Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

Recteq revealed five new smart pellet grills in October, including unique dual-chamber and griddle options. Now, the company is back with two more models: a larger version of the recently overhauled Flagship 1100 and a built-in design for outdoor kitchens.The Flagship XL 1400 has all of the updates that were announced with the Flagship 1100 last fall, including the updated Wi-Fi-enabled controller and sturdier leg design. The key difference on this new version is increased cooking capacity. The Flagship XL 1400 has 1,437 square inches of grilling space, with a second grate situated above the main cooking surface. Recteq also increased the size of the pellet hopper, which can now hold a massive 60 pounds of fuel when full. Depending on which brand you use, that's at least three bags of pellets - way more than even the longest brisket cook will require.Like the Flagship 1100, this XL version does more than low-and-slow smoking as it has a temperature range of 180-650 degrees Fahrenheit. And the Wi-Fi connectivity means you can adjust cooking temps and monitor internal food temperatures from your phone. The Flagship XL 1400 is available now for $1,599.Recteq Flagship XL 1400RecteqPermanent outdoor kitchens have become increasingly popular spaces for socializing at home. These typically include a grill that's been mounted into some type of fixed counter or cabinetry, but there aren't a lot of options if you want to do that with a pellet grill. Most people simply remove the legs or cart for a pellet model to make it work in these setups, but Recteq has a new option that's specifically designed for outdoor kitchens.The E-Series Built-In 1300 is a fully stainless steel smart pellet grill with 1,300 square inches of cooking space. This model also packs Recteq's recently updated Wi-FI controller with dual-band connectivity and compatibility with the company's app. Like the SmokeStone griddle, the E-Series Built-In has a front-fill hopper for easy access and removable secondary cooking grates. The company says an a-frame-shaped drip pan makes grease drainage more efficient and a cast iron deflector helps evenly distribute the heat.Like the company's other pellet grills, the E-Series Built-In is more than just a smoker, which means it can be the cornerstone of an outdoor kitchen without needing another grill. This model can run at 180-700 degrees Fahrenheit, which will accommodate everything from barbecue to searing. Grills like this that are permanently installed are typically quite pricey, and the E-Series Built-In 1300 is no exception. It's $3,499, which is $900 more than the company's 2,535-square inch "BFG" unit, previously the most expensive option in the Recteq arsenal.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/recteq-adds-flagship-xl-and-built-in-models-to-its-smart-pellet-grill-lineup-181449204.html?src=rss

It's that time of year once again. The Steam spring sale is now live. It's typically not as extensive as the summer and winter editions, and there's no Steam Deck discount this time, unfortunately, but there are still plenty of deals worth paying attention to.Let's start with Baldur's Gate 3, which was the 2023 game of the year, according to The Game Awards and Steam itself. The RPG has dropped by 10 percent. A modest discount, but nothing to sniff at. Palworld, one of this year's biggest hits so far, is 10 percent off too. Another viral smash, Lethal Company, has dropped by 20 percent.Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, which only came out in late January, is already 20 percent off. A bundle of Cyberpunk 2077 and its well-regarded Phantom Liberty expansion is down by 43 percent while the base game is half off. Grand Theft Auto V has dropped by 63 percent for the 15 people out there who don't already own it, while you can save 40 percent on Mortal Kombat 1.Starfield is a third off, and several other Bethesda games are on sale. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is down by 55 percent. Other notable games in the Steam sale include Diablo IV (50 percent off, but coming to Game Pass late this month), EA Sports FC 24(80 percent off) and Red Dead Redemption 2 (67 percent off).That's barely scratching the surface of the huge sale, which includes thousands of games. If there's something you've had on your wishlist for a while, it's worth taking a peek to see if there's a discount on it. The Steam spring sale runs until March 21.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-steam-spring-sale-is-here-to-raid-your-wallet-175109711.html?src=rss

Series like Final Fantasy Tactics, Fire Emblem and Tactics Ogre (which got a lovely remaster in 2022) tend to dominate the conversation around SRPGs. And rightly so. However, with its latest release - Unicorn Overlord - developer Vanillaware is taking cues from older titles in a way that pays tribute to the classics while also providing something fresh and engaging for 2024. And after being completely engrossed by this beautiful mash-up of old and new, Unicorn Overlord feels like a must-play for strategy game fans.Vanillaware isn't shy about where it drew inspiration for Unicorn Overlord. Instead of typical grid-based battlefields, the game plays a lot like Ogre Battle 64, which has you commanding a handful of smaller squads that you maneuver around the map to intercept enemy forces and capture strongholds. Each squad has a captain who lends a passive bonus with party sizes that grow to five over the course of the game. But because you don't have direct control over individual characters during fights, you need to be crafty about setting them up for success.Screenshot by Sam Rutherford/VanillawareStrategy is dictated not only by the position of each squad but also by which classes you choose and the actions you set (e.g. setting a command to attack the lowest health enemy or only hitting an opponent that's already been debuffed). This results in gameplay that feels like fantasy football but for war. Look at you, you're the general now. Except it's better because you can see how well your art of war plays out, like when your archers take out flying enemies such as gryfons and wyverns that are naturally susceptible to their attacks.But the strategizing doesn't stop there, because outside of combat, there are other ways to manipulate battles. You can commandeer siege units like catapults and ballistas to rain damage down on opposing units before they get close. Alternatively, you can spend Valor points (which are earned by defeating enemies) to buff friendly combatants (haste, extra stamina, etc.) or soften up foes with targeted strikes like a cavalry charge. Then there's all the various equipment and loot you'll gather, which adds another layer of customization to your army.Screenshot by Sam Rutherford/VanillawareOn top of straightforward spec bumps, you can give units additional turns or alter their abilities by adding poison damage to a spear or other weapon. And when you get everything set up just right, the results are devastating. One of my favorite combos was giving an archer and swordsman fire-based attacks to afflict a burn on enemies. Then I followed this up with a mage that ignites every burning opponent with additional party-wide damage at the end of a fight and I think you can see where this is going. Honestly, I've lost track of the amount of time I've spent looking at menus to tweak ascactions and equipment. But min-maxing each squad's potential is a ton of fun all by itself.Meanwhile, another feature Unicorn Overlord borrows from franchises like Fire Emblem is its Rapport mechanic. Characters in the same squad will grow closer over time, offering upgraded stats over time. Alternatively, you can improve rapport by sharing meals or giving gifts, and after enough bonding, you'll get a cutscene that dives deeper into two people's relationship. On top of that, the main character, Alain, can develop a romance allowing you to choose your best girl (or boy, in some cases, though I haven't had the chance to try that out myself).Screenshot by Sam Rutherford/VanillawareUnicorn Overlord's roster is massive too. It felt like every other battle I added a new member to my ranks, and before I even explored 50 percent of the map, I had more than 30 unique story characters. And if that's not enough, you can also recruit mercenaries, which is arguably a more strategic decision as that lets you customize a unit's growth (e.g. Keen types get extra crit while all-rounders receive more balanced stats and so on).I also want to call out Unicorn Overlord's visual design, which is flat-out gorgeous. It's a clear homage to the 2D sprite-based graphics of old-school SRPGs, but it's been polished up for modern HD screens. Portraits and character models are incredibly detailed and the animations are a joy to watch even after the 1000th time. Granted, Vanillaware occasionally succumbs to the trope of girl armor in games where male characters have huge sheets of metal protecting them while some female characters are much more scantily clad. Why does the witch class wear a bikini? We may never know, though this has been Vanillaware's style for the last 20 years, so it's not exactly a surprise. Really, my gripe with this is that there should be a few more himbos to balance things out.Screenshot by Sam Rutherford/VanillawareAs for more general cons, the main one is that the game's plot is a bit generic. It's not bad, it's just based on a familiar setup centered around disenfranchised Prince Alain (who probably not coincidentally looks a lot like Magnus from Ogre Battle 64, right down to the blue hair) and his quest to liberate his nation from the clutches of evil emperor Galerius. That said, there are still plenty of touching moments to keep the plot from getting too dull.The other potential issue is that some may find the game a bit too easy. To start, there are three difficulty levels, plus an even harder setting once you beat the game. However, the amount of strategizing you can do means you can almost always have an advantage in battle, so depending on how you look at it, the game is hurting itself for having such a high level of control and customization. Though in my opinion, that's a good problem to have.Screenshot by Sam Rutherford/VanillawareThe most important thing about Unicorn Overlord is that it feels like a passion project from start to finish. Its visuals are wonderfully hand-crafted, and by adopting and then updating features and gameplay from Hall of Fame strategy titles, the game feels like a love letter to the genre as a whole. Heck, the CEO of Vanillaware even went so far as to pay for the game's development out of pocket after its budget ran out. So while Unicorn Overlord might not appeal to everyone, tactics fans just got a new instant classic.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/unicorn-overlord-review-a-must-play-for-tactics-fans-173259209.html?src=rss

If you happen to find yourself at a loose end this weekend, it might not be a bad idea to fire up the Apple TV app and check out some Major League Soccer action. All 14 of this weekend's games will be available to watch for free in English and Spanish, so you won't need an MLS Season Pass subscription.Apple Vision Pro users will be able to check out MLS games on a virtual screen that appears to be up to 100 feet wide. The Apple TV app is also availableon smart TVs, set-top boxes, game consoles and of course on Apple's own devices.Among the games you'll be able to watch are Inter Miami's visit to DC United. Ticket prices for Miami games have gone through the roof since Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest player of all-time, joined the team last year. So, getting to watch the match for free is nothing to complain about. (Messi is likely to miss the game due to injury anyway, so you might be glad you didn't spend up to four figures on a ticket.) I'll most likely be watching my local team CF Montreal playing away at Chicago Fire, which takes place at the same time as the Miami match on Saturday afternoon.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-tv-will-stream-every-mls-game-for-free-this-weekend-170045330.html?src=rss

There are plenty of portable headphone amps out there that plug directly into instruments like electric guitars and basses, but Boss just kicked things up a notch. The company has announced the Katana:GO headphone amp and it's a doozy, with a combination of features I've never seen together in one little box.Just like rival products, this thing plugs into the input jack of a preferred instrument and includes a headphone jack to hear what's going on. Guitar players can choose from ten amp models and bassists get three amp models, each pulled from the pre-existing Katana line of modeling amplifiers. Boss Katana amps are known primarily for their surprisingly great selection of tones, and it looks like the company managed to squeeze those same models into a headphone amp. Rival products are certainly convenient, but don't always sound that great.There are 60 effects to choose from, with all of the reverbs, delays and, of course, choruses musicians have come to expect from Boss. These are also the same effects featured in the larger and pricier combo amps.So, there are good amp tones and a robust lineup of effects. What sets the Katana:Go apart from, say, the Mustang Micro? First of all, there's a built-in tuner, which is always a welcome addition. The Katana:GO also includes spatial audio tech to mimic a live setup, further enhancing its usefulness as a practice amp. It remains to be seen how realistic this sounds, but Boss says it lets users position a virtual amp in different locations to give the impression of playing on stage or jamming in a room with friends." I've used many of these amps before and have found the in your face" nature of the headphone signal rather off-putting, so I'm intrigued by this feature.The amp has 30 preset slots, for creating and saving unique tones, and integrates with the company's Tone Exchange service. This allows users to trade presets like Pokemon. Okay, not quite like Pokemon, but you get the gist.BossThe Katana:GO even doubles as an actual USB audio interface. Just plug it into a computer, smartphone or tablet and record straight into a DAW. Finally, there's a dedicated mobile app, with the ability to jam along to songs from streaming sites or a personal library. This is especially handy for getting that daily practice session in, and there's a looping feature for nailing down difficult segments.Just like the other headphone amps on the market, it folds up neatly and easily fits into a standard gig bag. The Boss Katana:GO costs $120 and, incidentally, is the same price as the Mustang Micro, which doesn't double as an audio interface or include a built-in tuner. It's available to purchase right now.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-pocket-sized-boss-katanago-headphone-amp-doubles-as-an-audio-interface-163901677.html?src=rss

8BitDo's nostalgic Retro Mechanical Keyboard is on sale for an all-time low price today. The Nintendo-esque accessory ships in NES or Famicom-inspired colorways, and it includes two giant red buttons that would look right at home playing Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! or Excitebike. Usually, it's $100, but you can grab the keyboard for $85 right now from Amazon.The 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard supports custom key mapping and works wired or wireless. The N Edition" takes cues from the NES with an off-white / dark gray / black color scheme. The Fami Edition" draws inspiration from the Japanese Famicom with a white and crimson color palette.Both variants have dials and a power indicator with old-school appeal, fitting their retro motif. The Fami Edition pays homage to the Famicom's 1980s regional availability (and Nintendo's home country) with Japanese characters below their English ones.The keyboard's Super Buttons are bundled accessories you can customize for any action you like. You could assign them as shortcuts to save documents, close windows, attack in games or anything else you feel like. The buttons connect to the keyboard via a 3.5mm jack.The keyboard lasts an estimated 200 hours on a single (four-hour) charge. It has 87 keys and supports Bluetooth, 2.4GHz wireless and USB modes. While only officially compatible with Windows and Android, the accessory also works with macOS.Your Spring Sales Shopping Guide: Spring sales are in the air, headlined by Amazon's Big Spring sale event. Our expert editors are curating all the best spring sales right here. Follow Engadget to shop the best tech deals from Amazon's Big Spring Sale, and find the best spring sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/8bitdos-nes-inspired-mechanical-keyboard-is-on-sale-for-an-all-time-low-price-161843047.html?src=rss

Google says it's upgrading the default Safe Browsing mode in Chrome to offer better protection against malicious websites. Until now, this mode has used a locally stored list to check whether a site or file may be dangerous. The list updates every 30-60 minutes but Google says that a malicious website only exists for 10 minutes on average.To combat that, Google is drawing from a feature in Safe Browsing's Enhanced protection mode to check sites against a server-side list of known unsafe sites in real-time. The Enhanced protection mode is opt-in, but Google found that these real-time checks offer "significant value," so it's bringing them to the standard version of Safe Browsing.The company notes that Safe Browsing is used on more than 5 billion devices and it helps protect against the likes of phishing, malware and unwanted software. The mode evaluates north of 10 billion URLs and files day. Chrome shows users more than 3 million warnings for potential threats through this feature on the daily. However, Google believes that real-time URL checks will help it to block 25 percent more phishing attempts.Google says it's keeping privacy in mind as Safe Browsing doesn't share the URLs of sites you visit with the company. Chrome says this feature employs hashing and encryption. A privacy server strips out any details that might identify a user before forwarding encrypted hash prefixes to the Safe Browsing server to check against the list of sketchy sites.The company still recommends that users adopt the Enhanced protection mode as it offers additional safeguards. The Safe Browsing option only checks against a list of sites that are already known to be unsafe. Enhanced protection looks at additional factors and uses machine learning to identify risky sites that Safe Browsing hasn't yet confirmed as potentially malicious. Freshly created sites and those that mask their true behavior may not be picked up on by Safe Browsing's detection systems right away.The new Safe Browsing feature is available now on the latest desktop and iOS versions of Chrome now. It's coming to the Android app later this month.Meanwhile, Google says it recently updated Chrome's Password Checkup feature on iOS. Along with alerting you to compromised passwords, it will now warn you about weak and reused credentials.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-says-chromes-safe-browsing-mode-now-offers-better-protection-against-bad-sites-160054102.html?src=rss

Anker USB-C chargers are up to 43 percent off on Amazon, with prices ranging from $16 to $68. There are a bunch of chargers available, from entry-level devices to the company's premium models.Perhaps the most notable discount is for the Nano 2. This is one of the company's mid-range chargers and costs $32 as part of this sale, which is a whopping 43 percent off. This 65W charger boasts three ports, with power distributed efficiently between each connected device. It's tiny, roughly the size of a charging case for earbuds, and features two USB-C connections and one standard USB-A connection.The budget-friendly Nano 3 is also on sale for $16, which is a discount of 20 percent. This model offers a similar experience to the Nano 2, but with just a single USB-C port. The baddest Anker charger of them all, the Prime, is part of this promotion. It's on sale for $68, instead of $87. This 100W charger will make short work out of depleted devices. It features a trio of ports, two USB-C and a single USB-A, and includes the company's ActiveShield 2.0 system to ensure safe charging. It also happens to be much smaller than a standard MacBook charger, which is nice.The sale extends beyond traditional chargers. There are power stations here with numerous inputs, hubs and, of course, cables to get everything connected. Some of the discounts are pretty steep, up to 50 percent in a couple of cases. Chargers and cables may not be exciting, but they sure are necessary.Your Spring Sales Shopping Guide: Spring sales are in the air, headlined by Amazon's Big Spring sale event. Our expert editors are curating all the best spring sales right here. Follow Engadget to shop the best tech deals from Amazon's Big Spring Sale, and find the best spring sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/anker-usb-c-chargers-are-up-to-43-percent-off-151029074.html?src=rss

SpaceX hoped the third time would be the charm as it attempted another test of its Starship rocket. This third launch did indeed go well, with the Starship successfully launching at 9:25AM ET. Shortly after launch, it succesfully completed the hot-staging separation from the Super Heavy Booster, and the Starship successfully ignited the second-stage Raptor engines. It's currently coasting and the Raptor engines are planned to be re-lit about 40 minutes after initial take off. The Super Heavy Booster, meanwhile, went into a semi-controlled descent; its engines didn't fully re-ignite as planned prior to splashdown. We should hear more about what worked and didn't work in that phase of testing once everything is finished.While SpaceX said that both the booster and Starship itself were going to return to Earth at "terminal velocity," thus making any recovery of them impossible, it looks like Starship itself didn't make it to splashdown. Based on the initial data, it looks like Starship broke up during re-entry. As with the booster, we should hear more about the specifics behind the ship's ultimate fate soon.Before breakup, though, we got to see some dramatic footage of Starship beginning reentry:

As expected, the Embracer Group has sold much of Saber Interactive, which is known for the Metro series, Gloomhaven and remakes of classic Star Wars titles. The buyer is a group of private investors under the umbrella of Beacon Interactive, which is run by Saber co-founder Matthew Karch.Although Embracer says the deal is worth $247 million, it's actually worth around $500 million once liabilities are factored in, according to Bloomberg's Jason Schreier. That's because Beacon is said to have taken up an option to buy 4A Games and Zen Studios (the developers of the Metro and Zen Pinball series, respectively) as well.As you might imagine given those latter points, the details of the sale are a little convoluted. Along with 4A and Zen, the sale includes all Saber-branded studios, Nimble Giant (Star Trek: Infinite), 3D animation studio Digic, support studio Fractured Byte, PR agency Sandbox Strategies, Mad Head Games (Scars Above), Slipgate Ironworks (Graven), New World Interactive (the Insurgency series) and publisher 3D Realms.Embracer is hanging onto 34 Big Things (Redout), Shiver (which ported Mortal Kombat 11to Switch), Snapshot (Phoenix Point) and Aspyr, which is behind the recent remaster of the original Tomb Raider trilogy and Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection, which came out on Thursday. The publisher is also retaining Tripwire (Maneater), Beamdog (Mythforce), Tuxedo Labs (Teardown) and Demiurge (Sega Heroes). Embracer-owned publisher Plaion will keep the long-term license and publishing rights for PC and console games in the Metro series too.Overall, Beacon is scooping up at least 38 ongoing game development projects, along with some proprietary engine technology and game tools. Saber says it will retain 14 games, including Killing Floor 3. According to reporter Stephen Totilo, Beacon is taking on 2,950 workers and Embracer is retaining 800 (it has 14,140 workers overall)."Embracer is now able to discontinue all operations in Russia, according to a previous board decision, while safeguarding many developer jobs under new independent ownership," Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors said. "At the same time, we keep key companies, valuable IPs and future publishing rights."Embracer bought Saber for $525 million four years ago and it slotted some later purchases, including Demiurge and New World Interactive, into that division. Since last summer, Embracer has been on a major cost-cutting drive after an expected investment of $2 billion (reportedly from a group backed by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund) fell apart. The company has shuttered several studios, and it laid off 1,387 people in the second half of 2023. It also canceled 29 unannounced games over a six-month period last year. It's believed that Gearbox (of Borderlands fame) may be set to leave Embracer too.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/embracer-sells-a-big-chunk-of-saber-interactive-in-a-deal-worth-around-500-million-143713156.html?src=rss

Solo Stove's well-regarded Pi Prime pizza oven is on sale for $50 off the asking price, bringing the total cost down to $300. This is part of a larger sitewide sale on Solo Stove products to celebrate Pi Day, a holiday that has everything to do with a famous mathematical constant and nothing to do with pizza.Just head to Solo Stove and type pizza" into the discount code box. This sale applies to every available product on the site, including fire pits, and the discounts increase as you spend more. For instance, purchasing two Pi Prime ovens will drop $120 off the final price.As for the Pi Prime, it's a fantastic gas-powered outdoor pizza oven. The original Pi made our list of the best pizza ovens and the Prime features a near-identical design. It's made out of stainless steel and features a round form factor that's just screaming to get stuffed with dough, cheese and sauce. The Pi Prime can hit a maximum cooking temperature of 950 degrees Fahrenheit and can fully cook a pizza in under 90 seconds.The oven ships with a reversible pizza stone made from cordierite, which is the gold standard of pizza stone materials. It also comes with a cover to protect the oven from the elements. The Pi Prime features an open-air design, so there's no door. This won't impact the temperature inside of the oven, but will make it more difficult to accurately track that temperature. Of course, you'll also need your own propane tank.The rest of the sale breaks down as follows. Spending at least $150 provides a discount of $20. This shoots up to $50 when you spend $300. Spending $600 nets you a discount of $120 and spending $800 knocks $160 off the final price. Again, this is a sitewide sale that also applies to the company's fire pits and accessories. The deals end on March 18.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/solo-stoves-pi-prime-pizza-oven-is-50-off-for-pi-day-140017342.html?src=rss

Blink is once again attempting to challenge conventional wisdom about how good a $40 security camera can be. The Amazon-owned company is today announcing the Blink Mini 2, which crams in plenty more smart features into that relatively tiny body. Headline features include better image quality day and night, as well as a built-in LED spotlight for color night vision.BlinkPaired with Blink's custom system-on-chip, the Mini 2 will also offer smart notifications and person detection. Those features will require a Blink subscription which, for $3 a month, will get you cloud recording, 60 days of video history and live streaming. You'll also need to pony up some more to use the Mini 2 outside - $49.98 will get you the camera and the necessary weather proof power adapter.The Blink Mini 2 is available today in the US and Canada.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/blinks-new-mini-2-offers-a-built-in-spotlight-and-person-detection-for-40-130055057.html?src=rss

It can be quite annoying to click through an Amazon ad in your results only to find out that the product you want can't be shipped to your place. Now, imagine you're the small business owner being charged for those ads. (Forget corporations and drop shippers, I know you all hate them.) There you are, thinking you're going to make a killing based on how much ad action you're getting. Except those ads don't translate to sales, because Amazon has been serving them to people who can't even buy your products. That's apparently what happened to at least one seller who told Bloomberg that he was charged between $200,000 and $300,000 for ads served to California residents, where he can't sell his advanced gaming computer items.The seller stopped shipping to California due to the state's personal computer power consumption regulations, which would require him to get costly lab reports for his products. But Amazon's automated system apparently continued advertising his products there and allegedly denied that there was an issue when he flagged the problem and followed up for several weeks. Since he was being charged thousands, the seller, who employs 80 people in Virginia to assemble custom computers, reportedly made zero profit in November, December and January.Amazon has acknowledged the issue in a statement sent to Engadget. It told us that it had investigated the matter and found that it only affected "a tiny fraction" of sellers. It also said that it had already apologized to the seller who talked to Bloomberg and that the company is in the process of refunding him $15,000. That's a tiny fraction of the hundreds of thousands the seller said he'd lost, but Amazon says it only served "a very small portion" of his listings to California residents. "We will similarly contact and refund any affected sellers, and are updating our processes to ensure any such ads are not charged going forward," the spokesperson said.The company's advertising system generally can't geo-target advertisements like Google ads can, because it focuses on matching buyers to certain brands or products they may be interested in. It also can't ensure that the product it's advertising complies with state regulations and, hence, can be shipped to its residents. As Bloomberg notes, this is far from the first time Amazon faced an issue regarding its advertisements. Last year, the Federal Trade Commission filed an antitrust lawsuit against the company, and one of the regulator's accusations was that it was "deliberately increasing junk ads that worsen search quality." A report that came out after the lawsuit revealed that Amazon can strike deals with other companies to make sure their listings are devoid of junk ads, though, which is why Apple's official product pages might look cleaner and less cluttered compared to its competitors'.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/whoops-amazon-served-costly-ads-for-products-people-couldnt-actually-buy-123046646.html?src=rss

The newly-released Sonos Move 2 speaker is on sale for 20 percent off the regular price. This is the very first discount on the speaker and brings the price down to $360 from $450. This is part of a larger Sonos sale on select products to celebrate the NCAA March Madness tournament.The Move 2 is considered a massive improvement over the original, with a jump in price to match. We called out the excellent battery life and quick-charging capabilities in our official review. Our reviewer noted that the speaker seemed to blow past" the advertised 24 hours of battery life. There's also a nifty charging ring" contraption. Just plop the speaker in the middle of the ring and it'll juice up, though USB-C charging is also an option.Of course, this is a speaker so the sound is a primary consideration. Luckily, the Move 2 offers improved clarity over the original, with a clear, well-balanced" sound that offers a prominent bass frequency and a detailed high end. It's also very loud and can easily handle outdoor spaces.There are only two downsides here. It's technically a portable speaker, but it's fairly large and weighs nearly seven pounds. Also, the original asking price is much higher than the first-gen Move, which has been somewhat alleviated by this sale.The sale also includes the massively popular Beam 2 soundbar. It's $100 off, bringing the price down to $399. The Beam snagged a place on our list of the best soundbars, due to its easy setup, compact design and fantastic sound. The aforementioned discounts are good until March 25.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/the-new-sonos-move-2-portable-speaker-is-20-percent-off-right-now-130045214.html?src=rss

A bill that could force a sale or outright ban on TikTok passed the House of Representatives just days after it was first introduced. It now goes to the senate.The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (no, we're not calling it PAFACAA) is the latest attempt by the government to constrain TikTok. If it passes, it could have one of two outcomes: The parent company sells TikTok to a US-based owner, or it faces a ban from US app stores and web hosting services.Of course, TikTok opposes the bill, saying it's unconstitutional. But they're not the only ones: Free speech and digital rights groups also object to the bill, with many noting that comprehensive privacy laws would be more effective at protecting Americans' user data rather than trying to single out one app.The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Fight for the Future and the Center for Democracy and Technology argued the bill would set an alarming global precedent" for government control of social media.Oh, and FYI: There are no spy balloons in your phone. The SIM tray is too small.- Mat SmithThe biggest stories you might have missedThe best docking stations for laptopsEven cozy games can get toxicFrom mono to mainstream: 20 years of Bluetooth audioPS5 system update makes your DualSense controller sound betterYou can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!Tesla paid no federal income tax between 2018 and 2022It earned $4.4 billion and gave its executives $2.5 billion.A detailed Guardian report said 35 major US companies, including Tesla, T-Mobile, Netflix, Ford Motor and Match Group, paid their top five executives more than they paid in federal income taxes between 2018 and 2022. Tesla was the worst offender. It earned $4.4 billion in those five years and gave its executives $2.5 billion. Despite that, Tesla not only didn't pay any federal taxes, but it received $1 million in refunds from the government. Tesla boss Elon Musk is the second richest person in the world.That's the punchline.Continue reading.Musk kills Don Lemon's new X show before it beganThe first episode's subject was Musk himself.XI'm sorry, more Musk. X has canceled a high-profile partnership with former CNN host Don Lemon to stream a video talk show on the platform. Lemon said the company canceled his contract hours after he interviewed X's billionaire owner Elon Musk for the first episode of The Don Lemon Show. Elon Musk is mad at me," Lemon said in a video posted to X on Wednesday. Apparently, free speech absolutism doesn't apply when it comes to questions about him from people like me." How's that video first" push going, Linda?Continue reading.Summer Game Fest's 2024 Showcase on June 7Late Friday? C'mon!The fifth edition of Summer Game Fest takes place this year on Friday, June 7 at 5PM ET. Expect a two-hour stream of trailers and hype with... around a 10 percent success rate. With E3 officially dead, SGF is poised to take the expo's place as the major gaming event of the year.Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-tiktok-inches-closer-to-a-possible-us-ban-111539850.html?src=rss

Proton, the privacy-focused company that offers a variety of internet tools like mail, calendars, online storage and a password manager, continues to built out its portfolio. As of today, Proton's desktop mail app for Windows and macOS is out of beta and now available to all its paid users. At the same time, Proton is also releasing its app for Linux users in beta.If you've used Proton Mail before (or any recent / modern mail client), the app won't be a surprise -it's the standard three-pane view, with different folders on the left, a list of message in the middle and a preview of the message contents on the right. Like in Gmail, there's a right-hand rail that has icons for your contacts and calendar that'll expand to show the selected item if you click them. But for more calendar details, there's a button to switch the whole window view from mail to calendar and back. Proton Drive and Proton Pass already have a desktop app, but for now Proton is keeping it separate from mail and calendar, which makes sense. Those two tools go hand-in-hand, but storage is kind of its own thing.ProtonWhile the new mail app doesn't improve on or change the design of Proton's web tools in any major way, I can say that the beta app felt quite responsive in a little testing I did. And while I wouldn't mind more than a slightly tweaked web wrapper (being able to draft an email in its own window would be nice), I do prefer keeping my email out of my browser window. I'm sure there are other Proton users who feel the same way and will find this app pretty handy for that.If you're not currently paying for Proton Mail, you can give the new app a try for two weeks, but after that you'll need to upgrade your account to keep using it. The Mail Plus plan costs $4/month if you sign up for a year, or you can get Proton Unlimited for $10 per month with a year plan that includes 500GB of storage (instead of 15GB for Mail Plus) and Proton Drive, Pass and VPN.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/protons-windows-and-macos-mail-app-is-out-of-beta-and-available-now-110010822.html?src=rss

If you've owned your iPhone or iPad for a long time, there's a good chance it has files, photos, apps and other digital clutter on it that's taking up more space than necessary. Maybe you've even gotten to the point where you're getting warnings about the scant bit of free space you have left on your device. Thankfully, there are plenty of things you can do to declutter your iPhone or iPad, free up some space and otherwise make your gear feel a bit more like new again. This guide will take you through how to reclaim your notifications and your device's storage.Delete your unused appsIgor Bonifacic / EngadgetYou don't need me to tell you to delete apps you don't use to free up space on your iPhone, but you might not know that iOS has a dedicated tool to help you do this. You can access it by opening the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad, then tapping General," followed by iPhone Storage" or iPad Storage." It may take a few moments for the interface to populate, but once it does, you'll see a handy visual representation of how much of your device's storage you've given over to apps, photos and other types of files. You will also see a list of every app installed on your device, as well as how much space it takes up and when you last used it - all helpful information you can use to decide what to delete.Depending on the app, iOS will present you with at least two options when you tap on it. You can delete the app and all its related data or offload" it. In the latter case, iOS will delete the app from your iPhone or iPad but leave your data untouched. As such, when you reinstall the app, you can pick up right where you left off. It will also remain in your App Library for easy access. From the iPhone Storage menu, you can also set your device to automatically offload unused apps when you're running low on storage, which is useful for all, but especially those with older, low-storage devices.Igor Bonifacic / EngadgetIf you use Apple Music and Messages frequently, tap on them since they offer a few additional options for managing their footprint. The interface for Apple Music includes a list of every download on your iPhone or iPad sorted by artist and album, offering a much better way of culling your library than from within the app itself.Messages, meanwhile, has a few handy options for serial texters. At the bottom of the interface, you will see a breakdown of all the different attachments you may have received in messaging with your friends and family. Seeing how much storage those old photos, videos and GIFs take up may be eye opening; in fact, iOS will prompt you to review large attachments. That's a good place to start since the interface does a good job of highlighting the biggest space hogs right at the top. You can also set iOS to automatically delete messages and attachments that are more than a year old. Unless space is at an absolute premium on your device, I would recommend against turning on this option, if only because it might delete a photo or video that has sentimental value to you.Trim your contacts listIf you've had an iPhone for a while, there's a good chance your contacts list could use an edit. Unless you plan to one day call everyone on that list, why not delete contacts you don't speak to anymore? Your iPhone will give you a head start by identifying suspected duplicate contacts. Outside of that, there's not much to this process other than going through each contact and ensuring the information you have is up to date.Review your notification settingsIgor Bonifacic / EngadgetSomething everyone should do every so often is review their notification settings since alerts can be a drain on your device's battery (not to mention frequently take your attention away from more important things, too). To get started, open your device's Settings app and tap on Notifications." If you haven't already, I would recommend taking advantage of iOS 15's scheduled summary feature. Let's be honest, most notifications don't require your immediate attention, and you're better off addressing them all at once instead piecemeal. The schedule feature will help you do that by allowing you to set a few times per day when your device displays some notifications all at once.For most people, that should make their notifications more manageable, but if you want to take things a step further, you can adjust individual settings for each app. For some of the worst offenders (Instagram and Twitter come to mind), it's worthwhile to jump into their in-app settings to limit or disable the notifications they send you.Focus ModesIgor Bonifacic / EngadgetAnother tool you can use to get a handle on your notification is Apple's Focus feature, which allows you to configure custom do not disturb settings for different activities. By default, your device will come with a few preconfigured ones, and it's worth reviewing the settings for each to optimize them for your needs.To create a new custom Focus Mode, open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad and tap Focus," which is located in the same subcategory as notifications. You can also create a new Focus mode directly from your device's Control Center by long pressing on the Do Not Disturb" icon and tapping New Focus."Once you create a new Focus, customizing it is straightforward. You can specify contacts you want iOS to either silence or allow notifications from. You can do the same for apps as well. After you customize those lists to your liking, tap the Options" prompt below your contacts and apps lists to see a few additional settings. Specifically, there's an option to allow silenced notifications to display on your lock screen that you might find helpful.The last thing I want to draw your attention to are the options around customizing your Home Screen for different Focus modes. By limiting the apps I can easily access, I find I'm less likely to get distracted. For instance, I've set my Reading Focus to limit my Home Screen to apps like Libby, Pocket and Apple Music.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/how-to-organize-apps-iphone-ios-declutter-150038492.html?src=rss

Epic Games has already accused Apple of "malicious compliance" with the EU's new competition laws, and now it's making the same allegation stateside. In a new legal filing, it accused Apple of non-compliance with a 2021 ruling that allowed developers to bypass Apple's 30 percent cut of in-app payments and is asking the court to enforce the original injunction.Once the Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of the ruling, Apple released revised guidelines, forcing developers to apply for an "entitlement," while still offering the option to purchase through Apple's own billing system. Moreover, Apple still charged a 27 percent commission on any sales made through links to external payment systems (or 12 percent for participants in the iOS Small Business Program).Epic argued that those fees are essentially the same" as what it charges using its own in-app payment (IAP) system. To that end, it accused the company of failing to comply with the order, with the fees making the links "commercially unusable."It also said that Apple requires a "plain button style" for external links that's "not a button at all" and violates the injunction forcing Apple to remove restrictions on "steering" users to alternative payment "buttons, external links or other calls to action." It added that Apple violated the injunction in a third way by prohibiting multi-platform apps like Minecraft from showing external payment links. Epic included statements from other developers including Paddle and Down Dog."Apple's goal is clear: to preventpurchasing alternatives from constraining the supracompetitive fees it collects on purchases of digital goods and services," the document reads. "Apple's so-called compliance is a sham. Epic therefore seeks an order (i) finding Apple in civil contempt, (ii) requiring Apple to promptly bring its policies into compliance with the Injunction and (iii) requiring Apple to remove all anti-steering provisions in Guideline 3.1.3."Apple previously said that it has complied with the injunction with new rules that allow alternative payment buttons or links in apps, and by letting developers "communicate with customers through points of contact obtained voluntarily from customers through account registration within the app."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/epic-accuses-apple-of-flouting-court-order-by-charging-for-external-links-on-ios-apps-070036198.html?src=rss

Hours after the House passed a bill that could ban TikTok in the United States, Shou Chew, the company's CEO urged users to protect your constitutional rights." Chew also implied that TikTok would mount a legal challenge if the bill is passed into law.

The SEC officials investigating Elon Musk over his handling of the Twitter takeover seem to be growing more and more impatient with his legal antics. The two sides have been locked in a dispute over Musk's refusal to testify in the investigation.Now, in a new filing, the SEC accuses Musk of trying to misrepresent" the regulator's investigation. Musk continues to distort the true scope of this investigation - his only hope for establishing that the SEC is not seeking relevant evidence," the SEC writes in a court document.The SEC has been investigating Musk since 2022 over his delayed disclosure of his stake in Twitter, which was then a publicly-traded company. The regulator sued Musk last year in an effort to force him to testify in the investigation. The SEC said at the time it was investigating among other things, potential violations of various provisions of the federal securities laws in connection with" his purchase of Twitter stock and SEC filings relating to Twitter." A federal judge ordered Musk to comply with the subpoena and schedule an interview last month.That testimony has apparently still not taken place, with the SEC accusing Musk of using gamesmanship" to stall the investigation. The regulator goes on to note that while Musk's legal team has claimed the probe is an unbounded investigation into an allegedly days-late SEC filing," that the SEC staff has repeatedly informed Musk that it is false."Musk, according to the SEC, is also being investigated for securities fraud. This investigation also examines potential securities fraud in violation of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act ... related to, among other things, Musk's public statements about his acquisition of Twitter," the SEC says.Notably, the filing also references the recently-released biography of Musk written by Walter Isaacson, which contains newly released evidence," according to the SEC. Three days before he was to appear for the testimony he failed to attend, his September 2023 biography was published," the SEC writes. This book provides important new information relevant to the SEC's investigation."It's also not the first time Isaacson's account of the Twitter takeover has landed Musk in hot water. A group of former execs suing Musk over unpaid severance also referenced a passage from the book in their lawsuit.X didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-sec-accuses-elon-musk-of-trying-to-distort-its-investigation-into-his-takeover-of-twitter-001429205.html?src=rss

X has canceled a high-profile partnership with former CNN host Don Lemon to stream a video talk show on the platform. Lemon said that the company canceled his contract hours after he interviewed X's billionaire owner Elon Musk for the first episode of The Don Lemon Show," which was scheduled to stream on the platform this Monday.Elon Musk is mad at me," Lemon said in a video posted to X on Wednesday. Apparently, free speech absolutism doesn't apply when it comes to questions about him from people like me."Lemon's announcement came a day after company CEO Linda Yaccarino declared that X was becoming a video first" platform. It announced the partnership with Lemon in January as part of a larger strategy to stream more original content on the service. This included striking deals with former representative Tulsi Gabbard and sports radio commentator Jim Rome to stream their own shows on the platform. Last year, X reportedly made a similar deal with Tucker Carlson after he was fired from his hosting duties at Fox News. X's decision to cancel Lemon's show raises questions about the company's strategy.The Don Lemon Show is welcome to publish its content on X, without censorship, as we believe in providing a platform for creators to scale their work and connect with new communities," X said in a statement. However, like any enterprise, we reserve the right to make decisions about our business partnerships, and after careful consideration, X decided not to enter into a commercial partnership with the show."Lemon said that he will now stream the first episode of The Don Lemon Show" on X, YouTube and other podcast platforms, and is preparing for a legal fight in case X refuses what is reportedly a multi-million dollar payout. Don has a deal with X and he expects to be paid for it," a spokesperson for Lemon told Variety. If we have to go to court, we will." However, two anonymous sources claimed to Semafor that Lemon may not have actually signed a contract with X. Musk has a history of withholding payments. A group of former Twitter executives including the company's ex-CEO Parag Agrawal are suing Musk and X over millions of dollars in unpaid severance benefits.Lemon's interview with Musk, which was recorded on Friday, spanned a wide range of topics including the presidential election, and, reportedly, the billionaire's alleged ketamine use, the subject of a Wall Street Journal story published earlier this year. Hardcore questions were asked," Lemon told an X user. In a written statement, Lemon said that he had a good conversation" with Musk, but the billionaire clearly didn't seem to think so.Musk wrote that Lemon's approach was basically just CNN, but on social media', which doesn't work, as evidenced by the fact that CNN is dying," in response to a user asking X about specific reasons for terminating the partnership with Lemon. And, instead of it being the real Don Lemon," Musk sniped, "it was really just [former CNN President] Jeff Zucker talking through Don, so lacked authenticity."Lemon was fired from CNN nearly a year ago after making on-air remarks against former Republican presidential contender Nikki Haley that many considered sexist and ageist, as well as reports showing he engaged in misogynistic behavior over his 15-year tenure at CNN.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/elon-musk-kills-don-lemons-new-x-show-before-it-ever-began-205608734.html?src=rss

Paper Trail, the game that lets you fold the world around you, finally has a release date after multiple delays. The top-down puzzler is now scheduled to launch on May 21.Developed and published by the UK-based Newfangled Games, Paper Trail combines craft-inspired art with a unique folding mechanic that lets you crease and bend your environment to connect new paths and solve puzzles. Alter the fabric of your world, contorting, spinning, rotating, twisting around - as you try to untangle the puzzle of the Paper Trail," the game's Steam description reads.The game's art style matches its folding mechanic, drawing inspiration from flat aesthetic styles, including printmaking and watercolor. You play as Paige (get it?), an 18-year-old aspiring astrophysicist with fuddy-duddy parents, making her way to University to pursue her calling in scientific research. The developer describes Paper Trail as easy to grasp but difficult to master, and you can imagine how the game could rack your brain when it ramps up in intensity and complexity as you reach the later levels.Paper Trail will be available on PC, consoles (PS5 / PS4, Xbox Series X / S, Xbox One and Switch) and the Netflix mobile app (iOS and Android) on May 21. If PC is your platform of choice, you can already wishlist the game on Steam.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/origami-inspired-adventure-game-paper-trail-finally-launches-on-may-21-195913317.html?src=rss

The European Parliament has approved sweeping legislation to regulate artificial intelligence, nearly three years after the draft rules were first proposed. Officials reached an agreement on AI development in December. On Wednesday, members of the parliament approved the AI Act with 523 votes in favor and 46 against, There were 49 abstentions.The EU says the regulations seek to "protect fundamental rights, democracy, the rule of law and environmental sustainability from high-risk AI, while boosting innovation and establishing Europe as a leader in the field." The act defines obligations for AI applications based on potential risks and impact.The legislation has not become law yet. It's still subject to lawyer-linguist checks, while the European Council needs to formally enforce it. But the AI Act is likely to come into force before the end of the legislature, ahead of the next parliamentary election in early June.Most of the provisions will take effect 24 months after the AI Act becomes law, but bans on prohibited applications will apply after six months. The EU is banning practices that it believes will threaten citizens' rights. "Biometric categorization systems based on sensitive characteristics" will be outlawed, as will the "untargeted scraping" of images of faces from CCTV footage and the web to create facial recognition databases. Clearview AI's activity would fall under that category.Other applications that will be banned include social scoring; emotion recognition in schools and workplaces; and "AI that manipulates human behavior or exploits people's vulnerabilities." Some aspects of predictive policing will be prohibited i.e. when it's based entirely on assessing someone's characteristics (such as inferring their sexual orientation or political opinions) or profiling them. Although the AI Act by and large bans law enforcement's use of biometric identification systems, it will be allowed in certain circumstances with prior authorization, such as to help find a missing person or prevent a terrorist attack.Applications that are deemed high-risk - including the use of AI in law enforcement and healthcare- are subject to certain conditions. They must not discriminate and they need to abide by privacy rules. Developers have to show that the systems are transparent, safe and explainable to users too. As for AI systems that the EU deems low-risk (like spam filters), developers still have to inform users that they're interacting with AI-generated content.The law has some rules when it comes to generative AI and manipulated media too. Deepfakes and any other AI-generated images, videos and audio will need to be clearly labeled. AI models will have to respect copyright laws too. "Rightsholders may choose to reserve their rights over their works or other subject matter to prevent text and data mining, unless this is done for the purposes of scientific research," the text of the AI Act reads. "Where the rights to opt out has been expressly reserved in an appropriate manner, providers of general-purpose AI models need to obtain an authorization from rightsholders if they want to carry out text and data mining over such works." However, AI models built purely for research, development and prototyping are exempt.The most powerful general-purpose and generative AI models (those trained using a total computing power of more than 10^25 FLOPs) are deemed to have systemic risks under the rules. The threshold may be adjusted over time, but OpenAI's GPT-4 and DeepMind's Gemini are believed to fall into this category.The providers of such models will have to assess and mitigate risks, report serious incidents, provide details of their systems' energy consumption, ensure they meet cybersecurity standards and carry out state-of-the-art tests and model evaluations.As with other EU regulations targeting tech, the penalties for violating the AI Act's provisions can be steep. Companies that break the rules will be subject to fines of up to 35 million ($51.6 million) or up to seven percent of their global annual profits, whichever is higher.The AI Act applies to any model operating in the EU, so US-based AI providers will need to abide by them, at least in Europe. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI creator OpenAI, suggested last May that his company might pull out of Europe were the AI Act to become law, but later said the company had no plans to do so.To enforce the law, each member country will create its own AI watchdog and the European Commission will set up an AI Office. This will develop methods to evaluate models and monitor risks in general-purpose models. Providers of general-purpose models that are deemed to carry systemic risks will be asked to work with the office to draw up codes of conduct.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/eu-regulators-pass-the-planets-first-sweeping-ai-regulations-190654561.html?src=rss

YouTube just announced that it'll be rolling out a redesign for its TV app over the next few weeks. Concrete details are scant, but the streaming platform says the new design will open the door for a broad range of new experiences such as shopping for your creators' favorite products."Beyond the pivot to shopping, the update should also improve existing features, with easier access to video descriptions and comments." To that end, both the descriptions and comment feed will take up a larger amount of room, when selected, with the actual video shrinking in size. YouTube says that users regularly request a smaller video feed and a prioritization of comments. As it stands, the comment feed lays over the video, so this refresh will allow users to engage with comments without covering up the actual content.I use the YouTube app on my TV every single day, and I want improved search, an easier way to refresh my personal feed and, most importantly, the ability to look for what I want to watch next as the current video plays. You know, just like with a phone. YouTube acknowledges that the push and pull between the TV-based lean back" experience and the smartphone-adjacent lean in" experience was at the heart of this redesign, but there's no mention of anything I just brought up. You will, however, be able to buy a shirt someone is wearing in a video with a simple click of the remote.YouTube did tease that sports fans will be able to check on live scores without interrupting a video, but didn't get into the how of it all. We reached out to the the platform and a spokesperson told us it's working on adding the feature but has nothing to announce at this time. It also said that the redesign will make it easier to both see and access video chapters, which should be useful.It's worth noting that these updates are for the standard YouTube app for TVs, and not the live-service YouTube TV platform. However, the latter is getting its own update in a few days, with the ability to peruse Views without interrupting live content like sporting events.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/youtubes-redesigned-tv-app-focuses-on-everything-but-video-183722152.html?src=rss

Former professional esports player Dennis Fong founded GGWP in 2022, more than a year before companies like Microsoft and Google debuted their natural-language search engines and the AI revolution officially gripped the globe. GGWP is an AI-powered moderation system that identifies and takes action against in-game harassment and hate speech, and after two years on the scene, it's now integrated into titles at more than 25 studios.Fong may be a veteran of the Doom and Quake esports scenes, but he's interested in protecting players from abuse in every genre, especially as social features become easier to implement for studios of all sizes. GGWP is live in thatgamecompany's social adventure title Sky: Children of the Light, the meditation app TRIPP VR, the kids-focused MMO Toontown Rewritten, the first-person MOBA Predecessor, Fatshark's action shooter Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, the metaverse platform The Sandbox, and it powers Unity's anti-abuse toolset.These aren't all gritty military sims or hardcore competitive franchises like Counter-Strike or League of Legends, where you might expect emotional outbursts and increased toxicity. One-third of the games that utilize GGWP are co-op and PvE experiences, rather than competitive PvP settings, according to Fong. Turns out, cozy games need moderation too.Cozy games tend to see a lot more chat activity when compared to competitive games, so naturally there tend to be far more incidents that are chat-related as compared to gameplay," Fong said. That said, users are clever and are always discovering new ways to turn something intended to be positive, like a thank you' emote, into something negative by using it after a player makes a mistake. We help companies understand what's happening and then implement tools to help curb that behavior."GGWP's Unity partnership is particularly notable, if only because of its potential scale. GGWP powers Unity's Safe Text and Safe Voice products, including its Vivox voice chat system, and it's integrated into the uDash dashboard. Unity developers can activate GGWP in their games with a click and have billing handled through their existing Unity partnerships.Outside of Unity, it takes just a few lines of code to activate GGWP in a game. There's a free tier that allows studios to try out the system, and a self-service portal for the truly independent developer. Custom contracts for larger titles aside, GGWP charges based on the volume of API calls a game generates."There are companies that do a subset of what we do, but we're the only comprehensive platform for positive play," Fong said.In-game moderation is a massive problem for any game with a social feature, and the bigger the audience, the more harassment there is to sift through. One studio executive told Fong in 2022 that their game received more than 200 million player-submitted reports in just one year, and this volume was common among popular online titles. During his research phase, Fong found that most AAA studios addressed just 0.1 percent of all reports they received annually, and some had anti-toxicity teams of fewer than 10 people.GGWP exists because most game companies, even the largest ones, are awful at moderating their spaces. Clicking the report" button in many games feels like sending a strongly worded letter to a trash incinerator inside a black hole. Here's how Fong described it to Engadget in 2022:I'm not gonna name names, but some of the biggest games in the world were like, you know, honestly it does go nowhere. It goes to an inbox that no one looks at. You feel that as a gamer, right? You feel despondent because you're like, I've reported the same guy 15 times and nothing's happened."GGWP has successfully blocked hundreds of millions of abusive messages and it's being used to protect billions of user interactions monthly. Games that use the system have seen a 65 percent reduction in toxic behavior and a 15 percent improvement in player retention - meaning, GGWP is preventing harassment from happening in the first place, and this helps players feel comfortable enough to keep coming back.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/even-cozy-games-can-get-toxic-184517894.html?src=rss

On Wednesday, Sony unveiled the latest catalog of games for PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscribers. The latest batch of titles includes the Resident Evil 3 remake, Marvel's Midnight Suns and NBA 2K24 (among others). You can play the games for free starting on Tuesday, March 19.Capcom's Resident Evil 3 remake (PS5 / PS4) arrived in early 2020. You play as Jill Valentine as you try to escape the virus-infected and zombie-overrun Raccoon City. Meanwhile, Marvel's Midnight Suns (PS5 / PS4) is a tactical RPG set in the darker side of the Marvel Universe." Playable characters include Iron Man, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Captain America, Doctor Strange, Hulk, Deadpool and Captain Marvel.Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama in NBA 2K242K Sports / Take-Two InteractiveYou can also claim the NBA 2K24 Kobe Bryant Edition (PS5 / PS4). The most current version of 2K's long-running basketball franchise has updated rosters and historic teams, along with a Mamba Moments" mode that relives some of the late Lakers Hall of Famer's most memorable career highlights.Lego DC Supervillains (PS4 only) is a 2018 game that takes the Lego franchise's goofy, family-friendly fun and flips the script -letting you play as the bad guys. You can control villains like The Joker, Harley Quinn, Lex Luthor, Catwoman, Two-Face and the Penguin.Other claimable titles include turn-based death match Blood Bowl 3 (PS5, PS4), puzzler Mystic Pillars: Remastered (PS5), side-scrolling RPG Super Neptune (PS4) and action RPG Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot (PS5). The classics appearing this month include the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy (PS4), Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier (PS5, PS4), Cool Boarders (PS5, PS4), Gods Eater Burst (PS5, PS4) and JoJos Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ps-plus-latest-free-games-include-resident-evil-3-midnight-suns-and-nba-2k24-181904818.html?src=rss

Everyone's favorite Chrono Trigger-esque RPG, Sea of Stars, is getting a three-player couch co-op mode. Publisher Sabotage Studios dropped a trailer for the upcoming feature, which has been dubbed Single Player+.As you can see, there's independent traversal for each party member, so long as everyone stays within the same general vicinity. It doesn't look like one party member will be able to dip out to snag a power up from another map. The trailer doesn't show combat, but the publisher promises that each player will control their avatar during battles and teased something called co-op timed hits." This is likely a two and three-person version of the pre-existing timed hits system, which draws from games like Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario.The new mode is currently in development and the publisher hasn't announced availability information, nor has it said if this will be a free update or paid DLC. It's a safe assumption, however, that couch co-op will show up on every available platform, including the Switch, PlayStation, Xbox and Steam.Sabotage Studios also shared a significant milestone today. Sea of Stars has racked up an astounding five million players since launch. This was likely helped by strong reviews, incredible word of mouth and, of course, snagging best indie game at The Game Awards.

The fifth edition of Summer Game Fest takes place this year and now we know when the main showcase will take place. The two-hour stream of trailers, hype, announcements and game updates is set for Friday, June 7 at 5PM ET. So, if you notice any typos in Engadget's coverage of the event, it definitely won't be because we're watching with an end-of-week cocktail in hand.The SGF showcase will once again stream live from the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles with a live audience. The Geoff Keighley-run event has quickly become one of the key events on the games industry's calendar, as several notable projects, big and small, have been announced there.With E3 now completely dead, SGF could be poised to take the expo's place as the anchor for the various gaming events that typically take place in early June. The smart money's on an Xbox showcase happening on the following Sunday, for instance.

Sony is rolling out a new PlayStation 5 system update that makes your controller sound better, your screen sharing more immersive and your power indicator adjustable. System Update 9.00 entered beta over a month ago and is available in the public software pushed to PS5 owners on Wednesday.PS5 system software version 24.02-09.00.00 enhances DualSense and DualSense Edge controller audio. The controller speakers are now louder, making the speakers sound clearer when broadcasting in-game sounds and voice chat. The controller's microphone is also improved. Sony says a new AI machine-learning model" suppresses background noises from button presses and game audio, leading to an improved voice chat experience."The update also adds brightness adjustments for the PS5 power indicator. You can change its levels by heading to Settings > System > Beep and Light > Brightness. You can choose from three settings: dim, medium and bright (default).PS5 Share Screen pointersSonyShare Screen, which lets you broadcast your gameplay straight from the console, adds pointers and emoji reactions. Your live audience can now use a pointer to show you locations on the screen. They can also send emoji reactions highlighting your gameplay triumphs and tragedies from the Share Screen. The features are toggled on by default, but hosts can turn them off from the Share Screen settings.The 9.00 update also adds Unicode 15.1 emojis to messages. Less specifically detailed changes include performance and stability improvements for the system software, DualSense gamepads, PlayStation VR2 headset and controllers and Access controller.If you aren't automatically prompted to update, you can trigger the software download by heading to Settings > System > System Software > System Software Update and Settings, and choosing Update System Software" under Update Available."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ps5-system-update-that-makes-your-controller-sound-better-is-rolling-out-today-162511840.html?src=rss

Samsung's Galaxy Tab S9 is on sale for $680 via Amazon, which is a discount of $120. This is a record low price for the well-regarded tablet. The S9 is the most recent iteration and there likely won't be a refresh on the horizon until at least September.Now onto some specs. The standard S9 boasts an 11-inch AMOLED screen, a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor and 12GB of RAM. It also comes with the company's S Pen stylus, which is something I wish Apple did for its tablets. The $680 price tag gets you a device with 128GB of internal storage, but 256GB and 512GB models are also on sale.The Galaxy Tab S9 easily made our list of the best tablets, and for good reason. We loved the gorgeous AMOLED screen, the powerful speakers and the tablet's surprisingly useful Dex multitasking mode. For the uninitiated, this mode basically turns the tablet into a PC, complete with standard windows, folders and a taskbar, with the ability to drag and drop files.The 11-inch screen is a joy to behold and probably the best fit for most people. The S9+, which is also on sale, boasts a particularly large 12.4-inch AMOLED display. Those with small hands should probably demo that unit before making the splurge.This is part of a larger Amazon sale on a bunch of Samsung tablets. There's the aforementioned S9 tablets with more hard drive space, but also discounts on the entire A9+ line and the S9 FE+. There are no deals, however, for the top-of-the-line S9 Ultra.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/samsungs-galaxy-tab-s9-is-cheaper-than-ever-right-now-155536182.html?src=rss

In case you need another reason to shout "tax the rich" from the rooftops, it's here, and it's going to make you angry. A study found that 35 major US companies paid their top five executives more than they paid in federal income taxes between 2018 and 2022, the Guardian reports. The findings, which come from The Institute for Policy Studies and Americans for Tax Fairness, are even less shocking when you learn the worst offender: Tesla.Elon Musk's company earned $4.4 billion during those five years and gave its executives $2.5 billion. Despite that, Tesla not only didn't pay any federal taxes, but it received $1 million in refunds from the government. Musk himself is the second richest person in the world, with Forbes reporting he had a net worth of $207.9 billion at the start of March.Tesla is one of 35 companies that paid less federal income tax than they paid their top five executives during that period. In total, the well-deserving and not-at-all greedy execs of these companies raked in $9.5 billion over these years, while cumulatively those same companies received $1.8 billion back from the government. Eighteen of these businesses reported net profits over the five years but didn't pay a cent of federal income tax. (All but one got refunds).The study lists other notable companies like T-Mobile, Netflix, Ford Motor and Match Group alongside Tesla. T-Mobile made $17.9 billion, paid executives $675 million and received $80 million in refunds. The mobile provider has spent an incredible amount of money on lobbying Congress for tax breaks, spending $9 million in 2022 alone. Netflix actually did pay some taxes, but the $236 million was just 1.6 percent of its $15.1 billion in earnings - and just over a third of what it paid those top five executives. The statutory rate for federal income tax is 21 percent, so yeah, feel free to scream.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tesla-paid-no-federal-income-taxes-while-paying-executives-25-billion-over-five-years-154529907.html?src=rss

When you think about the history of Bluetooth, and specifically about audio, you really have to go back to the mid-to-late '90s."Chuck Sabin is a Bluetooth expert. As a senior director at Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), he oversees market research and planning as well as business development. He's also leading the charge for emerging uses of Bluetooth, like Auracast broadcast audio. In other words, he's an excellent person to speak to about how far Bluetooth has come - from the days of mono headsets solely used for voice communication to today's devices capable of streaming lossless-quality music.In the mid '90s, mobile phones were starting to become a thing, and of course so were regulations about hands-free use of them in cars. Sabin previously worked in the cellular industry, and he remembers how costly and intrusive the early hand-free systems were in vehicles. Bluetooth originated from cell phone companies working together to cut the cord to headphones since using those not-yet-wireless audio accessories in the car was cumbersome. One of the first mobile phones with Bluetooth was from Ericsson in the late '90s, although an updated model didn't make it to consumers until 2001. That same year, the IBM ThinkPad A30 became the first laptop with Bluetooth built in. At that time, the primary intent of the short-range radio technology was for voice calls.The Bose Bluetooth Headset Series 2BoseYou had a lot of people who ended up with these mono headsets and boom mics," he explained. You know, the people we all probably made fun of - at least once. Most of these things were massive, and some had obnoxious blinking lights. They're definitely a far cry from the increasingly inconspicuous wireless earbuds available now.Bluetooth as a specification continued to evolve, with companies leveraging it for music and streaming audio. To facilitate music listening, there had to be faster communication between headphones and the connected device. Compared with voice calling, continuous streaming required Bluetooth to support higher data speeds along with reduced latency. Where Bluetooth 1.0 was call specific, version 2.0 began to achieve the speeds needed for audio streaming at over 2 Mb/s. However, Sabin says, the 2.1 specification adopted by Bluetooth SIG in 2007 was when all streaming audio capabilities were implemented in automobiles, phones, headphones, headsets and more.Of course, it would still be a few years before wireless headphones were mainstream. In the early 2000s, headphones were still directly connected to a mobile phone or other source device. Once Bluetooth became a standard feature in all new phone models, as well as its inclusion in laptops and PCs, consumers could count on wireless connectivity being available to them. Even then, music had to be loaded onto a memory card to get it on a phone, as dedicated apps and streaming services wouldn't be a thing until the 2010s.The utility of the device that you carried around with you all the time was evolving," Sabin said. Bluetooth was ultimately riding that continued wave of utility, by providing the opportunity to use that phone as a wireless streaming device for audio."Bragi Dash true wireless earbudsPhoto by James Trew/EngadgetAbout the time wireless headphones had become popular, a few companies arrived with a new proposition in 2015: true wireless earbuds. Bluetooth improvements meant reduced power requirements leading to much smaller devices with smaller batteries - and still provide the performance needed for true wireless devices. Bragi made a big splash at consecutive CESs with its Dash earbuds. The ambitious product had built-in music storage, fitness tracking and touch controls, all paired with a woefully short three-hour battery life. Perhaps the company was a bit overzealous, in hindsight, but it did set the bar high, and eventually similar technologies would make it into other true wireless products.Companies that were building products were really starting to stretch the specification to its limits," Sabin explained. There was a certain amount of innovation that was happening [beyond that] on how to manage the demands of two wireless earbuds." Bluetooth's role, he said, was more about improving performance of the protocol as a means of inspiring advances in wireless audio devices themselves.He was quick to point out that, for the first few years, true wireless buds accepted the Bluetooth signal to only one ear and then sent it to the other. That's why the battery in one would always drain faster than the other. In January 2020, Bluetooth SIG announced LE Audio at CES as part of version 5.2. LE Audio delivered lower battery consumption, standardized audio transmission and the ability to transmit to multiple receivers - or multiple earbuds. LE Audio wouldn't be completed until July 2022, but it offers a lower minimum latency of 20 to 30 milliseconds versus 100 to 200 milliseconds with Bluetooth Classic.All of the processing is now done back on the phone itself and then streamed independently to each of the individual earbuds," Sabin continued. That will continue to deliver better performance, better form factors, better battery life and so on because the processing is being done at the source level versus [on] the individual earbuds."The increased speed and efficiency of Bluetooth has led to improvements in overall sound quality too. Responding to market demands for better audio, Qualcomm and others have developed various codecs, like aptX, that expand what Bluetooth can do. More specifically, aptX HD provides 48kHz/24-bit audio for wireless high-resolution listening.One of the elements that came into the specification, even on the classic side, was the ability for companies to sideload different codecs," Sabin explained. Companies could then market their codec to be available on phones and headphones to provide enhanced audio capabilities."LE Audio standardizes Bluetooth connectivity for hearing aids, leading to a larger number of supported devices and interoperability. The use cases range from tuning earbuds to a user's specific hearing or general hearing assistance needs, with or without the help of active noise cancellation or transparency mode, to simply being able to hear valuable info in public spaces via their earbuds or hearing aid.Bluetooth is becoming integral for people with hearing loss," he explained. Not only for medical-grade hearing aids, but you're seeing hearing capabilities built into consumer devices as well."Sony's CRE-E10 OTC hearing aidsSonySabin also noted how the development of true wireless earbuds have been key for people with hearing loss and helped reduce the stigma around traditional hearing aids. Indeed, companies like Sennheiser and Sony have introduced assistance-focused earbuds that look no different from the devices they make for listening to music or taking calls. Of course, those devices do that too, it's just their primary aim is to help with hearing loss. The boom, which has been going on for years, was further facilitated by a 2022 FDA policy change that allowed over-the-counter sale of hearing aids.One of the major recent developments for Bluetooth is broadcast audio, better known as Auracast. Sabin described the technology as unmuting your world," which is exactly what happens when you're able to hear otherwise silent TVs in public spaces. You simply select an available broadcast audio channel on your phone, like you would a Wi-Fi network, to hear the news or game on the TV during your layover. Auracast can also be used for things like PA and gate announcements in airports, better hearing at conferences and sharing a secure audio stream with a friend. Companies like JBL are building it into their Bluetooth speakers so you can link unlimited additional devices to share the sound at the press of a button.You're seeing it in speakers, you'll see it in surround sound systems and full home or party-in-a-box type scenarios," he said. Sabin also noted that applications beyond the home could simplify logistics for events, since Auracast audio comes from the same source before it's sent to a PA system or connected earbuds and headphones with no latency. Sabin said the near-term goal is for Bluetooth audio to be as common in public spaces as Wi-Fi connectivity, thanks to things like Auracast and the standard's constant evolution.Even after 20 years, we're still relying on Bluetooth to take calls on the go, but both the voice and audio quality have dramatically improved since the days of the headset. Smaller, more comfortable designs can be worn all day, giving us constant access to music, podcasts, calls and voice assistants. As consumer preferences have changed to having earbuds in at all times, the desire to tune into our surroundings rather than block them out has increased. Unmuting your world" is now of utmost importance, and the advancement of Bluetooth technology, from the late '90s through LE Audio, continues to adapt to our sonic preferences.To celebrate Engadget's 20th anniversary, we're taking a look back at the products and services that have changed the industry since March 2, 2004.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/from-mono-to-mainstream-20-years-of-bluetooth-audio-153031600.html?src=rss

There aren't enough films that put movie stars in mechs and task them with saving the world. But that's just what Netflix flick Atlas is doing with Jennifer Lopez.She plays Atlas Shepherd, "a brilliant but misanthropic data analyst with a deep distrust of artificial intelligence," who joins a team that's aiming to secure a renegade robot. As it happens, Atlas and said machine share "a mysterious past," according to Netflix. Inevitably, things don't go as planned. Atlas finds herself stuck on a distant planet (a long way from any block), inside a robot she has to trust to help her protect life back home.The first trailer doesn't shed much more light on the plot, but it does have plenty of explosive visuals. Titanfall springs to mind here, especially since it shows a mech dropping from the sky to the surface. Sadly, it's probably the closest we'll ever get to a proper Titanfall film.Atlas also stars Simu Liu and Sterling K. Brown. The film is directed by Brad Peyton (San Andreas, Rampage). It'll hit Netflix on May 24. In the meantime, Team Engadget couldn't help but come up with some alternative titles:

A bill that could force a sale or outright ban on TikTok passed the House just days after it was first introduced. The House of Representatives approved the measure Wednesday, in a vote of 352 - 65, in a rare showing of bipartisan support. It now goes to the Senate.If passed into law, the legislation would give parent company ByteDance a six-month window to sell TikTok or face a ban from US app stores and web hosting services. While the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act" is far from the first effort to force a ban or sale of TikTok, it's been able to draw more support far more quickly than previous bills.The measure cleared its first procedural vote in the House last week, just two days after it was introduced. The bill will now move onto the Senate, where its future is less certain. Senator Rand Paul has said he would block the bill, while other lawmakers have also been hesitant to publicly back the bill.TikTok has called the bill unconstitutional, saying it would strip 170 million Americans of their Constitutional right to free expression" and hurt creators and businesses that rely on the service. Last week, the company sent a wave of push notifications to users, urging them to ask their representatives to oppose the bill. Congressional staffers reported that offices were overwhelmed with calls, many of which came from confused teenagers. Lawmakers later accused the company of trying to interfere" with the legislative process.Free speech and digital rights groups also oppose the bill, with many noting that comprehensive privacy laws would be more effective at protecting Americans' user data rather than a measure that primarily targets one app. Former President Donald Trump, who once also tried to force ByteDance to sell TikTok, has also said he is against the bill, claiming it would strengthen Meta.In a letter to lawmakers, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Fight for the Future and the Center for Democracy and Technology argued that the bill would set an alarming global precedent for excessive government control over social media platforms" and would likely invite copycat measures by other countries ... with significant consequences for free expression globally."If the bill were to muster enough votes to pass the Senate, President Joe Biden says he would sign the bill into law. His administration has previously pressured ByteDance to sell TikTok. Officials maintain the app poses a national security risk due to its ties to ByteDance, a Chinese company. TikTok has repeatedly refuted these claims.If the law was passed, the company would likely mount a legal challenge like it did in Montana, which passed a statewide ban last year. A federal judge temporarily blocked the ban in November before it could go into effect.Developing...This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/house-passes-bill-that-could-ban-tiktok-144805114.html?src=rss

Google DeepMind has unveiled new research highlighting an AI agent that's able to carry out a swath of tasks in 3D games it hasn't seen before. The team has long been experimenting with AI models that can win in the likes of Go and chess, and even learn games without being told their rules. Now, for the first time, according to DeepMind, an AI agent has shown it's able to understand a wide range of gaming worlds and carry out tasks within them based on natural-language instructions.The researchers teamed up with studios and publishers such as Hello Games (No Man's Sky), Tuxedo Labs (Teardown) and Coffee Stain (Valheim and Goat Simulator 3) to train the Scalable Instructable Multiworld Agent (SIMA) on nine games. The team also used four research environments, including one built in Unity in which agents are instructed to form sculptures using building blocks. This gave SIMA, described as "a generalist AI agent for 3D virtual settings," a range of environments and settings to learn from, with a variety of graphics styles and perspectives (first- and third-person)."Each game in SIMA's portfolio opens up a new interactive world, including a range of skills to learn, from simple navigation and menu use, to mining resources, flying a spaceship or crafting a helmet," the researchers wrote in a blog post. Learning to follow directions for such tasks in video game worlds could lead to more useful AI agents in any environment, they noted.Google DeepMindThe researchers recorded humans playing the games and noted the keyboard and mouse inputs used to carry out actions. They used this information to train SIMA, which has "precise image-language mapping and a video model that predicts what will happen next on-screen." The AI is able to comprehend a range of environments and carry out tasks to accomplish a certain goal.The researchers say SIMA doesn't need a game's source code or API access - it works on commercial versions of a game. It also needs just two inputs: what's shown on screen and directions from the user. Since it uses the same keyboard and mouse input method as a human, DeepMind claims SIMA can operate in nearly any virtual environment.The agent is evaluated on hundreds of basic skills that can be carried out within 10 seconds or so across several categories, including navigation ("turn right"), object interaction ("pick up mushrooms") and menu-based tasks, such as opening a map or crafting an item. Eventually, DeepMind hopes to be able to order agents to carry out more complex and multi-stage tasks based on natural-language prompts, such as "find resources and build a camp."In terms of performance, SIMA fared well based on a number of training criteria. The researchers trained the agent in one game (let's say Goat Simulator 3, for the sake of clarity) and got it to play that same title, using that as a baseline for performance. A SIMA agent that was trained on all nine games performed far better than an agent that trained on just Goat Simulator 3.Google DeepMindWhat's especially interesting is that a version of SIMA that was trained in the eight other games then played the other one performed nearly as well on average as an agent that trained just on the latter. "This ability to function in brand new environments highlights SIMA's ability to generalize beyond its training," DeepMind said. "This is a promising initial result, however more research is required for SIMA to perform at human levels in both seen and unseen games."For SIMA to be truly successful, though, language input is required. In tests where an agent wasn't provided with language training or instructions, it (for instance) carried out the common action of gathering resources instead of walking where it was told to. In such cases, SIMA "behaves in an appropriate but aimless manner," the researchers said. So, it's not just us mere mortals. Artificial intelligence models sometimes need a little nudge to get a job done properly too.DeepMind notes that this is early-stage research and that the results "show the potential to develop a new wave of generalist, language-driven AI agents." The team expects the AI to become more versatile and generalizable as it's exposed to more training environments. The researchers hope future versions of the agent will improve on SIMA's understanding and its ability to carry out more complex tasks. "Ultimately, our research is building towards more general AI systems and agents that can understand and safely carry out a wide range of tasks in a way that is helpful to people online and in the real world," DeepMind said.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-deepminds-new-ai-can-follow-commands-inside-3d-games-it-hasnt-seen-before-140341369.html?src=rss

Spring is so close now that it's almost in our grasp. Say goodbye to wearing a huge coat to go to the gym and hello to outdoor activities. With that in mind, there many great GPS running watches out there to track your time in the sun, including the on sale Garmin's Forerunner 55. The smartwatch is down to $150 from $200 - a 25 percent discount that brings the device to its record-low price.The Garmin Forerunner 55 is a slightly upgraded version of the company's 45S (which we rave about here). It comes with features such as a heart rate monitor, respiration rate, menstrual tracking, pacing strategies, and more. It also has a GPS that helps track distance, speed, and location and creates pacing strategies for a selected course.While it's billed as a running watch, the Garmin Forerunner 55 also works for activities such as pilates, cycling, breathwork and swimming. As a smartwatch, the battery can last 20 days, while being in GPS mode gives the watch 20 hours - way more time than it takes to go for a run, stop for a snack and run back.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/the-garmin-forerunner-55-gps-running-watch-drops-to-a-record-low-of-150-133443716.html?src=rss

I miss having clean floors. I've been using a variety of Roombas over the years to help out with vacuuming, but ever since my wife and I had our second child in 2022, mopping has become an afterthought. And really, vacuuming can only clean your floor so much. I missed the shimmer of a mopped hardwood floor and the smell of Murphy Oil cleaner lingering in the air. Instead, I've been living with even more toys, crumbs and an assortment of bodily waste (which three cats contribute to) on my flooring and carpets. Don't judge me (or any parent!), I'm tired.When Engadget's own Daniel Cooper extolled the virtues of iRobot's first combination robot vacuum and mop, I was intrigued. I'd already grown to love my Roombas, especially after they gained the ability to dump their own waste into their charging docks. But for them to mop as well? That just sounded like an impossible dream. So when iRobot announced its second combination flagship, the Roomba Combo j9+, I leapt at the chance to test it. (Sorry, Dan.)I've tested iRobot's Braava Jet m6 mopping robot, which was announced in 2019 and was notable for being able to work alongside the Roomba s9+. But it would have cost me $499 and required clunky setup and maintenance. Plus, it was yet another device that needed to live somewhere in my home. It was ultimately easier for me to just run the Roomba and mop by hand whenever I needed to.Photo by Devindra Hardawar/EngadgetThe Roomba Combo j9+ (and the j7+ before it) promises a far smoother experience: It can simultaneously vacuum and mop without much additional effort on your part. All you need to do is add some water and cleaning solution to its large reservoir (stored neatly in the redesigned Clean Base) and attach a mop pad. The company developed a unique mop arm that can automatically move up and down when needed, which helps to avoid leaving your carpets wet with residue.Maintenance is fairly simple too: Wash the mop pads after a few runs, add more water when necessary, and make sure the Roomba's bristles aren't getting tangled with hair. Once the Clean Base is full, swapping its custom waste bags takes only a few seconds.While we liked the Roomba Combo j7+ well enough, the new model solves some of the issues we encountered. It can automatically refill its water tank from the Clean Base, whereas the j7+ required you to manually add liquid to the robot. The Combo j9+ also offers stronger vacuum suctioning, which allows it to pick up smaller debris and complete jobs with fewer cleaning passes. Its new Clean Base also looks like a piece of furniture, with a wood top that you can use like a regular table. Its door swings open from the front and offers space for additional waste bags, accessories and a large reservoir for cleaning liquid.Photo by Devindra Hardawar/EngadgetiRobot claims the j9+ Clean Base allows for 30 days of hands-free mopping and 60-days of hands-free vacuuming, figures that seem exceedingly ambitious for most users. In my testing, I needed to look at the Roomba's bristles at least once a week to deal with extraneous hair and random toys. And I definitely had to change the mop pad after two or three runs - after all, there's no such thing as clean floors with a dirty mop.Like the Roomba j7+ and s9 before it, as well as just about every Roomba ever made, you'll want to clear your floors of small debris and potential hazards before starting a run. As a Roomba user since 2005, I've grown to accept that they're not magical cleaning devices. You will need to put in a bit of work to help them run best. But the key is it's still easier than manually vacuuming and sweeping your floors and it's significantly cheaper than a cleaning service.Thanks to iRobot's OS 7, along with its camera and wide array of sensors, the Roomba Combo j9+ is far better at automatically mapping your home than previous models. After two runs, it tagged my kitchen, dining area and living room correctly, though I had to hop into the iRobot app to differentiate between my living room and family room. The mapping might seem unnecessary if you're using a Roomba for the first time (you can also disable it entirely), but it is the heart of the vacuum's routines. Instead of cleaning your entire home, you can program it to just clean the kitchen and dining room. If you connect your app to Alexa, Siri or Google Assistant, you can also use voice commands to direct your robot to specific locations.After getting in hot water over its earlier plans to sell home mapping data, iRobot made an about face, gave up on that idea and started emphasizing privacy. The company says your mapping data is stored in the iRobot Cloud for processing (something you can also disable), which is a "secure" environment with "strict access controls, data encryption at rest and in transit, and periodic audits to ensure access is only given to those who require it."In 2020, MIT Technology Review reported that development versions of the Roomba J7 captured images of a woman sitting on a toilet and a child playing on the floor, which made their way to a library used by the labeling service Scale AI. iRobot said that the people using those devices had agreed to have their data captured - they weren't regular consumers. One downside of using any cloud-connected device, especially one that aims to learn about your home, is that it'll require sharing some data. It's up to you to determine if that's a worthwhile tradeoff for more convenience.Photo by Devindra Hardawar/EngadgetWhen it comes to cleaning, the Roomba Combo j9+ practically mesmerized me as it balanced vacuuming and mopping duties. At the start of every mopping job, the robot emerged from the Clean Base, turned around and studiously refilled its liquid tank. It's like watching R2D2 go to the bathroom in reverse. Since it was starting every job on my wood floor, the Roomba then lowered its mopping pad from its top (it has a 'lil mop hat!) and spun up its vacuum. Then, it proceeded to move forward, sucking up dirt while the scrubbing pad cleaned right behind, a virtuoso show of autonomous cleaning acrobatics.If you don't need a full cleaning, you could also use the iRobot app to have the j9+ just vacuum or mop (useful if you've just gone to town on your floors with a manual vac). The iRobot app lets you control the number of cleaning passes per job (one, two or "room-size", which tackles large rooms once and smaller spaces two to three times), as well as the amount of water for every mopping job (eco, standard or ultra). You can also choose between low, medium and high suction options (which get progressively louder, as you'd expect).Photo by Devindra Hardawar/EngadgetThe iRobot app also lets you turn the Roomba's obstacle detection on and off, though you'll likely never want to disable it. In my testing, the Roomba Combo j9+ managed to avoid shoes, toys and other objects in its path. It also quietly came to a halt whenever my kids or cats stepped in front of it. iRobot's promise to avoid pet poop (the aptly named Pet Owner Official Promise) also applies to the j9+. If the company's poop-optimized computer vision algorithms somehow miss a dog or cat mess in your home, iRobot says it will send you a new Roomba at no charge within the first year of purchase. The company will only send out one replacement, though, and the guarantee doesn't apply to non-solid waste (including diarrhea) or poop from another animal.Before you ask, yes, I tested this. I placed a bit of cat poop in front of the j9+ and watched with worry as it approached the stinker. Thankfully, it stopped about six inches away and immediately backed off, as if it was terrified of the horrors it was about to inflict on itself. My floors were grateful, as was I.The Roomba Combo j9+ performed admirably as a mop. It wasn't always perfect, and I could occasionally make out streaks, but it still looked a lot better than when relying on mere vacuuming. After my first cleaning session, my floors beamed in the sunlight with a glow I hadn't seen in months. And best of all, it required very little effort on my part, aside from a bit of tidying up. Even my notoriously picky mom noticed my floors sparkled more when they visited right after the Roomba worked its magic.According to iRobot, the j9+ features twice the scrubbing performance of the j7+. While I couldn't test the difference directly, I can confirm it's a stubborn little bot when it comes to tough situations like dried litter paw prints and caked-in dirt. It managed to fully clean up those messes, but I'd be wary of letting it tackle anything worse, at least not without changing the mopping pad right afterwards. The j9+ may be able to avoid streaking poop around your house, but having your floors painted with a muddy mop can also be awful.Photo by Devindra Hardawar/EngadgetA rogue j9+ could do plenty of damage around your home, since its battery life has also been improved. It typically cleared my first floor in around two hours without needing a charging break. At one point, it ran for two and a half hours without a sweat. That should make this Roomba pretty capable even if you have a large home. A full floor cleaning took between 30 minutes and an hour longer than the j7+, but that makes sense since it's also mopping and being more diligent about vacuuming.At $1,400, the Roomba Combo J9+ is too expensive for most people looking to buy their first robovac. Even when iRobot is running a sale (we've seen it drop the price down to $999), the Combo j9+ is pretty pricey, but that cut does make the j9+ more palatable for longtime Roomba owners who've learned how to fit the bot into their cleaning routines. iRobot isn't completely out of line with its pricing: The competing Roborock S7 Max Ultra offers similar vacuum and mopping features and typically sells for $1,299 (it's also on sale for $999 at the moment).There's still no robot vacuum equivalent to the Jetson's Rosie the Robot, but the Roomba Combo j9+ is the closest we've got so far. iRobot has built upon its excellent robot vacuum platform to deliver something that can finally mop your floors without a sweat. And while it may seem a tad exorbitant, the cost may be worth it for parents who, like me, forgot what truly clean floors looked like.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/roomba-combo-j9-review-the-ideal-robot-vacuum-and-mop-130017400.html?src=rss

Spotify is officially expanding its offerings beyond just audio with the introduction of music videos. The streamer is rolling out a beta program that offers premium subscribers access to music videos on mobile, desktop and TV for a select number of tracks by artists like Ed Sheeran and Ice Spice.In an email seen by TechCrunch, Sten Garmark, Spotify vice president and global head of consumer experience said: "We're starting with a limited subset of the full catalog, which includes thousands of music videos. Within this subset, we aimed to prioritize a wide range of genres and artists across our launch markets." YouTube (of course) and Apple Music both already offer music videos, so this new feature helps Spotify match up to some of its biggest competitors.To watch a music video, Spotify users listening to a song can click "switch to video" right on the now-playing screen. The music video will always start the song back from the beginning, but users can touch switch back to audio at any point. Even if the music video plays through, Spotify will still queue the next song as audio only.Currently, the beta option is only available in 11 countries, chosen for a "number of criteria including market size and the availability of local content support," Garmark said. While the US didn't make the cut, the countries included represent quite a global audience: Brazil, Colombia, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Netherlands, Poland, Philippines, Sweden and the UK. Users from these nations must also have a premium account to watch music videos.Rumors that Spotify might add music videos started last July following a number of layoffs (and more have come since). This announcement is the first time Spotify has announced the existence of music videos on its platform. However, a Reddit user posted three months back that they had the "switch to video" option on a single song: My Way, by Limp Bizkit.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/spotify-adds-music-videos-in-11-countries-but-not-the-us-120002692.html?src=rss

Neil Young is back on Spotify after boycotting the platform over two years ago, he said in a new blog post. The Canadian singer ditched the platform over vaccine misinformation on the Joe Rogan podcast. He's returned because Rogan's podcast is no longer exclusive on Spotify. My decision comes as music services Apple and Amazon have started serving the same disinformation podcast features I had opposed at Spotify," he said - which isn't really the stance he thinks it is.When Young dropped his catalog from Spotify, he added he was fed up with Spotify's shitty" sound quality. Nothing has particularly changed there.- Mat SmithThe biggest stories you might have missedHow Amazon Prime has satisfied our need for speedThe best mobile microphones for 2024The US Government says IP infringement is all over NFT marketplacesYou can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!In the EU, Apple will allow iOS apps to be distributed on websitesInstead of its App Store.Days after Apple started allowing iOS users in the EU to use third-party app stores, the company has announced more changes to how developers can distribute their apps. Most significantly, those who meet certain criteria can let users download apps from their websites. The Web Distribution option, available this spring, will effectively let developers bypass the app ecosystem entirely for their own apps. To be eligible, devs must opt in to new App Store rules and pay a fee for each user install after a certain threshold.Continue reading.Ray-Ban's Meta sunglasses can now identify and describe landmarksIt's one of the more useful AI-powered features.EngadgetAI-powered visual search features arrived to Ray-Ban's Meta sunglasses last year with some impressive (and divisive) tricks - but a new one in the latest beta looks quite useful. It identifies landmarks and tells you more about them - a sort of tour guide for travelers. Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth explained in a (Meta-owned) Threads post with a couple of sample images explaining why the Golden Gate Bridge is orange (easier to see in fog), a history of the painted ladies houses in San Francisco and more.Continue reading.X rival Bluesky will let users run their own moderation servicesUsers can subscribe to third-party labeling services too.Bluesky, the open-source Twitter alternative, is about to start testing one of its more ambitious ideas: allowing its users to run their own moderation services. The change will bring Bluesky users and developers together to work on custom labeling tools for the budding social media platform.Bluesky is seeing a surge in growth after it removed its waitlist and opened to all users in February. The service has added about 2 million new users, bringing its total community to just over 5 million. It might need the extra moderation.Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-neil-young-returns-to-spotify-after-two-year-protest-111513737.html?src=rss

A startup company called Space One launched a rocket earlier in hopes of becoming the first private entity in Japan to put a satellite in orbit. Unfortunately, its attempt ended in a fiery explosion, mere seconds after lift off at 11AM local time. Its 60-foot-long rocket Kairos launched from the company's Space Port Kii in Wakayama, a prefecture south of Osaka in Japan's Kansai region. Space One director Mamoru Endo told reporters at a conference that the rocket's automated system detected an anomaly five seconds after liftoff and triggered its self-destruct function. The company has yet to figure out what that anomaly is and will be investigating the incident for answers.Kairos was carrying payload for the Cabinet Satellite Intelligence Center, which collects and analyzes imagery information for the Japanese government. That satellite was supposed to be an alternative to an existing Japanese satellite monitoring military facilities in and rocket launches from North Korea. Masakazu Toyoda, the company's president, said during the conference that Space One is "prepared to take up the next challenge." He also emphasized how common failed launches are in space travel. And that is true - SpaceX, for instance, lost several Starship vehicles over the past few years when they blew up during testing.Space One, backed by Canon and aerospace manufacturer IHI, eventually hopes to offer satellite launch services using small rockets, which it says "offer greater scheduling flexibility than large ones." It's also aiming to provide the "world's shortest lead time from contractual engagement to launch, as well as the world's most frequent launching schedule" while also minimizing the costs of putting satellites into orbit. Since the company must be able to stage a successful launch before customers come knocking on its doors, it will most likely announce its next attempt in the near future.Last year, Japanese company ispace also failed to become the first private company to land on the moon when it lost contact with its Hakuto-R lander. But the country's space agency, JAXA, is doing better than its private counterparts: Its SLIM lunar lander successfully touched down in January and is expected to resume its operations in late March after the lunar night is over.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/japans-space-one-rocket-launch-attempt-ends-in-a-fiery-explosion-104937369.html?src=rss

Your PC is likely one of the most crucial pieces of technology in your home, so it behooves you to keep it in good condition. A little bit of proper maintenance every now and then can help you get the most from your computer, not only today, but years down the road. But where to start? Here, we share some quick tips for taking care of your PC. While it's impossible to cover this topic from every viewpoint, you can think of our guide as an introduction that can help you decide where to begin. Whether you're looking to physically clean your desktop or digitally declutter Windows, here's some advice to get you started.How to clean your computer and peripheralsWill Lipman Photography for EngadgetWindows PCs, especially desktops, come in various shapes and sizes, but the tips we're about to go through here will help you clean your computer whether you bought it prebuilt or put together yourself. If you own a laptop, look at our Mac organization guide. All the steps we detail there will work just as well for a Windows portable.Before cleaning the inside of your computer, start with your display and peripherals. At this stage, all you'll need is some distilled water in a spray bottle and a microfiber cloth. You can buy the former at a grocery store or make it yourself. And if you don't already own any microfiber cloths, Amazon sells affordable 24-packs you can get for less than $15. Once you have those in hand, spray the water onto a clean cloth and wipe down your computer's display before moving to the mouse and keyboard. You want to start with your screen to avoid transferring dirt and residue to the panel.Once you're done with those, turn off your PC and unplug everything that's connected to it. You'll also want to switch off the power supply unit (PSU) by flipping the toggle on its outside to the "O" position. Next, push down the power button and hold it down for about 30 seconds to discharge the capacitors. To protect your computer against static electricity, we highly recommend buying an anti-static wrist strap.If at all possible, do most of the steps we're about to describe outside. The last thing you want to do is go through the trouble of cleaning your computer and then let it pull in all that dust again.Will Lipman Photography for EngadgetOnce you've moved your computer, start by removing the side panels. Most modern cases allow you to do this without any tools, but you'll need at least one screwdriver for most of the work we'll detail in a moment. When it comes to most screws inside your computer, a 4-inch Phillips screwdriver should be all you need. Some components, such as your GPU, may include Torx screws and the like, but don't worry about those for now since we won't be taking them apart. If you don't already own a decent set of screwdrivers and have something of a DIY streak in you, a driver kit from iFixit is your best bet. The 16, 32 and 64-bit kits it sells are an excellent starting point, and they'll come in handy with more than just your computer.If your PC has any dust filters, remove those now and give them a rinse at the sink before setting them aside to dry. Depending on how long your computer has been collecting dust, you may want to remove some components such as the GPU to make it easier to clean everything.If that's something you feel comfortable doing and it's your first time removing any of the internals, use your phone to take photos of the interior. The images will help you put all the parts in their original place at the end. That's important to do since there's an optimal way to install many of the components in your computer. For instance, you always want to install your GPU in the fastest available PCIe lane. When it comes to removing any PCI cards, first unscrew its mounting bracket and then push the corresponding release on your motherboard before pulling the card out.Will Lipman Photography for EngadgetWhether you decide to keep all your computer's internals in place or not, you'll need something to blow all that dust away. A can of compressed air is one option, but I like to use a Giottos Rocket Blower. It was designed for cleaning camera sensors and won't damage any of your components. It's also a one-time purchase.Whatever you have at hand, use it to blow away the dust that's been building up on your computer's internal components, fans and grills. Pay special attention to the heatsinks attached to your PC's CPU, GPU, chipset and voltage regulators. They will likely have most of the hardest to remove dust in your system thanks to their tight fin stacks. What's more, especially bad buildup can make them ineffective at cooling those components, which will, in turn, affect their performance.When cleaning any exposed PCB, use an antistatic brush (like this one from Amazon) instead of a microfiber cloth. You'll avoid damaging any of the sensitive components on the board. You can go over any non-electronic part with a dampened microfiber cloth.At this point, all you need to do is put everything back in its place. As one final tip, if there's any way you can avoid leaving your desktop on the floor, you'll end up spending less time cleaning it since it won't be near all the dust and dander that collects there. If your desk setup or living space makes that not an option, a PC tower stand is a cheap but effective way to elevate your computer off the ground and help it pull in less debris.How to organize your PC's storage drivesEngadgetIf it's been a while since you've done an audit of all the software you have installed on your computer, the best place to start is in the Task Manager. It's here you can see how much of its resources your computer is devoting to specific processes. Since everyone will have different software installed on their PC, it's hard to offer blanket recommendations, but using the Task Manager you can get a sense of the apps that may be slowing down your computer. For most people, there will be two main culprits: bloatware and antivirus software.If you bought your PC from a system integrator like Dell, it will almost certainly include software your computer doesn't need to operate. You can safely uninstall unused, preloaded apps to improve performance and save on space.This next tip may be contentious for some: I believe as long as you avoid clicking on sketchy links and stay away from the dark corners of the internet, the Microsoft Defender tool built into the Windows Security app is all you need to protect your computer from the majority of malware that's out there. While there are good antivirus programs like Bitdefender and Malwarebytes, the majority cost far too much for what they offer and will only slow down your computer. If you don't feel comfortable uninstalling your antivirus software, then by all means, leave it on your computer.While you're in the task manager, you'll also want to click on the "Startup apps" tab to see what programs your computer is launching when you power it on. You can speed up that process simply by limiting that list to as few apps as possible. As for the actual process of deleting any software you don't need, always uninstall programs from the Control Panel as this will leave the fewest leftovers when everything is said and done. If you've used Windows for a while, you'll have errant files all over the place. It's possible to cull those manually, but doing so can be time-consuming. Thankfully, Windows' built-in Disk Cleanup will help you wrangle those with ease.If you have older mechanical drives installed in your computer, it's good to get into the habit of defragging them regularly. First, launch the built-in Defragment and Optimize Drives app and click the "Optimize" button. Depending on the size of your hard drive, this process may take a while. Don't defrag your SSDs, as you'll only shorten their lifespan for little to no performance improvement.How to organize your apps, tabs and other windowsJeff Dunn / EngadgetSay what you will about Windows 11 (or 10), but the fact is it comes with some of the best window management tools built right into an operating system. You don't need to download any additional software to organize your desktop, but there are some settings you can tweak to get even more out of its signature Snap functionality.As you may already know, you can press the Windows and Tab keys at the same time to bring up the Task View pane. It's here that you can add additional virtual desktops. If you're not already using virtual desktops, they're great for organizing your active windows so that you don't have to constantly rearrange them when you're trying to find a specific one. You can quickly press the Windows key, Ctrl and either the left or right arrow keys to move between desktops. But to make things even simpler, head to the Settings app and into the Multitasking section of the System menu. Under the "Desktops" heading, switch both settings to "On all desktops." You can now use the Alt-Tab shortcut or taskbar to switch to any app on any desktop.When it comes to wrangling your tabs, a lot of that will depend on the browser you use. We have a comprehensive guide to tab organization if you want to deep-dive into the tools available with the most popular options. But as a basic starting point, all the major players include a feature that allows you to pin tabs. I use this to keep the websites I visit most frequently throughout a workday (in my case, Gmail, Trello and Google Drive) open at all times and at the top of my tab bar. In that way, those tabs never get lost among the countless other websites I might have open for a story I'm writing. What's more, in the case of Brave, the browser I use, I can use a handful of keyboard shortcuts to jump to those tabs quickly.In closing, we want to highlight just how much customization Windows offers you when it comes to the organization of your computer. As just one example, you can right-click on items located on the taskbar and start menu to put the apps and shortcuts you use most frequently within easy reach. However, if you want to really dig into all the options Windows offers on that front, websites like Windows Central have detailed how-tos that are an excellent starting point.Jeff Dunn contributed to this report.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/how-to-clean-and-organize-your-windows-pc-150026502.html?src=rss

Neil Young is back on Spotify after boycotting the platform over two years ago, he said in a new blog post. The Canadian singer ditched the platform over vaccine misinformation on the Joe Rogan podcast, later saying he was fed up with Spotify's "shitty" sound quality anyway.Young returned because Rogan's podcast is no longer exclusive on Spotify. "My decision comes as music services Apple and Amazon have started serving the same disinformation podcast features I had opposed at Spotify," he said, without specifically mentioning the Joe Rogan Experience.There's no way he could also pull his catalog from Apple Music and Amazon as well, he added, "because my music would have very little streaming outlet to music lovers at all" if he did. Young also expressed hope that Spotify would improve its sound quality, while shouting out Quobuz and Tidal for presenting his songs in high-res."Spotify, you can do it! Really be #1 in all ways. You have the music and listeners!!!! Start with a limited Hi res tier and build from there!" he wrote. (Spotify did announce that it would launch a HiFi tier way back in early 2021, but it has yet to actually do so.)Fellow Canadian Joni Mitchell joined Young in the boycott, and her music is still missing from the platform. Both had reason to be incensed about the vaccine misinformation on Rogan's show as both were victims of polio - a disease that was wiped out in North America thanks to vaccines.It's hard to say how Young's boycott affected Spotify, but it certainly impacted his finances. Last year, Billboard estimated that pulling his songs from Spotify cost him roughly $300,000 in lost recorded music and publishing royalties.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/neil-young-is-returning-to-spotify-after-boycotting-it-over-joe-rogans-vaccine-comments-071217691.html?src=rss

Bluesky, the open-source Twitter alternative, is about to start testing out one of its more ambitious ideas: allowing its users to run their own moderation services. The change will allow Bluesky users to and developers to work together to create custom labeling tools for the budding social media platform.The new moderation tools arrive as Bluesky is seeing a surge in growth after it got rid of its waitlist and opened to all users in February. Since then, the service has added about 2 million new users, bringing its total community to just over 5 million.The company has said its approach to moderation is based on the same philosophy that has led it to embrace custom feed algorithms. The goal, Bluesky wrote in a blog post, is to create an ecosystem of moderation and open-source safety tools that gives communities power to create their own spaces, with their own norms and preferences."In practice, these moderation tools will take the form of labeling services. Just as Bluesky allows users to set their own moderation preferences - for example, you can choose whether you want the app to show," warn," or hide" explicit content - developers will be able to create their own filtering systems others can opt into. For example, someone could make a moderation service that blocks photos of spiders from Bluesky - let's call it the Spider Shield," the company explains. If you get a jump scare from seeing spiders in your otherwise peaceful nature feed, you could install this moderation service and immediately any labeled spider pictures would disappear from your experience."To help make these kinds of experiences possible, Bluesky is open sourcing its collaborative labeling tool called Ozone, which will allow groups of moderators to respond to reports and add labels to content. But the company notes that developers can also create automated labeling systems using Bluesky's API.Bluesky CEO Jay Graber has referred to the concept as composable" or stackable" moderation. We're always doing baseline moderation, meaning that we are providing you with a default moderated experience when you come in [to Bluesky]," Graber told Engadget last month. And then on top of that, you can customize things."These new third-party labeling services will start to roll out later this week on the desktop version of Bluesky, with a mobile version coming soon," according to the company. And it's likely users will see more options available in the coming weeks as more developers and groups get their hands on the underlying tools.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/bluesky-will-let-users-run-their-own-moderation-services-230017647.html?src=rss

Gemini, Google's AI chatbot, won't answer questions about India's upcoming national elections, the company wrote in a blog post today. Out of an abundance of caution on such an important topic, we have begun to roll out restrictions on the types of election-related queries for which Gemini will return responses," the company wrote. The restrictions are similar to the ones Google announced in December ahead of global elections in the US and the EU.As we shared last December, in preparation for the many elections happening around the world in 2024 and out of an abundance of caution, we're restricting the types of election-related queries for which Gemini will return responses," a Google spokesperson wrote to Engadget.The guardrails are already in place in the US. When I asked Gemini for interesting facts about the 2024 US presidential election, it replied, I'm still learning how to answer this question. In the meantime, try Google Search." In addition to America's Biden-Trump rematch (and down-ballot races that will determine control of Congress), at least 64 countries, representing about 49 percent of the world's population, will hold national elections this year.When I prompted OpenAI's ChatGPT with the same question, it provided a long list of factoids. These included remarks about the presidential rematch, early primaries and Super Tuesday, voting demographics and more.OpenAI outlined its plans to fight election-related misinformation in January. Its strategy focuses more on preventing wrong information than supplying none at all. Its approach includes stricter guidelines for DALL-E 3 image generation, banning applications that discourage people from voting, and preventing people from creating chatbots that pretend to be candidates or institutions.It's understandable why Google would err on the side of caution with its AI bot. Gemini got the company in hot water last month when social media users posted samples where the chatbot applied diversity filters to historical images," including presenting Nazis and America's Founding Fathers as people of color. After a backlash (mainly from the internet's anti-woke" brigade), it paused Gemini's ability to generate people until it could iron out the kinks. Google hasn't yet lifted that block, and it now responds to prompts about images of people, Sorry, I wasn't able to generate the images you requested."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/googles-gemini-will-steer-clear-of-election-talk-205135492.html?src=rss

The wait is almost over. Nightdive Studios just announced a May 21 release date for the console version of its System Shock remake. It'll be available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, after arriving for PCs last year.The developer, alongside publisher Prime Matter, dropped a new trailer for the console release, showing off the stunning graphical update to the 1994 first-person shooter/RPG. Combat has also received a significant upgrade, as the mechanics of the genre weren't quite refined when the game originally released, gulp, 30 years ago.The PC version of the remake has been well-received, with a positive review score on Metacritic, but this isn't a simple re-release. Console players are getting some exclusive features to sweeten the pot. It'll boast 4K visuals with 60FPS on the PS5 and Xbox Series X. There's also a new ending that upgrades the final confrontation" with series antagonist Shodan. The controls have been reworked to better suit console gamepads and there's a new female hacker protagonist.Prime MatterThere's also a little bit of something here for collectors. The PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions are getting a physical release, though it's a digital-only affair for PS4 and Xbox One players. There's no pricing information yet, but the game costs $40 on PC.This remake of the iconic shooter has been a long time coming. It was first announced all the way back in 2016 as part of a successful Kickstarter campaign. Nightdive Studios is also working on an enhanced port of System Shock 2.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-system-shock-remake-finally-hits-consoles-on-may-21-190550537.html?src=rss

Children of the Sun is a bullet-bending puzzle game set in a trippy world of cults and revenge, and it's due to hit PC via Steam on April 9. In Children of the Sun, players line up a single sniper shot and then control the bullet as it ricochets among the cultists in their sights. The goal is to take everyone out with the most speed, elegance and creativity, curving the bullet around the environment and through objects as the targets attempt to flee in slow motion. It's a repeatable, satisfying set of mechanics.It's not all senseless violence, either. The sniper is called The Girl, and she's a former cult member who grew up as a victim of its brainwashing. She's now on a mission to dismantle the cult, member by member and bullet by bullet, before finally taking out The Leader. So yes, there is violence in the game, but it's not completely senseless.The environments in Children of the Sun have a high-contrast, demonic glow about them, and the enemies appear as thermally lit skeletons as The Girl spies on them, lining up each shot. The visuals alone lend the game an unpredictable, adrenaline-fueled edge.Children of the Sun comes from Rene Rother, a developer who's big in the world of game jams. Rother has a history of building minimalistic games with loud messages about violence and death - or, sometimes, chewing gum. Children of the Sun is published by Devolver Digital.Devolver DigitalThe demo for Children of the Sun landed on Steam in early February and offered a seven-course taste of the game's core loop. It was a breakout hit of Steam Next Fest; its demo clocked more than 60,000 players that week."It's been a few pretty fun weeks after the first announcement of the game and the release of the demo," Rother said on Steam. "There were lots of really nice words and great feedback coming from you. I appreciate everyone who gave the Demo a moment of their time.... So now that release date is public, I guess I finally need to actually finish the game. Ha!"This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/children-of-the-sun-brings-fps-puzzles-to-steam-on-april-9-184030022.html?src=rss

Discord has been experimenting with embedding apps and games directly in chats for a while, via the Activities feature. Now the company is set to launch a dedicated SDK for developers to join the chat-based fun. The Embedded App SDK rolls out on March 18 and allows devs to build experiences that are embedded in an iframe within Discord.DiscordPlenty of Discord Developers out there have had their eyes on Activities, wondering when they could create their own," the company wrote in a blog post. Prior to this announcement, these tools were limited to select developers. Currently, Discord users can do stuff like watch YouTube, play poker and share a whiteboard while participating in a chat. The SDK should open up the floodgates and allow for a drastic increase in the number of available shared experiences. So how long until Doom shows up?The platform's also bringing back app pitches. This program encourages developers to pitch app ideas and snag up to $30,000 in funding. Discord ended up funding some cool stuff last year, including a coral reef cam, a city-building sim and an art portfolio app, among others. Who knows what 2024 will bring.DiscordFinally, Discord announced that it's experimenting with technology to allow users to add apps to their accounts, so these experiences will follow them across servers. A beta version of this tool will launch alongside the SDK on March 18. The company says that users will begin to see apps popping up within DMs, group chats and small servers."These updates come just two months after the company announced a brutal round of layoffs that impacted 17 percent of its workforce. CEO Jason Citron said the cuts were necessary to put Discord in the best position to continue building a strong and profitable business." To that end, the company recently unveiled a partnership program with game developers to sell themed avatars and various profile effects.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/discord-will-soon-offer-more-games-and-apps-inside-its-chats-182540566.html?src=rss

Sony's 1000XM-series headphones have topped our list of the best wireless headphones you can buy for a couple years running. The current top pick is held by the WH-1000XM5 ANC headphones and right now they're $72 off at Amazon, making them $328 instead of their $400 list price. That's not an all time low - we saw them dip to $250 just before the holidays last year and this year they've gone for $300 and $280 at different retailers. But if you don't want to wait and see if those discounts come back, $72 represents a decent savings on a pair of highly recommended over-ear speakers. The sale comes as part of a larger sale on Sony audio at Amazon.Even at full price, the WH-1000XM5 are a wise buy if you're looking for superior audio, excellent noise cancellation and an enduringly comfortable fit. Our audio expert, Billy Steele, said these are in a league of their own in his review. The audio is an improvement over the previous generation - which was already great - but now the bass is punchier and the clarity is even more finely tuned. They pack a long, 30-hour battery life and the noise cancellation is adept at blocking human voices, TV sounds and various other environmental noises. There are plenty of easy-to-suss out onboard controls, letting you do things like skip tracks and answer calls. There's even a feature that pauses what you're listening to when you start talking.While these are an improvement over the prior model, Sony's WH-100XM4 headphones, those are still a compelling option with great sound and a comfortable fit. They're on sale for a much lower $248. That's $100 off the list price and about $20 more than the all-time low they hit for Black Friday last year.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/sonys-wh-1000xm5-headphones-are-back-on-sale-for-328-164134517.html?src=rss

Epic Games has announced a new pricing structure for non-game developers to use its Unreal Engine, after teasing the change last year. The Fortnite developer will charge an annual per seat" subscription of $1,850. The term per seat" is tech nomenclature that effectively means a person using the software." These changes will go into effect with the release of Unreal Engine 5.4 in late April.Though Unreal Engine is primarily known as a game development tool, it's regularly used in a diverse array of industries, which is where this pricing structure comes in. Companies that make linear content, like TV shows and movies, will have to cough up that $1,850 fee, as will organizations that develop in-car infotainment platforms and immersive experiences, like theme park rides. Currently, Epic makes no money from the majority of these users, as the end products aren't, as Sweeney put it last year, "royalty-bearing."The annual fee provides these users with access to the Unreal Engine itself, the Twinmotion real-time visualization tool and the company's RealityCapture 3D modeling software. However, organizations can purchase standalone licenses for each. Twinmotion will cost $445 per year and RealityCapture will cost $1,250 each year.There are some exclusions here. Companies that make less than $1 million in annual gross revenue won't have to pay the fee. The same goes for students, educators and hobbyists. Companies that develop plug-ins for the Unreal Engine can continue to use the software for free, but Epic will take a cut via its revenue share model.Epic's real bread and butter, game developers, will continue to have access to Unreal Engine for free, only paying a five percent royalty on software that earns over $1 million in lifetime gross revenue. Epic extended the royalty-free cutoff from $50,000 to $1 million back in 2020.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/epic-will-charge-non-game-developers-1850-per-seat-to-use-unreal-engine-162015997.html?src=rss

The non-fungible token (NFT) bubble burst quite some time ago, but the US Government has only just published a report looking into the surrounding legal framework. The study, carried out jointly by the US Copyright Office (USCO) and the Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) following a 2022 request by the Senate, determined that current intellectual property laws are robust enough to deal with copyright or trademark infringement in NFTs. The agencies also determined that although there are some benefits to the tokens, "trademark infringement and misuse is prevalent on NFT marketplaces."As a reminder, an NFT is a digital certificate of authenticity conferring ownership of a collectible, such as an artwork or piece of music. It's effectively a verified link to a piece of media which may or may not live on the blockchain, but whoever owns the destination of an NFT's URL can change the media it points to at any time. In one notable case in 2021, Signal founder Moxie Marlinspike created an NFT that he promised would appear to be a poop emoji when someone bought it.The offices noted that NFTs and associated smart contracts can aid trademark owners in managing, licensing and transferring IP rights. Those who weighed in on the issue in public comments pointed out that NFTs can help artists make money from future sales of their work too. That's not inherently a bad thing, even if a large swath of NFT art is butt-ugly.However, the study noted "widespread concern that NFT buyers and sellers do not know what IP rights are implicated in the creation, marketing and transfer of NFTs and that NFTs may be used to facilitate copyright or trademark infringement."The report notes that the decentralized nature of NFTs and blockchain networks complicates any attempts to enforce trademarks. "While some individual NFT platforms have developed protocols to help trademark owners enforce their rights, there is no centralized authority that requires all platforms to do so," the report reads. "There are also no cross-platform mechanisms to allow trademark owners to identify and take down infringing content, settle trademark-related disputes involving blockchain-based domain names, or confirm that sellers own the trademark rights associated with the assets they offer."With all of that in mind, the offices said that educating the public about NFTs could help ensure a better understanding and awareness of the tokens and how they work. Still, they recommended in their report to Congress that the current use of NFTs doesn't require changes to current IP laws. They also noted that "incorporating NFTs into their registration and recordation practices is not necessary or advisable at this time." In other words, they don't think they should have to deal with NFTs either.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-us-government-says-ip-infringement-is-all-over-nft-marketplaces-155757506.html?src=rss