Apple Music just announced that it's expanding its live radio offerings and adding three new stations to the lineup. These channels are hosted by actual people and are available to everyone, even those without a paid Apple Music subscription.First up, there's Apple Musica Uno, which celebrates the wealth of stylistic diversity in Latin music around the world." The station will play music from a wide variety of genres, including Musica Mexicana, reggaeton, tropical, Latin pop and more. It's being hosted by superstars like Becky G, Rauw Alejandro and Grupo Frontera, along with radio personalities Evelyn Sicairos and Lechero. It airs every weekday, though weekends will feature special programming.AppleApple Music Club kicks things up a notch, with an emphasis on dance and electronic music. The show will be guided by Tim Sweeney, the host of WNYU's Beats in Space and not the guy who runs Epic Games, along with DJ and artist NAINA. Apple says each playlist will be thoughtfully curated into a set that is fully alive." These playlists will be curated by a mix of luminaries, including Honey Dijon, Jamie xx and FKA twigs. Once aired, each broadcast will be available for revists via DJ Mixes on the platform.Apple Finally, there's Apple Music Chill, which is described as an escape, a refuge" and a sanctuary in sound." It's something nice to have on in the background as you go about your day. This reads to me like it's a version of the famous lo-fi girl playlists. Apple says that programming will be a continuous flow of chill highlights across genres." It all kicks off with a brand-new Beck song, a cover of the George Harrison classic Be Here Now." One of the hosts is Brian Eno, who is an absolute master of chill (among other things.)All of these stations are available right now. They join pre-existing channels like Apple Music 1, Apple Music Hits and Apple Music Country.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/apple-music-expands-its-live-radio-offerings-with-three-new-stations-184912171.html?src=rss
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is sending out 629,344 payments worth more than $72 million to Fortnite players as part of a settlement deal with Epic Games, according to an FTC announcement. The $72 million is intended to compensate Fortnite players who were "tricked" into making unauthorized purchases.Epic Games was ordered to pay $520 million just under two years ago to settle allegations that the gamemaker used design tactics known as dark patterns" to deceive customers into making unwanted purchases and allowed children to rack up charges without parental involvement. Epic Games was also accused of blocking users from their purchased content when they disputed the unauthorized charges. About half that money was paid as penalties to the FTC directly. The rest is earmarked for player refunds, and today's $72 million covers a little under a third of the total amount, with the rest to be distributed as a later date," according to the announcement.Fortnite players can still submit claims for unauthorized charges online at ftc.gov/fortnite.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ftc-paying-out-first-round-of-fortnite-refunds-181158920.html?src=rss
The Thanksgiving holiday might have come and gone, but one of the best pair of wireless headphones you can buy right now are back to their Black Friday price. Amazon has discounted Sony's excellent WH-1000XM5 headphones. All four colorways - black, midnight blue, silver and smoky pink - are currently $298, or 25 percent off their usual $400 price. At this point, the WH-1000XM5 likely need no introduction, but for the uninitiated, they strike a nearly perfect balance between features, performance and price; in fact, they're the Bluetooth headphones Billy Steele, Engadget's resident audio guru, recommends for most people. With the Sony WH-1000XM5, Sony redesigned its already excellent 1000X line to make the new model more comfortable. The company also improved the XM4's already superb active noise cancelation capabilities, adding four additional ANC mics. That enhancement makes the WH5 even better at blocking out background noise, including human voices. Other notable features include 30-hour battery life, clear and crisp sound and a combination of handy physical and touch controls. The one downside of the XM5 are that they cost more than Sony's previous flagship Bluetooth headphones. Thankfully, this sale addresses that fault nicely. 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/sonys-wh-1000xm5-headphones-are-back-on-sale-for-100-off-174551119.html?src=rss
Still Wakes The Deepis one of this year's standout horror games. It's a narrative-heavy survival title that pits you - an electrician stuck on an oil rig - against eldritch terrors from the briny depths of the North Sea. Not only that, but because you're off the coast of Scotland, there's some harsh weather to contend with too. If that all sounds overly cheery for you, there's a new option to add to the gloominess, thanks to a black-and-white mode.After you've installed the game's latest update, you can toggle this so-called Silver Screen filter at any time during your playthrough via the video section in the settings. Developer The Chinese Room (Dear Esther and Everybody's Gone to the Rapture) has also added a chapter select feature, so you can now relive your favorite moments from this dark tale in monochrome if you choose.Engadget Senior Editor Jessica Conditt described Still Wakes The Deep as a modern horror classic in her review and called it one of this generation's most beautiful games. It sounds great too - having actual Scottish actors voicing the characters certainly helps add authenticity.Still Wakes The Deep is available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. It's included in Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass and Game Pass for Console.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/still-wakes-the-deeps-eldritch-terrors-are-now-available-in-a-black-and-white-mode-173209350.html?src=rss
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League had a rough start. Its launch was delayed, and it lost Warner Bros. $200 million. In more recent news, the developers have announced that Season 4 Episode 8, which comes out in January 2025, will be the last seasonal Episode of the game. Players will finally get to fight Braniac in a final battle.Not to worry, though. The game isn't shutting down just yet, as all online features will stay up, meaning you can still play with your friends. If you prefer playing alone, the new offline mode is coming with Episode 8. Offline mode works by starting a new profile or copying your current progress into a new one, letting you pick up where you left off.You might be wondering if there will be any new content that isn't a new season in light of this news. This FAQ page seems to avoid a direct answer, only stating what was said above. It neither confirms nor denies any new content."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/suicide-squad-kill-the-justice-leagues-current-season-is-its-last-161356174.html?src=rss
Video creators on Instagram now have a new way to test out content. The app is introducing trial Reels," which allows creators to publish Reels that bypass their followers' feeds and are instead recommended to non-followers.Given that so many Instagram creators complain about Meta not showing their content to their followers, this may seem like an odd feature. But in a blog post, the company said that trial Reels was created in direct response to feedback from creators who feel nervous" about posting videos that may not perform well. Meta said the new feature is meant to make it easier for creators to experiment with different genres and easily get a gut check on how your content might perform."Now, creators will be able to select a trial" toggle before publishing a video. These Reels won't show up on a creator's grid and will be recommended to accounts that aren't followers (Meta notes that it's impossible to guarantee a follower won't come across a particular video somewhere else in the app, like their DMs.)After 24 hours, creators will be able to revisit the video and see metrics about how it performed, including the total number of views, shares, likes and comments. While Meta says that this type of trial" content can take longer to gain traction than other posts since it won't be shown to an account's followers, it could still be useful for creators that want to post in a more low-pressure format.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/instagram-will-let-video-creators-make-trial-reels-for-non-followers-160016725.html?src=rss
Amazon sells practically everything, including tiny homes, so why not add cars to the mix? Starting today, users in 48 cities across the continental US can buy a new Hyundai car from a local dealership via Amazon Autos.You can check out which models are available at your local dealership and browse by make, model, trim, color and features. The marketplace has finance options and a way to schedule a pick-up from a local dealership. You can even get an instant valuation of your current vehicle's trade-in value, then just drop it off when you collect your new ride.Amazon is also offering transparent pricing and promising that this will remove the need for haggling with a salesperson. Talking to a human in 2024? How passe. Since this all takes place using the familiar Amazon interface, you'll be able to see user reviews of cars and dealerships (aka sellers).The metropolitan areas where Amazon Autos is available at the jump are Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Beaumont-Port Arthur, Birmingham, Boston, Champaign/Springfield, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbia, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, El Paso, Fond Du Lac, Ft. Myers/Naples, Harrisburg-Lancaster-Lebanon-York, Harrisonburg, Hartford, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Nashville, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Providence, Raleigh-Durham, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Sheboygan, Springfield, St. Louis, Tampa, W. Palm Beach, Washington DC.Amazon says it will add more Hyundai dealerships over time (the two sides reached a deal last year to offer this service). Next year, Amazon Autos will include more manufacturers, brands, cities and features.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/you-can-now-buy-your-next-ev-on-amazon-155634838.html?src=rss
Earlier this year, Apple finally offered third-party developers access to its Near-Field Communication (NFC) technology. Not only are iPhone users in the EU receiving access, but other regions can also leverage this technology. Yesterday, Vipps MobilePay became the first Apple Pay alternative on the iPhone using its NFC technology for tap-to-pay transactions.Tap with Vipps" is the app's NFC payment solution. It works for sending money to friends and making online purchases, but that's not all. You can also pay organizations and associations with it. In other words, it's PayPal combined with Apple Pay if you want to think of it that way.The reason Apple is opening up access to its NFC technology is primarily EU pressure. Apple had signed an agreement with the European Commission to open up the iPhone's NFC technology in July. By doing so, it avoided a legal fine of up to 10 percent of its $40 billion worldwide annual turnover.With Vipps being the first Apple Pay alternative, Apple's monopoly on tap-to-pay is finally over. Still, Vipps is a Norwegian firm, and it currently only works there. Customers belonging to more than 40 local banks will be able to use Tap with Vipps to pay, and the company is planning to add more banks to the list. MasterCard and Visa support are also coming before Summer 2025.Vipps' success story is likely the first example of a challenge to the Apple Pay monopoly on the iPhone. According to Apple Insider, UK company Curve said in May that it wanted to be the first Apple Wallet alternative. However, Curve hasn't announced anything yet.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/theres-now-an-apple-pay-alternative-for-iphone-users-in-norway-153634514.html?src=rss
Emulating the various PlayStation consoles has been commonplace for years, and developers constantly try to do so on various platforms. On Monday, the developers of PS3 emulator RPCS3 released a teaser on YouTube showing how their emulator runs on arm64 hardware, specifically on a Raspberry Pi 5. In an announcement post, they also showcased the emulator running on Apple M1 chips. All told, the emulator can now run on arm64 chips across Windows, Mac and Linux.If you aren't familiar with RPCS3, it's the emulator Atlus tried to take down around Persona 5's release in 2017. In Atlus' defense, the developers name-dropped Persona on its Patreon page. Patreon took the RPCS3 developers' side but asked them to remove all references to Persona titles.It's surprising that a PS3 emulator even runs on a Raspberry Pi 5, which isn't a gaming powerhouse. Through some wizardry, the RPCS3 team was able to push the hardware to its limit. The framerate is locked to a maximum of 30FPS, and the graphics look like they come straight out of a PlayStation Portable screen, which is a 480p display from 20 years ago. The developers weren't able to render those games at the PS3's native 720p resolution. Naturally, the more powerful Apple Silicon chips will render games at a higher resolution.Think of it this way, though. If you traveled back in time to tell people that a PSP could run PS3 games, nobody would've believed you. But the proof is now right here, and the teaser showed how the games didn't experience severe frame drops. While impressive, RPCS3 isn't the first emulator running natively on arm64 hardware, as that honor goes to Dolphin, the famous Wii and GameCube emulator.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/ps3-emulator-rpcs3-now-runs-on-a-raspberry-pi-5-142224432.html?src=rss
Another day, another case of the European Commission going after big tech for targeting minors. The bloc's regulators have probed Google for more information on a secret ad partnership with Meta that targeted Instagram ads at minors on YouTube, the Financial Times reports.The Commission has yet to open a formal investigation, but is building on information it requested in October that includes internal chats, presentations, emails and more related to the YouTube ads. Google gathered this evidence during an internal probe codenamed "Tangerine Owl."The FT first revealed in August that Google employees were using a work around to allow for ads directed at individuals under 18. This was a big no no as Google has long banned advertising targeting minors. However, these Google employees told Meta to push ads at a group called "unknown," as internal data found it had a large group of under 18s in it. The two companies teamed up with media agency Spark Foundry to launch a pilot ad program in Canada and then expanded to the US. The companies halted their plan to expand beyond the two countries and to include other Meta platforms following the public report.This is not the first time Google and Meta have been in hot water for their ad practices. In 2022, the duo was the subject of antitrust investigations from the European Commission and the UK's Competition and Market Authority - however, both entities eventually closed their cases.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/eu-digs-further-into-google-and-metas-secret-ad-campaign-targeting-minors-140047175.html?src=rss
YouTube is expanding how you can interact with games on its free in-app platform, Playables. The company has announced that users can now try out a multi-player function that allows them to game with other players in real-time.However, that doesn't extend to YouTube Playables' entire 100-plus catalogue of titles. "We're beginning to test a new multiplayer feature for a few select games on YouTube Playables. Multiplayer on Playables lets you play games in real-time with other users," YouTube said in a release. "We're just getting started testing out new features for YouTube Playables with more to come in the future." Right now, multiplayer is available on two games, Ludo Club and Magic Tiles 3, on both desktop and mobile devices.YouTube first announced Playables in September 2023 and it was originally available to select participants before expanding to all Premium subscribers. In May, it announced that the platform would be available to all YouTube users. It's available games range from action and sports to trivia and puzzles.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/youtube-introduces-multiplayer-mini-games-on-playables-133056235.html?src=rss
Croteam and Devolver Digital have announced The Talos Principle: Reawakened, a "radically overhauled" remake of the puzzle/story game The Talos Principle. The update will be rebuilt with Unreal Engine 5, with the developer promising "vastly improved visuals, quality-of-life improvements [and] an all-new chapter that delves deeper into the game's award-winning narrative," according to Devolver.The Talos Principle originally released in 2015 as a combination puzzle and story game with a decidedly philosophical bent. In a Joystiq review at the time, Engadget's Jessica Conditt described as a "wise" game that "peers deeply at people as an idea, including the players, and it tests their humanity and intelligence in a series of beautiful riddles and spatial-awareness tests."The remake keeps that vision, while "breathing new life into every corner of the game," the developer wrote. Unreal Engine 5 adds enhanced lighting, textures and environmental design, making it more detailed and atmospheric. The remake also adds quality-of-life features like a hint system and the ability to rewind during gameplay. It also gains the Road to Gehenna expansion, plus a new chapter called In the Beginning that explores the origins of the Simulation. The other main new feature is a new puzzle editor that lets players and the modding community "build their own unique worlds and challenges."The Talos Principle: Reawakened is set to arrive sometime in 2025 on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. It's not to be confused with The Talos Principle 2, an all-new update to the original that launched last year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-talos-principle-reawakened-is-a-ground-up-remake-built-in-unreal-engine-5-130012395.html?src=rss
In its own heady blog post, Google debuted Willow, its latest quantum chip. It was flanked by hyped headlines that suggest something akin to the obelisk in 2001: A Space Odyssey. The breakthrough might not be about the power, however: Google says it has reduced errors - a major issue with building quantum computers - by adding more qubits to the system.In fact, Google makes no claim of quantum supremacy this time - something the company did when it publicly debuted its previous generation quantum computer in 2019. That claim quickly ended in controversy, with one researcher calling the company's announcement just plain wrong."Part of the issue then was that Google's last quantum chip was not part of a general-purpose quantum computer. Instead, it surpassed classic computers in a single task: random circuit sampling (RCS). But, in Google's own words, RCS has no known real-world applications."GoogleHowever, the company is sticking with the metric, claiming RCS performance is a widely recognized gauge of quantum computing. That makes true comparisons difficult: Rivals including IBM and Honeywell use a quantum volume metric to tout their breakthroughs. They claim it gives a more holistic understanding of a machine's capabilities. Google's spec sheets and blog post don't mention quantum volume at all.- Mat SmithGet this delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!The biggest tech stories you missed
California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan have proposed a new bill, AB 56, that would require social media companies to put a warning label on their platforms to disclose their mental health risks.Citing social media platforms' harnessing of addictive features and harmful content for the sake of profits," Attorney General Bonta says that consumers should have access to information about platforms that could impact their mental health. The current bill lacks detail on how much information these warning labels should have or how they should appear, but mentions the Cyberbullying Protection Act and the Online Violence Prevention Act as possible precedent for such a requirement. Those bills required social media platforms to disclose their cyberbullying reporting features in the terms of service, and clearly state whether they have a way of reporting violent posts for users and nonusers on the platform, respectively.Bonta and Bauer-Kahan's new bill follows an open letter signed by 42 attorneys general (Bonta included) that called for Congress to require a surgeon general's warning label on social media. The US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy proposed the idea himself in an essay for The New York Times Opinion section in June. A surgeon general's warning label requires congressional action to actually be put in place, but could prove effective in changing behavior in the same way it has for tobacco products, according to Murthy.You can trace a lot of the recent commotion around children and social media to an advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health that the US Surgeon General published in 2023. The advisory claimed that social media could have a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents" and that children and adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of mental health problems." A warning label is unlikely to completely fix things and social media isn't the sole cause of all children's problems, but labels are another level that can be pulled to change things.A wider reaching Texas bill that required social media companies block teens from seeing harmful content" was struck down a few months ago in 2024, but requiring social media warning labels, especially given California's legal history, seems much more feasible. Mental health impacts are just one of the risks children face online, though. According to the Federal Trade Commission, there's still mass surveillance to deal with, too.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/a-new-california-bill-would-add-warning-labels-to-social-media-platforms-233653838.html?src=rss
Rode just announced the latest iteration of its well-regarded Wireless GO microphone system. The third-gen kit brings plenty of new features to the table, especially when compared to 2021's Wireless GO II. The microphone allows for 32-bit float on-board recording and audio can be captured directly to the receiver. The system allows up to 40 hours of footage, stored internally, and includes a new technology called GainAssist. This is a compression algorithm, of sorts, that will dynamically balance audio levels on-the-fly." Rode says the system eliminates the wild fluctuations typically found in a raw recording." The company even says that there should be little-to-no editing required in post when using this system. If the algorithm makes a mistake, the microphone includes a secondary storage channel that records a dry copy of the audio. Rode Most users will use these microphones connected to a camera of some kind, so on-board storage won't be needed. Rode says that the new Wireless GO system can operate up to 260 meters from the receiver, so long as it's in the line of sight. The company also says that it is compatible with all Rode Series IV devices, including the RodeCaster Pro II and Rodecaster Video. This is in addition to offering universal compatibility with cameras, smartphones and computers." There are locking lavalier connectors and an integrated LCD screen for keeping an eye on battery and audio signal levels. Finally, this system is available in a whole bunch of limited-edition colors, including red, orange, pink and purple, among others. The Wireless GO II was only available in black and white. Rode This updated Wireless GO microphone kit comes with one receiver, two transceivers, a charging hub, a few windshields and plenty of cables. It's available for $300. There's also a dedicated charging case, which is sold separately for $90. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/rodes-latest-wireless-go-microphone-system-boasts-40-hours-of-on-board-storage-230014651.html?src=rss
Update, December 9, 2024, 5:45PM ET: X today formally announced its Aurora image generator. "Grok's new capabilities are now available on the X platform in select countries and will roll out to all users within a week," the company said in a blog post. The original story, previously headlined "X adds, then quickly removes, Grok's new Aurora' image generator," follows unedited below:On Saturday, a new image generator called Aurora became available for some Grok users, many of whom shared the tool's results on X touting their photorealism. But as of Sunday afternoon, Aurora appears to be gone. While it briefly showed up as an option in Grok's model selection menu as Grok 2 + Aurora (beta)," it's since been replaced with Grok 2 + Flux (beta)." It looks like Aurora may have gone public before it was meant to. In a tweet replying to one user who shared images of Tesla's Cybertruck created with Aurora, Elon Musk said, This is our internal image generation system. Still in beta, but it will improve fast."
Google debuted Willow, its latest quantum chip, on Monday, and if you've spent any time online since, you've undoubtedly run into some breathless reporting about it. Willow crushes classical computers on a cosmic timescale," proclaims one headline; Google unveils mind-boggling' quantum computer chip," reads another. It's all anchored by a claim that Willow can complete a computation that would theoretically take a classical computer significantly more time than the 14 billion years the universe has existed. But, as you can probably guess, what the chip represents is not so simple.First, with Willow, Google makes no claim of quantum supremacy, something the company did when it publicly debuted its previous generation quantum computer, Sycamore, back in 2019. You may recall that, at the time, Google publicized how it took Sycamore just 200 seconds to perform a calculation that would have theoretically taken the world's then-fastest supercomputer 10,000 years to complete. That feat, the company said, demonstrated that it had created a quantum computer that could solve problems the best classical computers could not even attempt. In other words, Google had achieved quantum supremacy.However, that claim quickly ended in controversy, with one researcher calling the company's announcement indefensible" and just plain wrong," and Google has since avoided talking about quantum supremacy. Instead, it just says it has achieved beyond classical computation." Part of the issue was that Sycamore was not a general-purpose quantum computer; instead, it was designed to surpass classical computers in a single task known as random circuit sampling or RCS. The thing about RCS is that, in Google's own words, it has no known real-world applications." Yet, here again, the company is touting RCS performance.Google says Willow can complete its latest RCS benchmark in under five minutes. By contrast, the company estimates it would take Frontier, currently the world's second most powerful supercomputer, 10 septillion years to complete the same task. That number, Google says, lends credence to the notion that quantum computation occurs in many parallel universes, in line with the idea that we live in a multiverse."GoogleMore practically, Google tries to make the case that RCS performance should be the metric by which all quantum computers are judged. According to Hartmut Neven, the founder of Google Quantum AI, it's an entry point. If you can't win on random circuit sampling, you can't win on any other algorithm either." He adds RCS is now widely used as a standard in the field.However, other companies, including IBM and Honeywell, instead use a metric called quantum volume to tout their breakthroughs. They claim it points to a more holistic understanding of a machine's capabilities by factoring in how its qubits interact with one another. Unfortunately, you won't find any mention of quantum volume in the spec sheet Google shared for Willow, making comparisons difficult.To that point, the far more impressive claim Google is making today is that Willow is below the threshold." To date, the problem that has plagued every attempt to build a useful quantum computer is that the quantum bits they're based on are difficult to control. They only hold their quantum state for fractions of a second, and the more qubits are added to a system, the more likely it is to produce errors. However, with Willow, Google says it has found a way to reduce errors as it adds more qubits to the system. According to the company, Willow is the first time this has been done.As the first system below threshold, this is the most convincing prototype for a scalable logical qubit built to date. It's a strong sign that useful, very large quantum computers can indeed be built," says Neven. Willow brings us closer to running practical, commercially-relevant algorithms that can't be replicated on conventional computers."That's the real breakthrough here, and one that points to a future where quantum computers could solve problems that have tangible effects on people's lives. That future, however, isn't here just yet, and even Google admits it has more work to do before it gets there.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/googles-willow-quantum-chip-breakthrough-is-hidden-behind-a-questionable-benchmark-224707174.html?src=rss
More Apple Intelligence features are coming in December. (Apple)AppleApple Intelligence was the big news at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference back in June. Apple made good on a modest first wave of features in October. But iOS 18.2 - along with sibling OS upgrades for Mac and iPad - will bring a meatier set of Apple Intelligence features to Apple's suite of devices, including Genmoji, Image Playground and ChatGPT integration.To check out Apple's new AI, you must have an eligible device and run the current iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1 or MacOS 15.1. (On the iPhone side, that's basically the current iPhone 16 models plus last year's iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.) You'll also need to join the waitlist in the Settings app, but Apple Support says it usually only takes a few hours to gain access. Once approved, you'll receive a notification saying it's ready to activate on your device.Here's what Apple Intelligence features you'll soon have access to this month and beyond. For now, you can test out Writing Tools, check out the new additions to the Photos app, see summarized notifications and more.Which Apple Intelligence features are coming soon?More Apple intelligence features are expected to become available in December with the release of iOS 18.2, but you can try them now if you're running the developer beta. Here's what Apple has said is coming.Genmoji: You'll be able to create custom emojis called Genmoji by using photos of friends and family or by typing a description of what you want.Image Playground: This tool will let you quickly create fun images, like turning yourself into a cartoon character, and let you come up with a new image based on the description you give.ChatGPT integration: Perhaps the most well-known AI tool will be built-in to Writing Tools and Siri to help out with requests. For instance, if you ask Siri about a certain document, ChatGPT can help. But Apple is, as usual, prioritizing privacy considerations: You'll always be asked before your information is shared and you'll control when it's used.Priority Notifications: When you receive multiple notifications each day, they'll be prioritized by what's most important. For instance, if you have a dinner reservation that evening or an important meeting to attend, those notifications will be shown at the top of your notifications so you don't forget.Visual intelligence (iPhone 16 series only): Using the new Camera Control button on the iPhone 16 lineup, you'll be able to learn about and interact with objects and places right in front of you. For instance, you can use it to translate a sign from one language to another or find out more about a restaurant you've never been to by opening the Camera app, then pressing and holding the Camera Control button.In 2025, we'll see a more robust Siri integration. For starters, it's getting onscreen awareness to "take action with things on your screen." So if a friend texts you their new email address or when their birthday is, you can ask Siri to add it to their contact card.Priority notifications are coming soon to iPhones compatible with Apple Intelligence. (Apple)AppleWhat is Apple Intelligence?Apple Intelligence is essentially Apple's very own generative AI system built-in to eligible devices to help with tasks like writing, communicating and expressing yourself. Apple says that while it draws on your personal context, it doesn't allow anyone else - Apple employees included - to access your personal data.Note that Apple will integrate ChatGPT into its system to help with Siri and Writing Tools (more below), but you must give permission to use it on a case-by-case basis.Which Apple Intelligence features are available now?Apple Intelligence provides access to a variety of new features you can use on your iPhone, iPad or Mac if they're one of the eligible devices.New Photos app additions: While a new Photos app is available for everyone who upgraded to iOS 18, iPhones compatible with Apple Intelligence (and running iOS 18.1 or newer) also get a new Clean Up tool that lets you remove background objects from your pictures with just a tap. For instance, you can remove strangers from your family photo at the beach or that piece of laundry you forgot to put away. And if you have thousands of photos and videos saved, you can now find what you're looking for by describing it - show all photos featuring a blue house with a red door, for example.Writing Tools: You can use this in most apps to help proofread your text, as well as craft different versions of what you've written until you find the right words. For example, if you need to write a cover letter or send an email to your boss, you can use Writing Tools to help you communicate what you need to say. This tool will also summarize an entire lecture for you, or any text you select. More features will be added in future updates.Summarized notifications: If you receive dozens of notifications each day, you'll now see a summary of the messages to make it easier to read through them.Siri improvements: Apple has given Siri an AI makeover to make conversations with the smart assistant more natural, but more. And for your convenience, you'll be able to switch back and forth between giving commands by voice or by typing to Siri. The bot also comes with "richer language-understanding capabilities," which is helpful if you tend to jump from thought to thought while talking.Siri improvements: Apple is pledging to make Siri more dynamic and useful with a series of upgrades coming in 2025. In the meantime, you can now switch back and forth between giving commands by voice or by typing. The assistant is also now said to offer "richer language-understanding capabilities," which is helpful if you tend to jump from thought to thought while talking. And it now features a new interface, which shows a glowing edge on your screen when activated.Which devices are compatible with Apple Intelligence?Compatibility with Apple Intelligence is largely limited to very recent iPhones, as well as Macs and iPads with Apple's M-series Apple Silicon chips.Here's the full list of devices that will work with Apple Intelligence.
Musicians Tegan & Sara, Open Mike Eagle, Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill and more have signed a letter organized by Fight for the Future demanding music labels drop their lawsuit against the Internet Archive, the online library and nonprofit best known for the Wayback Machine.We, the undersigned musicians, wholeheartedly oppose major record labels' unjust lawsuit targeting the Internet Archive," the Musicians for Fairness and Preservation Open Letter reads. We don't believe that the Internet Archive should be destroyed in our name." Instead, the letter offers three alternative ways the lives of musicians could be materially improved: By partnering with organizations like the Internet Archive to preserve original recordings and music culture, allowing musicians to keep 100 percent of merchandise sales and ending vertical investments in streaming services like Spotify.The advent of streaming services already made being a working musician highly unprofitable, but as the letter notes, things like the COVID-19 pandemic and Live Nation's monopoly on ticket sales have made it nearly impossible to perform without some kind of extra expense.The original lawsuit put forth by labels like Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group was specifically targeted at the Internet Archive's Great 78 Project, which aims to preserve music recorded on 78 RPM records. The project has over 400,000 recordings available to stream, including music from well-known artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Frank Sinatra. If the labels win their lawsuit, the Internet Archive could be on the hook for up to $621 million dollars in damages to account for the music streamed through the Archive since 2006, Rolling Stone writes.Music isn't the only front where the Internet Archive is fighting. The organization recently lost its appeal in an ongoing lawsuit with publishers over digital book lending. The Internet Archive claims its digital book library can lend out eBooks under the fair use doctrine, but multiple judges have now disagreed.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/musicians-demand-music-labels-drop-their-internet-archive-lawsuit-214139644.html?src=rss
NVIDIA, graphics chip maker and recent backbone of the AI industry, is under investigation by Chinese regulators over potential antitrust violations, The New York Times reports. The concerns center on the acquisition of Mellanox Technologies, a computer networking company NVIDIA bought in 2020.As part of the conditions of that acquisition, Chinese regulators required NVIDIA to provide information about new [Mellanox] products to rivals within 90 days of making them available to NVIDIA," Bloomberg writes. China's State Administration for Market Regulation is kicking off its investigation because it believes that those terms were violated. This wouldn't be the first time NVIDIA has been investigated for monopolistic behavior - The US Department of Justice reportedly launched its own antitrust investigation into NVIDIA in September 2024 - but it has a different flavor in the context of the escalating trade war between the US and China.On December 1, the US Department of Commerce announced export restrictions and sanctions on 140 Chinese companies producing chipmaking tools, and on China-bound shipments of high bandwidth memory chips," Reuters writes. The goal was fairly clear: the US wanted to limit China's ability to develop advanced AI by preventing it from creating the kind of chips used to train and run it. This fight goes both ways, of course. It seems safe to say that the Chinese ban on all shipments of gallium, germanium, and antimony to the US was a response.Threatening NVIDIA makes sense on a few fronts. The company's H100 GPUs were used to train the vast majority of generative AI models used today, something that doesn't seem likely to change with the Blackwell chips Nvidia announced earlier this year. That's made it one of the most valuable companies in the world as AI speculation has run rampant, and a big target for governmental oversight. Plus, Bloomberg writes that NVIDIA gets some 15 percent of its revenue from China. However the investigation resolves, NVIDIA feels like a logical next step to escalate the US and China's conflict even further.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/chinese-regulators-are-investigating-nvidia-for-potential-antitrust-violations-200136726.html?src=rss
TikTok is beginning its last-ditch legal challenge to avoid a ban in the United States. The company filed an emergency injunction in federal court Monday, asking for a delay in the law that would ban the app from taking effect so it could have time to mount a Supreme Court challenge.The new court filing comes just three days after the company lost its initial court challenge to the law, currently set to take effect January 19, 2025, that requires app stores and internet providers to block TikTok if ByteDance doesn't sell the app. In their ruling, a panel of three appeals court judges wrote that the US government had persuasive national security justifications that apply specifically to the platform that TikTok operates."TikTok has argued the law is unconstitutional and that it would unjustly hurt creators and businesses that rely on its service. Estimates show that small businesses on TikTok would lose more than $1 billion in revenue and creators would suffer almost $300 million in lost earnings in just one month unless the TikTok Ban is halted," TikTok said in a statement Monday.In its latest filing, TikTok notes that President-elect Donald Trump has promised to save" the app and that temporarily halting the law would allow the incoming Administration to evaluate this matter." Right now, the law is slated to take effect the day before Trump's inauguration.The company requested a decision by December 16. Even if the injunction isn't granted, it's still not quite the end of the line for the company's legal challenges. If the Supreme Court ends up taking on the case, TikTok would have another opportunity to try to get the law overturned.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/tiktok-asks-court-to-delay-the-law-that-would-ban-its-app-next-month-192427139.html?src=rss
Following an early preview at the start of the year, Sora, OpenAI's long-awaited video generation model, is ready for public use. If you're a ChatGPT Plus or Pro subscriber in the US or "most other countries" where the chatbot is available, you can begin experimenting with the tool starting later today, OpenAI announced on Monday. A more powerful model powers the product than the one OpenAI showed off in February. Sora Turbo is significantly faster, according to the company, though OpenAI cautions the new model still has limitations. "It often generates unrealistic physics and struggles with complex actions over long durations," says the company.When users first visit the dedicated landing page OpenAI has set up for Sora, they'll be greeted with a feed of videos the model has created for other people. By clicking on a video, you'll be able to see the exact prompt someone gave Sora to generate the footage you see. From here, you can also decide to re-cut a video, blend it into a clip you're working on, or remix it. In this initial release, OpenAI is limiting Sora to generating videos that are up to 1080p and 20 seconds long.ChatGPT Plus subscribers can use Sora to create up to 50 videos at 480p per month. Alternatively, Plus users can generate fewer (and shorter) videos at 720p. OpenAI says the Pro plan affords 10 times as much usage, at higher resolutions and longer durations. "We're working on tailored pricing for different types of users, which we plan to make available early next year," the company adds.For safety purposes, each video features a visible watermark by default and contains C2PA metadata to assist with identification. OpenAI says it will block users from using Sora to create child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) and sexual deepfakes. More broadly, the company plans to limit uploads of people until it has time to refine its safeguards against deepfakes.Even if you don't have a ChatGPT subscription, you can still visit the Sora website to see what other people are using the tool to create. During today's livestream, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said it may take some time before Sora arrives in Europe and the UK.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openais-sora-video-generation-ai-model-arrives-globally-later-today-182613208.html?src=rss
When it comes to robot vacuum cleaners, there's one brand that probably springs to mind before any other. But there are plenty of great options out there beyond Roomba, and one of our favorite models is on sale for nearly half off. The Anker Eufy BoostIQ RoboVac 11S Max has dropped to $129, which is a discount of 48 percent or $120. This is our pick for the best ultra budget robot vacuum. Since it has such a deep discount right now, that makes it even more of a budget-friendly recommendation. We appreciate the slim profile that makes it easy for the RoboVac 11S to clean under low furniture. We found the vacuum to have a long battery life and good suction power, especially for its size. The main drawback is the lack of Wi-Fi connectivity. That means you won't be able to bark a request for a spot clean at your voice assistant. Instead, you'll need to use a remote to control the vacuum, but it still has many of the features you'd expect from an app-operated model, such as scheduled cleanings. You can also start a cleaning by pressing a button on the top of the unit. The RoboVac 11S starts cleaning in auto mode with the aim of optimizing the process as it saunters around your home. However, you can select spot cleans and edge cleaning using the remote. One other welcome feature, especially for a robot vacuum in this price range, is the inclusion of effective object detection. So if you're on the hunt for a wallet-friendly robot vacuum for yourself or a loved one, the RoboVac 11S is definitely worth considering - especially at this price. 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-robot-vacuums-is-on-sale-for-only-129-154516914.html?src=rss
No discussion of a new midrange soundbar would be complete without a mention of its biggest competition, so even though this is a review of a Bose product, let's address that from the start. Sonos has consistently been our top pick for best midrange soundbar for years. The company's Beam has been a great option for smaller rooms or limited space since it debuted in 2018. The 2021 revamp added Dolby Atmos to the mix, but the price, the lack of upfiring drivers and the subdued bass remained key considerations that may deter shoppers. Three years after the 2nd-gen Beam, Bose is looking to take on Sonos and the Beam with the compact, Atmos-friendly Smart Soundbar ($499). Bose may be best known for its noise-canceling headphones and earbuds, but the company has a solid track record with speakers and soundbars too. These devices typically exhibit the same fondness for clear, warm sound, which means that finer details are never a problem. Bose also likes to throw in handy features to expand a speaker's utility, with things like dialog boost, room tuning and more. For the Smart Soundbar though, the company allows you to use a set of its wireless earbuds as rear surround speakers, taking a slightly different approach than Sonos on bringing headphones to the living room. What's good about the Bose Smart Soundbar? Bose succeeded in building a compact soundbar with a simple design that won't be much of a distraction on your mantle or TV stand. Five drivers provide ample clarity, so even finer details and sound effects come through clearly, and the speaker arrangement offers pleasant directional audio from the soundbar alone. This is partially due to the fact that Bose employs two upfiring drivers in the center of the speaker. For the times you don't have access to Dolby Atmos content, Bose's TrueSpace tech will upmix the sound for a spatial experience. The company provides an AI-powered Dialog Mode that re-balances voices against all of the other sounds so that spoken words can be heard clearly at all times. It does so without sacrificing the immersive aspects of the soundstage, so it's not just a volume boost on the talking. I found Bose's take on dialog to be among the best I've tested, right up there with Sonos, so I left it active during almost all of my testing, which isn't the case for most soundbars I've reviewed. The main appeal of the Smart Soundbar will be how Bose chose to integrate a set of its earbuds with the speaker. A feature called Personal Surround Sound puts rear channels inside the Ultra Open Earbuds, leaving the main audio coming from the soundbar. Since these earbuds have an open-ear design, you can clearly hear everything, leaving your brain to mash them together in your head. I think Bose wanted to offer something akin to Sonos' TV Audio Swap without directly copying it, and Personal Surround Sound allows users to add rear speakers with an investment that doesn't just sit on a shelf when it's not in use. Billy Steele for Engadget Personal Surround works well, and the best part about it is it's adjustable. There are options for volume, center channel and height & surround" levels so you can increase or decrease the amplification of each sound source. These three parameters give you the ability to pipe in more than just the would-be rear channels into the earbuds. You can get some dialog via the center channel control, as well as increase the overall volume if the stock effect is too subdued. What's more, you can disable Personal Surround altogether and the Ultra Open Earbuds will play the full audio that's coming through the Smart Soundbar. Also, lowering the volume on the speaker completely turns the Bose earbuds into something closer to Sonos' TV Audio Swap, which is great for movies and shows when others are sleeping or don't want to be disturbed. This mode is what Bose calls SimpleSync, and it's compatible with the company's recent Bluetooth speakers as well as the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds and QuietComfort 45 headphones. Another handy feature is the ability to adjust the center and height channels on the Smart Soundbar itself. Bose also gives you the option to raise or lower the bass and treble, as well as a Wall EQ toggle that adjusts the tone if you've mounted the speaker under your TV. This is all nice to have, but I used the center channel adjustment the most as cranking it up increased the effect of directional audio coming from the soundbar. There's a good amount out of the box, but this tweak takes it up a notch, providing some pleasant sound reflections off of nearby walls. It's great for movies and shows with lots of zooming vehicles and noise, like race clips in Drive to Survive or battle scenes in Rogue One. What's not so good about this soundbar? Billy Steele for Engadget Like most soundbars, the Smart Soundbar doesn't produce enough low-end thump on its own to provide a fully immersive audio experience. Despite the crisp detail and good directional movement, the speaker would benefit from Bose's wireless subwoofer (starting at $499) for a 5.1 setup. The company also offers two options for rear speakers starting at $399, which would allow everyone in the room to enjoy the added surround channels. Is the Smart Soundbar good enough on its own for smaller spaces? Probably for TV and movies, but if you're tapping it to pull double duty as a music speaker, you'll want to add a sub. Bose's Personal Surround Sound feature is a nice perk, but only one person can use it at a time, so it's really for solo watching at this point. Unless, of course, you want to be a jerk and give yourself the expanded sound and leave your partner, family or friends with the stock experience. Functionally, the Smart Soundbar responded to my commands and all of its modes worked well. One thing that did annoy me was its reluctance to automatically find the correct input when I turned the TV on after listening to music over AirPlay. Every other soundbar I've tested will begin playing TV audio when the screen flickers on, although some may take a few seconds longer than others to kick in. With this soundbar, I sometimes had to select the audio source in the app for things to work properly. I'm not one to harp on soundbar remotes, but I'm compelled to do so here. The accessory Bose includes with the Smart Soundbar feels very cheap. It's similar to what might come with a fan or lamp, although this one has a more robust plastic frame so it's slightly sturdier. I understand the desire to include a remote control with a $500 soundbar, but it either needed a little more polish or Bose could've just left all of the controls to the app. Final verdict on the Bose Smart Soundbar Billy Steele for Engadget The Smart Soundbar is the same price as the Sonos Beam, which remains great for smaller spaces, and is just a more compact option in general. There are a lot of similarities between the Beam and Smart Soundbar, and a few small but notable differences. Sonos' advantage lies in its TV Audio Swap tool and larger ecosystem, though that edge is hampered by the ongoing app rebuild. Sonos also provides dynamic head tracking for even more immersion, which Bose's soundbar lacks. Bose offers multiroom audio with the Smart Soundbar and you can use the Ultra Open Earbuds for personal listening of TV sound on top of the surround feature. It's clear that Bose is taking aim at Sonos with the Smart Soundbar, so the question then becomes which company's audio tuning do you prefer. Since they both offer things like Atmos audio, room calibration, dialog enhancement and headphone use, the choice comes down to personal sonic sensibilities. I think Bose does enough with its earbud integration to make this a tough decision, so long as you're willing to spend the $300 to get the additional device.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/bose-smart-soundbar-review-using-earbuds-as-surround-sound-speakers-153028639.html?src=rss
With Christmas approaching, the Google Pixel Tablet is currently 30 percent off - at least the 128GB version. It's currently $279, the lowest price it's ever been since its release. The Google Pixel Tablet has an 11-inch screen with a resolution of 2560x1600 pixels, making it suitable for streaming content. The tablet is compatible with the Charging Speaker Dock (sold separately). If you need a little more convincing, we named it one of our best Android tablets for 2024. If 128GB of onboard memory isn't enough for you, the Google Pixel Tablet also comes in a 256GB version, which is 28 percent off at $359. Every other specification is identical to the standard 128GB model, but having double the memory means you can download more pictures, apps and YouTube videos for offline watching. As with Google's Pixel smartphones, the Pixel Tablet works with Gemini, the tech giant's AI chatbot. For those who use tablets as their primary work device, the Google Pixel Tablet supports Split Screen. This feature lets you open two apps side-by-side and use them simultaneously. It's great for multitasking. 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/google-pixel-tablets-are-up-to-30-percent-off-152043181.html?src=rss
The holiday season is upon us and, while that means lots of merriment and fun, it also brings the inevitable stress of picking gifts for all your loved ones. We have list after list of some of the best gifts to get your mom, runners, book lovers, gamers and others, but sometimes the greatest presents come from following the sales. That brings us to Amazon's current deal on the Elgato Stream Deck Neo. The device is down to an all-time low price of $80, from $100 - a 20 percent discount. The Stream Deck Neo is Elgato's smaller (and much more affordable) take on one of our favorite game streaming items for 2024: the Stream Deck +. They both have eight customizable keys to make commands easy while streaming. The small but mightly Stream Deck Neo is also built for gaming and making your daily to-do list easier to accomplish with easy shortcuts. The Elgato Stream Deck Neo has a small display with the time, date and day of the week, making it have a bit of an alarm clock feel. It can integrate with apps like Zoom, PowerPoint, Spotify and more. Plus, you can connect it to your Mac or PC with a USB-C plug. Overall, this is a great gift for anyone in your life interested in streaming or just wanting to access their every day tasks with ease. 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/elgatos-stream-deck-neo-is-cheaper-than-ever-144531655.html?src=rss
Raspberry Pi has just released its new computer-in-a-keyboard, the Raspberry Pi 500, the successor to the Raspberry Pi 400. It shares most of the same internal components as the Raspberry Pi 5, but with a keyboard shell and improved heatsink - all for $90.The Pi 500 is equipped with a 2.4GHz quad-core 64-bit Arm Cortex-A76 CPU and comes with 8GB of RAM. It has three USB A ports (two USB 3.0 ports and one USB 2.0 port) but no USB-C slots besides the charger, which doesn't support peripherals like mice and docks. Both WiFi and Ethernet are supported natively, along with Bluetooth 5.0. The package also includes a 32GB microSD card preloaded with Raspberry Pi OS, a Linux distribution based on Debian.Currently, the Pi 500 only has US and UK keyboards, but variants in other languages like Spanish and Japanese are on the way, TechCrunch notes. Depending on the language, the keyboard can have 78 to 83 keys.The Raspberry Pi 500, by itself or as a desktop kit, is now available through approved resellers. The $120 desktop kit contains the Pi 500 computer, a mouse, a USB-C power supply, an HDMI cable and a beginner's guide. Monitors aren't included in the package, though today Raspberry Pi also introduced its new Raspberry Pi Monitor for $100.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/the-raspberry-pi-500-is-a-90-computer-in-a-keyboard-142900379.html?src=rss
Earlier this year Reddit cracked down on AI companies and some major search engines, saying that companies would not be allowed to scrape its site unless they struck licensing deals with the company. Now, the front page of the internet" is introducing its own AI-powered search feature.Called Reddit Answers," the feature provides summaries of conversations and posts from across the site in a conversational interface." Relying on content from all public, SFW subreddits, the goal is for Reddit to be able to directly provide relevant results for queries that people may otherwise find via Google searches, where it's become increasingly common to append Reddit" to queries.While that sounds a lot like a Reddit-based search engine, VP of product Serkan Piantino says that Reddit Answers isn't necessarily trying to come up with a singular answer the way you might expect with a Google search. Instead, the tools surfaced a handful of bullet points pulled directly from relevant threads on Reddit. Those conversations are linked directly in the interface, as are relevant subreddits where users can dive deeper into similar topics. A big theme is that it does sort of guide you towards the content itself, instead of trying to represent an answer on its own," Piantino tells Engadget.RedditReddit gave me early access to the feature and the current version looks a bit like Meta's AI search suggestions in Instagram, with a few dozen suggested queries and accompanying emoji. The responses, however, are detailed and link directly to highly-upvoted comments from various subreddits where Redditors have previously weighed in on similar topics. That's helpful because some of the results may not make sense without the broader context from the thread (like in the answer screenshotted adobe that references an image of Price Harry).I also noticed that many of Reddit's built-in suggestions centered around product questions, like best robot vacuum" or best vitamin C serum." While that's not necessarily surprising - many people already turn to Reddit forums for buying advice - it also raises questions about whether the company could potentially monetize the new search feature. It's something that we've thought about at a high level, but we have no immediate plans for monetization," Piantino said when I asked him about it.For now, he said, the feature is still in beta and will be rolling out slowly. As of today, Reddit Answers is making its way to a limited number" of users in the US on web and iOS, with a broader rollout expected sometime next year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/reddit-introduces-ai-powered-reddit-answers-search-feature-140028655.html?src=rss
A new image generator called Aurora briefly opened for testing for some Grok users, and the tool's results shared on X appeared far more realistic than X's previous image generators. It was a brief debut, though. By Sunday afternoon, Aurora was gone. For a short time, there was a Grok 2 + Aurora (beta) option in Grok's model selection menu, which is now replaced by Grok 2 + Flux (beta). It looks like Aurora may have gone public before it was meant to.Grok's previous image generator was called out for lacking certain restrictions on the content it can produce, like offensive images of politicians and celebrities. TechCrunch was able to generate an image of a bloodied [Donald] Trump" - the kind of thing AI image generators are restricted from creating. In that brief period, paying Grok users leaped at the chance to put Adam Sandler and Ray Romano in photos together, or Captain Picard in a Christmas hat. Sure. Why not?- Mat SmithGet this delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!The biggest tech stories you missed
Apple TV+ has unveiled the intense official trailer for season 2 of Severance, picking up where the first one left off while adding new characters (and mystery).(Light spoilers for season one are ahead)As you may recall, Severance is centered around a group of people who undertook a brain procedure to entirely separate their work (innie) and home (outie) selves. Our four main characters eventually carry out an escape plan by finding a way to blur the lines between the two sets of memories. In the season finale, three of them make some world-shattering discoveries about their outie lives.In the new trailer, our four heroes Mark (Adam Scott), Dylan (Zach Cherry), Helly (Britt Lower), and Irving (John Turturro) are reluctantly back at work and seemingly not in trouble for their actions in the cliffhanger final season one episode that streamed back in 2022. "Mark and his friends learn the dire consequences of trifling with the severance barrier, leading them further down a path of woe," Apple says in the description.The trailer teases potential answers to vexing questions, like what exactly it is that Lumon does. Bizarre incidents in the corporation's basement (involving goats somehow) "will be remembered as one of the greatest moments on this planet," says an unknown corporate character.The teaser also introduces some new mysteries, including a child that's somehow going to be an office manager (Sarah Bock). Other new cast members include Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development), Merrit Weaver (Nurse Jackie) and Bob Balaban (The French Dispatch).This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/watch-the-full-severance-season-2-official-trailer-133028801.html?src=rss
So, you just bought yourself an NVMe drive to add more storage to your PlayStation 5. Don't worry. If you're unsure of how to install the SSD, you have come to the right place. Not only is the process relatively simple, but this guide will take you through every step, including all the tools you need. If you came here looking for a recommendation on what NVMe to buy for your PS5 or PS5 Pro, check out our dedicated guide to the best SSDs for the PS5.How to install a PS5 SSD1. Power everything down to remove the standBefore attempting to add more storage via an NVMe, ensure that you have Sony's latest software installed. Once you're up-to-date, installation of a PS5 SSD is fairly straightforward. Sony recommends a #1 Phillips or crosshead screwdriver, but this isn't rocket science. Any crossed screwdriver of a similar size will do fine. If you don't own a screwdriver, the DIY heroes from iFixit sell a great set for $20.Begin by powering down your PS5 or PS5 Pro, unplugging everything, removing the stand and flipping it over to its underside. If you have a launch PS5, that's the side with the disc drive; if you have a launch Digital Edition, it's the side without the PlayStation logo cutout. As for the PS5 Slim and PS5 Pro, the expansion slot is in the same place: behind the smaller of the two panels.Sony has a video guide to popping off the outside cover here, but the gist is you gently lift up the opposing corners and slide the panel toward the flat end of the console. There's a knack to this, and it requires very little effort or strength. If you're not getting it, rather than force things, readjust your grip and try again.Engadget2. Access the drive bayOnce you've got everything open, you'll see a rectangular piece of metal with a screw holding it in place. Remove that screw, and you'll be able to access the drive bay.You'll see five holes inside, each number corresponding to standard SSD drive lengths. The one numbered 110 will have a metal insert and screw inside. You need to remove the screw with a screwdriver, and then unscrew the insert with your fingers and move it to the relevant hole. For most drives, it's going to be 80.Engadget3. Slot in the SSDThen take your SSD and slot it in. The slot is at the edge closest to the number 30," and SSDs are keyed to only fit in one way, so no force is required. If it's not sliding in, don't force it. You'll notice the SSD doesn't sit flat. That's fine and is as intended.Engadget4. Screw the drive bay back inOnce the SSD is seated, take the screw you removed from the insert, line it up with the little notch at the end of your SSD, and push down so it meets the insert. Give the screw a few turns - it doesn't need to be very tight - and you're done.Replace the metal cover and screw it down, and then slide the plastic outer shell back on.When you first turn on the PS5, it'll prompt you to format the drive. Do that! You have now successfully expanded your console's storage, and can go about downloading and moving games to it.EngadgetThis article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/how-to-install-a-ps5-ssd-130010846.html?src=rss
There are moments with AI that feel like we're passing a threshold there's no coming back from. The latest example is happening at UCLA, where a professor is having AI create the textbook, assignments and teaching assistant resources for her class, Survey of Literature: Middle Ages to 17th Century.Professor Zrinka Stahuljak is using an AI tool called Kudu, created by UCLA professor of physics and astronomy Alexander Kusenko and a former doctoral student Warren Essey. They bill Kudu as a "high-quality, low-cost" way for students to access all the information they need, while professors focus on teaching.Kudu pulls from PowerPoint presentations, YouTube videos, course notes and other materials Professor Stahuljak provides it. According to UCLA, it shouldn't take up more than 20 hours of a professor's time and they can edit the materials afterward. The resulting textbook is available digitally for $25 and can be printed or used with audio readers. Kudu also uses the provided materials to respond to anonymous queries from students. Plus, it can identify whether over half of a student's content is AI-generated."Normally, I would spend lectures contextualizing the material and using visuals to demonstrate the content. But now all of that is in the textbook we generated, and I can actually work with students to read the primary sources and walk them through what it means to analyze and think critically," said Stahuljak in a statement. "It allows us to spend more time teaching basic analytical skills, critical thinking and reading skills, in a consistent manner - the things professors are best at doing." She plans to use Kudu for other courses in the future. The AI-powered tool is already being tested this semester in an introduction to history class and will be available for Stahuljak's course in 2025.We'll have to see how successful this will be and, critically, if AI will remain a tool for teachers or be a "low-cost" way to replace them.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/ais-next-job-making-assignments-for-college-courses-130008019.html?src=rss
I've been finding myself consistently impressed by the experiences developers have managed to cram into the Playdate. It's not that I expected little of the handheld and its potential offerings when I first impulsively pre-ordered it way back when, but I guess I didn't really know what to expect beyond the crank-focused games Panic first teased ahead of its release, which seemed geared toward short bursts of play. Over the past few months, I've played lots of those and thoroughly enjoyed them, but I've also spent hours solving puzzles and exploring intricate maps in games with a surprising amount of substance. Echo: The Oracle's Scroll, which recently came to the Playdate Catalog,may be one of the best yet. Created by developer bumbleborn, Echo: The Oracle's Scroll is a metroidvania, but don't let that scare you off if combat isn't your thing; it's non-violent, putting the emphasis instead on tricky platforming, puzzles and finding your way around sprawling caverns. The map feels huge for a Playdate game - there over 250 rooms spread between its four levels, according to the developer. In Echo: The Oracle's Scroll, a sickness known as the Blight threatened to wipe out all life, forcing the inhabitants of three kingdoms to escape underground. Humans live on the bottom-most level, in a kingdom called Bottomrock. As the child protagonist of the game, you're on a mission to deliver a scroll to The Archives, requiring you journey through the somewhat perilous Kingdoms Three. It's a world that holds a lot of secrets, and you'll have to interact with certain elements of the environment in unexpected ways in order to move forward or access seemingly inaccessible items. But there's a kind of haunting sereneness to it all, even with its challenging moments. The music sets just the right atmosphere, and visually, Echo: The Oracle's Scroll is stunning. The artwork is so crisp down to the tiniest details, and I just love the style of it all. Larger characters especially - like the frog prince whose belly you can bounce on - really come to life. Between the music, the art, the lore and just the overall vibes, Echo: The Oracle's Scroll completely drew me in. If there's one Playdate game you should pick up right now, it's this.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/echo-the-oracles-scroll-is-a-must-play-combatless-metroidvania-for-playdate-022534825.html?src=rss
Apple is being sued by victims of child sexual abuse over its failure to follow through with plans to scan iCloud for child sexual abuse materials (CSAM), The New York Times reports. In 2021, Apple announced it was working on a tool to detect CSAM that would flag images showing such abuse and notify the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. But the company was hit with immediate backlash over the privacy implications of the technology, and ultimately abandoned the plan.The lawsuit, which was filed on Saturday in Northern California, is seeking damages upwards of $1.2 billion dollars for a potential group of 2,680 victims, according to NYT. It claims that, after Apple showed off its planned child safety tools, the company failed to implement those designs or take any measures to detect and limit" CSAM on its devices, leading to the victims' harm as the images continued to circulate.In a statement shared with Engadget, Apple spokesperson Fred Sainz said, Child sexual abuse material is abhorrent and we are committed to fighting the ways predators put children at risk. We are urgently and actively innovating to combat these crimes without compromising the security and privacy of all our users. Features like Communication Safety, for example, warn children when they receive or attempt to send content that contains nudity to help break the chain of coercion that leads to child sexual abuse. We remain deeply focused on building protections that help prevent the spread of CSAM before it starts."The lawsuit comes just a few months after Apple was accused of underreporting CSAM by the UK's National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).Update, December 8 2024, 6:55PM ET: This story has been updated to include Apple's statement to Engadget.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-sued-for-failing-to-implement-tools-that-would-detect-csam-in-icloud-202940984.html?src=rss
As spotted by a Reddit user this weekend, Panic is now selling a macaroni yellow charging brick to go with the yellow cable that comes with the distinctively yellow Playdate. Say yellow again. The good news for anyone who wants a complete set of matching accessories is that it's only $5 - the bad news is that shipping costs almost double that at its cheapest, so it's kind of hard to justify buying on its own. Also note that the 10W power adapter has a USB-A connection so it'll work with your existing Playdate charging cable, but it's otherwise kind of behind the times considering the general shift toward the USB-C connection. At the moment, Panic is only selling a version that's compatible with the 2-prong plug type that's standard in North America and Japan. It goes without saying that absolutely no one needs this - our Playdates have been charging just fine without it so far - but if you're already on the site getting a pizza case now that they're back in stock, then sure, go wild. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/you-can-now-get-a-yellow-charging-brick-for-5-to-match-your-playdates-cable-220316721.html?src=rss
Apple and Sony have quietly been working on bringing PlayStation VR2 controller support to the Apple Vision Pro, Mark Gurman reports in the Power On newsletter. Gaming isn't exactly the Vision Pro's strong suit, thanks in part to the fact that it doesn't support typical VR controllers. But Apple has reportedly approached Sony in hopes to remedy that. According to Gurman, the two partnered up earlier this year, and Sony has been working on the project for months.Apple and Sony planned to have support for PS VR2's Sense controllers ready by now, but the launch has been delayed as they iron out a few issues, Gurman notes - like the fact that Sony doesn't produce and sell the controllers separately from its headset at the moment. Barring a scenario in which the project is abruptly scrapped," though, Gurman reports that we should still expect to see it happen. The ability to use Sony's controllers with the Vision Pro headset would bring benefits beyond its gaming potential too, allowing for more precise input for tasks like media editing than is currently possible with its eye and gesture-based controls.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/apple-vision-pro-could-soon-work-with-playstation-vr2-controllers-161547953.html?src=rss
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) on Friday said it has ordered federal supervision of Google Payment Corp. after determining that it meets the legal requirements for such oversight. The CFPB monitors banks, credit unions and other financial institutions, and recently finalized a rule to supervise digital payment apps. In the order, which focuses on the Google Pay app and its peer-to-peer (P2P) payment service (discontinued in the US earlier this year), the CFPB said it has reasonable cause to determine that Google has engaged in conduct that poses risks to consumers." Google filed a lawsuit shortly after the announcement to challenge the decision, Reuters reports.The risks identified by the CFPB are tied to Google's handling of erroneous transactions and fraud prevention. Based on customer complaints, the order said it appears that Google didn't adequately investigate erroneous transfers, or adequately explain the findings of its investigations into these issues. The complaints also indicate Google didn't do enough to prevent fraud, the order says. But, the CFPB announcement notes that the order does not constitute a finding that the entity has engaged in wrongdoing," nor does it require the CFPB to conduct a supervisory examination."In a statement to TechCrunch, a Google spokesperson said, This is a clear case of government overreach involving Google Pay peer-to-peer payments, which never raised risks and is no longer provided in the U.S., and we are challenging it in court." The CFPB's order acknowledges that Google Pay was discontinued but says this is not a basis to refrain from designating Google for supervision," though it could affect whether it decides to conduct an examination.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-sues-after-consumer-financial-protection-bureau-orders-supervision-of-its-payment-arm-000829576.html?src=rss
Senators Richard Blumenthal and Marsha Blackburn announced on Saturday that they've made changes to the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) with help from X to strengthen the bill while safeguarding free speech online and ensuring it is not used to stifle expression." The Senate passed the bill in July with a vote of 91-3, but it's since stalled in the House, and its proponents are pushing for it to be passed before the end of the year. X's CEO Linda Yaccarino also posted about the collaboration, and called for Congress and the House to pass the bill.After working with the bill authors, I'm proud to share that we've made progress to further protect freedom of speech while maintaining safety for minors online," Yaccarino wrote in a post on X that was shared by the two senators. KOSA is meant to protect minors from addictive" social media features and potentially dangerous content by placing a duty of care" on the companies that own the platforms. But critics have argued that it could lead to censorship and other harms. The new changes, according to The Verge, clarify the conditions under which duty of care can be enforced and narrow its application around anxiety and depressive disorders, stating they must be objectively verifiable" and tied to compulsive usage."In their joint statement, Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) and Blackburn (R-Tennessee) said:
New releases in fiction, nonfiction and comics that caught our attention this week. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/what-to-read-this-weekend-family-dysfunction-at-the-end-of-the-world-and-the-woman-who-challenged-victorian-medicine-200144632.html?src=rss
A new game mode called Ballistic is coming to Fortnite in early access on December 11, bringing a 5v5 tactical first-person shooter experience. In Ballistic mode, one team will be tasked with planting a Rift Point Device - which will detonate 45 seconds after it's placed - and the other team will have to stop that from happening. There will be one map (Skyline 10) to start and a limited selection of weapons and items, but more will be added down the line in major updates" to come, according to a Fortnite blog post.Ballistic is a no-build mode," the Fortnite team says. All saved presets from your Locker will carry over into Ballistic, which supports existing Fortnite Outfits, Back Blings, Kicks, Wraps, Sprays, and Emotes! Pickaxes, Contrails, Instruments, Vehicles, and Jam Tracks are not used/supported." If you get taken out during a round, you won't be able to respawn. But, you'll come back in the next round. The teams' roles will swap after six rounds, and the match will end once one team has won seven rounds. You'll be able to play Ranked or Unranked.Ballistic mode will be available everywhere you can play Fortnite, except in South Korea and Russia, but the team says it's working to make Ballistic available in both regions." Since it's early access, players' feedback will be used to improve the experience as it expands.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/fortnite-is-getting-a-5v5-first-person-shooter-mode-162200195.html?src=rss
Spotify's 2024 Wrapped results arrived this week, and while the whole package seems a bit thin compared to previous years, we're still getting a kick out of seeing our listening habits laid bare. Apple Music also dropped its annual Replay, and Tidal's 2024 Rewind has landed, so non-Spotify users have some data to pore over too. For those among us who don't use any of the big streaming apps, well, it's still a nice time to reflect on personal favorites from this year.Here are some of the Engadget team's most listened-to songs, artists and albums in 2024 (and how we feel about those picks).Spotify WrappedI hate to add to the list because of all the controversy around Spotify recently, but I have to say that the layoffs at the company do seem to have impacted how accurate I found my Wrapped report to be. While I certainly have listened to a lot of Ariana Grande in 2024 (I even wrote about it for our site!), I felt that the sections on what I was listening to in August were inaccurate. According to Spotify I was vibing to Rose and Bruno Mars' APT in August, but didn't that song get released quite a bit later?Anyway, judge me or don't judge me based on my listening - all I can say is the data feels incorrect and incomplete but also fun and inconsequential. - Cherlynn Low, Deputy Editor, ReviewsI was pretty ill this year, and I spent hours in hospital and clinic waiting rooms listening to music on Spotify. Apparently, March was my "Pink Pilates Princess Strut Pop" phase, because I mostly listened to Dua Lipa, Ariana Grande and Charli xcx. My top artist for the year, however, was Fujii Kaze, whose music gave me a lot of comfort when I needed it the most. - Mariella Moon, Contributing ReporterRIP New Jeans - Aaron Souppouris, Executive EditorApple Music ReplayI've had GNX on repeat since it came out, and it was one of the things that got me through our incredibly busy Black Friday coverage season. Very excited to see which of these tracks gets played live at the Super Bowl. My guess is we'll get tv off" (with at least one Mustard!" shout) and squabble up," at the least.Brat summer became Brat autumn, and it will continue to be a Brat winter for me. Top tracks: Club classics," Sympathy is a knife," and 365."Grasa is my true album of the year and it's a must-listen for any urbano latino fans. It's fantastic experienced as an album from start to finish, and any edit you make based on personal preference is sure to be excellent. My favorite tracks - Legendario," Manhattan," Menina" - are still on repeat in my personal playlists and will be carried over into 2025.While Renaissance remains my preferred album in this Beyonce cycle so far, Cowboy Carter has no skips. Daughter," Spaghetti" and Sweet Honey Buckin'" are my faves.The Death of Slim Shady makes sense as a concept album to me and I think it succeeds as such. But Tobey" is what really prompted me to give the entire album a listen when it came out, and I'm glad I did. Tobey" remains a top track for me, along with Renaissance" and Somebody Save Me." -Valentina Palladino, Deputy Editor, Buying AdviceDespite the fact that music streaming services push you to playlists and radio channels, I remain an Album Guy. And as usual, my top album of the year didn't come out this year, though it's a relatively recent release. Daughter's Stereo Mind Game was near the top of my list last year, but this April it rocketed up my list and was an obsession for the rest of the summer. That is thanks in large part to a live studio session they released on YouTube that was the only chance I had to hear these songs performed in a somewhat live setting, as Daughter didn't tour Stereo Mind Game at all.And since I'm an album guy, the first four songs on the album were my second-through-fifth most played songs of 2024. The absurdly catchy Blame Brett" by Canadian pop-rockers The Beaches was number one, from their excellent Blame My Ex album that also came out last year. I got obsessed with that album in late 2023 and it definitely carried over to the first half of 2024. The same thing happened with Tool's 2019 opus Fear Inoculum - I saw the band in November of 2023 for the first time in 21 years, and got re-obsessed and continued playing it throughout the year.Finally, something new from a very old favorite: David Gilmour, best known as the guitarist and co-lead songwriter of the legendary Pink Floyd, released his first solo album in nine years. He followed that with a very short tour that hit only four cities, New York City included. I was lucky enough to go see him a few weeks ago - at 78, this could easily be the last tour he ever does, but he still brings it. He's my favorite guitar player of all time, and the last song Scattered" on Luck and Strange is an all-time great as good as almost anything else he's done.Bringing up the rear is another new album from an old favorite, Pearl Jam. More than 30 years after their debut Ten, they still know how to make a damn good rock album. Both Pearl Jam and Gilmour went with producers much younger than they were, trying to find people who weren't going to be beholden with the work they had done earlier in long and impressive careers. If you ask me, it worked out in both cases.There are tons of other albums from much younger or less established artists I played all year long, including Bathe Alone's I Don't Do Humidity, Adrienne Lenker's Bright Future, Billie Eilish's Hit Me Hard and Soft, Medium Build's Country, Girl in Red's I'm Doing It Again Baby! and Waxahatchee's Tigers Blood. They're all worth a listen -but apparently this was a year for comfort and familiarity when I put things on repeat. - Nathan Ingraham, Deputy Editor, NewsTidal RewindThis year for me was apparently all about fixating on a handful of new songs and playing them to absolute death. And, um, Ariana Grande. I don't have Spotify, but my Tidal year-end playlist has every single song from Eternal Sunshine at the top, and I'm slightly ashamed to say I can't argue the validity of that - I had that album on a loop for months after it came out. She's really talented, okay?? After that my most listened-to songs were Cry For Me" by Castle Rat, Bloom" by Baroness (probably an all-time favorite song for me, really), How Far Will We Take It?" by Orville Peck and Noah Cyrus, Birds of a Feather" by Billie Eilish, Weird World" by Allie X and Red Wine Supernova" by Chappell Roan. I... contain multitudes...There's a suspicious overall lack of emo on my 2024 wrap-up though, so I'm going to take these results with a huge grain of salt. I mean, my go-to playlist is titled rawr xD." - Cheyenne MacDonald, Weekend EditorPersonal PickI don't have Spotify, so any recollection of particularly sticky music for me will necessarily be imprecise and skewed by recency bias. With that said: hooooooly moly can we talk about that Cindy Lee album?? My journey with Diamond Jubilee went something like this:-What is this?-No really, what is this??-Why can't I listen to anything besides this???Its two hours of runtime play out like a secret radio station beaming some alternate version of '60s girl groups into 2024 and I absolutely fell in love with it - and that was before even realizing Pat Flegel was in Women (another extremely cool, but very different band).Honorable mentions go to Adrianne Lenker's absolutely crushing Bright Future, which got me through recovery from a major surgery and the nervy bops on Robber Robber's Wild Guess. As to my actual most-listened songs? It's probably the stuff on my running playlist (Sheer Mag, Every Time I Die, Red Fang, 100 Gecs, IDLES, Femtanyl, Pissed Jeans etc.) - Avery Ellis, Deputy Editor, ReportsThis article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/engadget-wrapped-the-music-we-listened-to-the-most-in-2024-143150906.html?src=rss
Now you've got one less thing you have to fish for in your pocket or purse at the airport. Starting today, Google Wallet can carry a digital copy of your US passport and use them at Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) checkpoints.If you want to add your passport to Google's virtual wallet, first you'll need to download the Google Wallet app and log into your account or create one. Check the prompt create an ID pass with your US passport" and follow the instructions. The app will ask you to take a video selfie to verify your identity and scan the security chip in your passport. It should only take a few minutes for Google to confirm your identity.Your digital passport won't work at every airport. Currently, there are 27 states (and Puerto Rico) with at least one airport that accepts digital forms of identification. The TSA website can show you which states and airports accept digital IDs.Google has been testing the use and storage of digital passports in Google Wallet for some time. Several states have started accepting digital IDs just in the last few months. New Mexico is the newest state to accept digital IDs including driver's licenses and state IDs in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/google-wallet-can-now-hold-your-us-passport-215133683.html?src=rss
SpaceX completed its first Starlink direct-to-cell satellite constellation this week. On Wednesday, the company launched 20 satellites aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, 13 of which can communicate directly with cell phones without extra equipment.The completed constellation follows the FCC's approval of a deal between SpaceX and T-Mobile last week. The companies announced the partnership in 2022, touting plans for a future where phones can be connected to the world even in the middle of the ocean. SpaceX says the satellite constellation acts like a cellphone tower in space, allowing network integration similar to a standard roaming partner."On Thursday, SpaceX posted on X that the direct-to-cell satellites will immediately connect over laser backhaul to the Starlink constellation, eliminate dead zones and provide peace of mind when customers need it most." The company sent and received its first text messages through T-Mobile's network early this year.The low-earth-orbit constellation has 6,799 operational satellites, and Space.com reports that about 330 can communicate directly with cell phones. On Thursday, Elon Musk said unmodified cell phones would enjoy a bandwidth of around 10Mbps per beam. He said future constellations will be capable of much greater throughput.The companies will presumably go into more detail for consumers once Starlink Direct to Cell is available. It's currently targeted for next year. However, the constellation isn't locked into T-Mobile alone. Android Central reports that SpaceX senior director Ben Longmier said shortly after the deployment that the satellites are open for business for any teleco in the world."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/spacex-completes-starlinks-first-direct-to-cell-constellation-212549713.html?src=rss
It seems increasingly likely that Apple's fourth-generation iPhone SE will feature the first 5G modem the company has built in-house. A new report from Bloomberg both confirms earlier reporting from 9to5Mac and clarifies that Apple's first modem won't be quite as capable as the chips the company is trying to leave behind.The new modem, reportedly called Sinope" won't support mmWave, the short-range 5G technology Verizon offers that can theoretically reach speeds of up to 10 gigabits per second. It also will only offer four-carrier aggregation as opposed to Qualcomm's six, a technology that combines bands from several wireless providers simultaneously to increase network capacity and speeds," Bloomberg says.Apple's modem will instead be focused on providing Sub-6 5G, the more common standard that's already supported on the current iPhone SE, which was released in 2022. In testing, Apple's new modem reportedly caps out at download speeds of about 4 gigabits per second," slower than Qualcomm's current mmWave models, but the difference is easier to justify on a cheaper device and might not be that noticeable anyway. The goal is ultimately to achieve even tighter integration between the modem and other components of the phone to offer more important benefits than just download speed, like improved battery life.Bloomberg writes that launching on the iPhone SE first is how Apple plans on managing the risks of its new hardware gamble. Debuting on the iPhone 17 Pro would be a mark of confidence, but most people expect a phone that costs upwards of $1000 to work without issues. Until Apple can guarantee that, the SE makes sense as a modem guinea pig. That won't be the case for long, however. Ganymede," Apple's second-generation modem, should be ready for the iPhone 18 in 2026 and match Qualcomm's current offerings with mmWave support and faster download speeds. In 2027, the company's Prometheus" modem is aiming to surpass Qualcomm entirely in performance and artificial intelligence features."A report published later today suggests these new modem designs could also have a pretty big influence on more than just the iPhone. Bloomberg attributes the thinness of the rumored iPhone 17 Slim to the space-saving efficiency of Apple's new modem, and also suggests that future Macs and Vision headsets could get cellular connectivity in the future, too. This would mark the first time a Mac had onboard cellular, though the iPad has had the option since day one.There's still years before any of that happens, and the road to even get here has been long and winding. For one, Apple's relationship with Qualcomm has been up and down. The companies were in a legal spat over patent violations that ultimately led to a settlement and a licensing deal in 2019. That same year is when Apple's intention to move on from Qualcomm became more public with the purchase of Intel's modem business. Apple has attempted to build a team that could create its first modem since then, and even re-upped its agreement to use Qualcomm modems through 2026 in 2023. It now seems like the company could be a position for that to be the last deal with Qualcomm it makes.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/the-next-iphone-ses-new-modem-reportedly-wont-be-as-capable-as-qualcomms-205330204.html?src=rss
The first Escape Simulator solved the biggest problem with VR puzzle games. Once you've solved everything, the game's over. Unless you can erase specific memories a la Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind style, there's zero replayability.Pine Studio's Escape Simulator added a custom builder mode where the community could build and share their own escape rooms with other players. Since the Internet has some of the most imaginative and insane minds on the planet creating custom games for the world, Escape Simulator is one of the few virtual puzzle games that you can keep playing. Now, Escape Simulator 2 is heading our way on Steam, and it's got some new and potentially cool worlds to get stuck in by yourself or with friends.Escape Simulator 2 has some impressive-looking environments that can hold up to eight players at once. So far, the game will have 12 brand new escape rooms. A new trailer that dropped today shows three of the new escape room environments including a stranded spaceship, Count Dracula's castle and a cursed pirate ship.The room editor mode also has a bunch of new toys, props and tools to create puzzles for the game's growing community of escape addicts. Pine Studio also announced that Escape Simulator 2's custom room maker has a brand new lighting engine, building constructor and animation editor," according to a press release. There's no release date or price yet, but there's a Steam page for the game up right now.Pine StudioThis article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/get-trapped-on-a-pirate-ship-or-in-draculas-castle-in-escape-simulator-2-202157156.html?src=rss
Is your weekend a bit bare-bones? Here's something that could entertain you for a minute or two. The chatbot Grok-2 is now free for everyone to fool around with on X. We knew this was coming and, well, now it's here. Grok it up baby.There are some limitations for those who don't want to plunk down $8 (or more) each month for X Premium. The free tier only allows for ten messages in each two-hour period. There's also a hard cap on image analysis, at three requests per day. This Grok-2 beta will now be the only game in X town, as it's replacing the pre-existing Grok-2 mini chatbot.
Meta's aggressive push to make its AI assistant a ubiquitous presence in its apps continues to pay off. Meta AI is on the verge of passing its next major milestone, with nearly" 600 million monthly users, Mark Zuckerberg shared in an update. Meta AI, which debuted last fall, passed 500 million users back in October.The update came alongside the release of Meta's latest Llama 3.3 70B model. According to Meta, the latest text model has similar performance to the Llama 3.1 405B model," but comes at a fraction of the cost." Ahmad Al-Dahle, VP of generative AI at Meta posted a chart on X that showed Llama 3.3 scored higher on several benchmarks compared with Google's Gemini Pro 1.5 and OpenAI's GPT-4o.
There's a new TMNT game in town, and it's unlike anything the franchise has attempted before. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown, as the name suggests, is a turn-based strategy RPG. This means that players will control characters on a grid-based map, with each turn representing movement or an action of some sort.There's one thing that sets this game apart from its SRPG cousins. Battles take minutes" to complete, which is a far cry from the time-consuming affairs found in games like Unicorn Overlord. From the trailer, the fights look even zippier than the Mario + Rabbids series. Also, players control each turtle independently on a solo campaign before teaming up to take on a boss.The graphics look cartoony and on-brand, bringing to mind a tabletop session with D&D miniatures. It looks like all of the turtle's favorite hang out spots are represented here, from the sewers to the NYC subway system. This could be a neat way to bring new players into the genre.Paramount Game Studios This is a unique entry in the TMNT franchise, but it's also a new type of game for developer Scaffold Games. This is the company that brought us the absolutely disturbing Clickholding and the third-person shooter El Paso, Elsewhere. The company also made I Am Your Beast and Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator. None of these titles are turn-based tactical RPGs.Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown will be released for PCs sometime next year. You can preorder the game right now via Steam. Publisher Paramount Game Studios hasn't said anything about a potential console release, so perhaps hold off on organizing that pizza party.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-tactical-takedown-is-the-first-turn-based-game-in-the-franchises-long-history-175730833.html?src=rss
Three judges shot down ByteDance's petition to overturn a law that could ban TikTok in the US. On Friday, The New York Times reported that the judges upheld the new law, which requires the company to sell the app to a non-Chinese company by January 19 or face a ban.ByteDance argued that the law unfairly targets TikTok and that a ban would violate users' First Amendment rights. The company has said a sale is impossible because the Chinese government would block it. In 2020, the country updated export control rules to give it more say over a potential transaction.In a statement to Engadget, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) said it was disappointed in the decision. Restricting the free flow of information, even from foreign adversaries, is fundamentally undemocratic," an EFF spokesperson wrote. Until now, the U.S. has championed the free flow of information and called out other nations when they have shut down internet access or banned online communications tools like social media apps."ByteDance's options from here include appealing to the US Supreme Court (although there's no guarantee they would take the case) or hoping President-elect Donald Trump follows through on a vague promise to deliver" on a plan to save the app. ByteDance suggested on Friday that the decision amounted to censorship, saying it expects the Supreme Court to protect Americans' right to free speech."The NYT reports that legal experts don't see much of a legal path for Trump to rescue the app after taking office on January 20, 2025. During his first term, he issued executive orders restricting American dealings with the app, citing national security concerns and suggesting the app could be a Trojan Horse for data harvesting by the Chinese government. Microsoft was ready and willing to buy it if given the chance. The ban faced a series of legal challenges, and President Biden revoked the order in 2021.Trump reversed his position in early 2024, reportedly after meeting with a Republican megadonor with a significant financial stake in the app. The president-elect's shift intensified after Biden signed the law that could lead to its ban in early 2025. By the time election season was in full swing, Trump had recast himself as TikTok's savior and used it as a wedge issue to attract younger users to his campaign.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/tiktok-inches-closer-to-a-us-ban-after-judges-shoot-down-appeal-172748902.html?src=rss
Donald Trump has picked a crypto bull to advise him on AI and cryptocurrency policy. On Thursday evening, the president-elect took to Truth Social to share that he was appointing former PayPal COO David Sacks to serve as his White House A.I. & Crypto Czar." Trump said Sacks would also lead the Presidential Council of Advisors for Science and Technology.David will guide policy for the Administration in Artificial Intelligence and Cryptocurrency, two areas critical to the future of American competitiveness. David will focus on making America the clear global leader in both areas," Trump wrote, adding Sacks would safeguard Free Speech online, and steer us away from Big Tech bias and censorship."As an appointee to one of the president's advisory councils, Sacks does not need to go through the usual Senate confirmation process required for cabinet picks and federal agency leads. Sacks does not have previous government experience. Trump instead highlighted his business credentials, pointing to his tenure at PayPal and later Yammer, which Sacks founded in 2008 and Microsoft acquired in 2012 for $1.2 billion. Sacks is also a close confidant of Elon Musk and provided part of the funding Musk used to buy Twitter for $44 billion in 2022. Sacks has broadly advocated for smaller government and less regulation, though he also pushed hard for the Biden administration to intervene when Silicon Valley Bank became insolvent in 2023.
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