Google's advertising customers will soon be able to use the company's generative artificial intelligence to create ad campaigns, according to the Financial Times. Apparently, the tech giant is gearing up to embed its generative AI, the same technology powering its Bard chatbot, into its Performance Max program. Performance Max can already help customers determine where their ads should run and generate simple ad copy. But the Times' says the AI's addition will give it the capability to create sophisticated campaigns similar to those designed by marketing agencies.The company has reportedly shown ad customers a presentation entitled "AI-powered ads 2023," telling them that its technology can generate advertisements based on the imagery, video and text they supply. In addition, Google told them that the ads its AI creates will fit the audience they aim to reach and will be designed to enable them to reach sales targets and other goals.At least one person expressed concerns about the possibility of Google's ad tool spreading misinformation, the Times says, because it could be optimized to convert new customers with no concern for facts. Back when Google posted on ad on Twitter about Bard, for instance, the chatbot spouted a falsehood claiming that the James Webb Space Telescope had taken "the very first pictures of a planet outside of our own solar system." In truth, it was the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope that took the very first images of exoplanets that we had ever seen. Google has assured the Financial Times that it will put firm guardrails in place to prevent errors and misinformation when it rolls out AI-powered ads in the coming months.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-reportedly-plans-to-let-companies-use-ai-generated-ad-content-105547069.html?src=rss
Atari wants everyone to game like its 1985 — just with better technology. The console maker has announced the acquisition of over 100 PC and console titles launched in the 1980s and 1990s from Accolade, Micropose and Infogrames. Atari's ownership and catalogue have changed hands a bit since its heyday, so the purchase includes a homecoming for some of Atari's IPs. It's also adding Accolade's trademark to its vault.The newly Atari-owned games include the Demolition Racer series, Bubsy and Hardball. “Many of these titles are a part of Atari history, and fans can look forward to seeing many of these games re-released in physical and digital formats, and in some cases, even ported to modern consoles," Wade Rosen, Atari's CEO, said in a statement.Atari is really gunning for a comeback, with a "multi-year effort to transform the company" and investments in IPs people care about (reimagined versions of Asteroids and Missile Command are reportedly in the works). Just last month, Atari put through deals for Nightdive Studios and the IPs of 12 Stern Electronics Arcade Classics, including Berzerk and Frenzy. At the time, Rosen called the games a "perfect fit for our strategy of commercializing classic retro IP.” The Nightdive Studios acquisition is notable not just for the games it provides, but for its technology. Nightdive specializes in remastering retro games for modern systems, while also improving their quality — exactly what Atari aims to do.With its latest purchase, Atari says it will rerelease already existing games on modern consoles and create new adaptations of past storylines. The timeline here makes a lot of sense: Nightdive specializes in doing this, so it's going to make that a lot easier.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/atari-acquires-the-rights-to-over-100-pc-and-console-classics-103507660.html?src=rss
Starting today, Uber Eats customers in Fairfax, Virginia can get their next meal delivered by a robot. In an expansion of the company’s existing partnership with Cartken, Uber has begun offering automated deliveries in the city’s Mosaic District. With today’s announcement, a select number of the more than 40 restaurants in the area have begun transporting their food aboard Cartken’s six-wheeled robots. Among the restaurants participating in the pilot include Our Mom Eugenia, Pupatella and RASA.Uber has been testing autonomous delivery robots in a handful of markets throughout the US. Last May, the company launched two pilots in Los Angeles with the help of Motional and Serve Robotics. More recently, Uber signed a 10-year deal with Nuro to use the company’s vans for autonomous deliveries in California and Texas. Cartken, it should be noted, also works with Grubhub to deliver food on college campuses. The firm’s robot uses NVIDIA’s Jetson tech, alongside cameras and sensors, to navigate streets and sidewalks. They can travel at up to six miles per hour and carry about two full paper grocery bags of cargo to their destination.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/uber-eats-starts-offering-autonomous-food-deliveries-in-fairfax-virginia-100023523.html?src=rss
When Tesla held its opening party for the company's Giga Texas factory last year, Elon Musk said that it will finally start selling the Cybertruck in 2023. Now, we can narrow down the timing for its launch even further. According to The Verge, Musk just told Tesla investors during its most recent earnings call that the automaker will hold a delivery event for the Cybertruck in the third quarter of the year. Tesla will start manufacturing the vehicle this summer, but volume production won't begin until 2024 like the company had previously said.Musk reportedly told investors during the call that it "takes time to get the manufacturing line going, and this is really a very radical product." He added: "It's not made in the way that other cars are made." The production version Cybertruck Tesla showed off on stage last year had no door handles and could automatically tell if its owner is nearby and it should open its doors. It's still made out of stainless steel like the automaker initially envisioned, though, and that's more expensive than steel typically used in the industry. As The Verge notes, the electric vehicle requires special welding techniques, and its smaller components are custom-made.The Cybertruck has been delayed several times since it was first announced back in 2019. Tesla's original and very optimistic initial launch date was 2021, but it was pushed back to 2022 and then to 2023. The vehicle's prices were originally supposed to start at $39,900 for a single-motor configuration to $70,000 for a three-motor one. Tesla warned earlier this year, however, that its final specs and pricing have yet to be determined and could be based on several factors, such as supply chain shortages and the economy.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tesla-has-scheduled-a-cybertruck-delivery-event-for-the-third-quarter-musk-says-072539204.html?src=rss
Bluesky, Jack Dorsey's alternative to Twitter, is now available by invitation only on Android devices after arriving on the App Store in February, The Verge reported. The app has a number of Twitter-like functions, letting you search for and follow other users, create posts (with photos) and more. It's currently in beta, though, so has a limited number of users (reportedly around 25,000) and is missing features like direct messages.Bluesky first came about in 2019 as a Twitter-backed side as a new type of decentralized standard for social media platforms. It officially broke off from Twitter in 2021, and has since joined the ranks of upstart Twitter clones like Mastodon that appeared following Elon Musk’s takeover.The app is designed to let users decide how they want to see and consume social media. "For developers, an open marketplace of algorithms will provide the freedom to experiment with and publish algorithms that anyone can use," CEO Jay Graber wrote last month. "For users, the ability to customize their feed will give them back control of their most valuable resource: their attention."Graber has said that moderation is one of the last pieces of the puzzle to solve before the app opens to the public "because we wanted to prioritize user safety from the start," he wrote in a recent blog post. It'll apparently use a mixture of automated filtering and server-level moderation controlled by admins. Then, "we will let users subscribe to additional sets of moderation labels that can filter out more content or accounts."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/jack-dorseys-twitter-like-bluesky-app-arrives-on-android-063526715.html?src=rss
Starting on April 25th, advertisers using Microsoft's social media management tool will no longer be able to access Twitter on their dashboard. As Mashable has first reported, the tech giant has announced on its Advertising platform page that its Digital Marketing Center's Smart Campaigns with Multi-platform tool will no longer support the social network in a few days' time. The announcement comes almost a month after Twitter revealed how much users will have to pay to access its API. While the company wasn't that forthcoming when it came to pricing for enterprise customers, Wired previously reported that the cheapest package available for them cost $42,000 a month.Although Microsoft could easily afford to pay that, it seems to have chosen to drop Twitter instead. Removing support for the website on its social media management tool means advertisers will no longer be able to use it to create, manage or schedule draft tweets, as well as to view past tweets and engagements. Microsoft has noted in its announcement that other social media channels, such as "Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn will continue to be available."After Microsoft's announcement, Elon Musk responded to a tweet reporting its decision with a threat to take legal action against the company. "They trained illegally using Twitter data. Lawsuit time," Twitter's owner wrote. He didn't elaborate on how Microsoft illegally trained anything using Twitter data, but it's worth noting that the tech giant is a key backer of ChatGPT developer OpenAI. The executive co-founded OpenAI back in 2015, but he distanced himself from the organization and has been vocally criticizing the chatbot and AI as a whole as of late. Musk also recently revealed his plans for his own AI company that could rival OpenAI and Google.
In March, Amazon’s Luna gaming service expanded to Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom. Now the platform is available on Samsung Gaming Hub in those same countries. As a refresher, the hub is an app that comes with 2021 to 2023 Samsung Smart TVs. Among other features, it offers a way to quickly access a host of cloud gaming services, including GeForce Now and Xbox Cloud Gaming. In the US, Amazon Luna users have had the ability to access the service through Samsung Gaming Hub since last August.If you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber, you can access a small library of complimentary games. The selection of free games with Prime changes every month, but this month’s lineup includes Yakuza Kiwami 2 and The Jackbox Party Pack 3. You can subscribe to additional channels from Amazon and Ubisoft to access additional titles. If you want to give Luna a try on your Samsung TV, you will need an internet connection capable of download speeds between 10Mbps to 20Mbps and a way to control the games. You can use an Amazon Luna controller, a Bluetooth- or USB 2.0-compatible controller or a phone with the Luna controller app installed.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-luna-hits-samsungs-smart-tv-gaming-hub-in-canada-germany-and-uk-203744962.html?src=rss
Marvel announced today that its Comixology-operated Marvel Comics app is shutting down this June. Fortunately, comic fans who bought issues in the app can access them in the company’s self-operated Marvel Unlimited app. The shutdown comes several months after layoffs at Amazon (Comixology’s owner since 2014) reportedly hit the comic storefront especially hard.The Marvel Comics app will shut down on June 2nd. Exactly one month before that — May 2nd — is the cutoff date for new purchases in the old app. Any purchases made up to that date will transfer to Marvel Unlimited.Android users who bought digital comics through the Comixology Marvel Comics app have an effortless transition: do nothing, and your comics should appear in Marvel Unlimited. (That’s because the Android app already required a Marvel account.) But iOS users have a few extra steps. First, you’ll need to open the Comixology Marvel Comics app on your iPhone or iPad. Then, follow Marvel’s instructions to link a Marvel account to the old app. After that, your old purchases should appear in Marvel Unlimited.You won’t need a Marvel Unlimited subscription to access your purchases from the old app. But to entice you to buy into its service, Marvel is offering a discounted price of $5 per month for the first year with coupon code UNLIMITED. (It’s usually $10 / month or $70 if you pay for an entire year.) Marvel Unlimited is like Netflix for Marvel comics, offering access to over 30,000 issues from the Marvel universe. Like the Comixology-run app, there’s usually a delay of around three months between an issue’s initial release and its availability on the subscription platform.Although Marvel has apparently gone out of its way to make this transition relatively smooth, it still illustrates the potential for chaos when digital content shifts platforms. We don’t own any of this stuff, so when parent companies mismanage apps, lay off workers and shuffle priorities, we’re left to hope mega-corporations want to do right by their customers — a trust factor worth bearing in mind any time you buy a comic, game or any other digital media.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/comixologys-marvel-comics-app-is-shutting-down-in-june-185006909.html?src=rss
If you spent almost any time on the internet this week, you probably saw a lot of chatter about “Heart on My Sleeve.” The song went viral for featuring AI-generated voices that do a pretty good job of mimicking Drake and The Weeknd singing about a recent breakup.
Star Trek: Picard heads out to pasture when the series finale airs this week. We live in an age of shared universes, however, so another Trek is coming quicker than you can say raktajino (Klingon coffee). The second season of the well-reviewedStar Trek: Strange New Worlds premieres on June 15th, and Paramount+ has finally dropped a real trailer.We’ve known the premiere date for a while, but there was no trailer until now, which is an odd choice considering the show starts in less than two months. Still, the footage gives a fairly in-depth look at what the Enterprise will be up to in June, and there is a lot for fans to get excited about. Eagle-eyed viewers will notice the return of regular-looking Klingons, so it looks like the vaguely off-putting redesign featured in Star Trek: Discovery is over and done with.There is also plenty of Captain Kirk, as played by newcomer Paul Wesley. Kirk appeared twice during the first season and was heavily involved in the season finale. Remember, Strange New Worlds is a prequel that chronicles the adventures of the Enterprise before Captain Kirk, so this is a younger version of the character.The show also features younger versions of other legacy characters like Spock and Uhura, along with minor characters from the original 1960s Star Trek, such as Nurse Chapel and Dr. M’benga. Strange New Worlds strives to captures the feel of older Trek shows, with a return to the episodic formula that made the franchise such a hit in the first place.This has been a big couple of weeks for Trek-related announcements. Yesterday saw the official announcement of a Michelle Yeoh-led movie and last month Paramount+ revealed a forthcoming show set at Starfleet Academy. Strange New Worlds has also already been renewed for a third season. In other words, the franchise is, uh, prospering.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-first-season-2-trailer-promises-klingons-and-kirk-181406000.html?src=rss
Snapchat’s ChatGPT-powered AI personality is expanding to all the app’s users. An upgraded version of “My AI,” the in-app chatbot that was previously limited to Snapchat+ subscribers, is now launching globally, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel announced at the company’s Partner Summit event.With the expansion, My AI has a number of new Snapchat-specific features. It can provide Snapchat users with recommendations for restaurants and other activities based on what’s popular in the Snap Map, and can suggest augmented reality lenses. Users can also add the AI to group chats, and set a custom name and avatar (via Bitmoji) for the AI persona. My AI is also now able to respond to photo and video snaps. For now, it can only respond with text messages, but Snap says that “soon” it will be able to respond to snaps with its own AI-generated art. (That feature will, however, be exclusive to Snapchat+.)While My AI’s rollout has been limited until now, the company says that My AI has already been a hit with users, who exchange 2 million messages a day with the bot. Snap’s implementation of OpenAI’s technology has also been criticized, though. The Washington Post reported that the bot engaged in inappropriate conversations and gave questionable advice to researchers posing as teens.Now, Snap says that My AI uses “additional moderation technology” so that users’ can be temporarily restricted from the feature if they “misuse the service.” The company also says the AI has been trained to consider the age of the user it’s messaging with to help prevent chats from veering into unsafe territory. Additionally, parents will eventually be able to use the app’s parental control feature, Family Center, to track how much time their teens are spending chatting with their new AI friend.Even so, Snap seems to be well-aware of the limitations of My AI, which it has previously described as “prone to hallucination.” Even Spiegel, who has suggested that interacting with AI like ChatGPT will soon be an everyday activity, was somewhat cautious in his endorsement “My AI certainly makes plenty of mistakes, so you can’t rely on it for advice, but it’s definitely entertaining,” he said.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/snapchat-is-expanding-chatgpt-powered-my-ai-service-to-all-users-180017142.html?src=rss
Drones have a wide range of applications, but sending them into unfamiliar environments can be a challenge. Whether delivering a package, monitoring wildlife or conducting search and rescue missions, knowing how to navigate previously unseen surroundings (or ones that have changed significantly) is critical for a drone to effectively complete tasks. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) believe they've found a more effective way of helping drones fly through unknown spaces, thanks to liquid neural networks.MIT created its liquid neural networks — which are inspired by the adaptability of organic brains — in 2021. The artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms are able to learn and adapt to new data in the real world, not only while they're being trained. They can think on the fly, in other words.They're able to understand information that's critical to a drone's task while dismissing irrelevant features of an environment, the researchers note. The liquid neural nets can also "dynamically capture the true cause-and-effect of their given task," according to a paper published in Science Robotics. This is "the key to liquid networks’ robust performance under distribution shifts."The liquid neural nets outperformed other approaches to navigation tasks, the researchers noted in the paper. The algorithms "showed prowess in making reliable decisions in unknown domains like forests, urban landscapes and environments with added noise, rotation and occlusion," the university said in a press release.MIT points out that deep learning systems can flounder when it comes to understanding causality and can't always adapt to different environments or conditions. That poses a problem for drones, which have to be able to react quickly to obstacles."Our experiments demonstrate that we can effectively teach a drone to locate an object in a forest during summer, and then deploy the model in winter, with vastly different surroundings, or even in urban settings with varied tasks such as seeking and following,” Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) director, MIT professor and paper co-author Daniela Rus said in a statement. “This adaptability is made possible by the causal underpinnings of our solutions. These flexible algorithms could one day aid in decision-making based on data streams that change over time, such as medical diagnosis and autonomous driving applications."The researchers trained their system on data captured by a human pilot. This enabled them to account for the pilot's ability to use their navigation skills in new environments that have undergone significant changes in conditions and scenery. In testing the liquid neural nets, the researchers found that drones were able to track moving targets, for instance. They suggest that marrying limited data from expert sources with an improved ability to understand new environments could make drone operations more reliable and efficient.“Robust learning and performance in out-of-distribution tasks and scenarios are some of the key problems that machine learning and autonomous robotic systems have to conquer to make further inroads in society critical applications,” says Alessio Lomuscio, PhD, professor of AI Safety (in the Department of Computing) at Imperial College London. “In this context the performance of liquid neural networks, a novel brain-inspired paradigm developed by the authors at MIT, reported in this study is remarkable."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/drones-may-better-navigate-unfamiliar-surroundings-with-the-help-of-liquid-neural-networks-180015474.html?src=rss
Nintendo's latest Indie World showcase featured some news on the long-awaited sequel to Oxenfree. You'll be able to check out Oxenfree II: Lost Signals in a few months, as it will arrive on Switch, PlayStation 4, PS5, Steam and on mobile via Netflix on July 12th.Night School Studio announced the follow-up to its supernatural mystery title back in 2021 during a previous Indie World stream. Last year, after Netflix bought the studio, Night School it said was delaying Oxenfree II until 2023 in order to make the game "truly special." A new trailer offers a closer look at the sequel, which sees a character called Riley returning to her gloomy hometown to delve into the mystery behind some unusual radio transmissions. As you explore, you can use a new walkie-talkie conversation system to stay in touch with local contacts.As is often the case, the Indie World stream featured rapid-fire updates and announcements for a broad swathe of games, including Cult of the Lamb, one of Engadget's favorite titles of 2022. A major free update for the deliciously cute mashup of dungeon crawler and management sim will land on April 24th.Among other things, the Relics of the Old Faith update adds richer combat and a photo mode, while refreshing bosses and enemies. Those who've been waiting for a reason to come back may be pleased to learn there'll be much more post-game content as well, including additional stories, revamped dungeons, a boss rush mode and a permadeath option.Elsewhere, it emerged during the Indie World showcase that Rift of the NecroDancer, a Crypt of the NecroDancer spin-off, is coming to Switch later this year. It adds a Guitar Hero-style rhythm twist to lane-based combat — you'll need to match onscreen prompts to fend off monsters.This fall, you'll be able to check out Quilts and Cats of Calico. This adaptation of the board game Calico sees you placing pieces on a board and adding buttons to earn points and attract cats. Each of the customizable cats has their own favorite quilt pattern. It all seems utterly adorable. The game supports local and online multiplayer and you'll even be able to compete in ranked matches.
Google Fi has announced a series of updates, including a change to its name. From now on, the mobile virtual network operator will be known as Google Fi Wireless. While that's not quite as snappy, it should be clearer to consumers what the service actually is.If you have an eSIM-compatible device, you'll be able to test out Google Fi Wireless at no cost. That's because there's a seven-day free trial. Google started testing the trial last month and it's now available more broadly. If you don't cancel the Google Fi Wireless trial within a week, you'll join the Simply Unlimited plan (which you'll still be able to quit at any time).Other providers already offer eSIM trials, including Verizon (which has a 30-day trial) and T-Mobile, which offers potential customers the chance to try its network for three months at no cost. T-Mobile's network powers Google Fi Wireless, but the latter will hope that its bells and whistles will lure folks to that service.The Simply Unlimited plan costs as little as $20 per user per month, depending on how many people are included. It offers unlimited data (throttled after 35GB), calls and texts in the US, Canada and Mexico, along with spam call blocking, a VPN and 5GB of tethered data. Google Fi Wireless is sweetening the deal further, as the plan now includes cellular connectivity for certain smartwatches at no extra cost.The service already included Pixel Watch connectivity on the Flexible and Unlimited Plus plans. That device is now supported on the Simply Unlimited plan as well. Moreover, Google Fi Wireless has also started offering Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro connectivity on all three plans.Elsewhere, Google is offering a phone at no cost for every new line that's added to any plan, as long as you make a 24-month commitment. You can snag a Google Pixel 6a, Samsung A14 or Moto G Power through this offer, which is based on bill credits.As part of Google Fi Wireless' mission to recenter the service around families, it's rolling out a redesign of the namesake app starting today. It'll be easier for parents and guardians to manage safety settings, Google says. Among the options are to only allow trusted numbers to call or text a child's device. The app will also offer the ability to manage your Google Fi Wireless plan and add new members.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-fi-adds-a-one-week-esim-trial-and-wireless-to-its-name-173024702.html?src=rss
Snap, once happy to let creators take a backseat to users’ friends and family, is making a new push to bring more creators onto its platform. The app is expanding its revenue sharing program and adding new public-facing features to help creators get started and get discovered in the app.Snapchat first introduced mid-roll ads as a way for some of its Snap Stars to earn money from their Stories last year. Now, the company says that creators with at least 50,000 followers, 25 million monthly views and at least 10 Stories posts a month “may be eligible” to participate in the revenue-sharing arrangement. Presumably, the company is still reserving the right to greenlight individual users into the program, but the metrics at least give budding creators a target to shoot for.The program isn’t the only way creators can earn money from Snap, but sharing in ad revenue has long been top creators’ preferred way to get paid as it tends to be the most reliable. The company also has a music-focused creator fund and pays users for popular Spotlight content.SnapFor those who aren’t yet getting views in the millions, Snap is also adding new public-facing profiles and Stories, which will be available to any user over the age of 18. The changes allow users to share both private “friend” content and publicly viewable Stories from the same account, along with analytics and other metrics. As Snap notes, this gives users a pathway to becoming a more prolific creator even if they aren't yet eligible to become a Snap Star. Users can also save Stories posts and specific snaps to their public profile, the first time the app has enabled non-ephemeral snaps and Stories.The features are also one of the most notable ways that Snap has blurred the lines between public content and friend content. The company has long bragged about its origins as a messaging app for “real friends” and said that disappearing messages reduce the kinds of social pressure often associated with its rivals. But those constraints aren’t necessarily conducive to successful — or well paid — creators. Now Snap is trying to find a ways to make both possible.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/snapchat-is-expanding-its-revenue-sharing-program-to-entice-creators-173023251.html?src=rss
Snapchat's subscription service may be more popular than you think. Snap has revealed that Snapchat+ has topped 3 million subscribers. That suggests growth is once again accelerating. While growth slowed after the 1 million mark in the first month, it reached 2 million users in January — there's clearly an audience willing to pay $4 per month for early features and VIP benefits like priority comments.The social network is also adding a few new features for everyone. A new "After Dark" shared Story lets friends add to a summary of late-night escapades. A Communities feature for sharing views with classmates, meanwhile, is expanding to more schools over the course of the month.Snap Map will be more useful as well. You'll see 3D landmarks that could help you find content around hotspots, while location sharing helps you keep track of pals. Places can also have tags to help you find trending venues.The Snapchat+ expansion and new features come at a crucial moment. Snapchat has continued to grow, reaching 750 million monthly active users (and 375 million daily users) as of February despite competition from the likes of Instagram and TikTok. It also follows after a rough 2022 that included layoffs of 1,300 workers and the early death of its Pixy selfie drone. Sustained growth could not only help Snap bounce back, but help reduce its dependence on ad money.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/snapchat-already-has-3-million-subscribers-172021014.html?src=rss
Following years of litigation over the Cambridge Analytica scandal, a federal judge recently gave initial approval to a $725 million settlement between Meta and Facebook users alleging the company shared their personal data without proper consent. If you used Facebook between May 2007 and December 2022 and lived in the US during that time, you’re eligible to get cash from the settlement. While it will be a few more months before that money starts making its way to people, you don’t need to wait to submit a claim.You can start the process by visiting the settlement website and clicking or tapping the “Submit Claim” button at the top of the page. There’s a full set of instructions on the page, but the short version of what you need to do is provide your contact information and the email, phone number or username associated with your Facebook account. If you have more than one account, file for the one you’ve had the longest.You also need to complete an eligibility check, which involves stating whether you lived in the US between May 24th, 2007 and December 22nd, 2022, and if you were a Facebook user over that same time period. Lastly, you need to sign the form and indicate how you would like to be paid. Venmo and PayPal are options if you don’t want to share your bank information.The deadline to submit an online claim is August 25th, 2023 at 11:59PM PT. You can also submit a claim by mail, provided it’s postmarked by August 25th, 2023. After completing the form, make sure all the information is accurate. Note that you can only submit one claim.If you have questions about the process, you can contact the settlement administration by emailing info@facebookuserprivacysettlement.com or calling 1-855-566-2233. One last thing, the claim form recommends adding “confirmation@facebookuserprivacysettlement.com” to your contact list to ensure any important correspondence doesn’t end up in your spam folder.How much you can expect to receive from the settlement will depend on how many people submit valid claims, and how long you were a Facebook user during the eligibility period. If every person who can apply does, you’re looking at a payout of at most a few dollars. The final approval hearing is scheduled for September 7th. Payments should be mailed out after the court grants final approval and any appeals are sorted out.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/heres-how-to-claim-your-cut-of-metas-725-million-cambridge-analytica-class-action-settlement-163255438.html?src=rss
Lego has already gone to the Sonic the Hedgehog well for a nifty recreation of the original game’s iconic Green Hill Zone, but now the toy brick company is preparing even more Sonic-inspired play sets. Even cooler for true-blue fans? One set is built around speed, a concept the zippy hedgehog is intimately familiar with.Sonic’s Speed Sphere Challenge ships with something called the speed sphere launcher and it's exactly what it sounds like. You pop Sonic, or any other character, into the plastic sphere and use the velocity mechanism to send it careening through the course, loops and all. In other words, this playset seeks to recreate the actual feel of playing through an old-school 2D Sonic level. The set ships with nearly 300 pieces to rearrange how you like.Other sets include Tail’s Worksop and Tornado Plane, which ships with nearly 400 pieces, and Amy’s Animal Rescue Island. Like all Lego sets, they are designed for mix-and-match scenarios in the hopes that you buy them all to create a glorious Franken-stage that takes up your entire house. To that end, you can use the speed sphere launcher with any of these sets, so long as there's enough room for the Blue Blur to do his thing.Lego’s new Sonic-inspired play sets begin shipping on August 1st and range in price from $35 to $50. The dashing hedgehog with the extreme 1990s attitude is not the only Lego star pulled from a video game. The company has made playsets based on Mario, Overwatch, Minecraft and more.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/legos-new-sonic-the-hedgehog-sets-are-all-about-speed-160914948.html?src=rss
Google may be close to launching its long-rumored foldable Pixel phone. CNBCclaims to have seen internal communications revealing that the Pixel Fold will be announced at the I/O conference on May 10th, and ship in June. The device will reportedly cost around $1,700, or close to the $1,800 Samsung asks for the Galaxy Z Fold 4.The company may tout a few advantages over its rival. The Pixel Fold will have a book-like design with a 5.8-inch external screen and 7.6-inch folding display, but will supposedly have the "most durable hinge" of any foldable, according to Google. It should also be water-resistant and pack a larger battery that lasts up to 24 hours in normal use, and 72 hours with Extreme Battery Saver.Don't expect performance gains. The Pixel Fold will apparently use the same Tensor G2 chip as in the Pixel 7 series, and previous leaks suggest it might have cameras that predate the Pixel 6. As with other Pixels, the draw may be the 'pure' Android experience — this will be the first opportunity to see Google's own approach to foldable devices.The price is still steep compared to regular Pixel phones, which top out at $899 for the Pixel 7 Pro. Google may sweeten the deal by encouraging trade-ins, however. The company may even offer a free Pixel Watch to Fold buyers.If the details are accurate, the foldable Pixel may not be an easy sell. Google is expected to debut the Pixel 8 this fall, and that's likely to include upgrades like a third-generation Tensor chip. With that in mind, North Americans have had few options for foldable phones beyond the Galaxy Z Fold series and previous-gen Moto Razr models. The Pixel Fold may stand out simply by providing real competition in a small category.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-will-reportedly-announce-a-foldable-pixel-phone-at-io-next-month-155136945.html?src=rss
We've previously found the Beats Studio Buds to be a well-rounded and relatively affordable set of true wireless earbuds for most people. If you've been thinking about picking up a pair, they're currently on sale for $100 at multiple retailers, including Amazon, Walmart, Target and Best Buy. That's $10 more than the earbuds' all-time low but still about $30 below their average street price in recent months. For reference, they originally launched at $150. The deal applies to each color finish.We gave the Studio Buds a review score of 84 when they launched in mid-2021. The best thing they have going for them is their design: They're small, lightweight and more than comfortable enough to wear for hours at a time. The shape is cleverly angled so that inserting and removing the earbuds feels natural. They're not as stable for jogging as Beats' Fit Pro, but their IPX4-rated water resistance means they can survive workouts all the same. Their case isn't oversized, either, and it charges over USB-C.The Studio Buds have a mellow and fairly well-balanced sound profile with bass that's punchy but not overbearing. They underemphasize the treble range a bit, so things like vocals can sound less detailed, but in general it's a pleasant listen with most types of music. There are active noise cancellation and transparency modes as well; neither is as effective as higher-end models like Apple's AirPods Pro or Sony's WF-1000XM4, but they're passable. (If you want superior ANC for less than $100, Anker's Soundcore Space A40 is a better buy.) Like other Beats earbuds, the Studio Buds pair quickly with iPhones and support Apple-friendly perks like Find My device tracking and hands-free Siri access. But they also play well on Android, with similar fast-pairing and device-finding features.There are some caveats, though. The Studio Buds' battery life is just OK, lasting around eight hours with ANC off and around five hours with it on. Call quality is similarly middling, and while the design is comfortable, it lacks features like wireless charging, automatic pausing when you remove an earbud and multipoint connectivity. Though the earbuds are easier to use with iPhones than most, they don't use one of Apple's proprietary wireless chips — ignore the Amazon listing that says otherwise — so they lack some features that you'd get with the Fit Pro or AirPods Pro, such as audio sharing and automatic switching between Apple devices. On the plus side, Apple has added support for onboard volume controls and instant iCloud pairing since the Studio Buds launched.The other possible hang-up is that Apple seems likely to launch a revised model of the Studio Buds in the near future. Reports from 9to5Mac and The Verge say that these will be called the Studio Buds+ and feature improved ANC and transparency modes in a largely identical design. Exactly how much these will cost and whether they'll replace the current pair is unclear, but we may know soon, as FCC filings for the device were spotted just this week. Nevertheless, if you want a stylish pair of lightweight earbuds, the existing Studio Buds remain a solid value when they're discounted to this extent.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/beats-studio-buds-are-back-down-to-100-151601887.html?src=rss
Meta has started the layoffs it announced in March. The company has confirmed that it's letting go of the first wave of the roughly 10,000 affected employees. CNBCnotes that this initial round of job cuts focuses on technical roles, such as software engineer, AR/VR gameplay programmers and user experience designers. Business positions (such as finance and legal) will be cut in May. Other tech workers may be affected next month.Company chief Mark Zuckerberg outlined the schedule for the cuts upon revealing them last month. This comes after Meta laid off 11,000 people last fall. The two rounds of cuts represent Meta's first mass layoffs, and Zuckerberg has characterized 2023 as a "year of efficiency" where the company narrows its focus and is theoretically more productive.Meta is dealing with a rough economy like other big tech firms laying off staff, but is also struggling to pivot to the metaverse. The social media pioneer has continued to pour billions of dollars into the Reality Labs unit responsible for its VR headsets and virtual platforms like Horizon Worlds, but these have yet to translate to major revenue growth. Ad revenue for Meta's main social platforms fell in 2022.The company's outlook for its just-ended quarter suggests the worst of the downturns may be at an end. Results will be announced next week. Reality Labs isn't expected to turn a profit, though, and it may be some time before Meta's social businesses return to meaningful growth.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-begins-its-latest-round-of-layoffs-145019127.html?src=rss
The Seven Mysteries of Honjo is a visual novel that ties together nine (don’t ask) Japanese folktales, spirits, curses and, well, ukiyoe block prints. You’ll hop between several protagonists, trying to figure out who’s holding magical killer trinkets and who’s trying to collect them all from reviving the dead.It’s the usual visual novel style of play: you talk to people, click on interesting things in the background, try to choose the right dialogue options, fail and try again. Paranormasight uses 360-degree environments to keep things relatively immersive. Each character illustration has frayed red, blue and green outlines that imitate old TVs – this was a time before OLED.NintendoWhat makes Paranormasight so much fun to play through is a rich vein of subversion — which I am not going to spoil. When you first begin the game, there’s a host of sorts, with a mysterious mask, who explains the game you’re about to play, how the menus work and other administrative fun.When you (inevitably) meet your end due to poor decisions (or someone attacking you with cursed stones), it’ll cut back to the host, who will often hint at something that you’d have never guessed before – there are several ‘game overs’ that are inevitable for the early beats of the game to make sense. Fortunately, the game ‘logic’ settles in pretty quickly. You’ll hop between each character’s quests, with narrative paths unlocking further as the story unfolds and characters, curses and misunderstandings get messy.In the first few chapters, you must confront others who may or may not be curse holders, unaware of how their curse “works”. This turns into an anime-style stand-off, like a fight in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure or Naruto, as you either try to sneak your way out of danger or get other curse-bearers to fall into your trap, so you can claim their cursed stone and inch closer to the Rite of Resurrection.It gets surprisingly tense at times. One confrontation occurs between a woman that wields a pyromaniac curse, while another character with a bludgeoning curse that can tell when you lie. This stand-off all happens in an innocuous living room, with a private investigator, dressed like a villain from the ‘70s looking on, baffled and powerless.The player can jump between the overlapping timelines, even redoing very early decisions to see if they can change how the story progresses. I did find at one point that I was a little ahead of the story, but couldn’t continue with what I thought was the logical way forward until I’d clicked/tapped absolutely everything on a particular 360-degree scene.NintendoEveryone is seemingly hunting the Rite of Resurrection, which can supposedly bring anyone back from the dead – one character isn’t even looking to resurrect a friend or loved one, but Katsushika Hokusai, arguably the most famous Japanese artist of all time – the ‘tsunami’ guy. The characters have plenty of delightful quirks, which reminds me of Capcom’s Phoenix Wright series, but Paranormasight feels a little smarter. Some of the twists and solutions break the fourth wall brazenly and I loved it. My only criticism is that The Seven Mysteries of Honjo is a little short – I finished it in 16 hours. Hopefully, more games will expand on this formula.My spoiler-free advice is: listen to the masked host, keep an eye on your notes database as you learn more about the legends and don’t be afraid just to guess what might work. Often it does.The game is available on Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android and Steam.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/paranormasight-the-seven-mysteries-of-honjo-is-a-delightfully-subversive-visual-novel-140054226.html?src=rss
This is a prime moment to buy a high-powered Mac laptop for a grad, or as a treat for yourself. Amazon is offering steep discounts for 14-inch MacBook Pro models with the M2 Pro chip. The base version with a 10-core CPU and 512GB of storage is available at an all-time low price of $1,799, or $200 off. The biggest bargain, however, is a 12-core CPU variant with 1TB of storage that's selling for $2,249, or a sizeable $250 off. At these prices, there's little reason to get a MacBook Air — the Pro delivers considerably more features for a slightly larger outlay.The 2023 revision of the 14-inch MacBook Pro is an iterative upgrade, but that still makes it an excellent laptop. It maintains the superb display, speakers, input and connectivity of its predecessor, but the M2 Pro improves performance and extends battery life. This is a compact powerhouse for creative work, particularly if you tend to work away from a wall outlet — Apple Silicon-based Macs sustain their speed while on battery power, unlike many competitors. It's quiet, too.This is still an expensive computer that may be pricier than some competitors, and you'll want a Windows-based machine if you either crave a gaming rig or have certain must-run apps that aren't Mac-native. If those aren't issues, though, this is a very well-rounded portable with few shortcomings.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/apples-14-inch-m2-macbook-pro-is-up-to-250-off-at-amazon-133159632.html?src=rss
Android users in the UK may get the choice to pay for apps and services on the platform through a billing system other than Google's. Ten months after the United Kingdom's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched an investigation into the tech giant's payment system for in-app purchases, Google offered to give developers in the region the choice to use alternative options. The probe came following a separate investigation in which the CMA found Apple and Google held an "effective duopoly" on mobile ecosystems, and that Google's Play Store in particular could potentially lead "to higher prices and reduced choice for Android users."At the moment, the CMA is asking for feedback on Google's proposals and will continue accepting them until May 19th. If the organization decides to make the proposals legally binding based on people's feedback, then developers will be able to offer a payment system of their own choosing, known as "Developer-only Billing" or DOB, in the UK. They could also offer an alternative payment system next to Google's in a scheme known as "User Choice Billing" (UCB).That said, Google will still collect service fees from developers, which typically cost them between 15 to 30 percent of their earnings — it will just be a bit lower than usual. When developers don't offer Google Play billing at all, their service fee will be reduced by 3 percent. If they choose to offer an alternative payment method alongside Google's, and a customer chooses that, their service fee will be lowered by 4 percent.The tech giant explained in a post about its proposals: "The service fees for distributing apps via Android and Google Play will continue to be based on digital sales via our platform. The service fee is how we support our ongoing investments in Android and Google Play, reflects the value provided by Android and Google Play, and is how we earn money as a business."Last year, Google allowed Android app developers to use third-party payments in several European Union states. The company also collects service fees in the EU no matter the billing system a user chooses, though the rates are also reduced if they pay using the alternative billing method.Google says its commitments will be implemented in phases if the CMA decides to adopt them. The ability to add non-Google billing will initially be available to developers of non-gaming apps. Gaming app developers will be able to add alternative billing systems no later than October 2023.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-could-allow-developers-in-the-uk-to-use-third-party-payment-providers-121347912.html?src=rss
Since February, Netflix has offered paid account sharing in Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain. The add-on allows primary account holders to pay an additional fee every month to share their Netflix service with up to two people outside of their household. Now, it’s coming for US subscribers – or non-subscribers. The company wrote in its Q1 letter to shareholders: “In Q1, we launched paid sharing in four countries and are pleased with the results.” It added: “We are planning on a broad rollout, including in the US, in Q2.” Netflix has estimated more than 100 million non-paying households have access to its service – and it wants them to pay something.Netflix will also close its DVD rental business in September. Yes, that’s still a thing.– 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 missedApple's Mac Mini M2 falls back to a low of $500Breville Pizzaiolo review: A pricey pizza oven with lots of optionsThe best way to compost your food scraps'Mrs. Davis' review: Damon Lindelof's nun vs. AI show is a campy blast Twitter quietly reversed its policies to allow for intentional deadnaming and misgenderingWithings' latest entry-level scale is the $100 Body SmartPanic has sold more than 50,000 Playdates so farThe Polestar 4 electric SUV arrives with 544 HP and no rear windowIt also supports up to 200kW DC fast charging.PolestarPolestar has revealed its coupe-style electric SUV at the Shanghai Auto Show, and as expected, the Polestar 4 is a head-turner – but not for the driver. There's no rear window, so a camera provides the driver's rear view. With a large 102kWh battery, it has a 300-plus mile targeted range and $60,000 starting price, with both all-wheel and rear-wheel drive versions. It'll go on sale starting in China by the end of the year and launch in North America in 2024.Continue reading.Apple’s debut VR Headset might include workouts and fitness featuresThe company has reportedly been working with ‘a small number of developers.’According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple’s mixed reality headset (maybe named Reality One or Reality Pro) will focus heavily on gaming, fitness, sports and collaboration tools. The headset is rumored to switch between virtual and augmented reality. It may even run Apple Fitness+ workouts in VR as well as support for immersive sports viewing, which could include 360-degree views at live events. It has the technology: Apple bought VR sports startup NextVR back in 2020. We’re expecting the company to announce the headset at WWDC 2023 – which isn’t far off.Continue reading.The best e-ink tablets for 2023Scribble to your heart’s content.EngadgetIs it time to replace your notebook with something high-tech? There’s been a boom in e-ink tablets to replace your myriad notebooks with something that can connect to the internet, detect your handwriting and more. We tested a bunch of the most popular e-ink tablets available now – and we have recommendations.Continue reading.Xiaomi's 13 Ultra features four Leica-tuned camerasThese cover focal lengths across 12mm, 23mm, 75mm and 120mm.After debuting the first "1-inch" mobile camera sensor with the 12S Ultra last year, Xiaomi is back with a familiar-looking new phone with some significant upgrades. The Xiaomi 13 Ultra packs not three but four rear Leica cameras, with the main camera using the same "1-inch" 50-megapixel sensor, but with variable aperture to toggle between f/1.9 and f/4.0. The Xiaomi 13 Ultra is already available for pre-order in China, starting from 5,999 yuan (around $870). While it’s unlikely to launch in the US directly, we’ve been told the phone will reach international markets at some point. If you’re tempted, you may be able to import one.Continue reading.Paramount+ greenlights Star Trek film starring Michelle YeohThe recent Oscar winner will reprise her ‘Discovery’ character.Paramount+ is finally making the long-rumored Star Trek Section 31 project, starring recent Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh. However, this won’t be a TV show, but a feature-length movie. A Yeoh-led Star Trek: Section 31 has been in development since 2019, transitioning from a series to an “event film” with this latest announcement, according to Variety. Star Trek: Section 31 joins multiple forthcoming Trek projects, including a just-announced Starfleet Academy show and upcoming seasons of Star Trek: Prodigy, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Lower Decks. Star Trek: Picard finishes its three-season run this week, and Star Trek: Discovery returns for a final season sometime next year.Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-netflix-is-ready-to-crack-down-on-us-account-sharers-111535227.html?src=rss
It's a great time to shop for SSDs and memory cards if you've been looking to expand your devices' storage capacities. Samsung's products are on sale for up to 57 percent off at Amazon, some of which are now listed for their all-time low prices on the website. The Samsung 512GB microSDXC Pro Plus card that comes with a USB reader, for instance, will set you back $48. That's the lowest price we've seen for the product, which typically sells for $55 and used to sell for as much as $115. It has read/write speeds of 160/120 MB/s and can store up to 30 hours of videos shot in 4K.Another option is Samsung's Evo Select 128GB microSDXC card with adapter, which currently sells for only $12 or 40 percent off its list price of $20. It's a U3-rated card that has transfer speeds of up to 130MB/s, and Samsung recommends it for use not just with mobile devices, but also with the Nintendo Switch console.But if what you're looking for is a memory card for dashcams or security cameras, then Samsung's 128GB Pro Endurance microSDXC card may be the better choice. Samsung designed the model to be able to record and rewrite footage up to hundreds of thousands of hours in length, or up to eight years of continuous recording for the 128GB version. The company also says it designed the model to last and to be able to withstand being exposed to magnets, X-rays, water, harsh temperatures, as well as being dropped.In case you're looking to give your computer's storage capacity a boost instead, Samsung's 980 Pro internal SSD is also on sale. The 500GB variant will set you back $60, which is an all-time low for the SSD and is 57 percent lower than its list price of $140. It can reach read speeds of up to 3500MB/s and write speeds of up to 3400MB/s. Samsung says the Pro SSD was designed specifically for hardcore gamers and tech-savvy users, since it has the capability to handle heavy-duty applications for gaming, graphics and data analytics, among others. The model is also available in 1TB and 2TB if you need even more space.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/samsung-ssds-and-memory-cards-fall-to-new-lows-in-amazon-sale-102828612.html?src=rss
Tesla has slashed its electric vehicles' prices for the sixth time this year, on the eve of its next earnings report. It has quietly lowered the price for the Model 3, so that the the rear-wheel drive variant now starts at $39,990 or $2,000 less than what buyers would pay for it as recently as earlier this month. If you'll recall, the automaker already cut $1,000 off its price and started selling it for $41,990 the last time it implemented price cuts just a couple of weeks ago. And earlier this year, Tesla cut its prices quite drastically across its lineup, with some models getting a price drop of as much as 20 percent.As Tesla notes on its website, though, the rear-wheel drive model now only qualifies for $3,750 in tax credits after the government's change in guidelines took effect on April 18th. The new rules are related to the US cutting off China as an approved trading partner, which would lead to EVs using China-made batteries losing tax credits as a result. To note, Tesla's other cars are still eligible for the full $7,500 tax credits, including the Model Y vehicles that also got a price cut.The base, the Long Range and the Performance Model Y vehicles now cost $3,000 less than before. The base Model Y will now set buyers back $46,990, while the Long Range and Performance vehicles now cost $49,990 and $53,990, respectively. When Tesla reported its earnings for 2022 in January this year, Elon Musk said the company was seeing orders "almost twice the rate of production." According to Bloomberg, though, Tesla was unable to sustain that rate of demand and has made the lowest number of deliveries in the first quarter of this year since 2021. Since the company reportedly produced thousands of vehicles more than it handed over to customers, these price cuts were likely implemented to sell existing inventory and to drum up demand going forward.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/teslas-latest-price-cut-brings-model-3-pricing-below-40000-071124983.html?src=rss
Netflix is about to bring its fight against account sharing to the US. “In Q1, we launched paid sharing in four countries and are pleased with the results,” the company wrote in its Q1 letter to shareholders. “We are planning on a broad rollout, including in the US, in Q2.”Since February, Netflix has offered paid account sharing in Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain. The add-on allows primary account holders to pay an additional fee every month to share their Netflix service with up to two people outside of their household. As the main owner of an account, you can still watch on your phone and sign into the service on a device outside your home, like a smart TV at a hotel. Netflix also allows secondary users to convert their profiles into new accounts.“A Netflix account is meant to be shared in one household (people who live in the same location with the account owner),” the company says on a support page. “People who are not in your household will need to sign up for their own account to watch Netflix.”In the past, Netflix has estimated more than 100 million non-paying households have access to its service through free account sharing. The company says the practice limits its ability to invest in new content. It’s also aware the decision to restrict account sharing is likely to lead to cancelations. The expansion of paid account sharing comes on the same day Netflix said it would sunset its DVD rental business in September.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/netflix-is-about-to-crack-down-on-account-sharing-in-the-us-205918694.html?src=rss
After 25 years, Netflix's original business is shutting down. The company has revealed that it will "wind down" DVD rentals (that is. DVD.com), with its last movie discs mailing on September 29th. Simply put, the shrinking demand for physical rentals is making it "increasingly difficult" to offer the quality of service the company wants.Netflix shipped its first disc (Beetlejuice, if you're curious) in 1998. It has since mailed over 5.2 billion movies in its signature envelopes (nearly all of them before 2019) to more than 40 million customers. You likely know the story after that. The company began streaming on-demand video in 2007, and that business grew quickly enough that it became Netflix's most popular offering by 2009. After a premature attempt to spin off the mailed rentals as Qwikster in 2011, Netflix moved them to DVD.com in 2016. By that point, the company was well into producing original streaming shows and had stopped mailing DVDs on Saturdays.There's also a financial incentive to drop disc rentals. While Netflix is recovering from a bleak 2022, its profits in the first quarter were still worse than they were a year ago. Subscriber growth was relatively modest, too, at 1.7 million new users. A decision to axe the DVD-by-mail unit could help Netflix trim costs, even if the savings are relatively small. The disc market has been on a sharp and steady decline for years, according to VideoScan/MediaPlayNews data — sales alone dropped 19 percent from 2021 to 2022.It's nonetheless a sad moment for home video fans. Netflix played a major role in shaking up the movie rental business. Where retailers like Blockbuster dominated in the 1990s and early 2000s, Netflix helped people stay at home. Blockbuster and other rivals hopped into the market years later but fought to gain traction. While retail rentals are still available through Redbox kiosks and similar options, it's safe to say Netflix changed expectations for good.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/netflix-will-shut-down-its-dvd-rental-business-in-september-195213827.html?src=rss
Months later than rumored, Meta's Horizon Worlds is opening its doors to younger teens. The company is making its metaverse space accessible to teens aged 13 to 17 in the US and Canada in the weeks ahead. Unsurprisingly, the company is promising "robust" safety measures and parental controls — it wants to be sure the experience is age-appropriate, and the gradual rollout will help it gauge how well those protections are working.Teens' Horizon Worlds profiles will be private by default, and won't automatically show locations or active statuses. They won't see unfamiliar adults in their "people you might know" lists. Age ratings prevent teens from creating or using mature content, and a "voice mode" garbles the voices of anyone that isn't following back. These younger users will also get safety tips while they're in VR.Parents can use the Meta Quest app or Family Center (now available for Horizon Worlds) to control features like personal boundaries. They can also allow or block apps, track usage and see who's following who. All users can cast their VR view to an external screen, so a parent in the room can see what's happening.The strategy closely reflects Meta's approach to teen safety on Facebook and Instagram. That won't necessarily please everyone. Senators have urged Meta to keep teens off Horizon Worlds over concerns the company's safeguards may be inadequate. They've noted that Meta's own research revealed harm to some teens, and that other virtual spaces like VRChat are prone to predatory and toxic behavior.There's plenty of pressure on Meta to expand, however. The social media giant has struggled to pivot to the metaverse, and continues to lose billions investing in the Reality Labs unit behind Horizon Worlds and Quest headsets. A wider teen audience could boost Horizon's audience and spur the market for VR hardware.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/metas-horizon-worlds-is-opening-to-young-teens-in-the-us-and-canada-194600914.html?src=rss
Apple is reportedly readying a wide array of apps and services for its upcoming mixed reality headset, according toBloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The company appears to be moving forward with plans to announce its first VR / AR headset at its Worldwide Developers’ Conference in June.The Apple mixed reality headset (rumored to be named “Reality One” or “Reality Pro”) can allegedly switch between virtual and augmented reality. It will focus heavily on gaming, fitness, sports and collaboration tools. Customers who buy the device can use “millions” of existing apps in the headset’s 3D interface “with slight modifications” from developers. Additionally, Apple has reportedly been working with “a small number of developers” for months to optimize apps for the new product. Announcing the device months before its launch should also give other developers time to create new apps or adapt existing ones for its futuristic interface.Although many of the product’s details have leaked before, a new morsel in this report is its ability to run Apple Fitness+ workouts in VR. (Imagine a virtual workout where you feel like you’re in the same space as the instructor.) In addition, it will allegedly support immersive sports viewing, leveraging the company’s streaming rights for Major League Soccer and Major League Baseball, as well as its 2020 purchase of VR sports startup NextVR. Likewise, the Apple TV app will let you watch videos in virtual environments like a desert or the sky.The report says the headset will have a productivity focus, similar to the Meta Quest Pro. “The platform will support its Pages word processing, Numbers spreadsheet and Keynote slide deck apps, as well as iMovie and GarageBand for video and music production,” writes Gurman. It would also prioritize communication and remote collaboration, letting users see full-body 3D avatars of people they're talking with in FaceTime calls. Gaming will also be a primary focus. However, that wasn't always the case, as today's report says that Apple previously wasn't putting as much attention into that space.Gurman also reiterates earlier reporting about the headset, including a Digital Crown like the one on the Apple Watch and AirPods Max headphones that lets you switch between VR (fully immersive, no real-world view) and AR (using cameras to combine your real environment and virtual elements). It would support running multiple apps simultaneously, “floating within the mixed-reality interface.” It could also remember where you were in your physical environment, leaving virtual elements in the same spot you left them. (We saw that feature as far back as the first HoloLens developer kit in 2016.)The headset would also let you control it with eye gestures that determine where you’re looking and hand gestures like finger pinches to select items and navigate menus. In addition, it will have an in-air virtual keyboard and support physical keyboards for a more tactile typing experience. Its home screen could appear similar to the iPad’s with Apple’s familiar Control Center for toggling things like WiFi, Bluetooth and volume. Finally, it will support Siri voice control and use eye scans for security, acting as the device’s equivalent to Face ID and Touch ID.Although the product will supply a robust feature set that will elicit curiosity, other companies have tried similar things but have yet to succeed. For example, although the cheaper Meta Quest VR headsets have done reasonably well as gaming devices, the more expensive Meta Quest Pro — with a similar mixed reality focus and productivity apps — has been a tougher sell to consumers. And Apple’s version will reportedly cost around three times as much — a staggering $3,000. On the other hand, Apple’s history requires us to keep a somewhat open mind: There were MP3 players before the iPod, smartphones before the iPhone and smartwatches before the Apple Watch. Those competing devices all had similar features but failed to capture the public’s imagination in the same way as Apple’s stylish and user-friendly variants.Even if the product targets a niche audience, it could serve a purpose as a consumer-facing transition product pointing toward an eventual pair of AR glasses that passes for a regular pair of prescription frames. Seen by many in the industry as the holy grail of mixed reality, such a device could be worn all day out in the world, while the upcoming mixed reality headset expected in June would not.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/latest-apple-headset-rumors-say-itll-include-vr-workouts-and-sports-192316389.html?src=rss
When it comes to sustainability, cities represent both the problem and the solution. Sprawling slabs of concrete and asphalt create heat islands, resulting in significantly higher temperatures than non-urbanized areas, while city populations are only growing as the planet becomes more populous. Already, more than 60 percent of humans live in urban areas.Framlab is a research and design studio based in Bergen, Norway, and Brooklyn, New York, and architects there are focused on rethinking the way we build city spaces. Framlab founder Andreas Tjeldflaat believes there’s a need to overhaul conventional urban planning with an eye on inclusion, adaptability and regeneration. His concepts address micro- and macro-level societal issues, from feelings of personal isolation to the consequences of human-driven climate change. They also end up looking extremely sleek.Tjeldflaat outlined three conceptual projects for us, each one addressing a different problem in growing cities. Open House is a building designed to encourage interpersonal interaction through the use of soft edges and shared spaces, while Oversky places floating, cloud-like buildings above the city streets. Glasir takes advantage of leftover urban spaces like empty lots and streetside landscaping by establishing large glass treehouses with community gardens inside their branches. Watch the video for the below for the full story.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/framlab-design-research-lab-sustainable-architecture-video-191542871.html?src=rss
A Galaxy Quest series is reportedly under development for Paramount+. A new show based on the 1999 cult-classic film — a spoof of Star Trek and its fandom — will land on the streaming home of five original Trek series, according toThe Hollywood Reporter.The sci-fi comedy followed a cast of washed-up actors making a meager living from the convention circuit after their television series — also called Galaxy Quest — was canceled. The plot involves aliens who picked up transmissions of the show from Earth, believing it to be a real-life documentary. The socially awkward extraterrestrials, gelatinous creates who take on humanoid forms, seek the actors’ leadership as their planet faces extinction. The cast eventually finds itself transported to outer space, where they reluctantly face the threat and eventually learn to live up to their TV personas. Galaxy Quest was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $90 million at the box office and gaining cult-classic status.ParamountIf the series brings back the film’s original cast, it will have to make do without star Alan Rickman, who died of cancer in 2016. In addition to his scene-stealing turn as Alexander Dane, the movie starred Tim Allen as narcissistic William Shatner equivalent Jason Nesmith, Sigourney Weaver as Gwen DeMarco, Tony Shalhoub as Fred Kawn, Daryl Mitchell as Tommy Webber and Sam Rockwell as Guy Fleegman (a spoof of Star Trek’s expendable “redshirts”).The new Paramount+ series is in its “early development stages.” Mark Johnson, an executive producer of the movie, returns for the upcoming series. No casting or writing decisions have been reported. Paramount TV Studios will develop the film for its streaming counterpart.The upcoming series isn’t the first attempt to revive the IP. It was reported in 2021 that Simon Pegg and Succession writer Georgia Pritchett were helming a new series; it’s unclear whether the new project includes them. Before that, in 2015, an adaptation with the original cast was also under development. However, that one never advanced beyond the development stage after Rickman’s death and scheduling conflicts with Allen. In a 2016 interview, Rockwell told the Hollywood Reporter, “We were ready to sign up, and [then] Alan Rickman passed away and Tim Allen wasn’t available — he has [Last Man Standing] — and everybody’s schedule was all weird. It was going to shoot, like, right now. And how do you fill that void of Alan Rickman? That’s a hard void to fill.”This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/a-galaxy-quest-series-is-reportedly-coming-to-paramount-173542956.html?src=rss
It has been a year since Panic started shipping the Playdate, its charming handheld console. To mark the occasion, the company has revealed just how many units players have bought to date. Panic says it has sold 53,142 Playdates so far. That's more than two and a half times the number of units the company initially expected to make.When Panic opened pre-orders in mid-2021, it wasn't certain whether it would sell the first batch of 20,000 consoles at a reasonable pace. Eager customers snapped all of those within 20 minutes.While there is clearly a demand for the console with a crank, getting the Playdate into players' hands has been a tricker problem. Panic came across a "critical" battery issue while manufacturing the first batch, leading it to switch suppliers and delay the console from late 2021 into 2022.Not only have parts shortages slowed down deliveries, manufacturing costs forced Panic to increase the price of the Playdate by $20 to $199 earlier this month. Panic has shipped more than 27,000 Playdates and it expects to fulfill all preorders by the end of 2023. After that, it hopes to make Playdate available on an ad-hoc basis and to finally start shipping the Playdate Stereo Dock.Every Playdate user gets access to a library of 24 games, while there are more than 400 titles available for the console on Itch.io. Panic says almost 40 percent of users have sideloaded at least one game or app. Meanwhile, the company recently rolled out Catalog, a built-in store. So far, users have installed Catalog games and apps more than 19,500 times.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/panic-has-sold-more-than-50000-playdates-so-far-171010089.html?src=rss
No matter how you feel about it, Star Trek: Picardis a bonafide hit so you know what that means: more Star Trek. Paramount+ is finally making the long-rumored Section 31 project, starring recent Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh. However, this is not a TV show, as previously surmised, but a feature-length movie.A Yeoh-led Star Trek: Section 31 has been in development since 2019, transitioning from a series to an “event film” with this latest announcement, according to Variety. Production starts later this year, led by writer Craig Sweeny and frequent Star Trek: Discovery director Olatunde Osunsanmi. Producers include Alex Kurtzman, who is behind every iteration of modern Trek, and Rod Roddenberry, son of franchise creator Gene Roddenberry.In this film, Yeoh reprises the character of Emperor Philippa Georgiou from Star Trek: Discovery, a sort-of evil, sort-of-lovable dictator from a parallel universe. (It’s a long story.) The official logline says that the movie starts when “Georgiou joins a secret division of Starfleet tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets and faces the sins of her past.”That brings us to the titular Section 31. The shadowy organization was introduced in the beloved 1990s series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, as a foil for Starfleet, testing the boundaries of the idealism depicted in the future world of Star Trek. Since then, it has popped up in most modern Trek installments, including the animated Star Trek: Lower Decks and in movies like Star Trek: Into Darkness.Star Trek: Section 31 joins multiple forthcoming Trek projects, such as that just-announced Starfleet Academy show and upcoming seasons of Star Trek: Prodigy, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Lower Decks. Star Trek: Picard finishes its three-season run this week and Star Trek: Discovery returns for a final season sometime next year. In other news, we only have 40 more years until we make first contact with the Vulcans, so there’s that to look forward to.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/paramount-greenlights-star-trek-film-starring-michelle-yeoh-164630152.html?src=rss
YouTube already bans videos that directly promote eating disorders, but now it's clamping down on content that may unintentionally encourage that behavior. To begin with, the service banning videos on eating disorders that feature "imitable" behavior or weight-oriented bullying. The company will also restrict informative and artistic videos containing disorders (such as someone discussing their recovery) to users 18 and older.You'll also see crisis resource panels for eating disorders in more places. While they already appear in search results in nine countries (including the US, Canada and UK), you'll now see them underneath relevant videos in those areas. Viewers in the US may be encouraged to call or chat with the National Eating Disorder Association in the US.The new approach will initially be viewable today and reach more people in the weeks ahead. YouTube says this is an "ongoing" effort.The addition is an acknowledgment that videos can affect people in "different ways," YouTube says. Ideally, this will minimize the chances of helpful video creators inadvertently fostering eating disorders in at-risk viewers.Whether or not this works as intended is another matter. YouTube's enforcement hasn't always been consistent, and it has occasionally had to reverse policies (such as one limiting profanity in monetized videos) that inadvertently punished certain creators. Gaming and LGBTQ video producers, for instance, have complained that YouTube has demonetized clips that aren't harmful. With that said, the updated policy is focused on limiting access to videos, not removing their money-making potential.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/youtube-cracks-down-on-videos-that-could-encourage-eating-disorders-163628141.html?src=rss
After years of resistance, Instagram is allowing users to add more than one link to their profile page. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the change on Tuesday through his broadcast channel. “You can now add up to five links in your Instagram bio,” he said. “Probably one of the most requested features we’ve had.”As a refresher, you can add a link to your Instagram profile by tapping the “Edit profile” button that appears above your photo grid and highlights. With the change rolling out to users, Instagram will even prompt you to add multiple links. The interface Meta designed for displaying the links isn’t the most elegant thing the company has ever released but it’s functional. If you put more than one link on your profile, Instagram will truncate the first one and state how many more follow. Tapping the first link that appears brings up a selection screen that allows you to see all the links at once.If I had to guess, those who were already using services like Linktree to direct people to their other social profiles will continue doing so because those platforms offer more customization and allow you to include more than five links. In filling out my profile page, I didn’t run into any restrictions where Instagram told me I could not add a specific link, though I only attempted to link to my Engadget page and Twitter profile. I’ve reached out to Meta for more information.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/instagram-lets-you-add-five-links-to-your-profile-so-you-can-stop-using-linktree-161957490.html?src=rss
Apple’s HomePod and HomePod mini can now alert you if an alarm goes off at home while you’re away. Sound Recognition, a feature announced alongside the latest full-sized version of Apple’s speaker, is finally available beginning today.After setting up Sound Recognition in the Home app on an Apple device, your HomePod(s) will listen for smoke or carbon monoxide alarms. If it hears one, it will send an alert to your iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch; you’ll also see a banner in the Home app in case you accidentally dismiss the notification. At that point, you can quickly check in, using your iPhone or iPad, to hear the alarm and call emergency services or otherwise act accordingly.In addition, if you have a HomeKit camera connected in the same space, the notification will include a video feed of the incident. Apple says all audio analysis occurs on the device as a privacy safeguard, and checking in to hear the audio is end-to-end encrypted. Finally, Siri will announce to anyone at home that you’re checking in.Apple recommends adding an extra layer of protection by setting up an automation that will turn on any HomeKit-compatible smart fans and open smart blinds if your indoor temperature rises above a certain threshold. That feature uses built-in temperature and humidity sensors on the smart speakers.Apple launched the latest HomePod in January after discontinuing the first-generation (full-sized) model in March 2021. The company snuck temperature and humidity sensors into the HomePod mini but didn’t unlock that capability until January, nearly a year and a half after the smaller speaker’s launch.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-homepod-can-now-alert-you-if-a-smoke-alarm-goes-off-while-youre-out-160043832.html?src=rss
There are many, many tablets out there to choose from and even among just Apple's options, picking the best iPad for your needs may require some research. But sometimes, a deal pops up that makes such decisions much more straightforward. Right now, you can snap up Apple's 2022 iPad Air for just $500. That's $100 off and the lowest price we've seen for the tablet all year. Amazon lists the device for $559, but it's currently applying a $59 coupon at checkout.The deal is valid on all colors, including blue, purple, pink, starlight and space gray. It's for a WiFi-only model with 64GB of storage. Of note, this iPad Air has Apple's M1 chip. Combined with the lower price, that may make the Air a more compelling option than the regular iPad, which also has a 10.9-inch screen but a less-advanced A14 Bionic chip (that device currently starts at $449).The iPad Air comes with a 12MP wide camera and a 12MP front-facing camera that supports Apple's Center Stage feature. This harnesses machine learning to detect your head and keep it centered in the frame during your FaceTime calls.We gave the latest iPad Air a score of 90 in our review, lauding it for the M1-powered zippiness, upgraded camera and battery life (it lasted for up to 12 hours between charges in our testing). We remain fans of the design and build quality as well.On the downside, Apple stuck with Touch ID instead of incorporating Face ID, while the base storage of 64GB isn't a lot to work with these days. Plus, be prepared to shell out quite a bit if you want to use Apple's official keyboard or the Apple Pencil. On the whole, though, the Air is perhaps the best iPad option for most folks right now, especially bearing in mind the solid discount.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/apples-2022-ipad-air-is-back-on-sale-for-500-155033771.html?src=rss
A few months ago, it seemed like every cooking account I followed on Instagram was using a Pizzaiolo. I stumbled upon Breville’s dedicated pizza oven a while ago at the suggestion of a colleague, but it was a bit outside of our coverage area to review. Now that we have an annual week of kitchen-focused reviews, buyer’s guides and how-tos, it was time to finally put a Pizzaiolo through its paces for this website.Breville’s Pizzaiolo may look a bit like its toaster ovens, but the larger unit is designed for one thing: pizza. From handy presets to a full manual mode for advanced users, this oven offers just about anything you’d want – so long as your pizzas are round and 12-inches or smaller. But even with all of its cooking chops, is the Pizzaiolo worth the nearly $1,000 price tag? Or perhaps the better question is: Do you really need a dedicated pizza oven inside your house?DesignPhoto by Billy Steele/EngadgetThe Pizzaiolo looks like many other Breville countertop appliances. Available in stainless steel and black finishes, the pizza oven has a design akin to the company’s multi-function toaster ovens and air fryers – namely the Smart Oven line. At 18.1 x 18.5 inches though, the Pizzaiolo is much bigger than all of those compact kitchen accessories. Like Breville’s Smart Oven lineup, this pizza-focused model has a silver door handle up top, though the one here is more robust than what’s on the smaller ovens. There’s also a wide viewing window that allows you to observe the cooking area from edge to edge.All of the controls are on the front, situated at the bottom right. Two large main dials control the timer and style presets while a tiny third selector lets you adjust the “Darkness” or power of the top heating element. There are also two lights: one to indicate you’re in manual mode and one that glows when the oven has reached your desired temperature and blinks slowly while it’s preheating. Manual mode lets you control the temperature of both the top and bottom heating elements independently, rather than relying on Breville’s style presets. The company includes a magnet that lays over the time numbers and preset labels so you know what temps you’ve chosen for manual mode.Inside, the 12-inch cooking area is a round stone that doesn’t quite go all the way to the sides of the cooking area. The Pizzaiolo has reflectors around the baking stone that send heat from the top heating element to the crust. This means you can only use the oven for pizza or things baked in smaller round pans since there isn’t any extra room to work with. There also isn’t an interior light to help you see how things are progressing. However, Breville says the radiant heat is controlled by the oven so you don’t need to worry about rotating pizzas for even cooking. Lastly, the deck that holds the stone is connected to the door, so when you open it, the cooking surface moves closer to you. This makes launching and removing pizzas slightly easier.Setup and usePhoto by Billy Steele/EngadgetBefore you use the Pizzaiolo for the first time, you’ll need to wipe down the inside and the top of the stone with a damp cloth or sponge. Once everything is dry, you have to run the oven wide open at 750 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes to season it. When the time is up, the Pizzaiolo is ready to cook your first pie. By default, the style selector picks all of the oven settings for you, so you make the choice there first and the recommended time will show on the other dial automatically. Of course, you can adjust this as needed.Depending on the style and temperature, Breville says the preheating process can take up to 20 minutes. I only timed this on the hottest possible option – 750 degrees – since it would take the longest. The Pizzaiolo took 17 minutes to reach that number. When you turn the oven off, the fan will run for another 15 minutes to cool the “sensitive electronics.”One thing that’s nice about the Pizzaiolo is that the outside stays relatively cool during the cooking process. Breville says this is due to the double-pane front window and “multi-material insulation” that keeps as much of the heat inside as possible. Indeed, the top stays cool to the touch when in use, but the bottom of the sides where the vents are located and the door (not the handle) get hot.The only issue I had was a small fire from excess semolina on the bottom of one pie. It wasn’t a big deal as it went out quickly and wasn’t all that big, but it left a mess on the stone I didn’t want to put another pizza on top of. With outdoor ovens from Ooni, for example, this would just burn off and you’d use a brush to push the extra burned bits to the side or rake them to the front.On the Pizzaiolo, there’s nowhere to brush any debris as the opening around the stone goes underneath it where the heating element resides. The fact that the cooking deck is attached to the door also makes sweeping out any bits difficult. Even when the oven is off the inside is awkward to clean since the interior isn’t very tall. In a few spots, it’s hard to see the grime you might’ve missed.Making the pizzaOoni's classic pizza dough recipe cooked on the "Wood Fired" preset.Photo by Billy Steele/EngadgetBreville’s presets come in handy when you just want to make good pizza and not worry about the exact numbers for time and temp. As promised, the full-heat and “Wood Fired” options produce the leoparding that’s desired for Neapolitan-style pizza. The former option also adjusts the top heating element so that just the outer crust is getting direct heat during baking (pictured in the gallery below). I was also impressed by the even cooking on the New York setting, where the crust and toppings were evenly cooked but there was still a pleasant chewiness to the bite.Perhaps the biggest surprise was the Frozen option, which puts the stone at 425-475 degrees and the top at 350-400 with even heat for the Darkness. In full disclosure, I splurged on Newman’s Own stone-fired pizzas which are supposedly imported from Italy, but the results were seriously impressive. The Pizzaiolo also did well on thin cauliflower crust pies from Milton’s – a Steele family favorite.The competitionAn alternative to the Pizzaiolo is the Ooni Volt 12. It’s much larger than the Breville pizza oven, but it does have a square stone that gives you a bit more versatility. There’s also an interior light that stays on the whole time so you can see clearly what’s happening inside. The Volt 12 looks a lot like Ooni’s recent outdoor ovens with completely manual controls that give you the ability to select an exact temperature and manage the balance between the top and bottom heating elements. What’s more, Ooni includes a boost feature that can get the stone back to your desired temp in about 45 seconds. Like the Pizzaiolo, though, the big downside is cost as the Volt 12 is $999.Wrap-upYou don’t need a dedicated pizza oven to make great pizza at home. With some affordable accessories like a baking stone or steel, you can cook excellent pies inside the main oven in your kitchen. There are also tons of more affordable wood- and gas-burning outdoor options. Breville’s Pizzaiolo does offer a lot of tools for cooking pizza, from the convenient presets to the full manual mode for endlessly adjusting the variables. That Frozen setting alone is no joke. Since it’s slightly smaller than Ooni’s Volt 12, and looks more like a kitchen appliance, I could see the Pizzaiolo permanently sitting on someone’s counter. You’d have to really love making pizza at home though, and even then, the price will be prohibitive for most.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/breville-pizzaiolo-review-150020198.html?src=rss
Mrs. Davis is a deeply silly show deeply committed its silliness. And that's precisely what makes it so much fun. The new Peacock series from Tara Hernandez (The Big Bang Theory) and Damon Lindelof (Lost, The Leftovers), pits a nun with a mysterious past against an all-powerful, seemingly omniscient artificial intelligence. Her mission: to find the Holy Grail. You know, another one of those stories. Along the way, there are a slew of messy beheadings, a cheesy '90s-era car chase and a group of villainous German henchman spiritually descended from The Big Lebowski's trio of Nihilists.If you were looking for another complex genre exercise like Lindelof's excellent Watchmen series or The Leftovers, Mrs. Davis ain't it. But from the first scene of the show, you can tell that he probably had a lot more fun making this. Initially based on a spec script by Hernandez, who also served as showrunner, Mrs. Davis is practically a live-action cartoon, filled with colorful set-pieces and a never-ending slew of zany characters, all set in a world where humans willingly subject themselves to the demands of an AI via wireless earbuds.None of Mrs. Davis would work without Betty Gilpin (GLOW, The Hunt) as its heart and soul. As Simone, the nun being targeted by Mrs. Davis, she effectively juggles a hard-edged cynicism with an openness to pure devotion. It's hard enough to be a believable action lead, it's even tougher to make that same character seem believably devout. By the time we see Simone racing through city streets on a motorcycle, while also wearing her nun habit, we fully buy Gilpin in the role. It's like seeing Kill Bill's The Bride with a samurai sword — it's sure to be an indelible pop cultural image. (And of course, it hearkens back to Abel Ferrara's cult revenge classic, Ms. 45.)As a piece of cultural commentary, Mrs. Davis is practically allergic to subtext. It's a nun versus AI, what else do you need? It's easy to draw parallels between religious devotion and the way we live with technology today. That's particularly true when it comes to the explosive rise of generative AI. Is there really a huge difference between plugging in a string into ChatGPT or Midjourney and hoping for an interesting result, compared to putting your hands together and praying for divine help? And if AI ultimately ends up fulfilling our needs more effectively, wouldn't people treat it with a certain amount of religious reverence?These questions danced around my head as I watched Mrs. Davis, but the series itself is far more interested in goofy shenanigans and soapy plot twists than attempting any serious philosophical exploration. But I suppose even Damon Lindelof needs a vacation sometimes. Your enjoyment of the show will depend on well you sync up with its farcical wavelength. Why is there a group of well-funded, anti-AI militia bros, led by a shirtless buffoon? Don't worry about it, they're hilarious (Chris Diamantopoulos, one of the more memorable VC bros from HBO's Silicon Valley, truly commits.)The idea for Mrs. Davis arrived in the early paranoid phase of the pandemic, Lindelof told us in an interview. During that time of sheer uncertainty — back when we were still wiping down groceries — Hernandez wished for an app that could just tell her what to do. "What if there was something that we trusted?" Lindelof said. He was also intrigued by the role of algorithms in our lives, something he noticed while going down YouTube and Tiktok rabbit holes with his teenage son.Mrs. Davis was written and produced long before ChatGPT and other generative AI tools reached the public, but its release couldn't be better timed. Despite just making a show about an all-powerful algorithm, Lindelof is intrigued by the new AI tools. "Artificial intelligence is basically coded to give us what we want," he said. "And so, never before in the history of of technology have we had more of an opportunity to get clarity on what it is we want.... What is human existence? What is the meaning of life?"PeacockIf Mrs. Davis more effectively wrestled with those questions, it would have been another prestigious series for Lindelof. Instead, it feels more like a creative exercise, one that gave Hernandez the opportunity to move beyond the world of sitcoms."I think that we we have an unprecedented opportunity for the greatest therapist in the history of of of our species to tell us, here's what you really are like," he added. "For any fan of Douglas Adams, we now have that computer that's going to spit out "42" [Adams' comedic answer to the meaning of life]. I'm just curious to see what it says."The first four episodes of Mrs. Davis premiere on Peacock on April 20th.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mrs-davis-review-damon-lindelof-nun-vs-ai-peacock-150006136.html?src=rss
If you've been eyeing a new air fryer but don't want something too large or pricey, Instant's Vortex Mini is the top budget pick in our air fryer buying guide, and it's currently down to $40 as part of a new sale. While this isn't the lowest price we've seen, it's within $5, and it represents a roughly $10 drop from the 2-quart air fryer's typical street price. Just note the deal only applies to the aqua blue model.As a refresher, an air fryer works like a smaller, pod-shaped convection oven. It can cook smaller foods better than a microwave, and it's typically faster and more energy-efficient than a traditional oven. The Vortex Mini is among the most compact models we've tested, so it can't cook a ton of food at once, but we've found it to perform well for single servings and side dishes like french fries, tofu, pizza slices or roasted veggies. It has four preprogrammed buttons — air fry, bake, roast and reheat — and we generally found it simple to operate. Because it's only about a foot tall and nine inches wide, it doesn't take up much countertop space, nor is it a hassle to clean. All of this makes the Vortex Mini a decent accessory for those living in smaller spaces who mainly cook for themselves.This deal comes as part of a couple of wider sales on Instant kitchen accessories at Amazon. If you're looking for a larger air fryer, the top pick in our guide, the six-quart Instant Vortex Plus, is on sale for $130, which is about $20 less than usual. If you're after an electric pressure cooker, meanwhile, the Instant Pot Pro is the upgrade pick in our Instant Pot buying guide, and it's back down to $130 as well.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/instant-vortex-mini-air-fryer-is-on-sale-for-40-144528481.html?src=rss
Too often now it seems you'll be watching a movie or show only for the characters' conversations to be muffled by what's happening in the background. Sure, you can pick up the remote and raise the volume, but then everything increases, and eventually subtitles are needed to catch everything. Amazon is attempting to resolve this issue by rolling out a new Prime Video feature called Dialogue Boost, which lets you increase the volume of conversation relative to other sounds.It appears pretty easy to use as it lives right in the audio menu with Low to High boost available, depending on what you're looking for. Amazon also claims that Dialogue Boost should benefit anyone who is hard of hearing.AmazonThe AI-based technology works by isolating audio and enhancing speech volume in any scenes it determines that the background sound or music may overwhelm the dialogue. Of course, the tool is exclusive to Prime Video and, right now, is only on a select few Amazon-produced titles. You can test it out through any device with Amazon Originals like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Harlem or movies like Being The Ricardos and The Big Sick. Program to program, the details page will let you know whether Dialogue Boost is available.Amazon plans to integrate Dialogue Boost across more titles later this year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-adds-a-new-dialogue-boost-option-for-its-original-tv-shows-and-movies-150023374.html?src=rss
It’s almost time to once again gather ‘round a screen with YouTube access to learn about upcoming video games, as Nintendo has scheduled its next Indie World showcase. At noon ET tomorrow (April 19th), you’ll get to take a peek at some of the fresh indie games you might end up playing between The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom sessions.Nintendo hasn’t given much away about what to expect. The stream will run for around 20 minutes and include “reveals, announcements and updates on indie games for Nintendo Switch.” We might, for instance, finally get more details on Oxenfree II, which was delayed to this year. It seems less likely that Hollow Knight: Silksong will make an appearance, since much of the recent news on that front has come from Xbox events. You never know, though!Here’s hoping that the tradition of games popping up in an Indie World showcase and hitting the eShop on the same day continues. You’ll be able to watch the showcase below:This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nintendos-latest-indie-world-showcase-is-set-for-april-19th-134744754.html?src=rss
After debuting the first "1-inch" mobile camera sensor with the 12S Ultra last year, Xiaomi is back with a familiar-looking successor but with some significant upgrades. The new Xiaomi 13 Ultra packs not three but four rear Leica cameras, with the 23mm OIS (optical image stabilization) main camera using the same "1-inch" 50-megapixel Sony IMX989 sensor, but now with variable aperture to toggle between f/1.9 and f/4.0 for different artistic takes.The remaining three cameras do ultra-wide (12mm, f/1.8, 122-degree FOV), periscopic 5x zoom (120mm, f/3.0, OIS) and the new 3.2x zoom (75mm, f/1.8, OIS) for sharp portraits with more bokeh. These all use the new 50-megapixel 1/2.51-inch IMX858 sensor, which claims to offer the same noise reduction, all-pixel focus and DOL-HDR performance as its 1-inch cousin. If true, this would ensure a more consistent image quality across all four cameras, which had been a big challenge for smartphone makers previously. On the other side of the phone, the punch-hole selfie camera remains at 32 megapixels.As with recent flagship phones, it comes as no surprise that the Xiaomi 13 Ultra is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, with up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 1TB of UFS 4.0 storage. The device also supports USB 3.2 with up to 5Gbps of transfer speed — 10x faster than the 12S Ultra — and up to 4K 60Hz of DisplayPort video output. The slightly larger 5,000mAh battery is complemented by a 90W charger, which reaches 100-percent charge in 35 minutes. You can also use it with Xiaomi's 50W wireless charger, when you're not in a rush. But if you do run out of juice, the new "Hibernation mode" can apparently stretch the final 1-percent battery into 60-minute standby or a 12-minute call, thanks to Xiaomi's very own P2 and G1 co-processors.While the AMOLED display still comes in at 6.73 inches wide with the same 3,200 x 1,440 resolution, this time it's a new LTPO panel supplied by CSOT (a TCL subsidiary). This supposedly benefits from a new C7 luminous material with a more precise 12-bit color depth, along with a peak brightness of 2,600 nits (or up to 1,300 nits in high brightness mode), better viewing angles and lower power consumption. You get Dolby Vision support as well.XiaomiAs with its predecessor, the Xiaomi 13 Ultra features IP68 rating for dust- and water-resistance. In addition to its metallic unibody, the device also consists of a second-generation nano-tech material with anti-bacterial properties and UV resistance. Internally, it touts a new loop-shaped vapor cooling chamber, which uses multiple liquid channels to supposedly dissipate heat three times faster than a conventional design. This is mainly to keep the phone cool while shooting 4K videos.The company also implemented a dual-wing cellular antenna module, which apparently offers a 58-percent boost in signal reception across all bands. As a bonus, the symmetrical antenna layout should reduce interference from hands, and there's also a new dedicated 5G antenna which apparently boosts the n78 band's signal by 100 percent.XiaomiThe Xiaomi 13 Ultra is already available for pre-order in China, starting from 5,999 yuan (around $870) for the 12GB RAM with 256GB storage model, all the way to 7,299 yuan (around $1,060) for the 16GB RAM with 1TB storage option. Color-wise, you can choose between olive green, black and white. For an extra 799 yuan ($120), you can get the "Xiaomi 13 Ultra Professional Photography Kit" which includes a camera grip attachment (with a physical shutter button) and a special phone case — one that lets you attach the included 67mm filter ring adapter and lens cap.Engadget understands that the Xiaomi 13 Ultra will reach international markets at some point (except for the white version, sadly), so stay tuned.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/xiaomis-13-ultra-features-four-leica-tuned-cameras-132616095.html?src=rss
Samsung is replacing its Free app on Galaxy devices with a client that's more focused, if also a little familiar. The company is launching a beta News app that, somewhat like its Apple equivalent, concentrates on top headlines (here organized into morning and evening briefings) as well as customizable feeds. Unlike many other news apps, though, you can also listen to podcasts.The app will reach US-based Galaxy hardware in the weeks ahead, and will automatically replace Free if it's already installed. You can otherwise download it from Samsung's Galaxy Store. The news will initially come from "trusted partners" that include Axios, Huffington Post (formerly a sibling brand of Engadget) and Sports Illustrated. More outlets and additional features are coming, Samsung says.The change may create a few hassles. Free combined news with Samsung TV Plus channels and casual gaming. Now, you'll have to go to separate apps to access that content. However, the News app may be considerably more useful if you're catching up on the day's events, or want to listen to a recap during the commute home.There's no mention of a paid service comparable to Apple News+, which offers access to some subscription-only news sources as well as magazines. However, the strategy isn't all that different. Samsung is shifting its attention to services at a time when the phone market is grim — you may be more likely to stick to your Galaxy phone (and pay for content on it) if services like News prove appealing.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsungs-news-app-brings-daily-headlines-and-podcasts-to-galaxy-devices-130108893.html?src=rss
AirPods are known for two things: playing good audio and going on sale. Today, Apple's premium earbuds are living up to one of them in big way after Woot slashed the first-generation AirPod Pros back to an all-time low from $249 to $159. That's a savings of $90 (or 36 percent), but be quick because the deal is for today only.If you don't care too much about having the latest model, this price drop puts the Pros around the cost of the standard third-generation AirPods. The big benefit of these headphones is their impressive active noise cancelling (ANC) feature, which makes them good for travel, but also calls. They also have IPX4 water resistance, so you can go on a nice Spring jog without worrying about sweat bothering them. Then there's the benefit of hands-free Siri access, so you can make calls, send messages and turn on alarms without having to dig deep into any bags for your phone.The first-gen AirPod Pros last about five hours per use and give you 24 hours of battery life with the case, which gives you the option to wirelessly charge. If you do happen to have some extra cash and could maybe spring for the second-generation AirPod Pros. Amazon has them priced at $200, a savings of $50 (or 20 percent).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/apples-previous-gen-airpods-pro-drop-to-159-123402268.html?src=rss
Two weeks ago, Netflix confirmed it would livestream the Love Is Blind season four reunion. But when the time came, first it was delayed, then, after an hour, Netflix pulled the plug. The streaming service soon tweeted an apology and aired the reunion yesterday.This was only Netflix's second attempt at livestreaming. Its first, Chris Rock's comedy special Selective Outrage, aired live in March. But Netflix edited his material about being hit by Will Smith at the Oscars. Rock got a film name wrong in a punchline when performing live and corrected himself mid-delivery. The streaming service subsequently cut around the hiccup. Netflix also owns the rights to stream the Screen Actors Guild Awards live, next year, which should give it enough time to fix those technical difficulties.– 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 missedHow to make the most of that Instant Pot you just bought Mercedes' EQS 680 SUV Maybach is all about back-seat luxurySega is buying Angry Birds maker Rovio for $776 million Starting tomorrow, only six EVs will still qualify for a $7,500 federal tax creditGoogle wants you to help listen for fishHelp train a conservation-focused AI model by listening for fish sounds.GoogleGoogle’s new project, a collaboration with marine biologist Steve Simpson and marine ecologist Mary Shodipo, is training AI to recognize aquatic wildlife sounds, hoping to replenish them and raise awareness of the ocean’s troubled habitats. The Earth’s coral reefs have been declining thanks to climate change, overfishing and pollution. The project has online volunteers listening to some reefs and flagging fish noises. Is it thrilling? No. But at least it works, unlike the Love Is Blind livestream.Continue reading.Nike’s first digital shoe collection, with real-world perks, launchesBut you won't know exactly what design you're paying for until later.After launching its .Swoosh web3 platform in November, Nike is ready to unveil its first set of digital collectibles today. The company has announced the Our Force 1 (or OF1) series of "virtual creations" will be available to invitees on May 8th, while general access opens on May 10th. You can choose to buy one of two boxes – Classic Remix or New Wave – and each will cost $19.82.That gets you a digital box – but you won't know which design you got. On an undisclosed date after May 10th, Nike will reveal all the OF1 boxes, but you can choose not to open the box, leaving it as a virtual Schrodinger's sneaker situation.Continue reading.Adobe Firefly's new AI tools can do some simple editing tasks for youUse prompts to animate text and add b-roll, music and sound effects to your projects.AdobeAdobe announced Monday it’s working on more AI upgrades, coming to Firefly's beta program later this year. Building on the company's long-running AI program, Sensei, Firefly is a suite of generative AI models that can both create and transform audio, video, illustrations and 3D models using text prompts in the same way that Dall-E and ChatGPT do. Firefly's features are already available across Adobe Premiere Pro, Illustrator, After Effects and Photoshop, with these new features accessible through the closed beta program later this year. They’re to help professional editors cut down on their drudge work, boosting color levels, inserting placeholder images, adding effects, even autonomously recommending b-roll for video projects.Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-netflix-struggles-with-its-livestreaming-tech-111517890.html?src=rss
Apple's Mac Mini M2 gives you more speed and connectivity than you'd guess in such a small package, and for surprisingly little money, too. Now, it's dropped back down to the lowest price we've ever seen, starting at just $500 ($100 off the regular price) for the 256GB version. If more internal storage is needed, you can also buy the 512GB model for $690, for a discount of $110 (14 percent).We gave the Mac Mini a solid 86 score in our Engadget review, praising the performance and classic aluminum design. While it's small enough to hide away on your desktop, the M2 processor is easily powerful enough for productivity chores and multitasking. The chip combines computing operations, like CPU, GPU, input/output interfaces and certain memory processes into one "system on a chip," allowing for faster processing speeds.On top of that, you get killer connectivity, with two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C connections, HDMI 2.0 (with 4K 240Hz and 8K 60Hz output), two USB-A ports, a headphone jack and gigabit Ethernet (upgradeable to 10 gigabit). That lets you connect multiple screens along with storage and other accessories.The Mac Mini M2 won't replace your gaming machine, but it can handle nearly everything else you throw at it. The cheaper configurations are fine for most people, too — we wouldn't recommend the overpriced storage or RAM upgrades, as the M2 is much more efficient with RAM than typical PCs. All told, if you're looking for a cheap but powerful Mac, this is the way to go, especially at these prices.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/apples-mac-mini-m2-falls-back-to-a-low-of-500-083538308.html?src=rss
Polestar has revealed its coupe-style electric SUV at the Shanghai Auto Show, and as expected, the Polestar 4 is a head turner with a lot of power. It also has a pretty bold design choice: there's no rear window, so the driver's rear view is provided by a camera. The idea is to create "a new kind of immersive rear occupant experience," the company wrote in an announce post for the new EV.It's the company's second SUV after the larger Polestar 3, set to go on sale this year, and bigger than the Polestar 2 sedan. With a large 102kWh battery, it has a 300-plus mile targeted range and $60,000 starting price, with both all-wheel and rear-wheel drive versions. It'll go on sale starting in China by the end of the year, and launch in North America in 2024.PolestarDesign-wise, the Polestar 4 has a sleek and sporty design (for an SUV) broken up by subtle body panel creases and mildly bulging fenders. The lack of a rear window is an odd decision, as it's bound to make the interior feel a bit... stuffy. However, there is a standard full-length glass roof with optional electrochromic functionality that allows for opaque or transparent usage. To bring in a bit more light, it stretches down below the rear occupants' heads as well.A high-definition screen up front displays the view from the rear camera. Polestar says it allows for "a far wider field of view than what can be experienced in most other cars." Hopefully the company has a backup system of some kind, because if the screen or camera go down, drivers will have a massive blind spot behind them.PolestarThe Polestar 4 is built on parent Geely's open-source Sustainable Experience Architecture. It won't have a third row like some variants of Tesla's Model Y, so the company is instead promising "generous interior proportions" for both front and rear seat passengers. The interior and materials drew inspiration from the fashion and sportswear industries, Polestar wrote.For an SUV, it'll go fast. The 544 horsepower model will allow you to go from zero to 62MPH in 3.8 seconds, to start with. Polestar will also offer a 272HP, long-range single-motor version. The optional 102kWh battery has a targeted range of 560 km (348 miles) on the WLTP cycle, or around 300 miles in EPA terms. And charging should be quick, with up to 200kW fast charging that should allow about 800 miles of charge per hour.PolestarLike the Polestar 3, the 4's driver-assist (ADAS) system will run NVIDIA's Drive computing platform, using 12 cameras, one radar and 12 ultrasonic sensors. One of those cameras is dedicated to monitoring the driver's head and eye movements to warn them of fatigue or incapacitation.A 10.2-inch instrument cluster and 14.7-inch heads-up display (HUD) shows speed, drive mode, turn-by-turn directions and more. The infotainment system is powered by Android Auto installed on a 15.4-inch center screen, with Apple CarPlay available as well. A Harman Kardon audio system is on option with 12 speakers and a 1,400-Watt channel-hybrid amplifier.PolestarAs mentioned, "indicative launch pricing" starts at $60,000 in the US, with availability slated for 2024. No current Polestar models qualify for the $7,500 US tax credit, which requires North American production and battery sourcing — and it's not clear where the Polestar 4 will fall. After the latest rules went into effect, only six EVs still qualified for the full credit.The company has yet to announce details about North American production. But if the company wants to qualify for the $7,500 tax credit, it will need to assemble it in North America as well as figure out a supply chain that’s independent from China.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-polestar-4-electric-suv-arrives-with-544-hp-and-no-rear-window-073505710.html?src=rss
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