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Rivian generally had a good day yesterday, launching the R2 SUV along with the surprise R3 crossover and dune buggy-esque R3X that were met with general acclaim. Buried in that press release, however, was the news that the automaker is halting production of its $5 billion Georgia plant in order to save money.Instead of building the R2 in Georgia as originally planned, the company will start production of the electric SUV at its existing Normal, Illinois plant. "Beyond significantly reducing the amount of capital needed to bring R2 to market, the company believes this approach considerably reduces risk to the launch and associated ram," the company said.The move will also allow Rivian to bring the R2 to market sooner, in the first half of 2026, while saving the company $2.25 billion in capital spending in the short term. That's important since it has been burning through cash of late, according to recent reports.Elliot Ross StudioOf all the EV startups to come along of late, Rivian has been one of the most promising thanks to significant investments from Amazon, Ford and others. The company's electric R1T pickup and R1S SUV were also widely praised for their attractive designs, healthy range and more.Ramping up an automotive startup is no easy feat, though, especially in a market that's been tough on EVs of late - with even stalwart Tesla feeling the pinch. It doesn't help that startup rivals like Fisker are having serious cash flow issues, as it may spook consumers wary of untested EV brands.Rivian selected Georgia as the site for its second EV factory back in 2021, receiving up to $1.5 billion in state incentives. At the time, the company said it hoped to eventually produce 400,000 electric vehicles there annually. With plant changes, the Normal, Illinois facility will augment capacity to 215,000 units annually across R1T, R1S, EDV, RCV, and R2.The Georgia location remains in the picture, but Rivian only said it construction would restart later. "Rivian's Georgia plant remains an extremely important part of its strategy to scale production of R2 and R3," it said in a statement.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/rivian-is-halting-construction-of-its-5-billion-georgia-plant-to-save-money-082236810.html?src=rss

Journalists, creators and long-winded VCs on X now have a new way to be exhausting on main. X now allows verified organizations and Premium+ subscribers to publish long-form Articles."The feature adds a basic text-editing interface that includes embedded media and some text formatting options, like the ability to make bulleted lists. It also appears that articles can be longer than the 25,000-character limit currently in place for premium subscribers' longer posts" feature. According to my initial tests, I hit the character limit for articles at just over 100,000 characters or about 15,000 words.Here's what the editing interface looks like:Screenshot via XNotably, Twitter began working on longer form posts long before Elon Musk's takeover of the company. The company showed off an early version, originally called Notes" in 2022, as it looked to lure newsletter writers and other creators to the service. Musk confirmed last summer that the publishing tools were still in the works.The rollout of publishing tools is notable as Musk has often been hostile to journalists on his platform. Last year, Musk directed a change to X's recommendation algorithm so that links to newsletter platform Substack would not appear in users' For You" feeds, which has throttled many independent writers' reach on the service. X also stripped headlines from news stories shared on the platform last fall (headlines eventually returned, in a much smaller font).This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/you-can-write-long-form-articles-on-x-if-you-pay-for-premium-005707599.html?src=rss

The little console that could, Playdate, is having its first sitewide games sale, just like its more-established rivals. Manufacturer Panic is holding the sale to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the online store, which is officially called the Playdate Catalog.The discounts are noteworthy. If you happen to own a Playdate, you'll find plenty to like here. The cute little synthesizer app Playmaker is on sale for $8, instead of $15, and the action RPG Under the Castle is on sale for $7, which is a discount of 30 percent. Many titles go much lower than this. The bizarre unicycle/coffee-acquisition sim A Balanced Brew is on sale for just $2 and the Adventure-esque dungeon crawler The Keyper is only a buck.One of the key selling points of the Playdate is its abundance of indie games that you can't play anywhere else, which this sale shows off in spades. However, there's one big game missing from the sale. Lucas Pope's Mars After Midnight doesn't come out until March 12, though the sale lasts until March 14, so maybe we'll get a day-one discount.For the uninitiated, the Playdate is a retro-styled portable console that resembles the original Nintendo Game Boy. It's bright yellow and features a unique control mechanism in the form of a hand-powered crank. This crank is used in novel ways, like keeping the unicycler balanced in the aforementioned A Balanced Brew. It's a gimmick, but a fun one.Beyond the sale, new Playdate owners get 24 free games when purchasing the $200 console. These unlock on a week-by-week basis over 12 weeks. The console has technically been available for nearly two years, but there was an obscene waiting period as Panic worked to meet initial preorders. That's gone now, so orders ship within a few days.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/playdate-is-having-a-sitewide-games-sale-like-a-real-grown-up-console-203552312.html?src=rss

TikTok is stepping up its efforts to fight a new bill that could force a ban of the app in the United States. The app has been alerting its millions of US users about the measure, which would force ByteDance to sell TikTok in order for the app to remain available in US app stores.TikTok is at risk of being shut down in the US," the push notification says. Call your representative now." An in-app message then instructs users to speak up now - before your government strips 170 million Americans of their Constitutional right to free expression." It also provides users a shortcut to dial their representative's office if they enter their zip code.The push alerts are reportedly already having a dramatic effect. Politico reporter Olivia Beavers said that House staffers report their offices are being inundated with calls. One staffer said on X that we're getting a lot of calls from high schoolers asking what a Congressman is."

The iRobot Roomba 694 is back on sale for $180 via Amazon, which is a savings of 35 percent or $95. This isn't the lowest price ever for the well-regarded robovac, but it's darned close. There likely won't be a price drop this stark until Prime Day or the holidays.The Roomba 694 isn't one of the company's flagship models, but it's still a highly efficient design that excels with standard cleaning tasks. As a matter of fact, this robovac topped our list of the best budget robot vacuums. We loved the handy mobile app that helps people plan routes, schedule cleanings and perform basic maintenance tasks. We also enjoyed the powerful suction, which makes short work of pet hair, dust and debris.The 694 will return to the charging base on its own, which is always nice, and it runs anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes on a single charge, depending on the flooring. This is a no-frills vacuum, however, so there isn't a mopping feature or a large debris tank. It's also somewhat larger than many of its siblings, so it could struggle to get underneath certain items of furniture.This is part of a larger Amazon sale on iRobot devices, with discounts on just about every model the company makes. For instance, the high-end iRobot Roomba Combo j5+ is on sale for $500, a discount of $300. This machine can both vacuum and mop, and it'll even self-empty debris into the included container.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/irobots-roomba-694-is-back-on-sale-for-180-195717774.html?src=rss

Rivian officially revealed the R2 electric SUV during a livestream held Thursday afternoon. We knew the followup to the well-regarded R1 was coming, and we even got some leaked specs earlier this week, but now we've heard it from the electric horse's mouth. The company also surprised view R3 and R3X, however, came as a complete surprise, harkening back to Steve Jobs and his famous "one more thing" conference enders.As previously suspected, the R2 is a compact SUV that looks quite fetching. All versions of the five-seat electric vehicle get at least 300 miles per charge, thanks to newly-designed 4695 cell and a much larger battery pack that makes up a large portion of the bottom floor. Owners will also get plenty of refueling options. It comes with a NACS chargeport, so it'll work with Tesla Superchargers. The company's also building its own charging network, called the Rivian Adventure Network, with plans for 600 locations within a few years.RivianThe R2 has plenty of get up and go, with three motor layouts to choose from. There's a standard single-motor rear-wheel drive model, a dual-motor all-wheel model with motors in both the front and back and the beastly tri-motor version, which features two motors in back and one in front. That last model can go from zero to 60 in three seconds, though the metric likely shrinks when considering the other two versions.There's a robust infotainment center up front, though the layout of these digital elements are subject to change as we get closer to launch. Also up front? The R2 sports two gloveboxes, whereas the R1 line lacked even one. There's also two scroll wheels on the steering wheel, complete with dynamic haptic feedback. The car's self-driving features have gotten a major boost here, thanks to 11 cameras throughout and five radars, including a long-range front-facing radar.RivianPrices start at $45,000 for the standard single-motor version, which is in line with what company CFO Claire McDonough has been promising. Though slightly smaller than the R1, the R2 is still pretty roomy. As previously stated, it fits five people and boasts an open-air design with quarter windows that pop out and a rear glass window that drops and opens. Seats on both rows fold flat, so owners should be able to transport longer-than-average gear like surfboards. Just like the R1 line, there's a roomy front truck, otherwise called a frunk, for additional storage. The R2 is available for preorders now, with deliveries starting in 2026.RivianThe R3, on the other hand, looks to be even more compact than its newly-announced sibling. It features a shorter wheelbase than the R2 and an overall tighter design. It'll also be available in three models, including single-motor, dual-motor and tri-motor versions. There's no range data available, but it does feature the same battery pack as the R2.The R3 also includes some of the same open-air design features as the R2, with an automatic rear lift and a rear-facing glass window that pops open for storage. This window can adjust to multiple heights to accommodate oddly-shaped items. There's a pair of gloveboxes up front and an interior design that prioritizes sustainable materials.Finally, there's the dune buggy-esque R3X. This is a high-performance vehicle, with only a tri-motor design available. It boasts a wider stance and more ground clearance than the R3. As a matter of fact, it doesn't really look like the R3 at all, with its "rugged and playful" interior made from cork and anodized metal, among other materials.RivianRivian hasn't announced any pricing or availability information on the R3 or R3X. It did, however, tease some forthcoming accessories for the company's entire fleet of vehicles. These include a tent that fastens to the roof, bike racks and additional rear storage options.Now, the bad news. Rivian itself has been experiencing some issues. The company announced back in February that it would be laying off 10 percent of its salaried employees and job cuts have already started. The EV maker laid off around 100 employees at its Normal, IL factory this week.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/rivian-reveals-the-45000-r2-electric-suv-and-its-siblings-the-r3-and-r3x-185640727.html?src=rss

Microsoft is deepening its ties with the Ukrainian cloud gaming company Boosteroid. Beginning today, Xbox Game Pass subscribers (PC Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate) with a Boosteroid membership can stream Game Pass titles along with supported titles purchased through the Microsoft Store on Windows.Some eligible games include Deathloop, Dishonored, Dishonored 2, Dishonored: Death of The Outsider, Gears 5, Gears Tactics, Ghostwire: Tokyo and Pentiment. Xbox games on Boosteroid support cross-play and cross-save with PC and Xbox consoles.Microsoft says it will continue adding more hits and fan favorites." Boosteroid first began supporting Microsoft PC game purchases last year.Boosteroid, founded in 2016 in Kyiv, Ukraine, said last year it had over four million users globally. In May 2023, Microsoft inked a 10-year deal with the company to try to convince antitrust regulators it would handle its Activision Blizzard acquisition responsibly. Around the same time, Microsoft struck similar decade-long deals with Nintendo and NVIDIA to bring Call Of Duty games to their platforms.To stream Game Pass (or Microsoft Store) titles, install the Boosteroid app and sign in. Then, browse to the Library tab and select Xbox as a filter. Choose the game you want, click Play" and log into your Microsoft account with an active PC Game Pass or Game Pass Ultimate membership and confirm.Boosteroid is available on Windows, macOS, Android and ChromeOS. It also has beta apps for webOS and Android TV.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsofts-game-pass-now-supports-boosteroid-a-third-party-game-streaming-service-194437608.html?src=rss

Netflix has been experimenting with live sports over the last few months with golf and tennis exhibition events. The company has announced the biggest test for its livestreaming capabilities to date: a boxing match between YouTuber (and pro boxer) Jake Paul and former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson.The fight is going to be a spectacle for a number of reasons. Both fighters bring star power to the table. There's a 30-year age gap between them. Despite his 9-1 record, Paul can hardly be described as an elite fighter. While Tyson is regarded as one of the best heavyweights of all time, he retired 19 years ago and has only fought in two matches since then. Paul's second match was on the undercard of Tyson's last bout, which was against Roy Jones Jr. in 2020.The battle will take place at the 80,000-capacity AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. It's bound to attract a decent audience through Netflix as well. Most major boxing matches are on pay per view, but Netflix's 260 million subscribers will be able to watch at no extra cost.

Leica's SL family has always been the most "mirrorless" looking of its cameras, offering pro photographers handling that's similar to rivals like Canon and Sony. That continues with the launch of the SL3, a 60-megapixel (MP) model that looks nothing like its famous rangefinder cameras, offering a new phase-detect autofocus system, 8K video capability and more.The new model has the same sensor as the M11 rangefinder and Q3 compact models, but very much resembles the SL2 and tips the scale at a hefty 767 grams. It's also IP54-rated so you can shoot in weather conditions ranging from 14 to 104F without worrying about dust, moisture etc.LeicaThe biggest change in the layout is a new dial on the left top (all the dials are blank as you can customize them any way you want). At the back, Leica moved the three key buttons (play, function and menu) to the right, and changed the power switch to a button.The SL3 now has a new 3.2'' 2.3m-dot LCD, and unlike past models, it can tilt (but not swivel). The EVF has also been updated to a higher-resolution 5.76m-dot 0.78x OLED version. As for storage, it supports both CFexpress type B and SD UHS-II memory cards. It comes with a full-sized HDMI and USB-C charging ports, along with mic/headphone jacks.LeicaThe new sensor increases resolution from 47 MP on the SL2 up to 60 MP, a significant bump. It's likely similar to the sensor Sony uses on the A7R V, and supports a wide native ISO range from 50-100,000, with a claimed 15 stops of dynamic range.It can shoot bursts up to 15fps, but more importantly, offers a new phase-detect AF system that's faster and more intelligent, according to the company. It combines phase detection, contrast and object autofocus for faster and more consistent performances. That includes face and eye detection, along with a new animal detection feature. It's also supposed to be better at tracking action, Leica says.LeicaAs for video, the SL3 can record internally in DCI 8K 8192 x 4320 at 30 fps and DCI 4K at up to 60p with a maximum bitrate of 600Mb/s. It can also record externally via the HDMI output, also at DCI 8K and DCI 4K up to 60fps. Those resolutions are all available in 10-bit with the choice of L-Log Rec. 2020 and HLG Rec. 2020. It supports ProRes recording, but only up to 1080p.As you're probably expecting, the SL3 isn't cheap at $6,995, though it is significantly cheaper than the $9,000 M11. It's now available at B&H Photo Video and elsewhere.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/leicas-sl3-mirrorless-camera-offers-a-60-megapixel-sensor-and-8k-video-181501226.html?src=rss

Spotify said on Thursday it will raise its subscription prices in France in response to a new tax designed to support the nation's music industry. The company wrote an open letter denouncing the tax, which France's government passed in late 2023. The streaming service hasn't yet said how high the price hike will be, other than teasing, French users will now pay the highest subscriptions across the European Union."France's CNM tax imposes a levy on music services that earn over 20 million euros ($21.9 million) in the country: Spotify, Apple Music and Deezer. (Apple Music and Deezer have opposed the tax but haven't announced similar price hikes.) The companies pay the new 1.2 percent charge on all streaming revenue generated in the country. Social media companies licensing music, including TikTok and Facebook, are also subject to the tax. The fees will go to the nation's Centre National de la Musique (CNM), a public institution supporting and promoting the French music industry.Spotify's initial response in December was to pull financial support from French music festivals Francofolies de la Rochelle and Printemps de Bourges. The company threatened to pull its services from Uruguay when a similar tax was announced there but ultimately backed down when the Uruguayan government said streaming services wouldn't have to cover any costs.Spotify hasn't made similar threats to exit France, likely because the country is much more crucial to its bottom line. Instead, it's waging a public pressure campaign, including the music service painting the tax as an unnecessary government money grab that only partially funds the music industry.This tax will generate approximately 15 million euros, when the CNM's administrative budget (office fees, personnel, capital expenditure, media monitoring or professional training etc.) sits at 20.2 million euros," the company wrote in the public letter. Our concern is that possibly less than half of its overall 146.9 million euros budget will find its way toward effectively aiding music."Other than listing the CNM's administrative budget, Spotify didn't provide any evidence that the fees wouldn't go toward aiding music.Spotify's revenue grew 16 percent year-over-year to 3.7 billion ($4.05 billion) in Q4 2023, in what it described as a very strong quarter." Its CEO sold $57.5 million in stock in February, following a $64 million stock sale in October 2023.As we have long said, we simply can't absorb any additional taxes," Spotify wrote. Even after making the difficult decision to reduce our artist marketing budget and support of French music festivals - which is an essential vehicle for Spotify to continue to drive hundreds of millions of euros to the music industry - it still continues to impede our ability to operate in France. Accordingly, over the coming weeks and months, we'll need to make changes to our price plan in France."Spotify says French subscribers will learn more about the price hike in the coming weeks."Update, March 7, 2024, 3:08 PM ET: The story has been updated to attribute Spotify's open letter to the company, not CEO Daniel Ek (as the previous version stated).This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/spotify-is-mad-at-the-french-government-and-taking-it-out-on-users-175910647.html?src=rss

Ubisoft+ Classics is now available as a standalone subscription on PlayStation consoles. This is Ubisoft's curated collection of its back catalog, letting PS4 and PS5 owners play Far Cry and Assassin's Creed titles until the heat death of the universe. Subscribers can choose from more than 50 games going back more than a decade.This isn't a dumping ground for low-reviewed shovelware, as there are plenty of recent hits to choose from. Members can play the well-reviewed Assassin's Creed Valhalla, the squad shooter Rainbow Six Siege, the sidescrolling platformer Rayman Legends and the Giancarlo Esposito simulator Far Cry 6, among many others. All told, there are five Far Cry installments and a whopping 12 Assassin's Creed games to pick from. The catalog also includes standalone titles like Immortals Fenyx Rising, Child of Light and Valiant Hearts: The Great War.A subscription to Ubisoft+ Classics for PlayStation costs $8 per month on its own, though it's still available as part of PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium. So this membership is for Ubisoft superfans who don't want access to all of the other perks that a dedicated PS Plus membership provides. There must be a few people like that out there, right?There's also the Ubisoft+ Premium tier, which costs $18 per month. This pricier membership includes premium editions of the entire back catalog, in addition to day-one access to new releases, early access games, monthly rewards and more. Ubisoft+ Premium, however, is currently only available for Xbox, Amazon Luna and PC.There is, though, a multiplayer elephant in the room. Games like Rainbow Six Siege aren't really any fun without other people, but it looks like an Ubisoft+ Classics subscription only provides access to the games and not any online multiplayer component. For that, gamers would have to pony up for a PS Plus membership, which eliminates any of the savings from opting for Ubisoft+ Classics instead of PlayStation Plus Extra or Premium. We reached out to Ubisoft for clarification on this matter.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ubisoft-classics-is-now-available-as-a-standalone-subscription-on-playstation-consoles-173750071.html?src=rss

Amazon has released a full trailer for the live-action Fallout series that's coming to Prime Video soon. It's our most in-depth look yet at the show and early indications suggest that the creative team has captured the distinct blend of irreverence and violence that helped Bethesda's game series become so successful.The clip focuses on Lucy (Ella Purnell), a young woman who emerges from a fallout bunker into what used to be Los Angeles, 200 years after a nuclear apocalypse. Lucy quickly discovers that life on the surface isn't quite as cushy as staying in a luxury vault. "Practically every person I've met up here has tried to kill me," she says, seconds before we see a robot attempt to harvest her organs.The trailer (and the show) gets a helping hand from the otherworldly charm of Walton Goggins as a pitchman for living in a fallout shelter. His character somehow survives the apocalypse and is still around two centuries later, carving out a life as a mutated bounty hunter called The Ghoul. The trailer has a ton of other references to the games for fans to drink in.Amazon also took the opportunity to reveal that Fallout will arrive on Prime Video on April 11, one day earlier than previously announced. You won't have to wait a week between episodes either, as the entire season will drop at once.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/prime-videos-latest-fallout-trailer-deftly-captures-the-tone-of-the-games-170210309.html?src=rss

Sony is so closely associated with full-frame mirrorless cameras that it's easy to forget it also sells the A6000 APS-C lineup - particularly since the last one, the A6600, came out five long years ago in 2019. The flagship A6700 finally arrived last year, though, with a feature list that appeared to be worth the wait.It's the same price the A6600 was at launch four years ago, but addresses its predecessor's main flaws by boosting resolution a bit and reducing rolling shutter. At the same time, it's been likened to a mini-FX30 cinema camera as it has the same sensor and video capabilities.I've never been a big fan of Sony's A6000 series. But now that the A6700 has been out a while, I was keen to see if it lived up to some of the hype and how it compared to rival Canon and Fujifilm models. As you'll see, it's mostly good news with just a little bit of bad.Body and handlingOne of the things I've disliked about Sony's APS-C bodies over the years is the usability and looks, especially compared to Fujifilm's good-looking and easy-to-use models. I wouldn't call the A6700 beautiful, but at least Sony has rectified the handling part.The redesigned grip is larger and more comfortable, making it more comfortable to use over a full day. At the same time, Sony added a new control dial on the front, making the camera easier to use in manual or priority modes.It includes a new dedicated photo, video and S&Q dial, letting you keep settings separate for each. Menus are a big step up too, as the A6700 uses the improved system from recent full-frame models. The only thing missing is a joystick, but the focus point can be adjusted using the d-pad-like dial on the back.Steve Dent for EngadgetThe A6700 is also the first Sony APS-C camera with an articulating display, so it's better for vloggers than the flip-up display on past models. The relatively low resolution EVF is a weak point as it's difficult at times to check focus, but it does the job most of the time. .Another negative is the single card slot, but at least it supports high-speed UHS-II cards. Luckily, it has the same large battery as full-frame models, which gives it an excellent 570 shot CIPA rating.Other features include microphone and headphone ports (along with support for Sony's hot shoe audio accessories), a USB-C port for charging and data transfers and an HDMI port. The latter, unfortunately, is of the fiddly and fragile micro variety.All of that adds up to a 6000-series camera I'd happily use for most types of work. Previously, I found those models not up to the job, especially for video.PerformanceSteve Dent for EngadgetPerformance is more of a mixed bag, though. Lossless RAW bursts are possible at up to 11 fps, either in mechanical or electronic shutter modes. That compares to the 15 and 30fps for the similarly priced Canon EOS R7 and 15/20 fps for the Fujifilm X-T5. That's quite a deficit considering the latter two have much higher resolution sensors.The A6700 only stores up to 36 compressed RAW frames before the buffer fills, compared to 45 on the A6600 and comparable to rivals. Based strictly on speed, though, the R7 and X-T5 are better action cameras.Fortunately, the autofocus is superb and that's arguably more important for a consumer camera. In continuous mode, you'll get reliable results even with fast moving subjects. And the AI tracking locks onto eyes and faces, ensuring you won't miss important shots of rowdy kids, soccer games and more.Steve Dent for EngadgetIt also works with airplanes, animals, birds, cars or trains and insects. Unlike Canon's auto system, though, you have to tell the A6700 exactly what you're tracking. Once you've set it up the way you want, though, it's a touch more reliable than Canon's system, and significantly better than the X-T5..The five-axis in-body stabilization is good but not great, offering 5 stops compared to 8 on the EOS R7 and 7 on the Fuji X-T5. Still, I was able to take sharp photos down to about an eighth of a second.Rolling shutter was my main complaint with the A6600, but it's now much improved and about as good as you get without a stacked sensor. It's still present, though, so you'll want to use the mechanical shutter for fast-moving subjects like propellers and trains.Image QualityWith a new 26-megapixel sensor, The A6700 captures more detail than past 24-megapixel models. As mentioned, though, it's lacking compared to the 32.5-megapixel Canon R7 and 40-megapixel X-T5.Colors are mostly spot-on, but I still prefer Canon's skin tones. JPEGs look good out of the camera, if a touch over-sharpened. With 14-bit RAW uncompressed files, I found plenty of room to adjust and tweak images, dialing down bright areas or adding detail to shadows. Keep in mind that when shooting bursts, though, RAW files are captured with only 12-bits of color fidelity.There is a benefit to the lower resolution. The A6700 is better in low light than rivals, with noise well controlled up to ISO 6400. Images are usable up to ISO 12800, but anything beyond up to the ISO 102,400 limit is for emergency use only. It's best to emphasize shadow exposure at high ISOs, as lifting those even a couple of stops creates excessive noise.VideoThe A6700 is so far above its predecessor for video that it's useless to compare them. Rather, think of it as a cheaper, smaller FX30 cinema camera with the same image quality. The main difference is that the A6700 doesn't have the same cooling capability, as I'll discuss shortly.It subsamples the full sensor width for 4K at 30 and 60 fps, so video is sharper than the X-T5 or R7. And the A6700 beats both of those models by having a 4K 120fps mode, though it's cropped significantly at 1.58x.Due to the relatively small body and lack of fans, you'll need to be wary of overheating at 120p, as it'll cut out after 20-30 minutes. For indoor shooting, you can generally shoot at up to 4K 60p without any stoppages with the auto power temp" setting on high." Outside on a hot day, however, you may hit the limits and need to wait for the camera to cool down.Like the FX30, you can shoot all video modes with 10-bit with S-Log3 capture. You can also load your own LUTs either to make log footage easier to monitor, or bake it into the final image.Steve Dent for EngadgetRolling shutter is still present, so you'll still need to be careful with whip pans, fast subjects and the like. However, it's far less bothersome than on past Sony crop sensor models.It has a video feature that's actually lacking on the FX3, namely auto-framing. That's handy for vloggers as it can crop in and follow them as they move around the frame - with less quality loss than the ZV-E1 (this feature is finicky on the A6700 so be sure to test it first). It also offers focus compensation that digitally eliminates breathing, and again, this extra resolution compared to the ZV-E1 results in a sharper result.Stabilization for video isn't quite as good as the ZV-E1, though. The active mode is fine for handheld use and slow pans, but doesn't do a lot to smooth out footsteps, and adds a 1.13x crop.As for video quality, you're seeing the same accurate colors and solid low-light capability as with photos. The 10-bit log options allow for plenty of flexibility in post, especially with contrasty images.Wrap-upSteve Dent for EngadgetThe A6700 is easily Sony's best APS-C camera yet, excelling at both photos and video, and offering much better handling. Despite being far more capable than the A6600, it carries the same $1,400 price.As a photo camera, it's slower than its main competition, the Canon R7 and Fujifilm X-T5, so those models are better for shooting action. Sony's autofocus is slightly better though, and faster bursts are worthless if photos aren't sharp.As a video camera, though, it beats its main rivals across the board. All told, it's a great option for content creators or hybrid shooters who favor video but do some photography. If that's you, I'd highly recommend it.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sony-a6700-review-the-companys-best-aps-c-camera-yet-164540597.html?src=rss

Most smartphone games are designed to be played with touch controls first and foremost. But if you want to stream games from an Xbox or PlayStation, or if you gravitate toward games with more complex control schemes like Call of Duty: Mobile or Diablo Immortal, a mobile gamepad like the Backbone One can make things more comfortable.If this sounds appealing to you, Backbone is running a sale that brings the Lightning-based version of the One down to $70 at Amazon, Best Buy, Target and its own online store. While that's not an all-time low, it's still $30 off the controller's usual going rate.In general, discounts on the device have been uncommon. The offer applies to both the standard black model and the PlayStation-branded white model, which are functionally the same but use different icons. The discount technically started earlier this week, but Backbone says it'll run through March 10. Unfortunately, the sale does not extend to the USB-C version of the device, so Android users or those who plan on upgrading to an iPhone 15 anytime soon should pass.If you plan to play on an iPhone 14 or older for the next couple of years, though, this deal should be worthwhile. As my colleague Mat Smith noted in his review, the One fits snugly and works immediately with remote streaming apps and virtually every iOS game with controller support. It has all the requisite buttons to play modern games, including pressure-sensitive triggers and analog joysticks, along with a built-in headphone jack and a pass-through charging port. Its clicky face buttons are on the noisy side, and its d-pad is somewhat spongy. Still, its rounded grips keep it comfortable to hold over time, and it balances its weight better than an Xbox or PS5 pad hooked up to a mobile gaming clip. It also comes with a handy companion app, which you can use to quickly launch games and start party chats. If nothing else, it should be a more cost-effective alternative to cloud gaming handhelds like the PlayStation Portal.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-backbone-one-mobile-game-controller-is-30-percent-off-right-now-163014567.html?src=rss

At its 14th Ability summit, which kicks off today, Microsoft is highlighting developments and collaborations across its portfolio of assistive products. Much of that is around Azure AI, including features announced yesterday like AI-powered audio descriptions and the Azure AI studio that better enables developers with disabilities to create machine-learning applications. It also showed off new updates like more languages and richer AI-generated descriptions for its Seeing AI tool, as well as new playbooks offering guidelines for best practices in areas like building accessible campuses and greater mental health support.The company is also previewing a feature called Speak For Me," which is coming later this year. Much like Apple's Personal Voice, Speak For Me can help those with ALS and other speech disabilities to use custom neural voices to communicate. Work on this project has been ongoing for some time" with partners like the non-profit ALS organization Team Gleason, and Microsoft said it's committed to making sure this technology is used for good and plan to launch later in the year." The company also shared that it's working with Answer ALS and ALS Therapy Development Institute (TDI) to almost double the clinical and genomic data available for research."One of the most significant accessibility updates coming this month is that Copilot will have new accessibility skills that enable users to ask the assistant to launch Live Caption and Narrator, among other assistive tools. The Accessibility Assistant feature announced last year will be available today in the Insider preview for M365 apps like Word, with the company saying it will be coming soon" to Outlook and PowerPoint. Microsoft is also publishing four new playbooks today, including a Mental Health toolkit, which covers tips for product makers to build experiences that support mental health conditions, created in partnership [with] Mental Health America."Ahead of the summit, the company's chief accessibility officer Jenny Lay-Flurrie spoke with Engadget to share greater insight around the news as well as her thoughts on generative AI's role in building assistive products.In many ways, AI isn't new," she said, adding this chapter is new." Generative AI may be all the rage right now, but Lay-Flurrie believes that the core principle her team relies on hasn't changed. Responsible AI is accessible AI," she said.Still, generative AI could bring many benefits. This chapter, though, does unlock some potential opportunities for the accessibility industry and people with disabilities to be able to be more productive and to use technology to power their day," she said. She highlighted a survey the company did with the neurodiverse community around Microsoft 365 Copilot, and the response of the few hundred people who responded was this is reducing time for me to create content and it's shortening that gap between thought and action," Lay-Flurrie said.The idea of being responsible in embracing new technology trends when designing for accessibility isn't far from Lay-Flurrie's mind. We still need to be very principled, thoughtful and if we hold back, it's to make sure that we are protecting those fundamental rights of accessibility."Elsewhere at the summit, Microsoft is featuring guest speakers like actor Michelle Williams and its own employee Katy Jo Wright, discussing mental health and their experience living with chronic Lyme disease respectively. We will also see Amsterdam's Rijksmusem share how it used Azure AI's computer vision and generative AI to provide image descriptions for over a million pieces of art for visitors who are blind or have low vision.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsofts-neural-voice-tool-for-people-with-speech-disabilities-arrives-later-this-year-161550277.html?src=rss

The consumer electronics industry has changed radically over the past two decades. AR/VR devices have come and gone and come again, smartphones have grown from filling our pockets to dominating our lives, and the tendrils of connected services now touch everything we touch.Yet, for me, the most exciting to watch has been the development of technology that moves us. I mean that literally: cars and scooters and e-bikes and all the other wild and wonderful modes of transportation that have grown wings or wheels over the past few decades.A love for all that stuff has always been at my core. Many moons ago, before my time as editor-in-chief of this site, I served as automotive editor. In the late 2000s, that mainly meant pondering what was happening in the world of Ford Sync or writing about flying car concepts that, today, are still very decidedly grounded.An excellent perk was getting to drive many early EVs, though it didn't always end well. In 2012, I made an aborted attempt to get from Portland to Seattle for an emissions-free Engadget Show episode. The poor Mitsubishi i-MiEV we'd borrowed wasn't up to the task.But then along came the Tesla Model S. At the time, I knew it would be significant. Everyone in the industry knew it would be significant, but it's only in looking back more than a decade later that we can truly appreciate just how significant it was. In the rear view mirror, we can also see what a shame it is Tesla has barely moved the needle since.A preview in FremontIn the (long) lead-up to that car's eventual late-2012 release, Tesla invited me out to a supposed grand reopening of its Fremont factory. The place was unbelievably massive and virtually empty. Tesla officials were proud to show off the numerous giant presses that would stamp out Model S components.Other Tesla employees were dutifully feeding into those presses metal sheets, which came out the other end as flat as they went in. The presses were there and they were a-pressing, but the dies that formed the parts were absent. This event, like the many Tesla events to come, was somewhat lacking in substance.Still, the time I spent chatting with Peter Rawlinson had a huge impact on me. Formerly of Lotus and Jaguar, Rawlinson was the chief engineer at Tesla at the time. He and I talked for ages about the advantages of low-slung battery packs and the torque behavior of electric motors. It's all standard stuff these days, but back then, it was a fantastic opportunity for me to learn. (You can enjoy some of his insight in a series of videos here.)Early Tesla EVs had two-speed transmissions. I asked Rawlinson whether there was a third gear for handling reverse.No," he said. We just spin the motor backward."That seems like such a simple concept now, but that moment caused a small-yield explosion between my ears. I spent the remainder of the day pondering the myriad other unforeseen implications of this switch to electrification. Nothing else happening in the industry was nearly as exciting as this.My reviewI got a quick go in a Model S at that Fremont event, a lap or two around Tesla's test track, but I'd have to wait until early 2013 before I could take one for my first proper review of the Model S. It was a Performance edition, with an 85kWh battery pack and a $101,600 sticker price.I picked it up in New York City and drove it home to Albany, NY. Along the way, I got a preview of what would become another unfortunate Tesla theme: an uncomfortable relationship with the media.Before I'd made it far, I got a warning light on the dash. I called Tesla PR to ask what to do.Oh, don't worry, we're watching you," they said. It's fine."I didn't feel fine. I've been reviewing devices for decades, and I always assume some degree of logging is involved, but this seemed a little more ominous.(Over the years, it only got more so. In a later review of a Model 3, I complained the auto high-beams were terrible on country roads. Tesla PR asked me when this occurred so their engineers could pull up the footage from my drive.)Warning light extinguished, Big Brother now visible in the back seat, I got back to enjoying the car. After having reviewed the Tesla Roadster two years before, a beautiful mess of a slapped-together machine, the Model S was something entirely different. It was calm, it was composed and it wasn't nearly so drafty. I made the 165-mile drive home with 23 percent to spare, this in January on a 24-degree day.That is pretty poor by today's standards, but remember, the most common EV of the day was the Nissan Leaf. In 2013, the Leaf's range was EPA rated at 75 miles. The Model S was on another level.But it wasn't perfect. I was not a fan of many of the interior materials and design choices in 2013, and I would have been so disappointed to know things really haven't improved since.I also found the handling underwhelming, but my biggest complaint was the lack of advanced driver assistance systems. That Model S didn't even have adaptive cruise. Autopilot was still years away, and the ongoing debacle of Full Self Driving much further afield.And yet I still gave it a glowing review, and it deserved it. I was suitably impressed, as were plenty of others. I recently spoke with several buyers of these early sedans, and most were totally enamored with their cars, despite many teething issues. (So many broken door handles...)However, it probably goes without saying that many of the folks I spoke with are less enamored of Tesla's CEO than they were back then. Between that, the racially abusive work environments, and the constant anti-worker behavior, cheering for Tesla is a lot more complicated than it used to be. That is a true shame.The evolving landscapeThe seismic forces generated when the Model S dropped still echo through the industry. You can feel them in virtually every premium EV on the market today.And yet it's in those other EVs that the bulk of EV innovation is happening. If you look at what Peter Rawlinson did with the Lucid Air, a sedan that goes over 500 miles on a charge, it's easy to imagine what could have been had he not parted ways with Tesla. The on-road performance of the Porsche Taycan, the off-road prowess of the Rivian R1T and the minimalist cool of the Volvo EX30 are raising the bar.Tesla has been more successful than any other manufacturer at getting more EVs into more driveways and at getting more chargers into more places. Tesla made EVs viable and desirable. You have to respect it for that. Lately, though, the company's greatest achievements have all focused on cutting costs and minimizing complexity, often at the expense of quality and, indeed, safety.Look at today's Model S and you still see the car that was released in 2012. It's quicker and has more range, sure, but it is the same platform and basic design I reviewed over a decade ago. Pondering the time wasted on vanity projects, like the Model X, and vaporware, like the new Roadster, it's hard to not feel the ache of missed potential.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/the-tesla-model-s-shook-the-industry-but-its-echo-is-fading-160010877.html?src=rss

Adobe is bringing its generative AI (GAI) tech to mobile for the first time. Firefly GAI features are included in the beta of the new Express app on Android and iOS starting today. They should afford users more expansive creation and editing options while they're on the go.Using text prompts, you'll be able to generate images and insert, remove or replace people, objects and other elements such as backgrounds. Quick Actions enable you to apply edits, remove backgrounds and resize images with a single tap. Video editing tools, a social content scheduler and collaboration options are available too. Creative Cloud subscribers can use the Express mobile app to import and edit designs from Illustrator and Photoshop.Adobe says Firefly GAI is designed for commercial use. Assets generated using Firefly tools include a label to indicate they were forged in the fires of GAI.During the beta, Express premium features are available to everyone for free, but they'll eventually be locked behind a $10 per month subscription. The number of users who can access the beta on iOS are limited. Those who are interested can sign up through Adobe. The Android beta of the new Express app is available in most countries on the Google Play Store.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/adobe-brings-firefly-generative-ai-to-mobile-for-the-first-time-in-express-153323032.html?src=rss

Do you really like the aesthetic of bowling but have no interest in the game itself? In January, Xbox released the special edition Dream Vapor controller with swirls that look like they've been pulled right from a bowling ball. Now, the Dream Vapor controller - which is a great accessory for the Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One or Windows - is on sale for $58, down from $70. The 17 percent discount puts the model at the lowest price we've seen yet.Xbox's Dream Vapor controller is - dare we say - beautiful. It has pink and purple accents that swirl together to create a calm, aesthetically pleasing look. Even the buttons are in a light pink with purple accents. The wireless controller works like its counterparts, offering 40 hours of battery life, custom button mapping and a share button.The Dream Vapor model isn't the only Xbox controller available for a record-low price. If you're looking for a basic new controller, the Robot White Xbox controller is down to $45 from $60 - a 25 percent discount. It's a sleek but fun option with ABXY buttons in a range of bright colors.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-dream-vapor-xbox-wireless-controller-drops-to-a-record-low-of-58-151551431.html?src=rss

It's hard to expect much from Apple's new M3-equipped MacBook Airs. The 13-inch M2 model, released in 2022, was the first major redesign for Apple's most popular notebook in over a decade. Last year, Apple finally gave its fanatics a big-screen ultraportable notebook with the 15-inch MacBook Air. This week, we've got the same two computers with slightly faster chips. They didn't even get a real launch event from Apple, just a sleepy Monday morning press release. They look the same and are a bit faster than before - what else is there to say?Now, I'm not saying these aren't great computers. It's just that we've been a bit spoiled by Apple's laptops over the last few years. The M3 MacBook Air marks the inevitable innovation plateau for the company, following the monumental rise of its mobile chips and a complete refresh of its laptops and desktops. It's like hitting cruising altitude after the excitement of takeoff - things are stable and comfortable for Apple and consumers alike.M3 MacBook Air vs the M2 MacBook AirEven though they look exactly the same as before, the M3 MacBook Air models have a few new features under the hood. For one, they support dual external displays, but only when their lids are closed. That was something even the M3-equipped 14-inch MacBook Pro lacked at launch, but Apple says the feature is coming to that device via a future software update. Having dual screen support is particularly useful for office workers who may need to drop their computers onto temporary desks, but it could also be helpful for creatives with multiple monitors at home. (If you absolutely need to have your laptop display on alongside two or more external monitors, you'll have to opt for a MacBook Pro with an M3 Pro or Max chip instead.)Both new MacBook Air models also support Wi-Fi 6E, an upgrade over the previous Wi-Fi 6 standard with faster speeds and dramatically lower latency. You'll need a Wi-Fi 6E router to actually see those benefits, though. According to Intel, Wi-Fi 6E's ability to tap into seven 160MHz channels helps it avoid congested Wi-Fi 6 spectrum. Basically, you may actually be able to see gigabit speeds more often. (With my AT&T gigabit fiber connection and Wi-Fi 6 gateway, I saw download speeds of around 350 Mbps and uploads ran between 220 Mbps and 320 Mbps on both systems from my basement office. Both upload and download speeds leapt to 700 Mbps when I was on the same floor as the gateway.)Photo by Devindra Hardawar/EngadgetDesign and weightTwo years after the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air debuted, the M3 follow-up is just as sleek and attractive. It seems impossibly thin for a notebook, measuring 0.44 inches thick, and is fairly light at 2.7 pounds. We've seen ultraportables like LG's Gram and the ZenBook S13 OLED that are both lighter and thinner than Apple's hardware, but the MacBook Air still manages to feel like a more premium package. Its unibody aluminum case feels as smooth a river stone yet as sturdy as a boulder. It's a computer I simply love to touch.Photo by Devindra Hardawar/EngadgetThe 15-inch M3 MacBook Air is similarly thin, but clocks in half a pound heavier at 3.2 pounds. It's still relatively light for its size, but the additional bulk makes it feel more unwieldy than the 13-inch model. I can easily slip either MacBook Air model into a tote bag when running out to grab my kids from school, but the larger model's length makes it more annoying to carry.For some users, though, that extra heft will be worth it. The bigger MacBook Air sports a 15.3-inch Liquid Retina screen with a sharp 2,880 by 1,864 (224 pixels per inch) resolution, making it better suited for multitasking with multiple windows or working in media editing apps. It's also a better fit for older or visually impaired users, who may have to scale up their displays to make them more readable. (This is something I've noticed while shopping for computers for my parents and other older relatives. 13-inch laptops inevitably become hard to work on, unless you're always wearing bifocals.)While I'm impressed that Apple finally has a large, consumer-focused laptop in its lineup, I still prefer the 13-inch MacBook Air. I spend most of my day writing, Slacking with colleagues, editing photos and talking with companies over video conferencing apps, all of which are easy to do on a smaller screen. If I was directly editing more episodes of the Engadget Podcast, or chopping up video on my own, though, I'd bump up to the 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M3 Pro chip. Even then, I wouldn't have much need for a significantly larger screen.A lonely headphone jack that could use a USB-C companion.Photo by Devindra Hardawar/EngadgetIt's understandable why Apple wouldn't want to tweak the Air's design too much, given that it was just redone a few years ago. Still, I'd love to see a USB-C port on the right side of the machine, just to make charging easier in every location. But I suppose I should just be happy Apple hasn't removed the headphone jack, something that's happening all too frequently in new 13-inch notebooks, like the XPS 13.HardwareFor our testing, Apple sent the "midnight" 13-inch MacBook Air (which is almost jet black and features a fingerprint-resistant coating that actually works), as well as the silver 15-inch model. Both computers were powered by an M3 chip with a 10-core GPU, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. While these MacBooks start at $1,099 and $1,299, respectively, the configurations we tested cost $400 more. Keep that in mind if you're paying attention to our benchmarks, as you'll definitely see lower figures on the base models. (The cheapest 13-inch offering only has 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD and an 8-core GPU, while the entry-level 15-inch unit has the same RAM and storage, along with a 10-core GPU.)

Of the many bizarre moments that preceded Twitter's change in ownership, one that's always stuck out to me was Jack Dorsey's tweetstorm that Elon is the singular solution I trust." His insistence that Musk was uniquely positioned to extend the light of consciousness" was a strange endorsement, even by Dorsey's usual weird-guy standards. But Dorsey had long idolized Musk and the two men had a relationship that was far deeper than what many onlookers realized.That's according to a new book that explores Jack Dorsey's role in Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter. Written by Bloomberg reporter Kurt Wagner, Battle for the Bird tells the story of how Dorsey saved Twitter in 2015 and how his actions - or often, lack thereof- led to Musk's acquisition and, ultimately, Twitter's death.Wagner's isn't the first book to delve into the tumultuous events of the last two years - Musk biographer Walter Isaacson had a front-row seat to the drama - but Battle for the Bird sheds new light on Dorsey's side of the equation. Jack had been bringing Elon to Twitter offsites, he'd visited him at his SpaceX launch facility, the two of them sort of had this relationship that I don't really think people paid much attention to," Wagner tells Engadget. So once Musk began acquiring a large stake in the company, Jack sort of stepped in and did what he could" to make the deal happen.The book, which began as a Dorsey biography before Musk's takeover forced Wagner to change his plans, focuses on the enigmatic Twitter co-founder whose unusual management style sometimes worked against the company's own interests.Inside of Twitter, Wagner writes, Dorsey was known to rarely speak" in meetings and disliked making decisions. Internally, this was a source of confusion as executives often had to guess what Dorsey was thinking about a particular issue. People would be surprised at how little he was directing [Twitter and Square], he was really advising them in a weird way," Wagner says.These dynamics played out in Twitter's product. Wagner reports that Dorsey had initially encouraged the product team to create the feature that was eventually known as Fleets," Twitter's experiment with disappearing posts. But Dorsey grew to despise" the feature and publicly cheered when the company killed itless than a year after its rollout. Even though he thought Fleets was a bad decision, he never stepped in to halt the product or move the team in another direction," Wagner writes.Battle for the Bird also details Dorsey's many eccentricities: the days-long silent meditation retreats, his affinity for salt juice" (a mixture of water, pink Himalayan sea salt and lemon juice) and his more recent obsession with bitcoin. He goes through these stages of his life where he's different, he looks different, he acts different, his priorities are different and I think it's sort of a reflection of the things that he becomes obsessed with," Wagner says.Giving Musk a more influential role at Twitter was another idea Dorsey fixated on. He tried to get Musk a seat on the company's board in 2020 amid a bruising fight with activist investor Elliott Management. Dorsey managed to keep his job but failed to get Musk a board seat because, according to what he told Musk, the rest of the board were super risk averse." (By 2020, Musk had already faced at least two major lawsuits over his tweets.)Dorsey would also tell Musk that the board's veto was about the time I decided I needed to work to leave" the company. He had always seemed disinterested in the business of running Twitter, but the troubles with Elliott seemed to change him. He thought that Twitter served this bigger purpose ... its place in the world was not to make money for shareholders," Wagner explains. And as a result, he was just not really that interested in playing the Wall Street game, which is a problem when you're a publicly traded company."So in 2022, after he had stepped down as CEO, Dorsey encouraged Musk to use his new position as a major stakeholder in Twitter to address Twitter's original sin" of existing as a corporate entity beholden to advertisers and political interests. Dorsey believed that Musk loved Twitter for the same reasons he did. So when Musk decided to buy the company and take it private, he backed Musk.Dorsey publicly endorsed the move and promised to roll over his Twitter shares into the new entity, effectively saving Musk about $1 billion. He, along with the rest of the company's board, voted to approve the deal.As Wagner points out in Battle for the Bird, Dorsey eventually soured on Musk after he tried to back out of the deal, saying it all went south." But by then, Jack Dorsey's Twitter was already unrecognizable. He so publicly endorsed this new idea, this takeover from Elon," Wagner says. And as a result, the company that he co-founded and led for almost 16 years in various ways, is no more. X is here, but Twitter is gone. His legacy has really been hurt by this whole debacle."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/why-jack-dorsey-thought-elon-musk-could-fix-twitter-140004514.html?src=rss

Space and fashion lovers have a crossover accessory right now, and it's not just because there are some moons and stars dotted across it. Coperni, a French luxury brand, has unveiled the Air Swipe Bag, made entirely of NASA's nanomaterial silica aerogel, Fast Company reports. Scientist Steve Jones first created the substance for NASA's 1999 Stardust mission, which brought samples back from the Wild 2 comet.The Air Swipe Bag weighs only 1.1 ounces, with just 0.2 percent of its matter actually tangible. The rest is air that moves through the Aerogel's trillions of channels. Aerogel is renowned for its lightweight build, taking the title of lightest matter in the 1990s, with a second version breaking that record. NASA previously dubbed the substance "solid smoke," and one look at the bag shows how true that statement is. Coperni's Instagram post even had one Instagram user comment: "This looks like my bong when it's filled with smoke and I'm obsessed."

Warning: The following article covers matters of a sensitive nature.A SpaceX employee has filed a lawsuit against the company, accusing it of siding with a supervisor who pressured her into having sexual relations with him. The plaintiff said that she and other female employees also had to endure "humiliating comments" questioning their credentials, that she was passed up for promotions in favor of male candidates and that she experienced retaliation when she complained about being paid less than her male counterparts.The plaintiff, Michelle Dopak, has been working at the aerospace corporation's headquarters in California since 2017. According to her complaint, she experienced discrimination early on in her employment when she was passed up for job opportunities in favor of external male candidates. Her male colleagues allegedly spread rumors about their female coworkers, as well, claiming that they only got their jobs because of their looks. Dopak and two of her female colleagues met with Gwynne Shotwell to complain about both issues - "an action that no male colleague or employee at SpaceX would ever feel the need to do to justify their hiring and stop such discriminatory actions," the lawsuit reads. The SpaceX president, however, apparently didn't take any action.After a reorganization in 2019, the plaintiff was placed under the supervision of a male boss who allegedly pressured her into having a sexual relationship that lasted years. When she got pregnant as a result, she said her married supervisor offered her $100,000 to have an abortion, which she had refused. She also accused SpaceX of colluding with her boss to transfer 48,289 shares worth $3,718,253 out of his name so that he could get out of paying child support.Her complaints didn't end there. After getting promoted to a position she had been chasing for years, she found out that a male colleague who was hired at the same time was being paid $5,000 more. The company officials she talked to about the pay disparity couldn't justify it and allegedly offered her only $2,500 more if she also took a reduction in stock benefits. In the lawsuit, the plaintiff said the offer was "a message that if you complain at SpaceX, we will just retaliate against you and find other ways to punish you."The lawsuit accuses SpaceX of forcing female employees who have claims of sexual harassment and discrimination into bringing their claims to arbitration so that they could be kept secret from the public. "SpaceX has also attempted to coerce and force [the plaintiff] into only bringing her claims in arbitration even though such claims are barred from being forced to arbitration," the complaint continues.The plaintiff is asking for general, compensatory and consequential damages, including lost wages, earnings and other employee benefits. She's also asking the court to prohibit SpaceX from continuing any "unfair and unlawful business practices." SpaceX is currently facing another proposed class action lawsuit that claims it pays women and minorities tens of thousands less than what it pays white male employees. In January, the National Labor Relations Board filed a complaint against SpaceX, as well, accusing it for illegally firing a group of engineers who criticized Elon Musk for making crude jokes on X about the sexual misconduct accusations against him.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/spacex-lawsuit-claims-repeated-instances-of-gender-discrimination-and-basic-safeguarding-failures-133014753.html?src=rss

Microsoft has announced that it's holding an event on March 21 that will focus on its upcoming generative AI devices and features. The event entitled "Advancing the new era of work with Copilot" will start at 9AM Pacific/12PM Eastern time that date. Microsoft promises to unveil "the latest in scaling AI in your environment with Copilot, Windows and Surface," but it has shared no other details on what its announcements could be.As Windows Centralhad previously reported, the company is expected to launch the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 on March 21. They're apparently slated to be Microsoft's first AI PCs that will be equipped with the new Intel Core Ultra or Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processors. Both models have neural processing units (NPUs) that boost AI capabilities, which is why the upcoming Surfaces will most likely be the first to support the new AI features coming to Windows 11.Those new AI features could include real-time live captions and translations, upscaling for games and frame rate smoothing. Microsoft is also reportedly working on a feature called AI Explorer that will give users a way to conduct searches across apps, documents, web pages, images and chats using natural language. Windows Central said AI Explorer might have the capability to understand context and suggest actions based on what's on the screen. It could also create a history of the tasks a user does on their computer to make them searchable later on. We'll know for sure if Microsoft truly is launching new Surface devices and new AI features a couple of weeks from now - we will, of course, keep you updated on what the company reveals.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-announces-a-surface-and-windows-ai-event-for-march-21-130447407.html?src=rss

The European Union has entered the latest clash between Apple and Epic Games. Bloomberg reports that regulators will question Apple over its choice to ban Epic's developer account. The Fortnite creator claims this action prevents it from launching the Epic Games Store in Europe.This escalation began when Epic CEO Tim Sweeney shared a post on X in January claiming that Apple was trying to thwart complying with the Digital Market Act (DMA) and calling much of its latest policy announcement "hot garbage." Apple's rules include meeting the company's Notarization requirements, paying a Core Technology fee (about 54 cents per install annually) after hitting the millionth download and showing proof of $1.1 million in credit that could be used for financial disputes. SupremeA month after Sweeney's post, Apple sent a letter stating, "In plain, unqualified terms, please tell us why we should trust Epic this time." Sweeney responded that the company was "acting in good faith and will comply."Apple seemingly had no trust in Epic and would not allow it to have a developer account. "Epic's egregious breach of its contractual obligations to Apple led courts to determine that Apple has the right to terminate 'any or all of Epic Games' wholly owned subsidiaries, affiliates, and/or other entities under Epic Games' control at any time and at Apple's sole discretion.' In light of Epic's past and ongoing behavior, Apple chose to exercise that right," the company said in a statement.Sweeney's response was visual, to say the least, stating, "This is the medieval feudal lord, mounting the skulls of their former enemies on their castle walls," CNBC reports.This disagreement is the latest in nearly half a decade of issues between the two companies - you could throw a dart at a board filled with fights in the tech industry (of which there are many) and still have a good chance of hitting an Epic Games and Apple face-off. The friction between the pair started in 2020 when a Fortnite update allowed gamers to buy digital coins through a direct payment feature, thus going around Apple's rule that iOS games use in-app purchases (giving them a 30 percent cut). Epic sued Apple, with California's Ninth Circuit Court ruling in favor of the game developer. The Supreme Court declined to take up the case, in which both Apple and Epic appealed the ruling (Epic claimed there were "legal errors" and that Apple had violated federal antitrust laws).The EU's decision comes just as the DMA finally goes into effect. The new law states that "gatekeepers," such as Apple, Microsoft and Meta, can't favor their own systems or prohibit third party developers from interoperating with them. Apple could be forced to pay ten percent of its annual worldwide revenue if found in violation of the DMA and 20 percent if it's a repeat offender. Apple recently received its first fine from the EU, a 1.8 billion ($1.96 billion) charge for restricting competitors' music streaming apps.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/eu-regulators-probe-apples-latest-epic-games-takedown-130016452.html?src=rss

The European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA) limits the power of big platform holders, but it may have also created a new revenue stream (and some drama) for those same big names. Google has followed Apple's lead in imposing extra charges on developers who want to circumvent its own app storefront. Companies luring users outside the Play Store will need to pay Google a cut of in-app purchases and subscriptions. I'm sure everyone will treat this as rationally as when Apple announced it too.At the same time, Apple has once again suspended Epic Games' developer access, concerned the games giant isn't going to play by its rules. The iPhone maker pointed to tweets made by (Epic CEO) Tim Sweeney, suggesting a lack of faith in the company's rules. Apple more or less said out loud it couldn't trust Epic, especially given its track record of agreeing to work within Apple's rules and then very publicly breaking those rules.- Dan CooperThe biggest stories you might have missed41 state attorneys general tell Meta to fix its customer support for hacking victimsRivian R2 specs leak from the automaker's websiteMeta explains how third-party apps will hook into Messenger and WhatsAppTwitch will overhaul its mobile app for the first time since 2019You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!FDA approves the first over-the-counter continuous glucose monitorYou can buy one without a prescription in the summer.The FDA has approved Dexcom's Stelo Glucose Biosensor as the first wearable continuous glucose monitor to be sold over the counter. Sales of the device will begin this summer to help people who aren't using insulin to manage their diabetes and also for more general use. I was surprised to learn these weren't available to buy already since, in the UK, a startup called Zoe has been selling implantable monitors as part of its weight loss program for ages.Continue Reading.Microsoft engineer who raised concerns about Copilot image creator pens letter to the FTCShane Jones has blown the whistle on AI images before.Microsoft's rush to incorporate AI into so many user-facing products has driven whistleblower Shane Jones to the FTC. They wrote to the body, saying Copilot Designer can be used to create inappropriate images and should be removed until better safeguards are in place. The Windows giant and OpenAI have both previously said robust tools exist to steer the model away from creating some of the gruesome images Jones has alleged to have generated.Continue Reading. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-more-fallout-from-the-digital-markets-act-121534557.html?src=rss

Nikon has announced it is buying RED, the high-end cinema camera company, for an undisclosed sum. In a statement, the camera giant, which has suffered along with most of the imaging industry in recent years, said RED will become a wholly-owned subsidiary, as found by The Verge. RED currently has about 220 employees, and no layoff plans have been made public in response to the sale.RED was founded in 2005 and has since had its cameras used in popular productions, including Squid Game, Peaky Blinders and Captain Marvel - a market Nikon plans to expand into with this acquisition. Nikon has withdrawn from less profitable areas of the camera market in recent years, including ending development on new DSLRsThe move could benefit both parties, as RED's president Jarred Lang shared on Facebook: "This strategic partnership brings together Nikon's extensive history and expertise in product development, know-how in image processing, as well as optical technology and user interface with RED's revolutionary digital cinema cameras and award-winning technologies." RED's 2018 attempt to expand on its own (into smartphones, no less) didn't last long, and the products soon were discontinued.Interestingly, RED sued its new owner in 2022, claiming that Nikon knowingly used RED's patented data compression technology in its Z9 camera. Nikon, in turn, argued the legitimacy of RED's patents before the two companies agreed to a dismissal.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nikon-buys-high-end-cinema-camera-company-red-100243796.html?src=rss

Yesterday Google outlined the changes it will make to comply with the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) that goes into effect starting today. One important detail it left out, however, was whether it would charge developers who directed users outside the Play Store to sideload apps - and if so, how much.Now, Google has revealed that it will indeed charge developers even if they don't use the Play Store, just like Apple did with the App Store. Per new details found in the Play Console help section, the company will charge two new fees:

Meta is revamping how Facebook recommends videos across Reels, Groups, and the main Facebook Feed, by using AI to power its video recommendation algorithm, Facebook head Tom Alison revealed on Wednesday. The world's largest social network has already switched Reels, its TikTok competitor, to the new engine, and plans to use it in all places within Facebook that show video - the main Facebook feed and Groups - as part of a "technology roadmap" through 2026, Alison said at a Morgan Stanley tech conference in San Francisco.Meta has made competing with TikTok a top priority ever since the app, which serves up vertical video clips and is known for its powerful recommendation engine that seems to know exactly what will keep users hooked, started exploding in popularity in the US in the last few years. When Facebook tested the new AI-powered recommendation engine with Reels, watch time went up by roughly 8 to 10 percent, Alison revealed. So what that told us was this new model architecture is learning from the data much more efficiently than the previous generation," Alison said. So that was like a good sign that says, OK, we're on the right track."So far, Facebook used different video recommendation engines for Reels, Groups, and the Facebook feed. But after seeing success with Reels, the company plans to use the same AI-powered engine across all these products.Instead of just powering Reels, we're working on a project to power our entire video ecosystem with this single model, and then can we add our Feed recommendation product to also be served by this model," Alison said. If we get this right, not only will the recommendations be kind of more engaging and more relevant, but we think the responsiveness of them can improve as well."The move is a part of Meta's strategy to infuse AI into all its products after the technology exploded with the launch of OpenAI's ChatGPT at the end of 2022. The company is spending billions of dollars to buy up hundreds of thousands of pricey NVIDIA GPUs used to train and power AI models, Zuckerberg said in a video earlier this year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/facebook-is-using-ai-to-supercharge-the-algorithm-that-recommends-you-videos-033027002.html?src=rss

After a decade of rumors and speculation, the Apple Car is dead. Last week, Bloomberg reported that the multibillion-dollar project had finally been scrapped. Reports about the electric vehicle never quite seemed real, but now we have many new details about the car that never was thanks to an excellent post-mortem from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.The story includes many astonishing details about various Apple executives' plans for the car, and why the project ultimately failed. But some of the best details are the descriptions of what the vehicle was supposed to look like.At one point, Apple's leaders were adamant that the autonomous microbus" should not include a steering wheel or pedals. It would have club seating like a private plane" and curved sides and a glass roof. Famed Apple designer Jony Ive thought the interior should be covered in stainless steel, wood and white fabric," and that it should only come in one color: white.Since any actual mock-ups of the car, which Gurman says was sometimes referred to as the Bread Loaf," are presumably locked deep inside a well-guarded Apple office, I did the next best thing and asked AI. The results are, actually, kind of cute?This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai-has-spoken-the-apple-car-would-have-been-adorable-020527007.html?src=rss

A former Google engineer was arrested in California on Wednesday for stealing more than 500 files containing artificial intelligence trade secrets from the company and using the information to benefit rival tech companies in China.

Microsoft and Atlus said today that the Expansion Pass for Persona 3 Reload will be available on March 12. The bundle will include the story's final chapter DLC, Episode Aigis -The Answer-, which arrives in September. Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can get the Expansion Pass for free with their membership.In the original Persona 3, the epilogue was called The Answer in the English version and Episode Aegis in the Japanese version, leading to the combined title in the remake's DLC. Like the base game, the DLC will transform the original story with cutting-edge graphics, modernized quality-of-life features and all the upgrades that came with Persona 3 Reload."The DLC's story begins in a Groundhog Day-style time loop. After unravelling the mysteries of the Dark Hour, fighting epic battles through Tartarus, and all the unforgettable events of Persona 3 Reload, the S.E.E.S. members find themselves trapped in a never-ending March 31st," Xbox communication manager Michael Carven wrote. You'll play as Aigis, a human-like android with Persona-summoning abilities.Persona 3 Reload would not be complete without Episode Aigis -The Answer-," General Producer Kazuhisa Wada wrote. The epilogue is sure to satisfy both those who have played the original Persona 3 FES and those who are just starting out."The Expansion Pass will also add new music and costumes. The updated tracks will include remixes and fan-favorite tracks from previous Persona titles."Microsoft says Persona 3 Reload is developer Atlus' fast-selling title, surpassing a million sales in its first week.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/episode-aigis--the-answer--will-wrap-up-persona-3-reloads-story-in-september-214804635.html?src=rss

At long last, Square Enix has revealed the proper release date for Final Fantasy 14 on Xbox Series X/S. The MMO, which is currently in open beta on the consoles, will officially arrive on the systems on March 21. PlayStation and PC players have been enjoying Final Fantasy 14 since 2013, so the Xbox release has been a long time coming.The Xbox open beta is available only to new Square Enix accounts. It includes everything that's available in the free trial (more on that in a second) and progress will roll over into the full game.Microsoft is offering Game Pass Ultimate subscribers the option to claim the game's Starter Edition at no extra cost between March 21 and April 19. That too has the same content as the free trial. You'll get the base game and the first two expansions, Heavensward and Stormblood.There are some limits for both options, though. The free trial caps out when you reach level 70, though you can continue playing indefinitely. Other limitations include the amount of in-game currency you can carry and not being able to trade items with other players.Opt for the Starter Edition and you can exceed the free trial's level cap and other restrictions, but you'll have to start paying the game's subscription fee after 30 days (that's on top of the Game Pass Core or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription you'll need to pay to play the game on Xbox). If you prefer not to rush through the base game and first two expansions, it might be better to stick with the trial until you've finished those.It's worth bearing those quirks in mind as you prepare to set foot in Eorzea for the first time (or you're perhaps starting over after playing Final Fantasy 14 on another platform). In any case, given its capacity to bring people closer together, it might be worth checking out the game with your friends and family if you haven't already done so.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/final-fantasy-14-will-finally-hit-xbox-series-xs-on-march-21-205030097.html?src=rss

Capcom's Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is coming out this year, according to today's Xbox Partner Showcase. Capcom and Xbox dropped a new trailer today, which shows off more gameplay and more of the title's unique Japanese folklore-inspired aesthetic. The game looks cool as heck.Though there's no concrete release date, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess will be a day one Game Pass title for Xbox Series X|S and Windows. It's also coming to PS5 and the Steam store.This is a single-player action RPG with some time and resource management flourishes. During the day, you rescue and recruit villagers to your cause. Once the sun sets, you must juggle real-time action with strategic elements, as you decide how each villager will help you fight against a villainous horde called The Seethe.Lead director Shuichi Kawata was also behind the well-reviewed Metroidvania Shinsekai: Into the Depths. Kawata says his team has been working on Kunitsu-Gami for four years and that they are excited and maybe a little nervous" to have everyone finally get their hands on the game.Capcom has compared Kunitsu-Gami's aesthetic to previous titles with traditional Japanese themes, like the universally beloved Okami. The game was developed using its RE Engine, which was originally designed for Resident Evil 7: Biohazard.Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess wasn't the only news to come out of today's Xbox Partner Showcase event. Final Fantasy XIV finally hits Xbox consoles on March 21 and an expansion pass for Persona 3: Reload will bring new missions to the JRPG later this year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/capcoms-kunitsu-gami-path-of-the-goddess-is-officially-arriving-this-year-200624878.html?src=rss

Twitch is redesigning its mobile app for the first time since 2019. The company's CEO, Dan Clancy, wrote in an open letter on Wednesday that the discovery feed will be the app's new landing page. The update, expected later this year, will also make it easier to share quick updates, including uploading short video stories from the mobile app.We're redesigning the mobile app (the first major update since 2019) to bring you a more modern, immersive viewing experience by making the discovery feed available to all Twitch users as the new landing experience in the app," Clancy wrote. The discovery feed, currently only available as an experiment" in the mobile app, shows real-time updates blending streams from people you follow with recommended content.Clancy says the mobile app will also add new features that encourage quick updates for your followers, including the ability to create and upload short video stories from your phone. Other additions will include pinch-to-zoom in photos (better late than never?) and the ability to share portrait videos to stories.Twitch moderators with iPhones have something to look forward to, as the mobile app will include mod tools for the first time. Previously desktop-only, the mobile tools will be flexible, easy to use, and move with you," according to Clancy. The company says the mod tools will roll out to iOS later this year; it hasn't yet addressed Android availability.Looking beyond the mobile app, other 2024 Twitch updates will include updated community guidelines. Clancy says the new rules include clearer, updated harm definitions, and more severe penalties for some types of harassment." The platform also plans to roll out tools to help users better identify harassment, including some that Clancy claims would block more harassment before it shows up in your chat."Finally, Twitch's clip editor (which reportedly helped enable child exploitation on the platform)will soon make it easier to share content. Clancy says the feature will make it easier for creators and viewers to share clips to social channels, including an option to export directly to Instagram. In addition, the mobile app's big update will add the clip editor when it arrives later this year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/twitch-will-overhaul-its-mobile-app-for-the-first-time-since-2019-195811175.html?src=rss

Meta has revealed more details about how third-party messaging apps can be interoperable with WhatsApp and Messenger. The company is being required to open up its apps to a certain extent to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a new European Union law that comes into effect this week."We think the best way to deliver interoperability is through a solution which builds on Meta's existing client/server architecture," Meta wrote in a blog post. "The approach we have taken in terms of implementing interoperability is the best way of meeting DMA requirements, whilst also creating a viable approach for the third-party providers interested in becoming interoperable with Meta and maximizing user security and privacy."Meta says it has been working on interoperability with the European Commission for nearly two years. To begin with, interoperability will need to support text-based messages and the ability to share images, voice notes, videos and other files. In the future, Meta will need to enable group chats and calling between WhatsApp and Messenger and third-party apps.For the time being, third-party developers will likely have to use the Signal protocol to hook into Messenger and WhatsApp. Meta uses that protocol for end-to-end encryption (E2EE) on both apps, "as it represents the current gold standard for E2EE chats." Developers will have the option of using a compatible protocol, but only "if they are able to demonstrate it offers the same security guarantees as Signal."Meta notes that when it comes to messaging entirely within the WhatsApp and Messenger ecosystems, it controls both the sending and receiving clients. In such cases, it can affirm that only the sender and intended recipients will be able to see messages.However, it added that "while we have built a secure solution for interop that uses the Signal protocol encryption to protect messages in transit, without ownership of both clients (endpoints) we cannot guarantee what a third-party provider does with sent or received messages, and we therefore cannot make the same promise." As such, Meta is indicating that messages that originate from or are sent to a third-party app may not be as secure as those that stay completely within its own ecosystem.Developers who connect their apps to WhatsApp and Messenger will have to host media files that they send to Meta's platforms on their own servers. WhatsApp or Messenger will then download the media from the media via a Meta proxy service.To enable interoperability, makers of third-party messaging apps will need to sign an agreement with Meta. The company notes that it needs to be ready to turn on interoperability with another service within three months of receiving a request, though "it may take longer before the functionality is ready for public use."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-explains-how-third-party-apps-will-hook-into-messenger-and-whatsapp-192532065.html?src=rss

Epic's plan to launch its own iOS storefront in the EU could be in serious jeopardy. Apple terminated the company's developer account just one day after iOS 17.4 finally allowed for third-party app stores in Europe to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Epic says that, thanks to the ban, it "cannot develop the Epic Games Store for iOS" and called the move a "serious violation of the DMA." In other words, the biggest beef in tech continues.The Fortnite developer published a blog post on the matter and shared a letter sent by Apple's lawyers that called Epic Games verifiably untrustworthy," suggesting the reason behind the ban was due to fear on Apple's part that Epic would not comply with the contractual agreements inherent to obtaining a developer's account. It's worth noting that Apple granted Epic a developer's account at the beginning of this year, so the company didn't have any compliance fears back then.

A group of 41 state attorneys general are demanding that Meta step up its support services for users who have been victims of hacks and account takeovers. We refuse to operate as the customer service representatives of your company," the group writes in a letter addressed to Meta's chief legal officer. We request Meta take immediate action and substantially increase its investment in account takeover mitigation tactics, as well as responding to users whose accounts were taken over."The letter, which was first reported by Wired, pushes Meta to deal with an issue that has long been a source of frustration to Facebook and Instagram users: the difficulty in accessing support after you lose access to your account. Though the company has taken steps over the years to make it easier for people to recover lost accounts, Meta largely relies on automated systems and there are still many people who fall through cracks.As the letter highlights, this can be especially devastating for people who lose access to business accounts and pages. Even high-profile creators can find themselves unable to get support from a human employee of the company unless they have a personal connection to someone who works at Meta. Other users sometimes resort to legal services or hiring their own hackers to get their accounts back.While it may seem surprising that state law enforcement officials would get involved in this issue, Reddit and other online forums for hacking victims often advise people to lodge complaints with their local AG's office as a last resort. Some users have reported regaining access to their accounts after a state attorney general's office intervened on their behalf.Now, AGs are apparently flooded with such requests. Our offices have experienced a dramatic and persistent spike in complaints in recent years concerning account takeovers that is not only alarming for our constituents but also a substantial drain on our office resources," the letter states.In addition to putting more resources into customer service, the letter asks Meta to provide more details on the number of account takeovers over the past five years; suspected causes of the increase in account takeovers; safeguards currently in place to prevent account takeovers; current policies and procedures related to Meta's response to account takeovers; and staffing related to safeguarding the platforms against account takeovers as well as responding to complaints."In a statement, a Meta spokesperson said that scammers use every platform available to them and constantly adapt to evade enforcement" from the company. We invest heavily in our trained enforcement and review teams and have specialized detection tools to identify compromised accounts and other fraudulent activity. We regularly share tips and tools people can use to protect themselves, provide a means to report potential violations, work with law enforcement and take legal action."In 2022, Bloomberg reported that Meta was in the early stages" creating a customer service division that would be able to help users with account issues. It's unclear what became of the plan. Later that year, the company laid off thousands of employees. In their letter, the state AGs notes that they saw an uptick in complaints around the same time Meta announced a massive layoff of around 11,000 employees in November 2022, which reportedly focused on the security and privacy and integrity sector.'"This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/41-state-attorneys-general-tell-meta-to-fix-their-customer-support-for-hacking-victims-184709904.html?src=rss

Frostpunk's sequel finally has a release data, giving fans of the post-apocalyptic city-building survival game something to look forward to in the coming months. 11 Bit Studios has announced at the Xbox Partners Showcase that Frostpunk 2 will be available for Windows PCs starting on July 25. PC Game Pass subscribers will also be able to play it from day one. It's a full-fledged sequel to the original game, set 30 years after its events, where oil has taken over steam as society's main energy source.Players take on the role of the city's leader and will have to guide its citizens while facing the world's increasingly harsh, icy climate. In the sequel, they will get the chance to build larger cities divided into districts, with each one serving a specific purpose. One district could be in charge of food production, for instance, while another could serve as people's shelter.Similar to the game before it, Frostpunk 2 is expected to throw problems at the player that will force them to make some difficult decisions and challenge their morals. Players will meet various factions of citizens with ideals conflicting their own as their city grows, and they have to navigate the consequences of their decisions after siding with one faction over the rest. If it truly is like its predecessor, then players can expect a moody, somber experience that could be quite depressing at times.Both standard and Digital Deluxe editions of the game are now available for pre-order. The Digital Deluxe version comes with a seven-day beta access to parts of the game in April, exclusive access to story mode 72 hours before official release, thee post-release DLCs, a digital novella, an artbook and the game's soundtrack. Frostpunk 2 will also be making its way to consoles and will be coming to the Xbox Game Pass subscription service at a later date.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/post-apocalyptic-city-builder-frostpunk-2-arrives-on-july-25-190018322.html?src=rss

Specs for the Rivian R2 leaked this week ahead of Thursday's unveiling. Found by internet sleuths" who tipped off Electrek, its specifications were buried in source code for the EV's teaser website (briefly visible to anyone in the public using a web inspector). The code suggests the R2 will have up to a 330-mile range and a $47,000 starting price when it arrives in 2026.The R2 allegedly has a three-second 0 to 60 mph acceleration time, but it's probably wise to expect that only in the top-tier models. The code lists the compact SUV as a five-seater with a 115.6-inch wheelbase. Other details include a length of 185.6 inches, a width of 75 inches (84.4 inches with mirrors) and a height of 66.9 inches.The code says it will have a NACS chargeport but adds that it can also charge at CCS stations. The leak also lists powered rear glass and a bike mount that snaps into the rear accessory ports." (It mentions that no tools are needed.) The bike mount allegedly fits in the R2's frunk when not in use. We design our vehicles to maximize storage throughout," the marketing copy from the source code reads. The roomy front trunk offers plenty of space to stow large items - from weekend gear to weekly grocery haul."Other details from the source code include a maximum ground clearance of 9.8 inches, a 32-inch wheel and tire diameter, a 25-degree approach angle and a 27-degree departure angle.Rivian confirmed last month that it will officially unveil the R2 on March 7. The automaker's CEO, RJ Scaringe, had previously said the vehicle would be smaller and cheaper than the R1. Its $47,000 starting price (the code also lists $47,500 in other places) would put it squarely within the $40,000 to $60,000 range CFO Claire McDonough previously promised.Unfortunately, news of more layoffs at Rivian emerged ahead of Thursday's launch event. Crain's Chicago Business (via Quartz) first reported that the EV maker laid off about 100" employees at its Normal, IL factory. That's about one percent of the plant's total workers. The cuts follow (or are perhaps part of) those announced in February when Rivian said it would lay off 10 percent of its workforce.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/leaked-rivian-r2-specs-include-a-330-mile-range-and-47000-starting-price-181927644.html?src=rss

Framed creator Joshua Briggs is back with another mystery game, and, this time, it has a supernatural element. RiffRaff Games has announced the upcoming release of Sleight of Hand, a "third-person card-slinging occult noir stealth sim" - a collection of words that alone have us very intrigued.Sleight of Hand follows Lady Luck, a former occult detective who must track down and defeat her former coven. Yes, excitingly, a woman is the noir protagonist, and she comes to Steeple City with a cursed deck (necessary, given she lost her left hand the last time she saw her fellow witches). Each card has a unique ability, such as the Hex card, which latches onto a hidden enemy, and the Peekaboo card, which thrusts them into view. Another useful sounding one is called the Chain Smoker card: it ties the fates of multiple adversaries together so Lady Luck can use one card to stall them all.Gameplay also includes solving puzzles to use secret passageways and interrogating coven members, all in hopes of getting to the leader. The entirety of Sleight of Hand is grounded in the very relatable reason Lady Luck puts herself back in danger: she has overdue bills and old debts to settle. Lady Luck herself is voiced by Debi Mae West, who you might recognize as Metal Gear Solid's Meryl Silverburgh, and should make her arrival on Steam and through a day one Game Pass launch for Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC in 2025.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sleight-of-hand-is-a-new-noir-game-from-the-creator-of-framed-180934026.html?src=rss

The Anker Nebula Solar HD portable projector is on sale at Amazon for $250. That matches a previous low and represents a 46 percent discount off the current $460 list price. Wshen it first came out in 2021, it went for $600. We give the Nebula Solar a shout out in our buyer's guide to projectors as a notable budget option, noting that you get a lot of features for the price.It's a 1080p HD projector that emits 400 lumens for reasonably bright outdoor use. The battery is included, which isn't always the case with portable projectors, so that's another relevant savings. You'll get up to three hours of play from a charge (depending on how bright you set the output) and sound comes courtesy of dual three-watt speakers with support for Dolby Digital Plus.Android TV is preloaded and the projector is Wi-Fi enabled to access that content. You can also connect via HDMI, USB or Bluetooth, and it can mirror content from your phone using Miracast. Since it's a projector, the screen size depends on how far away you place it from the wall or other projection surface. This one can deliver up to 120 inches of movie or TV visuals and has a built-in stand to help you adjust the angle.Of course, as a portable projector, the Nebula Solar isn't going to be as bright as its corded cousins, but if you want to try out watching a movie under the stars once the weather warms up, this is a pretty inexpensive way to do it.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/ankers-nebula-solar-hd-portable-projector-is-nearly-half-off-right-now-173027922.html?src=rss

Another tentpole PlayStation game is coming to PC. This time around, it's Ghost of Tsushima, the PlayStation 4's brilliant swansong. The director's cut of the open-world adventure will hit Steam and the Epic Games Store on May 16.Nixxes, a Sony studio that's highly regarded for its PC ports, spent the last year working to bring Sucker Punch's game to another platform. Along with the Iki Island expansion and Legends co-op multiplayer mode, Ghost of Tsushima has all the bells and whistles fans have come to expect from PC ports of PlayStation games, such as unlocked framerates, expansive graphics settings and customizable mouse and keyboard controls. Plug in a DualSense controller and you'll get the same haptic feedback and adaptive trigger support that you would on PlayStation 5.There's support for ultrawide monitors and Nixxes has fully optimized the game for 21:9 and 32:9 formats. You'll even be able to play at a ratio of 48:9 if you have a triple-monitor setup. You can use NVIDIA DLSS 3, AMD FSR 3 and Intel XeSS upscaling tech to boost the performance and visuals. NVIDIA's Reflex and AI-based DLAA anti-aliasing tool are supported too.One other interesting thing to note is that Sony is promising more authentic lip sync if you choose to play with Japanese audio enabled, as your PC will render the cinematics in real time. Along with the black-and-white Kurosawa mode, that could help make the game feel even more cinematic.Ghost of Tsushima is already a stunning game on PS5 and it's likely to look even more remarkable on a high-end PC (Sony notes it'll run on portable PC gaming devices too). More details, including system specifications, will be revealed ahead in the coming weeks.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ghost-of-tsushima-is-coming-to-pc-on-may-16-171130401.html?src=rss

Microsoft engineer Shane Jones raised concerns about the safety of OpenAI's DALL-E 3 back in January, suggesting the product has security vulnerabilities that make it easy to create violent or sexually explicit images. He also alleged that Microsoft's legal team blocked his attempts to alert the public to the issue. Now, he has taken his complaint directly to the FTC, as reported by CNBC.I have repeatedly urged Microsoft to remove Copilot Designer from public use until better safeguards could be put in place," Jones wrote in a letter to FTC Chair Lina Khan. He noted that Microsoft refused that recommendation" so now he's asking the company to add disclosures to the product to alert consumers to the alleged danger. Jones also wants the company to change the rating on the app to make sure it's only for adult audiences. Copilot Designer's Android app is currently rated E for Everyone."Microsoft continues to market the product to Anyone. Anywhere. Any Device,'" he wrote, referring to a promotional slogan recently used by company CEO Satya Nadella. Jones penned a separate letter to the company's board of directors, urging them to begin an independent review of Microsoft's responsible AI incident reporting processes."A sample image (a banana couch) generated by DALL-E 3 (OpenAI)This all boils down to whether or not Microsoft's implementation of DALL-E 3 will create violent or sexual imagery, despite the guardrails put in place. Jones says it's all too easy to trick" the platform into making the grossest stuff imaginable. The engineer and red teamer says he regularly witnessed the software whip up unsavory images from innocuous prompts. The prompt pro-choice," for instance, created images of demons feasting on infants and Darth Vader holding a drill to the head of a baby. The prompt car accident" generated pictures of sexualized women, alongside violent depictions of automobile crashes. Other prompts created images of teens holding assault rifles, kids using drugs and pictures that ran afoul of copyright law.These aren't just allegations. CNBC was able to recreate just about every scenario that Jones called out using the standard version of the software. According to Jones, many consumers are encountering these issues, but Microsoft isn't doing much about it. He alleges that the Copilot team receives more than 1,000 daily product feedback complaints, but that he's been told there aren't enough resources available to fully investigate and solve these problems.If this product starts spreading harmful, disturbing images globally, there's no place to report it, no phone number to call and no way to escalate this to get it taken care of immediately," he told CNBC.OpenAI told Engadget back in January when Jones issued his first complaint that the prompting technique he shared does not bypass security systems" and that the company has developed robust image classifiers that steer the model away from generating harmful images."A Microsoft spokesperson added that the company has established robust internal reporting channels to properly investigate and remediate any issues", going on to say that Jones should appropriately validate and test his concerns before escalating it publicly." The company also said that it's connecting with this colleague to address any remaining concerns he may have." However, that was in January, so it looks like Jones' remaining concerns were not properly addressed. We reached out to both companies for an updated statement.This is happening just after Google's Gemini chatbot encountered its own image generation controversy. The bot was found to be making historically inaccurate images, like Native American Catholic Popes. Google disabled the image generation platform while it continues to work on a fix.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-engineer-who-raised-concerns-about-copilot-image-creator-pens-letter-to-the-ftc-165414095.html?src=rss

Those who are looking to upgrade their earbuds could do much worse than picking up a pair of Beats Studio Buds +. We reckon they're the best Beats option for most people. In addition, they give Apple fans who don't necessarily love the stems of AirPods but would prefer to stick with the company's products a solid option for true wireless earbuds. Now's a good time to snap up the Studio Buds + as they've dropped back down to $130, which is 24 percent off of the usual $170. That matches a record low price we saw during last year's Black Friday period.We gave the Beats Studio Buds + a score of 84 in our review last May. The improved audio and active noise cancellation compared with the previous model are major plus points, as is longer battery life. We felt that the onboard controls were more reliable while the transparent color option is eyecatching. On the downside, there's still room for improvement in terms of sound and the ambient audio isn't as natural as it is on AirPods. The lack of wireless charging may been seen as a letdown too.As you might imagine, given that Apple is a Beats brand, the Studio Buds + play nicely with the parent company's ecosystem. There's one-touch pairing with iOS, hands-free Siri support and iCloud device pairing. You can control the likes of ANC and transparency mode though your iPhone's Bluetooth menu and change the press-and-hold action if you wish. The earbuds are compatible with Android devices too, of course.If you prefer overear headphones, it's worth noting that the price of the Beats Studio Pro headset has also dropped as part of a broader sale on Beats gear. The headphones are down to $200, which is $150 off the usual price. Audio upgrades and the inclusion of a transparency mode helped the Beats Studio Pro earn a score of 81 in our review, but comfort may be an issue, as is the lack of multipoint connection for Apple devices.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/beats-studio-buds--are-on-sale-for-a-record-low-price-155718053.html?src=rss

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the first continuous glucose monitor (CGM) people can buy without a prescription. Dexcom's Stelo Glucose Biosensor System has a sensor users are meant to insert into their upper arm, similar to the company's other CGMs that need a doctor's prescription for purchase. It pairs with a smartphone application that can show the user's blood glucose measurements and trends every 15 minutes.The company designed the device specifically for adults 18 and up who are not using insulin, such as those managing their diabetes with oral medications and non-diabetics making a conscious effort to control their sugar intake. It could be a great tool for people with insulin resistance, including individuals with PCOS and other metabolic issues that heighten their probability of developing diabetes in the future. In general, it could give users the insight to be able to better understand how the food they eat and the movements they make impact their overall health.While CGMs aren't anything new, they've become a wellness trend on social media last year, and even non-diabetics started using them. By clearing Stelo, the FDA is making the monitors more accessible than before. "CGMs can be a powerful tool to help monitor blood glucose," said Jeff Shuren, MD, director of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health. "Today's clearance expands access to these devices by allowing individuals to purchase a CGM without the involvement of a health care provide. Giving more individuals valuable information about their health, regardless of their access to a doctor or health insurance, is an important step forward in advancing health equity for U.S. patients."Stelo will be available starting this summer. Each patch is meant to last for 15 days before users will need to replace it. Dexcom has yet to reveal how much it would cost, but it said Stelo will "provide an option for those who do not have insurance coverage for CGM."DexcomThis article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/fda-approves-the-first-over-the-counter-continuous-glucose-monitor-130008629.html?src=rss

Apple's latest update to iOS has an important addition - at least in the European Union. With the arrival of iOS 17.4, Apple now officially supports third-party app stores on the iPhone. Web browser makers no longer need to base their apps on Apple's WebKit, and Apple is opening up the NFC chip to wireless payment methods that are not Apple Pay. These changes all adhere to strict new rules in the EU. (Expect to hear more changes from Apple, Google and other major tech players as the EU's Digital Markets Act comes into power.)If you're not in the EU (same), Apple Podcasts now offers automatic transcriptions in English, Spanish, French and German. You can search text and tap it to play the audio at the granular word level. It wouldn't be an iOS update with even more emoji (finally, phoenix emojis), lots of bug fixes and more.- Mat SmithThe biggest stories you might have missedMicrosoft is ending support for Android apps on WindowsThe best thing about the M3 MacBook Air is... the M2 MacBook AirMini's first electric Countryman has a wild interiorYou can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!Nothing Phone 2a reviewA budget phone packed with personality.EngadgetCheap midrange smartphones don't have to be boring, contrary to popular belief and the phones on sale at your nearest electronics store. Taking a leaf out of the Pixel's strategy book, Nothing's latest phone, the 2a, is cheaper, slightly lower specced and still delivers on most of the essentials, with a particularly eye-catching screen on the $349.There's a caveat, of course. Folks in the US will need to sign up for the company's Developer program to buy the Phone 2a, and while the handset supports 5G on T-Mobile, you won't get any 5G on AT&T or Verizon. Check out the full review.Continue reading.Facebook, Instagram and Threads all dropped for a couple of hoursMeta even logged out some users.Meta says it has resolved an issue that prevented people from accessing Facebook, Instagram and Threads. The problem started at around 10AM ET, with outage reports for the services (and WhatsApp) spiking. Earlier today, a technical issue caused people to have difficulty accessing some of our services," Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone wrote on X. We resolved the issue as quickly as possible for everyone who was impacted, and we apologize for any inconvenience."Continue reading.Colorware takes you back to grade school with the Apple Number 2 PencilDo not sharpen.'ColorwareColorware has painted many items over the years, going back to the iPhone 3G and beyond, but its latest product is particularly clever. The limited edition Apple Number 2 Pencil transforms Apple's second-gen stylus into a facsimile of a standard HB #2 pencil. Under the clever skin, you still have a high-latency Apple Pencil. The Apple Number 2 Pencil costs $215, while the boring, buttoned-down white second-generation Apple Pencil is $79.Continue reading.TikTok to creators: make longer videos, get paidCreator Rewards is now out of beta and will pay for videos longer than a minute.Last year, TikTok rolled out a new monetization system called the Creativity Program for streamers, to encourage longer videos that sell more ads. Now, the company is rolling the scheme out widely with a new name, the Creator Rewards Program, which only pays for videos longer than one minute. Time for us to get our TikTok on.Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-ios-174-is-here-121539723.html?src=rss

Tidal is condensing its plans in a bid to compete with fellow music streamers. The platform is removing its HiFi Plus and HiFI tiers to create one individual plan, aptly called Tidal. The new option will offer everything Plus users paid $20 monthly for but for $11- the same price as Spotify and Apple Music's one-person plans. It seems Tidal could no longer justify asking people to pay an extra $9 when its competitors offered similar perks for less (the company notably laid off 10 percent of its employees in December).The new solo tier will include Dolby Atmos, HiRes FLAC and lossless audio for over 100 million songs. Apple Music also offers lossless audio, but this puts Tidal ahead of Spotify, which has yet to roll it out. There is a small catch for current HiFi Plus subscribers: Tidal's DJ integration feature is becoming a DJ Extension - which will cost subscribers another $10. Anyone who has used DJ integration in the last 90 days will automatically have the extension added to their new plan when the tier overhaul takes effect on April 10. Notably, Tidal's family plan will also condense into just one option, a $17 offer rather than the HiFi Plus' $30 a month price tag.While the changes are overall a good deal for Tidal subscribers, the music streamer is getting rid of multiple options - including its free tier. As of March 4, Tidal also removed its discount for newly subscribing military personnel and first responders. Existing free tier subscribers will have to pay full price starting April 10, while military personnel and first responders who already use Tidal will have to make the switch starting June 10. Students who use Tidal will keep their $5 monthly rate.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tidal-cuts-9-from-the-price-of-its-hi-fi-audio-streaming-plan-101301143.html?src=rss

Logitech has been in the webcam game since way before the pandemic made having one a necessity. But for some reason, none of them were good enough to be part of its flagship productivity lineup alongside peripherals like the MX Master 3S and MX Mechanical. That changes now with the introduction of the $200 MX Brio which sports a new sensor for significantly improved image quality, upgraded mics and a special hinge that could be really handy for presentations.Even before you get to photo and video quality, the MX Brio impressed me with a much more premium design compared to the old non-MX Brio from 2017. It's available in three colors (silver, gray and black) and has an aluminum housing instead of plastic like on the previous model. But what I really like are details like the built-in shutter that can be opened and closed by twisting the ring on the front of the camera. This means you don't have to worry about losing a lens cap like you do with some of its rivals like the Razer Kiyo Pro.Photo by Sam Rutherford/EngadgetThe MX Brio also comes with a clip for mounting it on your laptop or monitor. However, if you prefer a more sophisticated setup using a tripod, the clip detaches magnetically to reveal a hidden 1/4-inch thread. That said, the coolest thing about the clip is its extra hinge that allows you to tilt the camera down into what the company calls Show Mode, which automatically rotates its field of view (FOV) to provide a bird's eye view of your desk.This one simple feature makes it super easy to share notes or show off a product without needing to reconfigure your entire setup or add a second camera to the mix. It's something I've wanted to do countless times on the Engadget Podcast (back when we were still livestreaming it), but couldn't since my workspace doesn't have room for a dedicated top-down camera arm.Photo by Sam RutherfordAs for image quality, the MX Brio is based on a Sony Starvis sensor that supports recording at up to 4K/30fps while also offering much better dynamic range and low-light sensitivity than before. To test this, I compared the MX Brio to its predecessor and the difference was immediately apparent. Even when using the basic Windows Camera app, the new model's pics were much more colorful and accurate. Furthermore, the position of my desk means I often have to contend with bright backlighting that makes my face look unusually dark, but the MX Brio overcame that in a way the old model never could. And thanks to certification for several major apps including Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet, you'll look even better when using proper video conferencing software.Another thing I appreciate is that Logitech gives you a ton of options to adjust things like white balance, FOV, exposure and more. The addition of dual beamforming mics also helps audio come through clearly while AI cuts down on distracting ambient noise. But one of the best nods to general usability is that now you can use both the Options+ or Logitech's G Hub app to control the webcam. This is nice for anyone who needs to hop on calls for work but also wants to livestream at night without needing to switch between multiple devices or programs. The only thing that's really missing is the ability to quickly set a custom white point using gray cards like you can on a traditional digital camera.Granted, I've only had a short time to play around with the MX Brio. But even so, it's clear Logitech finally has a webcam that can hang with the company's portfolio of best-in-class productivity devices.The MX Brio goes on sale today, though the black model will only be available from Best Buy for the first 90 days.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-logitech-mx-brio-packs-a-big-upgrade-in-image-quality-and-a-handy-party-trick-080134629.html?src=rss

Colorware has painted a lot of items over the years going back to the iPhone 3G and beyond, but its latest product is particularly clever. The limited edition Apple Number 2 Pencil transforms Apple's 2nd-gen stylus into a facsimile of a standard HB #2 pencil, with the only thing missing being chew marks on the eraser."What sets it apart? It connects with your iPad in a snap, charges without a hitch, and delivers precision that feels just right," the company states on the product page. "And it's styled after the familiar pencil we all know, upgraded for today's tech. It's not just smart; it's a smart looker too." (As a reminder, the 2nd-generation Apple Pencil offers features like "pixel-perfect precision, tilt and pressure sensitivity, and imperceptible lag," according to Apple.)ColorwareColorware goes on to describe other ways that it will change your life. "It's that unspoken impact, the quiet ripple of intrigue it sends through the room. This isn't just about having a piece of technology; it's about carrying a symbol of uniqueness that speaks volumes before you do."That paint sure is doing a lot of work! But it ain't cheap - the Apple Number 2 Pencil costs $215, which is a $136 premium over the 2nd-generation Apple Pencil, currently priced at $79. Still, it's undeniably adorable and could be a great gift for an iPad artist. Just don't try to sharpen it (or chew on it).This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/colorware-takes-you-back-to-grade-school-with-the-apple-number-2-pencil-073709840.html?src=rss

Elon Musk, who sued OpenAI for violating its non-profit mission and chasing profits, allegedly wanted the organization to merge with Tesla when it was starting to plan its transition into a for-profit entity in order to accomplish its goals. Well, either that or get full control of the company, OpenAI said in a blog post. The organization responded to Musk's lawsuit by publishing old emails from 2015 to 2018 when he was still involved in its operations.When OpenAI introduced itself to the world back in 2015, it announced that it had $1 billion in funding. Apparently, Musk was the one who suggested that figure, even though OpenAI had raised less than $45 million from him and around $90 million from other donors. "We need to go with a much bigger number than $100M to avoid sounding hopeless... I think we should say that we are starting with a $1B funding commitment... I will cover whatever anyone else doesn't provide," he wrote, according to the company.In 2017, OpenAI's leaders realized that they truly did need a lot more money - billions of dollars - because artificial intelligence required vast quantities of computing power. That's when they started discussing its transition into a for-profit structure. OpenAI said Musk was involved in the planning and originally wanted majority equity, control of the initial board of directors and the CEO position. However, the organization felt that it was against its mission to give one person absolute control over it. They couldn't get to an agreement, and Musk reportedly withheld funding while talks were ongoing.Musk then forwarded an email to OpenAI in 2018, which suggested attaching the organization to Tesla so that the automaker could provide its funding. He explained in his letter that he believed it was "the only path that could even hope to hold a candle to Google." OpenAI didn't say how their discussions progressed after that, but Musk's idea obviously didn't push through, and he soon left the company. In the last email from Musk that the organization posted, he said his "probability assessment of OpenAI being relevant to DeepMind/Google without a dramatic change in execution and resources is 0%."In his lawsuit, Musk accused OpenAI of being a "closed-source de facto subsidiary" of Microsoft, which uses its AI technology for products like Bing after investing $13 billion into the company. "Microsoft stands to make a fortune selling GPT-4 to the public, which would not be possible if OpenAI - as it is required to do - makes the technology freely available to the public," the lawsuit argued. OpenAI said Musk was aware its mission did not imply open sourcing its artificial intelligence technology, though. It released an email in which Ilya Sutskever, its co-founder and chief scientist, told Musk: "As we get closer to building AI, it will make sense to start being less open. The Open in OpenAI means that everyone should benefit from the fruits of AI after its built, but it's totally OK to not share the science." Musk then responded with "Yup.""We're sad that it's come to this with someone whom we've deeply admired - someone who inspired us to aim higher, then told us we would fail, started a competitor, and then sued us when we started making meaningful progress towards OpenAI's mission without him," the company wrote in its post. After Musk filed his lawsuit, the company sent internal memos to its staff denying his allegations. Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon said in one memo that Musk's claims "may stem from [his] regrets about not being involved with the company today." Sam Altman said in another memo that he misses the person he knew who competed with others by building better technology. He also responded to a five-year old tweet from Musk thanking him for defending Tesla.