Potential PS5 buyers in Europe, the UK, Australia and more will now need to fork over up to 100 more AUD, EUR and other local currencies for a console. Sony has announced a series of price hikes for the PS5, blaming "a backdrop of a challenging economic environment, including high inflation and fluctuating exchange rates." The company last raised PS5 prices across these markets in 2022.Only the PS5 Digital Edition's cost changes in Europe and the UK. It will increase to 500 ($570) from 450 ($513) in Europe and to 430 ($567) from 390 ($514) in the UK.Prices for the Digital Edition and PS5 with disc drive are rising significantly across the board. The Digital Edition is increasing to AUD $750 (USD $475) from AUD $650 (USD $412) in Australia. Meanwhile, in New Zealand, the PS5 with disc drive is now NZD $950 (USD $558), up from NZD $900. Those new prices go into effect immediately, so hopefully, you did some shopping over the weekend if you wanted a new PS5.In contrast, Sony is reducing the cost of purchasing the add-on disc drive. Buyers will pay 80 in Europe (down from 120) and 70 in the UK, down from 100.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/ps5-prices-are-increasing-across-europe-uk-and-australia-123025793.html?src=rss
For anyone who misses the way smartphones used to work, Samsung has announced two new "rugged" Galaxy devices, the Galaxy XCover 7 Pro and the Galaxy Tab Active 5 Pro, that feature removable backplates and user-replaceable batteries.The Galaxy XCover 7 Pro is designed for enterprise customers, but it comes packed with some of the same Galaxy AI features Samsung has been pushing on its flagship smartphones, including Google's Circle to Search and Object Eraser. The phone uses a Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chip, has a brighter screen and comes with a 4,350mAh battery, but the reason to buy it are all the ways Samsung's made it tougher and more customizable than the average phone. That includes IP68 water and dust resistance, MIL-STD-810H certification for drops, programmable buttons, built-in pogo pins as another charging option and a battery you can replace yourself just by popping off the back of the phone.SamsungThe Galaxy Tab Active 5 Pro has a 10.1-inch screen and uses the same Snapdragon chip as the XCover 7 Pro, but the tablet offers even more options when it comes to charging. Samsung says the Galaxy Tab Active 5 Pro can be used without a battery inside if it's connected to a dock and you can also hot-swap batteries on the tablet without turning it off. You'll get to enjoy many of the same durability benefits as the XCover 7 Pro, and the IP68 water and dust resistance extends to the Galaxy Tab Active 5 Pro's S-Pen stylus, too.SamsungNeither of these devices are for normal people by any means, but they are good illustration of how formerly common-sense features like batteries you can replace yourself have become niche. We got lighter and sleeker flagship phones in the process, but one has to wonder whether XCover owners are the ones actually living the good life.The Galaxy XCover 7 Pro will be available to order on May 8, 2025. The Galaxy Tab Active 5 Pro is schedule to be released in "early June," according to Samsung.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/samsungs-latest-rugged-devices-are-keeping-old-school-mobile-traditions-alive-120056640.html?src=rss
Spoilers follow for The Last of Us season two, episode oneThe heart of all things The Last of Us, whether it's the games or the first season of the HBO adaptation, is the relationship between Joel and Ellie. It was brought to life in remarkable fashion by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in season one; the pair's chemistry was the show's undeniable high point. So it's a bit of a shock that they only share a few minutes of screen time together in the season two premiere Future Days" - and that their time together is strained to say the very least.That all comes near the end of the episode, though. Backing up a bit, the show resumes exactly where we left off, with Ellie saying okay" to Joel's lies about what happened in the season one finale. That episode saw him decimate the Fireflies to save the immune Ellie. The Fireflies were hoping to make a cure for the cordyceps infection that devastated the world, but it would have killed her in the process. Okay" meant that she was accepting his story, even if she didn't quite believe it. Fast forward five years, and things are tense - so tense that our hardened Joel is in therapy.We get to eavesdrop on a session with Joel's therapist Gail, played by the always-wonderful Catherine O'Hara. I've been looking forward to seeing how she'd be used since Gail was revealed in an early trailer, and both her and Joel are having a day when they get together. Joel's relationship with Ellie is apparently what drove him to meet with Gail, and he's going on about the distance in their relationship - she barely talks to him, sulks and acts distant, and Gail isn't exactly impressed. She notes that Ellie is acting like every other 19-year-old acts towards their father, and also says it's clear there's a lot more going on between them.Pedro Pascal and Catherine O'Hara in HBO's The Last of Us season twoPhotograph by Liane Hentscher/HBOGail then opens up to Joel in an effort to get him to be honest (and because she's a few drinks in) and drops a bit of a bomb in the process: Joel shot her husband Eugene (a character from The Last of Us Part II who we never met in the game). She says she understood that he had to do it - an implication but not confirmation that Eugene had been infected - but can't forgive him for the way she found out and can't help but hate him for what he did. Not the kind of thing you usually hear from your therapist, but that's The Last of Us for you. She then gets Joel to tearfully admit he did something to Ellie, but when she asks if he hurt her, he responds by saying he saved her and then gets the hell out of her house. Season one showed Joel as a more vulnerable person than his game counterpart, a change that benefitted him given the expanded drama and depth of the show, and I'm glad season two is emphasizing that in a way that's pretty unconventional for the post-apocalypse world.We also get a hint at the discord between Joel and Ellie via Dina, a new character introduced as Ellie's best friend through a conversation she has with Joel. The two of them are getting along just fine; Joel even calls her kiddo," showing a similar dad-like affection for Dina that he usually does with Ellie. After a little chat she asks him point blank why Ellie's angry with him, and he responds with more vagaries about the two of them figuring out what it's like being a father and daughter at her age while asking Dina to keep the therapy sessions he's having a secret - his therapy-speak when discussing how he's dealing with everything was just too on the nose for her to miss.Isabela Merced and Bella Ramsey in The Last of Us season twoPhotograph by Liane Hentscher/HBOBut the most pivotal scene in this exposition-heavy episode is the New Year's Eve party where Dina and Ellie share a dance, share a kiss and get shouted at by the drunk town bigot. Just as Ellie is about to treat him like a clicker, Joel intercedes, shoves Seth to the ground and asks if she's okay - which gets him a disgusted look and verbal smackdown from Ellie, after which he slinks away in decidedly un-Joel fashion.Things are decidedly unwell between the pair, and while it's an intriguing note to start the story on, it's also hard not to be disappointed about the lack of time together for Pascal and Ramsey. Having them at odds is a totally reasonable story beat - even if she was a normal 19-year-old, they'd be having their share of challenges. But the loss of their connection and the lack of interactions between the two put a subdued mood over everything, something that episode writer / director and showrunner Craig Mazin certainly intended and will exploit throughout the season.Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBOMazin also paid tribute to the game in some lovely ways in this episode, particularly with the town party scene. Right from the start of season one, I expected to see more scenes from the game done nearly note-for-note in the show, and my expectations have been largely defied throughout, right from the start of the series' first episode. It's been clear that the goal of the show is not to reproduce all of the game's iconic scenes but expand on it while still picking the right moments to deploy some tributes to the source material. The party scene is a perfect example, starting off with a shot of Ellie's back as she looks over the merriment in front of her; what follows is nearly identical to the pivotal game scene in dialog, set design and framing. What is different, though, is the timing - we're getting this right off the bat rather than much later in the story as you'd find in the game.Similarly, the episode's other most significant scene takes place right at the beginning. After that quick flashback, we're immediately introduced to Abby, one of the second game's playable characters. We learn that she and her friends are survivors of Joel's Firefly massacre at the hospital in Utah, and that Abby in particular is keen on revenge. Mazin and co-showrunner Neil Druckmann have already discussed how they wanted to introduce Abby and get into her motivations quicker in the show than in the game, largely because players build a relationship with her through gameplay. In this case, though, we already know that Abby is after Joel, and the episode ends with her crew reaching Jackson. While Future Days" focused more on scene-setting than action (with the exception of some pretty tense scenes of Ellie and Dina against some Infected), things are clearly going to ratchet up next week - and not just with Abby, as the show also teased a major Infected threat as well. Let's get those flamethrowers ready for next Sunday.Infected score: 6/10One of the main complaints from fans of the video games during season one was a relative lack of Infected. The showrunners say they've changed things up in season two - let's see if they're sticking to their word.Episode one was mostly an exposition episode without a ton of action, but we did see Ellie and Dina stealthily take down a pair of Clickers. But the most exciting bit was seeing a Stalker in action for the first time in the show. It had Ellie completely fooled, even giving her another bite that she had to hide from Dina. Here's hoping we see more of these creepers as the season goes on. And, of course, the threat of tendrils lurking in the pipe in the middle of Jackson promises bigger problems soon, but we're not there yet. I'm giving this episode a 6 of 10 - there wasn't all that much action, but the stalker reveal was intense enough to up this episode's rating.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-last-of-us-season-two-premiere-future-days-highlights-the-fracture-between-ellie-and-joel-020029565.html?src=rss
Bungie finally took the wraps off its upcoming team-based extraction shooter, Marathon, sharing a look at gameplay and a cinematic short during its showcase this weekend. We also now know the release date: September 23. Marathon will be available on Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, and support full cross play and cross save.Marathon, a reboot of Bungie's 30-year-old FPS series, was first announced back in 2023, and we've heard little more about it until now. Now, Bungie says:
Apple is said to be readying some big improvements for iPadOS that could bring it more in line with macOS. According to Mark Gurman in the Power On newsletter, Apple's iPadOS 19 will focus on productivity, multitasking and app window management - with an eye on the device operating more like a Mac." It won't quite be macOS for iPad, but Gurman notes that the changes will likely go far enough" to please those users who are looking to get more out of the tablet's software.It's expected to arrive later this year. Chances are we'll hear all about it at WWDC 2025, which Apple has set for the second week of June. This year is rumored to be bringing some major changes to iOS and macOS as well, as Gurman previously reported. It all reportedly comes as part of Apple's push to make its software look more consistent across its devices.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/ipad-software-will-reportedly-get-more-mac-like-with-the-ipados-19-redesign-200759136.html?src=rss
US Customs and Border Protection on Friday night published a list of products excluded from Trump's reciprocal tariffs, including smartphones, computers and memory chips, along with other electronic devices and components. But in an interview with ABC News' Jonathan Karl on Sunday, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the move doesn't mean these products will be exempt from tariffs altogether - they're just getting their own category. Those products are going to be part of the semiconductor sectoral tariffs, which are coming," Lutnick said.It all comes shortly after Trump imposed a 125 percent tariff on goods from China, which the administration confirmed to CNBC and other outlets is in addition to the 20 percent tariff put in place earlier this year, bringing it to a total of 145 percent. Trump had previously announced higher reciprocal tariffs for other countries, too, but walked this back with a 90-day pause" earlier this week. The pause does not apply to China, though, and there's still a 10 percent tariff on imports from almost all countries. Electronics imports in particular are expected to be hit hard by the new rules, and we've already seen companies like Nintendo and Razer changing up their plans around upcoming product launches in the US.The newly published exclusions would exempt many devices and parts from both the 10 percent global tariff and the steeper tariff on China, according to the notice published on Friday. Lutnick told ABC News' Jonathan Karl that, in doing this, the president was just making sure everyone understood that all of these products are outside the reciprocal tariffs and they are going to have their own separate way of being considered." The move is meant to make sure that those products get reshored," Lutnick said, or in other words, made in America. So what he's doing is, he's saying they're exempt from the reciprocal tariffs but they're included in the semiconductor tariffs, which are coming in probably a month or two," Lutnick said.Update, April 13 2025, 1:43PM ET: This story has been updated to include new information about a separate semiconductor tariff from Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick that was shared in an ABC News interview on Sunday.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/smartphones-computers-and-other-electronics-are-exempt-from-trumps-reciprocal-tariffs-for-now-153139830.html?src=rss
Apple hasn't abandoned its previously rumored plans to release a less expensive Vision Pro, according to Bloomberg. Mark Gurman reports in the Power On newsletter this weekend that the company has two new models in development: one that's lighter and cheaper than the first generation headset, and one that would tether to a Mac. While Apple had once considered the latter setup for AR glasses, it shifted the idea over to the Vision Pro so it can create an ultra-low-latency system for streaming a user's Mac display or for connecting to high-end enterprise applications," according to Gurman.Apple's ultimate goal, though, is reportedly to create AR glasses that are practical and comfortable enough to be worn like regular glasses, and the next iterations of the Vision Pro are seen as steps toward getting there. Gurman reports that Apple CEO Tim Cook is hell-bent on creating an industry-leading product before Meta can."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/apple-is-reportedly-working-on-two-new-versions-of-the-vision-pro-153536984.html?src=rss
Spoilers for The Robot Revolution."The start of any season of Doctor Who is important, doubly so when there's a new co-star to introduce. The Robot Revolution" has to get us to fall in love with Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu), ensnare new fans and keep existing ones hooked. Especially since it's the second of two series that Disney paid for, meaning it's got to do well enough to keep the money flowing.We open 17 years ago" with Belinda Chandra staring at the stars next to her boyfriend, Alan Budd (Jonny Green). It's an awkward teenage date, with Alan clearly trying to win the heart of his beau by buying her one of those star adoption certificates. In 2025, Belinda is now a nurse at a busy London hospital where, in the background, the Doctor is searching for her.Belinda goes home to bed, and we see that she's got the star ownership certificate framed on her wall. But she's rudely awoken by a squad of retro-futuristic 50s robots in a Tintin rocket who have come to abduct both her and the certificate. The Doctor reaches her home just in time to see the rocket take off, and cue the opening credits.The certificate wasn't a gag present, and she is actually queen of the planet BelindaChandra, populated by BelindaChandrians (I'm calling them humans from now on). The Doctor gives chase in the TARDIS but both the rocket and TARDIS get caught in a vaguely-defined time fissure. When Belinda arrives, she's greeted by the human Sasha55, who tells her the robots are in charge, having overthrown and subjugated the people in a bloody uprising a decade prior.Oh, this is a bit like Jupiter Ascending," I wrote in my notes.Belinda is taken to a throne room where she's told that she must merge with the planet's evil ruling supercomputer, the AI Generator. AI Generator, all skull shapes and Tesla coils, intends to bond with Belinda. She is shown an animated demonstration of her fate, as she is wrapped in machine parts and made into an unthinking cyborg.Oh, that's like the scary bit from Superman III," I wrote in my notes.Who's been lurking in the background of the scene all along? The Doctor, who has adopted the title of Planetary Historian. (Thanks to the time fissure, he arrived here six months ahead of the rocket, the Robots seized the TARDIS and he's been working with the rebellion. He's even got a new companion, Sasha55, who he's promised to take to the stars when this is all over.) He tells Belinda the robots can't, for some reason, hear every ninth word spoken, and gives her a coded message telling her he, and the rebellion, are here to rescue her. In the ensuing fight, Sasha55 is vaporized, much to the Doctor's admittedly brief horror and grief.The surviving rebels, along with a little Roomba bot assigned to clean Queen Belinda's pathway...Oh, like the floor-cleaning robot M-O from Wall-E," I wrote in my notes.... escape to a teleporter, after which the Doctor disables the Roomba to ensure the robots can't track them down, then kisses the bot by way of apology. Then comes time for the episode to stop while we see the Doctor and Belinda interact properly for the first time. The Doctor was told about Belinda's plight by someone from their future, and he can't say more lest he muddle the timelines.Alistair Heap / BBC Studios / Disney / Bad WolfThe time fracture both vessels passed through has caused plenty of time-bending issues, like the fact the robots have their own copy of Belinda's star certificate. But it's not a copy, it's the same object from another point in time, and nobody knows how or why they have it. Belinda, like Ruby Sunday before her, is trope-aware enough to know that two of the same object from different points in time cannot occupy the same space, lest it cause an explosion.Oh, like in Timecop!," I wrote in my notes.There are wounded at the base, and Belinda instantly kicks into nurse mode, grabbing IVs and treating patients. She's quick to take charge and has no patience for nonsense, quick to defend herself from any hint of condescension when the Doctor suggests something timey-wimey" is going on. She refuses to allow anyone to fight her battles for her and is determined to grab the narrative and shape it her way, no matter the cost. So, she sneaks off, reactivates the Roomba and offers herself to the robots in exchange for them sparing the lives of the rebels.Belinda and the Doctor are taken to meet the AI Generator which turns out to be... the AL Generator. When Belinda was kidnapped by the robots, she mentioned her ex Alan had bought the certificate, and so they went to kidnap him as well. But the time fracture meant Alan arrived a decade earlier, fused with the machine (becoming a creepy cyborg) and started the robot uprising.Even so, Belinda's happy to sacrifice herself to him until she spots Alan holding his copy of the star certificate. She opts to Timecop the two pieces of paper together, causing a big timey-wimey explosion that only the Doctor can pull her out of. Belinda is safe, but the Doctor mentions that he's now intertwined with Belinda's timestream. Alan, meanwhile, has been regressed to a sperm on the floor that the Roomba bot quickly mops away.Reunited with the TARDIS, the Doctor scans Belinda and reveals he's already met her descendant - Mundy Flynn (also Varada Sethu) from last season's Boom." Belinda may be curious as to how someone that far removed from her may be identical, but she's not embracing the mystery. She's angry with the Doctor for scanning her without consent and that he's treating her like a puzzle to be solved.Having seen Sasha55 die, she knows trekking around with the Doctor is dangerous, and wants to get back to May 24, 2025. But the TARDIS won't land on present-day Earth, and even the Cloister Bell begins ringing a warning. They open the TARDIS doors to see empty space before the Doctor decides to take her back home the long way round."Once the ship disappears, a series of objects start to float in front of the camera: A smashed up black cab, the twisted wreckage of the Eiffel Tower, Belinda's star adoption certificate and a calendar with all the days in May but the 25th ticked off. Uh-oh.It's a lot to get through in such a short episodeAlistair Heap / BBC Studios / Bad WolfLike a lot of Disney-era Who, The Robot Revolution" feels overstuffed to the point of bursting. On one hand, nothing overstays its welcome. On the other, it feels like the show is burning through a movie's worth of plot on fast-forward. It's hard to get a tangible sense of the stakes given how rushed everything is, and there's a lot of telling, rather than showing. We're told the planet is under the brutal thumb of an evil overlord but it plays out as little red ships firing at buildings in the digital matte paintings. We're told Alan is a creep but we never really get any sense of that until after he's revealed as the villain. We're told the Doctor is operating on instructions from a figure from his own future, but it'd be nice if some of this was depicted.Davies was pivotal in reviving Doctor Who and building the cultural juggernaut it became under his leadership. His role in the show's history is secure but, even so, his Disney-era series seem to be in thrall to the work of his own successor, Steven Moffat. The Robot Revolution" features a macguffin found inside a mundane trinket, a split narrative and time-bending shenanigans. It's not that Moffat owns these ideas but you can almost feel Davies trying to bend his less formal, more character-driven style into something else. A cynic might suggest Davies is reacting to the slight of not having a single credited episode in Doctor Who Magazine's most recent poll of the series' greatest, while Moffat has five.In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the slightly frantic, gappy nature of this script is a deliberate ploy to lay the framework for the rest of the season. But, even so, you can feel a degree of straining for a storytelling model that doesn't quite work.If the script is the weakest part of the episode, then the production design has to take the crown for strongest. The retro-futuristic robots call to mind a bright red Ford Thunderbird or Chevy Bel Air while the cleaning robot is clearly styled on a VW Beetle. It's a rather humanistic design I wish the robovac makers of today would emulate.Behind the scenesJames Pardon / BBC Studios / Disney / Bad WolfDoctor Who is a regular source of gossip, especially given the permanently tenuous nature of the star role. It's easy to say the lead is about to quit and for that to sound true, given they leave after three or four years in the role anyway. There are a number of recent reports suggesting Ncuti Gatwa has already quit the show, or is about to. Many of them also suggest the BBC and Disney are refusing to greenlight new episodes until they see how successful this season is. In addition, the BBC says funding cuts and inflation has seen its budget fall by 1 billion (around $1.3 billion) in real terms since 2010. It doesn't help that, when asked directly about the future of the series in an interview with (the BBC's youth-orientated news show) Newsround, Russell T. Davies opted to equivocate in a way that suggests the show is about to back on ice.I mention this because of the sequence where Belinda defeats Alan with the certificate, and the Doctor pulls her out. He says she needed a Time Lord to absorb the enormous amount of energy kicked out when she touched the paper together. The Doctor then clutched at his back as if he was in a lot of pain, but shrugged it off and was fine for the rest of the episode. Fans with long memories, however, know that absorbing a lot of energy from the time vortex is what killed Christopher Eccleston's Doctor back in 2005. Well, that and Eccleston's decision to leave.Mrs. Flood CornerLara Cornell / BBC Studios / Disney / Bad WolfIt seems Mrs. Flood enjoys moving in next door to whoever is winding up as this year's companion. While being abducted, she calls to her neighbor to call the police and tell her parents she loves them. As the rocket lifts off, she tells the audience that we haven't seen her, and goes back indoors to avoid encountering the Doctor, who sprints out in pursuit.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/doctor-who-the-robot-revolution-review-meet-belinda-chandra-190054697.html?src=rss
Netflix has started testing a new search feature powered by OpenAI that can help customers find movies and shows to watch, according to Bloomberg. The streaming service has reportedly given select users in Australia and New Zealand the option to use the tool. It will allow users to search for terms other than a specific show's title, an actor's name or the genre they want to watch. Bloomberg says it will give them a way to search for content using more specific terms, like their mood. Presumably, that means the service can surface dramatic shows for a search query that says "sad," and seeing as it's powered by generative AI, users will most likely be able to use natural language in their search terms.As the news organization notes, Netflix already uses artificial intelligence for some of its existing features, such as learning user's preferences based on their viewing history to recommend titles they're more likely to watch. And it's looking for more ways to use the technology. At the moment, OpenAI-powered searches are only being tested in the two countries, but Netflix reportedly has plans to expand its testing to more markets, including the United States. The company has history of rolling out features to Android users first before making them available on iOS. This time, however, the feature is currently accessible on iOS devices only, and it's unclear if the next test markets will be able to access it on Android.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/netflix-is-reportedly-testing-a-search-function-powered-by-openai-190025983.html?src=rss
On April 14, Waymo will start testing its robotaxi technology outside the US for the first time. As Yomiuri Shimbun reports, the company will deploy 25 of its electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles in Tokyo for the initial phase of its testing program. Waymo is taking it slow and will not be operating them without a driver behind the wheel yet, however. Drivers from Tokyo taxi company Nihon Kotsu Co. will be driving the cars around Chiyoda, Minato, Shinjuku and four other wards in the Japanese capital.The cameras and radars equipped on the I-PACE vehicles will collect data on Tokyo's roads, which are typically narrower than roads in the US. They'll provide the company with information on local infrastructure, road conditions and the driving patterns of locals. "It's important for us to understand the difference in driving environment, what makes the driving here unique," said Nicole Gavel, Waymo Senior Director, during an event in the city. Waymo will have to adjust its software according to the driving conditions and the capital's rules, after all. Gavel said that Waymo is focused on the testing for now but "would love to have a business" in Tokyo in the future.But that's probably a long ways away: After the initial mapping phase, Waymo will still have to conduct autonomous driving tests with a driver behind the wheel, and then tests without a driver on board.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/waymo-will-start-testing-its-self-driving-taxis-in-tokyo-next-week-163016736.html?src=rss
This installment of our reviews roundup goes in several different directions. We've got an excellent Android phone, some smart glasses and a powerful CPU. Plus, we revisited our old pal the iPhone 16 Pro and offer up a spoiler-free review of The Last of Us season two. There's plenty to catch up on, so keep scrolling to see what our reviews team has been up to over the last few weeks. Google Pixel 9a There's a lot to like about the Pixel 9a. In fact, senior reviews writer Sam Rutherford argues it's the best Android phone you can buy right now in terms of pure value. "I would love to see Google add a true telephoto lens and its charging speeds (both wired and wireless) could be better," he writes. "But for $500, Google's most budget-friendly phone covers all the bases and then some." Even Realities G1 If you're looking for a pair of smart glasses that are more practical instead of being a content capture device, Even Realities' G1 might be for you. The device impressed senior editor Daniel Cooper, but the caveats will be dealbreakers for some people. "I really like Even Realities' G1 for what they can do right now, but I'm also hopeful that it'll get far more useful in the future," he explains. "It seems to me there are so many things that could be tweaked, primped and plumped to make these far more appealing." AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D The latest AMD Ryzen CPU is a powerhouse, but it comes with a steep price tag. "After releasing a pair of excellent midrange GPUs, which showed that the company can genuinely go toe-to-toe with NVIDIA, this CPU and its accompanying 3D V-Cache technology is a reminder of how AMD is far ahead of Intel in many ways," senior editor Devindra Hardawar says. "While it's certainly not the best deal around, if you can afford it, the 9950X3D is the best desktop CPU you can buy today." An iPhone 16 Pro check-in and S2 of The Last of Us We're revisiting big devices about six months after their initial release to see how things are progressing. UK bureau chief Mat Smith recently put the iPhone 16 Pro through its paces again, noting that Apple Intelligence remains a disappointment. Deputy news editor Nathan Ingraham got early access to The Last of Us ahead of the season two premiere this weekend. He explains that the show navigates a rough patch in the source material with relative ease, and his review won't spoil the new episodes.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/engadget-review-recap-the-pixel-9a-smart-glasses-and-amds-latest-cpu-141825552.html?src=rss
Meta has announced that Patrick Collison and Dina Powell McCormick are joining its board of directors on April 15. Collison is the co-founder and CEO of Stripe, the payment processor and financial services company that he started with his brother. He is also the co-founder of the Arc Institute, a biomedical science and technology institution. Meanwhile, Powell McCormick was a partner at Goldman Sachs and ran its Global Sovereign investment banking business. She also worked for the US government and served as Deputy National Security Advisor to President Donald Trump during his first term.Powell McCormick helped shape the Trump administration's foreign policy, especially in regards to the Middle East as an Egyptian-American. She served as an Assistant to the President and Senior Counselor for Economic Initiatives during Trump's first term, as well. Her Trump-era appointments weren't the first time she worked in the US government, though: Back during the George W. Bush administration, she served as the Assistant to the President for Presidential Personnel, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs and Deputy Undersecretary of State for Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy. She is married to Republican senator Dave McCormick."Patrick and Dina bring a lot of experience supporting businesses and entrepreneurs to our board. Patrick is deeply committed to expanding economic opportunity, and Dina has a long career advocating for economic development and supporting entrepreneurs. Their perspective will be extremely valuable to businesses that rely on our services to grow," Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg said in a statement.In January, Meta also welcomed UFC CEO Dana White, who's a known friend and associate of Donald Trump and a supporter of his re-election bid, to its board of directors. White's and Powell McCormick's additions to Meta's board are signs that the company is tacking right now that Trump is back in power, and perhaps one of the ways the company is ingratiating itself to the current administration.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/metas-new-board-members-include-former-trump-security-advisor-121510374.html?src=rss
Apple's new Passwords app (introduced with iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia) is a big leap forward in making password management simple and user-friendly for Apple users, even if it's not as robust as other password managers. If you've ever fumbled through Safari settings to find a saved login or toggled through iCloud Keychain menus to edit credentials, the Passwords app is for you. It's designed to give you a dedicated home for all your saved login credentials, passkeys, Wi-Fi passwords and two-factor authentication codes, all in one secure, easy-to-navigate interface.What is the Apple Passwords app?The Passwords app is Apple's standalone password manager. While Apple users have long been able to save passwords using iCloud Keychain, the actual management experience was buried within Settings or Safari. With the Passwords app, Apple has turned what was once a tucked-away feature into a full-fledged application that works across iPhone, iPad and Mac.The app holds all your saved login credentials, plus passkeys, verification codes and Wi-Fi passwords. Everything is securely stored, synced via iCloud and protected by Face ID, Touch ID or your device passcode. With it, you can more easily search for logins, get security recommendations, share credentials with family members and store two-factor authentication codes all in one place.Rob Webb for EngadgetHow to access the Passwords app on iPhoneTo access the Passwords app on your iPhone:
The Social Security Administration is planning to stop issuing press releases and move all of its official communications to X, according to Wired. The change is happening amidst cuts at the department directed by DOGE, the organization created by Elon Musk, the CEO of X."We are no longer planning to issue press releases or those dear colleague letters to inform the media and public about programmatic and service changes," SSA regional manager Linda Kerr-Davis reportedly told staff in a meeting. "Instead, the agency will be using X to communicate to the press and the public."Like any other government organization, the SSA uses press releases to inform the public and update employees about any changes they should be aware of. That could be simpler things, like correcting the record on how the SSA's death record works, to more vital updates like changes being made to how the SSA does identity verification.The SSA using X for official announcements will do little to dissuade anyone who sees Elon Musk's presence in government as a way to benefit him and his companies. X is not most retirees' preferred social media app, nor is it reasonable to expect them to know how to make an account. Moving official communication there makes it more likely elderly people will miss important updates.That fits with DOGE's other moves, though. The department reportedly cut jobs at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which has butted heads with Musk's Tesla, and has a plan to deploy a custom government chatbot.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/the-social-security-administration-is-reportedly-moving-all-official-communication-to-x-223201698.html?src=rss
Tequila Works, the Spanish developer that created games like Rimeand Gylt and published games like The Sexy Brutale, is auctioning off its intellectual property (via VGC). The studio filed for insolvency in 2024 after "prolonged market conditions" made it financially-difficult to stay above water.The games and IP rights available to bid on at auction site Escrapalia include Tequila Works' first game Deadlight, Rime and its horror adventure game Gylt. The company is also auctioning off in-development projects, including "The Ancient Mariner," "Dungeon Tour" and "Brawler Crawler."Prior to it filing for insolvency and Tequila Works' founders stepping down, the studio released Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story, one of the games on the short-lived Riot Forge publishing label. Riot announced it was shutting down Riot Forge in January 2024. The label published League of Legends spin-off games in variety of different genres, including turn-based RPG Ruined King, 2D action RPGThe Mageseeker, and more.Back in 2022, Tencent acquired a controlling stake in Tequila Works, a connection that made sense given the Chinese company also owns Riot. Contraction across the games industry, the failure of Riot Forge games to connect with a larger audience and Tequila Work's Gylt starting life as a Google Stadia-exclusive all likely contributed to the studio's current position.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-rights-for-tequila-workss-games-are-up-for-auction-after-insolvency-filing-193627934.html?src=rss
The never-ending Trump tariff saga continues. Tesla has halted Model S and X sales in China, according to reporting by Bloomberg. These particular vehicles are imported to the country from the US so they are impacted by a 125 percent tariff on goods flowing into China. This was enacted by China in response to President Trump placing a 145 percent tariff on imported goods from the country.This isn't a huge deal for Tesla, as the high-end Model S and Model X are some of the company's least-popular vehicles in the region. It's still selling off pre-existing inventory, but the models will be unavailable after that. The more affordable Model 3 and Model Y vehicles are actually made at Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory, so they aren't impacted by the tariffs.Trump's tariffs on China and the ones the country has put on the US in response could seriously harm the EV industry here in the states. The European Union has been thinking about opening up its doors to more Chinese electric vehicles, which would likely ding American automakers. Many Chinese-made EVs are significantly more budget-friendly than their American-made counterparts.For instance, the BYD Seagull hatchback would cost just $9,600 in US dollars. Chinese EV manufacturers are also making strides in the world of autonomous driving.As for the tariffs, who knows what the future will bring. Maybe they'll go away tomorrow or maybe President Trump will whip out his poison pen and increase them tenfold on a whim. What a nice predictable world we live in.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/tesla-halts-model-s-and-x-sales-in-china-due-to-tariffs-185752814.html?src=rss
Ireland's data privacy regulator is investigating Elon Musk's X. The country's Data Protection Commission (DPC) said on Friday (via Reuters) that it's opening an inquiry into the social platform's use of European users' public posts to train its Grok AI chatbot. In this case, Ireland handles EU regulation enforcement because X's European headquarters are in Dublin.The DPC said it will probe "the processing of personal data comprised in publicly-accessible posts posted on the 'X' social media platform by EU/EEA users." Under Europe's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules, Ireland has the legal muscle to fine X up to four percent of its global revenue."The purpose of this inquiry is to determine whether this personal data was lawfully processed in order to train the Grok LLMs," Ireland's DPC said.If this sounds familiar, the DPC took X to court in 2024, seeking an order to stop it from training Grok on EU user data without consent. That followed a platform policy change in July that let the social site use public posts to train its AI chatbot. However, Ireland's data regulator ended the legal proceedings weeks later, saying the company had agreed to permanently limit its use of EU users' personal data in Grok. The DPC hasn't specified why it now believes the company may be violating GDPR rules.The DPC's last fine against the company (then known as Twitter) was a 450,000 penalty in 2020 for failing to notify the regulator about a data breach within the 72-hour window.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/irelands-privacy-regulator-is-investigating-xs-use-of-public-data-to-train-grok-182010855.html?src=rss
With the recent confirmation of Mark Meador as Federal Trade Commissioner, the Republicans now have a 3-0 majority at the FTC, giving President Donald Trump broad control over what was once an aggressive business regulator under former FTC chair Lina Khan.The vote fell along party lines, with all Senate Democrats voting against confirming Meador. Under normal circumstances three Republican members at the FTC is expected. Whichever party the president represents typically holds three seats, while the other party holds two. What makes the new Republican majority unusual is that Trump fired the Democrat Commissioners Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter in March, something that's not supposed to happen without "good cause."The FTC, like the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), is technically part of the executive branch, but exists independently of the rest of the government, with the current president adding new members as terms end or in the rare case there's good cause to remove a commissioner, like if they're found guilty of malfeasance or neglecting their duties.An executive order Trump signed in February 2025 sought to exert more control over these independent organizations in the name of "accountability." That was the primary justification for removing Bedoya and Slaughter, both of which are fighting their termination in court.Given the actions Biden's FTC took against corporate America, like suing John Deere over unfair practices and leading antitrust investigations into Meta, Amazon, Google and Apple, it makes sense business-friendly Republicans would prefer less pushback from Democrats. That doesn't make anything that's happening legal, though.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/trump-now-has-full-control-of-the-ftc-180816016.html?src=rss
Sony just announced pricing for a number of upcoming products, including the Bravia Theater Bar 6 soundbar. This 3.1.2-channel system costs $650 for US consumers. It comes with a wireless subwoofer and is compatible with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.The soundbar includes up-mixing tech to transform stereo content to 3D sound when immersive formats aren't available. Dialogue gets an upgrade here, thanks to a dedicated center speaker and an AI-powered tool called Voice Zoom 3.SonyThe beefier Bravia Theater System 6 is a 5.1-channel system that costs $770. This is an all-in-one setup that comes with a soundbar, subwoofer and rear speakers. The included soundbar is not the Bar 6, despite the similar name. However, it does support both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. The subwoofer also features a slightly different design than the one that ships with the Bar 6. This system does offer stereo up-mixing to transform content into 3D audio via Sony's proprietary algorithm.The Bravia Theater Rear 8 speakers are compatible with the company's soundbars and work with its 360 Spatial Sound Mapping tech to calibrate the system to the acoustics of a specific living room. The speakers cost $450.Having the pricing here is nice, but we still don't have any official release dates. The current plan by Sony is to start selling these products later this spring.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/sony-has-priced-the-bravia-theater-bar-6-soundbar-at-650-175824102.html?src=rss
It hasn't been that long since the Pixel Watch 3 dropped, but excitement is already building for the follow-up device. An industry leaker who goes by OnLeaks, whose real name is Steve Hemmerst, has partnered with 91mobiles to publish images and a video render of the upcoming smartwatchSurprise, it looks like a Pixel Watch. It maintains the iconic circular design, though does look a bit thicker than the previous model. The screen bezels appear to be slightly slimmer. Otherwise, the design remains mostly unchanged. This isn't necessarily a bad thing.However, there are some minor hardware changes that allude to new features. The watch is missing the four pins at the back, which suggests that it could support wireless charging. The Pixel Watch 3 charges via a USB-C port. Also, there are two buttons on both sides of the speaker. We don't know what they do. It's also possible that the added thickness could be hiding a bigger battery, which would be much appreciated.
GPT-4, OpenAI's first big upgrade to ChatGPT months after unleashing it on the world, is on its way out. A changelog the company published on Thursday said the model will be retired from ChatGPT on April 30. GPT-4o, which has been available since last May, will fully replace it.Despite GPT-4's significance in modern AI's brief but world-changing history, its sunsetting isn't a great loss for customers. OpenAI says GPT-4o improves on it in writing, coding and STEM. Recent upgrades have boosted the newer model further, enhancing its instruction following, problem-solving and conversational flow. The company describes the multimodal GPT-4o as the "natural successor" to the soon-to-be-retired GPT-4.Despite its upcoming removal from ChatGPT, API users will still be able to access GPT-4 after April 30.The announcement comes as OpenAI reportedly prepares a slew of new models for launch. Reverse engineer Tibor Blaho posted images on Friday (via TechCrunch) that seemingly confirm that o3, o4-mini and GPT-4.1 (including nano and mini offshoots) models are in the pipeline. In February, the company introduced a research preview of GPT-4.5, a better, more natural conversationalist that will serve as a stepping stone to GPT-5.OpenAI's release notes included a nod to the role GPT-4 played in the company's development. "GPT4 marked a pivotal moment in ChatGPT's evolution," the notes read. "We're grateful for the breakthroughs it enabled and for the feedback that helped shape its successor. GPT4o builds on that foundation to deliver even greater capability, consistency and creativity."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-prepares-to-send-gpt-4-out-to-pasture-163643868.html?src=rss
WhatsApp just rolled out a dozen new features. Most of these are small, but they add up to a fairly substantial software update. Let's go over some of the more notable additions.Chats now allow for tappable reactions, which is basically like adding a thumbs up to someone else's reaction. Group chats feature an indicator that lets users know how many people are actually online. This will be right underneath the group name. Solo conversations now offer the ability to create an event, complete with an RSVP mechanic. This event can also be pinned in the chat.There are a couple of chat tools just for iPhone users, including the ability to scan and send documents directly from the app. Users can also now set WhatsApp as the default messaging and calling app on iPhones.Calls finally have their own dedicated tab, which is where folks go to make calls, share call links and manage their history. Users can also add someone from a video call directly from a chat thread. Video calls now offer a pinch to zoom feature, but only on iPhones. WhatsApp also says it has updated its technology for smoother video calls.Channel admins can now record and share short videos with followers and there are voice message transcripts available on the Channels tab. Finally, admins can share QR codes that link directly to the channel.
Maybe you're in a position where you suddenly need a new laptop to see you through the rest of the school year. Perhaps you've got a bigger tax return than expected and you want to treat yourself. Or it may be that you're a long-time Windows user and fancy a change. Whatever reason you might have for being interested in a MacBook Air, we've got another one. The M4 MacBook Air is back on sale for $949. That's $50 or five percent off. That deal is available for the sky blue and starlight colorways of Apple's laptop. But there's not terrible news if you prefer the midnight (black) look - that variant will run you just $5 more at $954. This deal is for the base model of the M4 MacBook Air. It's a 13-inch laptop with 16GB of memory and 256GB of storage. The M4 MacBook Air arrived several weeks ago and it instantly became our top picks for both the best MacBook overall and the best laptop for most people, supplanting the previous model in both categories. We gave it a score of 92 in our review. We appreciated the light and thin design, excellent keyboard and touchpad, fast performance and the terrific battery life. The 13-inch model we tested (and the one that's on sale here) ran for 18 hours and 15 minutes while playing HD video. Our only real qualms with the M4 MacBook Air are that it could use more ports and the display (while otherwise great) has a relatively paltry refresh rate of 60Hz. One of the best things about the M4 MacBook Air is that Apple actually lowered the starting price for this generation of the laptop to $999 from $1,099 for the M3. That's a very welcome change. The current $50 (or $45) discount makes things even sweeter. Check out our coverage of the best Apple deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-apple-m4-macbook-air-is-back-on-sale-for-50-off-143801604.html?src=rss
When Nintendo launched the Switch 2, it also revealed that it was going release upgraded versions of several existing Switch games, including both Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. It also revealed that games for the upcoming console will cost you more than what you're usually paying for games now. If you were hoping that the $70 price tag for the upgraded Breath of the Wild will at least include its DLC Expansion Pack, though, you're unfortunately out of luck. The company has told IGN that you will have to pay an extra $20 for the game's DLC season pass."The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition does not include The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Expansion Pass DLC. That DLC is available as a separate purchase," a spokesperson told the publication.To be clear, you don't have to buy the new version if you don't want to. The Switch 2 has backwards compatibility, and you can play your old copy of the game if you still have it - it was released way back in 2017 - and its DLC at no additional cost. If you own a copy for the first Switch and want to enjoy the new version's enhanced framerates and resolution, as well as HDR support, you can purchase an upgrade pack for $10. But if you're buying the Switch 2 version new, then you'll have to be prepared to pay $90 to get the base game and its DLC.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-70-switch-2-version-of-breath-of-the-wild-wont-even-come-with-dlc-140032303.html?src=rss
The next time you conclude a conversation with ChatGPT, it will save what you said to memory, even if you don't ask it explicitly to do so. "We have greatly improved memory in chatgpt - it can now reference all your past conversations!" OpenAI CEO Sam Altman wrote on Thursday in an X post spotted by The Verge. "This is a surprisingly great feature imo, and it points at something we are excited about: ai systems that get to know you over your life, and become extremely useful and personalized."OpenAI has been working on improving ChatGPT's memory since 2023 when the company began testing custom instructions, a feature that allows users to set preferences that ChatGPT will consider in future conversations. For example, you can tell the chat bot you have a family of four, and it will remember that detail when you ask for it dinner recipes. At the start of last year, OpenAI began allowing users to tell ChatGPT to remember specific details from chats. With this latest update, ChatGPT will remember both you tell it to and insights it gleans from your conversations."The more you use ChatGPT, the more useful it becomes. New conversations build upon what it already knows about you to make smoother, more tailored interactions over time," OpenAI says of the feature. The company is currently rolling out the update to users of its $200 per month Pro plan and $20 per month Plus tier. Team, Enterprise and Edu users can expect to gain access "in a few weeks." OpenAI did not say when it would roll out the update to free users.If you don't want ChatGPT to save your conversations with it, you can disable the feature through the settings menu. "If you've already opted out of memory, ChatGPT won't reference past conversations by default," says OpenAI. You can also use the Temporary Chat feature on a case by case basis for conversations you don't want ChatGPT to save to memory.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/chatgpt-can-now-remember-all-your-past-conversations-134642785.html?src=rss
Microsoft is gradually rolling out new preview features to Windows Insiders, including Recall, which has been the target of critics' security and privacy concerns since it was announced. It was originally supposed to be a preview experience that's broadly available to all Windows 11 Copilot+ PCs when the first batch of AI-assisted devices hit the market in June last year. But Microsoft pushed back its release to ensure the feature was truly secure. It delayed the tool's rollout yet again in October 2024 to "refine the experience before previewing it with Windows Insiders."Recall lets you quickly jump back to whatever you previously had open on your screen, whether it's a web page, an image, a document, an email or a chat thread. It works by regularly taking screenshots of your activity in the background, which it then saves into a searchable database. If you want to go back to a particular task you were doing in the past, you can either browse through the screenshots in the tool's timeline and choose one or type a query in the search bar of its interface with a description of what you're looking for using natural language.Due to the privacy and security concerns around Recall, Microsoft made it an opt-in feature. You'll have to explicitly enable it, and you'll have to verify your identity with a Windows Hello authentication method before you can access your snapshots. Further, you can delete any snapshot you want, and you can pause saving them anytime. As The Verge notes, Microsoft previously made Recall available to a smaller number of test users, but releasing it to all Insiders brings it one step closer to a wide release.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/microsoft-is-rolling-out-its-controversial-recall-feature-to-windows-insiders-130003854.html?src=rss
Lucid Motors has announced that it's acquiring certain facilities in Arizona owned by Nikola, an EV truck maker that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection back in February. It will also offer more than 300 former Nikola employees jobs across its facilities in the state, including roles in engineering, software, assembly, vehicle testing and warehouse support. Lucid says that most of the space it's buying is comprised of state-of-the-art manufacturing and warehousing buildings. It's also getting the equipment inside those buildings, such as Nikola's battery and environmental testing chambers, machining equipment and a full-size chassis dynamometer, among others.Nikola, which was founded in 2015, used those facilities as its factory, headquarters and development center for zero-emission heavy trucks. When it announced its bankruptcy in February, the company also said that it was going to sell off its assets. Lucid didn't say how much it's paying for the purchase, but the deal is valued at $30 million in cash and non-cash considerations, according to Electrek. The acquisition is part of Lucid's planned expansion in Arizona, but it still has to be approved by the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware."As we continue our production ramp of Lucid Gravity and prepare for our upcoming midsize platform vehicles, acquiring these assets is an opportunity to strategically expand our manufacturing, warehousing, testing, and development facilities while supporting our local Arizona community," said Marc Winterhoff, Interim CEO at Lucid. The company launched its electric SUV, Gravity, 2024. At the moment, only the $94,000 Grand Touring trim is available, but Lucid plans to start production for the $79,900 Touring model sometime this year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/lucid-to-buy-nikolas-arizona-ev-facilities-after-the-latters-bankruptcy-123027329.html?src=rss
As it said it would do earlier this year, Google has laid off hundreds of employees from its Platforms and Devices division, The Information reported. That part of the company, which employs over 25,000 people, houses its Pixel phones and smartwatches, Nest devices, the Android and ChromeOS platforms and Chrome browser. In January, Google offered buyouts to let them leave as part of a "voluntary exit plan.""Since combining the platforms and devices teams last year, we've focused on becoming more nimble and operating more effectively and this included making some job reductions in addition to the voluntary exit program that we offered in January," a Google spokesperson told The Information.The Platform and Devices group was formed in April 2024 as a merger of two units, Platforms and Ecosystems and Devices and Services, with SVP Rick Osterloh put in charge. In January, he told employees that the buyouts were available "for those struggling to meet the demands of their role or those unhappy with the company's hybrid work setup." The decision to offer buyouts rather than immediately laying off workers was reportedly prompted by employee complaints over previous layoffs.Meta also announced layoffs in January, and tech firms have been steadily laying off workers over the past couple of years. An exception to that has been in the area of artificial intelligence (AI) which has conversely faced a shortage of skilled employees.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-lays-off-hundreds-of-people-from-inside-its-platform-and-devices-division-122328196.html?src=rss
Tesla has started selling its much-awaited RWD Cybertruck but it'll cost a cool $10K more than originally promised and be missing some key figures from the AWD version. However, the $69,990 Long Range model will have 350 miles of range, 100 more than Tesla stated when it first unveiled the polarizing pickup EV. The new model arrives with Tesla reportedly facing anemic Cybertruck sales and a recent backlash against the automaker and its CEO Elon Musk.The Long Range Cybertruck is now the cheapest version of that model, but it's a far cry from the $40,000 price tag Musk promised back in 2019. It's missing a few key features like the rear power tonneau that covers the bed, with the configurator only offering a "soft tonneau" for the model. Also gone are the adaptive suspension, rear lightbar, backseat screen and bed outlets that were much-touted feature at launch.It is $10,000 cheaper than the AWD version and offers 25 extra miles of range. However, $70,000 is a lot of money for a RWD pickup truck with a cloth interior, given that you can buy a well-equipped Ford F-150 or an extended-range F-150 Lightning for around the same price.The Cybertruck has been much derided, but Tesla also failed to deliver it with the promised price and specs. The company at one point boasted over a million reservations for the pickup but has only sold around 50,000 units and reportedly isn't even accepting trade-ins itself for the model.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/teslas-70000-rwd-cybertruck-arrives-with-some-key-features-removed-120044840.html?src=rss
Google is back with another entry-level smartphone, the Pixel 9a. With more AI smarts, a new hardware design, and the biggest battery on any Pixel yet, on paper, it sounds good. Especially the sub-$500 price tag.In our full Pixel 9a review, Sam Rutherford breaks down where corners have been cut compared to the rest of the Pixel 9 family, namely screen (which is still nice!) and sluggish charging.EngadgetWhile there is support for nearly all of Google's AI features, the $499 Pixel 9a doesn't get access to Google's Screenshots app, which is an odd oversight. Especially when the phone has the Tensor G4 chip.With only' two cameras, once again the Pixel 9 offers accurate images and enough versatility for most of us, including a macro focus mode for pin-sharp close-ups. In short, it's likely to elbow out last year's Pixel 8a as the best mid-range smartphone.- Mat SmithGet Engadget's newsletter delivered direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!The biggest stories you might have missed
This week, Engadget's Sam Rutherford dives into his experience with Google's new $499 mid-range smartphone, the Pixel 9a. Is it really the new mid-range king, as we previously predicted? Or is it worth spending more for the Pixel 9? Also, we chat about how the Trump administration's volatile tariff strategy will affect consumer technology (not to mention everything else you buy).Subscribe!
The US Department of Justice has indicted Albert Sangier for defrauding investors with misleading statements about his Nate financial technology platform. Founded by Sangier in 2018, Nate claimed it could offer shoppers a universal checkout app thanks to artificial intelligence. However, the indictment states that the so-called AI-powered transactions in Nate were actually completed by human contractors in the Philippines and Romania or by bots. Sangier raised more than $40 million from investors for the app.This case follows reporting by The Information in 2022 that cast light on Nate's use of human labor rather than AI. Sources told the publication that during 2021, "the share of transactions Nate handled manually rather than automatically ranged between 60 percent and 100 percent."Many ambitious and ethically challenged entrepreneurs have attempted to make their fortunes by disguising human actions as a mechanical or technological innovation over the centuries. Claiming the results as AI work is just the most digital age application of the idea.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/tech-founder-charged-with-fraud-for-ai-that-was-secretly-overseas-contract-workers-225910022.html?src=rss
Motorola is gearing up to announce new phones on April 24, based on a short teaser video the company shared on X. The video shows what looks like two types of phone - presumably a member of the 2025 Razr family and a Moto Edge - sliding and unfolding into place to spell "AI."There's little else to go on from the video other than the April 24, 2025 date and a glimpse of some new finish options for Motorola's phones, including a wood option. Last year's Razr and Razr+ came in a variety of bright, poppy colors with faux suede and leather backs. Historically, Motorola has also prided itself on offering unique customizations options, starting all the way back with the Moto X in 2013, which was also available with a wooden finish. It's possible that wood-paneled options ends up exclusive to the Moto Edge, but it would certainly make the Razr and Razr+ standout from other foldables if they got it, too.
Naughty Dog is back with yet another way for players to buy The Last of Us. The team announced a new bundle called The Last of Us Complete, which has the latest editions of both award-winning games for the PlayStation 5. This Complete edition runs $100 for the digital bundle, which is available now. A physical collector's edition can be pre-ordered now for $110, with availability expected on July 10.The original 2013 game was remastered for the PS4 just a year after its release, then received a complete remake and rebrand as The Last of Us Part I in 2022 for the PS5. Naughty Dog also moved pretty quick on the remaster of the 2020 sequel, pushing out the The Last of Us Part II Remastered early last year. The Part II project was a $10 upgrade that included new content as well as new bells and whistles for the graphics, but the Part I remake displeased some fans with its $70 asking price.The announcement of this new game bundle was timed to align nicely with the debut of the TV adaptation's second season, which premieres on April 13 and has already been confirmed for a third season. Between this new bundle being dubbed Complete and a recent interview with creator Neil Druckman, this does seem to squash any hopes fans might have had for the game to have a third installment. At least that means Complete really should be the last time you need to buy the titles. (At least, the last time until the PlayStation 6 arrives...)This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/sonys-first-ps5-exclusive-of-2025-is-the-last-of-us-210329305.html?src=rss
On the heels of Razer pausing direct laptop sales in the US (thanks to those on-again, off-again, yet still very much on for China tariffs), the company has officially launched its remote game streaming app. Razer PC Remote Play, which the company rolled out in beta at CES 2025, is now officially available for iOS and Android.Razer may be a bit late to the party here, and its app is hardly the only way to stream your PC games to other devices. (For example, Steam's version has offered similar functionality for six years.) But Razer's app has a neat trick: It automatically adjusts the game's resolution and frame rate to match your mobile device's. So, you can avoid the black bars you get with services that only stream games in a fixed aspect ratio.RazerThe company says it works with all iOS and Android gaming controllers, and the iPad version has keyboard, mouse and trackpad support. It works with titles from multiple storefronts (including Steam, Epic, PC Game Pass and more). The app uses the AV1 video codec, which Razer says boosts quality and lowers latency.Setup requires the Razer Nexus and PC Remote Play apps on your mobile device and Razer Cortex on the host PC. After signing in with your Razer ID, the two should pair automatically, and you can get down to business. You can download the app now from Google Play and the App Store.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/razers-pc-remote-play-app-is-now-available-182533832.html?src=rss
Panic has set a date for when it will share more about the second season of Playdate games. The company is hosting a Playdate Update event on April 17, at 1PM ET / 10AM PT where it plans to cover the developers participating in the season, how you can pre-order it and how much it'll cost.The Playdate's season structure was one of the main things that made the tiny handheld unique when it was first released. Every week for 12 weeks you receive two new games automatically downloaded to your Playdate, free of charge. The list was curated, featuring games from prominent developers like Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi, but also varied, with adventure games, platformers and more. Given the difficulties Panic faced making and shipping the Playdate to customers, there was initially some uncertainty whether the company could afford to commission another season. Before season two became official, Panic introduce an on-device store, called Catalog, as a way to purchase games from a curated library of titles. Then in October 2024, Panic confirmed that season two was happening in 2025.In a statement to press, Panic shared that through the Playdate and Catalog, they've been able to raise $1,043,186.85 for developers. The company has also sold over 70,000 Playdate handhelds since the device launched in 2022. The price of the Playdate was recently raised from $179 to $229.You'll be able to watch the Season Two Playdate Update on April 17 at 1PM ET / 10AM ET on Panic's website and the company's YouTube channel.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/panic-will-showcase-the-second-season-of-playdate-games-on-april-17-181556782.html?src=rss
The Nintendo Switch 2 is functionally similar to its predecessor. Sure, the detachable controllers can now each be used as a mouse (on your pants, no less), the screen is bigger, the hardware is more powerful and there's a built-in mic for voice chat. But otherwise the company isn't rocking the boat too much. At least not outside of its business model, as it may be preparing to sell the console at a loss.For most countries, President Donald Trump has paused the harshest tariffs that he announced last week. Still, he increased tariffs on imports from China to 125 percent on Wednesday, while imports from elsewhere will still be subject to a levy of at least 10 percent.Per Bloomberg, Nintendo may be looking to make as many Switch 2 units as it can in Vietnam (it's manufacturing about a third of the consoles there) during the 90-day freeze on higher tariffs and ship as many as possible to the US. The US is a critical market for Nintendo as it accounts for about a third of sales.Still, with a 10 percent tariff, Nintendo may reluctantly eat that cost, even if that means losing money on each sale. "We believe the Switch 2's bill of materials is around $400, meaning Nintendo would still be selling consoles at a loss in the US with the 10 percent tariff - but the loss would be something Nintendo would be able to absorb," Hideki Yasuda of Toyo Securities told Bloomberg. "Sony is in a tougher situation as most of its PlayStation production is in China, and it may be forced to hike PS5 prices in the US in the near future."If the Switch 2 has about $400 worth of materials, that means Nintendo will also be taking a hit on a Japan-only edition of the console in its home country. It's selling that variant for under $350.Another analyst, Robin Zhu of Bernstein, also suggested that Nintendo will take the hit and keep the price at $450 if the tariff on Vietnamese imports remains at 10 percent. However, "At 46 percent Vietnam tariffs, I expected them to raise [the Switch 2 price] by $50 to $100."Unlike Sony and Microsoft, Nintendo has not historically sold its consoles at a loss with the aim of making up for that with sales of pricey software. The gaming side of the business is far and away Nintendo's largest source of revenue. It's diversifying more these days with things like movies and theme parks, but it still needs a thriving base of Switch and Switch 2 players. With the consoles critical to the company's success, the suggestion that Nintendo may sell the $450 Switch 2 at a loss is somewhat surprising, even if it's because of tariffs.Nintendo formally revealed the Switch 2 just hours before Trump announced higher import tariffs on every country. Soon after, Nintendo delayed pre-orders for the console in the US (it later did the same in Canada, perhaps to reduce the risk of secondary-market price gouging) to assess the impact of the tariffs. With those now on hold, the company surely wants to get the ball rolling on pre-orders so it has a better sense of North American demand and can accordingly adjust its manufacturing plans if need be.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-may-sell-the-switch-2-at-a-loss-in-the-us-due-to-tariffs-175857327.html?src=rss
DoorDash has started robot deliveries in Los Angeles and Chicago. This is thanks to a partnership with the company Coco Robotics. Eligible customers will be able to receive sidewalk deliveries sourced from over 600 participating merchants.Coco robots have been making deliveries for DoorDash in Helsinki since late last year through its international sub-brand Wolt. DoorDash says that Coco robots completed over 100,000 deliveries during this initial pilot phase.Robots take humans out of the delivery process, which is bad for gig workers, but this method is better for the environment. Coco robots are free from emissions. Harrison Shih, Senior Director of DoorDash Labs, says that not every delivery needs a two-ton car just to deliver two chicken sandwiches."This is part of a larger push by DoorDash towards what it calls multimodal" deliveries, which combines human workers, drones and autonomous robots to meet increasing demand while lowering costs and emissions." To that end, the company has partnered with Wing to provide drone deliveries in the US and Australia.
Slocap's next game Rematch will be available on June 19. It'll cost $30 and will be playable on PC, Xbox Series X/S and PS5. The announcement was made at the The Triple-i Initiative indie showcase.Rematch is a soccer title, which may seem surprising for the company that made the brawlers Sifu and Absolver. However, it looks to be an arcade-focused affair instead of a serious sim. There are both 5v5 and 4v4 matches and the action looks fast-paced.There are no fouls, offsides or anything like that, as the title has been designed for nonstop competitive play." The game even has a Rocket League-style boundary wall, so the ball never goes out of play. Rematch offers a number of quickplay modes to get started with and a variety of backdrops for matches. There's even an underwater field.Preorders are already online and there's an open beta set to kick off (get it?) on April 18. Players can register for this two-day event right now. There are also a couple of other editions of the game that cost extra. The Pro Edition costs $40, but allows people to play the game a few days early and offers cosmetic and gameplay upgrades. The Elite Edition includes the contents of the Pro Edition, but offers even more upgrades. These include sneakers to give your footwork the dazzle it deserves." This version costs $50.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/sifu-devs-soccer-game-rematch-arrives-june-19-170031959.html?src=rss
Amazon is running a sale on its Blink home security devices. Among the items that have seen a price drop is the Blink Video Doorbell, which is available for a record low of $30. That's half what you might otherwise pay for it. The doorbell allows you to answer your door using your phone. You can see who rang your doorbell via a 1080p video stream (there's an infrared night vision mode) and chat to them using the two-way audio feature. You can also receive alerts when the Video Doorbell detects motion. The Video Doorbell can operate wirelessly on two AA batteries (it comes with a pair). Alternatively, you can hook up the device to existing wiring and it can trigger your existing in-home chime when the button is pressed. Wiring the Video Doorbell or pairing it with a Sync Module (which is sold separately) will allow you to use Alexa to answer your door or bring up a live view of what the camera sees. Other features include privacy settings and custom alerts. However, a paid Blink subscription is needed to save and share video clips on the cloud after a free 30-day trial. The Blink sale also includes a discount on the Mini 2 camera, which is similarly half off. It can be yours for $20. The camera can operate as a plug-in chime for a connected Blink Video Doorbell. It's also our pick for the best budget security camera. Meanwhile, a bundle with the Outdoor 4 cam (our top pick for the best security camera for Alexa users), Video Doorbell and Mini 2 is $100, which is also half off. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-blink-video-doorbell-is-on-sale-for-a-record-low-price-of-30-162649933.html?src=rss
The absurdist romance sim Date Everything! has yet another release date. After two delays, creators Sassy Chap Games and Team17 said on Thursday that the cheeky sandbox dating game will launch on June 17.Date Everything! is an appropriate title for a game that lets you woo human personifications of household objects. (Shut-ins, rejoice!) Each datable item offers three paths, determined through dialog branches: love, hate and friendship. So, for example, you can fall in love with your cabinet (the dashing Cabrizio), forge a friendship with your wisecracking water heater (Winnifred) or create a bitter rivalry with your wall (the Spartan-looking Wallace).You can even encounter Doug, your (shirtless and jacked) sense of existential dread, who lurks in a dimly lit hallway.Sassy Chap Games / Team17The game offers multiple endings for each character, so it should provide plenty of replayability. It has 70,000 dialog lines and some recognizable actors on its cast list, including Felicia Day (Supernatural, Fallout) and Troy Baker (The Last of Us, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle).After blowing past its previously planned release dates (October and February), Date Everything! is set to arrive on June 17. Assuming there aren't further delays, digital versions will be available that day for PC, Switch, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, with physical versions arriving sometime after that. There's no pricing info yet.You can get a better sense of the game's surreal premise in the new trailer below.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/cheeky-household-object-romance-sim-date-everything-is-now-arriving-in-june-162554080.html?src=rss
A pair of studies analyzing the effects of AI on our planet have been released and the news is fairly grim. Greenpeace studied the emissions generated from the production of the semiconductors used in AI chips and found that there was a fourfold increase in 2024. This analysis was completed using publicly available data.GreenpeaceMany of the big chipmakers like NVIDIA rely on companies like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co and SK Hynix Inc. for the components of GPUs and memory units. Most of this manufacturing happens in Taiwan, South Korea and Japan, where power grids are primarily reliant on fossil fuels. This accounts for some of the increase in global emissions. The organization also says that global electricity requirements for AI could experience a 170-fold increase by 2030.GreenpeaceGreenpeace's estimates have led some to worry that the AI race could derail global decarbonization goals, according to a report by Bloomberg. The nonprofit recommends that governments in eastern Asia transition to renewable power for chip manufacturing, but the opposite seems to be happening. South Korea recently announced plans to build plants for four gigawatts of gas-fired power generation. Taiwan has used the increased power demand related to AI as an excuse to expand liquid natural gas projects and grid infrastructure.Another study by The International Energy Agency (IEA) took a look at the US. The analysis suggested that power consumption by AI-adjacent data centers could account for half of the growth in electricity demand by 2030. As a matter of fact, the US economy could be on track to consume more electricity for processing data than for manufacturing all energy-intensive goods combined. This includes aluminum, steel, cement and chemicals.IEAElectricity demand from global data centers could more than double by 2030 to around 945 terawatt-hours (TWh). That's more than the entire electricity consumption of Japan. It's a whopping 30 times more than the electricity consumption of Ireland.Proponents of AI say that the massive energy needs will eventually abate as the technology leads to scientific discoveries that accelerate innovation in fields like batteries and solar photovoltaic (PV) technology. However, that's a big fat maybe.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/global-emissions-due-to-ai-related-chipmaking-grew-more-than-four-times-in-2024-160304017.html?src=rss
Bungie is set to take the wrappers off Marathon this Saturday and reveal gameplay from its first non-Destiny project in many years (and its first new one since joining Sony in 2022). Before that though, the studio has confirmed one detail about the multi-platform extraction shooter that PC and Xbox gamers may like to hear. The game won't force players to log in with a PlayStation account on those platforms.The Marathon team confirmed on the game's official Discord server that "Marathon will not require a PlayStation Account for players on PC and Xbox." The developers said this in response to a user who was concerned that they might not be able to play Marathon on PC, since PSN wasn't supported in their country.This is relevant considering the Helldivers 2 mess from last year. The PC version of that Sony-published game was going to require players to connect to a PSN account. That wasn't enforced during the first three-ish months Helldivers 2 was available on Steam due to network issues, but it was later going to come into effect. The shift would have locked out players who had already bought the game in countries where PSN wasn't available.Sony quickly backtracked on the PSN requirement for Helldivers 2 following a backlash but the situation tarnished the reputation of a great game. The company later dropped mandatory PSN logins for many of its single-player games on PC, though it tried to incentivize players for linking their Steam account to PSN by offering in-game goodies.Bungie hasn't said much about Marathon since announcing its revival two years ago, but the gameplay showcase this weekend will shed much more light on what the game's all about. For what it's worth, streamer DrLupo claims to have been playtesting Marathon through various iterations over the last six years, and said it's gotten better each time he's tried it.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/bungies-marathon-wont-force-xbox-and-pc-players-to-log-in-with-a-playstation-account-144127907.html?src=rss
The last decade or so has seen schools and governments alike working on a substantial question: To what degree should students be allowed access to their phones? France has been among those leading the charge, requiring smartphones to be turned off during school hours since 2018. Now, the country is taking things a step further, insisting that students leave their phone in lockers or pouches, The Guardian reports.France's education minister and former prime minister Elisabeth Borne announced the new regulation, which will go into effect in middle schools come September. "At a time when the use of screens is being widely questioned because of its many harmful effects, this measure is essential for our children's wellbeing and success at school."The decision follows two key events, a pilot program reported on by multiple sources and published expert recommendations. The former involved 180 middle schools comprised of over 50,000 students. Over the last six months, participants have done a "digital pause," putting their phones in a locker or pouch that is unlocked when they finish the day. Borne announced that the trial was successful in improving school's atmospheres. She added that schools will choose whether to use lockers or pouches, costing them up to a few thousand euros (3,000 equals $3,331, for example).The 2024 report, commissioned by President Emmanuel Macron, issued recommendations including no smartphone use for children under 13 years of age and no "conventional" social media access until they reach 18. The recommendations, led by a neurologist and an addictions psychiatrist, additionally pushed for limited to no screen-time for children, depending on their age.The UK and the US are among the other countries exploring similar school-based measures to France. In 2024, the UK government released guidance for schools on banning phones in educational spaces. Both New York and California's governors have also supported measures to limit smartphone use in schools.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/france-to-ban-students-from-keeping-smartphones-in-schools-140053272.html?src=rss
The push for the latest, greatest and most feature-packed gadgets often results in so much pressure that buying anything else can feel like self-betrayal. And while the Pixel 9a is technically a new device, its chip is six months old. The same goes for its design, which is nearly a carbon copy of its older sibling. To make matters even worse, this phone is meant to be a more affordable entry into the Pixel phone family, which feels like a death sentence for anyone who cares about keeping up with the Joneses (or just the most up-to-date specs). But you know what? That's okay, because starting at $500, the Pixel 9a offers the best value of any Android phone today. Design and display: Simple but sturdy The Pixel 9a looks so similar to the standard model - especially from the front - that it's hard to tell them apart until you put them side by side. Once you do, you'll notice the 9a features slightly thicker bezels. But aside from that, there aren't a ton of differences. You still get a relatively compact 6.3-inch OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 2,700 nits, just like on the regular Pixel 9. It's sharp, it's colorful and it's simply one of the best displays in this price range. If you pick both of them up, you may also notice that the 9a is also a touch lighter (6.56 ounces vs 6.98 ounces). That discrepancy is due to Google forgoing Gorilla Glass 3 for the backpanel in favor of recycled polycarbonate (aka plastic). That said, you still get a sturdy aluminum frame (also made from recycled materials) and an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. The 9a's biggest departure by far is that unlike every other Pixel dating back to the Pixel 6, it doesn't have a large bar or visor housing its cameras. Instead, you get a small teardrop-shaped protrusion that houses the main and ultra-wide shooters. The module is so shallow it practically sits flush against the phone, which makes this one of the few handsets in recent memory that actually sits flat on a table. Granted, this is a really minor design tweak, but as someone who doesn't like cases, I think it's a nice touch. Performance: Good enough speed Sam Rutherford for Engadget Just like the rest of the Pixel 9 family, the 9a is powered by Google's Tensor G4 chip. The major change is that instead of featuring 12GB of RAM, you only get 8GB. That said, unless you're frequently switching between apps or doing more intense things like gaming or video editing, you aren't really going to notice a huge difference. In Geekbench 6, both phones posted very similar results with a multi-core score of 4,294 for the 9a and 4,360 for the standard Pixel 9. The biggest potential impact of this for most people is that you won't be able to have quite as many apps running in the background, and if you switch between them often, you may spend some extra time reloading. The Pixel 9a also supports nearly all of Google's AI-powered tools including helpful stuff like car crash detection and Call Assist. You also have access to more advanced tools like Gemini Live (including camera and screen sharing) and Pixel Studio (now with the ability to generate images of people), the latter of which can be a fun way of creating silly custom images to troll your friends. Well, at least that's what I use it for. Sam Rutherford for Engadget However, software support isn't quite the same as you get on more expensive models. That's because one app that I've grown quite fond of on recent Pixels - Google's Screenshots app - isn't available on the Pixel 9a. This is definitely a bummer, because I found the ability to use AI to quickly search through all the screencaps I've taken is way better than doing it manually. I'm not entirely sure why it's not available considering some of the other machine learning-based features that do work. But when asked, a Google representative told me that in order to "maintain a $499 starting price, the company did have to make some trade-offs. As a result, some [of the standard Pixel 9's] features won't be available on the Pixel 9a." Cameras: Better image quality than phones twice its price Sam Rutherford for Engadget When it was first announced, Google claimed the 9a would have the best cameras of any phone under $500. And after considering the Pixel family's pedigree for excellent image quality, I pitted the phone's 48-MP main camera and 13-MP ultra-wide cam up against the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra to give it a real challenge. And despite costing $800 less, it acquitted itself with aplomb. In a daytime photo of a cozy coffee shop, the Pixel 9a preserved more details and produced a generally better looking image than a similar pic taken by the S25U (though part of that is due to Samsung's tendency to oversharpen). But perhaps an even better example of this was when I took photos of a croquette. Not only did the Pixel 9a's shot look more accurate, it featured better colors and was generally much more appetizing. And in low light, I got similar results with the 9a doing a great job with white balance while capturing sharp, detailed images despite the tough conditions. While the Pixel 9a doesn't have a dedicated telephoto lens, Google tries to make up for that with Super Res Zoom, which uses AI to support up to 8x digital zoom. On top of that, the phone has a macro focus mode. That said, you won't find a specific setting for it in the Camera app, because it activates automatically whenever you get really close to something. You'll know it's working when you see a tiny flower icon pop up in the corner of the screen. I found this mode gives you a way to capture a bit more detail, but nailing focus can be a bit finicky. I often had to adjust the phone a tiny bit forward or backward to find the camera's sweet spot. Battery Life: The best yet from any Pixel Sam Rutherford for Engadget Equipped with a 5,100 mAh power pack, the Pixel 9a just barely beats out its biggest sibling - the Pixel 9 Pro XL (5,060 mAh) - for the most battery capacity among Google's phones. What's more, the company claims the 9a has the best runtime of any of its handsets, which based on my testing, isn't just hot air. On our standard local video rundown test, the Pixel 9a lasted just over 28 hours on a single charge (28:04). That's half an hour better than what I got from a regular Pixel 9. Not too shabby. The downside is that the phone's charging speeds haven't improved since last year, so you still get lackluster rates when using either wired (23 watts) or Qi wireless (7.5 watts) power adapters. That's notably slower than what you get from a standard Pixel 9 (27 watts wired and 15 watts wireless), which is probably one of the most compelling reasons you'd want to upgrade to the 9a's more expensive siblings. To better highlight the phone's lethargic charging speeds, I put it on a compatible pad at 25 percent battery and after 10 minutes, it only sucked down an extra 5 percent. On the 9a, wireless charging is definitely something you use more for convenience than speed. Wrap-up Sam Rutherford for Engadget Look, the Pixel 9a might not be jam-packed with fancy features and its raw specs aren't super impressive. I would love to see Google add a true telephoto lens and its charging speeds (both wired and wireless) could be better. But for $500, Google's most budget-friendly phone covers all the bases and then some. The 9a's camera quality can hang with flagships twice its price and it has more than enough performance for all but the most demanding gamers or multitaskers. When you add in support for almost all of Google's software like the Recorder app, Pixel Studio and more, you get a really compelling package. Plus, the lack of a big camera bump means this thing is surprisingly sleek. If my kids were old enough to need a cell phone, this is what I would buy. For everyone who says that all they want is a simple, solid handset with a nice screen that can take high-quality photos, this thing is basic in all the best ways.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/google-pixel-9a-review-basic-in-just-the-right-way-130050005.html?src=rss
OpenAI has filed a countersuit against Elon Musk, accusing him of staging press attacks and malicious campaigns on "the social media platform he controls," as well as of making "harassing legal claims" and a "sham bid for OpenAI's assets." In its filing, courtesy of TechCrunch, the ChatGPT-maker said Musk could not tolerate seeing such "success for an enterprise he had abandoned and declared doomed" and had made it his own project to take down the organization. It also said that Musk's efforts have ramped up in recent months after it announced its plans to restructure and become a for-profit entity with a non-profit division.Last year, Musk sued OpenAI, accusing it of ditching its nonprofit mission, becoming a "closed-source de facto subsidiary" Microsoft and of violating its foundational agreement to develop generative AI "for the benefit of humanity." But Musk, OpenAI said in its new lawsuit, is only pretending to represent the public and in truth is seeking to stop it from restructuring. Musk "advised that a similar reorganization was needed to salvage OpenAI's mission" years ago when he was still part of the company, it said.After Musk filed a lawsuit last year, OpenAI published old emails from when he was still involved in its operations. The organization said Musk was there when it first started talking about going for-profit and even wanted majority equity, control of the initial board of directors and the CEO position. It also published an email wherein Musk suggested merging OpenAI with Tesla so that the automaker could fund its work. Musk left OpenAI in 2018 and eventually founded his own generative AI company, xAI. The AI company recently purchased X, formerly known as Twitter, for $33 billion.In a tweet, OpenAI said that Musk's actions are just "bad-faith tactics to slow down OpenAI" and that he's spreading false information about the organization, as well as aiming to seize control of its technology for his personal benefit. In its lawsuit, it said that Musk "should be enjoined from further unlawful and unfair action" and should be "held responsible for the damage he has already caused." OpenAI has to complete its reorganization by the end of this year or its private funding could be cut by as much as $10 billion.
It's 2025, so it should be no surprise that another organization has sold its soul (entered into a licensing deal with an AI company) for an undisclosed sum. A new partnership allows UK-based Synthesia to access Shutterstock's content library for training its latest AI model, EXPRESS-2. This deal isn't the first of its kind for Shutterstock, which previously teamed up with OpenAI to sell stock images made using AI generator DALL-E 2.Synthesia creates avatars for corporate videos about topics such as cybersecurity and good communication at work. It aims to use Shutterstock's video data to "try out new approaches that will improve the performance of EXPRESS-2, and increase the realism and expressiveness of our AI generated avatars, bringing them closer to human-like performances.," Synthesia stated in a release.Typically, Synthesia uses actors to create avatars, paying to use their likeness for three years. But, now it will have access to individuals through Shutterstock's videos. Though these people will not be used to create avatars but to model body language, tone of voice and how people look at a desk or while using a whiteboard, for example.While, it means that someone featured on Shutterstock won't suddenly see their face in a workplace video, it does mean that their existence - whether it's movements or words - is being fed to an AI company. It's just the latest case of a company choosing to license its content for AI training, similar to deals we've seen with the likes of DotDash Meredith, Time and Reuters, to name only a few instances. This deal is obviously different because Synthesia is training on videos and not words.Update, April 10 2025, 9:51AM ET: This story has been updated to remove an implication that Synthesia was using content from specific creators without permission.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/shutterstock-licenses-its-video-library-to-ai-corporate-video-company-120004055.html?src=rss
Netflix has released a game called Thronglets based on episode seven of the latest season of Black Mirror. It's like a game of Tamagotchi and Pokemon, with dark, existential themes like what you'd expect from a tie up for the series would be. Thronglets was developed by Night School, the same studio behind Oxenfree that Netflix had acquired in 2021. "Our explorations in narrative gameplay and Netflix's track record of supporting diverse storytellers was such a natural pairing," said Sean Krankel, the founder of Night School Studio, at the time.In the series, Thronglets is at the center of episode seven's story, which is set in the same universe as Netflix's interactive movie Bandersnatch. It's a long-lost game by Tuckersoft, the same gaming studio in the movie, that hasn't been seen since it was cancelled in 1994. In the game, you'll have to hatch, evolve and raise creatures called Thronglets, bathing them, feeding them and entertaining them as they multiply more quickly than gremlins. Netflix says the game is not really only about raising virtual creations, though, but about "exploring the depths of human nature and the consequences of our digital obsessions."When you build groups of Thonglets known as a Throng, you can unlock video fragments of a documentary titled Ritman Retrospective. The videos are from a series of interviews with Tuckersoft chief Mohan Thakur (Asim Chaudhry) and the game's creator Colin Ritman (Will Poulter). At the end of the game, you'll get a personality test result that you can share on your socials. Thronglets, like Netflix's other games, are free to play on its iOS and Android app for anybody who has an account. It comes after the company's first gaming boss Mike Verdu left the company and after it announced that it will put a focus on party and narrative games. The new season of Black Mirror arrives on the streaming service today.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-black-mirror-game-thronglets-is-real-and-available-for-ios-and-android-070128362.html?src=rss
After dozens of mind-bending, thought-provoking escapades across time and space, Black Mirror's seventh season is tackling something new: its first-ever sequel episode.The Emmy-winning Netflix series dropped its entire six-episode seventh season on Thursday, April 10, closing with the finale USS Callister: Into Infinity." The sprawling 90-minute episode rounds up many of the actors from Black Mirror's season 4 episode USS Callister" - including Cristin Milioti, Jimmi Simpson, Billy Magnussen, Osy Ikhile, Milanka Brooks and Paul G. Raymond - for another adrenaline-pumping adventure.The USS Callister's crew, still trapped in the Infinity company's space-faring virtual reality MMORPG, are barely scraping by, robbing other players of their credits to simply survive. In the real world, the crew's in-game robberies become problematic for Infinity's greedy CEO James Walton (Jimmi Simpson) when a tenacious investigative reporter starts to ask questions, threatening to implicate the company and its former founder Robert Daly.Sequels are generally difficult to pull off well, but USS Callister: Into Infinity" is a rare exception, thanks to years of development by Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker, who worked on the script on-and-off for years after USS Callister" aired in December 2017 and became one of the show's most popular episodes.Simpson told Engadget he first learned he would revisit the Black Mirror universe in 2021. The 49-year-old actor holds credits in shows like Westworld, Dark Matter and Pachinko - and yet, Simpson is still surprised" when projects come together.When people say it's happening, I don't believe them, ever, until it's definitely happening," he said. Beyond his hesitation about gigs panning out in general, Simpson also had reservations that the original episode could successfully be iterated on. It's a one-piece film. I was a little bit cynical," he said, "How are you going to top[the first episode]."They found not just the reason to spend more time with these characters, but the reason why the story wasn't done yet," he continued. That was my favorite part, that they made this sequel kind of essential."Nick Wall/NetflixRevisiting Walton after seven years wasn't as difficult as he thought it might be. It was pretty natural. It was kind of like putting on an old suit that had ketchup stains all over it. So it's familiar, but smells weird," Simpson mused. And so I just dropped into that guy."It also helped that many of Simpson's scenes this time were with Milioti, who reprises her role as an Infinity programmer, now turned captain of the USS Callister. For Simpson, she was the ideal acting partner.[Milioti] takes pauses like a jazz musician," he explained, adding, She's always making something alive, and so I think our work together was some of my favorite stuff."Brooker previously described season 7 as a little bit OG Black Mirror" and back to basics in many ways," which bodes well for the beloved show. It left an indelible impression on viewers since premiering in 2011 by weaving heady speculative fiction premises with a deep sense of humanity.Simpson hopes that longtime Black Mirror viewers - and fans of USS Callister" in particular - find the show's first expansion" episode worth the long wait, and that they're beyond entertained" by what the cast and crew took time to painstakingly and lovingly create.Entertainment, you know, what we do, it's about giving you a nice time, because the world sucks sometimes," he admits. So let's spend some time together. We've got that in spades. I think we also have a little commentary on the power of loneliness and the power of togetherness, and it shows you both of those things perfectly."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/jimmi-simpson-worried-black-mirrors-return-to-the-uss-callister-wouldnt-be-essential-070050250.html?src=rss
Minor spoilers for Black Mirror season 7 ahead.The latest season of Black Mirror feels almost therapeutic as we peer over the cliff of civilizational collapse. Everything is awful, but at least we don't have to worry about renting out access to our brains from skeevy startups, or dealing with the consequences of a PC game's super-intelligent AI. Not yet, anyway. While Black Mirror felt like a horrifying harbinger of an over-teched future when it debuted in 2011, now it's practically an escape from the fresh hell of real world headlines.That's not to say that the show has lost any of the acerbic bite from creator Charlie Brooker. Season 7 of Black Mirror, which debuts on Netflix on today, still occasionally veers into nihilistic territory, and at times it will emotionally devastate you. But now Brooker and his writers - Ms. Marvel showrunner Bisha K. Ali, William Bridges, Ella Road and Bekka Bowling - more deftly wield their talent for cultural analysis.Not all of the new episodes revolve around nefarious new tech, sometimes the tools themselves are genuinely helpful - it's humans who are often the real problem. And I suppose that was always the end-goal for Black Mirror. When our screens are turned off, we see ourselves. And most of the time, we're probably holding a smartphone.The season's first episode, "Common People," is the most stereotypical Black Mirror tale. A loving husband (IT Crowd's Chris O'Dowd) discovers that his wife (Parks and Recs' Rashida Jones) has a terminal brain disease. Her only hope for survival comes from Rivermind, a startup that can digitally encode the damaged part of her brain and stream it to her head via the cloud. For a fee, of course.Chris O'Dowd and Rashida Jones in "Common People."Robert Falconer/NetflixYou can pretty much guess where things go from there. I won't spoil the specifics, but the episode taps into the universal experience of paying ever more for subscription services that get inexplicably shittier. Cellphone and cable plans are the most obvious parallels, but ironically it also maps onto Netflix's own troubled evolution, which has led to significantly higher prices, confusing new tiers and more limitations around account sharing."Bete Noire" starts out like a psychological thriller: A successful confections designer (Siena Kelly) starts working alongside a former schoolmate (Rosy McEwen) who had been bullied for being a nerdy outcast. Inexplicably, McEwen's character becomes the office darling, while the star snack artist appears to lose her grip on reality. While there is ultimately a tech-related explanation for what's going on, the episode works best as an unhinged revenge story.I'd also classify the season's two sequel episodes as campy fun, but for different reasons. "Plaything" re-introduces Colin Ritman (Will Poulter), the genius video game designer from the interactive Black Mirror episode "Bandersnatch," who developed a Sims-like computer game with adorable AI creatures. But this being Black Mirror, they're obviously more than meets the eye.NetflixThe episode kicks off as an older disheveled man (Peter Capaldi) gets arrested, and reveals that he was a former game critic who became obsessed with the game and learned to understand the AI's song-like language. "Plaything" is far from the first episode of the series to delve into the possibilities of AI consciousness, but it's the most explosive spin Black Mirror has taken so far."USS Callister: Into Infinity" is a feature-length follow-up to the season 4 opening episode, and it's yet another sign that Brooker and his team simply want to lighten things up a bit. We follow the digital clones from the first episode as they try to survive in a popular online game by robbing other players. Meanwhile, their real-world counterparts discover their existence as they follow player complaints about these robberies."Into Infinity" delivers everything I loved about the original "USS Callister" - it's simultaneously akin to an episode of classic Star Trek and a modern cyberpunk thriller, while also being funnier and sharper. It's also a bit strange to see Cristin Milioti and Billy Magnussen paired up once again in a sci-fi show after starring together in Max's Made for Love. (And if you're looking for a bit more Black Mirror-esque dystopia in your life, that show is worth a watch.)Emma Corrin in "Eulogy."Netflix"Hotel Reverie" and "Eulogy," both feature neural connection gadgets that can instantly transport people into immersive digital worlds. (According to a viral marketing site, it's called the Nubbin.) It's sort of like putting on a VR headset and haptics suit, except you only need to place a small puck by your temple. Once again, though, the technology is far from the most interesting aspect of the episodes.In "Hotel Reverie," an actress (Issa Rae) who is bored with the limited roles Hollywood is giving her gets a chance to do something completely new: Inject herself into a classic film. She's not just remaking the original film, she's replacing the lead male actor and working alongside digitized versions of the rest of the cast. The film, also called Hotel Reverie, was already a tale of forbidden love, but it becomes even more transgressive as a love story between two women. It's not quite as transcendent as "San Junipero," but the episode will definitely make your heart ache a bit.And speaking of heartache, I'd recommend bracing yourself for "Eulogy," a monumental episode featuring some of Paul Giamatti's finest work. We're introduced to him as an older man who gets a strange call: Someone he used to know has died, and their family would like him to contribute some virtual memories via a company called Eulogy. The startup sends him a neural puck, which is powered by a plucky virtual assistant. The puck can record his memories, but even more intriguing, it lets him step directly into virtual memories via old photos.Paul Giamatti in "Eulogy."Nick Wall/NetflixGiamatti recounts a tale of lost love, and by the end of the episode you're reminded that few actors can embody soul-crushing regret as well as him. All of the whiz-bang technology in the episode is just a vehicle to see Giamatti's heart fully exposed. (Get you a man who can do that and also give his all as Rhino in the forgettable Amazing Spider-Man 2.)It took about five seconds of scrolling through Bluesky to snap me back to the hellscape of reality after binging this season of Black Mirror. I was riding high on a wave of emotion and energy, the sort of feeling you get when experiencing the work of talented artists at their peak. One news headline washed that all away. I used to need a breather between earlier Black Mirror episodes to escape Brooker's bleak sensibility. Now, the dystopian show is my balm.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/black-mirror-is-now-a-delightful-escape-from-reality-070019017.html?src=rss
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