Threads is adding a new feature that lets users get a little more creative in remixing posts from other people. The app now has a markup" tool that allows users to scribble on top of posts they want to reshare, Adam Mosseri shared in a post.Markup abilities appear in the menu for quoting and reposting. But instead of simply quoting a post, it launches an editing tool where you can add highlights, arrows or doodles on top of a screenshot of the post. Mosseri said the feature is intended so you can add your creative take" on posts, but the tools are fairly limited for now. You can only add yellow highlights or red arrows and doodles, though Mosseri said there would be more to come soon" from Meta.A Threads spokesperson confirms that the feature will function similarly to quote posts in that the original user is notified if someone chooses to mark up their post. You can also use the who can reply and quote" setting to disable markups on your own posts.The app is also making two other features it's already previewed official: post scheduling and analytics. The features will likely be particularly useful for brands, creators and others who manage a professional presence on the site, which has so far lacked many of the more advanced business-focused tools Meta's other platforms have. Both could also come in handy should Meta begin to introduce ads to Threads, a move that's reportedly in the works for the beginning of 2025.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/threads-now-lets-you-scribble-on-top-of-other-users-posts-231129612.html?src=rss
If you subscribe to Amazon Prime or Prime Video and are looking to expand your streaming horizons, Amazon has a deal for you. Prime subscribers can get a bundled subscription to the ad-free version of Max and Starz for just $21 per month, $7 off the bundle's normal $28 per month price. Max has a solid back catalog of classic Hollywood films programmed by Turner Classic Movies, original films and TV shows from HBO, and cartoons from Cartoon Network, on top of a chaotic collection of reality TV programming from HGTV, Food Network, and more. If you were thinking of checking out The White Lotus when the show returns in February or the second season of The Last of Us in April, this bundle is a pretty good reason to hop on the Max bandwagon. Starz has a less must-see original programming when compared to Max or Prime Video - outside of the ever-popular Outlander - but it's a great streaming service if you're looking to watch movies that recently left theaters. You're able to get this bundle deal even if you don't currently have a Prime subscription. You can sign-up for a 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime to enjoy the bundle at $21 per month, and just add on an extra $15 a month once your trial is up. Prime Video itself has an interesting library worth combing through, too. Including a recent adaptation of Fallout if shows based on video games are what floats your boat. Because this deal is through Prime Video, you'll have to access Max and Starz as Prime Video Channels rather than through their individual streaming apps, but it's a small annoyance for an otherwise solid deal. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/amazon-prime-members-can-get-ad-free-max-and-starz-for-21-per-month-223245603.html?src=rss
OpenAI has begun previewing a new tool called Operator that can navigate within a web browser. According to a blog post published Thursday, the software is powered by what the company calls a Computer-Using Agent. CUA is trained to interact with graphical user interfaces (GUIs) - the buttons, menus, and text fields people see on a screen - just as humans do," says OpenAI of the model. This gives it the flexibility to perform digital tasks without using OS- or web-specific APIs.The current release of Operator builds on OpenAI's GPT-4o model. It combines the vision capabilities of that algorithm with advanced reasoning" trained through reinforcement learning. Operator has the ability to break tasks into multi-step plans and adaptively self-correct when challenges arise." According to OpenAI, that capability represents the next stage in AI development.InstacartAs with past research previews, OpenAI warns that Operator is still early and has limitations," and that it won't perform reliably in all scenarios just yet." For instance, depending on the complexity of the task and interface involved, the agent greatly benefits from the user taking a few extra moments to write a more detailed prompt. Per The Verge, Operator will give the user control if it ever gets stuck on a task. It will also hand control over whenever a website asks for sensitive information, including login credentials. The company says it designed the tool to refuse harmful requests and block disallowed content."OpenAI is making Operator first available to users of its $200 per month ChatGPT Pro subscription. It is also partnering with companies like Instacart to offer the agent on their platforms, though there again you'll need a ChatGPT Pro subscription to test the integration.Operator joins a growing list of AI agents that can either navigate a web browser or an entire operating system. Anthropic was the first to offer the capability with the release of its Claude 3.5 Sonnet model in October, followed more recently by Google with its Gemini 2.0 model and Project Mariner.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openais-operator-can-surf-the-web-for-you-210029243.html?src=rss
Epic Games had previously announced plans to bring third-party games to its mobile app, which is available worldwide on Android devices and on iOS in the European Union. The company will also offer a rotating selection of titles for free on mobile. Bloons TD 6 and Dungeon of the Endless: Apogee will be the first two free titles. In a post on X, Epic said it was still fixing some bugs before launching the new games on its platform.But the company made waves today with a move that could encourage popular games to join its free games program. Epic plans to cover the cost of the Core Technology Fee on iOS for participants' first year. Apple charges a CTF of 50 euro cents for any install of an iOS app once it surpasses 1 million annual downloads and uses a third-party store. Apps with global revenue of less than 10 million have a three-year grace period.A blog post from Epic and shared with The Verge says that covering the fees "is not financially viable for every third party app store or for Epic long term, but we'll do it while the European Commission investigates Apple's non-compliance with the law." The law in question is the Digital Markets Act, a digital competition law in Europe which has already targeted Apple.Fees levied by Apple and Google for use of their platforms has been a source of great debate in the tech and gaming spheres. Epic Games has been in conflict with Apple several times over the years, alleging the tech giant has engaged in anti-competitive behavior.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/epic-games-to-cover-some-ios-fees-in-ongoing-war-with-apple-204525888.html?src=rss
A week after DirecTV launched its first sports-only streaming package, Comcast unveiled a similar offering that adds news to the mix. The Xfinity Sports & News TV package combines over 50 broadcast, cable news and sports channels with Peacock, DVR storage and more.Although Xfinity Sports & News is being widely marketed and reported as costing $70 monthly, there's some extensive fine print attached. (With Comcast?? Can't be.)First, that price only applies to Xfinity Internet or Xfinity TV customers (new or existing). You'll pay at least $90 monthly if you want to stick with home internet from elsewhere. On top of that, your monthly price goes up by $10 without automatic billing through a bank account. Autopay with a credit or debit card adds an extra $8.So, it can be as little as $70 or as much as $100 per month. Plus tax. This is only a good deal compared to YouTube TV (which recently raised prices again) or Hulu + Live TV if you're already an Xfinity Internet customer who's cool with automatic payments.Even then, whether it's a bargain will depend on whether it has all the content you want. Its national cable news lineup includes CNN, CNBC, MSNBC and Fox News. It has ESPN, FS1, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, GOLF Channel and SEC Network for live sports channels. Also on tap are local broadcast channels, including ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, Telemundo and Univision affiliates. Plus, you get Peacock (which includes live sports in addition to its on-demand fare) and other extras like 300 hours of cloud DVR storage.If you want the best viewing experience, you'll need an Xfinity X1 TV box, only available for Xfinity cable customers. But since that would be somewhat redundant, you can still watch through the Xfinity Stream app on streaming boxes like Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV and mobile devices.You can read more (and perhaps make yourself dizzy from fine print) at Xfinity's Sports & News landing page.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/comcasts-sports-and-news-streaming-bundle-starts-at-70-monthly-203017976.html?src=rss
CNN is laying off more employees and making plans to launch another streaming service, according to a memo from CEO Mark Thompson obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. Around 200 employees jobs are being cut, affecting six percent of CNN's current staff.The changes are being made in response to "profound and irreversible shifts in the way audiences in America and around the world consume news," according to Thompson. Launching a new streaming service after the abject failure of CNN+ - the former streaming home of Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy - is apparently tied to that same thinking.According to Thompson:
The Qi2 wireless charging spec was originally announced back in early 2023. However, Android phone makers haven't exactly been rushing to add Qi2 support to their latest devices since then. That's made finding a compatible handset rather difficult, which is a bummer for anyone who has seen the wealth of accessories and power banks that iPhone owners have had access to for several generations.On top of faster charging speeds (up to 15 watts or higher in later revisions), Qi2 dictates the inclusion of embedded magnets designed to make aligning and attaching peripherals a cinch.But what makes the slow rollout a bit more frustrating is that Apple is a member of the Wireless Power Consortium (the governing body in charge of Qi2) and its MagSafe tech was used to help define the spec and ensure that compliant add-ons work seamlessly with Qi2, so it's not like there's a lack of compatible peripherals.Regardless, to help you figure out which Android phones officially come with Qi2, we've compiled a list of supported devices. (Note: Due to the complexities of the Chinese market, this list is primarily focused on gadgets available in North America and the EU.)Android phones with Qi2:The HMD Skyline.That's it, seriously. At least for now.But what about the Galaxy S25? Unfortunately, despite Samsung saying that it will release multiple Android devices supporting Qi2" this year, its latest batch of flagship phones are merely "Qi2 ready." But what does that mean? Like previous models, the Galaxy S25 family can charge wirelessly at up to 15 watts. However, because the phones don't have magnets inside, Qi2 accessories slide off when you try to attach them. This can be addressed by purchasing a compatible case with a built-in magnetic mounting system, but at least out of the box, the Galaxy S25 line requires additional assistance in order to work with the growing market of Qi2 peripherals.OnePlus also claims the OnePlus 13 supports Qi2. However, in our testing, the magnets inside the phone are so weak that it didn't latch on securely to any of the Qi2 accessories we tested.Google has also seemingly pledged to throwing its hat to the ring. That said, things are a bit less concrete with the company saying that it will play a leading role in the development of the upcoming Qi v2.2 standard, which includes Google's contribution of its own high-power wireless charging technology to WPC."Finally, when asked if it had plans to release Qi2-compatible phones, Motorola would only say that it is "committed to bringing the latest technology across our devices."That said, with Mobile World Congress 2025 starting on March 3, we're expecting to see updates from even more major manufacturers.As new phones with Qi2 hit the market, we will try to keep this list as up-to-date as possible. Or at least until the spec becomes a much more mainstream standard.Update, January 23 2025, 3:04 PM ET: This story has been updated with new info on the Samsung Galaxy S25 family, the OnePlus 13 and a statement from Motorola regarding future Qi2-certified phones.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/here-are-all-the-android-phones-that-support-qi2-150052702.html?src=rss
Pocketpair, the company behind the mega-hit game Palworld, just announced a publishing venture. This new division will provide devs with all the support they need without overstepping." It also promises funding opportunities, development assistance and publishing support."The company is currently looking for indie developers and small studios to partner with, but it already has one project on its plate. The newly-formed publishing arm has promised to provide development and financial support" to Surgent Studios, the company behind the well-regarded Metroidvania Tales of Kenzera: Zau.Surgent announced mass layoffs and an indefinite hiatus back in October as it searched for new funding partners. It looks like that search was fruitful. The company now says it's working on a "short and weird" horror title.Indie publishing is having a moment right now. Innersloth, the company behind Among Us, recently started a publishing arm to help fund indie games. YouTube star Dunkey also started a publishing company, called Bigmode, which assisted with the release of last year's enigmatic and fun Animal Well.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/palworld-developer-pocketpair-has-opened-up-a-publishing-division-194713511.html?src=rss
Google is releasing its previously announced Identity Check feature today, adding extra protection to "critical account and device settings" when you're not in a trusted location.With Identity Check enabled, you'll need to provide "explicit biometric authentication" to access certain account and phone settings, like changing your pin or disabling theft protection. You'll have to toggle the feature on in settings and add trusted locations where you don't want biometric authentication to be enabled before you use it. Google says the protections extend to your Google account or Samsung account as well, making it harder for someone to change your password just because they have your phone.Identity Check is rolling out to Google's Pixel devices running Android 15 now, and coming to Samsung Galaxy devices capable of running One UI 7 "in the coming weeks," which could line up with the February 7 launch of the Galaxy S25. Other Android phone makers should get the feature later this year.Along with the release of Identity Check, Google says that its Theft Detection Lock feature, which uses AI to detect when your phone has been forcibly taken from you and lock your screen, has now fully rolled out to devices running Android 10 and up. Both settings are absolutely worth enabling if you have a phone that supports them.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/androids-identity-check-feature-is-rolling-out-to-pixel-and-samsung-galaxy-devices-193048987.html?src=rss
Roli just introduced the simply-named Piano at NAMM, a 49-key smart keyboard that's primarily intended for learners, but has some neat bells and whistles for experienced musicians. It features light-up keys across all octaves, to help newbies get a handle on chords. These keys will also glow to show scales, arpeggios and more. It's basically a larger version of the company's beloved Piano M teaching keyboard. For veterans, the Roli Piano offers per-key pitch bend and polyphonic aftertouch, which should make for expressive playing. It also tracks fingers in four different ways while playing. This will allow the keyboard to successfully control MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE) instruments. The additional controllable parameters helps narrow the gap between digital and acoustic instruments. This is also a modern tech device, so Roli stuffed in some AI tools. The Piano AI Assistant uses generative AI to streamline the learning process. The company says it can help players get started with drills, teach music history and even go over theory. This tech will be improved upon as the year goes on, via software updates. Speaking of software, buyers also get Roli Studio, which is a collection of instruments and presets. The Roli Piano also offers some neat integration with the company's recently-released Airwave keyboard teaching tool. This theremin-like device tracks a player's fingers and sends teaching data to a tablet. The Airwave is also an instrument in its own right, as users can raise their hands like a conductor to create and play sounds. The ways we learn and play music are improving exponentially thanks to innovations like the Airwave, and now the Roli Piano and Piano AI Assistant," Roland Lamb, Founder and CEO of Roli, told Engadget. "Players now have access to the most intelligent and intuitive music system out there." Roli Piano connects via USB-C or wirelessly with Bluetooth. It works with all major DAWs and a whole lot of virtual instruments. Pre-orders are available right now, with shipments going out in May. Early adopters get a serious discount here, as the price right now is $400. However, it goes up to $600 upon official release. There's also a bundle with the Airwave that costs $650 for early birds, but $950 in May. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/roli-finally-introduces-a-larger-teaching-piano-keyboard-complete-with-ai-191551398.html?src=rss
Xbox hosted its Developer Direct showcase today, detailing progress on three games we knew about and one totally new title, Ninja Gaiden 4. If you couldn't tune in, here's what you missed:Ninja Gaiden 4Ninja Gaiden 4 is being co-developed by Team Ninja and PlatinumGames, best known for the Bayonetta series. The trailer introduces a new protagonist, Yakumo, and Team Ninja is pitching the game as a "true successor" to Ninja Gaiden 3 after the misstep of the Ninja Gaiden Z spinoff. It certainly seems like the exact middle ground between classic Ninja Gaiden and PlatinumGames action. It's coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox this fall, and will be on Xbox Game Pass on day one.Read more: Ninja Gaiden 4 is coming out this fallSouth of MidnightFollowing Ninja Gaiden was South of Midnight, the next game from Compulsion Games, which previous made We Happy Few. South of Midnight has been in the works for a long time, and the studio has been good at communicating progress, especially in recent months. All of which is to say, there wasn't a lot of new info here, aside from a release date: April 8, 2025. (Just to keep the streak going - yes, this will be available on Game Pass on day one.)Read more: The striking South of Midnight comes to Xbox and PC on April 8Clair Obscur: Expedition 33Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has been on our radar for some time, and it's still looking great. It's the debut title from Sandfall Interactive, a French studio. Drawing inspiration from France in its late 19th-century golden age, Clair Obscur is a fantasy adventure that seems to pull heavily from the world of JRPGs - even the music at the start of Sandfall's segment sounded like the Velvet Room from the Persona series. Again, the big news was a release date - April 24. It'll be arriving on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox consoles, and will be playable on Game Pass on day one.Doom: The Dark AgesWhile we knew it was coming, id Software's Doom: The Dark Ages deep dive certainly stole the show for Engadget. It's billed as the biggest Doom game ever, but it's also more focused than any other installment in the franchise - other than the original Doom, perhaps. The Dark Ages is a tanky romp through a medieval, cosmic Hell, starring an incredibly beefy Slayer and featuring three basic inputs: shield saw, melee and gun. Doom: The Dark Ages is due out on May 15 for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, including Game Pass.Read more: Doom: The Dark Ages hits PC, PS5 and Xbox on May 15And that was that - a pretty great start to 2025 for Xbox, though the eagle-eyed among you may have realized that all bar South of Midnight are coming to Sony's PlayStation as well as Microsoft's consoles and PC. You can relive the full showcase below:Or... if you don't have time for that, Microsoft for some reason put together a 72-second recap:This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/everything-announced-at-the-xbox-developer-direct-showcase-190406197.html?src=rss
South of Midnight, Compulsion Games' upcoming Southern Gothic/dark fantasy adventure, got some time in the spotlight during Xbox's Developer Direct event on Thursday. The studio revealed that the game is coming to Xbox Series X/S, Xbox Cloud Gaming and PC on April 8.As ever, Game Pass Ultimate, Console and PC subscribers will get access on day one. Those who snap up the premium edition can jump in five days early.This deep dive into South of Midnight focused on the world, combat and story, which sees a hurricane tear through the part of the Deep South where main character Hazel and her mother live. The two get into an argument that ends in disaster, as their home is swept away with Hazel's mom still inside. As she sets out to find her mother, Hazel finds that the hurricane has brought some fantasy creatures, both friendly and otherwise, to her corner of the world.Our hero learns that she is a weaver, someone who possesses magical abilities. A gold star for anyone who guessed that these can be used for traversal and in combat. Timing is said to be a critical component of battles, so you'd best be sure that your reactions are on point. Speaking of time, Compulsion Games says that South of Midnight should take most players between 10 and 12 hours to finish.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/the-striking-south-of-midnight-comes-to-xbox-and-pc-on-april-8-185157726.html?src=rss
Doom: The Dark Ages is set to come out on May 15 for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. It's a single-player sandbox experience with an emphasis on exploration, bloodshed and upgrading skill trees, introducing massive mech battles and a ridable cyber dragon that spits fire on command.Doom: The Dark Ages is the largest Doom game id Software has ever made, but to be perfectly clear and possibly assuage some fears, it's not open-world. In fact, the directive for developers was to edit down everything - controls, levels, menus, upgrade paths - in order to emulate the reactive rush that made the original Doom games so addictive. According to executive producer Marty Stratton and game director Hugo Martin, Doom: The Dark Ages is a refined and thoughtful return to the series' classic loop, set in the medieval wastelands of Hell and starring a super tanky Doom Slayer.In The Dark Ages, the Slayer has three basic inputs: shield saw, melee and gun. The shield saw is a critical tool, allowing players to parry and block incoming attacks, and also acting as a boomerang-style projectile that can embed itself into enemies to rip through their demonic flesh. Parrying is a massive factor in the new game, and it's also one of many aspects that players can customize in the difficulty settings. You'll be able to change the size of the parry window, adjust the actual game speed and fine-tune a dozen other factors to make each run feel just right.The Slayer has a choice of three melee weapons and he carries just one at a time. There's an iron flame, an electrified gauntlet and a spiked mace, and each one can be upgraded as you make your way through Hell. The final main input is the trigger, which controls all of the gruesome guns. There's a wondrous array of weapon-based brutality on display in The Dark Ages, including the Skullcrusher, a gun that eats the bones of murdered enemies and uses the shards as ammo.Certain levels will support skyscraper-sized Atlan battles and allow the Slayer to ride on the back of a cybernetic dragon, spraying flames on the gathered demons. These abilities won't be available at will, and are instead contained to specific regions of the map. There are also swimming levels - which, speaking as someone with a phobia of deep water, is possibly the scariest thing in the new game.id SoftwareThe Slayer in Doom: The Dark Ages is beefy. He's thick, heavy and armor-plated, and as he hunts demons through the medieval wastelands of Hell, he's going to feel different than the Slayers in 2016's Doom and its 2020 follow-up, Doom: Eternal. In terms of development mottos, Doom was run and gun," Eternal was jump and shoot," and The Dark Ages is, stand and fight." Strafing and twitchy teleportation-like abilities are still on the menu, but the emphasis this time around is on holding your ground and strategizing while shooting.What people didn't like in 2016 was that it was too repetitive," Martin said in a media Q&A before Thursday's Xbox Developer Direct, where id showed off new bits of the game. And in Eternal, some people said it was too hard. I actually think it's too complex. I think that the complexity of the control scheme led to unnecessary difficulties. You really want to be fighting the demons, the bad guys, not your controls."Martin and Stratton emphasized the importance of streamlining the core loop in The Dark Ages, while also building the largest, most adventure-feeling Doom game that id has ever made. There are skill trees, currency and more secrets to find than ever before, but there's not a lot of filler - everything has a purpose and there are no unnecessary frills in the actual mechanics of combat, resource-collecting and upgrade paths.id SoftwareThere is a lot of exploration in this game, and it's for power," Stratton said. That's one of the things that is really important. You're finding resources and other things that allow you to improve yourself, upgrade your guns, upgrade your shield, your melee. So it isn't just the secrets, just the toys, that kind of thing. It really is an exploration for power."Martin added, I want to feel strong. It's got to be a good amount of speed and exploration and power, but I'm okay with you changing what that power fantasy is, especially if the change you make brings it back closer to classic Doom. I'm super down for that."The points of inspiration for Doom: The Dark Ages include Batman: Year One, Frank Miller's The Dark Knight, and the film 300, specifically that iconic tracking shot of Leonidas slamming and stabbing his way through hordes of Persian warriors at the Hot Gates. Miller's The Dark Knight was a particularly poignant source for Martin.He drew an older, more powerful, thicker Batman," he said. And I just love that comic so much. And I always thought it would be so interesting to just, instead of a Ferrari, you'd be more of a monster truck. And that's what we're working on, we've been talking about that for years and years."Doom: The Dark Ages is due out on May 15 for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, including Game Pass.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/doom-the-dark-ages-hits-pc-ps5-and-xbox-on-may-15-190015221.html?src=rss
The Samsung Galaxy Ring is on sale for $280 via Amazon. This represents a discount of $120, though the promotion doesn't show up until checkout. Just pop the ring in your Amazon basket and start the checkout process to peep the discount. We were fairly positive about Samsung's first smart ring in our official review, calling it a surprisingly informative health-tracking device for those with compatible Samsung phones." We came away impressed by the comfort-forward design, which doesn't impede sleeping, writing that we barely feel it" when trying to snooze. This is a boon for light sleepers. The health-tracking metrics are on point, especially when you consider that there's a new software update that uses compatible SmartThings devices to create a sleep environment report" that takes factors like temperature, humidity, air quality and light intensity into account. Samsung's app lets users adjust any connected devices to improve local conditions. The major downside with the Galaxy Ring is the price, which has been somewhat alleviated by this sale. At least now it's slightly lower than the rival Oura Ring. This is a great wearable for those already tied into the Samsung ecosystem, but not the best fit for everyone else. Some of the features require a Samsung phone. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-samsung-galaxy-ring-is-on-sale-for-120-off-174530918.html?src=rss
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced this year's Oscar nominees and Netflix's Emilia Perez leads the pack with 13. The musical crime drama has broken the record for the most nods for non-English language film, overtaking Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Roma (Netflix's first-ever best picture nominee), which each had 10.Emilia Perez scored nominations in the categories of best picture, international feature, supporting actress, cinematography, directing, editing, makeup and hairstyling, original score, original song (with two in that category), sound, adapted screenplay and best actress. That last one has extra significance as Karla Sofia Gascon is the first openly trans performer to earn an acting nomination. Although Elliot Page received a nomination for Juno in 2008, that was long before the actor transitioned. (Curiously, I Saw The TV Glow, which has been praised for its abstruse portrayal of trans experiences, is nowhere to be found among this year's nominees.)Netflix had the most nominations of any distributor for the second year in a row. An animated feature film nod for Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, documentary short The Only Girl in the Orchestra and original song nominee Diane Warren (for The Journey" from The Six Triple Eight) took Netflix's tally to 16. Perhaps Warren will finally win an Oscar this year at her 16th time of asking.Mubi, another streaming company, has six nominations this year, including five for the body horror film The Substance. Meanwhile, Disney+ scored one for Elton John and Brandi Carlile's song Never Too Late" from the documentary Elton John: Never Too Late.This year's best picture nominees are Anora, The Brutalist, A Complete Unknown, Conclave, Dune: Part 2, Emilia Perez, I'm Still Here, Nickel Boys, The Substance and Wicked. You can find out the winners of this year's Academy Awards when the ceremony takes place on March 2, with the wonderful Conan O'Brien taking on hosting duties.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/netflixs-emilia-perez-breaks-new-ground-with-its-oscar-nominations-173223767.html?src=rss
Things aren't exactly going swimmingly at Ubisoft right now. The publisher had a rough 2024, with Star Wars Outlaws failing to meet sales expectations and word of XDefiant's demise coming around six months after the tactical shooter debuted. Skull and Bones finally arrived too, but it was a bit of a damp squib.Amid rumors of the company being sold or spinning out some of its assets into a joint venture with Tencent, Ubisoft really needs a win. It's not going to have a better chance to do that anytime soon than with Assassin's Creed Shadows. After a couple of delays, the latest entry in the company's flagship series is set to arrive on March 20.After a few hours with AC Shadows, there are positive signs. The game at least looks and plays well enough for what Ubisoft needs it to be, with the company skirting the line between playing things extremely safe and trying something different.After the successes of AC Origins, Odyssey and Valhalla (as well as the enjoyably smaller-scale Mirage), Shadows marks new territory for Assassin's Creed to a certain degree. It's the first game in the series that directly feeds into the Animus Hub project (formerly known as Infinity).Before you swan dive into Assassin's Creed Shadows, you'll enter the Animus Hub. From here, you'll be able to access various Assassin's Creed games (Shadows and the previous four mainline entries) from the memory section. They're placed on an easy to navigate timeline.The anomaly section of the hub includes missions for Shadows, which will offer exclusive rewards like weapons and gear. You can tweak your characters' loadout from the exchange section and explore the stories of modern AC games through the vault.The Animus Hub will expand in the years to come as Ubisoft releases more games. This is an ambitious project that aims to tie the series together. It had been reported that the company would try to turn the series into a live-service project with the Animus Hub, and we're seeing glimpses of that with those missions. There's not a ton to it as things stand, but Ubisoft clearly has grand ambitions here.UbisoftShadows brings the action to a long-awaited frontier for Assassin's Creed: 16th century Japan. The other big twist this time around is that you can swap between two characters. Various points in the story will see you choose to play as either Yasuke or Naoe and, at least in the open-world, you'll be able to switch between them on the fly. Swapping can come in handy when one character is wanted by enemies, since the other can remain anonymous.Yasuke is the tank of the two, with the ability to ram though certain doors while sprinting. He can take advantage of ranged weapons such as guns and bows, so some players might want to use him to pick off a few enemies from afar at the start of a mission. He can knock baddies around using his kanab war club as well.Naoe plays more like a traditional Assassin's Creed hero. She is far more agile and her parkour skills are on point. The shinobi can quickly clamber up the sides of buildings and she has a grappling hook to help her reach higher parts of structures and swing across gaps. In direct combat, Naoe can spin kick an enemy in the teeth, or flip behind them to slit their throat.Perhaps most importantly (at least from what I've seen of the game), Naoe is the only one of the duo to have the classic hidden blade. Yasuke can still sneak up on an opponent to eliminate them with a single button press, but his "brutal assassination" sees him ram his sword through an enemy and lift them skywards. Not exactly subtle.UbisoftSwitching between Naoe and Yasuke is almost as seamless as it is to swap between, say, Peter and Miles in Marvel's Spider-Man 2. The latter requires a couple of quick in-game actions, and the action swiftly moves to the other Spider-Man. In Assassin's Creed Shadows, swapping characters means going into the menu, holding a button and waiting just a couple of seconds for the other hero to replace them.There's no immediate character swapping in the prologue, however, which is one of the two sections I played. Unsurprisingly, this acts as an intro to the story and how to actually play the game.In a first for Assassin's Creed, one of the playable characters actually existed in real-life. It won't take players long to learn how Yasuke, a Black African man, came to be a samurai. After a brief lore drop, we skip ahead six months to a battle sequence. It's an effective way to start getting to grips with what Yasuke can do, including special attacks like a dashing sword slash.Once his brief action sequence comes to an end, we rewind to earlier in the night and Naoe's introduction. After an important box (the contents of which remain a mystery) is stolen, she heads out to retrieve it from a compound. This short mission highlights some of the stealth features.One of the cooler additions to this game is the ability to take out light sources at night to create ad-hoc hiding spots in the shadows. Naoe can snuff out candles and destroy lamps from afar using a kunai or shuriken. That may not be needed depending on the terrain (and difficulty level) and how quickly you can hotfoot it over rooftops when you're spotted.The second section I played was an investigation mission. I had to get to the bottom of a mystery by completing some tasks and gathering information. All of this led to the inevitable but enjoyable boss fight and a satisfying resolution to the quest.The structure of Assassin's Creed Shadows will lend itself to multiple playthroughs for those who really dig it. I spent most of my preview as Naoe, but I'm interested to see how different things are playing as Yasuke. There are dialogue options throughout the game but there's a canon mode that will eliminate these choices and present you with the canonical story. Players might also be inclined to switch the dialogue languages to Japanese and Portuguese for deeper immersion after beating the game in their native tongue.Some of the gameplay changes Ubisoft implemented this time really shake things up. The eagle vision ability now enables Naoe to locate and tag enemies through walls. Her smoke bombs and distraction-causing bells come in useful when there are too many enemies for her to battle head on. Both characters can lie prone as well, which offers up more opportunities for hiding and sneaking.I quickly tried a couple of the side activities, such as the peaceful act of sneaking up on animals in certain situations to sketch them. In terms of slowing things down for a smidge of tranquility, this feels a little akin to the haiku composition sequences in Ghost of Tsushima (of note, that game's sequel, Ghost of Ytei is slated for a 2025 release and could provide competition for Assassin's Creed Shadows.)UbisoftIt wasn't totally clear based on what I've seen, but it does feel as though Ubisoft has cut down on much of the cruft that typically populates Assassin's Creed maps, which would help this game feel less overwhelming. Climbing up to a viewpoint and synchronizing only reveals important locations, rather than everything worth seeing in the area. The company pulled back on the map bloat a bit in Mirage, so it may have taken some positive lessons from that approach.Add all of this up and I came away from the session feeling just on the right side of satisfied. The game seems absolutely fine. It's just about what you'd expect from an Assassin's Creed game these days, but with enough tweaks, new wrinkles and quality-of-life updates to make it compelling enough. It feels like a decent entry point into the series while still holding enough interest for long-term fans. For what it's worth, I'm ready to play more, as someone who finished Assassin's Creed Mirage but dropped off of Valhalla after about 10 hours.I'm looking forward to playing more of Assassin's Creed Shadows and seeing, for instance, how the weather system switches things up. Lakes freeze over in winter, removing the ability to swim or hide underwater. Icicles can be used as a distraction as well. I didn't get around to trying out the spy recruitment system, which can seemingly come in useful during investigations.Assassin's Creed Shadows inherently has a leg up on many other Ubisoft games given the popularity of the series. It already seemed poised to do well, but it appears to be in a good enough shape to become a success. If so, this could help Ubisoft finally redirect its ship away from the rocks.Assassin's Creed Shadows will hit PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows, Mac (and eventually iPad), Ubisoft+ and Amazon Luna on March 20.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/assassins-creed-shadows-preview-a-few-steps-in-the-right-direction-170028415.html?src=rss
I love air fryers. They offer microwave-like convenience, but stuff actually tastes good. If you want to see what all of the fuss is about, a standout Cosori air fryer is on sale via Amazon for $90. This is a fairly substantial discount of 25 percent, as the original price is $120. This particular model made our list of the best air fryers, and for very good reason. It's a great device that gets the job done. It's a six-quart model that offers plenty of cooking space, which we found ideal for side dishes like sweet potato fries and onion rings. However, it's no slouch with mains like chicken wings, tofu and more. The rounded basket is particularly roomy. The touchscreen is easy to use and there are plenty of preset cooking modes, including a handy preheating option for starting things off. Most people will rely on the standard air fry mode, I know I do, but it's nice to have the option for broiling, baking and roasting. We also appreciated the basket release button, which is a nice safety feature. This is pretty much the ideal air fryer, so it's tough to find complaints. There isn't a see-through window, for those who like taking a look at tater tots crisping up. This particular unit is also on the wider side, which could make placement difficult in tiny kitchens. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/one-of-our-favorite-air-fryers-is-25-percent-off-right-now-161542670.html?src=rss
Get enough Star Trek fans in a room and the conversation inevitably turns toward which of the series' cinematic outings is the worst. The consensus view is The Final Frontier, Insurrection and Nemesis are duking it out for the unwanted trophy. Each film has a small legion of fans who will defend each entry's campy excesses, boldness and tone. (I'm partial to watching The Final Frontier every five years or so, mostly to luxuriate in Jerry Goldsmith's score.) Thankfully, any and all such discussions will cease once and for all on January 24, 2024, when Star Trek: Section 31 debuts on Paramount+.It is the single worst thing to carry the Star Trek name in living memory.Spoilers follow for Star Trek: Section 31.Star Trek: Section 31 is a made for TV streaming movie focusing on Philipa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) after her departure from Star Trek: Discovery. It was originally greenlit in 2019 as a series but, for a wide variety of reasons, it languished in development hell until 2022. In the interim, showrunners Bo Yeon Kim and Erika Lippoldt, along with credited screenwriter Craig Sweeny, sweated the idea. Director Olatunde Osunsanmi told SFX Magazine (via TrekMovie) that Sweeny would eventually write (and re-write) the project seven different times, first as a TV series, then as a movie. Trek head honcho Alex Kurtzman was eager to get production underway to take advantage of Yeoh's 2022 Academy Award win for Everything Everywhere All At Once.The result is a film that, even if you're unaware of the pre-production backstory, sure feels like a series hastily cut down to feature length. It's not incoherent, but suffers from the same issue that blighted Discovery, where you're watching a dramatized synopsis rather than a script. There are thematic and plot beats that rhyme with each other, but the meat joining them all together isn't there. It's just stuff that happens.It doesn't help that the plot (credited to Kim and Lippoldt) is very much of the and then this happens" variety that they warn you about in Film School 202. So many major moments in the film are totally unearned, asking you to care about characters you've only just met and don't much like. There's a risible scene at the end where two people who haven't really given you the impression they're into each other have to hold hands and stare into their impending doom. The pair in question have shared their backstories with each other, but there's no suggestion that they are anything more than just people working together on a job, let alone friends.Michael Gibson/Paramount+Weak material is less of an issue if you have a cast who can elevate what they've been given but, and it pains me to say this, that's not Michelle Yeoh. Yeoh is a phenomenal performer who has given a litany of underrated performances over her long and distinguished career. But she made her name playing characters with deep interiority, not scenery-chewing high-camp villains. Even in her redemptive phase, it's impossible to believe Yeoh is the sort of monster Star Trek needs Georgiou to be. Rather than shrinking the scene, and the stakes, to suit her talents, the film makes the canvas wider and expects Yeoh to fill space she's never needed.The rest of the gang is similarly underserved by the material and the sheer volume of clutter the film has little time to get past. Making the Section 31 team six people deep before they meet Georgiou means every character beyond her is a thumbnail sketch at best. There's the broody one, the funny" one, the uptight one, the robot one, the hot one and the one with the bad Oirish accent.If Section 31 was a series, you'd forgive the pithy introductions, knowing you'd get to fill in these characters over the coming weeks, maybe even grow attached to them. In the space of a movie, it doesn't work since the shocking twists - like an early character death to raise the stakes or a sudden heel-turn in a moment of crisis, don't work. Worse still, the dialog is so often indecipherable crosstalk that feels more like woeful improv than useful characterization. That, or it's just characters reminding the audience of basic story points over and over again, like the fact Georgiou used to be a baddie.Olatunde Osunsanmi's direction has always made an effort to draw attention to itself, with flashy pans, tilts, moves and Dutch angles. Jarringly, all of his flair leaves him when he needs to just shoot people in a room talking - those scenes invariably default to the TV standard medium. Worse still is his action direction, that loses any sense of the space we're seeing or the story being told. There's a final punchfight that requires the audiences to be aware of who has the macguffin at various points. But it's all so incoherent that you'll struggle to place what's going on and where, so why bother engaging with it?And that's before we get to the fact that Osunanmi chose to shoot all of Michelle Yeoh's - Michelle Yeoh's - fight scenes in close-up. When Yeoh is moving, you want to capture the full extent of her talents and allow her and her fellow performers a chance to show off, too. And yet it's in these moments that the camera pulls in tight - with what looks like a digital crop with a dose of digital motion blur thrown in. All of which serves to obscure Yeoh's talents and sap any energy out of the action.Jan Thijs/Paramount+Before watching Section 31, I re-watched the relevant stories from Deep Space Nine and tried to interrogate their ethics. That series asked, several times over, how far someone would, could or should go to defend their ideals and their worldview. The Federation was often described as some form of paradise, but does paradise need its own extrajudicial murder squad? It wasn't a wicked cool plotline, but a thought experiment to interrogate what Starfleet and its personnel stands for when its very existence is in jeopardy. If there's one thing that Section 31 isn't, it's cool, and if you think it is, then your values are at least halfway in conflict with Star Trek's founding ethos.Unfortunately for us, Trek honcho Alex Kurtzman does think Starfleet having its own space murder squad is wicked cool given their repeated appearances under his watch. Kurtzman has never hidden his love of War on Terror-era narratives, which remain as unwelcome here as they were in Star Trek: Into Darkness. Sadly, Section 31 is Star Trek in its face-punching, forced-interrogation, cheek-stabbing, eye-gouging thoughtless grimdark register. Fundamentally, it's not a fun thing to sit down and watch, beyond its numerous deficiencies as a piece of cinema.The biggest tell that Section 31 wasn't going to be a winner was when Rob Kasinsky, who plays Section 31's Zeph, started getting his excuses in early. He said (via ScreenRant) he was worried the film would be received poorly given all the fans want is just 1,000 more episodes of TNG." I'll admit, there is a chunk of fandom who do just want to be fed a conveyor belt of memberberries. These are the people who thought season three of Picard was good and are clamoring for Star Trek: Legacy. I, and a lot of other people, just want something that's halfway thoughtful, entertaining and well-made, and this is none of those things.I keep checking my notes for anything positive and the best I can manage is that the costumes, co-created with Balenciaga, are quite nice. They're a bit too Star Wars, but I like the focus on texture and tailoring in a way that's better than Trek's current athleisure trend. Oh, and the CGI is competent and doesn't slip below the standards set down by Strange New Worlds. There you go, two things that are good about Section 31.Fundamentally, I don't know who this is for. It's too braindead for the people who want Star Trek in any sort of thoughtful register. It's not shot through with the fan-service onanism that would pander to please the Star Trek: Legacy crowd. It's not quite shamelessly brutal enough for the gang who want Star Trek to turn into 24. And it's not high camp enough for the folks who'd like to coo over Michelle Yeoh in a variety of gorgeous costumes. Remember how Warner Bros. junked several movies for the tax break? I wish Paramount's accountants had been as ruthless here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/star-trek-section-31-review-an-embarrassment-from-start-to-end-150051501.html?src=rss
A $2,000 video card for consumers shouldn't exist. The GeForce RTX 5090, like the $1,599 RTX 4090 before it, is more a flex by NVIDIA than anything truly meaningful for most gamers. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang said as much when he revealed the GPU at CES 2025, assuming that it'll be for hardcore players who have $10,000 rigs. Personally, I don't know anyone who actually fits that bill, not unless you count parasocial relationships with streamers. (My own setup doesn't even cross $5,000.)But we all know why NVIDIA is hyping up the unattainable RTX 5090: It lets the company show off benchmarks that AMD can't touch, once again cementing itself as the supreme leader of the high-end video card market. It's not just about gaming, either. The RTX 5090 is also being positioned as an AI workhorse since it's powered by NVIDIA's new Blackwell architecture, which leans on the company's Tensor Cores for artificial intelligence work more than ever. Realistically, though, the $549 RTX 5070 is the GPU more gamers will actually be able to buy.I'll admit, I went into this review with a mixture of excitement and disgust. It's astonishing that NVIDIA was able to stuff 91 billion transistors and 21,760 CUDA cores in the RTX 5090, and I couldn't wait to see how it performed. Still, I find it genuinely sad that NVIDIA keeps pushing the bar higher for GPU prices, in the process making the gaming world even more unequal. A $2,000 graphics card, in this economy?!But after hours of benchmarking and playtime, I realized the RTX 5090 wasn't much of a threat to gaming accessibility. Wealthy PC gamers have always overspent for graphics performance - I've seen people (unwisely) pay thousands more than consumer GPUs just to get extra VRAM from NVIDIA's Quadro cards. But the rise of PC handhelds like the Steam Deck, which are a direct offshoot of the Nintendo Switch's success, is a clear sign that convenience matters more than raw power to mainstream players today. I don't think many Switch 2 buyers are saving up for an RTX 5090.For the few who can afford it, though, NVIDIA's new flagship sure is a treat.Hardware: Leaning more on AIIn many ways, the RTX 5000 GPU family is the convergence of NVIDIA's decades-long GPU expertise and its newfound role powering the AI hype train. Sure, they'll run games faster than before, but what makes them unique is their ability to tap into "neural rendering" AI for even better performance. It's at the heart of DLSS 4, the company's latest AI upscaling technology, which can now generate up to three frames for every one that's actually rendered by the RTX 5090.That's how NVIDIA can claim this GPU is twice as fast as the RTX 4090, or that the RTX 5070 matches the speed of the 4090. Does it really matter if these frames are "fake" if you can't tell, and they lead to smoother gameplay?Before I dive further into the AI side of things, though, let's take a closer look at the RTX 5090. Once again, it features 21,760 CUDA cores, up from 16,384 cores on the 4090, as well as 32GB of GDDR7 VRAM instead of the 4090's 24GB of GDDR6X. (I thought I was future-proofing my desktop when I equipped it with 32GB of RAM years ago, but now that video cards have caught up I'm almost convinced to go up to 64GB.) The 5090 also sports 5th-gen Tensor cores with 3,352 of AI TOPs performance, while the 4090 had 1,321 AI TOPS with last-gen Tensor hardware.RTX 5090RTX 5080RTX 5070 TiRTX 5070RTX 4090ArchitectureBlackwellBlackwellBlackwellBlackwellLovelaceCUDA cores21,76010,7528,9606,14416,384AI TOPS3,3521,8011,4069881,321Tensor cores5th Gen5th Gen5th Gen5th Gen4th GenRT cores4th Gen4th Gen4th Gen4th Gen3rd GenVRAM32 GB GDDR716 GB GDDR716 GB GDDR712 GB GDDR724 GB GDDR6XMemory bandwidth1,792 GB/sec960 GB/sec896 GB/sec672 GB/sec1,008 GB/secTGP575W360W300W250W450WI tested the RTX 5090 Founder's Edition GPU (provided by NVIDIA), which is dramatically slimmer than its 4090 counterpart. The 5090 has a sleek two-slot case that can actually fit in small form factor systems. The three-slot 4090, meanwhile, was so massive it felt like it was going to tear my PCIe slot out of my motherboard. NVIDIA also added another cooling fan this time around, instead of just relying on a vapor chamber and a single fan. The 5090's main PCB sits in the center of the card, and it's connected to other PCB modules at the PCIe slot and rear ports (three DisplayPort 2.1b and an HDMI 2.1b connection).Devindra Hardawar for EngadgetDLSS 4: The real star of the showWhile multi-frame generation is the defining feature for the RTX 50 cards, there are several other DLSS 4 features that should help games look dramatically better. Best of all, those capabilities are also trickling down to earlier RTX GPUs. RTX 40 cards will be more efficient with their single-frame generation, while RTX 30 and 20 cards will also see an upgrade from AI transformer models used for ray reconstruction (leading to more stable ray tracing), Super Resolution (higher quality textures) and Deep Learning Anti-Aliasing (DLAA).These transformer models should also fix some rendering artifacts present in earlier versions of DLSS. At NVIDIA's Editor's Day earlier this month, the company showed off how the updated version of Ray Reconstruction made a chainlink fence in Alan Wake 2 appear completely sharp and clear. An earlier version of the feature made the same fence look muddy, almost as if it was out of focus. In Horizon Forbidden West, the new version of Super Resolution revealed more detail from the texture of Aloy's bag.DLSS 4 will be supported in 75 games and apps at launch, including Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Cyberpunk 2077, according to NVIDIA. For titles that haven't yet been updated with new DLSS menu options, you'll also be able to force support for the latest features in the NVIDIA app.Devindra Hardawar for EngadgetIn use: An absolute powerhouse, with fake frames and withoutI could almost hear my motherboard breathe a sigh of relief when I unplugged the RTX 4090 and swapped in the slimmer 5090. Installation was a cinch, though I still needed to plug in four PSU connectors to satisfy its demand for 575 watts of power and a 1,000W PSU. If you're lucky enough to have a new PSU with a 600W PCIe Gen 5 cable, that will also work (and also avoid tons of cable clutter).I tested the RTX 5090 on my home rig powered by an AMD Ryzen 9 7900X and 32GB of RAM, alongside a 1,000W Corsair PSU. I also used Alienware's 32-inch 4K QD-OLED 4K 240Hz monitor to get the most out of the 5090, and honestly, you wouldn't want to run this GPU on anything less.Once I started benchmarking, it didn't take long for the RTX 5090 to impress me. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad test, which is a demanding DX12 demo, it scored 14,239 points, well above the 9,250 points I saw on the RTX 4090. Similarly, the 5090 hit 15,416 points in the 3DMark Speedway benchmark, compared to the 4090's 10,600 points. These are notable generation-over-generation gains without the use of frame generation or any DLSS sorcery - it's just the raw power you see with more CUDA and RT cores.None3DMark TimeSpy ExtremePort Royal (Ray Tracing)Cyberpunk (4K RT Overdrive DLSS)BlenderNVIDIA RTX 509019,52536,003/166fos246fps (4X frame gen)14,903NVIDIA RTX 409016,46425,405/117fps135fps12,335NVIDIA RTX 4080 Super13,16818,435/85fps80fps8,867NVIDIA RTX 4070 Ti Super11,36615,586/72fps75fps7,342Once I started gaming and let DLSS 4 do its magic, my jaw just about hit the floor. But I suppose that's just a natural response to seeing a PC hit 250fps on average in Cyberpunk 2077 while playing in 4K with maxed-out ray tracing overdrive settings and 4x frame generation. In comparison, the 4090 hit 135fps with the same settings and single frame generation.Now I know most of those frames aren't technically real, but it's also the first time I've seen any game fill out the Alienware monitor's 4K 240hz refresh rate. And most importantly, Cyberpunk simply looked amazing as I rode my motorcycle down rain-slicked city streets and soaked in the reflections and realistic lighting from robust ray tracing.Like Cypher in The Matrix (far from the best role model, I know), after suffering through years of low 4K framerates, I couldn't help but feel like ignorance is bliss" when it comes to frame generation. I didn't see any artifacts or stuttering. There wasn't anything that took away from my experience of playing Cyberpunk. And the game genuinely looked better than I'd ever seen it before.And if you're the sort of person who could never live with fake frames," the RTX 5090 is also the only card I've seen that can get close to 60fps in Cyberpunk natively in 4K with maxed out graphics and no DLSS. I hit 54fps on average in my testing, whereas the 4090 chugged along at 42fps in native 4K. You could also compromise a bit and turn on 2x or 3x frame generation to get a solid fps boost, if the idea of 4x frame generation just makes you feel dirty.And if you can't tell, I quickly got over any fake frame trepidation. When I used the NVIDIA app to turn on 4x frame generation in Dragon Quest: The Veilguard, I once again saw an average framerate of around 240fps in 4K with maxed out graphics. I've already spent over 25 hours in the game, but running through a few missions at that framerate still felt revelatory. Combat sequences were clearer and easier to follow, possibly thanks to better Ray Reconstruction and Super Resolution, and I could also make out even more detail in my character's ornate costumes. On the 4090, I typically saw around 120fps with standard frame generation.The 5090's DLSS 4 performance makes me eager to see how the cheaper RTX 5070 and 5070 Ti cards perform. If a $550 card can actually get close to what I saw on the $1,599 4090, even if it's relying on massive amounts of frame generation, that's still a major accomplishment. It would also be great news for anyone who invested in a 4K 120Hz screen, which is tough to fill with other mid-range GPUs.Outside of gaming, the RTX 5090 also managed to convert a minute-long 4K clip into 1080p using the NVENC H.264 encoder in just 23 seconds. That's the fastest conversion I've seen yet. In comparison, the RTX 4090 took 28 seconds. Add up those seconds on a much larger project, and the 5090 could potentially save you hours of repeated rendering time. Naturally, it also saw the fastest Blender benchmark score we've ever seen, reaching 14,903 points. The RTX 4090, the previous leader in our benchmarks, hit 12,335 points.3DmarkThroughout benchmarks and lengthy gaming sessions, the RTX 5090 typically reached around 70 degrees Celsius with audible, but not annoying, fan noise. The card also quickly cooled down to idle temperatures between 34C and 39C when it wasn't under load. Aiming to push the limits of NVIDIA's cooling setup, I also ran several stress test sessions in 3DMark, which involves looping a benchmark 20 times. It never crashed, and achieved over 97 percent accuracy in most of the tests. There was just one Steel Nomad session where it scored 95.9 percent and failed 3DMark's 97 percent threshold. That could easily be due to early driver issues, but it's still worth noting.The only time I really got the RTX 5090 cooking was during an exploration of the Speedway benchmark, where I could move the camera around the ray traced scene and look at different objects and characters. The card hit 79C almost immediately and stayed there until I quit the demo. During that session, as well as typical gaming, the 5090 drew between 500W and 550W of power.Devindra Hardawar for EngadgetLooking ahead: AI NPCs and neural shadersOn top of DLSS, NVIDIA is also planning to tap into its RTX cards to power AI NPCs in games like PUBG and ZooPunk. Based on what I saw at NVIDIA's Editor's Day, though, I'm more worried than excited. The company's Ace technology can let NPCs generate text, voices and even have conversational voice chats, but every example I saw was robotic and disturbing. The AI Ally in PUBG makes a lot of sense on paper - who wouldn't want a computer companion that could help you fight and find ammo? But in the demo I saw, it wasn't much of a conversationalist, it couldn't find weapons when asked and it also took way too long to hop into a vehicle during a dangerous firefight.As I wrote last week, I'm personally tired of being sold on AI fantasies, when we know the key to great writing and performances is to give human talent the time and resources to refine their craft. And on a certain level, I think I'll always feel like the director Hayao Miyazaki, who described an early example of an AI CG creature as, "an affront to life itself."NVIDIA's Neural Shaders are an attempt to bring AI right into texture shaders, something the company says wasn't possible on previous GPUs. These can be implemented in a variety of ways: RTX Neural Materials, for example, can use AI to render complex materials like silk and porcelain, which often have nuanced and reflective textures. RTX Neural Texture Compression, on the other hand, can store complex textures while saving up to 7 times the VRAM used from typical block compression. For ray tracing, there's RTX Neural Radiance Cache, which is trained on live gameplay to help simulate path-traced indirect lighting.Much like NVIDIA's early ray tracing demos, it's unclear how long it'll take for us to see these features in actual games. But from the glimpses so far, NVIDIA is clearly thinking of new ways to deploy its AI Tensor Cores. RTX Neural Faces, for example, uses a variety of methods to make faces seem more realistic, and less like plastic 3D models. There's also RTX Mega Geometry, which can help developers make up to 100x more ray traced triangles," according to NVIDIA. Demos show it being used to construct a large building as well as an enormous dragon.Devindra Hardawar for EngadgetWrap-up: The new unattainable GPU kingThe $2,000 GeForce RTX 5090 is not meant for mere mortals, that much is clear. But it points to an interesting new direction for NVIDIA, one where AI features can seemingly lead to exponential performance gains. While I hate that it's pushing GPU prices to new heights, there's no denying that NVIDIA has crafted an absolute beast. But, like most people, I'm more excited to see how the $549 RTX 5070 fares. Sure, it's also going to lean into frame generation, but at least you won't have to spend $2,000 to make the most of your 4K monitor.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/nvidia-geforce-rtx-5090-review-pure-ai-excess-for-2000-140053371.html?src=rss
Google and Apple are having a bad day. The tech giants are facing a new investigation into their mobile ecosystems from the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and growing pressure to adopt a new app store initiative in India.Let's start with the probe, which comes one day after the CMA named a former Amazon executive as its interim chair. The CMA is investigating whether Apple and Google's mobile ecosystems should have Strategic Market Status (SMS) and thus can be subjected to greater regulation and pro-competition directives. However, they're not fully clear what aspects exactly are being investigated. This new designation stems from the UK's Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) Act, which went into effect on January 1. Google is also the subject of the first SMS investigation, launched earlier this month and focusing on possible antitrust practices around the company's search services.The CMA's SMS investigations can last up to nine months, with both cases currently accepting comments on the investigation and possible interventions. The regulator is accepting submissions around the joint Google and Apple probe through February 12.Now to Apple and Google's other headache. In India, the technology ministry is pushing Apple and Google to offer the state-backed GOV.in app store in their marketplaces, Bloomberg reports. The Indian government also wants the suite of apps to be pre-installed on all mobile devices, available for third-party downloads and not labelled with warnings such as "untrusted source." It is billing the push as a means for further distributing public-welfare services. These apps are currently available on Apple and Google's app stores, but as separate entities.The initial request reportedly came in a meeting last month but, as it stands, Google and Apple are unlikely to say yes. The Indian government is reportedly discussing using mandates or taking legal steps to force compliance. In 2021, Apple began offering a similar option for Russian users due to regulations.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/uk-investigating-google-and-apples-mobile-ecosystems-135204025.html?src=rss
Google is paying HTC $250 million in cash for a deal that will give the bigger company's plans for Android XR a boost. Under the terms of their agreement, some members of the HTC Vive engineering team will be joining Google, which describes them as an "incredibly strong technical team with a proven track record in the VR space." HTC released the consumer version of its first Vive VR headset, designed in partnership with Valve, back in 2016. Last year, it launched the Vive Focus Vision more than a year after it released its first standalone headset for consumers, the Vive XR Elite.In addition to absorbing certain Vive team members, Google will also get a non-exclusive license to use HTC'S extended reality technologies. HTC can still use its own IPs, and it vows to continue developing and supporting its XR headsets. The companies will also "explore future collaboration opportunities." Google says the deal will help "its acceleration across the headset and glasses ecosystem." The company laid out its vision for a unified Android XR ecosystem in December, which will span a range of virtual and mixed reality headsets and glasses. We're bound to see the first Android XR devices this year, including one codenamed Project Moohan from a Google-Samsung collaboration.Google's and HTC's agreement is still subject to customary closing conditions and will be finalized sometime this first quarter.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-buys-part-of-htcs-vive-vr-team-for-250-million-130046567.html?src=rss
Xbox is hosting its Developer Direct showcase today, and you'll be able to watch along live on YouTube, Twitch or our handy embed below.The stream starts as 1PM ET / 10AM PT and is supposed to feature updates from the developers of South of Midnight, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33and Doom: The Dark Ages. Xbox is also promising to "visit a surprise location to see another studio's brand new game." Windows Central reports the mysterious unannounced game is "a new entry in a legendary Japanese IP which has decades of history," which certainly sounds intriguing. At the very least, the rest of the games featured are slated to launch in 2025.Xbox spent most of 2024 adjusting its strategy around releasing games, delaying some titles to this year, and bringing some formerly exclusive games to the PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch. The company seems like it's favoring timed exclusives over hoarding everything for Xbox and PC, so the job of this Developer Direct is a little bit different this time. Besides letting developers sell their games, the real test of the show is if it can get you excited about games that are coming to Xbox first, rather than only coming to Xbox at all.You can watch the Xbox Developer Direct showcase on YouTube, Twitch, or right here in the embed above when it starts at 1PM ET / 10AM PT.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/how-to-watch-the-latest-xbox-developer-direct-showcase-110013502.html?src=rss
Canon announced that it has created a new 410-megapixel, 35mm full-frame CMOS sensor, "the largest number of pixels ever achieved" in a sensor of its size.Because of the level of detail the new sensor can capture, Canon expects it to be used by"surveillance, medicine and industry," where there's demand for "extreme resolution." With 410 megapixels, Canon's sensor has a resolution of 24K, 198 times greater than HD, and 12 times greater than 8K. That makes it simple to crop and then enlarge a photo captured by the sensor without losing detail.Typically, sky-high megapixel counts are limited to cameras with medium-format sensors. But the beauty of Canon cramming this many pixels into 35mm is that it should be able to be used "in combination with lenses for full-frame sensors."Canon had to make more than a few design changes to make this happen. The new sensor has a redesigned circuitry pattern and a "back-illuminated stacked formation" where "the pixel segment and signal processing segment are interlayered." That translates to a readout speed of 3,280 megapixels per second, and video at eight frames per second. A monochrome version of the sensor can bin four pixels together at once to shoot even brighter images and capture "100-megapixel video at 24 frames per second," Canon says.It doesn't sound like this kind of sensor is going to make it into a consumer camera anytime soon, but the fact this level of miniaturization is possible means one day it could, for the photography sickos who want it.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/canon-has-developed-a-410-megapixel-full-frame-sensor-001851969.html?src=rss
Extremely OK Games has cancelled its upcoming game Earthblade. The followup to the team's beloved indie sensation Celeste was announced in 2022 and expected to release last year. Maddy Thorson announced the news on the studio's website today."Noel and I...began to reflect on how the game has felt for us to work on day-to-day, and realized that it has been a struggle for a long time," she wrote. "Sure, working on one project for so long is bound to become a slog, but this feels like a deeper problem. Celeste's success applied pressure on us to deliver something bigger and better with Earthblade, and that pressure is a large part of why working on it has become so exhausting."The studio, led by Thorson and Noel Berry, parted ways with EXOK co-founder Pedro Medeiros in November. However, Thorson was clear in her message that the rift between team members was not the reason for cancelling Earthblade. In fact, all of the public conversation between the former colleagues thus far has remained amicable. Thorson offered firm support for Medeiros and his new game project Neverway in her post: "If you were excited about Earthblade and angry about its cancelling, Pedro and the Neverway team aren't the enemy and anyone who treats them as such isn't welcome in any EXOK community."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/extremely-ok-games-has-cancelled-its-follow-up-to-celeste-000352550.html?src=rss
Ten video games have received nominations for the 36th Annual GLAAD Media Awards. This program celebrates media works that feature "fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community and the issues that affect their lives." There are nominees for television, film, music, theater, journalism and comics as well as video games.One of the 2024 nominees for outstanding video game is the re-release of Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door for the Nintendo Switch. The original Japanese version of the GameCube title included a minor character named Vivian who was transgender. The game contained dialogue about her challenges being misgendered and her journey to understanding her own identity. However, the 2002 international translations of the game, including the English version released in the US, erased that side to the character, removing language around Vivian's gender and pronouns. Last year's Switch re-release restored the character's original lines and story arc for English-speaking players to finally experience.The video game nominees also include Dragon Age: The Veilguard. BioWare has a long history of portraying queer characters and romance options in their games, and it's great to see them continuing that practice with the latest title. Horror film outfit Blumhouse's first foray into games, the fascinating indie project Fear the Spotlight, also received a nod. Here is the complete list of game nominees:
Sega has introduced a new system for player accounts. A Sega Account will connect all of a player's games and services from both Sega and Atlus. It will also be a place for the two studios to share news, events, updates and promotions about their titles. The accounts are free and anyone can register.To sweeten the pot, Sega will also offer bonuses and goodies to account members. The first reward people can unlock is a Kazuma Kiryu Special Outfit DLC for Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, which is due out next month. The ensemble can be redeemed by anyone who sets up a Sega Account before March 7.With so many studios turning to games as a service, it's becoming standard practice to require players to create accounts or online profiles. Sega is a little slow to hop on this train, and there are some industry standard features in that are still in development for Sega Accounts, such as a page for records related to games played. There's no language on the website now about if or when an account might be required.In announcing this platform, Sega said there will be "various new services and features coming soon." We already know that Sega is working on a brand new Virtua Fighter game, but we've also said good-bye to other old-school classics from the company. Seems like Sega is in a phase of transition, so it should be interesting to see what else they've got in store for this year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/sega-unveils-a-player-account-system-221029962.html?src=rss
Dozens of subreddits have opted to block links to X in their communities over the last 24 hours in a movement that appears to be gaining momentum across Reddit. Hundreds more appear to be actively discussing or considering a similar move with their members.Engadget counted more than two dozen subreddits, which collectively have millions of members, that have already restricted their communities' ability to post content from X in some way in recent days. These include large subreddits, like r/formula1, which has nearly 5 million members, and smaller communities like r/ultraman, which has 30,000.The movement seems to have been popularized, at least in part, by r/newjersey, whose mods announced a ban on X links Tuesday. Fuck this guy. X links are now banned from r/newjersey," they shared in a post that now has more than 65,000 upvotes. Accompanying the post was a photo of Elon Musk extending his arm, Musk made two apparent Nazi salutes during a speech at Donald Trump's inauguration which have been widely celebrated by fascists online.A number of other subreddits quickly followed suit, with many sharing a link to the r/newjersey post. X links have been barred from r/military (489,000 members), r/comics (2.7 million), r/casualnintendo (184,000), r/spiderman (1 million), r/pcgaming (3.8 million), r/rupaulsdragrace (1 million), r/KingdomHearts(345,000), r/therapists (142,000), and many others. We weren't trying to start a trend, and we never expected to go viral," the mods of r/newjersey said in a statement to Engadget. Not everyone will agree with our choice, but Reddit has always been a place where each community gets to decide these things individually. If our announcement has inspired discussions about the role social media is playing in our current times, we think that's a good thing."Many mods, in announcing their ban on X links have also cited the fact X has made it increasingly difficult for users to view posts if they aren't logged in. There's no doubt that over the past years Twitter has become a low-quality source: the login requirements, the flood of bots, the prioritization of content from paying users and promotion of sensationalist content," r/formula1's mods wrote in a post. But unlike with news sites in our source-rating system, for Twitter there wasn't really an alternative."The subreddit is instead encouraging members to share content from Bluesky, which doesn't require a login to view posts. The mods said they will allow screenshots of relevant posts by teams, drivers & F1" when the same content isn't available elsewhere.Moderators for r/antiwork, which has 2.9 million members, noted that their rules prohibit links and screenshots to X and all other social media sites, including Facebook, Instagram and even LinkedIn. We'd prefer for the message of antiwork to come organically from you, here, in OC form, but if it comes from a picture or post of something else, that catches hold, we want that, too," they wrote. Just not Twitter."Many other subreddits are considering similar measures. Mods of r/dnd (4 million members), r/baseball (2.8 million), r/AlanWake (80,000) and r/Xmen (270,000) are currently running polls among their members. Moderators in r/hockey (2.7 million), r/georgia (237,000) and r/popheads (2.8 million) have also shared that they are discussing a potential ban.Not all moderators have been receptive when such a ban has been raised. A mod in r/chess said that such a ban would pose a bit of a logistical problem" for the community. The unfortunate reality is that Twitter is the source of a big portion of content on the subreddit," they wrote. A ban would thus require some rule changes. We're open to suggestions, but can't promise anything at the moment." Likewise, a moderator of r/fauxmoi, a subreddit dedicated to gossip, noted that we do prefer to still have the link so we can ensure that people are not submitting fake or doctored screenshots."While this is far from the first time that Redditors have joined together in a form of protest, it's notable that so many are calling to remove a popular source for Reddit posts.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/dozens-of-subreddits-are-banning-x-links-from-their-communities-215441510.html?src=rss
Samsung's first Unpacked event of 2025 delivered the Galaxy S25 series - as expected. Although the phones don't have dramatically upgraded specs, the company stuffed - you guessed it! - more AI into the devices. This latest batch is more context-sensitive and predictive, and some of it even squeezes more out of the phones' mildly upgraded hardware. Galaxy S25 Ultra Sam Rutherford for Engadget The Galaxy S25 Ultra is still the biggest, best and most expensive of the bunch. It has a 6.9-inch display and a more rounded edge for a comfortable grip." Samsung says it's the slimmest, lightest, and most durable Galaxy Ultra device ever," rocking a titanium body with Corning's Gorilla Armor 2 for advanced drop protection" and scratch resistance. Unlike the two smaller models, one of the Ultra's camera sensors got a spec upgrade: Its ultrawide lens is now 50MP, up from the mere 12MP one in last year's model. Like its siblings, the S25 Ultra is powered by a customized version of the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, which lets the trio of phones process many of their AI experiences on-device. Of course, that's better for privacy. Although the phone continues the tradition of including an S Pen (it's now essentially the long-retired Galaxy Note), Air Commands - which bridged the gap between the two - have bit the dust. Samsung told Engadget in a briefing that fewer than one percent of S Pen-toting customers used the feature. And those who did mostly used it as a camera shutter, which is easily replicated in other ways. Samsung says the removal let it shed some weight and boost the S Pen's durability. Engadget's Sam Rutherford got an early hands-on with the Galaxy S25 Ultra and said it looks like a good phone" and described Samsung's AI suite as much more cohesive and easier to get into," but also felt the company "could be doing more for its most expensive non-folding phone." The Galaxy S25 Ultra has 12GB of RAM, and it ships in 256GB, 512GB and 1TB storage tiers. It's still quite the investment, though - starting at $1,300. Galaxy S25 and S25+ Sam Rutherford for Engadget The Galaxy S25 and S25+ saw their RAM upgraded to 12GB (same as the Ultra), up from 8GB in their 2024 predecessors. It combines with the Snapdragon 8 Elite to better handle the phones' many AI features. (More in a minute.) The rest of their hardware is remarkably similar to the S24 and S24+. They still have 6.2-inch and 6.7-inch displays, respectively. But Samsung's new ProScaler AI tool can upscale images in real time to perhaps make up for the unchanged specs. Samsung says it can boost the quality of what you see by 40 percent. Engadget's Mat Smith tried the Galaxy S25 and S25+ and praised the phones' premium and solidly built" slim designs and vivid, bright and gorgeous" displays. However, he was skeptical of the phones' AI-centric focus. In just a few years, Samsung has built up a substantial collection of artificial intelligence tricks, features and apps," he wrote. While some of them have been impressive, like live translation and annotation, others (often involving generative AI) aren't actually helpful - or notable - enough to warrant regular use." Storage is also unchanged from the S24 series: 128GB or 256GB in the Galaxy S25 and 256GB or 512GB in the Galaxy S25+. Fortunately, pricing is also unchanged. You'll pay $800 or more for the S25 and $1,000 and up for the S25+. Galaxy AI Sam Rutherford for Engadget With most hardware upgrades (apart from the Snapdragon chip) coming in soft this generation, Samsung is leaning hard on AI features to make you want to throw down hard-earned cash on the new models. This year, Samsung's One UI 7 on top of Android 15 combines to create what Samsung calls a new AI-integrated OS." It aims for a more personalized and context-sensitive AI, rather than just a series of one-off tools. AI plays a central role in the phones' camera features, with the Qualcomm chip making the phones better at analyzing noise - leading to what Samsung says is better low-light performance. Audio Eraser is a tool that Samsung claims will use AI to remove unwanted noises from videos like wind or a random stranger talking. Samsung gathers its new collection of on-device AI tools into what it calls the Personal Data Engine. The series of multimodal (text, images, video, audio) machine learning agents leads to features like AI Select, which builds on Samsung's legacy Smart Select tool. The new AI-powered version can scan your screen and suggest context-aware tasks - like creating a GIF from a YouTube video you're watching. Sam Rutherford for Engadget You could say the AI-powered Now Bar is Samsung's answer to the iPhone's Dynamic Island. The pill-shaped bar sits at the bottom of the lock screen and below the digital clock when the phone is unlocked. It generates a series of reminders based on context. Within the Now Bar is another AI feature, the Now Brief, which generates morning, midday and evening summaries of info it thinks will be relevant to you. Samsung's Sketch to Image tool has been rebranded as Drawing Assist, and Samsung says the feature is more polished and accurate. It also adds an option to import existing images for your prompt. The S25 series also adds an upgraded version of Google's Circle to Search (activated by long-pressing the home button). It can now recognize phone numbers, emails and URLs, letting you trigger their corresponding actions with a single tap. Galaxy S25 Edge Samsung Well, I hope you like being teased because, well, there isn't much to go on here. Much like it did a year ago with its grand reveal of a... render of the Galaxy Ring, Samsung gave Unpacked viewers a teeny-weeny glimpse of its rumored Galaxy Slim" phone, which will instead be called the Galaxy S25 Edge. The teaser shows a quick glimpse of a phone that's indeed slimmer, but the company showcased its vapor chamber, cameras and metallic frame more than the full-on handset. (And the engineers go wild.) We also don't know its price or release date. However, Bloomberg reports that it will use many of the same components as the S25 Ultra but cost less. Samsung Wallet updates Sam Rutherford for Engadget The company added two new payment features: Instant Installment and Tap to Transfer. As its name suggests, Instant Installment is a buy now, pay later" service that lets you turn purchases into an offline payment plan experience. It's managed entirely on-device and available for Visa and Mastercard purchases. Engadget's Cherlynn Low was briefed by Samsung on the service. It's not that Samsung is pivoting to becoming a credit provider and taking on loans," she wrote. Instead, it facilitates your purchases and turns your payments into what the company's rep said is the first offline payment plan experience.'' Meanwhile, Tap to Transfer is a peer-to-peer payment service, rivaling the likes of Apple's Tap to Cash. Like the iPhone equivalent, you only need to bump phones with someone you want to pay (or be paid by). But it isn't limited to Samsung Pay; you can use it with third-party apps, too, since it's instead tied to the associated card or account. Like Instant Installment, it works with Visa and Mastercard. Galaxy Watch for Kids Google The Galaxy Watch for Kids may sound like a new piece of gear, but it's instead a new setup option for the cellular Galaxy Watch 7 (and likely future wearables). You know, kinda like Apple Watch for Kids. Samsung, which partnered with Google on the experience, says parents can set up a child's watch from their phone and activate its eSim. From there, the kid can use the smartwatch without a paired phone. As you'd expect, parents can set up guardrails - like which apps are installed or a do not disturb status during school hours. Location sharing is optional, and Samsung and Google are offering new kid-focused apps and watch faces to keep things fun.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/everything-samsung-announced-at-the-galaxy-s25-unpacked-event-183331979.html?src=rss
Samsung just held its Unpacked event and the company announced all kinds of new products. The most notable of the bunch, however, was likely the Galaxy S25 Ultra flagship smartphone. It's the most powerful of the just-announced S25 line and Amazon is offering a pretty swell pre-order bonus, to the tune of a $200 gift card. That's right. If you pre-order a Galaxy S25 Ultra handset, you get a $200 Amazon gift card that can be used on just about anything. This can help shave off some of the sticker shock of that $1,300 price tag. If the price still isn't right, Amazon is offering similar promotions for the standard S25 and the slightly beefier S25+. However, the gift card amount shrinks to just $100. The regular S25 starts at $700 and the S25+ starts at $1,000. Pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S25 series are open right now. Deliveries should start going out on February 7. We have full reviews of all three phones coming soon, if you want to wait make sure the handsets are worth the cost. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-includes-a-200-gift-card-when-you-pre-order-the-samsung-galaxy-s25-ultra-195455473.html?src=rss
Samsung is making a thin version of the Galaxy S25. The Galaxy S25 Edge was teased at the end of the company's Unpacked event, and it does appear to be meaningfully thinner than the other phones Samsung launched today.There's very little to go off of in Samsung's tease. Voiceover describe the phone as "a culmination of our most innovative technology" and hypes up the device's apparent sleekness. Scrub through Samsung's livestream and you'll see components like a vapor chamber, cameras and metallic frames, but only the barest glimpse of the Galaxy S25 Edge's actual silhouette. At Samsung's live event in Korea, the new phone was actually on display. You can get a look at it in the embed below.
Samsung and Google are introducing a new Wear OS software experience called "Galaxy Watch for Kids" that's designed to make the Galaxy Watch 7 LTE (and presumably future wearables) safe and fun for children to use. The new software features and setup process is similar to Apple's "Apple Watch For Your Kids" just with Android devices rather than iOS ones.According to Samsung, parents will be able to set up their child's Galaxy Watch 7 directly from their phone and activate its eSIM. After that, kids don't need a phone to use the Galaxy Watch. The core features of Wear OS are available, just with added guardrails for kid's safety and parent's peace of mind. Those include the ability to enable location sharing, manage who kids can contact through the Galaxy Watch, and set up a Do Not Disturb mode that's enabled during school hours. Settings can be tweaked at any time from Google's Family Link app.To make being tracked more enticing, Galaxy Watch for Kids will come with new kid-friendly customization options, like a Rubik's Cube or Tech Deck watch face (admittedly right up my alley when I was 10), Wear OS apps featuring characters from Barbie, Marvel, or PBS Kids and new colorful watch band options. Activity tracking and health data are accessible in the Galaxy Watch for Kids experience, too.Samsung isn't reinventing the wheel with this feature - Google's Fitbit Ace LTE kid smartwatch just launched in 2024 - but parents love being able to keep track of their kids, and a smartwatch might ultimately be a healthier to make your children always-connected than a phone.Galaxy Watch for Kids is available to use now on Galaxy Watch 7 LTE models from Samsung, AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/samsungs-galaxy-watch-for-kids-software-makes-wear-os-a-family-affair-190332986.html?src=rss
Amazon just announced it will be closing its Quebec facilities in the coming weeks, according to reporting by CBC. This move will cut more than 1,700 jobs. The company said it will begin outsourcing deliveries to smaller contractors, instead of relying on its in-house team."Following a recent review of our Quebec operations," the company said in a statement, "we found that returning to a third-party delivery model supported by local small businesses, similar to the one we had until 2020, will enable us to offer the same excellent service and deliver even greater savings to our customers in the long term."
We've finished up with CES and now Samsung Unpacked has arrived to bring us new Galaxy phones - it must be January. Like last year at this time, the world has just been introduced to brand new set of Galaxy S-series phones: The flagship Galaxy S25, the slightly larger Galaxy S25+ and the high-end, S-Pen-equipped Galaxy S25 Ultra. Specs, features and shipping dates have all been confirmed, so if what you've seen has you considering a new smartphone for yourself, here's how to pre-order.As was suggested by a couple of leaks, the look of the Ultra is indeed a little different this year, with slightly more rounded corners after years of sporting a decidedly squared-off look. All three models will run on a customized Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset. The new processors were designed to double down on the AI skills Samsung introduced last year.The processors - which Samsung is calling the most powerful ever used in a Galaxy device - will allow more on-device handling of the AI functions inherent in the latest One UI 7 operating system. Getting at Google's Gemini is easier, too, with a side button that triggers the assistant. Other AI promises include a faster and more contextual Circle to Search function faster and more contextual, while the context-aware OS makes it easier to switch between apps for follow up actions - like adding an event detailed in a picture to your calendar.The next generation of Samsung's AI-powered ProVisual Engine will help with mobile photography, enabling clearer low-light imaging, enhanced zoomed image quality and better color optimization. As for the cameras, those largely stay the same, except for a 50MP ultra wide lens on the S25 Ultra, up from a 12MP UW camera last year.Other changes to note include batteries with at least 50 percent recycled cobalt and more recycled materials in the frames and interior components. All new S-series models will also get a promised seven years of OS and security updates.Pre-orders are open now and the phones will be widely available Friday, February 7. You can check out our comparison between the three models and we already have hands-on impressions with the Ultra model as well as the S25 and S25+ and our full reviews are coming soon.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/how-to-pre-order-the-new-samsung-galaxy-s25-galaxy-s25-and-galaxy-s25-ultra-smartphones-180021435.html?src=rss
Samsung's Galaxy S25 smartphones launched today, but when it comes to the all-important cameras, the company leaned on AI rather than making any meaningful changes. There is one welcome addition, though. Samsung finally caught up to to rivals like Honor by introducing log video to allow more precise color grading. Other key updates include improved low-light capability on all models, the new "ProVisual engine," a "virtual aperture" and a much higher resolution ultrawide camera on the high-end Ultra.Last year the Galaxy S24 Ultra's big selling point was the 200MP camera, which made the 12MP ultrawide look weak in comparison. Samsung remedied that with the Galaxy S25 Ultra by more than quadrupling that sensor to 50MP. That also helps Samsung match up better against Google's Pixel 9 Pro and its 48-megapixel ultrawide camera.Mat Smith for EngadgetWith that, the Ultra now has a formidable suite of cameras: a 200MP wide, 50MP ultrawide, 10MP 3x telephoto and 50MP 5x tele. However, that makes the more mainstream Galaxy S25 and S25+ look a bit weak in comparison. Those only come with a 50MP wide, 12MP ultrawide and 10MP 3x tele, just like the last two models. All phones have a front 12MP selfie camera with up to 4K 60p video.Samsung also rectified a weak point we addressed in our reviews on the S24: sub-par low-light performance. With Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip, Samsung says the new cameras can analyze noise more effectively using a new "spatial-temporal filter," that can detect moving and static objects more precisely. That in turn allows for cleaner video, particularly with moving objects in dim environments. The downside is that applying stronger noise reduction can generate weird artifacts, something we'll test further in upcoming reviews. In fact, during Samsung's presentation, I couldn't help but notice a strange separation between the moving subject and background.Other key new camera features are also available across the S25 lineup. The most important one for content creators is Galaxy Log, which finally enables log video to improve dynamic range and allow more accurate color grading. That's a much-requested feature for Galaxy phones that was only available previously with third-party apps. It also records with 10-bits of color like the HDR mode. However, the new feature still falls short of the ability to capture ProRes log video on the latest iPhones.Samsung's new Galaxy Log featureSamsungI tested log on Honor's Magic smartphone series and it can meaningfully improve video by boosting dynamic range in tricky lighting situations (a backlit subject or sunny day, for instance). The problem is that transforming log into regular footage requires an editing app and some knowledge about things like LUTs - so whether this will catch on with users depends on how Samsung implements it.Samsung also enabled 10-bit HDR video capture by default, which allows you to shoot more colorful and detailed images. However, be aware that such content might not display properly on apps and devices that don't support HDR (other smartphones, PCs, TVs, etc.).To treat photos after you take them, Samsung enhanced Portrait Studio with new features like personalized avatars with more true-to-life facial expressions. It also added new analog filters for a more film-like aesthetic for photos and videos.Mat Smith for EngadgetThere are two other new tricks: Audio Eraser and Virtual Aperture. Though all the cameras have a fixed aperture, the latter simulates having an adjustable one just like mirrorless cameras. However, the feat is accomplished through computational tricks, so it's likely to look a bit artificial.Audio Eraser, meanwhile, is an AI-powered noise reduction system designed to cut out background sounds in busy environments when shooting video, no doubt inspired by Apple's Audio Mix and the Audio Magic Eraser on Pixel devices. During the demo, Samsung showed how it could cut different types of noises like wind, waves and nature.The Galaxy S25 Ultra's new camera is great if you can afford that $1,300 model, while the improved low-light handling, Galaxy Log and AI should provide nice, but not spectacular, benefits. All told, Samsung didn't bring as much to the table as the iPhone 16 with its Camera Control button, or the Pixel 9 (Video Boost, Add Me, Auto Frame). For more on how the Galaxy S25's cameras work in the real world, check out our hands-on tests and stay tuned for full reviews.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/the-samsung-galaxy-s25-lineup-leans-on-ai-to-keep-its-cameras-fresh-181056862.html?src=rss
Alongside the launch of the Galaxy S25 series today, Samsung also made a slew of software updates that might not have gotten much attention during the keynote. Specifically, two updates are coming to Samsung Wallet that not only sound very similar to existing features on iPhones, but might also be better. The new features are called "Instant Installment," which is the company's take on "buy now pay later," as well as peer-to-peer payments, which it's named "Tap to Transfer." The latter is basically Apple's Tap to Cash, which allows iPhone owners to hold their phones together to send money to each other. Crucially, though, Samsung's method would support work with third-party digital wallets.At a recent briefing with members of the media, Samsung's reps said that Tap to Transfer "is not going to be limited to just Samsung Wallet." Instead of being tied to specific digital wallets, it will be linked to the associated debit card or account, and works via Mastercard and Visa.As for Instant Installment, it's not that Samsung is pivoting to becoming a credit provider and taking on loans. Instead, it facilitates your purchases and turns your payments into what the company's rep said is "the first offline payment plan experience." It's available at brick-and-mortar stores or online, with Visa or Mastercard credit cards. Samsung Wallet just helps you manage the payment plan on your device.Both of these features aren't launching with the Galaxy S25, but Samsung said at the briefing that they would be available "shortly thereafter." A spokesperson I talked to at the event indicated it would be closer to the second quarter of the year, and that the features would be backward compatible and work on older Galaxy phones, too. Details are scarce, though, and with seemingly months to go before launch, things could change. But if Samsung actually makes it possible to tap to transfer cash between friends with different devices and digital wallets, it could truly be a better, more seamless approach than Apple's version right now.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/samsung-borrows-from-the-apple-wallet-playbook-with-layaway-and-tap-to-send-for-wallet-181052578.html?src=rss
Netflix's earnings report for the fourth quarter of 2024 recently dropped. While results like an operating income of more than $10 billion and a 16 percent revenue increase seem to be good news for the company's shareholders, Netflix users won't be so fortunate. Subscription prices are going up yet again, starting today.The Standard plan with ads is inching up from $7 to $8 a month, while the ad-free version of Standard will rise from $15 to $18 a month. The monthly rates for Premium, which offers 4K Ultra HD and HDR, will increase from $23 to $25. Adding an extra member from outside your household to a streaming plan is also getting more expensive, changing from $8 a month to $9 a month."As we continue to invest in programming and deliver more value for our members, we will occasionally ask our members to pay a little more so that we can re-invest to further improve Netflix," the company said in its shareholder letter. "To that end, we are adjusting prices today across most plans in the US, Canada, Portugal and Argentina."In 2023, Netflix eliminated its Basic plan in major markets. That change preceded the most recent increase in subscription costs, less than two years ago.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/netflix-raises-subscription-praises-again-with-its-standard-plan-now-costing-18-per-month-234344714.html?src=rss
YouTube is rolling out new perks for paying users, starting with the ability to switch on more than one experiment. If you're paying for a Premium subscription, you can test out the video streaming service's experimental features by going to youtube.com/new. It was only previously possible to try one experiment at a time, but now you can activate multiple options so you can try out a few at once. YouTube even added new features you can test out now that you can activate more than one, including the ability to play music videos with your audio set to 256kbps. Previously, you could only listen to 256kbps audio on YouTube Music.Another new test feature is Picture-in-Picture for YouTube Shorts on iOS, so you can watch short-form videos while you have other apps open. You can also activate Smart Downloads on iOS if you want YouTube to automatically save recommended Shorts on your phone to view offline. Another thing YouTube is testing is "Jump ahead" for web viewing, which lets you skip ahead to specific parts of a video. It used to be exclusively available on YouTube apps. Finally, you'll soon be able to play videos even faster on mobile, with expanded playback options of up to 4x the speed.If you're in the US, take note that Google is rolling out a bundle with YouTube Premium and 2 TB of cloud storage with Google One, which will cost you $21.98 a month. That's slightly less than the typical price of $24 a month together ($10 for Google One and $14 for the YouTube Premium individual plan).This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/youtube/youtube-premium-adds-256kbps-audio-experiment-for-music-videos-160043945.html?src=rss
Imagine: A switch is flicked and, in a heartbeat, every process spewing deadly pollution into the heavens is replaced with something clean and sustainable. Sadly, even then, the Earth would still tip towards being uninhabitable thanks to all of the carbon we've already dumped up there. If we as a species are to survive then all of that junk needs to be pulled back to Earth, and fast. Proponents of Direct Air Capture believe it's a vital weapon to accomplish that task; its critics say it's so inefficient that we'd be better off trying anything else first.Direct Air CaptureMission ZeroPut simply, Direct Air Capture (DAC) is the practice of removing CO2 from the atmosphere by pulling air through a mechanical or chemical filter. Air is typically drawn through a DAC system via one or more fans, while filtering is done with a solid (known as a sorbent) or with a liquid (known as a solvent). Once captured, heat or electricity is applied to the filter material to remove the CO2, both to re-use the filter and get the CO2 ready to move on. It's this last stage that's often the most energy-intensive, and therefore costly, part of the process. Given the amount of air that will need to be cleaned (all of it) for this to work, DAC needs to be as energy efficient as possible.The most cost-effective way to do this is by capping the smokestacks of a carbon-intensive process, like a factory or fossil fuel power plant to prevent more CO2 release. But that does nothing to reduce the excess CO2 already in the atmosphere. That's why some scientists and entrepreneurs are inclined to gamble on DAC plants in free air to scrub the heavens clean.The NOAA explains that in 1960, humanity was pumping out 11 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the air each year. Half a century later, and that figure now stands closer to 40 billion, which is why emissions-reduction work is so vital. But even if we did manage to reduce all of our new emissions to zero, we'd still have to address the 950 gigatons or so of CO2 lurking in the atmosphere already. At the time of writing, the CO2 in the atmosphere as recorded by the NOAA's Global Monitoring Lab at Mauna Loa is 422.38ppm. The scientific consensus is any figure over 350ppm will spell catastrophic doom for humanity and the state of the planet more generally.This June, the University of Oxford published research saying that if we want to limit warming to just 1.5 degrees (which would be catastrophic), humanity will need to extract between seven and nine billion tons of carbon dioxide out of the air each year by 2050. The COP28 declaration supports signatory nations throwing their weight behind carbon capture technologies. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says there is no viable pathway to averting climate change unless large volumes of CO2 are pulled from the air. This has been the status quo for a while: In 2017, a coalition of prominent scientists led by Professor Jim Hansen said it was imperative that humanity began mass-removing atmospheric CO2.What to do with all the CO2Once DAC has sucked the unwanted carbon out of the air, it needs to be put somewhere. One option, The British Geological Survey explains, is to easily and affordably convert CO2 to its supercritical form, which behaves like a runny liquid. This liquid can then be stored underground after being injected into porous rocks, with old oil fields and coal seams appearing to be ideal places. The oil and gas industry actually uses this approach to boost production in existing fields, as the liquid CO2 fills up the space, pushing more oil toward the extraction site. But the International Energy Agency's (IEA) briefing paper on Direct Air Capture suggests more than half of all atmospheric CO2 emissions recovered will need to be sequestered.Obviously, getting more fossil fuels out of the ground to burn does not do very much for the climate, and ideally the governments of the world would just invest in effective carbon capture to prevent us from boiling to death. Fortunately for humanity's fixation on market solutions, recycling some of the non-sequestered CO2 could become an industry unto itself.CO2 can also be turned into synthetic fuels in traditional combustion engines. Air travel is the most obvious example, especially given that the size and weight of batteries make it nearly impossible to build an electric jumbo jet. Recovered CO2 can also be used as the base for common non-fuel products including construction materials, in chemical and agricultural products, not to mention putting the fizz in our drinks.Holocene is one of many companies looking to turn CO2 extraction into a viable, long term business by selling carbon removal credits to big businesses. Its approach is to pull air through water which has been embedded with an amnio acid that binds to CO2. The water and CO2 mix is then combined with guanidine, which turns the CO2 into a solid that can be easily filtered out, allowing the amino acid water to be reused. The solid CO2 is then heated to a low temperature, which separates the guanidine from gaseous CO2, ready for use or sequestration. Holocene believes a reusable solvent (and reusable chemical treatment) combined with the low-temperature heat makes its approach far more cost-effective than that of its rivals.Mission Zero is also looking to develop a low-cost way of procuring large quantities of CO2 from the atmosphere. It draws air into its hardware and then applies a water-based solvent. But rather than treating this mix chemically, it uses electrodialysis and an ion exchange process to purify the liquid and extract the CO2. From there, the liquid can be reused and the CO2, again, can either be buried underground or, turned into viable products. The company says that its electro-chemical process is similarly far more cost and energy-efficient than many of the other companies operating in this space.Given the commercial sensitivities involved, it's not easy to get a real handle on how much it costs to extract CO2 from the atmosphere using DAC in open air. Depending on where you look, the figure can be as much as $600 per ton, but a more common figure is between the $300 and $400 mark. For years, the received wisdom has been that DAC needs to reach a cost of $100 per ton in order to become economically viable.Earlier this year, a German climate-focused VC firm, Extantia Capital went digging into the source of that $100 shibboleth and traced it back to a paper from early DAC firm Carbon Engineering in 2018 when it published a paper projecting its long-term cost would fall to as little as $94 per ton. Suddenly, the phrase less than $100 per ton" became the benchmark to which all other DAC companies were held. But, as Extantia's Torben Schreiter wrote, that figure was also pegged to 2016 dollar prices, so it hasn't grown with inflation. In 2023, the World Economic Forum said the cost of Direct Air Capture had to fall below $200 per ton" before it would be widely adopted.It doesn't matter if your aims are environmental or industrial, we know the volume of CO2 that needs to be extracted from the atmosphere is significant. For that to be viable, the cost of extraction needs to fall by a significant degree. A more mature metric would be that pricing falls in line with, or below, the perpetually in-flux cost of carbon dioxide as a commodity.HoloceneAll these DAC approaches use a bunch of energy," said Holocene's CEO Keeton Ross. Ross says it's the cost of this energy that is keeping the price of Direct Air Capture higher than it needs to be. He believes heat-based systems (like Holocene's) will likely win out in the end because heat can come from any number of affordable sources. These claims of being able to cut the costs of DAC were compelling enough that in September Google invested in Holocene and pledged to buy carbon credits from it in future.Dr. Nicholas Chadwick, CEO of Mission Zero, told Engadget his company is targeting around $350 per ton by 2026, but that figure is dependent on a specific price of electricity." That price, he believes, is "substantially better than what's available in the commodity market," making it a no-brainer for industries that are reliant on CO2 to start buying from Mission Zero.RoadblocksThe obvious objection to Direct Air Capture is that while there's a lot of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, it's still a relatively small proportion of the whole. I've heard the process described as panning for gold in the ocean, and the energy costs alone will make it unfeasible on the scale necessary. In 2022, the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis bluntly claimed the process simply won't work." Part of the objection was that it can be (and is) used for enhanced oil recovery, but also that when DAC facilities are up and running, they're often far less effective at capturing CO2 than initially promised.In 2023, a piece published by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists expressed outrage that the US Department of Energy invested $600 million in one such project. Its authors said the energy costs required to filter that much air to extract just 0.04 percent of its total are far in excess of other, already less expensive ways to reduce emissions, and that there won't be any dramatic improvement in the physics and chemistry that will make Direct Air Capture dramatically more efficient. They said, bluntly, "It's just dumb to build today something that we won't need for 50 years, if ever."Chadwick said a lot of the criticisms around DAC center on its technical feasibility, which he says is the wrong point. There are tons of industrial processes where the thermodynamics are terrible, look at ammonia," he said, it took years and years to get the yields to where they are right now." What drove those otherwise inefficient processes was the economic imperative for it in the marketplace," he said. When someone proves they can do [Direct Air Capture] for $200 a ton, all of these arguments go away."Both Chadwick and Ross spoke about the importance of scale to help accelerate the still quite nascent industry. In 2023, Carbon Engineering, 1PointFive and Occidental broke ground on the Stratos plant in Texas that, when completed, is expected to suck 500,000 tons of CO2 out of the air per year. Both are optimistic, however, that the projects that are currency under construction will help engineers solve those questions. It's a long, long way to go before we get to the billions of tons experts believe we'll need to be extracting to have a hope of survival.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/can-our-climate-be-saved-by-vacuuming-carbon-out-of-the-skies-145944818.html?src=rss
Google has decided to invest another billion into Anthropic, four sources told the Financial Times, bringing its total sunk cost to more than three billion dollars. Both companies have declined to comment. Google uses Anthropic's Claude AI models on Vertex AI, an AI-powered development platform.Amazon has also invested four billion into Anthropic to integrate its Claude AI models into the next generation of Alexa speakers. Other sources say Anthropic is also in talks with Lightspeed Venture Partners to raise another two billion. This investment would make Anthropic worth 60 billion. Even so, investors don't believe that Anthropic or its rivals will be profitable soon due to the extreme costs of developing AI models.Google invented transformers, a type of neural network that became a backbone technology for AI models, back in 2017. Despite some success with models like Gemini, Imagen, Chirp, Veo and more, Google doesn't have as significant a foothold in the generative AI market.Having so many big tech companies backing AI start-ups alarmed the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which investigated Google parent Alphabet's first $2.3 billion investment in Anthropic. However, as the Financial Times notes, FTC commissioner Lina Khan, who had a reputation as an aggressive antitrust enforcer, has since stepped down from her post at the head of the agency as the Trump regime took power, which could mean similar deals might not receive the same scrutiny in the future.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-is-investing-another-billion-dollars-in-anthropic-145548826.html?src=rss
Get ready for new Samsung Galaxy phones. That's the safe bet for the headliner today at the company's Galaxy Unpacked event which kicks off today at 1PM ET in San Jose, CA. Engadget will offer you two ways to follow the launch in real-time: our Galaxy S25 livestream (live video of the event) and our Galaxy Unpacked liveblog (commentary from our resident phone experts). While the event is imminent, this story collects the full list of leaks, rumors and assumptions as to what we can reasonably expect from the presumed Galaxy S25 phones.Before we detail everything we know, take note: If you're enough of a Samsung fan to preorder sight unseen, it's your last chance to do so. Reserving "the next evolution of Galaxy AI" at Samsung.com will get you a $50 credit and up to $1,250 in additional savings (both of which must be applied to other Samsung products, alas). The reservation window ends exactly as the event begins.Galaxy S25, S25+ and S25 UltraGalaxy S24 UltraSam Rutherford for EngadgetMuch like Apple reveals its latest iPhones at its first fall event, Samsung typically launches its mainline Galaxy S flagships at its first Unpacked shindig of the year. You can bet the farm that there will be Galaxy S25 phones at this event. And given Samsung's recent trend of launching three tiers of flagships - standard, Plus and Ultra - you can bet we'll see that again. (Samsung could technically change the brand names, but the three-layered lineup is practically guaranteed.) There's even an FCC certification (first spotted by 91Mobiles) to dispel any doubts.The degree of certainty falls sharply once we dig into the phones' features. A subtle redesign with rounded corners, flatter edges and thinner bezels appears likely based on a leaked video posted to Reddit and images from reputable tipster Ice Universe. But this isn't expected to be the generation where Samsung's hiring of a former Mercedes-Benz designer will lead to drastic aesthetic changes.Android Headlines also posted plenty of pictures of the purported Galaxy S25, S25+ and S25 Ultra that confirm the relatively minor redesign. The site also claims the screen size for the Galaxy S25 and S25+ are unchanged from last year at 6.2 and 6.7 inches, respectively. The Ultra gets an ever-so-slightly bigger display at 6.9 inches.QualcommAt least in the US, the phone is practically guaranteed to use Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, which the chip-maker revealed in October. (Qualcomm even listed Samsung among the companies launching devices with that processor in the coming weeks.") Like just about every flagship processor these days, the Snapdragon 8 Elite is built for on-device generative AI, which aligns with Samsung's Galaxy AI blitz in recent models.We don't know whether the company will split its S25 processors between Snapdragon (US and other markets) and Exynos (everywhere else), but Ice Universe has claimed it will be all Snapdragon this generation. That would be a good thing, given what's often a glaring performance and battery life disparity favoring Qualcomm. There would be precedence, too: although the vast majority of Galaxy S generations have had different processors regionally, the S23 had the same "Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy" chip globally.Samsung is rumored to stick with last-generation OLED displays (made with M13 organic materials) instead of the brighter and more efficient M14 OLED panels used in the iPhone 16 Pro and Google Pixel 9. Logic suggests Samsung would want its best homemade screen in its best phones - especially when its competitors are already using it. But it could stick with the cheaper panels to keep the bill of materials down. Perhaps it calculated that better displays don't make for better generative AI (the obsession of nearly every tech company right now), while the latest Qualcomm chip does.Speaking of AI, expect Samsung to devote a perhaps agonizingly long portion of the event to generative AI features. The hit-or-miss DigiTimes reported last month that the Galaxy S25 series will include an AI Agent that provides personalized clothing suggestions and transport information." What that would look like in practice is anyone's guess, but I'm not sure I want to know.SamsungThe phones will run Samsung's One UI 7 on top of Android 15. We know this because Samsung said in October that its user experience (based on Android 15) will launch on the next Galaxy S flagships. It's already available in beta for Galaxy S24 phones. Samsung has said that One UI 7 will be its "first integrated AI platform." It added that Galaxy phones "will become true AI companions" that are able to understand natural language derived from speech, images and text. And to drive things home, Samsung reaffirmed that the "One UI 7 will be officially released with the upcoming Galaxy S series devices."On the camera front, Ice Universe claims (via Android Headlines) it's confirmed" that only the ultra-wide sensor will see an upgrade in the Galaxy S25 Ultra - to 50MP from 12MP in last year's model. The leaker says the S25 Ultra will stick with a 200MP main sensor, 10MP 3x zoom and 50MP 5x zoom.Galaxy S24 UltraSam Rutherford for EngadgetSamsung will add the Qi2 wireless charging standard to its new flagships - and that comes straight from the horse's (aka, the Wireless Power Consortium's) mouth. However, leaker chunvn8888 (aka yawn") says Samsung's phones won't have built-in magnets for Qi2's native MagSafe in everything but name charging. Given that's the main benefit of Qi2, this would be disappointing news. Instead, the leaker says Samsung will sell a first-party case with a Qi2 magnetic ring to enable that. (Gotta move those accessories, baby!) Is it really Qi2 if you need a case?Rumors have buzzed about an alleged Galaxy S25 Slim with a - you guessed it - slimmer design joining the trio at some point this year. That's something Apple is also rumored to be working on. Leakers have posted numerous renders this past week comparing how the different size options may compare to each other. A post from Ice Universe puts the S25 Slim at 6.4mm. However, given the FCC certifications only appear to cover the familiar trio of flagships, that phone (if it's in the pipeline at all) may not arrive until later in the year.Galaxy Ring 2, Samsung XR and AR glassesGalaxy RingSam Rutherford for EngadgetDigiTimes reported in December that Samsung would show off (or maybe just tease) the Galaxy Ring 2 and augmented reality (AR) glasses during its January Unpacked event.The Taiwanese publication says the Galaxy Ring 2 will add two more sizes to the nine from the original model, which only launched in July. The second-gen wearable health tracker is said to add new AI features (surprise!) and updated sensors for more accurate measurements. The Galaxy Ring 2 is also rumored to last longer than the current model's maximum of seven days.GoogleDigiTimes also claims Samsung's AR glasses - which the company has confirmed it's working on - will look like regular prescription glasses and weigh around 50g. It says the futuristic glasses would use Google's Gemini AI, which aligns with what we already know about Samsung's partnership with Google and Qualcomm on Android XR. But given the lack of supply chain rumors surrounding the glasses, it's likely that any mention at the event would amount to little more than a teaser, a la its grand reveal of... a stinkin' render for the first Galaxy Ring at Unpacked 2024.We also know Samsung is co-developing an Android XR (extended reality) headset - codenamed Project Moohan - alongside Google and Qualcomm. The lightweight" and ergonomically designed" headset will have a state-of-the-art display," passthrough video and natural multi-modal input. Google's renderings show a wearable reminiscent of Apple's $3,500 Vision Pro.Project MoohanGoogle / SamsungSince Google only recently began offering a developer kit and API for the platform, any glimpse of it at Unpacked wouldn't likely include an imminent release or deep dive into its hardware.Engadget will have full coverage of Samsung's first Unpacked event of 2025. More to come on January 22!Update, January 13 2025, 12:58PM ET: This story has been updated with purported images and more details on the Galaxy S25, S25+ and S25 Ultra from Android Headlines.Update, January 14 2025, 3:20PM ET: This story has been updated with some more information about One UI 7.Update, January 17 2025, 12:45PM ET: This story has been updated with more details on the Galaxy S25's processor and the history of processors in the Galaxy S series.Update, January 19, 2025, 12:15PM ET: This story has been updated with more information about the rumored Galaxy S25 Slim.Update, January 20, 2025, 3:35PM ET: This story has been updated to include Samsung's recent affirmation that the One UI 7 interface will be present on new Galaxy devices.Update, January 21, 2025, 2:29PM ET: This story has been updated to include reservation details for the new (as yet unannounced) Samsung products.Update, January 22, 2025, 9:45AM ET: This story has been updated to add the link to our liveblog.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/what-we-expect-at-the-samsung-galaxy-s25-unpacked-2025-event-202024699.html?src=rss
The wait is over: The first Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event of the year kicks off at 1PM ET today - and you'll be able to watch it all right here. If you've been following the long series of credible leaks over the past few weeks, you'll know we can expect Samsung's usual January release: An updated lineup of Galaxy S25 phones (including Ultra, Plus and regular models).The event begins at 1PM ET / 10AM PT in-person in San Jose and online everywhere else. If you plan on watching, you can find a stream on Samsung.com, in Samsung's Newsroom, or watch along right here in the YouTube video embedded below. Engadget is also liveblogging the event.The new phones are more or less guaranteed to use Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, and sport some amount of design tweaks, and new colors. And Samsung's recent blog post effectively confirmed that its new One UI 7 - announced at a Samsung developer event in 2024 - will be part of today's reveal, so expect more details on how the operating system revamp will actually impact using the company's new devices.Beyond that, Galaxy AI will be featured prominently, based on Samsung's original announcement of the event. The bigger unknown is what - or if - we'll see beyond the presumed new phones. Perhaps the company could include an update on its wearables, or more information about Project Moohan, the headset it's developing for Google's Android XR platform. Maybe the Ballie robot will make a cameo. Stay tuned here for complete coverage.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/watch-the-samsung-galaxy-s25-unpacked-2025-event-here-211629652.html?src=rss
Google has been a much larger facilitator of tools to Israel during its war with Hamas than previously disclosed. A new report from The Washington Post found that Google employees have repeatedly worked with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel's Defense Ministry (IDM) to expand the government's access to AI tools. In 2021, Google entered into a $1.2 billion cloud computing contract with the Israeli government, titled Nimbus, alongside Amazon.Internal documents show that Google employees repeatedly requested greater access to the company's AI technology on behalf of Israel - starting shortly after the October 7 attacks. An employee in Google's cloud division reportedly escalated appeals from the IDM for greater access to Vertex. In one document, an employee allegedly warned the IDM could turn to Amazon instead, losing Google business. A November document then allegedly shows the employee thanking their co-worker for assisting with the request.Additional documents from 2024 reportedly show further requests which continued to as recently as November 2024, with an employee requesting the IDF receive access to Gemini AI technology in order to develop its own AI assistant. The request was for improved processing of audio and documents, but its unclear what earlier access pushes were used for in regards to military operations.The news sheds a fresh light on employees' protests over Google's cloud computing contract with Israel's government. Google employees have spoken out against the company's dealings with Israel since the contract began. However, the war brought renewed calls from its employees for Google to drop out of Nimbus. Instead, Google has fired over 50 employees for protesting the contract due to what it called "disruptive behavior." In mid-2024, over 100 Google employees - made up of managers and members of its human rights group - reportedly emailed the company to review the Nimbus contract, but Google ignored it.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-reportedly-made-sure-israels-military-had-access-to-its-ai-tools-142130574.html?src=rss
Akai and Native Instruments are sort of like the Nintendo and Sega of music production. These long-time rivals offer many similar products, but some musicians get drawn to Akai's MPC workflow while others choose NI's Maschine platform. Soon, folks may not have to choose at all. These two icons of the space are teaming up. The MPC platform will soon be home to Native Instruments sound packs.This means that if you currently use an MPC Live II or a Key 61, or any other number of standalone music-making machines by Akai, you'll be able to pull up legit Native Instruments sounds for your tracks. This is a truly big deal. The MPC workflow is iconic and many genres of music wouldn't be the same without it. At the same time, NI is known for its top-tier instruments and sounds.This collaboration bridges two iconic brands to provide creators with a fully integrated ecosystem," said Simon Cross, CPO of Native Instruments. By combining Akai's legendary hardware with our expansive sound libraries and tools, we're pushing the boundaries of music creation."We spoke to legendary instrument designer Roger Linn, who originally invented the MPC platform all the way back in 1988, about this partnership. He's no longer with Akai in an official capacity but said that putting NI instruments on Akai products will "really benefit both companies." He also said that the move perfectly positions MPC devices "to be the next standard musical instrument like the guitar or piano."Linn, who also invented modern digital music-making concepts like swing and quantization, heaped praise on newer MPC devices, as the platform has come a long way since the MPC60 in 1988. He says that products like the Live II are "still warm and fuzzy for the people who are familiar with the MPC, while moving toward a DAW (digital audio workstation)." The Native Instruments integration promises to make these products even warmer and fuzzier.The only caveat? MPC devices can only access Play Series instruments and official Expansions, which are genre-specific sound packs. You won't be able to pull up, say, the full Massive X synthesizer or Kontakt. All told, there are five instruments that will be available in the middle of February, along with five Expansions. These have all been expertly tailored for the MPC platform." More releases are likely to follow, assuming positive user feedback.We asked Native Instruments CPO Simon Cross if there are plans for compatibility in the other direction. Will the Native Instruments Maschine+ standalone groovebox be able to pull up Akai plugins and sound packs? There are no current plans, which is something of a bummer. It's a bit understandable, given that the company only has one standalone device, but still.AkaiFinally, the partnership extends to MPK controllers. Akai's line of MIDI controllers will soon integrate with Native Instruments' Native Kontrol Standard (NKS). This means that Akai controllers will be able to seamlessly control all NKS-compatible plugins." The integration allows for pre-mapped controls and intuitive navigation" directly from MPK devices. The software update drops at end of February.This expands controller compatibility to over 1,800 new instruments and plugins. The NKS standard is also coming to third-party controllers in the near future from companies like M-Audio, Novation and Korg, among others.To celebrate the burgeoning partnership, all current MPK Series owners will receive a free copy of Komplete 15 Select. This is a curated bundle of Native Instruments instruments and effects. Again, this is free for all MPK Series owners, and not just new purchasers.As for Linn, his company currently manufactures the ultra-expressive MIDI controller LinnStrument. The device tracks finger movements in five ways, to bring acoustic-like expressiveness to digital instruments. He also (relatively) recently co-designed one of my all-time favorite drum machines, the Tempest, along with MIDI and synthesizer luminary Dave Smith, who passed away in 2022.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/many-akai-devices-will-soon-support-native-instruments-sound-packs-140059822.html?src=rss
Plex is kicking off the year with some updates that could make the streaming platform a more social place. Viewers will be able to leave public reviews on titles and to comment on other users' assessments. "To us, discovery isn't just about finding what to watch, but also about finding more friends and fans like you in the process," the company said in a blog post announcing the new features. Public reviews expand on the social features Plex introduced in October.The expanded reviews are paired with some new privacy options. Plex users can make their profiles visible to others in search, allowing anybody to see their reviews and ratings, as well as their watchlist and viewing history. Users will be findable in search by default unless they have previously changed that setting. Plex is also letting users set how broadly visible their ratings and reviews will be; this setting ranges from totally public to all logged in Plex users to friends of friends to friends only to private.Plex has been working on a redesign of its app for a long time, and today the company will begin previewing the new look on Apple TV. More platforms will be added to the preview "soon." The blog post cautioned that the Apple TV preview is still preliminary and encouraged users to provide feedback. The new look emphasizes more artwork and visuals, as well as offering more intuitive navigation through the library.Finally, Plex is ready to make its HEVC encoding available to members of its Plex Pass membership. This option offers improved visual quality at a lower bitrate, and it preserves HDR metadata.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/plex-update-adds-public-reviews-and-profiles-140050631.html?src=rss
We finally know when Sonic will grace movie theaters again: Paramount has announced Sonic The Hedgehog 4 will arrive on March 19, 2027, Variety reports. The company confirmed the next installment back in December, but we only knew that Spring 2027 was its premiere goal.The first Sonic The Hedgehog movie premiered in early 2020, just before the world shut down. The third movie came out just before Christmas last year - though Paramount had already announced its follow up was in the works. Similarly, it was first announced about two years before its final release date. If the pattern continues then we should get a trailer in late 2026.Each of the movies has done well at the box office, with Sonic The Hedgehog 3 currently grossing $218 million domestically and $422 million globally. Paramount also claims that the movies have driven another $180 million-plus from digital purchases and at-home rentals.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/sonic-the-hedgehog-4-will-arrive-on-march-19-2027-133002387.html?src=rss
It's a challenging time to be a developer these days, according to GDC's 2025 State of the Game Industry report that surveyed over 3,000 game devs and industry professionals. In one of the worst years ever for game industry job losses, 11 percent of developers said they were let go from their positions in 2024 and 29 percent observed direct colleagues being laid off. All of that is part of an unfortunate trend caused in part by consolidation that could see around 14,000 layoffs in 2024 when final tallies are done.Meanwhile, live service games appear to be here to stay, despite the spectacular flameout of Concordand the axing of several Sony projects. One-third of AAA developers said they're currently working on live service games (GaaS), with 16 percent across the entire developer base working on such titles. That doesn't mean they all like it though, as 41 percent expressed that they weren't interested at all on working on GaaS style games. That lines up with a general malaise among gamers with regard to live service titles.One encouraging upward trend is in PC games, where 80 percent of developers reported that they were working - up massively from 66 percent last year. That could be due in part to Valve's Steam deck, as 44 precent of devs said they were interested in working specifically on that platform. Browser games are also on the upswing, with 16 percent of respondents working on releases. Finally, while gaming execs seem to love the potential for AI in gaming, developers hate it, with 30 percent saying it's having a negative impact on the industry - up 12 percent from last year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/eleven-percent-of-game-developers-were-laid-off-in-2024-according-to-gdc-survey-130003228.html?src=rss
OpenAI will build and open AI infrastructure worth $500 billion in the United States over the next four years in partnership with SoftBank. The two entities have teamed up to establish a new company called the Stargate Project to build AI data centers for the ChatGPT maker, and according to their announcement, it will "secure American leadership in AI" as well as "create hundreds of thousands of American jobs." SoftBank will finance the project, while OpenAI will be in charge of its operations. Masayoshi Son, the CEO of SoftBank, will serve as its chairman.While OpenAI and SoftBank will serve as the Stargate Project's lead partners, there are several other companies involved in the initiative. In addition to OpenAI, Arm, NVIDIA, Oracle and, of course, Microsoft will be its key initial technology partners. The company's official announcement says OpenAI, NVIDIA and Oracle will work together to "build and operate this computing system," though it didn't expound on what that means.As for Microsoft, the company has posted an announcement about its involvement in the project and said that it will continue its "strategic partnership" with OpenAI. Microsoft will still have the right to use OpenAI IP on its products, and the OpenAI API will still exclusively run on Azure. However, it will no longer be OpenAI's exclusive provider for computing capacity. Whenever OpenAI needs additional capacity as its needs grow, Microsoft will have the "right of first refusal," which means the ChatGPT-maker has to check with it first before working with other parties.The Stargate Project is releasing $100 billion immediately for its first data center buildouts, starting with one in Texas. As TechCrunch notes, it was previously reported that OpenAI was in talks with Oracle to lease a data center in Abilene, Texas that can reach almost a gigawatt of electricity by 2026. It didn't mention any other sites, but it did say that it's "evaluating potential" locations across the country.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/openai-and-softbank-team-up-for-a-500-billion-ai-data-center-venture-120018021.html?src=rss
Transit app Moovit has partnered with the travel marketplace Distribusion Technologies to let users plan and book long-distance trips throughout Europe. The app now includes a ticketing system that works in 40 European countries.The company says travelers can book trains, buses and ferries straight from the app, as well as learning directions to a station, checking out schedules and keeping an up-to-the-minute eye on trip timing. This should help alleviate much of the stress of long-distance travel, as various aspects of the journey will all be viewable and adjustable via a single app. Moovit says this is a first for urban mobility platforms."It's also the first time that Moovit has enabled mobile ticketing for inter-city journeys throughout Europe, including cross-border trips. The company has partnered with carriers like Deutsche Bahn, Trenitalia and National Express to make this happen.These tools are available right now on Android, iOS and the web client. The big caveat? It's only in Europe, for now. The app is available in 3,500 cities across 112 countries. We'll let you know when other regions get access to this tech.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/transit-app-moovit-adds-ticket-purchasing-functionality-throughout-europe-110043997.html?src=rss
President Donald Trump has pardoned Ross Ulbricht, the founder of Silk Road who was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of money laundering, narcotics trafficking and computer hacking. I just called the mother of Ross William Ulbright [sic] to let her know that in honor of her and the Libertarian Movement, which supported me so strongly, it was my pleasure to have just signed a full and unconditional pardon of her son, Ross," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.Ulbricht has been serving a life sentence since 2015. Prosecutors alleged that the dark web marketplace Ulbricht created was used by thousands of drug dealers and other unlawful vendors to distribute hundreds of kilograms of illegal drugs and other unlawful goods and services to well over a hundred thousand buyers, and to launder hundreds of millions of dollars deriving from these unlawful transactions." Ulbricht was also accused of attempting to order assassinations of his perceived enemies, though prosecutors said there was no evidence that these murders were actually carried out."The reprieve for Ulbricht comes after he tried, and failed, to appeal his sentence in 2017. Crypto enthusiasts, many of whom supported Trump during the 2024 election, have long argued that his sentence was too harsh. Trump said during his campaign that he would commute Ulbricht's sentence on day one" if he was reelected.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/donald-trump-pardons-silk-road-creator-ross-ulbricht-010206263.html?src=rss
Mark Gurman at Bloomberg has released a report about Meta's next steps in hardware, crediting sources familiar with the company's work. According to these insiders, Meta is developing at least three new smart glasses models and has set a roadmap toward releasing its first true augmented reality glasses. The company is reportedly also continuing efforts to implement AI tools in a wrist wearable and in earbuds.Meta already sells smart glasses in partnership with Ray-Ban, a product line internally called Supernova. Gurman reports that this existing lineup will be introduced to new markets, although he didn't offer specifics about where. Meta's technologies also be applied to frames from other brands owned by its partner, Luxottica Group. This will allegedly lead to the launch of glasses codenamed Supernova 2 based on the Sphaera glasses from Oakley. This set would be intended for cyclists and other athletes, and its camera would be placed in the center of the frames.The third model is internally dubbed Hypernova. This product would be another step closer to a genuine AR experience, giving wearers the capability to run simple software apps, view notifications and display photos taken by the device. The more advanced feature set would reportedly come with a more advanced price tag; sources told Gurman this set is currently projected to cost $1,000. Insiders had already revealed last month that Meta was working on bringing a display to its Ray-Ban glasses models.Alongside these smart glasses, Meta has also been developing an AR product dubbed Orion. Gurman reports that the Orion set will not receive a commercial release. Instead, he said that Meta plans to launch a different iteration of the hardware as early as 2027. This product is codenamed Artemis, and sources told Gurman that these prototype glasses aren't as heavy as Orion and are more advanced than the predecessor.Another item of note in Gurman's report is that Meta is developing a wrist strap that could control its smart glasses. Most of the company's models have controls at the temple, but a wrist option would be similar to the one used for the Orion prototype.Finally, he confirms that Meta is still working on prototypes of camera-enabled earbuds that could be a rival to Apple's AirPods. The Information reported on this project in May 2024, and it seems that the concept has faced some development challenges. If these "Camerabuds" do reach the market, it likely won't be for years.We've reached out to Meta for comment on this report and will update with any statement we receive.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/report-meta-could-release-its-first-true-ar-headset-as-soon-as-2027-222502610.html?src=rss
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