It's been three years since Sony debuted the ZV-E10, a camera it targeted at vloggers, so it's high time that model got some upgrades. The company just announced the mirrorless ZV-E10 II. Sony says this variant adds some new features while retaining those that creators liked from the original, including a background defocus capability and the vari-angle flip screen.The ZV-E10 II has a 26MP Exmor R CMOS sensor, an upgrade from the 24MP sensor in the original model. The larger-capacity battery (the NP-FZ100 found in some full-frame Sony cameras) may be a more compelling update. Sony claims that, with this battery, users will be able to shoot up to 195 minutes of video continuously.Other features include a cinematic vlog setting that automatically optimizes the aspect ratio, frame rate and autofocus transition speed for a more cinematic look to videos, Sony claims. There's also a new vertical-oriented user interface and upgraded "connectivity for easy live streaming and data transfer," according to the company. All of this and the camera still weighs just 377 grams.The ZV-E10 II will be available at the end of this month and it will cost $999 for the body only. If you'd prefer a $1,099 bundle with a new PZ 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS II lens, you'll need to wait until early August. The lightweight kit lens offers autofocus and video performance improvements over the previous version, according to Sony.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sony-reveals-the-more-vlogger-friendly-zv-e10-ii-163122315.html?src=rss
Amazon Prime Day doesn't officially start until July 16, but early deals have been trickling in for days. For instance, the well-reviewed Kindle Scribe e-reader is on sale for $235 and includes the company's Basic Pen stylus thingamajig. All told, that's a discount of $105, making this a record-low price. The downside? This deal's only for Prime members. The Kindle Scribe easily made our list of the best E-ink tablets. It would have nabbed the top spot, if not for the exorbitant original asking price and some stiff competition from the reMarkable 2. However, this deal makes the Scribe much cheaper than comparable products. We called the e-reader better than pen and paper" in our official review, specifically mentioning the low latency between stylus and tablet and the premium exterior design. The Scribe is my personal e-reader of choice and I've stared at that thing for hundreds and hundreds of hours. I love it, but mostly as an e-reader. The extra screen real estate just feels more like reading a newly-released hardcover than those diminutive tablets out there. It's also, oddly, easy to hold with one hand when needed, despite the relatively large form factor. The writing part works great. It's a seamless experience. I just don't really use it. My handwriting is atrocious and after drawing a few pizza slices in the note-taking app, I kind of got bored. If note-taking is your bag, this certainly gets the job done. However, sharing these notes could be a bit more intuitive. There's no handwriting-to-text conversion algorithm and the software automatically syncs the notes as image files, but the only real option for editing after the fact is to convert to a PDF and head into something like Evernote. However, this is a Kindle. The digital shop is the best in the business with the biggest selection of titles. I look at the Scribe this way. I have the best e-reader on the market, in my opinion, and the note-taking stuff, well, that's just like a nice little bonus. Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Hear from Autoblog's experts on the best Amazon Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazons-kindle-scribe-drops-to-a-new-record-low-ahead-of-prime-day-160955437.html?src=rss
Amazon Prime Day is less than one week away, but there are plenty of sales you can already shop. One of the best early Prime Day deals currently running is a big discount on Apple's third-generation AirPods. The earbuds are on sale for a new record low of $129, down from $169. However, this deal doesn't include AppleCare+ - you'll have to pay about $30 extra for that. Apple's third-gen AirPods came out in 2021 as a massive improvement to their predecessor. We gave them an 88 in our review thanks to features like a more comfortable design and way better audio quality. A lot of this comes down to their shorter, more contoured shape - the improved design also allows sound to more directly enter your ear. The AirPods and their case have IPX4 sweat and water resistance so you can more comfortably use them while doing activities like exercise. Plus, they offer always-on Siri and six hours of battery life (30 hours total with the case). If you're just looking for relatively cheap, solid earbuds then check out the 47 percent discount on Apple's second-generation AirPods. They're currently down to $69 from $120 when not opting for AppleCare+. They offer five hours of continual battery or 24 hours with the case. Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Hear from Autoblog's experts on the best Amazon Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/prime-day-deals-bring-the-third-gen-airpods-down-to-a-record-low-of-129-135052002.html?src=rss
Apple's terrific sci-fi thriller Severancehas a premiere date for its second season, which will arrive nearly three years after the show's debut. You'll be able to return to the dystopian hellhole of Lumon Industries on January 17, 2025. A fresh installment of the 10-episode season will then hit Apple TV+ every Friday until March 21.For the uninitiated, the series (which premiered in February 2022) focuses on a group of colleagues who have undergone a severance procedure. Their work and personal experiences are completely distinct from each other. Each person essentially has two different lives - they can't remember anything about the outside world while they're at work and vice versa when they're away from the office. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see how this could go very, very wrong.Apple has also dropped the first teaser trailer for season two, the filming of which was put on hold due to last year's actors and writers strikes. The clip doesn't give much away other than the core premise and a few fleeting shots from the new season. A new character played by Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones, Star Wars) appears at the end and ominously says "you should have left." January is too far away.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/severance-season-two-will-hit-apple-tv-in-january-2025-152503912.html?src=rss
Samsung's Galaxy Watch 7 and Watch Ultra will be the very first smartwatches to receive access to Wear OS 5, Google's latest operating system for wearables. This was unveiled at today's Unpacked event, alongside a slew of major product announcements. These product announcements also happened to include the aforementioned smartwatches.That means that Samsung's recently-announced gadgets are the very first smartwatches to get Wear OS 5, even before Google's own products. This will change later in the year when the Pixel Watch 3 is likely to drop. Interestingly, this is exactly how it went down with Wear OS 4. The operating system first came to the Galaxy Watch 6 before being included with the Pixel Watch 2.Google officially revealed Wear OS 5 two months ago at I/O 2024 and the new software is filled with useful updates. The UI is mostly the same as Wear OS 4, but the software has been optimized to improve battery life by up to 30 percent. There are some new health monitoring features, including analysis of stride length when walking or running.The operating system includes some efficiency upgrades, with Google saying that, for instance, running a marathon will consume 20 percent less power on Wear OS 5 when compared to OS 4. There's a new grid-based app launcher and additional options for watch faces. This software update doesn't reinvent the wheel, but that extra efficiency is sure to be a boon for many consumers.Incidentally, there's no information as to when the operating system will be ported to Samsung's older smartwatches. We'll just have to wait and find out. For now, you have to plunk down $300 for the Galaxy Watch 7 or $650 for the Ultra to access the OS.Catch up on all the news from Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked 2024 here!This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsungs-galaxy-watch-7-and-ultra-will-get-first-dibs-on-wear-os-5-151009264.html?src=rss
Learning in college is as much about life lessons as it is about the lectures. It might be the first time you're managing things on your own - particularly your finances - and as you apply for jobs and search for apartments, you may also be increasing the amount of personal data you put online. We gathered up the budgeting apps we have tried and ultimately recommend, as well as services that can help you keep track of passwords and protect your online activities. These are all tools we wish we'd known to use when we headed off as undergrads, and hopefully they'll make the adulting parts of college a little more manageable. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-finance-and-security-apps-for-college-students-130035602.html?src=rss
Strava turns 15 this year, and it is ensuring its first generation of users can include their kids who have grown up along the way. The fitness tracker app has launched its family plan, a subscription tier allowing up to four accounts on one plan. It includes everything an individual plan has, such as route building and sharing, activity recording and safety tools.The family plan starts at $140 annually, compared to $80 annually for an individual plan, so it could even be worth it for two people. But, there's one big catch: Users have to pay for the plan upfront, unlike the individual plan, which offers a $12 monthly option. Also, anyone who has already subscribed but wants to join a family plan will have to cancel their membership in order to join it. Strava claims that all of their data should be transferred once they have joined a family plan.Despite the name, anyone can come together to create a family plan - as long as they're all based in the same country. Members can leave, and new members can join at any time. However, unlike the rest of Strava, a family plan is only available on the company's website for now, not the apps.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/strava-launches-a-family-plan-170002189.html?src=rss
Multipoint Bluetooth connectivity is typically a core feature for the best wireless earbuds and headphones these days, but that's not always the case. When Bose introduced its QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds and its Ultra Open Earbuds, neither model offered the tool. This meant that you couldn't connect to more than one device at a time and you couldn't quickly switch from your computer to your phone when you were getting a call. Well, the company has released a software update for both sets of earbuds that will add the convenient functionality via the Bose app. This addresses a key complaint from both of my reviews and will improve the overall experience of using either of these earbuds.Additionally, Bose says it's rolling out improvements to voice pick-up and connectivity on the Ultra Open Earbuds as part of the software update. The company explains that there are some general bug fixes for that model in this release as well.Bose says the update for the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds and the Ultra Open Earbuds will be begin rolling out today and will reach customers worldwide over the next two weeks. You can look for the new firmware version under the Product Update section in the Settings menu of the Bose app.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/bose-adds-multipoint-bluetooth-to-its-quietcomfort-ultra-earbuds-and-ultra-open-earbuds-143830749.html?src=rss
Samsung Galaxy Unpacked might have been more like a recap of its recent leaks, but it does mean one exciting thing: pre-orders are now available on Samsung's website. For starters, you can order Samsung's new phones, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the Galaxy Z Flip 6. Maybe you're more interested in getting new earbuds and want to check out the Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. Then there are Samsung's latest wearables, the Galaxy Watch 7, Galaxy Watch Ultra and the Galaxy Ring. You can pre-order any of these items now through Samsung or pick one up starting July 24 directly from them or companies like Amazon and BestBuy. If you missed it, the live stream is available on demand, but we've summed up all the best bits for you here. Check out every Samsung product announced, its prices and any extra goodies you can get by pre-ordering now. Catch up on all the news from Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked 2024 here!This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/how-to-order-samsung-galaxy-unpacked-devices-fold-6-flip-6-watch-ultra-galaxy-ring-and-more-131513366.html?src=rss
Ever since the original Galaxy Fold came out in 2019, Samsung has enjoyed a commanding lead over the market for flexible screen phones. But with the introduction of challengers like the OnePlus Open, the Pixel Fold and the 2024 Moto Razrs, the gap between Samsung and its biggest competitors has been shrinking quickly. So while the new Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 - just announced at the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event in Paris - are lighter, faster and more durable than before, I'm not sure if that's enough to keep Samsung's latest generation of bendy handouts at the top of the growing mountain of foldable rivals. The biggest changes for 2024 Improvements to the Z Fold 6 and Z Flip can largely be broken down into two main categories: The expansion of Samsung's Galaxy AI features - which first launched on the S24 series earlier this year - with some tweaks to take advantage of the phones' convertible form factor and an assortment of upgraded components including new camera sensors and faster silicon. However, those looking for major design changes will need to keep waiting, as these devices feel more like refined versions of last year's models than a full rework. Both phones are powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip and come with 12GB of RAM, a major boost for the Z Flip 6 which topped out at just 8GB on the previous model. The Flip 6 also packs a 4,000mAh battery, which is the largest ever on any Z Flip, so it should see a noticeable boost in longevity as well. But perhaps the biggest change on the Z Flip is its two new camera sensors that are the same as those on the standard S24: a 50MP main shooter and a 12MP option for the ultra-wide lens. Unfortunately, despite a higher price tag and a larger body with seemingly more room for fancy camera hardware, the Z Fold 6 is only getting a new 12MP ultra-wide sensor while retaining the same 50MP main cam 3x telephoto used on the Z Fold 5. Samsung has also boosted the peak brightness of the Z Fold 6's interior and exterior displays to 2,600 nits, just like on the S24. Sadly, only the Z Flip 6's main screen is getting that same boost to max luminance. Elsewhere, the frames of both models are made from Enhanced Armor Aluminum, which the company says is 10 percent stronger than before. Samsung claims it has also refined the folding edge of its flexible screens to better withstand pressure and contact from sharp objects. But the most valuable upgrade for long-term usability may be the company's new Z Assurance program, which will provide owners of the Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 with a free one-time replacement of Samsung's factory-installed screen protector. As someone who has suffered from bubbling screen protectors across several generations of past Z Folds, I believe this should bring some extra peace of mind to those concerned about committing to a phone with a more delicate flexible screen. Furthermore, Samsung is also offering a one-time discount on screen replacements, with the goal of making repairs cost about the same as fixing the display on a standard S24. Z Flip 6 impressions: A more photo-friendly compact foldable One subtle but stylish design change on the Z Flip 6 is color-matched lens housings on the phone's cameras. Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget Unlike most years where the Flip takes a backseat to its bigger sibling, this year it feels like Samsung's smaller foldable has gotten the most significant changes. The two new cameras can't be understated, especially on a phone that caters towards more fashion-conscious and social-friendly buyers. I really love that by using the same sensors used in the S24, Samsung is bringing more parity between its traditional candy bar-style handsets and its most compact foldable. On top of that, there's a new auto-framing mode that allows you to prop the phone up on a flat surface and it can zoom in and out depending on how many people are in view or how far you move away. However, during our demo, I did notice that it took a second or two for the viewfinder to adjust, so you will need a bit of patience. Meanwhile, on the Z Flip's outside screen, Samsung has increased the number of widgets you can see on a single page to four while also adding support for a wider range of widget sizes and functions. This makes it even easier to check apps or launch timers without needing to open the phone, which is great for general usability. There are also new interactive wallpapers that you can use as fun timewasters. When it comes to AI, in addition to existing features like browsing assist, dictation and Circle to Search, there's a new on-device texting feature that will read up to seven previous messages to provide you with more useful and contextual smart replies. The idea is that if you're on the go, you can more accurately respond to friends and family without needing to type things out yourself. And even though the Z Flip 6 has a much smaller exterior display than the Z Fold 6, Samsung also included the ability to do multi-screen real-time translation. This allows you to face the cover display towards someone else, so they can see messages translated in their language while you see their responses in yours. Then, when you factor in significantly more base RAM, a larger 4,000mAh battery, a brighter main display and the new Z Assurance program, it really feels like Samsung is eliminating a lot of the shortcomings of the Z Flip when compared to the standard S24. That means people who want a truly compact device don't need to make any compromise, potentially opening up the Z Flip to a much larger audience. The Z Flip 6 is also getting a vapor chamber for the first time to help provide better sustained performance. And if that's not enough, Samsung has a huge array of accessories including new cases with built-in LED lighting, you know, in case your foldable phone wasn't drawing enough attention. Z Fold 6 impressions: Sharper and sleeker Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget With an extra generation under its belt, you could argue that the Z Fold 6 didn't need as many upgrades as the Flip and Samsung seemingly agrees. There's not much change in terms of memory, storage capacity or general design. That said, the switch to a new dual-rail hinge and the use of Samsung's enhanced Armor Aluminum means that the Z Fold 6 now only weighs 239 grams (8.43 ounces). That's 14 grams lighter than last year's model and only a few grams heavier than the S24 Ultra. That might not sound like a lot, but its something you notice immediately as soon as you pick it up. Furthermore, while the Z Fold 6's main screen is staying pat at 7.6 inches across, it's actually around 3mm wider and 1mm shorter to deliver a better viewing experience when watching movies. And it's a similar story for the exterior display, which is about 1mm wider. This change provides more room for the phone's onscreen keyboard and makes typing easier. Meanwhile, to better support gamers who often gravitate towards the Z Fold's roomy internal display, Samsung increased the size of its vapor chamber by 60 percent to ensure graphics remain smooth even during longer sessions. As for AI, Samsung is expanding the Z Fold 6's toolkit with a few new features including dual-screen translation and translation overlay, the latter of which can change words in place instead of spitting things out into a big blob of unformatted text. On the more fun (but frivolous) side of things, the new Portrait Studio feature allows you to generate a stylized image (comic, watercolor, 3D cartoon, etc.) from an existing shoot. Alternatively, the Sketch to Image tool allows you to doodle a rough drawing of an object on top of a photo (like a crown or sunglasses) before generating a more realistic replacement using on-device processing. The results were surprisingly lifelike, though I'm not sure how useful it is aside from possibly pranking your friends. My concern with the Z Fold 6 is that while it still feels very much like a flagship foldable thanks to brighter screens (2,600 nit peaks for both), a lighter design and an upgraded processor, there are a handful of long-awaited features we still didn't get. This includes things like a built-in stylus and S-Pen slot and better main and telephoto cameras. With the Pixel Fold, Google proved that big flexible phones don't need to be saddled with downgraded photography. Samsung also hasn't made any changes to the under-display camera beneath the Fold's main screen. But my biggest gripe is that both Z Fold and Z Flip 6 cost $100 more than last year's phones. Price has long been the biggest barrier to entry for people curious about foldables, which goes double for premium models like the Fold that go for just shy of $2,000. And after five generations, I was really hoping to see Samsung leverage its scale to deliver a more affordable big-screen option. An example of Samsung's new AI-powered Portrait Studio feature. Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget The Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 will be available for pre-order today starting at $1,900 and $1,100 respectively, with official sales beginning on July 24. The Z Fold 6 will be available in three main colors: Silver Shadow, pink and navy, with two additional colors (Crafted black and white) available exclusively from Samsung. The Z Flip 6 will be available in four main colors: Silver Shadow, yellow, blue and mint with Crafted Black, white and peach variants only available on Samsung.com. Catch up on all the news from Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked 2024 here!This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-galaxy-z-fold-6-and-z-flip-6-brighter-lighter-and-faster-but-is-that-enough-130027947.html?src=rss
At Samsung Galaxy Unpacked, Samsung has today announced the Galaxy Ring, a finger-worn wearable bolstering its ecosystem of health-tracking gear. Yes, this is the third or fourth time it's been announced, but today is the day it's actually available for you to pre-order. It's a conscious attempt to corner a market held by plenty of smaller players in the space, most notably the Oura Ring. You'll also get the usual AI woo insights to help you take better care of your body when you think things might not be going well. The company boasts that it has embedded its existing sensor technology into the far smaller space a ring affords. It's carrying an accelerometer, PPG / heart rate and skin temperature sensor, which will feed data to Samsung Health to build a portrait of your body. In the app, you'll be able to look at your sleep score, how much you move during sleep, your heart and respiratory rate as well as your menstrual cycle. An overall Energy Score will track how well it thinks you're feeling every day and offer suggestions on what to change. You'll also benefit from Heart Rate Alerts should your ticker get too slow or too fast, and give you a heads-up to avoid any trouble. There's the table-stakes stuff, too, like automatic workout detection and alerts when the ring doesn't think you've moved enough of late. Not to mention the ring can be used as a remote shutter trigger for your Galaxy-branded smartphone. Photo by Sam Rutherford / Engadget Of course, there's only so much a smart ring can do given the constraints inherent in the form, an issue I outlined in detail back in April. But if you're already in Samsung's ecosystem and want to ensure that you are always getting the most detailed insights on your body possible, this is a no-brainer. Galaxy Ring is made from titanium and is rated for depths of water up to 100 meters, with an IP68 for water and dust ingress. Depending on the size of ring you opt for, it'll weigh between 2.3 and 3 grams, with a quoted battery life of up to seven days on a single charge. Galaxy Ring is available in Titanium Black, Silver or Gold, and will cost $400. Pre-orders in the US begin on July 10, with general availability starting July 24. Catch up on all the news from Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked 2024 here! This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-finally-properly-launches-the-galaxy-ring-130055455.html?src=rss
Samsung just announced the Galaxy Z Fold 6 at its most recent Galaxy Unpacked event. The company's latest high-end foldable is filled with both hardware and software upgrades. As usual with modern tech, AI is the name of the game here. It's getting pretty much all of the fancypants AI features first included with the Galaxy S24 Ultra. These include the interpreter mode for in-person conversations in another language and the live translation feature for calls. There's chat assist to check spelling, grammar and tone of messages, complete with a glut of emoji options. These AI tools extend to the Notes app, which allow for automatic summaries, formatting, spell checks and translations. The foldable is also getting a circle to search feature for images and an instant overlay that translates language. Finally, there's AI-assisted photo editing. Engadget As for construction, there's Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front and back, so this thing should take a licking and keep on ticking. The dual-rail hinge features a refined folding edge with enhanced resistance to pressure and sharp objects. Samsung says the aluminum used in the Z Fold 6 is ten percent stronger than the previous iteration. There's a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip and 12GB of RAM. The main screen is a 7.6-inch AMOLED with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, while the cover screen is a 6.3-inch AMOLED. The 50MP main camera is similar to last year's model, though there's a new 12MP ultra-wide sensor. The Z Fold 6 can still handle 3x optical zoom. It's also the brightest device in its category, with a maximum of 2,600 nits. The Z Fold 6 is available for preorder right now in a wide variety of colors, including pink, navy and silver. There are two colors exclusive to Samsung.com, which are white and crafted black. The foldable starts at a jaw-dropping $1,900. Catch up on all the news from Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked 2024 here!This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsungs-new-galaxy-z-fold-6-is-swiping-many-of-the-ai-features-from-the-s24-ultra-130044113.html?src=rss
Have you heard the song that goes anything you can do I can do better, I can do anything better than you?" Well, it seems like the folks at Samsung have been listening to that on repeat. At its Galaxy Unpacked event today, the company unveiled a slew of products, including a few wearables that look remarkably familiar. The Galaxy Ring, which was teased in January, appears to be inspired by the Oura Ring. Meanwhile, the new Galaxy Watch Ultra seems to have borrowed many traits from a competing product at Apple, right down to its name.The resemblance doesn't end there, but there are a few key differences between Samsung and Apple's high-end smartwatches. From my recent hands-on experience, though, Samsung's latest wearables don't seem to bring many new things to its familiar-looking products.The Korean company has a long history of aping Apple, and has even had to pay the iPhone maker millions of dollars as part of a multi-year patent infringement case. With everything from its name to appearance to features being so obviously similar to the Apple Watch Ultra, I don't think it's too far for me to outright say that Samsung is copying the iPhone maker, and pretty brazenly so. In fact, even with the Galaxy Watch 7, Samsung seems to be bringing features that already launched elsewhere.What's new on the Galaxy Watch 7Most of the changes on the Watch 7 aren't immediately visible. There is a new 3nm Exynos processor under the hood, which Samsung says is three times faster than its predecessor. It's also supposed to deliver 30% improved power efficiency, which should translate to better battery life. The Watch 7 also has a dual-frequency GPS system for more accurate location tracking. Apple brought dual-frequency GPS to its watches in 2022 with the original Watch Ultra.The similarities don't end there. Samsung is also offering new watchbands, including one in a very familiar-looking ripple style. The Galaxy Watch 7 and Ultra will also support a new double pinch" gesture that will let you do things like trigger the camera or dismiss an alert by bringing your thumb and forefinger together twice. Apple formally launched Double Tap on the Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 last year, though the bones of the gesture-based navigation has existed as an accessibility feature for longer.I wasn't able to test double pinch at the hands-on event for myself, though Samsung reps onsite showed me how it would work. To be fair, it also took Apple weeks before it actually rolled out Double Tap to the public.Sam Rutherford for EngadgetThe Galaxy Watch 7 also comes with the usual set of new watch faces, and has a second-gen bioactive sensor that allows for faster and more-accurate readings. There's also new software features like an AI algorithm for sleep analysis and a De Novo FDA-authorized Sleep Apnea feature" that checks for potential signs of moderate to severe sleep apnea." The Galaxy Watch 7 (and Ultra) is also one of the first to run Wear OS 5, which was first teased at Google I/O back in May.I'm recuperating from a recent injury and did not take a nap at the hands-on event, so I wasn't able to check out the new sleep features or really even jump about to see how long my heart rate changes might take to register. I can only say that on the outside the Galaxy Watch 7 looks a lot like the Galaxy Watch 6.Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra vs the Apple Watch UltraI spent more time checking out the Galaxy Watch Ultra, which is, to give Samsung at least a little credit, the most different looking smartwatch it's made in years. When rumors were rife that both Samsung and Apple were readying Pro" models of their watches to launch in 2022, I was seriously underwhelmed when I finally saw the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. It was nothing like the Apple Watch Ultra, and seemed to be just a slightly more durable and souped-up version of the classic Galaxy Watch.With the Galaxy Watch Ultra, Samsung has managed to successfully change up the look of its long-standing series of smartwatches. This thing's appearance definitely makes a statement, and it's not just Watch Ultra for Android!" One thing Samsung did differently from Apple is that it kept the circle display, but framed it in a rounded square case, resulting in what the company described as a cushion" design. Supposedly this enhances protection and visual completeness," but I suspect it has more to do with a round screen being easier for Samsung's manufacturing.The cushion" style goes a long way in making the Galaxy Watch Ultra look different from other Samsung watches, but it still comes off like a slightly wider version of the Apple one. Both wearables have titanium cases and screens that can go up to 3,000 nits of brightness. They also offer water-resistance of up to 100 meters.Sam Rutherford for EngadgetApple does have a depth gauge and can be used for recreational diving at up to 40 meters, though, while Samsung doesn't have similar software. There are other small differences in dust- and water-resistance between the two Watch Ultras, with Samsung's rated at IP68 and Apple's at IP6X dust-resistant.Though it looks bulkier, the Galaxy Watch Ultra actually has a smaller 47mm case compared to Apple's, which is 49mm. The latter is also a hair heavier, weighing 61.4 grams (2.16 ounces) compared to Samsung's 60.5 grams. On my relatively small wrist, the Galaxy Watch Ultra looked a bit overwhelming, just like the Apple version did. If you have bigger bones and thought the Apple Watch Ultra was an alright size, you won't have an issue with Samsung's version. I will say that in my brief time with the Galaxy Watch Ultra, it never felt too heavy, and I almost forgot I was wearing it.I already described how Samsung is bringing double pinch to the Galaxy Watch series this year, which is basically Apple's double tap but less sophisticated. In my brief experience, Apple's implementation is more thorough and works in more parts of the interface (like for jumping through individual widgets in its smart stack, for example). Samsung's approach is fairly limited, since it appears to only be able to do one or two things.The Galaxy Watch Ultra does have one notable difference from the Apple Watch Ultra - buttons. It has three on its right edge: the Home button on top and the back button at the bottom, just like previous models offered. But a new Quick Button sits in the middle and can be customized to launch an app or workout with a press. You can also determine what it does when you click it twice, but by default holding it down for five seconds will trigger the emergency siren, which is another feature that Apple also launched with the original Watch Ultra. A lot of Samsung's interface also looks similar to Apple's here, though its alarm sounds more monotonous and shrill than the iPhone maker's.Sam Rutherford for EngadgetOne thing about the Galaxy Watch Ultra annoyed me more than anything else. Although it's a dial that can turn, rotating the Quick Button doesn't scroll through the interface. There's also no physical spinning bezel here, so the only way you have to scroll through Samsung's software is by dragging your finger across the screen. For a smartwatch company that's best known for its rotating bezel that allows for easy scrolling, this seems like a glaring omission and a missed opportunity. Oh and just like the Apple Watch Ultra's Action button, the Quick button is easy to accidentally press into when you bend your wrist backwards while doing pushups, for example.There's a lot more of the Galaxy Watch Ultra I'd like to test properly, like whether its 3nm processor truly translates to speedier performance and longer battery life. Samsung claims the Galaxy Watch Ultra can last up to 60 hours of typical use, 100 hours in Power Saving and 48 hours in Exercise Power Saving."I'm also curious to see how Samsung's double pinch feature compares to Apple's version, even though I don't find myself using the latter much in the real world anyway.Has Samsung really done anything better than Apple with the Galaxy Watch Ultra? Though I'm skeptical at the moment, it's a little too early to tell. It's definitely a good thing that Samsung has priced its Watch Ultra at $650, which is $150 less than the Apple Watch Ultra and certainly more palatable. But I can only wait till after I've put the device to the test in the real world to know if it's worth spending any money on. If you're already intrigued, you can pre-order the Galaxy Watch Ultra and Watch 7 starting today on Samsung.com and they'll be available on July 24.Catch up on all the news from Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked 2024 here!This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-galaxy-watch-ultra-hands-on-didnt-fall-far-from-the-apple-tree-130030349.html?src=rss
Samsung's new Galaxy Buds lineup is hardly a surprise thanks to a recent leak, but the company still had to officially debut its latest audio accessory at its Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event. Alongside new folding phones, watches and even a smart ring, Samsung revealed the Galaxy Buds 3 series. The new models have a more AirPods-like look thanks to their stickbud or "blade" design, and Samsung is playing catch-up with new features like an Interpreter tool, Adaptive EQ and others. Until now, Samsung has opted for the more common, rounded earbud design most companies favor for their products. The stick-based look has become increasingly popular though, and much of Apple's competition have debuted their own takes on the style. Now we can count Samsung among the fold. The company says its new "blade" design is based on "a variety of collected statistical data" and offers "a more intuitive physical experience" thanks to pinch and swipe controls - another aspect of the AirPods Pro. The key difference is the "regular" Galaxy Buds 3 are an open fit like the "regular" AirPods while the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro have a tip that completely seals off your ear canal. Despite that variance, both offer active noise cancellation (ANC), but only the Pro model has ambient sound/transparency mode. Another big difference between the two models is the two-way speakers on the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. Samsung has paired a 10.5mm dynamic driver with dual amplifiers and a 6.1mm planar tweeter that offers "precise high range sound production." Both Galaxy Buds 3 models support ultra high quality (UHQ) sound up to 24bit/96kHz and 360 Audio when paired with a compatible Samsung device. The two models vary on battery life as well. The Galaxy Buds 3 will last up to five hours with ANC on (24 hours total with the case), but you'll get an hour more of noise-canceling performance on the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro (26 hours total with the case). As you might expect, Samsung is sprinkling AI on its new earbuds. Both models offer an Interpreter feature that works with compatible Galaxy devices, a tool that relies on artificial intelligence to do its translating. It's similar to what Google has been doing on its Pixel Buds for a while now and all of the work is done by the connected device rather than the earbuds. The company says microphones on the Galaxy Buds 3 series monitor external noise in real time and apply tweaks with both an Adaptive EQ and Adaptive ANC. On the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, the noise cancellation setup can also detect sirens and your voice, and when it picks up the latter, it automatically reduces the volume and activates transparency mode. That feature, known as Voice Detect, was available on the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, but it's nice to see the feature return. Samsung has also added hands-free controls for music and other content with what it calls Voice Command. To improve overall voice quality, the company added a Super Wideband calls tool that allows Galaxy Buds 3 to transmit voice up to 16kHz. Samsung says previous earbuds only utilize up to the 8kHz band, but the Pixel Buds Pro supports Super Wideband too. Of course, the company also employs machine-learning models to battle background noise when you're speaking. The Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are available for pre-order now for $180 and $250 respectively. Both models come in silver and white color options, and if you buy them from the company's website before July 23, Samsung will throw in a free protective "clip case." Catch up on all the news from Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked 2024 here!This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsungs-galaxy-buds-3-have-an-airpods-esque-design-and-a-dash-of-ai-130019399.html?src=rss
Samsung just announced the Galaxy Z Flip 6 smartphone at its most recent Unpacked event and it's a doozy of an update that squeezes some of the S24's best features into a compact foldable. There's a new design, an updated camera system and the biggest battery in a Z Flip to date. The camera system features an updated design with a color-matched lens housing. There's a new 50MP main camera and a 12MP ultra-wide sensor, which is the same as the base Galaxy S24. This system includes auto-zoom framing and an AI algorithm for better portraits. The 4,000mAh battery is the biggest ever in this product category. Once again, this is the same size of battery as found with the Galaxy S24. Samsung also touts its quick-charging capabilities, saying that the phone can reach a 50 percent charge in just 30 minutes. That's a pretty decent metric. Engadget The base RAM has gotten an upgrade, 12GB up from 8GB, and the 6.7-inch AMOLED main screen boasts a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 2,600 nits. The cover screen is a 3.4-inch Super AMOLED 60Hz display. Software wise, there are some new interactive and generative wallpapers and a photo ambient mode that changes color based on the time and weather. The phone can access a bunch of new widgets, with all new size combinations that allow for multiple widgets on a single cover screen. There's a new texting feature that analyzes the past seven messages to help come up with suggested replies. As for the design, there are some new colors, like silver, yellow and blue. Samsung is also selling some exclusive colors, such as white and peach. Preorders are available right now and there's a bonus for early adopters. Ordering now will automatically bump you up to the next storage size. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 starts at $1,100. Catch up on all the news from Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked 2024 here!This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-just-revealed-the-galaxy-z-flip-6-putting-the-s24s-best-specs-in-a-compact-foldable-130018981.html?src=rss
Amazon Prime Day will officially be here on July 16, but we're already starting to see discounts pop up, particularly on Amazon's own devices. The Amazon Echo Buds are half off in this early Prime Day deal. The wireless earphones, already one of Engadget's top picks for budget on-the-go buds at $50, are only $25 today. That's a record low for the latest model, which arrived last year. This latest iteration of the Echo Buds doesn't plunge into your ear canals. Instead, the buds have a semi-open fit with a stem, similar to Apple's standard AirPods. The Echo Buds include removable silicone ear covers (not tips) to help with grip and comfort without stuffing something inside your ear, which can be uncomfortable for some folks. That means they lack noise cancelation, so don't expect them to tune or block out the outside world (apart from your music drowning things out if it's loud enough). This style works better for those who want to maintain awareness of their surroundings while avoiding the feeling of full ear canals. The third-gen Echo Buds can last up to five hours per charge (up to six with Alexa's wake-word detection disabled). However, their charging case adds another 15 hours, and you can add a quick two hours to the buds with a quick 15-minute charge. Sound quality will be noticeably lower than that of competitors in the $200-ish range, but Amazon would've been performing miracles if it matched that. Instead, you get a perfectly solid sound profile (lacking a bit of bass) that performs beyond what you'd expect for $50 earbuds. At $25 today, it's hard to imagine anything else coming close in that price range. Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Hear from Autoblog's experts on the best Amazon Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-discounts-the-echo-buds-to-only-25-ahead-of-prime-day-123058567.html?src=rss
US officials and their allies have identified and taken down an artificial intelligence-powered Russian bot farm comprising almost 1,000 accounts. These accounts were able to spread disinformation and pro-Russian sentiments across X, formerly Twitter. The Justice Department has revealed the scheme was made possible by software created by a digital media department in RT, a Russian state-controlled media outlet.According to a cybersecurity advisory from the FBI, intelligence officers from the Netherlands, and cybersecurity authorities from Canada, it centered on a tool called Meliorator, which can create authentic appearing social media personas en masse," generate text messages as well as images and mirror disinformation from other bot personas. For example, one account with the name Ricardo Abbott, which claimed to be from Minneapolis, posted a video of Russian President Vladimir Putin justifying Russia's actions in Ukraine.The Justice Department is still tracing and trying to find all 968 accounts used by the Russian actors to disseminate false information. X has shared information with authorities on all the identified accounts and has already suspended them.- Mat SmithThe biggest stories you might have missedLogitech G launches a new $80 wireless recharging mouseApple TV's new Time Bandits show just got a glorious trailer and a July release dateEngadget's guide to the best smart plugsYou can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!We're liveblogging Samsung Unpacked 2024And what to expect.Samsung's next big event kicks off in a few hours. We'll be covering all the announcements (and testing out devices), so tune into our liveblog. We expect to see the Galaxy Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6, but their updates could be minor, as well as Samsung's newest wearable, the Galaxy Ring. If you want some insight into what to expect, you can read up on that right here.Bookmark our liveblog.Apple blog TUAW returns as an AI content farmWith not-so-new content from writers who haven't worked there in more than a decade.The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) has returned online nearly a decade after shutting down. But the new owners of the once venerable source of Apple news appear to have transformed it into an AI-generated content farm. The site, which ceased operations in 2015, began publishing new' articles, many of which appear nearly identical to content published by MacRumors and other publications over the past week. Adding to the grossness, the site also has an author page featuring former writers' names and photos that appear to be AI-generated.Continue reading.A British boarding school will make students use old Nokia dumbphonesFirst-year students will only be able to make calls and texts.Eton College, the elite historic British boarding school - with famous alumni Princes William and Harry, Ian Fleming and Tom Hiddleston - has instituted a new mobile phone policy for its first-year students starting in September. Those students will have to leave their smartphones at home and bring their SIM card to school to put in an old-school Nokia cell phone with a simple number pad, which can only make phone calls and send text messages.Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-us-officials-help-take-down-ai-powered-russian-bot-farm-with-nearly-1000-fake-x-accounts-111659112.html?src=rss
Google is adding passkey support to its Advanced Protection Program. APP is the company's highest-level security option. It's intended for targets who could be at high risk of hacks or other scams, such as elected officials or human rights workers, and it previously required a physical security key to use. In Google's announcement today, it acknowledged that the physical component made APP less feasible for some of the people who need the service most. Now, people who enroll in APP can opt for a passkey or for a physical key.Google was one of many tech companies to start offering passkeys for security, rolling out the option to Android and Chrome in 2022 and offering them to all Google accounts in 2023. Earlier this year, Google said that more than 400 million accounts have used passkeys more than 1 billion times. And that's a big number, but on the whole, uptake of this technology has still been gradual.In addition to adding passkey support, Google also shared that it is partnering with media nonprofit Internews to provide cybersecurity support for its network of journalists and human rights advocates. The arrangement will cover ten countries, including Brazil, Mexico and Poland.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-brings-passkeys-to-its-advanced-protection-program-100034040.html?src=rss
Is it difficult to turn on a lamp by hand? No, but it is convenient to say a few words and have all your lights turn on (or off). In the year or so that I've been testing and using smart plugs in my home, I've enjoyed not muddling through the early-evening dark, because my lights come on an hour before sunset. I don't stumble blindly to the kitchen for midnight water; instead I ask Alexa to snap on a lamp. And when the heat wave we now call summer makes my office an oven, I tell Siri to switch on the fan by the door. For all their convenience, smart plugs can vary widely in compatibility and reliability, so we tested units from the major players out there to come up with recommendations for the best smart plugs for whichever smart home ecosystem you prefer.Table of contents
US officials and their allies have identified and taken down an artificial intelligence-powered Russian bot farm comprised of almost 1,000 accounts, which spread disinformation and pro-Russian sentiments on X. The Justice Department has revealed the the scheme that was made possible by software was created by a digital media department within RT, a Russian state-controlled media outlet. Its development was apparently led by RT's deputy editor-in-chief back in 2022 and was approved and funded by an officer at Russia's Federal Security Service, the main successor of the KGB.In a cybersecurity advisory issued by the FBI, intelligence officers from the Netherlands and cybersecurity authorities from Canada, they specifically mentioned a tool called "Meliorator," which can create "authentic appearing social media personas en masse," generate text messages as well as images and mirror disinformation from other bot personas. Authorities have seized two domains that the operation used to create email addresses that were necessary to sign up for accounts on X, formerly known as Twitter, which served as home to the bots.The Justice Department, however, is still in the midst of finding all 968 accounts used by the Russian actors to disseminate false information. X has shared information with authorities on all the identified accounts so far and has already suspended them. As The Washington Post has noted, the bots slipped through X's safeguards, because they can copy-paste OTPs from their email accounts to log in. The operations' use of US-based domain names violates the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the Justice Department said. Meanwhile, paying for them violates federal money laundering laws in the US.A lot of profiles created by the tool impersonated Americans by using American-sounding names and setting their locations on X to various places in the US. The examples presented by the Justice Department used headshots against gray backgrounds as their profile photos, which are a pretty good indicator that they were created using AI. One account with the name Ricardo Abbott, which claimed to be from Minneapolis, posted a video of Russian president Vladimir Putin justifying Russia's actions in Ukraine. Another account with the name Sue Williamson posted a video of Putin saying that the war in Ukraine isn't about territorial conflict and is a matter of "principles on which the New World Order will be based." These posts were then liked and reposted by other bots in the network.It's worth noting that while this particular bot farm was confined to X, the people behind it had plans to expand to other platforms, based on the authorities' analysis of the Meliorator software. Foreign actors that spread political disinformation have been using social media to disseminate false news for years. But now they've added AI to their arsenal. Back in May, OpenAI reported that it dismantled five covert influence operations originating from Russia, China, Israel and Iran that were using its models to influence political outcomes."Russia intended to use this bot farm to disseminate AI-generated foreign disinformation, scaling their work with the assistance of AI to undermine our partners in Ukraine and influence geopolitical narratives favorable to the Russian government," FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement. "The FBI is committed to working with our partners and deploying joint, sequenced operations to strategically disrupt our most dangerous adversaries and their use of cutting-edge technology for nefarious purposes."As for RT, the media organization told Bloomberg: "Farming is a beloved pastime for millions of Russians."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/us-officials-announce-the-takedown-of-an-ai-powered-russian-bot-farm-054034912.html?src=rss
Insta360 has launched the Flow Pro smartphone gimbal with a feature we've never seen on any rival product: Apple DockKit support. That allows it to track you around automatically while you present, perform or do other activities, much like DJI's popular Osmo Pocket 3 gimbal.DockKit support effectively gives you a robotic cameraman. Just set the Flow Pro up on its built-in tripod that extends from the handle and pair it with your iPhone. Then, attach your iPhone to the gimbal using the magnetic phone clamp or MagSafe-compatible magnetic phone mount and you're ready to shoot.From there, it'll use your iPhone's front or rear camera and the native camera app to track and focus on your or your subject. That gives you the freedom to move around, knowing it'll keep you in frame and in focus. It also works with over 200 third-party iOS apps including FaceTime, Zoom and TikTok.Insta360The only other DockKit product we've seen to date is Belkin's Stand Pro iPhone dock, but that has no gimbal functionality. The Flow Pro, however, is a more powerful version of Insta360's original Flow gimbal (and is cheaper than Belkin's product to boot). To that end, it offers three-axis mechanical shake reduction that's far superior to your phone's electronic stabilization.It also comes with the company's AI-powered subject tracking with features like tracking recovery (re-acquiring a subject after losing it), person re-identification and slo-mo tracking. Insta360 also introduced Deep track 3.0 that adds 360-degree infinite pan tracking, meaning it can rotate 360 degrees horizontally while tracking subjects. It also supports animal tracking (dogs, cats and horses) and adds an LED tracking ring so you can see if it's following your subject at a quick glance.Insta360Flow Pro also offers a selfie stick that extends to 215mm (8.5 inches), a built-in cold shoe to add a mic or other accessories and a 2,900mAh power bank to charge your iPhone. Other features include "one-step rapid deploy" to unfold the gimbal in one motion, 10-hour battery life, a SmartWheel for quick access to shooting controls, and four gimbal modes (auto, follow, pan follow and FPV).The Insta360 is now available in the US and worldwide for $149 at select retailers. It includes a magnetic phone clamp, charge cable, grip cover and protective pouch, with other accessories like a spotlight, magnetic phone mount and decorative inserts sold separately.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/insta360s-flow-pro-smartphone-gimbal-uses-apples-dockkit-to-track-you-010029542.html?src=rss
Time for Xbox fans to adjust their budgets. Xbox Game Pass is increasing prices this year in a phased rollout. Beginning on July 10, any new subscribers will be charged the updated price, while current subscribers will see the higher costs take effect starting September 12. For the US, Game Pass Ultimate prices will increase from $17 a month to $20 a month, while a year of access to Game Pass Core will jump from $60 to $75. Microsoft laid out all the regional increases in a graph.Microsoft is also adding a less expensive option in September with Xbox Game Pass Standard. This plan offers access to Game Pass titles but without some perks of the Ultimate package, such as day one releases and Xbox Cloud Gaming. The Standard option will include online multiplayer, some store discounts, and all the other features of the Core plan. It will cost $15 per month in the US.XboxThe final change is what looks like the beginning of the end for the Xbox Game Pass for Console plan. This option will no longer be available for new customers, and if any current plan holders stop their automatic renewal, they'll have to choose a different option if they want to re-up.This is the latest in a string of sad news stories about Game Pass. In February, we heard from Microsoft that the program had 34 million subscribers, marking a notable slowdown in growth with only 9 million new players added in the past two years. That total includes Core, which is the rebranded Xbox Live plan for playing online games with minimal other perks, meaning the number of new subscribers is even lower. And in June, Xbox's hoped-for big splash of new hardware announcements turned out to be a mere trickle of refreshes. It's a great offer for players who want to keep up with the vast number of new games being released every month, but it doesn't seem to be connecting with the audience in the way Microsoft hoped.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/xbox-is-increasing-game-pass-prices-and-adding-a-standard-plan-234657957.html?src=rss
The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) has come back online nearly a decade after shutting down. But the once venerable source of Apple news appears to have been transformed by its new owners into an AI-generated content farm.The site, which ceased operations in 2015, began publishing new" articles, many of which appear to be nearly identical to content published by MacRumors and other publications, over the past week. But those posts bear the bylines of writers who last worked for TUAW more than a decade ago. The site also has an author page featuring the names of former writers along with photos that appear to be AI-generated.Christina Warren, who last wrote for TUAW in 2009, flagged the sketchy tactic in a post on Threads. Someone bought the TUAW domain, populated it with AI-generated slop, and then reused my name from a job I had when I was 21 years old to try to pull some SEO scam that won't even work in 2024 because Google changed its algo," she wrote.Originally started in 2004, TUAW was shut down by AOL in 2015. Much of the site's original archive can still be found on Engadget. Yahoo, which owns Engadget, sold the TUAW domain in 2024 to an entity called Web Orange Limited" in 2024, according to a statement on TUAW's website.The sale, notably, did not include the TUAW archive. But, it seems that Web Orange Limited found a convenient (if legally dubious) way around that. With a commitment to revitalize its legacy, the new team at Web Orange Limited meticulously rewrote the content from archived versions available on archive.org, ensuring the preservation of TUAW's rich history while updating it to meet modern standards and relevance," the site's about page states.TUAW doesn't say if AI was used in those rewrites," but a comparison between the original archive on Engadget and the rewritten" content on TUAW suggests that Web Orange Limited put little effort into the task. The article rewrites' aren't even assigned to the correct names," Warren tells Engadget, It has stuff for me going back to 2004. I didn't start writing for the site until 2007."TUAW didn't immediately respond to emailed questions about its use of AI or why it was using the bylines of former writers with AI-generated profile photos. Yahoo didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-blog-tuaw-returns-as-an-ai-content-farm-225326136.html?src=rss
Google announced in an update on Tuesday that its dark web monitoring service, also known as dark web report," will be made available to all Google users in 46 countries including the US and UK at the end of the month, according to Fast Company. The feature was previously only available to users with a Google One membership.The dark web report will be located in the Results about you" page when you visit myactivity.google.com.Google's dark web report" feature will scan the seedy underbelly of algorithms that ended up on the wrong side of the digital tracks to determine if your personal information has been leaked. This includes information such as your name, address, phone numbers and email accounts.It's a handy feature to have especially if you're one of the millions of people who've fallen victim to hacking, info leaks or identity theft. Just a few months ago, 7.6 million AT&T customers had their information leaked to the dark web forcing the telecom giant to reset all of its affected users' passcodes.Other services like Proton Mail and LastPass already have features that monitor the dark web for user information and leaked passwords and alert them if they find anything.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-will-give-users-free-dark-web-monitoring-222557429.html?src=rss
A lot of school districts have instituted smartphone bans for students during the school day but a British boarding school has taken it one step further. Wait, scratch that. They've taken it one step back.Eton College, the historic and elite British boarding school with famous alumni such as Prince William and Harry, Ian Fleming and Tom Hiddleston, has instituted a new mobile phone policy for its first-year students starting in September. Those students will have to leave their smartphones at home but bring their SIM card to school and put it in an old school, offline Nokia cell phone with a simple number pad that can only make phone calls and send text messages, according to CBS News.The British boarding school's policy is based on guidelines from the UK government that allows principals to enact smartphone bans on students during the school day.Let's hope nobody tells school officials about Snake or those poor kids may have to actually pay attention and learn something.Smartphone bans and guidelines are starting to seep into American school districts as well. According to data from Govspend, 41 states have at least one school district that instituted a rule requiring students to place their smartphones in magnetically sealed Yondr pouches when they go to school.The Los Angeles Unified School District passed a district-wide school phone ban for students in June that prompted California Gov. Gavin Newsom to call for a similar law on the state level.Meanwhile in New York City, the city's chancellor of public schools David Banks said he plans to institute a phone ban in the coming weeks. New York Governor Kathy Hochul is working with the state's legislature to pass two new bills that would only allow students to carry phones that don't have access internet accessEven Florida (yes, that Florida, the one that's home to 10 million Florida Mans) has a statewide smartphone in schools ban that also requires schools to block students from accessing social media on its Wifi networks.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/a-british-boarding-school-will-make-students-use-boring-old-nokia-phones-215048983.html?src=rss
Bumble is making it simpler for its members to report AI-generated profiles. The dating and social connection platform now has "Using AI-generated photos or videos" as an option under the Fake Profile reporting menu."An essential part of creating a space to build meaningful connections is removing any element that is misleading or dangerous," Bumble Vice President of Product at Bumble Risa Stein said in an official statement. "We are committed to continually improving our technology to ensure that Bumble is a safe and trusted dating environment. By introducing this new reporting option, we can better understand how bad actors and fake profiles are using AI disingenuously so our community feels confident in making connections."According to a Bumble user survey, 71 percent of the service's Gen Z and Millennial respondents want to see limits on use of AI-generated content on dating apps. Another 71 percent considered AI-generated photos of people in places they've never been or doing activities they've never done a form of catfishing.Fake profiles can also swindle people out of a lot of money. In 2022, the Federal Trade Commission received reports of romance scams from almost 70,000 people, and their losses to those frauds totaled $1.3 billion. Many dating apps take extensive safety measures to protect their users from scams, as well as from physical dangers, and the use of AI in creating fake profiles is the latest threat for them to combat. Bumble released a tool called the Deception Detector earlier this year, leveraging AI for positive ends to identify phony profiles. It also introduced an AI-powered tool to protect users from seeing unwanted nudes. Tinder launched its own approach to verifying profiles in the US and UK this year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/bumble-wants-users-to-report-ai-generated-images-203627777.html?src=rss
As early Prime Day deals continue to become available, Amazon has revealed an all-new Echo Spot ahead of the shopping event. It's very much like the original Echo Spot that came out in 2017 and was discontinued two years later except the front face is now split between a hemispherical display and speaker. The Echo Spot's outer shell comes in Black, Glacier White and Ocean Blue, and the display can be customized with six hues: magenta, violet, orange, lime, teal or blue, which can be mixed- and-matched with various clock faces. The new Echo Spot costs $80, which is $50 cheaper than the original model - but if you're a Prime member, you can get it for $45 through Prime Day. Amazon says the new model comes with better sound and a sharper display. Time will tell if the reboot suffers from the same screen flicker issues as its predecessor. Otherwise, the conceit is more or less identical: it's a bare-bones smart alarm clock that, via Alexa integration, can manage a few simple tasks like providing the weather forecast or showing song titles when playing music from your streaming app of choice. Arguably, the best part about the new Echo Spot is that it doesn't have a camera. The original model had one baked in, which was useful for video chats, but not everyone was enthused about having a camera sitting on their bedside. Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Hear from Autoblog's experts on the best Amazon Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-revives-the-echo-spot-smart-alarm-clock-and-swiftly-discounts-it-by-44-percent-160304634.html?src=rss
Google Maps is rolling out a speedometer as well as speed limit indicators for iOS and CarPlay, TechCrunch reported. Android has had both features since 2019, while Waze has had them since 2016. Now, iPhone users can use them to gauge how fast they're driving while using Google Maps.To enable it, tap your profile picture on Google Maps and go to Settings > Navigation. Scroll down to the Map display section, and you'll see the switches for the speedometer and speed limit features. When enabled, the speedometer will appear in the bottom left corner of the screen. If you drive over the speed limit the speedometer will change colors to remind you to slow down.Google said on its support page that the speedometer is for informational use only" and should not be used as a substitute for your car's actual speedometer. This is because your actual driving speed may differ from the speed shown on Google Maps. Just something to bear in mind for your own safety.The new speeding features were spotted being used by iPhone owners in India, and Google will roll them out worldwide in the coming weeks.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-maps-speedometer-finally-comes-to-ios-and-carplay-185946210.html?src=rss
On Tuesday, the FTC unanimously banned the social messaging app NGL from hosting minors as part of a $5 million settlement. The first-of-its-kind ban comes after revelations that the company actively marketed the app to children with bait-and-switch tactics, false claims about AI moderation and the targeting of popular" kids (like cheerleaders) to try to lure others onto the predatory hellscape.NGL marketed its app to kids and teens despite knowing that it was exposing them to cyberbullying and harassment," FTC Chair Lina Khan wrote in an agency press release. In light of NGL's reckless disregard for kids' safety, the FTC's order would ban NGL from marketing or offering its app to those under 18. We will keep cracking down on businesses that unlawfully exploit kids for profit."The FTC and the Los Angeles DA's office worked together on the complaint, which paints a picture of an exploitative business that prioritized building its social graph above honoring even the most fundamental of ethics. (Sound familiar?) Although NGL is still a relatively niche app with nowhere near the popularity of Instagram, TikTok and other first-tier platforms, it has exploded" in popularity, according to The Washington Post. In 2022, it briefly became the most downloaded app on the iOS App Store.The company markets the app as a place to message anonymously with unknown friends and contacts from other social channels. That alone sounds like a recipe for disaster. But the FTC says the company made it much worse with false claims of using world class AI content moderation" with deep learning and pattern matching algorithms" to prevent cyberbullying and other concerning behavior. It also sent fake, computer-generated messages - which users believed were from their real friends - with provocative prompts like Are you straight?" and I know what you did."In addition, the company's predatory business practices also allegedly included bait-and-switch upsell tactics, which promised to reveal the identity of anonymous friends" (which may have been fake) if they paid up to $10 weekly for a premium subscription. After paying, the service would only supply useless hints" like the message's timestamp, the sender's general location and whether they used an iPhone or Android phone. It would also turn on recurring, hard-to-cancel charges that users didn't expect.Even worse, Joao Figueiredo, one of the company's co-founders, allegedly directed employees to look on high school cheer [Instagram] pages" to find kids who are popular to post and get their friends to post." One user allegedly reported that their friend attempted suicide because of their experience on NGL.When consumers complained, NGL executives allegedly laughed them off as suckers."The FTC and Los Angeles DA added that NGL violated the COPPA Rule. It requires companies with apps that are directed to or knowingly being used by children under 13 to inform their parents about the personal information they collect." Other accusations include a violation of the Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act.In addition, the dumpster fire known as NGL allegedly made no attempt to verify users' ages, failed to obtain parental consent to collect and use data from preteen children and failed to honor parents' requests to delete children's data. Finally, the company supposedly retained children's data longer than reasonably necessary to fulfill the purpose for which the data was collected."Under the settlement terms, NGL and its cofounders have agreed to pay $4.5 million to provide redress to consumers" and a $500,000 civil penalty to the LA DA's office. From now on, the company will have to require an age gate that prevents new and current users under 18 from using the app, deleting all info associated with those under 13, agreeing not to misrepresent the origins of messages, make false claims about AI tech and received consent from consumers before billing them for subscriptions (while making canceling recurring charges simple).It remains to be seen whether the FTC can use the unanimous, bipartisan ruling against NGL as a precedent to go after bigger fish in the social sphere using egregiously unethical marketing tactics of their own.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ngl-becomes-the-first-app-banned-from-hosting-minors-by-the-ftc-171524202.html?src=rss
Apple's Time Bandits remake has been floating around since 2018, which is actually more than a year before Apple TV+ started pumping out content, but we haven't had much by way of actual details. That changed today with a trailer, release date and a whole lot more. The upcoming adaptation of Terry Gilliam's classic 1981 film will be a ten-episode series that premieres on July 24.The creative team is top-notch and just about perfect for a reimagining of Gilliam's dark and hilarious time-twisting fairy tale. It's being helmed by the dynamic duo behind the film What We Do in the Shadows, Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi. The latter also made a couple of Marvel movies, to varying degrees of success.The cast looks to be sufficiently stacked and led by the, and I can't believe I'm saying this about someone so famous and rich, under-appreciated Lisa Kudrow. The rest of the titular bandits are portrayed by Charlyne Yi, Rune Temte, Tadhg Murphy and Roger Jean Nsengiyumva. Jemaine Clement replaces David Warner as the primary antagonist, which are some mighty big shoes to fill, and Waititi replaces Ralph Richardson as the Supreme Being. Interestingly, there are no original cast members here. This is an absolute reimagining and not a pass the torch" type deal.To that point, the plot looks to follow the original. It's about a lonely British child who discovers a time portal in his bedroom and gets involved in all manner of hijinks involving a lost time map. The film used to both amuse and terrify me to no end when it would turn up on TV when I was a kid. Here's hoping the remake keeps that formula intact.The trailer certainly indicates it'll be doing just that and also shows several iconic sequences from the movie, including romps through Ancient Greece and the creation of Stonehenge. Being as how the movie had plenty of guest stars as the gang traveled through time, the show could do the same. Sean Connery played Agamemnon in the film and John Cleese played Robin Hood. Neither character pops up in the trailer, so there could be some casting surprises in store. Waititi loves that kind of thing.The press release also mentions the Harlem Renaissance, which was not in the movie, so we'll likely see a bunch of new time periods. Ten episodes of TV is a lot longer than a two-hour movie.Time Bandits premieres with two episodes on July 24. It continues until August 21, dropping two episodes each Wednesday. It joins like a hundred other fantasy and sci-fi shows on Apple TV+.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-tvs-new-time-bandits-show-just-got-a-glorious-trailer-and-a-july-release-date-165950320.html?src=rss
This year's Amazon Prime Day is nearly upon us, as it officially begins on July 16. However, some of the best early Prime Day deals are already coming in hot, including a deep discount on the Echo Show 5. The Amazon smart display is on sale for $50, which is a discount of $40. That's just a tiny bit more than the record-low price. The Echo Show 8 is also on sale for $85, which is a new record low. The Echo Show 5 easily made our list of the best smart displays, for a great many reasons. The 5.5-inch screen is diminutive, especially when compared to the Echo Show 8, but that just makes it fit better on a desk or nightstand. To that end, it doubles as a fantastic alarm clock. The ambient alarm light sensor adjusts the screen's brightness automatically, which is a nice way to wake up, and the tap-to-snooze function allows for a few more minutes (or hours) of precious sleep. There's a camera, which is great for simple video calls but does bring some privacy concerns. Amazon ships this display with a physical camera cover to solve that issue. Just pop on the cover when you aren't actually using the camera. This isn't a perfect smart display, though it's a great one for the price. The main downside with the Echo Show 5 is that the speakers are not as powerful as those found with larger smart displays. This isn't a dealbreaker. It's still plenty loud, but you probably won't use it to power a dance party. Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Hear from Autoblog's experts on the best Amazon Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/early-prime-day-deals-discount-the-echo-show-5-to-50-163031202.html?src=rss
The summer is usually a quiet time for tech news but Samsung is about to shake things up a bit. The next Samsung Unpacked event is set for tomorrow, July 10. It will take place in Paris at 3PM local time, which is 9AM ET. If you want to tune in live, all the details for how to watch Samsung Unpacked are right here.The company released its Galaxy S24 devices earlier this year after its first Unpacked of 2024, so it's highly unlikely that we'll see new versions of the traditional smartphone format here (perhaps save for Olympics-branded models given Samsung's sponsorship of that event). However, there's a decent chance that Samsung will show off its latest set of foldables. Rumors are suggesting that it's ready to reveal a new smartwatch too. And then there's the small matter of the smart ring that Samsung has been teasing this year.What we expect from Samsung Unpacked July 2024Samsung Galaxy RingSamsung's smart ring is its most intriguing upcoming device. It's a brand-new product category for the company, though Samsung has been preparing for it by refining its health and wellness tech in its other devices over the last few years.The Samsung Galaxy Ring is slated to arrive in or around August," according to the company itself, so it would be more of a surprise if the device didn't appear at Unpacked. After first teasing the wearable during January's Unpacked, Samsung revealed more details about it in February. The Galaxy Ring will be available in three colors - platinum silver, gold and ceramic black - and multiple sizes.The ring will measure heart rate, movement and breathing to help track your sleep. It's expected to support fertility tracking too. The Galaxy Ring will also be able to pair with a Galaxy Watch, so if you wear both, you're likely to get more accurate health data.SamsungNaturally, the Galaxy Ring will be compatible with Galaxy phones but Samsung is aiming to make it work with other Android handsets. As of February, iOS compatibility was to be determined, so perhaps rival device Oura will remain the go-to choice for many iPhone users. For what it's worth, some of the company's smartwatches are compatible with certain iPhones and non-Samsung Android phones.Samsung has yet to reveal the exact release date and pricing for the Galaxy Ring. However, that information is almost certainly going to be announced at Unpacked.Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6It's probably the right time for Samsung to roll out new foldables as we move into the back half of the year and (don't say it out loud because summer has just started in the northern hemisphere) the holiday shopping season. We may very well see the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and and Galaxy Z Flip 6 at Unpacked.The updates are expected to be relatively minor. Rumors suggest the Z Flip 6 will get a modest battery capacity increase to 4,000 mAh, an option to increase the RAM to 12GB and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. Camera upgrades also seem likely, with Samsung said to be bringing the same 50MP camera seen in the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S24 to the Z Flip 6.As for the flagship foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold 6, that's expected to have the same size screen and thickness as last year's model. The cover screen may adopt Corning Gorilla Armor for improved durability along with anti-reflective tech.It doesn't seem that the cameras will be upgraded, while there may only be a very small increase to battery capacity. It's a safe bet that there will be a chipset upgrade to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, though.Meanwhile, one leak has suggested that both devices are getting a $100 increase compared with last year's models. We'll need to wait until Unpacked to find out for sure whether that's the case.There has also been some chatter around a more premium Galaxy Z Fold 6 Ultra, as well as slim versions of both foldable formats. However, these may arrive alongside the Galaxy S25 lineup in early 2025. If they appear at the July Unpacked event, it's likely to be a tease at most.Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Watch UltraGalaxy Watch 7 listings popped up early on some online stores, so we'll probably see that wearable show up at Unpacked too. It's expected to have a 3nm chipset that could improve power efficiency and performance. The health sensors are likely to get an upgrade too.This being 2024, there will naturally be some AI-powered features. A listing detailed AI-powered sleep, exercise and communications features, including a smart reply function for the latter.That's not all, though, as there are indications that a Galaxy Watch Ultra is on the way too. A number of leaked images suggest it'll be chunkier than standard Galaxy Watch models. The device is expected to have a rectangular design with a round watch face. Most intriguingly, the Galaxy Watch Ultra could have a digital crown-style dial and button combination on the side instead of a rotating bezel for navigation.Rumors peg the price at $700, which would be far more expensive than other Galaxy Watch devices. Here's hoping Samsung has packed enough features in there to make it worthwhile.
Vampire Survivors, one of the very best games of the last few years, is already available for iPhone. It arrived on iOS out of the blue at the tail end of 2022. That version is ad-supported, which can disrupt what's otherwise a perfectly enjoyable mobile gaming experience. However, Apple Arcade subscribers will soon be able to play an ad-free version of the auto-shooting roguelike at no extra cost.Vampire Survivors+ is coming to the subscription service on August 1. That version of the game will include both of the premium expansions at no extra cost as well. The base game (which is also coming to PlayStation this summer) includes 50 playable characters and 80 weapons, so with the extras that the DLCs add to the mix, you'll have countless of hours of gameplay at your fingertips. You'll even be able to play with up to three friends on the same device if you connect enough controllers to it.That's not all though, as Apple has announced two other upcoming additions to the service. Temple Run: Legends flips the franchise on its head. The original Temple Run was a big hit on the iPhone. However, this will be the first level-based game in the series and it'll have more than 500 stages. Those craving a classic infinite run mode will still have access to one, though. Temple Run: Legends is coming to Apple Arcade on August 1.In addition, another Apple Vision Pro game is coming to Apple Arcade. Physics-based puzzle game Castle Crumble will arrive on August 29.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ad-free-vampire-survivors-is-coming-to-apple-arcade-on-august-1-155244352.html?src=rss
Prime Day is approaching as quickly as lunchtime hunger pangs and, as ever, there are some early deals to be had. One of the tastiest we've seen so far is a significant discount on Apple's AirPods Max. The over-ear headphones have dropped to $399. They've been hovering at around $449 for quite some time (after debuting at $549) and now they have dropped to a new record low price. The AirPods Max have been around since 2020 (and are perhaps overdue for a USB-C flavored upgrade), but they're still a great option for those looking for over-ear headphones - especially if you're already heavily entrenched in the Apple ecosystem. We gave them a score of 84 in our review, with the audio quality, active noise cancellation (ANC) performance and battery life proving to be positives. You can control the AirPods Max with an Apple Watch-style rotating crown and there's a separate button for switching between ANC and transparency modes. You'll need to use a Lightning cable to charge the headset, which will quickly pair to your iPhone and other devices that are signed into the same iCloud account. Unfortunately, AirPods Max do not support lossless audio from Apple Music due to a Bluetooth limitation, though spatial audio does work. It's also worth bearing in mind that there's likely a new AirPods Max model coming relatively soon, perhaps by the end of the year. Elsewhere, Apple's AirPods Pro are also on sale. You can snap up a pair for $169, which is 32 percent off the regular price of $249. That's not a bad deal at all if you prefer an in-ear format for your audio needs. AirPods Pro also have some features that the AirPods Max lack, including an adaptive mode that brings together ANC and transparency. Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Hear from Autoblog's experts on the best Amazon Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/early-prime-day-deals-see-apples-airpods-max-drop-to-a-new-record-low-150058492.html?src=rss
David Ellison, the new chief executive of Paramount, has big plans for the media giant and wants to turn it into a "media and technology" company, according to the Financial Times. Ellison is taking over as Paramount's boss after his production studio, Skydance Media, agreed to acquire the company behind massive films and franchises like The Godfather, Top Gun, Mission: Impossible and Star Trek. Skydance served as its financial partner in several projects that include Top Gun: Maverick. According to Reuters, Skydance is paying $2.4 billion to buy National Amusements, the firm that holds a controlling stake in Paramount.As the Times notes, Paramount struggled financially after investing billions of dollars in its streaming service. Paramount+, however, has yet to turn a profit despite the company's efforts and even though it launched a plan with ads in order to get more people to sign up. Earlier this year, the media giant laid off 800 employees, including Paramount+ workers. But Ellison, son of Oracle founder Larry Ellison, intends to continue investing and working on the streaming service.He's planning to rebuild Paramount+'s technology and use modern infrastructure to improve its recommendation algorithm that helps users find new shows. In addition, he's planning to work with his father's company to reduce costs and improve efficiency. Jeff Shell, who's going to become the combined company's president, told the Times that Paramount+ is going to team up with other streaming services and enter bundling agreements. The goal is to cut costs and to get customers to keep paying for access. Shell said they've already had calls from "different potential partners" and they're going to consider agreements that will get the service "more scale" and will get them to break even more quickly.The merger is expected to be finalized next year, after which the new Paramount will be valued at $28 billion.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/paramount-and-skydance-will-merge-to-create-new-tech-media-giant-140052942.html?src=rss
If you're in the market for some new tech then Amazon's early Prime Day deals have you covered. The latest deal worth shopping is a 32 percent discount on the second-generation Apple AirPods Pro. The Prime Day sale brings them down to $169 from $249 - a new all-time low price. These earbuds are our choice of best wireless earbuds for iPhone users. The second-gen AirPods Pro came out in 2022 and are still Apple's newest in the series. We gave them an 88 in our review thanks to an H2 chip that produces solid noise cancellation and an excellent transparency mode. You can also swipe for volume control and access Personalized Spatial Audio. Plus, Apple shrunk the ear tip, added a built-in speaker to the case and switched out the lightning port for a USB-C one. If you're looking for something a bit cheaper, check out the deal on Apple's third-gen AirPods. They've dropped to a new all-time low of $129 from $169 - $11 cheaper than the sale we saw yesterday. For one-fourth off their sticker price, you get AirPods that are comfortable, offer excellent audio quality and are IPX4 sweat and water resistant. Plus, they have six hours of continual battery life and 30 hours total with the case. Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Hear from Autoblog's experts on the best Amazon Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/early-prime-day-deals-discount-the-airpods-pro-to-a-new-low-of-169-130559143.html?src=rss
Spotify is bridging the gap between podcasters and their listeners by launching a comment section for podcasts, which will start showing up on episodes today. Listeners can find the service's new comment section by scrolling past the play controls or navigating to the episode page once they're done listening. At launch, all posts will be private by default, and creators will have full control over what comments will show up on their page. They have the power to publish and unpublish any response they want. If they have no time to do that, they can enable comments for specific episodes only or opt out of the feature altogether.The service is making it possible for all creators to oversee comments by giving them access to the updated Spotify for Podcasters app, whether or not they're hosted by the company. Creators that aren't hosted on the Spotify for Podcasters platform just have to claim their show through the app first. In addition to being able to control what responses get published on their page, creators will also receive notifications for new comments and for reaching show milestones. They'll get access to analytics and insights on their audience, as well.Spotify says listeners who engage with its interactive features, such as its Q&As and polls, are (on average) four times more likely to return to a show within 30 days. Those users also spend twice as many hours per month listening to podcasts than those who don't engage with Spotify's interactive features. The company intends to make its platform even more interactive and has more plans for fall this year. It also vows to continue improving its comments experience based on the feedback it gets from both podcasters and listeners.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/spotify-is-launching-a-comment-section-for-podcasts-130034091.html?src=rss
The line between gaming laptops and respectable workhorse notebooks has all but disappeared. These days, having a fast CPU and GPU, along with excellent cooling and a beautiful screen, will help you play the latest games and run all the demanding software you'd need for school work. Not everyone wants a garish gaming rig, though, so we've collected some understated options that will be at home across the classroom, library and heated sessions of Apex Legends in your dorm room. These are our top picks for the best laptops for gaming and schoolwork - but if you're looking for a dedicated gaming laptop rather than an all-in-one machine, check out our best gaming laptops list for our recommendations. Are gaming laptops good for school? As we've mentioned, gaming laptops are especially helpful if you're doing any demanding work. Their big promise is powerful graphics performance, which isn't just limited to PC gaming. Video editing and 3D rendering programs can also tap into their GPUs to handle laborious tasks. While you can find decent GPUs on some productivity machines, like Dell's XPS 15, you can sometimes find better deals on gaming laptops. My general advice for any new workhorse: Pay attention to the specs; get at least 16GB of RAM and the largest solid state drive you can find (ideally 1TB or more). Those components are both typically hard to upgrade down the line, so it's worth investing what you can up front to get the most out of your PC gaming experience long term. Also, don't forget the basics like a webcam, which will likely be necessary for the schoolwork portion of your activities. The one big downside to choosing a gaming notebook is portability. For the most part, we'd recommend 15-inch models to get the best balance of size and price. Those typically weigh in around 4.5 pounds, which is significantly more than a three-pound ultraportable. Today's gaming notebooks are still far lighter than older models, though, so at least you won't be lugging around a 10-pound brick. If you're looking for something lighter, there are plenty of 14-inch options these days. And if you're not into LED lights and other gamer-centric bling, keep an eye out for more understated models that still feature essentials like a webcam (or make sure you know how to turn those lights off). Best laptops for gaming and school in 2024 This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-laptops-for-gaming-and-school-132207352.html?src=rss
Logitech G has a new toy for gamers to try out. The brand - which is the gaming arm of Logitech - has released the G309 LIGHTSPEED Wireless Gaming Mouse for $80 in black and white. The mouse is Powerplay compatible, meaning you can use it without an AA battery if you also own the Logitech G PowerPlay Wireless Charging System. The new mouse also has Logitech's Hero 25K sensor, which provides exceptional accuracy while being power-efficient. It offers 400 IPS with a sensitivity of up to 25,600 DPI. Plus, without a battery, it weighs just over one-tenth of a pound (68 grams) and just under two-tenths of a pound (86 grams) with one AA battery. Speaking of battery, the Logitech G309 LIGHTSPEED Wireless Gaming Mouse lasts for 300 hours of ongoing gameplay at a 1ms report rate in LIGHTSPEED with just one AA alkaline battery. If you switch the mouse to Bluetooth, that amount doubles to 600 hours. "Our LIGHTSPEED technology, in conjunction with our Hero sensors, has advanced to the point where all gamers, from the world's elite esports pros athletes to the first time gamer, know they can trust Logitech G mice to perform every time," Ujesh Desai, vice president and general manager of Logitech Gaming, said in a statement. The Logitech G309 LIGHTSPEED Wireless Gaming Mouse is available now and includes a LIGHTSPEED USB receiver, USB cable extender, grip stickers and an AA battery. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/logitech-g-launches-a-new-80-gaming-mouse-120004581.html?src=rss
Amazon Prime Day is right around the corner, as it officially starts on July 16. However, some of the best early Prime Day deals are already wafting in like a nice summer breeze. Case in point? You can now pick up a pair of Blink Mini 2 security cameras for $40, which is a discount of 43 percent. This is the latest version of the camera, which was originally released earlier this year. That's a pretty quick turnaround for this kind of massive discount. For the uninitiated, the Blink Mini 2 is a tiny security camera with a surprising amount of tech. The image quality has been massively improved over the original model and there's a built-in LED spotlight that allows for color night vision. The smartphone app displays live 1080p footage with two-way audio and there's a motion-detection algorithm that'll send out alerts. These cameras are great for use inside of the home, but they can handle outside use so long as you purchase the weather-resistant power adapter. You can also use the Mini 2 with other Blink products for a comprehensive home security system. For instance, these cameras can be used as a plug-in chime for the Blink Video Doorbell. Nearly every aspect of the camera can be controlled via Alexa because, you know, Amazon. There are plenty more features available with these cameras, but that leads to the one downside. Many of them are paywalled behind a monthly subscription. You can stream live video for up to 90 minutes, get smart notifications, share clips and store clips for up to 30 days. All of these features require a Blink subscription plan, starting at $3 per month. You do get a 30-day trial with this purchase. Also, for those with small homes who don't actually need two security cameras, you can pick up a single unit for $20. All purchases include a mounting kit, a USB cable and a power adapter. Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Hear from Autoblog's experts on the best Amazon Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/early-prime-day-deals-include-a-pair-of-blink-mini-2-cameras-for-40-115051409.html?src=rss
Nothing's budget-friendly sub-brand, CMF, is getting experimental with its latest device lineup. There's a smartphone, watch and earbuds, but I'm most intrigued by the CMF Phone 1. The back cover is interchangeable, so users can swap to different colors and designs on the fly. The company says the removable cover makes accessing the phone's internal components easy for repairs.There's also an accessory point on the back cover, which when unscrewed, can attach to fold-out stands, card holders and lanyards. It's like a customizable case already part of your phone. That speaks to me, someone who won't shut up about Peak Design's modular case accessories for iPhone and Android phones alike.This pseudo-modular design is far cooler than anything else listed on the phone's spec sheet (8-core MediaTek Dimensity 7300 5G processor, 6.67-inch Super AMOLED display flagship-grade 50MP main camera), but it'll be joined by companion earbuds and a smartwatch.NothingThe companion watch has multiple band styles, but users can also swap out the bezel to switch fluidly between styles to suit any occasion." Meanwhile, the second-gen CMF earbuds have a giant control dial on the case that can be assigned to volume, skip tracks or anything else you might want to do with the buds. Available now, the CMF Phone 1 costs $200, and the watch and buds launch on July 11th.Oh and set your alarms for tomorrow, because Samsung Unpacked 2024 is happening. It's time for foldables.- Mat SmithThe biggest stories you might have missedHow to watch Samsung Unpacked 2024Microsoft Notepad just got spellcheck Overwatch 2's Transformers skins get an animated trailerYou can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!Amazon revives its Echo Spot smart alarm clockAnd it's already discounted.AmazonAmazon has revealed an all-new Echo Spot ahead of Prime Day. It's very much like the original Echo Spot that came out in 2017. Has anything changed in the interim? Yes, the front face is now split between a hemispherical display and speaker. Amazon says the new model has better sound and a sharper display. And it's still a pretty simple alarm clock. While the RRP is $80, it's already on sale for $45.Continue reading.Hackers reverse-engineer Ticketmaster's barcode system to unlock resales elsewhereIt appears to work with AXS too.Scalpers have used a security researcher's findings to reverse-engineer nontransferable" digital tickets from Ticketmaster and AXS, allowing transfers outside their apps. The workaround was revealed in a lawsuit AXS filed in May against third-party brokers adopting the practice.Ticketmaster and AXS lock ticket resales inside their platforms, preventing transfers on third-party services, like SeatGeek and StubHub. Although the companies claim the practice is strictly a security measure, it also conveniently allows them to control how and when their tickets are resold. Hackers have used the research findings (read up on the saga here, courtesy of 404 Media) to shift tickets across and resell them.Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-nothings-cmf-sub-brand-announces-a-200-smartphone-with-a-modular-back-111506263.html?src=rss
Blizzard and Hasbro have revealed the Transformers skins for Overwatch 2's upcoming collaboration with the popular mecha toy franchise. The two companies released an animated trailer on the Overwatch YouTube channel today, showing off the skins based on three Autobots and a Decepticon.The trailer shows that the Transformers skins are assigned to Reinhardt, Bastion, Illari and Ramratta - four characters that were already robots or humans wearing armor to begin with. Reinhardt will be cosplaying Optimus Prime, the fearless leader of the Autobots; Bastion will be Bumblebee; Illari will be pretty in pink as Arcee; and Ramratta will be the fearsome Decepticon leader, Megatron. Many Overwatch 2 players are anticipating how well the Transformers skins will fit with the game's aim-and-click, collection, and respawn mechanics in actual gameplay.The Transformers crossover comes on the heels of the game's collaboration with Porsche back in May, which transformed (pun entirely intended) the newest models of the German company's cars into souped-up skin for D.Va and Pharah. Earlier this year, players got to dress up Cassidy as Spike Siegel and Ashe as Faye Valentine during the Cowboy Bebop collaboration, among other characters from the classic anime. Last year, fans put Doomfist in a skin based on Saitama from another hit anime, One-Punch Man.The Overwatch 2 x Transformers collaboration begins tomorrow. Blizzard didn't put a price tag on the Transformers skins nor mention whether they'll be obtained as free rewards via gameplay. For reference, the Cowboy Bebop and Porsche skins cost a pretty penny, so you may be expected to spend big on the Transformers skin you like the best. Regardless, this crossover may appeal to players who played with Transformers action figures and watched the animated series when they were kids.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/overwatch-2-shows-off-transformers-skins-in-animated-trailer-222358657.html?src=rss
Scalpers have used a security researcher's findings to reverse-engineer nontransferable" digital tickets from Ticketmaster and AXS, allowing transfers outside their apps. The workaround was revealed in a lawsuit AXS filed in May against third-party brokers adopting the practice, according to 404 Media, which first reported the news.The saga began in February when an anonymous security researcher, going by the pseudonym Conduition, published technical details about how Ticketmaster generates its electronic tickets. If you aren't already familiar with how modern e-ticketing systems work, Ticketmaster and AXS lock ticket resales inside their platforms, preventing transfers on third-party services like SeatGeek and StubHub. (For higher-priority events, they often take it a step further by prohibiting transfers to other accounts on the same platform.)Although the companies claim the practice is strictly a security measure, it also conveniently allows them to control how and when their tickets are resold. (Yay, capitalism?)TicketmasterTicketmaster and AXS create their nontransferable" tickets using rotating barcodes that change every few seconds, preventing working screenshots or printouts. On the back end, it uses similar underlying tech similar to two-factor authentication apps. In addition, the codes are only generated shortly before an event starts, limiting the window for sharing them outside the apps. Without interference from outside parties, the platforms get to lock ticket buyers into their own resale services, giving them vertical control of the entire ecosystem.That's where the hackers come in. Using Conduition's published findings, they extracted the platforms' secret tokens that generate new tickets, using an Android phone with its Chrome browser connected to Chrome DevTools on a desktop PC. Using the tokens, they create a parallel ticketing infrastructure that regenerates genuine barcodes on other platforms, allowing them to sell working tickets on platforms Ticketmaster and AXS don't allow. Online reports claim the parallel tickets often work at the gates.According to 404 Media, AXS' lawsuit accuses the defendants of selling counterfeit" tickets (even though they usually work) to unsuspecting customers." The court documents allegedly describe the parallel tickets as created, in whole or in part by one or more of the Defendants illicitly accessing and then mimicking, emulating, or copying tickets from the AXS Platform."AXS' lawsuit claims the company doesn't know how the hackers are doing it. The promise of essentially jailbreaking Ticketmaster is so lucrative that several brokers have reportedly tried hiring Conduition to help them build their own parallel ticket-generating platforms. Services already operating on the researcher's findings go by names like Secure.Tickets, Amosa App, Virtual Barcode Distribution and Verified-Ticket.com.404 Media's entire story is worth reading. More technically minded folks may take an interest in Conduition's earlier findings, which illustrate what the ticketing behemoths are doing on their back ends to keep the entire ecosystems in their clutches.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/hackers-reverse-engineer-ticketmasters-barcode-system-to-unlock-resales-on-other-platforms-194826061.html?src=rss
Let's start this news off with a catchy song: Who just got a release date for Disney+? It's Agatha All Along! The WandaVision spinoff series starring the titular witch who pulled every evil string in the original show starts streaming on September 18.Disney and Marvel announced the release date for Agatha All Along today and gave us a teaser trailer to go with it.The trailer shows Agatha (Kathryn Hahn) working as a detective when she finds the body of a Jane Doe by the river in Westview. She's shocked to discover that the Jane Doe is none other than Wanda Maximoff, a.k.a. Scarlet Witch, who went into hiding after casting a containment spell on Agatha, stripping her of her powers in the process at the end of WandaVision. Rio (Aubrey Plaza), the warrior witch of Agatha's coven, convinces her to break the spell. Soon enough, she embarks on a quest to regain her bewitching powers - but not without help from some new members of her coven, should they choose to join.Agatha All Along was first announced in November 2021 under the working title Agatha: House of Harkness. The show's title underwent a few hilarious revisions, including Agatha: Coven of Chaos and Agatha: The Lying Witch and Her Great Wardrobe, before Marvel decided to cease the jokes and title it after the song Agatha All Along." Just like WandaVision, the show will run for nine episodes, with the first two episodes airing on Disney+ on release day.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/agatha-all-along-finally-comes-to-disney-on-september-18-184250997.html?src=rss
Xbox cloud gaming has officially arrived for Amazon Fire TV sticks, making for an extremely budget-friendly way to play some of the latest and greatest releases. Users can play games directly from the Xbox app, though there are some caveats.First of all, this service is only available for Game Pass Ultimate subscribers, which is the most expensive tier at around $17 per month. Also, it only works with the Fire TV Stick 4K and the Fire TV Stick 4K Max. These are both recent releases, though the Xbox press release suggests that more devices will receive the functionality at a later date. We already thought the Fire TV Stick 4K Max was a perfect fit for retro gaming, but now that also goes for AAA gaming.Finally, you need a compatible Bluetooth-enabled wireless controller, but there's no shortage of those around. You do want to make sure you pick one with the familiar Xbox button layout, so we recommend something like the SteelSeries Nimbus+ and Stratus+ controllers. However, anything with the right buttons and Bluetooth should work. This includes actual Xbox gamepads.So what can you play if you meet the above criteria? Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is likely the best game streaming platform on the planet, allowing access to a massive library of titles. This includes recent AAA releases like Starfield and Forza Horizon 5 and renowned indies like Sea of Stars and Death's Door. Just like any streaming platform, titles come and go at will.A Game Pass Ultimate subscription also gives you access to online multiplayer, day-one releases (like that upcoming Indiana Jones game) and various discounts. Subscribers even get a bonus EA Play membership.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/xbox-cloud-gaming-is-now-available-on-some-amazon-fire-tv-sticks-181530197.html?src=rss
Amazon Prime Day may not actually start until July 16, but early deals continue to roll in. Prime members can now scoop up five whole months of Amazon Music Unlimited for free. This is Amazon's streaming music platform, like Spotify, Apple Music and the rest. So that's five months of unlimited access to pretty much every song ever made. Again, this deal is only for current Prime members. The service costs $10 per month once the free trial ends, which is more-or-less in line with rival streaming platforms. If you want the free trial without having to worry about getting charged, just set a reminder to cancel before those five months are up. Amazon Music Unlimited didn't make our list of the best music streaming services, but it's still a mighty fine option. It narrowly missed the list due to a slightly less elegant interface than some rivals and aggressive podcast marketing. Otherwise, it's a decent choice. It sounds good and the library is nearly-identical to other platforms. What else is there? There's one downside that applies to not just Amazon, but all music streamers. The payout to artists is absolute trash. Amazon Music Limited pays around $0.004 per stream, which is right in the middle of Spotify's range of $0.003 to $0.005 per stream. However, Amazon does have direct licensing agreements with major labels, so someone like Taylor Swift likely negotiated a better deal than that. Emerging artists, as always, remain screwed. Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Hear from Autoblog's experts on the best Amazon Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-prime-day-early-deals-include-five-months-of-amazon-music-unlimited-for-free-165639788.html?src=rss
An early Prime Day deal has the Apple Watch Series 9 for $100 off. Several color options are available for Apple's latest model, Engadget's pick for the best overall smartwatch. The sale brings the Apple Watch down to a record low of $300. The Apple Watch Series 9 adds Double Tap, a gesture for hands-free controls. With the feature activated, tapping your index finger and thumb together twice can unleash shortcuts for scrolling through widgets, controlling music tracks and more. Great for when you're holding something like a dog leash or bag of groceries, Double Tap will get more valuable in watchOS 11, as Apple is giving third-party developers an API to customize what the gesture does in individual apps. Not much has changed on the watch's outside from its predecessor, but there are other improvements on the inside. That starts with a new S9 SiP that enables Double Tap, on-device Siri processing (great for privacy and when you're offline) and zippier navigation of watchOS. It also speeds up Siri's Raise to Speak feature by capturing a rolling two-second audio buffer to understand your requests faster. The chip also includes a new second-generation ultra-wideband (UWB) chip, also found in the iPhone 15 series. It unlocks a new precision interface for pinging your paired phone if you aren't sure where it is: The watch will show how many feet away it is as it guides you to the buried (in a couch cushion) treasure. The Apple Watch Series 9 has a broader range of brightness, reaching a maximum of 2,000 nits (double its predecessor) and a minimum of 1 nit. This can help the watch emit just the right amount for a wider variety of lighting conditions. The $300 price for Amazon Prime Day is for the 41mm case, the smaller of the two. But the 45mm model is only $330 (usually $429). Not every color is on sale, and some require you to click a clip coupon" box, so look closely at prices on the product page before checking out. Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Hear from Autoblog's experts on the best Amazon Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/early-prime-day-deal-discounts-the-apple-watch-series-9-to-300-164458596.html?src=rss
It has finally happened. Microsoft's text editor Notepad just got a spellcheck feature, more than 40 years after the software launched in 1983. For the history buffs, Ronald Reagan was still president in 1983 and Ghostbusters, then called Ghost Smashers, was an unmade script set to star Eddie Murphy. It was a long time ago.Microsoft just rolled out the new spellcheck tool to the Notepad app in Windows 11 and it works how one would expect. It automatically checks spelling errors. The company began testing the feature, to whatever extent it required testing, back in March and now it has been quietly updating the software these last few days, as reported by The Verge.Specifically, the feature works nearly the same as it does in Word or Edge. Misspelled words are highlighted via a red underline. When you right-click on the misspelled word a couple of times, you get a list of correct spelling options to change to. Microsoft has also added autocorrect to the mix, which automatically fixes errors. You get the gist. It's 2024.One interesting aspect, however, is that you can disable spellcheck on the basis of file type in Notepad via the settings menu. In other words, you can toggle the feature off for file types like .md or .srt. It's automatically disabled with file types associated with coding, like log files. Also, it takes an extra click on Notepad to replace a spelling error when compared to Word. As for Word, it first got a spellcheck in 1985. Ronald Reagan was still president and Ghostbusters had just proven itself to be a massive hit.Microsoft is about to remove the WordPad app from Windows 11 later this year, so it's beefing up Notepad to pick up the slack. Notepad has recently gotten a dark mode, actual tabs, a character count and, well, a virtual fidget spinner. It's also been stuffed to the gills with AI, in the form of Copilot integration.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-notepad-just-got-spellcheck-in-the-year-2024-154043158.html?src=rss
A new college year is right around the corner, which means it's time for a new batch of freshmen to live independently for the first time. If you're among that group, it's a good idea to stock up on a few essentials that'll make your dorm room feel more like a (tiny) second home. We've rounded up a few dorm-friendly items we can safely recommend; this is Engadget, so expect a bunch of tech gear, but we've also got a few non-gadgets that can hopefully make student life less stressful, if only by a little bit. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-dorm-room-essentials-for-college-students-133806068.html?src=rss
Samsung's summer event is nearly here. Unpacked 2024 will stream live on Wednesday, July 10, at 9AM ET. You can watch it on Samsung's YouTube channel, Newsroom website and homepage.The company is holding the shindig in Paris ahead of the Olympics, kicking off there later this month. Perhaps it wants to set the tone for a fashion tie-in with its Galaxy Ring launch. Samsung has already shown what it looks like, and the company wrote in a court filing that it plans to start shipping the ring in or around August."Foldables are expected to be a marquee attraction, with the Galaxy Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 rumored to feature heavily at the event. Their updates could be minor, as alleged leaks suggest the Z Flip 6 will have a boosted battery, RAM option and a new Snapdragon chip. Similar iterative update rumors have floated around for the flagship Galaxy Z Fold 6.The Galaxy Watch 7 is also rumored to be on tap, with better performance and power efficiency. The Galaxy Watch Ultra could be a beefy wearable with a dial. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro could make an appearance with richer audio, longer battery life and adaptive noise control in the high-end model.The tech world's current trajectory makes new AI features practically inevitable at the showcase. Samsung launched new AI tools with its Galaxy S24 series in January, and it sounds like a safe bet to expect more on Wednesday.For more on the event, you can check out Engadget's Samsung Unpacked 2024 in-depth rumor roundup.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-unpacked-2024-how-to-watch-samsung-unveil-the-galaxy-ring-galaxy-z-fold-and-more-141053068.html?src=rss
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