Pebble is back, baby. On Monday, Google (which owns Pebble's IP via its Fitbit purchase) open-sourced the OG modern smartwatch's software. Although that paves the road for anyone to make new Pebble-esque wearables (or custom firmware for the old models), one high-profile figure has already raised his hand: Pebble creator Eric Migicovsky.Google says the open-source PebbleOS includes most of the software's source code. The only exceptions are proprietary code for chipset and Bluetooth software. Google's Matthieu Jeanson, Katharine Berry and Liam McLoughlin wrote that developers face a non-trivial amount of work" in finding replacements for the stripped-out pieces of code. Migicovsky says he spurred the project by asking friends at Google if they would open-source the software.The Pebble founder, who went on to run Beeper (the iMessage for Android app that sparked a short-lived war with Apple), wrote on his blog that he wants his planned smartwatch to be a modern take on the original Pebble - a spiritual successor that doesn't try to reinvent the wheel. No one makes a smartwatch with the core set of features I want," he wrote. I had really, really, really hoped that someone else would come along and build a Pebble replacement. But no one has."KickstarterHis wishlist for the as-yet-unnamed product includes an always-on e-paper screen, long battery life, a simple and beautiful user experience," physical buttons and hackability (like custom watch faces). Those were indeed the hallmarks of the innovative and charming Pebble, which broke Kickstarter records and preceded Apple, Samsung and Google's models by several years.The new watch we're building basically has the same specs and features as Pebble, though with some fun new stuff as well," the Pebble founder wrote, adding that his team still needs to nail down the product's exact specifications and timeline. It runs open source PebbleOS, and it's compatible with all Pebble apps and watchfaces."Developers can get Google's open-sourced Pebble OS on GitHub. And if you're interested in Migicovsky's as-yet-unnamed spiritual successor to the 2013 smartwatch, you can sign up for updates on its webpage.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/google-open-sources-the-pebble-smartwatchs-software-and-its-creator-is-making-a-new-model-220526568.html?src=rss
On the same day Apple launched iOS 18.3 to the public, its dedicated sports app got a few tweaks - including beefed-up soccer coverage. Apple Sports also now has a new way to navigate favorites and broadcast info for each game's page.Apple has invested heavily in soccer for Apple TV+, scooping up the exclusive global rights to Major League Soccer (MLS) until 2033. The streaming service also has several exclusive MLS documentaries, including one about Lionel Messi. His arrival in America's premier soccer league quickly doubled the service's subscriptions. In a far less expensive move, today's Apple Sports update adds the ability to track match scores from England's FA Cup, the EFL Championship and the League Cup.The update adds a couple of UI tweaks, too. You can now swipe left or right to quickly scroll through your favorite teams and leagues. And it's easier to find out how to watch games: Each page now shows which network each nationally broadcast game is on.Apple Sports arrived in February 2024 as an easy, ad-free way to track scores and standings - including on the iPhone's Lock Screen through Live Activities. The app launched with support for basketball, hockey and soccer, the three major sports active last February. It was later updated to include baseball and football ahead of MLB and the NFL's opening days. In December, Apple added the ability to schedule Live Activities and a tab in the Play-By-Play section for video highlights.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/apple-sports-adds-the-fa-cup-and-other-uk-soccer-tournies-202654579.html?src=rss
Meta is giving its AI assistant a better memory" in an effort to make the chatbot more useful. The company's latest AI update allows the assistant to remember certain details that you share with it in 1:1 chat" and uses your past activity on Facebook and Instagram to make more personalized recommendations.With the change, which will initially be available to the US and Canada, Meta AI will be able to track your preferences based on information you share in chat with it. In a blog post, the company uses the example of food allergies and other dietary restrictions so meta AI will remember" to recommend recipes that fit your requirements.But the assistant will also be able to track other details about you, including information about your personal life and relationships. (Meta will allow you to track Meta AI's memories about you and remove specific details.) And, notably, Meta AI can now use your past activity across Facebook and Instagram to inform its interactions with you.MetaFor example, the company notes that Meta AI may suggest weekend activities based on the location you've identified on your Facebook profile and specific Reels you've watched. Meta's systems know a lot about their users, so these types of recommendations could be pretty far reaching and as eerily-accurate as Meta's in-app advertising.When asked for more details about what types of Facebook and Instagram activity may be used for these types of suggestions, a Meta spokesperson pointed to the company's Help Center. Other information from your profile like your age and gender, and interests based on your activity across our products, such as the types of content, including ads, you view or interact with and how you interact with it," it states, may be used to help personalize your interactions with AI."The latest Meta AI updates comes amid increasing hype around China-based DeepSeek, an AI assistant that's currently the top app in Apple's App Store. The sudden popularity of the assistant, which was purportedly developed for less than $6 million, has rattled investors and some in the AI industry. Meta's Chief AI Scientist, Yann Le Cun, however, said Monday that the market reactions to DeepSeek are woefully unjustified."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-ai-will-now-use-your-facebook-and-instagram-activity-to-inform-its-recommendations-201218403.html?src=rss
Bluesky just announced that it's adding a new video tab to user profiles as part of a software update. This is nothing too crazy. It's just an easy way for users to easily peruse all of the videos someone has posted, whether it's original content or stuff pulled from other social networks. It's like the pre-existing "Media" tab, but exclusively for vids.Engadget/Lawrence BonkThis is yet another pivot to video" move by Bluesky. It recently introduced a vertical footage feature on mobile called Trending Videos, which is eerily reminiscent of TikToks, YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels.There are also several TikTok rivals being built on top of Bluesky's AT Protocol, though most are still in closed testing. Even billionaire Mark Cuban wants to get in on the action. All of these upstarts would, of course, receive a much-needed injection of eyeballs if TikTok were to actually be banned, but who knows what's going on there.Bluesky update 1.97 isn't just about the video tab. It also streamlines the process to block folks who pop up in DMs and offers translation improvements.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/bluesky-adds-a-video-tab-to-user-profiles-193929994.html?src=rss
Following a string of misfires, Ubisoft is shutting down a support studio and downsizing elsewhere, with the company firing around 185 workers in its latest cost-cutting measure. Ubisoft Leamington, situated in the English town of Royal Leamington Spa, is no more as the publisher is scuttling the 50-person studio. It's also laying off employees in Stockholm; Dusseldorf, Germany; and Newcastle, England (Ubisoft Reflections)."As part of our ongoing efforts to prioritize projects and reduce costs that ensure long-term stability at Ubisoft, we have announced targeted restructurings at Ubisoft Dusseldorf, Ubisoft Stockholm and Ubisoft Reflections and the permanent closure of Ubisoft Leamington site," Ubisoft told Eurogamer in a statement. "Unfortunately, this should impact 185 employees overall. We are deeply grateful for their contributions and are committed to supporting them through this transition."Ubisoft bought the Leamington studio from Activision in 2017. It was previously known as FreeStyleGames and the team was behind Guitar Hero Live and the DJ Hero series. Since joining Ubisoft, the studio has assisted with development on the Tom Clancy's The Division games, Star Wars Outlaws, Skull and Bones and Far Cry 5.Things have been tumultuous at Ubisoft recently, as the company is dealing with the fallout of several underperforming games, such as Star Wars Outlaws, which didn't meet sales targets. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown fell short of Ubisoft's sales expectations too, and the company shifted many of the game's developers to other teams. Ubisoft is also shutting down XDefiant in the coming months, with the publisher shutting three studios and laying off 277 workers as part of that decision. As Eurogamer notes, Ubisoft's headcount dropped from 20,279 to 18,666 by the end of September.Perhaps aligned with those recent woes, there have been numerous reports that Ubisoft is seeking a buyer or that it may create a joint venture with Tencent with some of its assets included. The company said earlier this month (PDF) that it would "continue to drive significant cost reductions" and it had "appointed leading advisors to review and pursue various transformational strategic and capitalistic options to extract the best value for stakeholders."Suffice to say, there's a lot riding on the upcoming Assassin's Creed Shadows. Assassin's Creed has been a reliably bankable series for Ubisoft and it's arguably the company's flagship franchise at this point. Based on my early impressions, the game looks good enough and plays well enough for what the company needs it to do, and it seems to cater to both long-standing fans and series newcomers. There's a chance that Shadows could be successful for the company, but it's a mighty tall order for a single game to right a ship that's as large and unsteady as Ubisoft.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ubisoft-shuts-down-a-support-studio-and-lays-off-185-workers-191048262.html?src=rss
Swedish indie development studio Hazelight just dropped a new trailer for its forthcoming co-op adventure Split Fiction. This new footage takes a more indepth look at the actual nuts and bolts of the cooperative gameplay. Remember, Hazelight is the same company that made the genre-defining It Takes Two and A Way Out.Unlike the bickering parents of It Takes Two, this game stars a sci-fi writer and a fantasy author as they travel into various fantastical worlds. It's a story of friendship, and not marital collapse. This should make for fewer awkward conversations between couples as they play through the campaign.The company calls Split Fiction a boundary-pushing co-op adventure." There are all kinds of unique mechanics shown off in the trailer, which is quite a feat since previous footage already showed off dozens of fun-looking ideas. There are dragons, cyberpunk motorcycles and even Dune-like sandworms.Hazelight also announced a new mechanic called Side Stories, which are one-off adventures hidden in main story levels. This allows the main characters to do even more stuff, like surf on a sandfish or snowboard down a mountain during a heated battle. The co-op madness will never end.Split Fiction comes out on March 6 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. The game supports crossplay and purchasers will be able to invite friends to play with them for free on any platform.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-new-split-fiction-trailer-shows-off-some-intense-co-op-gameplay-190028752.html?src=rss
iOS 18.3 is here. After over a month in beta, the update is now available for everyone using an eligible device on Monday. Among other changes, Apple's new software turns on Apple Intelligence by default (although you can still opt out) and makes it clearer when the company's AI generates notification summaries. Apple said earlier this month that a future update would more clearly label Apple Intelligence notification summaries, which arrived in iOS 18.1 in October. That came after the BBC reported that news summaries were twisted to falsely state that the accused murderer of health insurance CEO Brian Thompson had shot himself. Other bogus summaries claimed a darts player won a world title before playing in the final and that tennis superstar Rafael Nadal had come out as gay. The following week, Apple took it a step further and paused notification summaries of all news alerts in the iOS 18.3 beta. It isn't yet clear if they'll be back in today's public release, but they will at some point. Before iOS 18.3, the summaries were only indicated by a small icon. In the new software, the entire summary is italicized, and there's an all-caps Summarized by Apple Intelligence" note below each AI-generated recap. Apple seems to want to boost the adoption of Apple Intelligence on compatible devices, as iOS 18.3 enables the slew of AI features by default during onboarding. You can still opt out, but it takes a few seconds of work: Head to Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri and turn off the toggle. Other new features in iOS 18.3 are subtler changes: Visual intelligence can now add calendar events from posters or flyers, and it's better at identifying plants and animals. Of course, there's plenty of little bug fixes, too. As always, you can grab the update by heading to Settings > General > Software Update. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/ios-183-is-here-with-clearly-labeled-apple-intelligence-notification-summaries-181935725.html?src=rss
In the latest riveting episode of Everything Costs More, Fubo raised the prices of all of its English-language plans by $5 for new customers. The hike includes Fubo's Essential plan, which only launched in early December. In a statement to The Streamable (which first reported the news), Fubo blamed the fee hikes on increased programming costs. The regular prices of the English-language plans have increased $5 due to rising costs from our programming partners," a spokesperson wrote. We only make adjustments when necessary, and we're committed to keeping Fubo competitive while ensuring our subscribers have access to the channels, features and live events they enjoy." The changes now put Fubo's cheapest plan (the aforementioned Essential bundle) at $85 monthly, slightly more than YouTube TV's $83. The latter raised its fees by $10 per month in early December - up from the $35 monthly price it debuted with in 2017. In addition to Fubo's $85 Essential plan, the streamer offers a Pro plan that technically costs the same. But its angle is that, unlike Essentials, it includes regional sports networks, which add mandatory fees of up to $16 per month to the base price. Essentials gives you the option of skipping the RSNs and their fees if you aren't worried about losing many of your local teams' games. (Yes, live-streaming TV is often now as much of a confusing mess as traditional cable.) Fubo Elite, which now costs $95 monthly (plus RSN fees), includes 78 extra channels -like The Cooking Channel, NBA TV and MLB TV. Fubo also offers a $33 Spanish-language Latino plan with networks such as ESPN Deportes, Cine Latino and Nat Geo Mundo. It was the only subscription tier spared from the price hikes. Although Fubo is arguably the best live TV service for sports, it has some significant missing pieces compared to rivals like YouTube TV. Notable omissions are channels from Warner Bros. Discovery (CNN, TNT, TBS, HGTV, Discovery, Food Network and more), A&E and AMC. To ease the blow (very briefly), Fubo is offering savings to new subscribers on their first month of service. New signups get $25 off their first month of the Essential plan and $20 off Elite or Pro. Meanwhile, you can save $8 on the Latino plan. Just remember that the full prices will kick in after that single discounted month. Earlier this month, Fubo and Disney agreed to merge the streaming service with Hulu + Live TV. If the deal gets shareholder and regulatory approval, it will create a new entity (under the Fubo brand) to manage both services. At least the initial promise is that the two services will continue to operate independently. Disney will own 70 percent of the new company, while Fubo will have 30 percent. The two products currently boast a combined six million subscribers. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/fubo-raises-prices-on-all-english-language-plans-181540573.html?src=rss
Have you ever wanted to raise Anakin Skywalker, instead of letting those hoity-toity Jedi fumble the whole thing? Here's your chance, albeit in the form of a virtual pet. Bandai just announced a Darth Vader-themed Tamagotchi, complete with a protective silicone case that's shaped like the Sith lord's iconic helmet.As for the software, it's a Tamagotchi with a Star Wars sheen. You raise a sprite-based Anakin from a boy, influencing his transformation into Darth Vader. You can feed him, train him and take him to meet characters from the wider universe.There's one thing you can't do. You can't love him enough to avoid his eventual fall to the dark side. Anakin will always turn into Darth Vader, though your specific caretaking (or lack thereof) will influence what kind of menace he grows into. The company says there are ten unique Darth Vader personalities that can blossom.BandaiThe Vader Tamagotchi also plays over a dozen low-res renditions of famous scenes from the movies, and even includes several minigames. There's a word puzzle, lightsaber training, a take on the famous Death Star trench run and more. Oddly, there's no pod-racing minigame.This cute lil genocidal maniac goes on sale in March, with pre-orders available right now. It costs $30. The Vader-based virtual pet is the third Star Wars-themed Tamagotchi. There's already one inspired by R2-D2 and another based on Grogu.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/now-you-can-raise-anakin-skywalker-with-this-darth-vader-tamagotchi-173422209.html?src=rss
Chinese AI assistant DeepSeek has become the top rated free app on Apple's App Store in the US and elsewhere, beating out ChatGPT and other rivals. It's powered by the open-source DeepSeek V3 model, which reportedly requires far less computing power than competitors and was developed for under $6 million, according to (disputed) claims by the company. At the same time, it offers performance that's on par with Claude-3.5, GPT-4o and other rivals, DeepSeek said last week.The news that DeepSeek topped the App Store charts caused a sharp drop in tech stocks like NVIDIA and ASML this morning. Google parent company Alphabet and Microsoft were also down this morning. As the New York Times notes, the overall Nasdaq and S&P 500 dropped as well, and markets in Europe and Japan also took a bit of a hit.Available on web, app and API, DeepSeek is similar to AI Assistant like ChatGPT with features like coding content creation and research. Its first DeepSeek-R1 release is available under an MIT license, so it can be used commercially and without restrictions.The company is headquartered in Hangzhou, China and was founded in 2023 by Liang Wenfeng, who also launched the hedge fund backing DeepSeek. To develop the tech, he reportedly stockpiled NVIDIA A100 chips prior to the US export ban and paired those with less powerful chips that can still be imported, according to MIT Technology Review.However, DeepSeek was still at a significant hardware disadvantage next to rival models from OpenAI, Google and others. That forced the company to be more efficient with its AI models, and it has supposedly been able to build and train them at a far lower cost than previously thought possible.Analysts from Citi and elsewhere have questioned those claims, though, and pointed out that China is a "more restrictive environment" for AI development than the US. Still, the rise of DeepSeek has raised concerns about the potential profits of rivals like OpenAI that have already invested billions in AI infrastructure.All the attention today around DeepSeek appears to have attracted some bad actors, though. According to CNBC, DeepSeek says it is temporarily limiting registrations for the service in light of "large-scale malicious attacks." Existing users should be able to log in as usual, however. But if all the buzz around the tool made you want to check it out, you might have to be patient.Update, January 27 2025, 11:47AM ET: This story has been updated with details on the cyber-attack on DeepSeek that has limited registrations for the service.Update, January 27 2025, 11:27AM ET: This story and its headline were updated with more details on the stock price drops that appear to have hit this morning in conjunction with the news around DeepSeek.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/chinas-deepseek-ai-assistant-becomes-top-free-iphone-app-as-us-tech-stocks-take-a-hit-134445151.html?src=rss
January is almost over, and Amazon has some new Apple deals for us. The 13-inch M4 iPad Pro is now down to a record-low price of $1,099 if you get the 256GB model. Additionally, the 11-inch M4 iPad Pro is also on sale for $899, and both color options have an extra $50 coupon to reduce the price even further to $849. The M4 is Apple's latest chipset, and it boasts 10 cores in its CPU for high-settings gaming and video editing. The 2,752 x 2,064 Ultra Retina XDR OLED screen's color accuracy is also great for streaming content on Netflix, YouTube and more. The high refresh rate ProMotion, P3 wide color and True Tone display technologies further improve the experience by improving the refresh rate and colors - in our review, we called it one of the nicest portable screens we've seen. Some users also like capturing pictures and videos with their iPads, and the M4 iPads are equipped with a 12MP ultra wide front camera that performs superbly on video calls. The 12MP wide rear camera captures video up to 4K resolution with ProRes support. If you're still not sure, the M4 iPad is on our list of best Apple tablets. It's a premium device, but one that won't let you down when it comes to processing power and screen quality. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-m4-ipad-pro-is-up-to-200-off-right-now-150555119.html?src=rss
Life can be really hard and sometimes all we want is to sink onto the couch, turn our brains off and play game after game. That's part of the reason we're such big fans of the Xbox Ultimate Game Pass, which offers access to hundreds of Xbox and PC games all for one monthly price. Well, right now, you can get a three-month Xbox Ultimate Game Pass for just $34, down from $50. The 32 percent discount means it's a few dollars shy of its December deal, but it's still a great offer. You can shop the sale at Woot for the next two days or until it sells out. Speaking of deals, Woot is also running a sale on lots of gaming items, such as the 8Bitdo Retro Mechanical Keyboard - down to $60 from $100 - and the 8Bitdo Ultimate 3-mode Controller for Xbox - down to $40 from $70. Then there's games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which is down to $40 from $60, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, which is available for $45, down from $70. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/three-months-of-xbox-game-pass-ultimate-costs-only-34-right-now-143301599.html?src=rss
Calling all iPhone lovers: we might just have a full look at Apple's iPhone SE 4 on our hands. X (formerly Twitter) user Majin Bu shared what Bu claims is the new iPhone SE 4. The leaker posted a video of the device from all angles and then four photos of both a black and white model from the back.There's no guarantee that these posts aren't just highlighting a well-done dummy unit - a version typically made for accessory manufacturers. But, if real, then there's a few things we can glean. One of the most significant bits is that this iPhone SE 4 still has a notch. In 2022, Apple released its Dynamic Island design on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, foregoing the front camera's notch for a more integrated appearance. The iPhone 15 and 16 also got the Dynamic Island but, despite rumors it would come to the next SE, this leak indicates the notch will remain.
I didn't set out to play jump rope STAR!when I picked up my Playdate this weekend. I was actually looking for something else, but lazily searched only half of the correct title and found myself staring at jump rope STAR! at the top of the results instead. Curious - in part because Hot Rope Jump" was one of my favorite minigames in Mario Party 2 back in the day - I clicked on it, and was greeted by pictures that look like something I'd tape to my refrigerator if given by a 5-year-old. It was kind of a say no more" moment; I purchased it immediately. As you'd expect from the title, jump rope STAR! is a jump rope game for Playdate. It offers a few different modes for solo and co-op play, the latter involving two players sharing one device. I haven't run into many multiplayer games for Playdate, so that alone is pretty cool. The game was made by Chris Corciega (Soinksters Games), but the art was designed by a talented 5-year old," Maya. And it is adorable. As you try to set new high scores, you use the crank to control the swing of a jump rope held by a bipedal bunny and a... striped pig (?). Okay I'm not entirely sure what the second character is, but those two are swinging the rope, and the goal is to do so in time with the little stick-figure girl's jumps so you don't trip her up. Her timing isn't always consistent and she speeds up as you progress, so it starts to get pretty tricky after a minute or so. But, achieving perfect swings will earn you points in the Star Meter that's on the side of the screen, and once it's filled, you can use that power to temporarily slow down time and get more swings in while the girl is in the air. In the other modes, things get a little more complicated. Playing with a friend in the two-player catch mode, for example, one of you will have to press buttons to move the girl around so she can catch falling stars while the other person swings the rope. (Very hard to do on your own, I discovered). It's a simple but fun little game, made even better by the fact that you can involve someone else in the silliness. Both adults and children would be able to enjoy it, and there is a kid mode for a more forgiving style of play if you don't want family game night to get too competitive. This strikes me as another one of those perfectly Playdate games - the kind that just seems like a natural fit for the device, and that you'd show your friends to try to get them to understand its charm. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/i-think-i-found-the-most-wholesome-game-in-the-playdate-catalog-222138394.html?src=rss
The Hubble Space Telescope is still trucking along more than 30 years after its launch, observing the universe and sending home images for us to marvel at. This week, NASA and ESA highlighted an image captured by Hubble of the highly productive Tarantula Nebula (officially named 30 Doradus) in the Large Magellanic Cloud, and it's a sight to behold.
An obscure horror game from the late 80s that gained a cult following by way of shareware is coming back from the grave. Last Half of Darkness, a point and click horror adventure created by developer Bill Fisher, has been completely remade with modern graphics, along with a new soundtrack and updates to the story and puzzles, according to Eurogamer. Fisher's WRF Studios shared a teaser for the remake on Friday, and the game is due to be released on Steam on February 7.In the game, you're tasked with exploring the creepy property of the player character's dead aunt, solving puzzles and making choices that hopefully won't get you killed. The description explains:
Following a report by NPR that said the Trump administration is working on a deal with Oracle and other investors to take over TikTok in the US, Trump has denied any talks with Oracle but says he has spoken to many people about TikTok" and may make a decision in the next month, according to Reuters. Trump signed an executive order shortly after taking office on Monday that delays the enforcement of the TikTok ban by 75 days, giving the app's parent company ByteDance more time to figure out a deal that would allow it to continue US operations.NPR, citing sources with direct knowledge of the talks," originally reported that Oracle met with White House officials on Friday to discuss a deal in which Oracle and other American investors would end up with a majority stake in TikTok and oversee things like data collection. Microsoft has also been involved with the talks, according to NPR. The goal is for Oracle to effectively monitor and provide oversight with what is going on with TikTok," an unnamed source told NPR. ByteDance wouldn't completely go away, but it would minimize Chinese ownership."When asked about a potential deal with Oracle by reporters during an Air Force One flight Saturday night, though, Trump said, per Reuters, No, not with Oracle. Numerous people are talking to me, very substantial people, about buying it and I will make that decision probably over the next 30 days."Prior to the ban going into effect on January 19, ByteDance pushed back against the idea of selling TikTok to appease US lawmakers. But it changed its tune on Sunday after Trump stepped in to temporarily bring the app back online, issuing a statement on TikTok's X account saying that the company will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States."It came a few hours after Trump wrote in a Truth Social post during the short-lived TikTok blackout that he would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture." Still, his exact plan remains unclear. According to one of the sources that spoke with NPR, Nobody seems to know what he means with the 50 percent equity comments."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/trump-denies-talks-with-oracle-about-a-tiktok-deal-but-says-a-decision-will-likely-be-made-within-30-days-163755199.html?src=rss
I don't know if you can believe it, but we're fast approaching the end of January. And I want to kick off the first review recap of 2025 by acknowledging how busy it's already been. CES 2025, which to me seemed to go on for a year, now feels like it happened months ago. We've witnessed TikTok disappear and return, a new president get sworn in and Samsung launch new phones. Even with all that's been happening, our reviewers have been hard at work, with Devindra testing the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 and Billy on a number of headphones and grills. So much for easing into 2025. Before I give you the full recap, I also wanted to shout out some reviews we published in the later half of December, as well as others we recently updated. This article typically goes out every two weeks, but with the holidays, CES and Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked, we had to skip a few editions. In that time, I didn't get the chance to tell you all about our re-reviews of gaming consoles that were launched years ago, like the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5. We wanted to revisit our evaluations of these systems and their respective game libraries, to see how well they stack up today. The team also published and updated reviews of colorful Kindles, an Intel processor, a Samsung Chromebook and more. Here's a quick list, but you can always go to our Reviews page to scroll on your own time, if you prefer:
The latest WhatsApp beta update for iOS gives users the ability to add and switch between multiple accounts on a single device, according to WABetaInfo. It comes over a year after the feature became available for Android. With version 25.2.10.70 for iOS, users are given a choice when adding a second account to the app, WABetaInfo reports: they can set it up as a standalone primary account or scan a QR code to link the new account as a companion." The update is available now for beta testers through Apple's TestFlight program.
These are the new releases that we picked up this week. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/what-to-read-this-weekend-an-immersive-new-work-of-africanfuturism-210001195.html?src=rss
A new Resident Evil reboot from Barbarian writer and director Zach Cregger is in the works, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The publication reports that Cregger is on board to write and direct the movie, which will be produced by Constantin Film and PlayStation Productions, with Shay Hatten (John Wick: Chapter 4 ) as co-writer. I'm probably not the only one questioning whether we really need another Resident Evil movie after half a dozen titles in the Milla Jovovich-led series and 2021's Welcome to Raccoon City, but as someone who loved Barbarian, I can't say I'm not intrigued.Per The Hollywood Reporter, Cregger's take is described by sources as a revamp that will take the title to its horror roots and be more faithful to the initial games." There aren't any details about the upcoming movie beyond that, but Warner Bros., Netflix and two other studios are reportedly in a bidding war for it.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-filmmaker-behind-barbarian-is-leading-a-new-resident-evil-reboot-173415349.html?src=rss
Marvel Snap was one of the unexpected casualties of the TikTok shutdown that briefly went into effect last weekend, and as a way of making things right with users, its developers at Second Dinner are now offering huge rewards packages to everyone directly and indirectly affected. As detailed in an article on X, US users will get the most substantial compensation, but even players outside the country will get a Global Gratitude Package" for dealing with the disruptions. Second Dinner was able to bring Marvel Snap back online earlier this week, and it expects the app to be restored in the Google Play Store and App Store in the coming days.In addition to the bonuses, Second Dinner said it's working to bring more services in-house and partner with a new publisher" to prevent this type of scenario from arising again. Marvel Snap's current publisher, Nuverse, has ties to TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, which is what got it swept up in the ban. This is the beginning of a new era in MARVEL SNAP," Second Dinner said in the post. The bonus packages will be issued to users sometime next week."The US Downtime Package" for users who have reached Collection Level 500 or over includes 2 Spotlight Keys; 5000 Season Pass XP; 4150 Credits; 6200 Collector's Tokens; 1000 Gold; 5 Gold Conquest Ticket; 3 Infinite Conquest Ticket; 4000 Conquest Medals; 1 Mystery Variant; 6 Premium Mystery Variants; 1 Cosmic Red Border (Super Rare); 3 Cosmic Gold Border (Super Rare); and 155 x5 Random Boosters. For those under Collection Level 500, it'll be 6 Mystery Series 3 Cards; 5000 Season Pass XP; 7150 Credits; 1000 Gold; 1 Mystery Variant; 6 Premium Mystery Variant; 1 Cosmic Red Border (Super Rare); 3 Cosmic Gold Border (Super Rare); and 155 x5 Random BoostersUsers outside of the US and over Collection Level 500 will get 2 Spotlight Keys; 3000 Collector's Tokens; 1500 Credits; 1 Mystery Variant; 1 Premium Mystery Variant; 1 Cosmic Gold Border (Super Rare); 1 Cosmic Red Border (Super Rare); and 155 x3 Random Boosters. Those under Collection Level 500 will get 6 Mystery Series 3 Cards; 3000 Credits; 1 Mystery Variant; 1 Premium Mystery Variant; 1 Cosmic Gold Border (Super Rare); 1 Cosmic Red Border (Super Rare) and 155 x3 Random Boosters.Importantly, Second Dinner also notes, A players' usage of a VPN will not affect their eligibility. This includes players from outside the US VPN-ing into the US to try and receive the US Downtime Package.'"This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/marvel-snap-users-are-getting-a-welcome-back-rewards-package-to-make-up-for-the-tiktok-ban-outage-160134470.html?src=rss
Apple posted iOS 18 adoption rates on Friday, which are only slightly different from the numbers for iOS 17 a year ago. The company says iOS 18 has been installed on 68 percent of all iPhones (as of January 21) and 76 percent of models from the last four years.A year ago, 66 percent of all iPhones ran iOS 17, so there's a two-percent uptick for iOS 18 this year. The other stat was identical to today's data: 76 percent of iPhones from the previous four years were running iOS 17 in January 2024.iPad owners aren't moving any needles dramatically, either. Apple says 53 percent of all iPads are running iPadOS 18 (the same as iPadOS 17 a year ago). And 63 percent of the tablets from the last four years run iPadOS 18. That's a notch above the 61 percent of devices from the previous four years running iPadOS 17 early last year.Does the minor boost come from Apple Intelligence wooing a few extra curious adopters? Unfortunately, the company is mum about how many people have opted into its suite of generative AI features.Regardless, we can speculate that Apple wants Apple Intelligence adoption to grow: In the latest iOS 18.3 beta, Apple is enabling its AI features by default during onboarding. (You can still opt out after that, but you have to dig into settings to do so.) In previous versions, it was an opt-in feature you had to explicitly agree to during setup. That software could arrive as early as next week.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/apple-says-68-percent-of-all-iphones-are-running-ios-18-195956904.html?src=rss
The extremely popular strategy game Endless Legend is finally getting a sequel, ten whole years after the original game began blowing up sales charts. Developer Amplitude Studios, who made the first one, just dropped a trailer for Endless Legend 2 and it looks pretty darned cool.This game and its sequel fall under the 4X" sub-genre of strategy games, meaning the crux of the gameplay involves building an empire of some kind. The Civilization titles are a great example of 4X strategy. 4X actually stands for eXplore, eXpand, eXploit and eXterminate. I guess 4E" just didn't have the same vibe.In any event, Endless Legend 2 is set in a new location, the oceanic world of Saiadha. The trailer hints at the mysterious nature of this world and showcases the refined gameplay mechanics. It also looks like players could stumble upon an imprisoned god during campaigns. Good times.Players can adopt the role of various factions in the game, many of which are shown off in the trailer. There's a human-like race, an insectoid race and a centaur-like race, among others.Here's more good news for fans of the original. While Amplitude hasn't announced a release date yet, it did say that it will enter early access in early 2025." Using my advanced math skills I have deduced that it's early 2025 right now. The early access build will let players take control of four of the aforementioned factions, with two more coming with the full release.If that nebulous release date has got you down, there's a way to try the game out even earlier. The company has reopened applications for its insider program. Not everyone will be selected for the initial testing phase, but it's worth a shot.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/endless-legend-2-is-real-and-theres-a-mysterious-trailer-to-prove-it-191206441.html?src=rss
Subaru left open a gaping security flaw that, although patched, lays bare modern vehicles' myriad privacy issues. Security researchers Sam Curry and Shubham Shah reported their findings (via Wired) about an easily hacked employee web portal. After gaining access, they were able to remotely control a test vehicle and view a year's worth of location data. They warn that Subaru is far from alone in having lax security around vehicle data.After the security analysts notified Subaru, the company quickly patched the exploit. Fortunately, the researchers say less-than-ethical hackers hadn't breached it before then. But they say authorized Subaru employees can still access owners' location history with only a single piece of the following information: the owner's last name, zip code, email address, phone number or license plate.The hacked admin portal was part of Subaru's Starlink suite of connectivity features. (No relation to the SpaceX satellite internet service of the same name.) Curry and Shah got in by finding a Subaru Starlink employee's email address on LinkedIn and resetting the worker's password after bypassing two required security questions - because it took place in the end user's web browser, not Subaru's servers. They also bypassed two-factor authentication by doing the simplest thing that we could think of: removing the client-side overlay from the UI."Although the researchers' tests traced the test vehicle's location back one year, they can't rule out the possibility that authorized Subaru employees can snoop back even farther. That's because the test car (a 2023 Subaru Impreza Curry bought for his mother on the condition that he could hack it) had only been in use for about that long. The location data wasn't generalized to some broad swath of land, either: It was accurate to less than 17 feet and updated each time the engine started.After searching and finding my own vehicle in the dashboard, I confirmed that the Starlink admin dashboard should have access to pretty much any Subaru in the United States, Canada, and Japan," Curry wrote. We wanted to confirm that there was nothing we were missing, so we reached out to a friend and asked if we could hack her car to demonstrate that there was no pre-requisite or feature which would've actually prevented a full vehicle takeover. She sent us her license plate, we pulled up her vehicle in the admin panel, then finally we added ourselves to her car."In addition to tracking their location, the admin portal allowed the researchers to remotely start, stop, lock and unlock any Starlink-connected Subaru vehicle. They said Curry's mother never received notifications that they had added themselves as authorized users, nor did she receive alerts when they unlocked her car.They could also query and retrieve personal information for any customer, including their emergency contacts, authorized users, home address, the last four digits of their credit card and vehicle PIN. In addition, they were able to access the owner's support call history and the vehicle's previous owners, odometer reading and sales history.In a statement to Engadget, Subaru Communications Director Dominick Infante wrote, Subaru of America, Inc. was notified by independent security researchers of a vulnerability in its Starlink service that had the potential to allow third-party access to Starlink accounts. Subaru patched the vulnerability that same day, and no Subaru vehicles or customer data was ever accessed without authorization. The independent researchers were able to access two accounts belonging to a family member and a friend who provided them with authorization to do so."Subaru also stressed that its cars can't be driven remotely and that the company doesn't sell location data. It also said only certain employees can access driver location data based on job relevancy.The security researchers say the tracking and security failures - stemming from the ability of a single employee to access a ton of personal information" - are hardly unique to Subaru. Wired notes that Curry and Shah's previous work exposed similar flaws affecting vehicles from Acura, Genesis, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Kia, Toyota and others.The pair believes there's reason for serious concern about the industry's location tracking and poor security measures. The auto industry is unique in that an 18-year-old employee from Texas can query the billing information of a vehicle in California, and it won't really set off any alarm bells," Curry wrote. It's part of their normal day-to-day job. The employees all have access to a ton of personal information, and the whole thing relies on trust. It seems really hard to really secure these systems when such broad access is built into the system by default."The researchers' full report is worth a read.Update, January 24, 2025, 1:07PM ET: This story has been updated to add a statement from Subaru.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/subarus-poor-security-left-troves-of-vehicle-data-easily-accessible-182514123.html?src=rss
In its year-and-a-half of existence, one of the things that's set Threads apart from Meta's other apps is that the service has been entirely free of the advertising that fills up just about every corner of Facebook and Instagram. That's now about to change. Meta is beginning its first small test" of ads on Threads, Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced, as the company looks to finally start making money off the service.The ads will appear as image posts in between content in users' feeds and will show up only for a small percentage of people" in the US and Japan. According to Mosseri, Meta plans to begin with a handful of brands" in the two countries. We know there will be plenty of feedback about how we should approach ads, and we are making sure they feel like Threads posts you'd find relevant and interesting," he wrote. We'll closely monitoring this test before scaling it more broadly, with the goal of getting ads on Threads to a place where they are as interesting as organic content."It seems that Meta is using its existing advertising infrastructure to bring ads to the app. In a blog post, the company explains that brands can extend their existing Meta ad campaigns to Threads-without the need for bespoke creative or additional resourcing-by simply checking a box in Ads Manager." The company will also test its inventory filter" on Threads, which allows advertisers to control the sensitivity level of the organic content their ads appear next to." That will likely be an important feature for marketers as Meta loosens its content moderation guidelines and once again allows more political content to appear in users' recommendations.Though the initial test is small, using its existing ad tools would enable Meta to scale Threads ads to many more advertisers, and its 300 million users, very quickly in the future. Mark Zuckerberg has previously indicated that he preferred a slow approach to building Threads' ad business. All these new products, we ship them, and then there's a multi-year time horizon between scaling them and then scaling them into not just consumer experiences but very large businesses," the CEO said last year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-begins-a-small-test-of-ads-on-threads-174523673.html?src=rss
It's Friday, which means it's once again time for us to venture into the discount mines and dig out a few tech deals worth your attention. This week's roundup includes the lowest price in a year for Crucial's X9 Pro, which we consider the best portable SSD for those who want a travel-friendly way to back up their data. Apple's 11-inch iPad Air and Google's Pixel 8a phone are each $100 off, while the Meta Quest 3S and OLED TVs from LG and Sony are cheaper than usual too. We're also seeing a few price drops on video games and gaming accessories we recommend. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still buy today.The Meta Quest 3S.Devindra Hardawar for Engadget
The Switch 2 is a big boy. That was my main takeaway from Nintendo's long-awaited reveal of its next portable. How could you have watched that trailer and left with any other impression? It's not like Nintendo showed much else. Sure, there was the slide about backward compatibility, but the difference in size between the two systems stood out even there. It got me thinking: How big is too big? And did Nintendo prioritize the wrong design choices?If you had been following along with all the pre-release leaks, you knew this was coming. I certainly did, but I had still hoped that the rumors of an 8-inch display were wrong. I'm a relative newcomer to the Switch. My girlfriend and I split the cost of an OLED model during Black Friday 2024. Since then, it's become one of my favorite ways to play games, in big part because of its portability.Nintendo/EngadgetThe Switch OLED is not as powerful as my gaming PC, but I can curl up to play games on the couch with it. It's also small enough to fit in my 15L backpack, making it great for travel. I also love the OLED screen. It makes every game look better, to the point where I can forgive some for performing poorly on the system.On paper, the Switch 2 should retain at least some of the OLED model's portability, but I wonder how easy it will be to transport. Consider that if the Switch 2 ships with an 8-inch display, it will feature a bigger screen than the Steam Deck OLED. The Steam Deck is, like the Switch, a handheld, but I would argue it's not portable in any true sense of the word.I once tried to pack the Steam Deck for a trip, but I gave up after I found it impossible to fit it in my duffle alongside everything else I needed to bring with me. I haven't tried to travel with the Steam Deck since. It's too early to tell if the Switch 2 will suffer from the same problem and it looks relatively thin, but depending on how much it weighs, I suspect a lot of people will use it almost exclusively in their homes.That's not inherently a bad thing, but the genius of the Switch is how it promotes co-op play. I'm almost certainly in the minority here, but tablet mode is one of my favorite ways to play the Switch. On a recent flight my girlfriend and I took to Europe, the Switch was a godsend on a plane with no in-flight entertainment.I know the Switch 2 will feature a tablet mode just like its predecessor, but I wonder how many people will take advantage of that capability with a larger, heavier device? I can see it going two ways. Either the bigger screen makes that feature more attractive, or more people leave their Switch 2 at home because it's cumbersome to carry around.The other big unknown here is battery life. If the Switch 2 features an 8nm chip paired with 1080p LCD as has been rumored, it's very likely its battery won't last nearly as long as the Switch OLED's. Before Nintendo released the Mariko" revision of the original model and later the Switch OLED, battery life wasn't the console's strong suit, and I suspect it won't be the Switch 2's either.There are still so many unknowns about the Switch 2, but the thing that struck me about the console's recent reveal was that I wasn't fully convinced it would be a clear upgrade over the Switch OLED. Obviously, the Switch 2 will offer far greater performance and what looks like a much more solid set of Joy-Cons, but I'm not too excited about a system that could be bigger, and feature a worse screen and battery life. If those predictions turn out to be true, I'm probably sticking with my Switch OLED until Nintendo announces a Switch 2 Lite or Switch 2 OLED.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/what-if-the-nintendo-switch-2-is-too-big-150002921.html?src=rss
Netflix's co-chief executive officer Gregory Peters said that the company has made some "good early progress" since it launched games during a call for the streaming service's Q4 2024 earnings. He also mentioned the company's plans for the future of gaming on the service, including rolling out party and couch co-op games that you can stream online. As The Verge notes, Netflix started testing its game streaming technology last year, but it was very limited, and it wasn't clear how it fared. Turns out the company intends to continue investing into the technology and expanding its reach."We think of this as a successor to family board game night or an evolution of what the game show on TV used to be," Peters added when he talked about rolling out party and couch co-op games. He also said that the company will continue adding mainstream titles like GTA, which got tens of millions of downloads, to its offerings. Netflix will continue releasing games based on its shows, as well, because they tend to become fan favorites. Squid Game: Unleashed apparently reached the top spot in app stores' lists for action games in 107 countries. It's on pace to become Netflix's most downloaded game yet.Peters said that Netflix is already seeing "positive impacts in acquisition and retention from [its] game-playing members." He admitted that the positive effects brought about by gaming on the platform are still "relatively small," but Netflix's budget for games is also smaller than its budget for shows and movies. As a result, the company will continue "scaling that investment" as it sees its benefits to acquiring new and retaining old subscribers.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/netflixs-push-into-gaming-will-add-party-and-couch-co-op-150050223.html?src=rss
Sony is ending production of recordable Blu-ray, MiniDisc and MD Data disc media, along with MiniDV cassettes, the company announced. Last year, Sony said that it would gradually end production of recordable optical media and production at its Tagajo City plant due to poor sales. Now, production will definitively halt next month and "there will be no successor models," according to the Japanese web page.In the announcement, Sony referred to "Blu-ray Disc media," by which it means recordable media only, not Blu-ray discs used to distribute movies (Engadget asked Sony to confirm that it's only halting recordable optical disc production). Sony currently offers 11 products in the recordable category, ranging from 25GB to 128GB, in both R (write once) and RE (write multiple times).While Sony is ceasing production of recordable Blu-ray discs, they're still available from Verbatim and possibly others. However, MiniDiscs may be hard to come by as Sony was one of the few remaining manufacturers - so you may want to stock up while they're still for sale.MiniDisc, mostly used for audio recording, has seen a bit of a resurgence among audiophiles due in part to the tactile experience compared to streaming. It was widely used by professionals as it supports live recording and still has a presence in studios because a lot of content has been archived to that format. (Fun fact: the character Neo in The Matrix stores his ill-begotten wares, whatever they are, on MiniDiscs.)Once popular for movie collection and file archiving, recordable Blu-ray and other optical media were effectively killed by streaming services, cheap memory, and cloud storage. All of the formats Sony killed have been around for decades, with BD-RE arriving 2002, MiniDisc in 1992, MD Data in 1993 and MiniDV cassettes, primarily used for video production, first appearing in 1995.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/sony-is-halting-production-of-recordable-blu-ray-minidiscs-and-minidv-cassettes-140030225.html?src=rss
This year, Samsung unified the design language of its S-series flagships, making the S25, S25+ and the S25 Ultra look and feel the same (barring the camera). The curving sides of the S24 Ultra are finally gone, replaced with the solid, squared-off lines seen on the cheaper Galaxy S handsets. Flatter sides make the device easier to grip, slide into your pocket, or prop up when you're trying to photograph them for a tech website.I'll be honest, they look like iPhones. And older Galaxy S phones. And, well, even older iPhones. Smartphones have hopped from flat to curves for as long as smartphones have existed.SamsungWith Samsung, we've gripped onto rounded sides from the debut of Galaxy S (2010) through to 2015. Then, the Galaxy S6 (2015) had more flattened sides before the series returned to curves for the S8 (2017). It stayed that way until the more recent S24, with recent years gradually hammering out those curves. The S25 series, now, has flat sides for every model.Are flatter sides actually easier to grip? I don't know. I'm a hypocrite. I've found multiple reviews and impressions pieces where I love flat sides. I've found the same number of stories where I loved curved devices. Why should you ever believe me again? I'm sure there are tech journalists who have stuck with one form factor being better, but I couldn't find them.EngadgetEach time it happens and the company explains its change, the designers say this lack of curves/ introduction of curves is better than whatever it was last year. In an interview with Vanity Fair in 2024, Jony Ive said that Apple chose rounded edges for the iPhone 6 series because they made larger phones feel less clunky. That was when the iPhone 6 Plus had a heady 5.5-inch screen, which seems... quaint in 2025.My theory is that our hands get used to whatever phone form factor we've used for the last couple of years. That means when the design gets shaken up (or you swap to a different manufacturer), one has to pay more attention to holding it. But that effect fades.If the two most significant, most influential phone makers have settled on flat sides, then there are reasons for it. Until there's an even bigger reason to return, once again, to curves.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/curvy-sides-flat-edges-the-galaxy-s25-and-the-arbitrary-shape-of-smartphones-130047461.html?src=rss
Welcome to a new newsletter, with a bit of a new direction. While our mid-week edition tackles news specifics, this end-of-the-week missive combines the biggest news with more context, more things to read and watch, recommendations, easter eggs, inside baseball and stuff that interests our readers, alongside the breaking news, reviews and features you expect from Engadget.We'd love your feedback on what you'd like to see covered in these meatier editions - hit me up at tma(at)engadget.com.Luckily for me, we kick things off with Samsung's big Unpacked event, launching three new phones and teasing two - yes, two! - more coming soon.Everything Samsung announced, including prices and launch dates (February 8 - I'll save you a click), we collated here, but it was largely a fallow year for Galaxy S hardware, barring a substantially more powerful chip.While the Galaxy S25 Ultra et al. might not thrill, Samsung managed to breadcrumb several devices with no launch date. First, at its San Jose event, the company revealed its mixed reality headset in person, finally - even if it was just a functionless headset for photos and gawping at.Then there was the Galaxy S25 Edge - a device I didn't think existed. (And something that wasn't shown at my satellite event in London - we got a not-great projection mapping brand activation across London's Thames river. Boo.)Like Samsung did a year ago with its Galaxy Ring teaser, we got a fleeting glimpse of the rumored slim Galaxy phone, actually called the Galaxy S25 Edge. It's slim, has two cameras and... that's about all we know. Bloomberg reports it will cost less than the S25 Ultra when it arrives later this year.Samsung/YouTUbeAnd then there's the mysterious teaser for some possible bifold device - see the screengrab above. This would be a foldable concertina, like devices we've seen from Huawei. Samsung teased the display tech back at CES 2022 and subsequent trade events. Is it now ready?Will the company's foldables become the new home for Samsung hardware innovation? Is the Galaxy Fold series now truly the new Galaxy Note?- Mat SmithThe biggest stories you might have missed
It feels like CES again with a slew of tech news this week! In this episode, Devindra dives into his final thoughts on NVIDIA's $2,000 GeForce RTX 5090, a super-powered video card with a healthy dose of AI. Senior Reporter Sam Rutherford also joins to explain everything Samsung launched at its Galaxy S25 Unpacked event. And of course, we'll chat about some of the technology industry and policy changes from the new Trump administration. Stay tuned to the end of this episode for our chat with YouTube GM Jack Greenberg about some new features headed to YouTube Premium.Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcast, Engadget News!Subscribe!
Tesla has officially launched the redesigned Model Y in North America and Europe, a couple of weeks after the vehicle was announced for the Asia Pacific region. The new version isn't replacing the original Model Y, though - at least not yet - and Tesla is selling both of them on its website. At the moment, you can only get the long-range all wheel drive launch series variant for the new Model Y in the US with prices starting at $46,490. The launch series is a limited edition release with exclusive badging on the rear liftgate, puddle light, doorsill plate and other parts of the car.While the new Model Y retains the older version's proportions, it has rounder edges, with its smaller headlights and taillights bookending a redesigned lightbar. Inside, it has ambient lighting wrapping around most of the car, ventilated seats and a 15.4-inch touchscreen in the front. The second row seats have power recline and can fold flat. Passengers sitting in the back row will also have access to a Bluetooth-enabled 8-inch rearscreen display with a touch panel.The new long-range all wheel drive Model Y has an estimated range of 325 miles, has a top speed of 125 mph and can go from zero to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds. To compare, the old Model Y long-range AWD can reach 311 miles on one charge, has a top speed of 135 mph and can go from zero to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds. Deliveries for the new Model Y begin in March. If you'd still rather get the old version, its prices start at $31,490, though take note that it's getting a $4,000 price hike in Canada.TeslaThis article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/teslas-new-model-y-arrives-in-the-us-055746103.html?src=rss
Threads is adding a new feature that lets users get a little more creative in remixing posts from other people. The app now has a markup" tool that allows users to scribble on top of posts they want to reshare, Adam Mosseri shared in a post.Markup abilities appear in the menu for quoting and reposting. But instead of simply quoting a post, it launches an editing tool where you can add highlights, arrows or doodles on top of a screenshot of the post. Mosseri said the feature is intended so you can add your creative take" on posts, but the tools are fairly limited for now. You can only add yellow highlights or red arrows and doodles, though Mosseri said there would be more to come soon" from Meta.A Threads spokesperson confirms that the feature will function similarly to quote posts in that the original user is notified if someone chooses to mark up their post. You can also use the who can reply and quote" setting to disable markups on your own posts.The app is also making two other features it's already previewed official: post scheduling and analytics. The features will likely be particularly useful for brands, creators and others who manage a professional presence on the site, which has so far lacked many of the more advanced business-focused tools Meta's other platforms have. Both could also come in handy should Meta begin to introduce ads to Threads, a move that's reportedly in the works for the beginning of 2025.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/threads-now-lets-you-scribble-on-top-of-other-users-posts-231129612.html?src=rss
If you subscribe to Amazon Prime or Prime Video and are looking to expand your streaming horizons, Amazon has a deal for you. Prime subscribers can get a bundled subscription to the ad-free version of Max and Starz for just $21 per month, $7 off the bundle's normal $28 per month price. Max has a solid back catalog of classic Hollywood films programmed by Turner Classic Movies, original films and TV shows from HBO, and cartoons from Cartoon Network, on top of a chaotic collection of reality TV programming from HGTV, Food Network, and more. If you were thinking of checking out The White Lotus when the show returns in February or the second season of The Last of Us in April, this bundle is a pretty good reason to hop on the Max bandwagon. Starz has a less must-see original programming when compared to Max or Prime Video - outside of the ever-popular Outlander - but it's a great streaming service if you're looking to watch movies that recently left theaters. You're able to get this bundle deal even if you don't currently have a Prime subscription. You can sign-up for a 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime to enjoy the bundle at $21 per month, and just add on an extra $15 a month once your trial is up. Prime Video itself has an interesting library worth combing through, too. Including a recent adaptation of Fallout if shows based on video games are what floats your boat. Because this deal is through Prime Video, you'll have to access Max and Starz as Prime Video Channels rather than through their individual streaming apps, but it's a small annoyance for an otherwise solid deal. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/amazon-prime-members-can-get-ad-free-max-and-starz-for-21-per-month-223245603.html?src=rss
OpenAI has begun previewing a new tool called Operator that can navigate within a web browser. According to a blog post published Thursday, the software is powered by what the company calls a Computer-Using Agent. CUA is trained to interact with graphical user interfaces (GUIs) - the buttons, menus, and text fields people see on a screen - just as humans do," says OpenAI of the model. This gives it the flexibility to perform digital tasks without using OS- or web-specific APIs.The current release of Operator builds on OpenAI's GPT-4o model. It combines the vision capabilities of that algorithm with advanced reasoning" trained through reinforcement learning. Operator has the ability to break tasks into multi-step plans and adaptively self-correct when challenges arise." According to OpenAI, that capability represents the next stage in AI development.InstacartAs with past research previews, OpenAI warns that Operator is still early and has limitations," and that it won't perform reliably in all scenarios just yet." For instance, depending on the complexity of the task and interface involved, the agent greatly benefits from the user taking a few extra moments to write a more detailed prompt. Per The Verge, Operator will give the user control if it ever gets stuck on a task. It will also hand control over whenever a website asks for sensitive information, including login credentials. The company says it designed the tool to refuse harmful requests and block disallowed content."OpenAI is making Operator first available to users of its $200 per month ChatGPT Pro subscription. It is also partnering with companies like Instacart to offer the agent on their platforms, though there again you'll need a ChatGPT Pro subscription to test the integration.Operator joins a growing list of AI agents that can either navigate a web browser or an entire operating system. Anthropic was the first to offer the capability with the release of its Claude 3.5 Sonnet model in October, followed more recently by Google with its Gemini 2.0 model and Project Mariner.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openais-operator-can-surf-the-web-for-you-210029243.html?src=rss
Epic Games had previously announced plans to bring third-party games to its mobile app, which is available worldwide on Android devices and on iOS in the European Union. The company will also offer a rotating selection of titles for free on mobile. Bloons TD 6 and Dungeon of the Endless: Apogee will be the first two free titles. In a post on X, Epic said it was still fixing some bugs before launching the new games on its platform.But the company made waves today with a move that could encourage popular games to join its free games program. Epic plans to cover the cost of the Core Technology Fee on iOS for participants' first year. Apple charges a CTF of 50 euro cents for any install of an iOS app once it surpasses 1 million annual downloads and uses a third-party store. Apps with global revenue of less than 10 million have a three-year grace period.A blog post from Epic and shared with The Verge says that covering the fees "is not financially viable for every third party app store or for Epic long term, but we'll do it while the European Commission investigates Apple's non-compliance with the law." The law in question is the Digital Markets Act, a digital competition law in Europe which has already targeted Apple.Fees levied by Apple and Google for use of their platforms has been a source of great debate in the tech and gaming spheres. Epic Games has been in conflict with Apple several times over the years, alleging the tech giant has engaged in anti-competitive behavior.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/epic-games-to-cover-some-ios-fees-in-ongoing-war-with-apple-204525888.html?src=rss
A week after DirecTV launched its first sports-only streaming package, Comcast unveiled a similar offering that adds news to the mix. The Xfinity Sports & News TV package combines over 50 broadcast, cable news and sports channels with Peacock, DVR storage and more.Although Xfinity Sports & News is being widely marketed and reported as costing $70 monthly, there's some extensive fine print attached. (With Comcast?? Can't be.)First, that price only applies to Xfinity Internet or Xfinity TV customers (new or existing). You'll pay at least $90 monthly if you want to stick with home internet from elsewhere. On top of that, your monthly price goes up by $10 without automatic billing through a bank account. Autopay with a credit or debit card adds an extra $8.So, it can be as little as $70 or as much as $100 per month. Plus tax. This is only a good deal compared to YouTube TV (which recently raised prices again) or Hulu + Live TV if you're already an Xfinity Internet customer who's cool with automatic payments.Even then, whether it's a bargain will depend on whether it has all the content you want. Its national cable news lineup includes CNN, CNBC, MSNBC and Fox News. It has ESPN, FS1, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, GOLF Channel and SEC Network for live sports channels. Also on tap are local broadcast channels, including ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, Telemundo and Univision affiliates. Plus, you get Peacock (which includes live sports in addition to its on-demand fare) and other extras like 300 hours of cloud DVR storage.If you want the best viewing experience, you'll need an Xfinity X1 TV box, only available for Xfinity cable customers. But since that would be somewhat redundant, you can still watch through the Xfinity Stream app on streaming boxes like Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV and mobile devices.You can read more (and perhaps make yourself dizzy from fine print) at Xfinity's Sports & News landing page.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/comcasts-sports-and-news-streaming-bundle-starts-at-70-monthly-203017976.html?src=rss
CNN is laying off more employees and making plans to launch another streaming service, according to a memo from CEO Mark Thompson obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. Around 200 employees jobs are being cut, affecting six percent of CNN's current staff.The changes are being made in response to "profound and irreversible shifts in the way audiences in America and around the world consume news," according to Thompson. Launching a new streaming service after the abject failure of CNN+ - the former streaming home of Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy - is apparently tied to that same thinking.According to Thompson:
Pocketpair, the company behind the mega-hit game Palworld, just announced a publishing venture. This new division will provide devs with all the support they need without overstepping." It also promises funding opportunities, development assistance and publishing support."The company is currently looking for indie developers and small studios to partner with, but it already has one project on its plate. The newly-formed publishing arm has promised to provide development and financial support" to Surgent Studios, the company behind the well-regarded Metroidvania Tales of Kenzera: Zau.Surgent announced mass layoffs and an indefinite hiatus back in October as it searched for new funding partners. It looks like that search was fruitful. The company now says it's working on a "short and weird" horror title.Indie publishing is having a moment right now. Innersloth, the company behind Among Us, recently started a publishing arm to help fund indie games. YouTube star Dunkey also started a publishing company, called Bigmode, which assisted with the release of last year's enigmatic and fun Animal Well.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/palworld-developer-pocketpair-has-opened-up-a-publishing-division-194713511.html?src=rss
Google is releasing its previously announced Identity Check feature today, adding extra protection to "critical account and device settings" when you're not in a trusted location.With Identity Check enabled, you'll need to provide "explicit biometric authentication" to access certain account and phone settings, like changing your pin or disabling theft protection. You'll have to toggle the feature on in settings and add trusted locations where you don't want biometric authentication to be enabled before you use it. Google says the protections extend to your Google account or Samsung account as well, making it harder for someone to change your password just because they have your phone.Identity Check is rolling out to Google's Pixel devices running Android 15 now, and coming to Samsung Galaxy devices capable of running One UI 7 "in the coming weeks," which could line up with the February 7 launch of the Galaxy S25. Other Android phone makers should get the feature later this year.Along with the release of Identity Check, Google says that its Theft Detection Lock feature, which uses AI to detect when your phone has been forcibly taken from you and lock your screen, has now fully rolled out to devices running Android 10 and up. Both settings are absolutely worth enabling if you have a phone that supports them.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/androids-identity-check-feature-is-rolling-out-to-pixel-and-samsung-galaxy-devices-193048987.html?src=rss
Roli just introduced the simply-named Piano at NAMM, a 49-key smart keyboard that's primarily intended for learners, but has some neat bells and whistles for experienced musicians. It features light-up keys across all octaves, to help newbies get a handle on chords. These keys will also glow to show scales, arpeggios and more. It's basically a larger version of the company's beloved Piano M teaching keyboard. For veterans, the Roli Piano offers per-key pitch bend and polyphonic aftertouch, which should make for expressive playing. It also tracks fingers in four different ways while playing. This will allow the keyboard to successfully control MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE) instruments. The additional controllable parameters helps narrow the gap between digital and acoustic instruments. This is also a modern tech device, so Roli stuffed in some AI tools. The Piano AI Assistant uses generative AI to streamline the learning process. The company says it can help players get started with drills, teach music history and even go over theory. This tech will be improved upon as the year goes on, via software updates. Speaking of software, buyers also get Roli Studio, which is a collection of instruments and presets. The Roli Piano also offers some neat integration with the company's recently-released Airwave keyboard teaching tool. This theremin-like device tracks a player's fingers and sends teaching data to a tablet. The Airwave is also an instrument in its own right, as users can raise their hands like a conductor to create and play sounds. The ways we learn and play music are improving exponentially thanks to innovations like the Airwave, and now the Roli Piano and Piano AI Assistant," Roland Lamb, Founder and CEO of Roli, told Engadget. "Players now have access to the most intelligent and intuitive music system out there." Roli Piano connects via USB-C or wirelessly with Bluetooth. It works with all major DAWs and a whole lot of virtual instruments. Pre-orders are available right now, with shipments going out in May. Early adopters get a serious discount here, as the price right now is $400. However, it goes up to $600 upon official release. There's also a bundle with the Airwave that costs $650 for early birds, but $950 in May. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/roli-finally-introduces-a-larger-teaching-piano-keyboard-complete-with-ai-191551398.html?src=rss
Xbox hosted its Developer Direct showcase today, detailing progress on three games we knew about and one totally new title, Ninja Gaiden 4. If you couldn't tune in, here's what you missed:Ninja Gaiden 4Ninja Gaiden 4 is being co-developed by Team Ninja and PlatinumGames, best known for the Bayonetta series. The trailer introduces a new protagonist, Yakumo, and Team Ninja is pitching the game as a "true successor" to Ninja Gaiden 3 after the misstep of the Ninja Gaiden Z spinoff. It certainly seems like the exact middle ground between classic Ninja Gaiden and PlatinumGames action. It's coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox this fall, and will be on Xbox Game Pass on day one.Read more: Ninja Gaiden 4 is coming out this fallSouth of MidnightFollowing Ninja Gaiden was South of Midnight, the next game from Compulsion Games, which previous made We Happy Few. South of Midnight has been in the works for a long time, and the studio has been good at communicating progress, especially in recent months. All of which is to say, there wasn't a lot of new info here, aside from a release date: April 8, 2025. (Just to keep the streak going - yes, this will be available on Game Pass on day one.)Read more: The striking South of Midnight comes to Xbox and PC on April 8Clair Obscur: Expedition 33Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has been on our radar for some time, and it's still looking great. It's the debut title from Sandfall Interactive, a French studio. Drawing inspiration from France in its late 19th-century golden age, Clair Obscur is a fantasy adventure that seems to pull heavily from the world of JRPGs - even the music at the start of Sandfall's segment sounded like the Velvet Room from the Persona series. Again, the big news was a release date - April 24. It'll be arriving on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox consoles, and will be playable on Game Pass on day one.Doom: The Dark AgesWhile we knew it was coming, id Software's Doom: The Dark Ages deep dive certainly stole the show for Engadget. It's billed as the biggest Doom game ever, but it's also more focused than any other installment in the franchise - other than the original Doom, perhaps. The Dark Ages is a tanky romp through a medieval, cosmic Hell, starring an incredibly beefy Slayer and featuring three basic inputs: shield saw, melee and gun. Doom: The Dark Ages is due out on May 15 for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, including Game Pass.Read more: Doom: The Dark Ages hits PC, PS5 and Xbox on May 15And that was that - a pretty great start to 2025 for Xbox, though the eagle-eyed among you may have realized that all bar South of Midnight are coming to Sony's PlayStation as well as Microsoft's consoles and PC. You can relive the full showcase below:Or... if you don't have time for that, Microsoft for some reason put together a 72-second recap:This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/everything-announced-at-the-xbox-developer-direct-showcase-190406197.html?src=rss
South of Midnight, Compulsion Games' upcoming Southern Gothic/dark fantasy adventure, got some time in the spotlight during Xbox's Developer Direct event on Thursday. The studio revealed that the game is coming to Xbox Series X/S, Xbox Cloud Gaming and PC on April 8.As ever, Game Pass Ultimate, Console and PC subscribers will get access on day one. Those who snap up the premium edition can jump in five days early.This deep dive into South of Midnight focused on the world, combat and story, which sees a hurricane tear through the part of the Deep South where main character Hazel and her mother live. The two get into an argument that ends in disaster, as their home is swept away with Hazel's mom still inside. As she sets out to find her mother, Hazel finds that the hurricane has brought some fantasy creatures, both friendly and otherwise, to her corner of the world.Our hero learns that she is a weaver, someone who possesses magical abilities. A gold star for anyone who guessed that these can be used for traversal and in combat. Timing is said to be a critical component of battles, so you'd best be sure that your reactions are on point. Speaking of time, Compulsion Games says that South of Midnight should take most players between 10 and 12 hours to finish.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/the-striking-south-of-midnight-comes-to-xbox-and-pc-on-april-8-185157726.html?src=rss
Doom: The Dark Ages is set to come out on May 15 for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. It's a single-player sandbox experience with an emphasis on exploration, bloodshed and upgrading skill trees, introducing massive mech battles and a ridable cyber dragon that spits fire on command.Doom: The Dark Ages is the largest Doom game id Software has ever made, but to be perfectly clear and possibly assuage some fears, it's not open-world. In fact, the directive for developers was to edit down everything - controls, levels, menus, upgrade paths - in order to emulate the reactive rush that made the original Doom games so addictive. According to executive producer Marty Stratton and game director Hugo Martin, Doom: The Dark Ages is a refined and thoughtful return to the series' classic loop, set in the medieval wastelands of Hell and starring a super tanky Doom Slayer.In The Dark Ages, the Slayer has three basic inputs: shield saw, melee and gun. The shield saw is a critical tool, allowing players to parry and block incoming attacks, and also acting as a boomerang-style projectile that can embed itself into enemies to rip through their demonic flesh. Parrying is a massive factor in the new game, and it's also one of many aspects that players can customize in the difficulty settings. You'll be able to change the size of the parry window, adjust the actual game speed and fine-tune a dozen other factors to make each run feel just right.The Slayer has a choice of three melee weapons and he carries just one at a time. There's an iron flame, an electrified gauntlet and a spiked mace, and each one can be upgraded as you make your way through Hell. The final main input is the trigger, which controls all of the gruesome guns. There's a wondrous array of weapon-based brutality on display in The Dark Ages, including the Skullcrusher, a gun that eats the bones of murdered enemies and uses the shards as ammo.Certain levels will support skyscraper-sized Atlan battles and allow the Slayer to ride on the back of a cybernetic dragon, spraying flames on the gathered demons. These abilities won't be available at will, and are instead contained to specific regions of the map. There are also swimming levels - which, speaking as someone with a phobia of deep water, is possibly the scariest thing in the new game.id SoftwareThe Slayer in Doom: The Dark Ages is beefy. He's thick, heavy and armor-plated, and as he hunts demons through the medieval wastelands of Hell, he's going to feel different than the Slayers in 2016's Doom and its 2020 follow-up, Doom: Eternal. In terms of development mottos, Doom was run and gun," Eternal was jump and shoot," and The Dark Ages is, stand and fight." Strafing and twitchy teleportation-like abilities are still on the menu, but the emphasis this time around is on holding your ground and strategizing while shooting.What people didn't like in 2016 was that it was too repetitive," Martin said in a media Q&A before Thursday's Xbox Developer Direct, where id showed off new bits of the game. And in Eternal, some people said it was too hard. I actually think it's too complex. I think that the complexity of the control scheme led to unnecessary difficulties. You really want to be fighting the demons, the bad guys, not your controls."Martin and Stratton emphasized the importance of streamlining the core loop in The Dark Ages, while also building the largest, most adventure-feeling Doom game that id has ever made. There are skill trees, currency and more secrets to find than ever before, but there's not a lot of filler - everything has a purpose and there are no unnecessary frills in the actual mechanics of combat, resource-collecting and upgrade paths.id SoftwareThere is a lot of exploration in this game, and it's for power," Stratton said. That's one of the things that is really important. You're finding resources and other things that allow you to improve yourself, upgrade your guns, upgrade your shield, your melee. So it isn't just the secrets, just the toys, that kind of thing. It really is an exploration for power."Martin added, I want to feel strong. It's got to be a good amount of speed and exploration and power, but I'm okay with you changing what that power fantasy is, especially if the change you make brings it back closer to classic Doom. I'm super down for that."The points of inspiration for Doom: The Dark Ages include Batman: Year One, Frank Miller's The Dark Knight, and the film 300, specifically that iconic tracking shot of Leonidas slamming and stabbing his way through hordes of Persian warriors at the Hot Gates. Miller's The Dark Knight was a particularly poignant source for Martin.He drew an older, more powerful, thicker Batman," he said. And I just love that comic so much. And I always thought it would be so interesting to just, instead of a Ferrari, you'd be more of a monster truck. And that's what we're working on, we've been talking about that for years and years."Doom: The Dark Ages is due out on May 15 for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, including Game Pass.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/doom-the-dark-ages-hits-pc-ps5-and-xbox-on-may-15-190015221.html?src=rss
The Samsung Galaxy Ring is on sale for $280 via Amazon. This represents a discount of $120, though the promotion doesn't show up until checkout. Just pop the ring in your Amazon basket and start the checkout process to peep the discount. We were fairly positive about Samsung's first smart ring in our official review, calling it a surprisingly informative health-tracking device for those with compatible Samsung phones." We came away impressed by the comfort-forward design, which doesn't impede sleeping, writing that we barely feel it" when trying to snooze. This is a boon for light sleepers. The health-tracking metrics are on point, especially when you consider that there's a new software update that uses compatible SmartThings devices to create a sleep environment report" that takes factors like temperature, humidity, air quality and light intensity into account. Samsung's app lets users adjust any connected devices to improve local conditions. The major downside with the Galaxy Ring is the price, which has been somewhat alleviated by this sale. At least now it's slightly lower than the rival Oura Ring. This is a great wearable for those already tied into the Samsung ecosystem, but not the best fit for everyone else. Some of the features require a Samsung phone. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-samsung-galaxy-ring-is-on-sale-for-120-off-174530918.html?src=rss
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced this year's Oscar nominees and Netflix's Emilia Perez leads the pack with 13. The musical crime drama has broken the record for the most nods for non-English language film, overtaking Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Roma (Netflix's first-ever best picture nominee), which each had 10.Emilia Perez scored nominations in the categories of best picture, international feature, supporting actress, cinematography, directing, editing, makeup and hairstyling, original score, original song (with two in that category), sound, adapted screenplay and best actress. That last one has extra significance as Karla Sofia Gascon is the first openly trans performer to earn an acting nomination. Although Elliot Page received a nomination for Juno in 2008, that was long before the actor transitioned. (Curiously, I Saw The TV Glow, which has been praised for its abstruse portrayal of trans experiences, is nowhere to be found among this year's nominees.)Netflix had the most nominations of any distributor for the second year in a row. An animated feature film nod for Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, documentary short The Only Girl in the Orchestra and original song nominee Diane Warren (for The Journey" from The Six Triple Eight) took Netflix's tally to 16. Perhaps Warren will finally win an Oscar this year at her 16th time of asking.Mubi, another streaming company, has six nominations this year, including five for the body horror film The Substance. Meanwhile, Disney+ scored one for Elton John and Brandi Carlile's song Never Too Late" from the documentary Elton John: Never Too Late.This year's best picture nominees are Anora, The Brutalist, A Complete Unknown, Conclave, Dune: Part 2, Emilia Perez, I'm Still Here, Nickel Boys, The Substance and Wicked. You can find out the winners of this year's Academy Awards when the ceremony takes place on March 2, with the wonderful Conan O'Brien taking on hosting duties.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/netflixs-emilia-perez-breaks-new-ground-with-its-oscar-nominations-173223767.html?src=rss
Things aren't exactly going swimmingly at Ubisoft right now. The publisher had a rough 2024, with Star Wars Outlaws failing to meet sales expectations and word of XDefiant's demise coming around six months after the tactical shooter debuted. Skull and Bones finally arrived too, but it was a bit of a damp squib.Amid rumors of the company being sold or spinning out some of its assets into a joint venture with Tencent, Ubisoft really needs a win. It's not going to have a better chance to do that anytime soon than with Assassin's Creed Shadows. After a couple of delays, the latest entry in the company's flagship series is set to arrive on March 20.After a few hours with AC Shadows, there are positive signs. The game at least looks and plays well enough for what Ubisoft needs it to be, with the company skirting the line between playing things extremely safe and trying something different.After the successes of AC Origins, Odyssey and Valhalla (as well as the enjoyably smaller-scale Mirage), Shadows marks new territory for Assassin's Creed to a certain degree. It's the first game in the series that directly feeds into the Animus Hub project (formerly known as Infinity).Before you swan dive into Assassin's Creed Shadows, you'll enter the Animus Hub. From here, you'll be able to access various Assassin's Creed games (Shadows and the previous four mainline entries) from the memory section. They're placed on an easy to navigate timeline.The anomaly section of the hub includes missions for Shadows, which will offer exclusive rewards like weapons and gear. You can tweak your characters' loadout from the exchange section and explore the stories of modern AC games through the vault.The Animus Hub will expand in the years to come as Ubisoft releases more games. This is an ambitious project that aims to tie the series together. It had been reported that the company would try to turn the series into a live-service project with the Animus Hub, and we're seeing glimpses of that with those missions. There's not a ton to it as things stand, but Ubisoft clearly has grand ambitions here.UbisoftShadows brings the action to a long-awaited frontier for Assassin's Creed: 16th century Japan. The other big twist this time around is that you can swap between two characters. Various points in the story will see you choose to play as either Yasuke or Naoe and, at least in the open-world, you'll be able to switch between them on the fly. Swapping can come in handy when one character is wanted by enemies, since the other can remain anonymous.Yasuke is the tank of the two, with the ability to ram though certain doors while sprinting. He can take advantage of ranged weapons such as guns and bows, so some players might want to use him to pick off a few enemies from afar at the start of a mission. He can knock baddies around using his kanab war club as well.Naoe plays more like a traditional Assassin's Creed hero. She is far more agile and her parkour skills are on point. The shinobi can quickly clamber up the sides of buildings and she has a grappling hook to help her reach higher parts of structures and swing across gaps. In direct combat, Naoe can spin kick an enemy in the teeth, or flip behind them to slit their throat.Perhaps most importantly (at least from what I've seen of the game), Naoe is the only one of the duo to have the classic hidden blade. Yasuke can still sneak up on an opponent to eliminate them with a single button press, but his "brutal assassination" sees him ram his sword through an enemy and lift them skywards. Not exactly subtle.UbisoftSwitching between Naoe and Yasuke is almost as seamless as it is to swap between, say, Peter and Miles in Marvel's Spider-Man 2. The latter requires a couple of quick in-game actions, and the action swiftly moves to the other Spider-Man. In Assassin's Creed Shadows, swapping characters means going into the menu, holding a button and waiting just a couple of seconds for the other hero to replace them.There's no immediate character swapping in the prologue, however, which is one of the two sections I played. Unsurprisingly, this acts as an intro to the story and how to actually play the game.In a first for Assassin's Creed, one of the playable characters actually existed in real-life. It won't take players long to learn how Yasuke, a Black African man, came to be a samurai. After a brief lore drop, we skip ahead six months to a battle sequence. It's an effective way to start getting to grips with what Yasuke can do, including special attacks like a dashing sword slash.Once his brief action sequence comes to an end, we rewind to earlier in the night and Naoe's introduction. After an important box (the contents of which remain a mystery) is stolen, she heads out to retrieve it from a compound. This short mission highlights some of the stealth features.One of the cooler additions to this game is the ability to take out light sources at night to create ad-hoc hiding spots in the shadows. Naoe can snuff out candles and destroy lamps from afar using a kunai or shuriken. That may not be needed depending on the terrain (and difficulty level) and how quickly you can hotfoot it over rooftops when you're spotted.The second section I played was an investigation mission. I had to get to the bottom of a mystery by completing some tasks and gathering information. All of this led to the inevitable but enjoyable boss fight and a satisfying resolution to the quest.The structure of Assassin's Creed Shadows will lend itself to multiple playthroughs for those who really dig it. I spent most of my preview as Naoe, but I'm interested to see how different things are playing as Yasuke. There are dialogue options throughout the game but there's a canon mode that will eliminate these choices and present you with the canonical story. Players might also be inclined to switch the dialogue languages to Japanese and Portuguese for deeper immersion after beating the game in their native tongue.Some of the gameplay changes Ubisoft implemented this time really shake things up. The eagle vision ability now enables Naoe to locate and tag enemies through walls. Her smoke bombs and distraction-causing bells come in useful when there are too many enemies for her to battle head on. Both characters can lie prone as well, which offers up more opportunities for hiding and sneaking.I quickly tried a couple of the side activities, such as the peaceful act of sneaking up on animals in certain situations to sketch them. In terms of slowing things down for a smidge of tranquility, this feels a little akin to the haiku composition sequences in Ghost of Tsushima (of note, that game's sequel, Ghost of Ytei is slated for a 2025 release and could provide competition for Assassin's Creed Shadows.)UbisoftIt wasn't totally clear based on what I've seen, but it does feel as though Ubisoft has cut down on much of the cruft that typically populates Assassin's Creed maps, which would help this game feel less overwhelming. Climbing up to a viewpoint and synchronizing only reveals important locations, rather than everything worth seeing in the area. The company pulled back on the map bloat a bit in Mirage, so it may have taken some positive lessons from that approach.Add all of this up and I came away from the session feeling just on the right side of satisfied. The game seems absolutely fine. It's just about what you'd expect from an Assassin's Creed game these days, but with enough tweaks, new wrinkles and quality-of-life updates to make it compelling enough. It feels like a decent entry point into the series while still holding enough interest for long-term fans. For what it's worth, I'm ready to play more, as someone who finished Assassin's Creed Mirage but dropped off of Valhalla after about 10 hours.I'm looking forward to playing more of Assassin's Creed Shadows and seeing, for instance, how the weather system switches things up. Lakes freeze over in winter, removing the ability to swim or hide underwater. Icicles can be used as a distraction as well. I didn't get around to trying out the spy recruitment system, which can seemingly come in useful during investigations.Assassin's Creed Shadows inherently has a leg up on many other Ubisoft games given the popularity of the series. It already seemed poised to do well, but it appears to be in a good enough shape to become a success. If so, this could help Ubisoft finally redirect its ship away from the rocks.Assassin's Creed Shadows will hit PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows, Mac (and eventually iPad), Ubisoft+ and Amazon Luna on March 20.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/assassins-creed-shadows-preview-a-few-steps-in-the-right-direction-170028415.html?src=rss
I love air fryers. They offer microwave-like convenience, but stuff actually tastes good. If you want to see what all of the fuss is about, a standout Cosori air fryer is on sale via Amazon for $90. This is a fairly substantial discount of 25 percent, as the original price is $120. This particular model made our list of the best air fryers, and for very good reason. It's a great device that gets the job done. It's a six-quart model that offers plenty of cooking space, which we found ideal for side dishes like sweet potato fries and onion rings. However, it's no slouch with mains like chicken wings, tofu and more. The rounded basket is particularly roomy. The touchscreen is easy to use and there are plenty of preset cooking modes, including a handy preheating option for starting things off. Most people will rely on the standard air fry mode, I know I do, but it's nice to have the option for broiling, baking and roasting. We also appreciated the basket release button, which is a nice safety feature. This is pretty much the ideal air fryer, so it's tough to find complaints. There isn't a see-through window, for those who like taking a look at tater tots crisping up. This particular unit is also on the wider side, which could make placement difficult in tiny kitchens. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/one-of-our-favorite-air-fryers-is-25-percent-off-right-now-161542670.html?src=rss
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