and borrowed from it a bit too liberally at times. And earlier this year, Getty launched a lawsuit against Stable Diffusion claiming it was scraping its data to generate art.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tiktok-may-have-generative-ai-avatars-soon-065038031.html?src=rss

Tinder is bolstering its photo verification system by letting members take video selfies to better prove who they are. The feature will actually be required for Photo Verification to earn Tinder's official blue checkmark. The site will also double-check your video selfie against profile photos. The aim is to guard against dating scammers, as a video is a lot harder to fake than a photo.To perform this verification, you just need to record video of yourself in the app using your smartphone’s front camera — again, something that would be quite difficult to cheat. Another dating site, Hinge, implemented a similar video verification system last year to combat scam accounts and catfishing.Performing the video selfie procedure also earns you status into Tinder's new "Photo Verified Cuties" club. That lets you choose to only see other photo verified member recommendations via their Message Settings. You can also ask a match to verify before they're allowed to send a message. If you currently have the verification check mark, Tinder will soon ask you to re-verify with a video selfie “in the coming months,” the company wrote.The feature could help a lot of users avoid scams if they use it correctly — and photo verification is free, unlike the Tinder Gold subscription service. However, the dating site still isn't forcing members to use photo verification, so you'll still want to stay on guard.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tinder-adds-video-selfies-to-photo-verification-062835070.html?src=rss

We might see an electric vehicle based on Honda's e:Architecture, its dedicated EV platform, a year earlier than the company had previously announced. At a business briefing, wherein the automaker talked about earnings structure, battery initiatives and other things, it has announced that it's building a mid-to-large-size EV based on the e:Architecture and that will go on sale in North America by 2025. Honda previously said that vehicles adopting the architecture will be available in 2026.The company also announced that it's further developing its vehicle OS for use with mid-to-large-size EVs in North America and making sure that it allows for the "continuous advancement of vehicle functions and services for customers even after the vehicle is purchased." As TechCrunch notes, though, it didn't say if it's currently working on (or at least planning) a smaller vehicle based on its e:Architecture for the North American market at the moment.Before the vehicles based on its dedicated platform come out, Honda will launch the EVs it's currently developing with General Motors: The Acura ZDX and the Prologue, which is automaker's first electric SUV. Both vehicles will be available in 2024. In Japan, Honda is expected to release a series of small-size EVs, including an electric N-One, which is a mini box-like Kei car that can be commonly seen on the streets in the country, in 2024. It will also launch a small-size SUV for the Japanese market in 2026.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/honda-will-debut-a-mid-to-large-size-ev-based-on-its-earchitecture-in-2025-051042586.html?src=rss

Apple devices can already offer health insights, but they might soon tell you just how to improve. Bloombergsources claim Apple is developing an AI-based health coach, nicknamed Quartz, that draws on Apple Watch data to create personalized programs for exercise, diet and sleep. The offering will reportedly require a subscription and launch sometime in 2024, provided nothing changes.In the near term, the Health app may become more useful. Apple is finally bringing Health to the iPad with this year's iPadOS 17 release, the insiders say. A further update will supposedly help you track your mood by answering questions about your day. You may also use Health to manage vision issues like nearsightedness. A recent rumor also hinted that Apple may release a journaling app to help document your days, much like Day One.Apple has already declined to comment. If the claims are accurate, you'll most likely hear about all but the coach at WWDC on June 5th. The company is expected to unveil its long-expected mixed reality headset at the developer event, and rumors suggest the wearable may offer health-related features like a VR edition of Fitness+ and a meditation tool. This initial product would be aimed at developers and power users, but a more affordable follow-up is believed to be in the works.A coaching app wouldn't be shocking. Apple is still leaning heavily on services to improve its bottom line, and Quartz may be appealing to those who would otherwise pay for a human coach to rethink their habits. Apple has already made health a major selling point for its devices, particularly the Apple Watch. Of course, the coach could further entrench Apple users — you may be less likely to switch to Android if you have to give up your watch and digital trainer at the same time.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-is-reportedly-developing-an-ai-health-coach-for-apple-watch-212515646.html?src=rss

Magpie Aviation announced a novel new approach to electric airplanes on Monday. Today’s battery technology (including CATL’s new, more efficient one) severely limits the practicality of zero-emission aircraft, leaving clean-energy innovators with two incomplete options: flying a plane full of batteries or one full of people — but not both. So the California-based startup wants to tie them together, extending the rear plane’s range by hundreds of miles.Towing planes isn’t a new concept, with military use going back to World War II when aerial tows would pull smaller aircraft carrying troops and supplies. But applying it to the world of green transportation is new. Magpie Aviation’s concept uses one or more electric aircraft to act as a tractor plane towing a passenger (or cargo) aircraft using a long cable. The towed plane would have enough battery power for takeoff, landing and flying to alternate airports but not enough to fly the full distance on its own, as reported byAeroTime.The lead plane would take on the bulk of the traction, and when its battery is depleted, it could hand off towing duties to another electric towing aircraft to extend the rear plane’s range. Magpie CEO Damon Vander Lind summarized toAviation Week, “You get towed until you’ve depleted down to your reserve in the lead aircraft, and then you swap in another tow aircraft.” Although it’s still a regional solution impractical for cross-country or international flights, Vander Lind says it could allow for a trip from San Francisco to Seattle — far beyond the sub-regional distances battery-powered passenger flights can travel on their own.Magpie says it’s conducted successful small-scale tests using a synthetic fiber rope around 330 ft. long; the company envisions a later commercial version to use nearly mile-long cables. The startup plans to scale up its testing gradually and believes it could be implemented commercially by 2030. It expects advances in battery tech to allow it to tow single-aisle airliners eventually. Magpie suggests that the concept, mainly targeting electric planes, could also work with hybrid, hydrogen and standard aircraft in low-power modes. Additionally, the company says it’s working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with an eye toward certification.“It sounds kind of crazy, but we kept coming back to it because we couldn’t find any reason why we couldn’t do it,” said Vander Lind. “While our modeling shows that there is an advantage to doing a custom tow aircraft like this, we get a big advantage because the more expensive and critical passenger- and cargo-carrying ‘main aircraft’ has similar requirements to today’s aircraft and so adapts well to existing in-operation and already-in-development platforms. Remember that if we want to hit a zero-carbon 2050 goal, an airliner has a 30-year life, so we’re already at the point where airlines have to think hard about the operating life of the assets that they are buying today.”This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/electric-airplane-towing-concept-could-mean-longer-zero-emission-flights-205023296.html?src=rss

Review aggregation site Metacritic promises to improve its moderation system after the recent release of DLC for Horizon Forbidden West prompted a rash of negative review bombing. This story contains spoilers for Burning Shores, so stop reading now if you don't want to know some story events from the game.The DLC in question, Burning Shores, features an option for a same-gender kiss as part of a storyline involving protagonist Aloy and a warrior queen named Sekya. This is a completely optional event, but it seemed to have prompted an onslaught of keyboard warriors with a Google alert set for the word “woke.”The dedicated Burning Shores page was slammed with negative user reviews, which is an all-too common practice nowadays. Metacritic’s parent company Fandom has called out many of these reviews for being “abusive and disrespectful.” Keep in mind, this instance involves a small voluntary event that only appears as an option for certain players if they pursue prior flirtatious dialogue choices.Fandom says that Metacritic “is a place of belonging for all fans” and that it takes “online trust and safety very seriously.” To that end, company reps say they are “currently evolving our processes and tools” surrounding reviews and content moderation. It has not announced any specific changes. In the meantime, Metacritic points to what the current system is doing right.“Our team reviews each and every report of abuse (including but not limited to racist, sexist, homophobic, insults to other users, etc) and if violations occur, the reviews are removed,” Metacritic wrote in a statement to Eurogamer.Of course, this is not the first incidence of review bombing to plague the platform and not the first time Metacritic has implemented changes to stem the tide. The Last of Us Part II received a glut of hateful reviews for all-too-similar reasons, which forced the aggregator to mandate a 36-hour waiting period after a game’s release to open up reviews to the general public. Steam did something similar, as user reviews are accompanied by the amount of time the person actually spent playing the game. The changes Metacritic made in 2020 clearly didn't make a difference in this case, so we'll see if the company has more concrete plans to protect its platform.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/metacritic-promises-better-moderation-after-abusive-horizon-dlc-comments-190545138.html?src=rss

Pit stops in Formula E racing have always been a little complicated. For the electric racing series' first few seasons, divers had to swap cars halfway through the race due to battery limitations. That issue was fixed with a newer, higher capacity car design in 2018, but there's still no excitement from having a functional pit stop. Now, the fast battery charging system designed to bring pit stops back to Formula E racing is being delayed until next season."The technology is there," Formula E co-founder Alberto Longo told Motorsport Total. "It's working and at the moment many of the people are suffering with the supply chain, and that's the main issue why we haven't been able to put it in work this season." The updated pit stops were planned to debut halfway through the 2023 season with the new Gen3 Formula E cars, but at this point it would only be ready for the last few races of the season.It's more than just a logistical problem: the new system could drastically change how drivers approach the race. In addition to reintroducing mandatory pit stops, each time a driver uses one of the quick charging stations, they will earn two "Attack Charges" that would give their vehicle a temporary boost in power for a limited time. The current rules already have an Attack Mode, but this change in how it is earned and used could have a profound effect on performance partway through the season."It will have a big impact on the sporting format and to do that only in the three or four races at the end the season, even though if we are capable of doing it, maybe it's not the right decision," Longo said. "We would love to have it this season, but I don't think at the moment it's totally viable to implement it."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/formula-es-fast-charging-pit-stops-wont-arrive-until-next-year-185813092.html?src=rss

It's not a huge surprise that the Republican National Committee (RNC) had attack ads ready to go whenever President Joe Biden officially announced his re-election campaign. What's novel this time is that the video uses imagery generated by artificial intelligence to present the RNC's vision of what the world may look like if Biden wins again in 2024.The RNC told Axios it was the first time it had used a video that was made entirely with AI. The ad starts by depicting Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at an election victory party. Although there's a faint disclaimer in the top-left corner noting that the ad was "built entirely with AI imagery," there's a dead giveaway that it's not a real photo of Biden and Harris — both of the smiling, AI-generated figures have far too many teeth.The ad goes on to depict several domestic and international incidents that the RNC suggests might happen if the Biden-Harris ticket wins again. "This morning, an emboldened China invades Taiwan," a fake news announcer says, for instance. The ad goes on to stoke fears of a financial crisis prompted by the closures of hundreds of regional banks, as well as border agents being overrun by asylum seekers and the military taking over San Francisco due to "escalating crime and the fentanyl crisis."This particular ad doesn't stray too far from the kinds of talking points one might expect Republicans to hit in an attack ad. But the video is a sobering bellwether of what we may see more of from political campaigns in the months and years to come. It's not difficult to imagine AI-generated images depicting outright falsehoods in attack ads.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/republicans-attack-biden-with-a-fully-ai-generated-ad-184055192.html?src=rss

On April 24th, 2023, reports circulated that Blizzard Entertainment was being sued by former Chinese publishing partner NetEase after servers shutdown in January when the two failed to reach a continuation agreement. However, a day later, it turns out that NetEase was in fact not suing the company — instead, as reported by PC Gamer, the suit is being brought by a single individual who is known to be a serial litigant with no history with NetEase. It appears the court documents listened NetEase erroneously; the company does not have anything to do with the lawsuit. Originally, MMO-focused gaming website Wowhead noticed the suit.Since this story was originally published, those court documents have been re-published to reflect that the suits are coming from a Yang Jun; all mentions of NetEase have been removed.“We haven’t received the lawsuit yet, but we are confident we aren’t in breach of any licensing agreements. The terms NetEase appears to be complaining about reflect standard industry practice and have been mutually-beneficial for years," an Activision rep wrote in a statement to Engadget prior to the discovery that NetEase was not involved in the lawsuit. "While this persistent campaign by one former partner is disappointing and puzzling, it’s important to note that we have enjoyed nearly two decades of positive experiences operating in China, and remain committed to serving players and protecting their interests.”Blizzard and NetEase were successful partners for the past 14 years before negotiations broke down to renew the long-term licensing agreement. This led to a complete cessation of all Blizzard games and services in the region, including popular properties like World of Warcraft, Overwatch 2, Starcraft and Diablo III, among others. Millions of Chinese players lost access to their accounts and related data. Some started fresh with new accounts in other regions, but most (112 million people) opted for a refund.The agreement did not end amicably, with reports of NetEase staffers tearing down the Blizzard offices and livestreaming the destruction of a World of Warcraft statue. NetEase's president of global investment and partnership, Simon Zhu, also seemed to call out a high-ranking Blizzard staffer as a “jerk” in a LinkedIn post. Despite the seeming animosity, though, the lawsuit does not come from NetEase.Update, 4/24/23, 3:30PM ET: This story and its headline have been updated to indicate that this lawsuit hasn't been confirmed yet, as Activision itself nor Engadget has seen a copy of the lawsuit yet.Update, 4/25/23, 11:30AM ET: A full statement provided by Activision has been added to the story.Update, 4/25/23, 2:35PM ET: This story and its headline has been updated to reflect the recent development that NetEase was erroneously named in this lawsuit.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/china-court-documents-incorrectly-showed-activision-was-being-sued-by-former-partner-netease-183534200.html?src=rss

With nearly 60 million daily active players, Roblox is one of the most popular games on the planet. So it’s surprising then that it’s taken until now for a company like Razer to partner with the game's creator to release a line of Roblox-branded gaming gear.RazerAnnounced today, the line includes new versions of some of Razer’s most popular accessories, like the Orochi V2 gaming mouse. There’s also a Roblox-themed BlackWidow V3 mechanical keyboard and Barracuda X headset. What makes Razer’s Roblox Edition peripherals different from some of the other collaborative gaming lines released in the past is that each Razer device comes with an in-game Roblox item. The Orochi V2, for instance, comes with the “Razer Cyberpack,” a backpack shaped like a mouse. Meanwhile, the BlackWidow lets you adorn your Roblox avatar with a set keyboard wings. If that wasn’t weird enough, none of the in-game items are one-for-one recreations of their real-world counterparts.Pricing starts at $90 for the mouse, while the headset and mechanical keyboard will cost $130 and $180, respectively. In other words, each Roblox Edition accessory costs more than you would pay for those devices normally. For instance, the standard black, white and quartz Orochi V2 colorways cost $70 when they’re not on sale. You’re basically paying extra for your kid to show off to their friends on Roblox. The entire line will go on sale on April 28th through the Razer website and select retailers.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/razers-roblox-edition-accessories-will-let-your-kids-friends-know-they-come-from-money-180006348.html?src=rss

OpenAI is tightening up ChatGPT’s privacy controls. The company announced today that the AI chatbot’s users can now turn off their chat histories, preventing their input from being used for training data.The controls, which roll out “starting today,” can be found under ChatGPT user settings under a new section labeled Data Controls. After toggling the switch off for “Chat History & Training,” you’ll no longer see your recent chats in the sidebar.Even with the history and training turned off, OpenAI says it will still store your chats for 30 days. It does this to prevent abuse, with the company saying it will only review them if it needs to monitor them. After 30 days, the company says it permanently deletes them.OpenAIOpenAI also announced an upcoming ChatGPT Business subscription in addition to its $20 / month ChatGPT Plus plan. The Business variant targets “professionals who need more control over their data as well as enterprises seeking to manage their end users.” The new plan will follow the same data-usage policies as its API, meaning it won’t use your data for training by default. The plan will become available “in the coming months.”Finally, the startup announced a new export option, letting you email yourself a copy of the data it stores. OpenAI says this will not only allow you to move your data elsewhere, but it can also help users understand what information it keeps.Earlier this month, three Samsung employees were in the spotlight for leaking sensitive data to the chatbot, including recorded meeting notes. By default, OpenAI uses its customers’ prompts to train its models. The company urges its users not to share sensitive information with the bot, adding that it’s “not able to delete specific prompts from your history.” Given how quickly ChatGPT and other AI writing assistants blew up in recent months, it’s a welcome change for OpenAI to strengthen its privacy transparency and controls.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/openai-improves-chatgpt-privacy-with-new-data-controls-174851274.html?src=rss

South Korean authorities announced today that they indicted the co-founder of Terraform Labs, the company that develops and manages the blockchain payment platform Terra. According toBloomberg, Daniel Shin and nine others linked to Terra now face multiple charges, including violations of capital markets law, which regulates the nation’s securities and financial markets.The authorities indicted eight people, including Shin, for illegal trading; two others face breach of trust charges. Prosecutors say all the defendants were directly involved with Terra, having handled marketing, systems development and management. In addition, prosecutors have frozen 246.8 billion won ($184.7 million) in assets from the defendants. Korean officials said they’re working with the US on the case, although they didn’t go into specifics.Billed as a stablecoin, TerraUSD isn’t backed by real-world assets or fiat currency. Instead, it’s supported by Luna, the native cryptocurrency of the Terra blockchain, that supposedly had a mechanism to restore its value to $1 if its value ever failed. In addition, investors saw it as an alluring money-making opportunity because of its Anchor lending program, which promised annual yields of 20 percent for coin deposits.However, prosecutors allege the Terra blockchain was a “fabrication” from the get-go, with the entire system essentially built on a house of cards. They claim the blockchain’s algorithm that kept TerraUSD at a stable price was “impossible to get right.” Its value collapsed in May 2022, when depositors lost confidence in the platform and simultaneously tried to sell off their investments. At the time of publication, Terra has a value of less than two cents.Before the collapse, the defendants took 463 billion won (nearly $346 million) in profit. In addition, prosecutors claim they illegally exposed clients’ payment details and embezzled funds. Authorities say those charged caused “astronomical damage” to global investors as the crash also played a role in the collapse of crypto hedge fund Three Arrows Capital and the broader $2 trillion decline in the cryptocurrency market.“Shin has nothing to do with the Terra, Luna collapse as he left the [company] two years before the fallout,” said Shin’s lawyer, Kim Ki-dong, in a statement. “He voluntarily returned to South Korea immediately after the collapse, and has been faithfully cooperating with the probe for over 10 months, hoping to contribute to fact finding.”In September, Korean authorities issued an arrest warrant for Shin’s co-founder, Do Kwon, who was also placed on an Interpol "red notice" list at South Korea’s request. He was finally arrested last month in Montenegro on capital markets law and fraud charges. The US Securities and Exchange Commission also charged Do Kwon and Terraform Labs in February.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/terra-blockchain-founder-daniel-shin-indicted-in-south-korea-171427921.html?src=rss

Developer Dramatic Labs has set a release date of May 23rd for the narrative adventure game Star Trek: Resurgence. It was supposed to come out in spring of 2022, but better late than never, right? The title launches for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC via the Epic Games Store. So pretty much everything but the Switch.If the term “narrative adventure game” brings to mind Telltale classics like The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us, there is a good reason. Dramatic Labs is made up of former Telltale developers, some of which worked on those iconic adventure games. So you can expect a title that prioritizes making tough decisions over whiz-bang action. Star Trek as a franchise seems especially suited to this style of play, given the often thoughtful nature of the stories.Star Trek: Resurgence is set shortly after the events of Star Trek: The Next Generation, placing it before the events of Star Trek: Picard but relatively concurrent with the events of Star Trek: Lower Decks. This is Star Trek. There are lots of timelines to keep track of.The game features two playable lead characters, neither of which will be familiar to fans. However, Dramatic Labs has teased the presence of legacy characters from throughout the universe, and it has already revealed that the one and only Spock will feature heavily in the storyline. This is not the Spock from the original Star Trek and its sequel movies, but rather the aged Ambassador Spock as seen in The Next Generation timeline. The story involves stopping a war between two alien races, which is something the Vulcan ambassador would most certainly get behind.Resurgence uses the Unreal 5 engine, which should eliminate some of the jankiness surrounding old-school Telltale games. There is also plenty of talent behind the scenes, so this is something to be cautiously optimistic about, as it has been a long time since a truly iconic Star Trek game appeared on our radar. In any event, we only have a month to find out if Resurgence lives up to classic early 2000s titles like Star Trek: Bridge Commander.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/star-trek-resurgence-launches-may-23rd-on-most-platforms-170248699.html?src=rss

Vitamix makes some of the most powerful blenders you can buy and right now many are on sale for the lowest prices we've seen this year. The E310 Explorian is the model we recommend for most people in our our guide to kitchen gadgets because it offers better performance than the base model Vitamix One, but is more reasonably priced than the top-of-the-line Ascent series. The E310 is down to $290, which is a 17 percent discount off the usual $350 list price. You can get the same deal at Amazon, Target and from the Vitamix site directly.The discount comes as part of a larger Mother's Day sale at Amazon and at Vitamix, but anyone who likes a morning smoothie, homemade nut butters or creamy soups can get in on these deals. The deepest discount goes to the 5200 model which is 31 percent off, or $380 instead of $550, but that deal is only live on Amazon. The 5200 is part of the Legacy series that Vitamix has continued to manufacture for more than ten years. It's robust enough to pulverize nuts and creates enough friction to heat soup simply by running it. (My personal favorite Vitamix recipe is roasted butternut squash soup.)While they're not cheap, a Vitamix is a worthwhile investment if you want a powerful blender to expand your cooking repertoire — particularly when you can nab one on sale.Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/vitamix-blenders-are-up-to-31-percent-off-right-now-164338665.html?src=rss

WhatsApp will soon allow users to access their accounts from more than one phone. In an expansion of the multi-device functionality the company began testing in 2021, you can now sync one account across up to four phones. Once you have access to the feature, you’ll see a new “link to existing account” option when installing the app on a smartphone. After tapping the button, WhatsApp will prompt you to scan a QR code on your primary phone, a step that involves navigating over to the “Linked Devices” section of the Settings menu on your main phone and tapping “Link a Device.”If that sounds a bit complicated, WhatsApp also plans to roll out “a more accessible” method for linking companion devices that will allow you to use the platform’s web client to send a one-time code to the phone you want to add to your account. WhatsApp says it will bring this new, easier linking method to other devices in the future.With the new syncing system, your “primary” device doesn’t need to be nearby or turned on for you to receive messages and calls on a secondary phone. However, WhatsApp will automatically log you out of your other devices if your primary phone is inactive for more than 14 days. You can also manually log out of any companion devices from your main phone. “Each linked phone connects to WhatsApp independently, ensuring that your personal messages, media, and calls are end-to-end encrypted,” the company notes. The new multi-device feature will roll out to all WhatsApp users over the coming weeks.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/whatsapp-now-lets-you-use-your-account-on-multiple-phones-163158921.html?src=rss

A Japanese company might be on the cusp of making history. Japan's ispace is attempting to land its Hakuto-R craft on the Moon at 12:40PM Eastern, and you can watch the livestream right now. If all goes well, ispace will claim both the first successful private Moon landing and the first Japanese lunar landing of any kind. To date, only China, the Soviet Union and the US have touched down. The vehicle includes payloads from NASA, Japan's JAXA and a small robotic rover (Rashid) from the United Arab Emirates. The rover is also historic as the UAE's first lunar craft.Hakuto-R launched aboard a SpaceX rocket about 100 days ago. The landing is divided into six stages that include a de-orbit insertion, a largely unpowered "cruise" phase, a braking burn, a reorientation and two final phases where the machine slows down and (hopefully) reaches the surface intact. Israel's SpaceIL tried a private Moon landing in 2019, but it crashed following an engine failure.A completed landing will help ispace's goals of sending two more landers to the Moon in 2024 and 2025. It could also spur Japan's broader spaceflight ambitions. Both JAXA and Japanese companies have struggled to get into space using domestically-made rockets. While ispace is relying on an American rocket to complete its mission, a landing would upstage SpaceX, Blue Origin and other private outfits racing to land on Earth's cosmic neighbor.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/watch-japans-ispace-try-to-land-on-the-moon-today-at-1240pm-et-161525731.html?src=rss

On an earnings call with investors, General Motors CEO Mary Barra said the company plans to cease production of the Chevy Bolt EV and EUV by the end of 2023. Between them, the models account for most of GM's EV sales and the company plans to make more than 70,000 of them this year — that marks a record rate of production, according to CNBC.However, the Bolt's battery cells are based on an older design and GM is transitioning to its Ultium system. According to Barra, GM will modify a Detroit-area plant where it makes the Chevy Bolts so it can produce the electric Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra there starting in 2024.The Bolt's battery system has led to some serious problems for GM in the past. In 2021, GM recalled every Bolt it had ever made to that point due to a battery manufacturing defect that posed a fire risk. The company spent some $1.8 billion to resolve the issues.Considering GM's plan to switch entirely to EVs by 2035, it makes sense to use the same battery tech across all of its models to help it ramp up the pace of production. After the Michigan plant has been retrofitted and reaches full production, GM expects that it will be able to build 600,000 electric trucks per year. The company has a production target of 2 million EVs per year between the US and China.The timing of the move may be a slightly risky one for the company. The Bolt, which arrived in 2016, is the most affordable option for a new EV from a major automaker. Last year, GM lowered the starting price of the 2023 Bolt EV to $26,595, plus a $995 destination fee. The relative affordability has helped GM achieve three consecutive quarters of record Bolt EV and EUV deliveries, Barra said in a letter to shareholders.GM says it delivered more than 20,000 EVs last quarter, which is a far cry from the 422,000 vehicles Tesla delivered in Q1. Although GM is now in second place in the US EV market, it has quite a way to go before it can catch up to Tesla. The Equinox EV, which is slated to arrive in the fall, is expected to start at around $30,000, which could help its prospects.“When the Chevrolet Bolt EV launched, it was a huge technical achievement and the first affordable EV, which set in motion GM’s all-electric future,” Chevy spokesman Cody Williams told CNBC in a statement. “Chevrolet will launch several new EVs later this year based on the Ultium platform in key segments, including the Silverado EV, Blazer EV and Equinox EV. ”This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gm-will-stop-making-the-chevy-bolt-ev-and-euv-later-this-year-160540118.html?src=rss

Netflix is offering a peek at Henry Cavill's final turn as Geralt of Rivia. The streaming service has posted a teaser trailer for The Witcher season three that showcases Cavill as the White Wolf. There's precious little story in the clip. However, Geralt is now worried enough to know real fear, and it's clear Ciri and Yennifer have even more to worry about.As with Stranger Things season four, Netflix is splitting The Witcher's third run into two parts. A first volume premieres June 29th, while you'll have to wait until July 27th to see the rest. That's not entirely voluntary. As show creator Lauren Schmidt Hissirch told Collider in an interview this December, there was a possibility the challenges of producing visual effects would require dividing the season.It may be a bittersweet season for fans. Cavill is known to be a fan of all things Witcher (both the novels and the games), and many seem him as synonymous with the on-screen representation of Geralt. Liam Hemsworth is set to replace Cavill in season four. It's too soon to say how well Hemsworth will fare, but it's safe to presume he'll bring something different to the role.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-witcher-season-3-trailer-shows-henry-cavills-last-stint-as-geralt-154524461.html?src=rss

It took several months, but Slack's "canvas" collaboration feature is finally rolling out across its apps. Effectively, it's a way to organize and access all the resources that would normally be scattered across a chat channel. You can store apps, files, links, people, raw text and even in-app functions like service requests. It can help you track must-do items, share handy tools or even serve as an FAQ for newcomers.You can bring canvases into huddle audio and video chats to discuss them with colleagues. Much like a cloud document app, you can add comments, see the change history and limit sharing to specific people. This isn't a full-fledged creative tool like Google Docs, as Slack tellsThe Verge, but it can help you coordinate more quickly than you would through separate apps.This is, to some extent, an improvement on the bookmarks and pins that Slack currently offers to help you find vital documents and notes. Those features will remain for now, but it won't be surprising if canvases become the dominant (if not exclusive) way to share resources in a given channel.Canvases promise to be more convenient, but they might also give Slack a competitive edge. The more likely you are to stay in Slack while sharing documents and performing tasks, the less temptation there is to use competing apps. This might be the decisive factor if you're weighing the merits of Slack versus rivals like Microsoft Teams.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/slack-rolls-out-its-canvas-for-sharing-content-with-your-team-133033749.html?src=rss

Lucid is already late on its plan to open reservations for the three-row Gravity SUV in early 2023. However, the company announced today that the EV is making some progress, saying it's entering a "new phase of development, now testing on public roads throughout the US." That's a sign that it might be ready to go on sale in the US soon.As we learned before, the Gravity shares design language with the Lucid Air but offers up to three rows of seats that can accommodate seven people. It will also have Lucid's "new Glass Cockpit high-resolution displays, powered by the next generation of Lucid UX," the company said. It's also promising "the driving dynamics of a sports car, and greater electric range than any SUV on the market today."LucidOther details have yet to be released, like the exact range and performance figures or battery size. Previously, Lucid released a couple interior and exterior shots showing a massive panoramic roof, and today it gave a glimpse of the Gravity's rear and front.Lucid recently launched its first EV, the Air sedan, generally receiving good reviews for its driving dynamics, looks and more. While the initial model went on sale at an astronomical $179,000 price, the company has been working to get its less expensive Air and Pure models out to the market. The company struggled to design and build its first EV, and recently announced that it's laying off 1,300 workers to reduce expenses. The company did manage to deliver more units than it expected in 2022, however.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/lucid-begins-testing-its-electric-gravity-suv-on-us-roads-130048667.html?src=rss

Since March, NVIDIA has offered AI Foundations, a service that allows businesses to train large language models (LLMs) on their own proprietary data. Today the company is introducing NeMo Guardrails, a tool designed to help developers ensure their generative AI apps are accurate, appropriate and safe.NeMo Guardrails allows software engineers to enforce three different kinds of limits on their in-house LLMs. Specifically, firms can set “topical guardrails” that will prevent their apps from addressing subjects they weren’t trained to tackle. For instance, NVIDIA suggests a customer service chatbot would, with the help of its software, decline to answer a question about the weather. Companies can also set safety and security limits that are designed to ensure their LLMs pull accurate information and connect to apps that are known to be safe.According to NVIDIA, NeMo Guardrails works with all LLMs, including ChatGPT. What’s more, the company claims nearly any software developer can use the software. “No need to be a machine learning expert or data scientist,” it says. Since NeMo Guardrails is open source, NVIDIA notes it will also work with all the tools enterprise developers already use.NVIDIA is incorporating NeMo Guardrails into its existing NeMo framework for building generative AI models. Business customers can gain access to NeMo through the company’s AI Enterprise software platform. NVIDIA also offers the framework through its AI Foundations service. The release of NeMo Guardrails comes after some of the most high-profile generative AIs, including Microsoft Bing and Google Bard, have come under the microscope for their tendency to “hallucination” information. In fact, Google’s chatbot made a factual error during its first public demo.“NVIDIA made NeMo Guardrails — the product of several years’ research — open source to contribute to the developer community’s tremendous energy and work AI safety,” NVIDIA said. “Together, our efforts on guardrails will help companies keep their smart services aligned with safety, privacy and security requirements so these engines of innovation stay on track.”If you want to read a deep dive into how NeMo Guardrails works, NVIDIA has published a blog post on the subject that also shares information on how to get started with the software.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nvidia-made-an-open-source-tool-for-creating-safer-and-more-secure-ai-models-130005790.html?src=rss

DJI has unveiled its new flagship consumer drone, the Mavic 3 Pro, with a triple-camera setup that includes a new 70mm lens designed for "powerful subject framing." It also includes a new 10-bit D-Log M color mode, improvements in the tele cameras, and ProRes capture on the Mavic 3 Pro Cine option. It's the company's fourth Mavic 3 drone, joining the Mavic 3, the Mavic 3 Classic and the Mavic 3 Enterprise models.Like the Mavic 3, it's available in regular and Cine models, with the latter having advanced features for filmmakers like Apple ProRes capture (ProRes 422 HQ, ProRes 422, and ProRes 422 LT), a 1TB SSD drive and a 10Gbps lightspeed data cable. However, you'll pay a premium of nearly $1,000 to get those.DJIThe new 70mm camera has a 1/1.3-inch sensor that's the same size as on the Mini 3 Pro. Though considerably smaller than the 4/3 chip on the main Hasselblad camera, DJI says the camera is designed for a "range of different scenarios from framing intriguing buildings to cars in commercial shoots." That comment indicates that the quality should be better than the 7x tele camera. It can handle 48-megapixel (MP) high-res or 12MP low light photos, along with 4K/60fps video.Like the main camera, it supports a new log format called D-log M along with DJI's original D-Log. D-Log M is designed to deliver "natural color gradations with delicate details" even in high-contrast situations like sunsets, the company says. At the same time, it's easier to grade than typical log footage, according to DJI. It can shoot up to 10-bit 4:2:2 ProRes video on the Mavic 3 Pro Cine model and 10-bit 4:2:0 (H.264/H.265) on the regular model.DJIDJI has also improved the 7x (166mm equivalent) tele camera, boosting the aperture from f4.4 to f3.4, which should make it considerably better in low light. It also offers boosted video specs, up from 4K at 30p on the Mavic 3 to 4K/60fps.Aside from those improvements, it's much the same as the Mavic 3. The main 4/3 Hasselblad camera can shoot video at up to 5.1K at 50fps or DCI 4K at 120fps, with the new D-Log M mode, along with D-Log and HLG options. As before, it can capture 10-bit 4:2:2 ProRes (Mavic 3 Pro Cine) and 10-bit 4:2:0 H.264/H.265 video on the Mavic 3 Pro.DJIIt allows up to 43 minutes of flight time, roughly the same as before. You'll also get DJI's omnidirectional sensing and APAS 5.0 obstacle protection, with eight wide-angle vision sensors and a high-performance vision computing to engine "to precisely sense obstacles in all directions and plan a safe flight to avoid them," DJI says. Its DJI O3+ transmission system can transmit a 1080p/60fps HD live feed at high frame rates at a distance of up to 15 km (10 miles), though considerably less in Europe.The Mavic 3 Pro also offers key AI features seen on the Mavic 3 and other models. Among those is ActiveTrack 5.0 designed to track a subject while avoiding obstacles, Spotlight (moving the drone around the subject), and Point of Interest (allows the drone to circle around the subject while keeping it centered in the frame).DJIIn addition, it includes features designed for creators like MasterShots 4, QuickShots 5 with diverse camera movements like Dronie, Rocket, Circle and Helix, and Panorama 6, designed to take a 100 MP photo. It also comes with a time lapse mode.As for the price, the Mavic 3 Pro is only a bit more expensive than the Mavic 3's current $2,049 starting price. The Mavic 3 Pro with a DJI RC starts at $2,199, while the Fly More combo with the DJI RC, three intelligent flight batteries, a charging hub, carrying bag and one ND filter set is $2,999. The same thing with the DJI RC Pro remote (the high-end one with a screen) is $3,889, and the Mavic 3 Pro Cine Premium Combo (with the latter accessories) is $4,799. It's now available to order with shipping starting in May.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/djis-mavic-3-pro-comes-with-a-triple-camera-setup-130001265.html?src=rss

BMW has announced Android smartphone owners can now use hands-free technology that opens your car with your phone. The feature, known as the Digital Key Plus, will be available on the Samsung Galaxy S23+, Galaxy S23 Ultra, Google Pixel 7 Pro and a range of other newer Samsung devices. Prior to this, it was only available for anyone with an iPhone or Apple Watch.The Digital Key Plus uses ultra wideband (UWB) digital radio technology to function the same way any traditional key fob would: When your phone goes near your car — from inside your pocket, bag or so on — it unlocks and then locks back up again when you leave. You can also access controls directly on the My BMW app to lock and unlock the car, open your trunk and control the temperature. The homepage lets you know the status of each feature, such as if your car is actually locked.BMW previously released its Digital Key for the Samsung Galaxy S21 and Google Pixel 6 phones, but that feature required drivers to hold their phone up to the door handle. The hands-free option is a small upgrade, but saves digging for your phone at least. BMW also claims the UWB technology's precision almost entirely removes the risk of anyone jamming or intercepting the radio signals.The expansion follows BMW's December announcement that you can share a Digital Key between Apple and Google devices. Basically, if you're nice enough to let a friend borrow your car for the weekend, they can use their phone to control it.At the moment, you need a pretty new car to make use of this new feature. Only BMW cars built since November 2022 with Digital Key Plus technology are compatible with Androids. The company plans to use remote software updates to eventually expand access to older models.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/bmw-brings-its-digital-key-plus-feature-to-samsung-galaxy-and-pixel-phones-122534824.html?src=rss

AT&T, helped by satellite communications specialist AST SpaceMobile, has announced the first two-way audio call using satellites with a standard smartphone. The initial call came from AT&T in Midland, Texas, to mobile carrier Ratuken in Japan on an unmodified Samsung Galaxy S22 smartphone using AST SpaceMobile's BlueWalker 3 satellite.The use of satellites could be a significant step toward increasing cellular access not only in the US, where large areas of the country struggle with service, but in developing countries too. Typically a mobile phone call requires nearby cell towers to provide service. Many areas across the United States, such as rural communities and national parks, are "dead zones" — yes, just like the eerie early 2000s Verizon commercials warned. The same technology could be a great solution to the same issues in developing countries. Instead, satellites could act as a sort of space-based network of cell towers — with AST SpaceMobile claiming it's "building the first and only space-based cellular broadband network."AT&T aims to use satellites to provide global cellular broadband from 2G to 5G. "Achieving what many once considered impossible, we have reached the most significant milestone to date in our quest to deliver global cellular broadband from space," Abel Avellan, CEO and chairman of AST SpaceMobile, said in a release. "While we take a moment to celebrate this tremendous accomplishment, we remain focused on the path ahead and pivotal next steps that get us closer to our goal of transforming the way the world connects."It's unclear whether satellite access would come at an extra cost. In AT&T's original AST SpaceMobile partnership annoucement, the company couldn't say whether existing plans would include satellite coverage.AT&T is one of a few carriers looking to expand its satellite access. Verizon teamed up with Amazon's Project Kuiper satellite network in 2021 with the intention of connecting underserved communities and industries. Amazon is in the midst of launching its satellites into space, with its FCC license requiring at least half of the 3,236 they plan to deploy to be operational by July 2026.T-Mobile has also partnered with SpaceX, a major competitor of Project Kuiper, with plans to "start getting into testing" its satellite mobile coverage this year. There are currently over 4,000 Starlink V2 satellites in orbit, though some have experienced issues requiring them to be removed from orbit or tested further. T-Mobile has claimed customers should have satellite access through most existing plans and, like AT&T, that existing phones should work with the satellite offerings.While satellite offerings aren't available for consumers yet, this successful test brings widespread access one step closer to becoming a reality.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/att-completes-the-first-space-based-voice-call-using-a-standard-smartphone-120012437.html?src=rss

The long-running legal tussle between Apple and Epic Games picked up another ruling, in the former’s favor, although the three-judge panel also upheld a part of the original ruling in Epic's favor. The US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling, which rejected most of Epic's claims that Apple violated federal competition law by prohibiting other app stores on its devices.“There is a lively and important debate about the role played in our economy and democracy by online transaction platforms with market power,” the panel wrote in the decision. “Our job as a federal court of appeals, however, is not to resolve that debate — nor could we even attempt to do so. Instead, in this decision, we faithfully applied existing precedent to the facts.” In short, the ruling maintains the status quo – unless further appeals move the case to a higher court.– Mat SmithThe Morning After isn’t just a newsletter – it’s also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.The biggest stories you might have missedThe UK will spend £100 million to develop its own 'sovereign' AI Blizzard was reportedly sued by former Chinese partner after messy breakupGoogle Authenticator finally syncs one-time codes in the cloud The best smart speakers for 2023Supreme Court will decide if government officials can block social media critics Travelers in the ‘60s used to catch helicopter taxis between Chicago airportsGrimes invites AI artists to use her voice, promising 50 percent royalty split“Feel free to use my voice without penalty,” the artist tweeted.Jordan Strauss/Invision/APCanadian musician Grimes says AI artists can use her voice without worrying about copyright or legal enforcement. “I’ll split 50% royalties on any successful AI-generated song that uses my voice. Same deal as I would with any artist I collab with,” she tweeted on Sunday.It comes after streaming platforms removed an AI-generated song using simulated voices of Drake and The Weeknd. Universal Music Group (UMG), which represents both artists, called for the purge after “Heart on My Sleeve” garnered over 15 million listens on TikTok and 600,000 on Spotify. UMG argued that publishing a song trained on its artists’ voices was “a breach of our agreements and a violation of copyright law.”Continue reading.Microsoft will reportedly unbundle Teams from Office to avoid antitrust concernsIt hopes to head off an EU investigation, but ‘a deal is not certain.’Microsoft has agreed to stop bundling its Teams remote collaboration software with its Office productivity suite, according to the Financial Times. The company’s move attempts to head off an official EU antitrust investigation as it deals with its most significant regulatory concerns in over a decade. The FT’s sources say companies will eventually be able to buy Office with or without Teams installed, “but the mechanism on how to do this remains unclear.” Microsoft is facing its first regulatory issues in a decade. The company agreed to a settlement with the European Commission in 2009, offering European customers a choice of web browsers; it was fined €561 million in 2013 for failing to adhere consistently to that ruling.Continue reading.Kindle Scribe update lets you send documents directly from Microsoft WordThere are also annotation improvements and a two-column layout.The Kindle Scribe will soon be able to send documents directly from Microsoft Word to the e-reader with just a few clicks. This means you can read documents on the go or physically annotate them using the touchscreen and a Scribe pen. There’s also a new multi-column layout for reading two pages at once.Continue reading.Like it or not, a Call of Duty board game is coming in 2024Pre-orders will open on Kickstarter this fall.Activision has teamed up with board game publisher Arcane Wonders, along with Genuine Entertainment and Evolution to make the game. Call of Duty: The Board Game is said to be a fast-paced blend of combat, strategy and tactical planning. However, what that means in the context of a board game is unclear. Also, does multibillion-dollar publisher Activision really need to be selling its wares on Kickstarter?Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-apple-wins-appeals-court-ruling-against-epic-games-111604576.html?src=rss

Yelp has announced a bunch of updates across its site and apps, including a light lean into the AI trend. New features include providing a consumer guarantee, expanded review options and password-free logins.Yelp is utilizing AI and natural language models to further improve its search features. When you search for a specific place, like a tennis court, Yelp will suggest options and add a review with helpful information about going there — such as being able to book in advance. Further updates include showing you relevant businesses across the country and clickable tags like "Breakfast and Brunch."If you're unsure what you're craving, their new "Surprise Me" button will suggest a well-rated restaurant in your area. It's available right on your search page and you can keep clicking it until something gets your taste buds excited.Yelp Guaranteed is a new protection available for people looking to hire anyone from a plumber to a contractor. Customers who use Yelp's Request A Quote service can find businesses that are "Backed by Yelp Guaranteed" — it will display it right on their information page. If anything goes wrong after you hire one of them, Yelp says it will reimburse you up to to $2,500.Currently, it's only available in select major cities like San Francisco, Chicago and Seattle, with just iOS users able to filter for it. According to Yelp, it should roll out nationwide and extend to Android and web users this summer.YelpYelp is encouraging users to cover food, service and ambiance in their reviews, with each topic appearing at the top of the page. If you mention anything in one of the categories, it will light up green and have a checkmark next to it. You can also now add videos up to 12 seconds along with your review.The final set of Yelp's updates focus on the site's look and logistics. Just like with reviews, Yelp Connect — the paid option for business owners to share updates — now offers a video option. Yelp's home and navigation pages have also been refreshed to include easier access to restaurants' menus and ratings.This should all be a little quicker to access with Yelp finally offering automatic logins. You'll be sent a secure email the next time you sign in and, from then on, you don't have to worry about remembering your password. A lot of these are small changes but, overall, could make Yelp a bit more comprehensive moving forward.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/yelps-latest-update-includes-ai-suggestions-new-review-options-and-more-110023813.html?src=rss

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has introduced a new bill that would give it the power slap the biggest tech companies with a fine worth billions if they don't comply with its rules. It's a multi-faceted bill that's aimed at protecting consumers and encouraging competition, and it will allow the CMA to directly enforce the law instead of having to go through the court.If the bill passes, the agency's Digital Markets Unit (DMU) will be able to enforce a set of rules on how companies it deems to have "strategic market status" in key digital services have to operate. The CMA didn't name any specific company in its announcement, but the DMU will most likely identify Google, Apple and Amazon as organizations with strategic market status.The DMU could require them to be more transparent on how their app store review systems work or to open up their data to rivals — in Google's case, it could be a rival search engine. If these companies fail to abide by the new rules, the DMU could fine them up to 10 percent of their global turnover. Apple, for example, earned around $283 billion in revenue for 2022, so that could translate to a massive fine worth $28.3 billion.In addition to giving CMA the ability to set rules for tech giants, the new bill will also address the problem with "subscription traps," which is costing UK consumers £1.6 billion (US$2 billion) a year. Its new rules will require businesses, not just the biggest tech companies, to provide customers with clearer information before they start a subscription. Companies will also be required to send customers notifications if their free or low-cost trial is coming to an end and before their subscription auto-renews. Plus, companies will have to provide customers an easy way to unsubscribe. In the US, the Federal Trade Commission proposed a similar rule back in March that would make it as easy to cancel subscriptions as it is to sign up. The proposal is also still waiting for approval before it can be implemented.Another concern the bill will address is fake reviews. The new rules are expected to prohibit companies from commissioning the composition and submission of fake reviews and from posting reviews without taking steps to ensure that they're genuine. Further, the rules would make it illegal to offer or to advertise submitting, commissioning and facilitating fake reviews.Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive of the CMA, said in a statement:"The new powers in this bill help the CMA take swift, decisive action to tackle rip offs, protecting consumers whether they are shopping online or on the high street. The new fining powers will provide an important deterrent to businesses seeking to take advantage of people while also ensuring fair dealing businesses can thrive.The bill will also strengthen the Digital Markets Unit, helping to ensure digital markets remain competitive and continue to benefit people, business, and the UK economy. We welcome its introduction to parliament and look forward to it progressing."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/uk-bill-could-protect-consumers-from-subscription-traps-and-fake-reviews-095558923.html?src=rss

Opera has released the early access version of its completely redesigned browser that it plans to launch for all platforms later this year. It's called Opera One, and it was designed to have a cleaner look with plenty of open space for future generative AI features and extensions in its sidebar and address bar. Opera says it has implemented a new multithreaded compositor and its new modular design principles for the browser to enable a fresh batch of features that include what it calls "tab islands."The browser has the capability to automatically and intuitively group websites people open based on their content. It will open all pages with menus and restaurant details in one island, for instance, and all tabs with Google Docs in another. The idea is to reduce confusion and make it easier to jump between tasks, whether for work or for something personal. Opera apparently conducted research and found that users get overwhelmed by the number of tabs they have and wish their browsers could do more for them. This is Opera's answer to that problem.While the browser was designed with the capability to create tab islands on its own, users can manually group pages together, as well. They can drag and drop tabs between islands or create a new one by pressing the CTRL or Command button and clicking on the websites they want to group before right clicking on the "create a tab island" option. Opera considers tab islands as the first manifestation if its modular design strategy with their clearly distinguishable island borders and color markets, so we could probably expect more similarly designed features.In addition to tab islands, Opera One comes with ChatGPT, ChatSonic and AI Prompts enabled by default. If you'll recall, the company introduced sidebar integration for the AI chatbots back in March, allowing users to quickly launch them in a separate window within the browser. Meanwhile, the AI Prompts feature suggests different ways people can use the chatbots to transform the text on page, such turning a chunk of text into a soap opera dialogue or extracting information from it to create quiz questions.Opera One is now available for download from the company's website.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/opera-one-is-a-browser-designed-for-generative-ai-features-070048153.html?src=rss

When a highly anticipated set of Magic: The Gathering cards leaked on YouTube last week, it’s hard to imagine anyone would have guessed the incident would end with the involvement of one of the most infamous private security firms in the world. But that’s exactly what happened after YouTuber Oldschoolmtg uploaded an unboxing video featuring a collection of March of the Machine: The Aftermath booster packs.If you’re not familiar, Aftermath is an upcoming 50-card Magic: The Gathering set Wizards of the Coast will release on May 12th. It’s billed as a supplement to the game’s current March of the Machine expansion, which has been available since April 21st. Predictably, Oldschoolmtg’s unboxing video was all anyone in the Magic: The Gathering community could talk about in recent days. Based on Wizards of the Coast’s reaction, it’s safe to say the video also irked the Hasbro-owned publisher.Over the weekend, Oldchoolmtg uploaded another video, this time titled “The Aftermath of The Aftermath… Everything is Gone!” In the clip, the YouTuber says Pinkerton agents showed up at his home on Saturday morning and began demanding he hand over the “stolen” product. “I got up and recorded some videos,” Oldschoolmtg states. “Right after I got done with the video, dogs started barking because somebody is at the door. I come out and the wife’s answering the door and it was the Pinkertons.”If you live in the US, the Pinkertons need no introduction. The company is one of the country’s oldest private security firms, with its original incarnation, the Pinkerton Detective Agency, dating back to 1850. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Pinkertons made a name for themselves with their anti-union operations, a job they continue to do in the 21st century.Oldschoolmtg speculates the person he bought the unreleased cards from likely didn’t know they sent him an unreleased set. “Somebody screwed up and sent out the wrong cases to the gentlemen that I bought the boxes off of, because when he sold me the stuff he said he was selling me March of the Machine collector’s boxes — not Aftermath.”After recovering the leaked Magic: The Gathering set, including the empty boxes and wrappers, the Pinkertons put Oldschoolmtg in touch with a Wizards of the Coast representative, who was “very apologetic about making my wife cry first thing in the morning by sending these heavy-duty lawmen.”A Wizards of the Coast spokesperson confirmed to Polygon and Kotaku that the company sent the private security firm to Oldschoolmtg as “part of their investigation” into the leak. The YouTuber says the contact they spoke to at Wizards of the Coast offered to send them free products as compensation for what had happened. For what it’s worth, his YouTube viewership has also doubled since the original video went up.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/magic-the-gathering-publisher-wizards-of-the-coast-sent-the-pinkertons-after-a-leaker-200040402.html?src=rss

Critter & Guitari has made a name for itself by releasing quirky and highly musical gadgets, like this video-based synthesizer, and now the company is back with a multitrack recorder that prioritizes simplicity and ease of use. The 5 Moons also continues the company’s pristine record of making visually distinct devices, due to its attractive wood enclosure made entirely out of pine.Underneath the hood you’ll find a powerful 48KHz 16-bit sampler and enough storage for around 20 hours of samples and compositions, via an 8GB microSD card. As the name suggests, this is a five track device, but don’t let that dissuade you from making complex compositions with dozens of instruments, as you can easily bounce everything down over and over again.This musical block of wood does not include a screen of any kind, so everything is handled via the sliders and accompanying buttons, but the interface seems easy to use, with dedicated buttons for most tasks like bouncing, looping and perusing sounds. The company says the 5 Moons is great for making simple enclosed loops and for composing long-form pieces. Looping is no great mystery, but creating longer works does require a certain level of expertise regarding various button and slider combinations.To that end, you can easily send projects to the DAW of your choice via a USB-C connection for finishing touches, and this connection also powers the device. Transfers go both ways, as you can send projects from your computer to the 5 Moons for additional processing, looping and creative tomfoolery. Critter & Guitari says this feature is a great way to start a unique new track or to “re-envision and remix” prior tracks.You can run external instruments directly into 5 Moons, like the company’s own Organelle S, thanks to a ⅛-inch monophonic input. The rear also includes a ⅛-inch monophonic output if you want to send the signal out for external processing or to speakers when playing live. Playing live with this thing should be a blast, as it weighs only five ounces, though it does not feature a built-in battery.Critter & Guitari’s 5 Moons multitrack recorder is available now for $325.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/critter--guitaris-5-moons-is-a-wonderfully-wooden-multitrack-recorder-193616586.html?src=rss

An appeals court has issued a ruling in the long-running antitrust tussle between Apple and Epic Games. As Bloomberg reports, the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling, which rejected most of Epic's claims that Apple violated federal competition law by prohibiting alternative app stores on its devices. The three-judge panel also upheld a part of the original ruling that was in Epic's favor.“There is a lively and important debate about the role played in our economy and democracy by online transaction platforms with market power,” the panel wrote in the decision. “Our job as a federal court of appeals, however, is not to resolve that debate — nor could we even attempt to do so. Instead, in this decision, we faithfully applied existing precedent to the facts.”The ruling maintains the status quo, unless further appeals move the case to a higher court. One added wrinkle is the fact that Epic may now be on the hook for Apple's legal fees, as Axios' Stephen Totillo pointed out.“Today’s decision reaffirms Apple’s resounding victory in this case, with nine of ten claims having been decided in Apple’s favor. For the second time in two years, a federal court has ruled that Apple abides by antitrust laws at the state and federal levels," Apple told Engadget in a statement. "The App Store continues to promote competition, drive innovation, and expand opportunity, and we’re proud of its profound contributions to both users and developers around the world. We respectfully disagree with the court’s ruling on the one remaining claim under state law and are considering further review.”Shortly after the ruling was released, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney published the following statement on his Twitter account:

Your Google Authenticator one-time codes are no longer trapped if you lose the device that stores them. An update to Authenticator for Android and iOS now stores backups of codes in your Google account. You won't have to reauthorize all your linked apps (or scan a QR code) just because you got a new phone.Once you have the latest version of the app, you only have to follow prompts to sign into Google and enable syncing. Of course, you'll also want to be sure your Google account is secure to prevent intruders from misusing Authenticator.Google is still pushing for password-free logins that use technology like passkeys. However, it also acknowledges that people still rely on one-time codes. The Authenticator update promises to reduce some of the headaches of using those codes until you're ready and able to move to another system. This might also encourage the use of two-factor authentication if you were previously afraid of what would happen if your phone was lost or stolen.This isn't a novel concept. Apps like Microsoft Authenticator also have cloud backups. However, it's no secret that Google's tool is popular. Cloud syncing should make a tangible difference, particularly when many apps can use Authenticator as an alternative to the conventional password.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-authenticator-finally-syncs-one-time-codes-in-the-cloud-185207290.html?src=rss

Workers at Sega of America have announced plans to form a union. A supermajority of workers based out of the company's headquarters in Irvine CA say they are forming a union with the Communication Workers of America — calling themselves the Allied Employees Guild Improving Sega, or AEGIS-CWA.“Working for Sega is a passion for many of us and it’s been so exciting to see that through organizing, we can make this work a sustainable long-term career," Sega QA lead and AEGIS member Mohammad Saman said in a statement. "By creating our union, AEGIS-CWA, we’ll have a say in the decisions that shape our working conditions and ensure the job security and working conditions we deserve. We’re excited to protect what already makes Sega great, and help build an even stronger company, together."The fledgling union hopes that Sega will recognize the AEGIS-CWA voluntarily, but have also filed for a union representation election with the National Labor Relations Board. If the unionization goes forward, the group hopes to push for a higher base pay, improved benefits and measures that will help prevent "patterns of overwork" through better staffing.Although the proposed union isn't the largest in the industry by numbers, it's among the most board, covering 144 workers across Sega of America's localization, marketing, product development games as a service and quality assurance teams. Although it's the latest group of game workers to announce the formation of a union, it's also far from the first. In 2021, Vodeo Games became the first studio in North America to form a union before unfortunately shutting down the following year. Since then, multiple groups with Activision Blizzard voted to unionize. Microsoft is the home to the largest union in the video game industry today, with ZeniMax Workers United CWA representing about 300 employees.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sega-of-america-workers-are-forming-a-union-184043887.html?src=rss

Microsoft has agreed to stop bundling its Teams remote collaboration software with its Office productivity suite, according toFinancial Times. The company’s move attempts to head off an official EU antitrust investigation as it deals with its most significant regulatory concerns in over a decade.FT’s sources say companies will eventually be able to buy Office with or without Teams installed, “but the mechanism on how to do this remains unclear.” Talks with EU regulators are reportedly ongoing, and “a deal is not certain.” Microsoft told FT, “We are mindful of our responsibilities in the EU as a major technology company. We continue to engage cooperatively with the commission in its investigation and are open to pragmatic solutions that address its concerns and serve customers well.”Competing remote-work platform Slack, now owned by Salesforce, complained to EU regulators in 2020, asking officials to make Microsoft sell Teams separately from its ubiquitous Office suite. Slack’s general counsel said at the time, “We’re asking the EU to be a neutral referee, examine the facts and enforce the law.”Microsoft is facing its first regulatory issues in a decade. The company agreed to a settlement with the European Commission in 2009, agreeing to offer European customers a choice of web browsers; it was then fined €561 million in 2013 for failing to adhere to that consistently. Of course, its most famous antitrust shakeup came around the turn of the millennium when it was initially forced to break up into two companies, a ruling later overturned by an appeals court. Microsoft and the DOJ settled in 2001, agreeing to restrictions like sharing APIs with third-party developers and letting PC manufacturers install non-Microsoft software on their products.In recent months, the company has been scrambling to receive regulatory approval for its planned $69 billion purchase of game publisher Activision Blizzard. The company is reportedly expected to receive a green light from the EU and UK, and it has until July to appease the US Federal Trade Commission. Microsoft offered 10-year legal agreements to provide Call of Duty on Nintendo consoles and cloud-streaming platform Boosteroid to help ease those concerns. Sony reportedly declined a similar offer.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-will-reportedly-unbundle-teams-from-office-to-avoid-antitrust-concerns-183139403.html?src=rss

BeReal, Apple's iPhone app of the year for 2022, wants you to know that it's still going strong. The app sends users a notification at a different time each day, prompting them to drop everything and share photos taken with their phone's front and rear cameras simultaneously. You have a two-minute window to do this, with the idea that you'll share authentic updates from your life (you likely won't have enough time to fix your hair or find a spot with great lighting first). Your friends are notified when you post late or retake your photos.This approach has caused some teething issues. It has led to people sharing mundane photos of their computer screens or taking out their phones simultaneously during a class, as The New York Times reported recently. Citing data from an analytics company, the publication suggested that the app's user numbers have nosedived by around 61 percent in recent months to under six million as the novelty factor waned and biggerrivals started to copy BeReal.On its new blog, BeReal claims it actually has more than 20 million daily active users. In its inaugural post, the BeReal team notes it has been quiet as it's been busy. "But [that] means people have been guessing about what we’ve been up to and how things are going, and not always accurately," the post reads.BeRealMeanwhile, BeReal has debuted a feature that could lead to an uptick in engagement and perhaps keep wavering users onboard. Bonus BeReal, which the company is testing in the UK before expanding to the rest of the world soon, allows users to post two extra snapshots per day at times of their choosing — as long as they share their regular BeReal on time.The move could undercut the spontaneous authenticity that BeReal strives for, as it will give users a chance to pose for and edit their extra posts. However, BeReal notes that it may make changes to the feature.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/bereal-says-it-has-more-than-20-million-daily-active-users-172721921.html?src=rss

For those who prefer an Android phone to an iPhone, we think Samsung's Galaxy Watch 5 is the best smartwatch you can get. Right now Amazon, Best Buy and Samsung are all selling the 40mm size for $219, which matches the all-time low price we saw earlier this year. In addition to being the top Android pick in our guide to smartwatches, the wearable earned an 85 in our review, thanks to its solid build, ample health tracking capabilities and a clean design that looks much more like a traditional timepiece than the square Apple Watch.The Watch 5 doesn't look much different from its predecessor, maintaining the clean lines and minimalist design, but it now has tougher Sapphire Crystal glass. Our reviewer, Cherlynn Low, found the Galaxy Watch 5 did a better job than an Apple Watch at tracking sleep. It also beats out other WearOS-based devices at tracking activity, quickly recognizing when you're moving and suggesting to record your activities. The battery will give you a little over a full day on a charge and the recharge rate is speedy, so a 30 minute charge will give you another half day of juice.The improved, curved sensors get closer to your skin to give you body composition readings and take EKG for better health tracking. And of course, it's a capable companion for your Android phone, controlling your music, sending notifications, letting you reply to messages and delivering on-wrist navigation.For those with larger wrists, or who simply want a larger display, the 44mm Galaxy Watch 5 is also on sale. Amazon is selling it for $249, which is a $60 discount and the lowest price the watch has gone for since its debut last year. Both Best Buy and Samsung are currently matching that deal, so if you'd rather buy from those outlets, you can.Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsungs-galaxy-watch-5-is-cheaper-than-ever-at-amazon-171523806.html?src=rss

The Supreme Court will soon hear two cases that could decide whether or not government figures can block their critics on social networks. The court has agreed to tackle appeals from California and Michigan residents who claim officials violated First Amendment free speech rights by blocking them on social media in response to critical commentary.In California, Christopher and Kimberly Garnier believe Poway Unified School District members Michelle O'Connor-Ratcliff and TJ Zane unfairly blocked them on Facebook and Twitter for writing hundreds of critical comments on talking points like school budgets and race. Michigan's Kevin Lindke, meanwhile, says City Manager James Freed violated his rights by blocking him on Facebook over criticism regarding the pandemic.The cases have had different outcomes so far. A federal judge sided with the Garniers in 2021, and an appeals court upheld the decision noting that O'Connor-Ratcliff and Zane both used their social accounts in an official role. However, the federal judge in the other case ruled for Freed in 2021, who won an appeal in 2022. Freed wasn't acting as City Manager when he blocked Lindke, the judges found.Cases like this took the spotlight in 2019, when then-President Trump and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez both faced accusations they violated free speech rights by banning critics. To date, courts have typically ruled based on whether or not officials are using their accounts for business. Even a personal account used for official activity amounts to a public space where criticism must be allowed, a federal appeals court found when hearing Trump's case. These issues haven't reached the Supreme Court until now. The legal body's decisions could settle the question and force officials to allow critics so long as the posts don't amount to harassment or threats.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/supreme-court-will-decide-if-government-officials-can-block-social-media-critics-155717504.html?src=rss

We’ve all been there: sitting in the back of a cab as it crawls through downtown traffic, the clock on the dash mocking you with its inexorable march towards a missed final boarding call and non-refundable ticket fees. Racing to make your flight is an experience nearly as old as commercial aviation itself — and one which has seen repeated solutions attempted throughout the years. Today, companies like Uber and Hyundai or United Airlines and Archer are working to get fleets of eVTOL aircraft to serve as short-hop air taxis, ferrying travelers from city centers to airports while avoiding the mess and hassle of ground-based traffic. In the ‘60s, companies like Chicago Helicopter Airways (CHA) just used a bunch of repurposed US Navy helicopters whose rotors almost never catastrophically failed. Almost.Following WW2, the US government found itself with a massive surplus of military aircraft — we’re talking North of 150,000 individual planes, helicopters and sundry whirlybirds that all needed somewhere to go that wasn’t storage or a scrap yard. At the same time, an emergent middle class got the chicken in every pot and car in every driveway it was promised, along with all of the traffic and congestion that that particular American dream creates. So, in the early 1950s, the Federal government launched a series of grant programs to promote commuting via helicopter as an intra-city alternative to driving, simultaneously addressing both issues.The CHA began its existence in post-war America 1948, as a regional mail delivery service operating in greater Chicagoland with a fleet of Sikorsky S-58C and H-34A Choctaw helicopters, but switched to carrying human passengers from 1956 to 1963. Its five-stop route moved between its home base in Winnetka, Illinois and O’Hare and Midway airports, the now defunct Meigs Field, and Gary, Indiana.For $5 in 1962 money (or just under $50 today) travelers could get from Winnetka at the North end of the city to Terminal 3 at O’Hare, and do it in under ten minutes. Or for $11, sightseers could reserve space aboard a city-wide “Complete Triangle Flight” helicopter tour of Chicago. According to digitized pamphlets archived at TimetableImages, anyone flying to or from “Europe, South or Central America, Alaska or across the Pacific,” on Air France, BOAC Lufthansa, Mexicana, Northwest, PAA or TWA were entitled to a free helo-transfer between Midway and O’Hare.At its peak in 1960, CHA operated 126 flights and carried 6,000 passengers daily. However, that success did not last long past the tragedy of Flight 698. On July 20th, 1960, 11 passengers and two crew members took off from O’Hare airport, headed for Midway under clear skies. Minutes into the journey, disaster struck when the main rotor failed and came apart. The crew attempted an emergency landing but were thwarted when the tail rotor subsequently broke off and the aircraft nose-dived into Forest Home Cemetery. It burst into flames, killing all 13 aboard.Just three years later in 1963, CHA’s business had dropped off by half with just 3,000 people opting for helicopter rides to the airport. By 1966, the federal government’s grant programs had run their course and funding quickly dried up, effectively putting an end to CHA’s operations. The company attempted a comeback with limited service in 1969 but shuttered again for good in 1974.The CHA wasn't alone in its air commute aspirations. It was joined by similar services in Los Angeles, New York, Washington DC and the San Francisco Bay Area. European cities launched their own services as well including Paris, Brussels, Dooseldorf and between the UK's Gatwick and Heathrow airports.Clearly the issue was that the aircraft of the day only had a measly single rotor to provide lift and placed it at risk of major mechanical failure. That’s not an issue with modern VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft, such as the six-rotor Bell Nexus, which was to be used in Uber’s now defunct air taxi service, a similarly-specced offering from Volocopter, or the five-rotor version that Boeing tested in 2019.However, finding reliable funding remains a challenge — even Larry Page’s pet VTOL project, Kitty Hawk, ceased operations in 2022 — which has resulted in much of the technology’s development concentrating amidst existing aerospace corporations. Airbus is working on a VTOL of its own, as is Honda, while United announced plans to buy 500 units outright from VTOL maker Eve Air Mobility to jumpstart its fleet. Joby Aviation, which purchased Uber’s air taxi business in 2020, just received significant investment from Delta as well.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/chicago-helicopter-airways-taxi-airports-transportation-153747571.html?src=rss

The UK government doesn't want to sit idle while foundational AI models like ChatGPT flourish. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan have pledged an initial £100 million (about $124.5 million) to establish a Foundation Model Taskforce. The team will develop AI that ideally makes the country "globally competitive," and will work with the industry to make these systems safer and more reliable.The taskforce is inspired by the COVID-19 vaccine unit from the height of the pandemic. The group will report directly to both the Prime Minister and Technology Secretary, and have a chairperson announced this summer. The funding comes alongside roughly £900 million ($1.1 billion) in the UK budget devoted to both an exascale supercomputer and dedicated AI research resources.Officials aren't shy about their hopes. The UK wants to have "sovereign" AI technology that spurs the economy while avoiding the ethical and technical pitfalls that have led experts to call for a six-month pause on experiments. Such models can sometimes be inaccurate or exhibit strange behavior, such as refusing to answer questions or even criticizing users. Donelan sees trustworthy AI as an edge in the field that can help create medical treatments, aid public services and fight climate change.To some degree, the UK already has a major presence in AI. Google's mainly London-based DeepMind team produces cutting-edge AI research, for instance. However, the hottest systems in recent memory have been developed elsewhere — ChatGPT is the work of US-based OpenAI. The taskforce theoretically keeps British AI relevant despite this trend toward foreign-born technologies.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-uk-is-creating-a-100-million-ai-taskforce-143507868.html?src=rss

Those who are perhaps a little tired of playing Ticket to Ride or Settlers of Catan at Thanksgiving will have a new way to get mad at their extended family members starting next year. That's because Call of Duty: The Board Game is on the way. Pre-orders will start this fall on Kickstarter.Activision teamed up with board game publisher Arcane Wonders, along with Genuine Entertainment and Evolution to make the game. Call of Duty: The Board Game is said to be a fast-paced blend of combat, strategy and tactical planning. However, an announcement video that brings to mind the Marvel Studios production logo doesn't shed more light on how the game actually works.What we do know for now is that, as you may have guessed, you and your companions will take on the guise of soldiers. You'll battle your opponents with combat skills and a variety of weapons. Arcane Wonders says there are a number of scenarios and gameplay modes to choose from, while the action takes place across several maps from the Call of Duty games.There’s no word yet on whether you’ll be able to set off a nuclear bomb in your living room if you reach a high enough kill streak to wipe out everyone and somehow still win the game. More Call of Duty: The Board Game details will be revealed in the coming months.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/like-it-or-not-a-call-of-duty-board-game-is-coming-in-2024-141702572.html?src=rss

As Apple’s WWDC approaches, the rumor frequency for the company’s VR/AR headset is gathering pace. ​​Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says the device, rumored to be named Reality Pro or Reality One, will have two ports: a USB-C interface for data transfers and a “new proprietary charging connector.” Judging by Gurman’s description, the latter is reminiscent of Apple’s recently reintroduced MagSafe power port. As for the power supply, it’s about the size of an iPhone, similar to Apple’s own MagSafe Battery Pack for iPhones. The component can reportedly power the wearable for up to two hours on a single charge, but you’ll be able to buy extra packs, given how quickly the headset may drain them.It doesn’t sound particularly elegant, but there are reasons for it. At the start of 2023, Gurman first hinted at an external power supply. He reported Apple was concerned about the device overheating, while also chasing a lighter, more comfortable headset.– Mat SmithThe Morning After isn’t just a newsletter – it’s also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.The biggest stories you might have missedHitting the Books: We'd likely have to liquidate Jupiter to build a Dyson Sphere around the SunRecommended Reading: The websites that make ChatGPT and other AI sound smartGoogle gives Bard the ability to generate and debug code I love Quella’s gorgeous retro cafe racer e-bikes Chromebooks' short lifespans are creating 'piles of electronic waste'Leaked Pixel Fold video shows an internal display with chunky bezelsIt looks a lot like the Galaxy Z Fold 4.Kuba WojciechowskiDays after CNBC reported Google’s plans for a foldable Pixel phone at I/O 2023, an alleged video of the device is circulating online. On late Friday evening, leaker and developer Kuba Wojciechowski shared what he says is a clip of the Pixel Fold. Unfortunately, the video doesn’t show any features that definitively identify the foldable as a Pixel device, but if this is the real thing, be prepared for some noticeable borders to the device’s internal screen. The Pixel Fold will reportedly cost around $1,700 when it arrives later this year. According to CNBC, the device will have a book-like design, with a 5.8-inch external screen and a 7.6-inch folding display. It’s also said to sport the “most durable hinge” of any foldable to date and a battery that can last up to 72 hours in Extreme Battery Saver mode.Continue reading.Twitter adds blue checks to accounts of dead celebritiesTapping the icon says the deceased individuals are "subscribed" to Twitter Blue.Twitter has begun handing out blue ticks to celebrity users and accounts with more than one million followers. Among the users who received the verification but say they did not pay for the service include author Neil Gaiman, actor Ron Perlman, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Twitter comic dril. Also, accounts that once belonged to Chadwick Boseman, Kobe Bryant and Anthony Bourdain, celebrities who died long before Musk’s takeover of Twitter, were also reverified over the weekend. On Friday, Musk claimed he was “personally” paying the Twitter Blue subscription for a few celebrities, including LeBron James and Stephen King.Continue reading.You can't share Xbox clips directly to Twitter anymoreThe change is likely down to Twitter's decision to charge for API access.Microsoft said it had to switch off the option to upload Xbox screenshots and clips directly to Twitter from Xbox consoles as well as the Game Bar on Windows. There are other options, but they're a little more inconvenient. You can use the Xbox mobile app to download console captures and share them to Twitter.When asked for comment, Xbox declined to shed more light on the reason for the change. It seems likely that Microsoft dropped the built-in sharing option due to Twitter's decision to charge at least $42,000 per month for enterprise access to its APIs. That move is breaking functionality for all kinds of organizations, including disaster response services. This week, Microsoft said it would soon remove Twitter integration from its social media management tool for advertisers.Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-apple-mixed-reality-headset-rumors-111549504.html?src=rss

Anker is best known for its chargers and power banks, but its Soundcore brand offers some surprisingly good value wireless headphones. If you've been looking for a pair with noise cancellation and want to pay less than a $100, it has several models currently on sale at or near all-time lows. Those include the Soundcore Life Q30 model on sale for just $56 (30 percent off), the Soundcore Space Q45 priced at $100 for a $50 discount and the Space A40 wireless noise-cancelling earphones, down to $64 or 36 percent off the regular price.Both the Soundcore Life Q30 and Soundcore Space Q45 headphones offer a comfortable fit thanks to the ample padding. They deliver superb battery life of up to 40-50 hours, can connect two devices at once and come with a 3.5mm cable for wired listening (though only the Space Q45 lets you use ANC when wired). The ANC can't of course, beat high-end headphones like the Sony WH-1000XM5 or Bose QuietComfort 45, but it does a great job of reducing lower-end rumble from jet planes, trains, etc.For the extra money, The Space Q45 it has an adaptive ANC mode that can automatically adjust the headphone's ANC strength based on your surroundings. The Life Q30, on the other hand, just offers three preset ANC levels. For Android users, the Space Q45 also supports the higher-quality LDAC audio codec. Both let you tune the audio using Anker's companion app, which offers a graphic EQ tool and a few alternative sound profile presets.Meanwhile, the Soundcore Space A40 earbuds can reduce noise by up to 98 percent, according to Anker. They have a one-touch transparency mode, adaptive noise cancellation and wireless high-res audio. A feature called Hear ID Sound is designed to analyze how you hear music to create a sound profile tuned for your ears. You'll get up to 10 hours of playtime on a single charge, with the charging case providing another 40 hours of playback. Charging for 10 minutes could get you up to four hours of playtime. Soundcore promises "pumping bass" along with "rich middle and crisp trebles" thanks to the 10mm drivers.Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/anker-soundcore-noise-canceling-headphones-are-up-to-36-percent-off-right-now-080952280.html?src=rss

Chromebooks have always been a popular option for schools due to the relatively cheap prices, but they exploded in popularity during the Covid pandemic as kids did their schoolwork from home. However, they may not be such a good deal after all, according to a new report called Chromebook Churn from the US Public Interest Research Group (PIRG). They found that many Chromebooks purchased just three years ago are already breaking, creating electronic waste and costing taxpayers money.Chromebooks in schools typically see rough use, and repairability is a key issue, due to a lack of parts and expensive repairs. For instance, 14 out of 29 keyboard replacements for Acer Chromebooks were found to be out of stock, and 10 of the 29 cost $90 each — nearly half the price of some models. "These high costs may make schools reconsider Chromebooks as a cost-saving strategy," the report states. In another instance, HP only stocked power cords and AC adapters for one model, but no other parts.The devices also have built in "death dates," the report reads, after which software updates end. "Once laptops have 'expired,' they don’t receive updates and can’t access secure websites." Google does provide eight years of software updates for Chromebooks, but that's only from the date of release. Since many schools buy Chromebooks released several years before, support can expire in half that time.

When Elon Musk first announced Twitter would start charging for verification, he said the company’s legacy “lords & peasants” system was “bullshit.” Now, just days after winding down the old system, Twitter has begun handing out blue ticks to celebrity users and accounts with more than one million followers. Among the users who received the verification but say they did not pay for the service include author Neil Gaiman, actor Ron Perlman, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Twitter comic dril.

NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell is leaving Comcast, effective immediately. The telecom giant made the surprise announcement in a terse press release it issued on Sunday. Following an investigation prompted by a complaint of inappropriate behavior, Comcast says it came to a “mutual” decision with Shell that he should resign his position.“Today is my last day as CEO of NBCUniversal. I had an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the company, which I deeply regret,” Shell said in a joint statement. “I'm truly sorry I let my Comcast and NBCUniversal colleagues down, they are the most talented people in the business and the opportunity to work with them the last 19 years has been a privilege.”Comcast has not named a successor to Shell. In a memo obtained by Variety, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts and President Mike Cavanagh told employees they were “disappointed” to share the news. “We built this company on a culture of integrity. Nothing is more important than how we treat each other. You should count on your leaders to create a safe and respectful workplace,” they wrote. “When our principles and policies are violated, we will always move quickly to take appropriate action, as we have done here.”Shell joined Comcast in 2004. He became the CEO of NBCUniversal in 2020. That same year, he oversaw the launch of Peacock. Shell leaves NBCUniversal without having made the streaming service profitable. At the start of the year, Comcast told investors that it had added five million paying subscribers during the final three months of 2022. However, over that same period, the company lost nearly $1 billion operating the service.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nbcuniversal-ceo-jeff-shell-is-leaving-comcast-over-inappropriate-conduct-203917877.html?src=rss