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

I knew what I was getting into when I sat down for a press screening of Dune Part 2: A towering sci-fi epic best viewed on an enormous theater screen, just like Denis Villeneuve's first Dune film. What I didn't realize was that it would also give me a serious back massage - it really does kick butt. That was my experience at an Atlanta-area AMC, where the film whipped the Dolby Cinema seats into such a frenzy that, for one thrilling sequence, I felt like I was actually riding a sandworm plowing through the spice-filled desert of Arrakis.Now, I can't guarantee you'll have the same ride at a normal theater (unless the subwoofer is cranked up obscenely high). What makes AMC's Dolby Cinema locations unique is that they feature rumbling transducers in every recliner seat, in addition to powerful dual-laser Dolby Vision projectors and enveloping Atmos sound. I've seen tons of films in AMC Dolby Cinemas since those screens began rolling out in 2017, but Dune Part 2 is the first time the haptic seats actually felt like they enhanced my moviegoing experience. When I rushed out to the bathroom in the middle of the film, I noticed that my body was still vibrating, the way you sort of feel after a deep massage by expert fingers.Technically, you're still better off watching Dune Part 2 in IMAX theaters - it was actually filmed for that enormous format, and true IMAX theaters also deliver enough walloping low-end sound to shake your core without the need for rumbling seats. But it's hard to find full-sized IMAX screens, and for most US viewers it'll likely be easier to find a nearby AMC Dolby Cinema.Let's be clear: I'm no fan of theater gimmicks, like the moving seats and various weather effects in 4DX cinemas. So I'm genuinely surprised how much I appreciated a heavy dose of recliner rumbling in Dune Part 2. Perhaps it's because the film is also fanbtastic - not that I expected any less from Villeneuve, a director who turned the first Dune into a cinematic feast and was also miraculously able to deliver a Blade Runner sequel that surpassed the original.Photo by NIKO TAVERNISE for Warner Bros.Dune Part 2 picks up where the first film abruptly ended, with Paul Atreides and his mother making their way through the desert with its native inhabitants, the Fremen. It's immediately clear that this isn't actually a sequel to the first film, it's genuinely a second half, with all of the action and more spectacle that many felt were lacking before.Personally, though, I just loved being back in Villeneuve's vision of Frank Herbert's universe. As much as I appreciate the bombastic costumes and environments from David Lynch's Dune adaptation, I find this iteration far more immersive: Every room seems genuinely lived in, every custom feels like an organic outgrowth of a society that's existed for thousands of years. It's the sort of attention to detail we don't often see in films and TV today, when it's easier to shoot faux desert scenes on ILM's StageCraft set (aka "The Volume," the technology that was so thoughtlessly implemented in Quantumania).Warner Bros.Even if you don't end up seeing Dune Part 2 in a Dolby Cinema (I swear, this isn't an ad), it's a film worth seeing on the big screen. Its vast scale and ambition can't be contained on a TV, and its elaborate soundscape (including Hans Zimmer going extra hard for the score) deserves more than tinny flatscreen speakers or a mere soundbar.Dune has always seemed like an unadaptable work, something so massive that it could only truly exist in Frank Herbert's shroom-filled dreams. But once again, Villeneuve and his creative team have seemingly done the impossible: They've turned the fantasy of Dune into a cinematic reality. You owe it to yourself to pay tribute.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/dune-2-review-dolby-cinema-194415814.html?src=rss

This week, Adobe revealed an experimental audio AI tool to join its image-based ones in Photoshop. Described by the company as an early-stage generative AI music generation and editing tool," Adobe's Project Music GenAI Control can create music (and other audio) from text prompts, which it can then fine-tune in the same interface.Adobe frames the Firefly-based technology as a creative ally that - unlike generative audio experiments like Google's MusicLM - goes a step further and skips the hassle of moving the output to external apps like Pro Tools, Logic Pro or GarageBand for editing. Instead of manually cutting existing music to make intros, outros, and background audio, Project Music GenAI Control could help users to create exactly the pieces they need-solving workflow pain points end-to-end," Adobe wrote in an announcement blog post.The company suggests starting with text inputs like powerful rock," happy dance" or sad jazz" as a foundation. From there, you can enter more prompts to adjust its tempo, structure and repetition, increase its intensity, extend its length, remix entire sections or create loops. The company says it can even transform audio based on a reference melody.Adobe says the resulting music is safe for commercial use. It's also integrating its Content Credentials (nutrition labels" for generated content), an attempt to be transparent about your masterpiece's AI-assisted nature.One of the exciting things about these new tools is that they aren't just about generating audio-they're taking it to the level of Photoshop by giving creatives the same kind of deep control to shape, tweak, and edit their audio. It's a kind of pixel-level control for music," Adobe Research scientist Nicholas Bryan wrote.The project is a collaboration with the University of California, San Diego and the School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University. Adobe's announcement emphasized Project Music GenAI Control's experimental nature. (It didn't reveal much of its interface in the video above, suggesting it may not have a consumer-facing UI yet.)So you may have to wait a while before the feature (presumably) makes its way into Adobe's Creative Cloud suite.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/adobes-latest-ai-experiment-generates-music-from-text-184019169.html?src=rss

Spotify has added another subscription option. This time around, it's offering a plan that has little to do with music. The Audiobooks Access Tier (which is US-only for now) offers 15 hours of audiobook listening each month for $10. You'll have access to Spotify's library of more than 200,000 titles You can, of course, still listen to ad-supported music via Spotfy's free tier.At first glance, it might seem odd for Spotify to offer an audiobook-only tier at this price. Spotify Premium, which costs $11 per month, has the same 15 hours of audiobook listening time as well as other perks. However, audiobooks often take somewhere in the realm of between seven and 11 hours to listen to.As such, Spotify is undercutting Audible to a degree. That platform offers one audiobook credit per month for $15. So, for $5 less with Spotify, you might be able to listen to roughly two books per month (unless you prefer to enjoy epic novels that are around 1,000-plus pages long in print). It's worth bearing in mind, though, that unused listening time does not carry over into the next month.Spotify noted that, since it started offering 15 hours of audiobook listening to Premium subscribers at no extra cost in November, there's been a 45 percent increase in those on the free tier searching for and interacting with audiobook material every day (the company also sells audiobooks on its web player). That uptick in interest is a decent enough reason for Spotify to try an audiobook-only subscription tier.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/spotify-rolls-out-an-audiobook-only-subscription-180829039.html?src=rss

Axios, a site known for political analysis and extensive use of bullet points, has joined the ranks of pundits fawning over Mark Zuckerberg's PR strategy. The Meta CEO, they claim, is (as originally headlined) "having a PR moment" which is "casting a halo effect on the company itself." That's obviously untrue, but let's say it in a format more likely to reach Axios's audience.The big picture: Zuckerberg's recent PR blitz is neither out of character nor a sign of a freshly rehabbed image. In fact, Meta and Zuckerberg are staring down one of the biggest crises they've ever faced.Why it matters: Praising the PR strategy of a gigantic company which is credibly accused of enabling a variety of mass-scale harms is, at best, irresponsible, even if that PR strategy was working - which it isn't.

It's 1995, and I'm trying to watch a video on the internet. I entered the longest, most complex URL I'd ever seen into AOL's web browser to view a trailer for Paul W.S. Anderson's long-awaited film adaptation of Mortal Kombat. I found it in an issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly, tucked away in the bottom of a full-page ad for the film. Online marketing at the time was such an afterthought, studios didn't even bother grabbing short and memorable web addresses for their major releases, let alone dedicated websites. (Star Trek Generations and Stargate were among the few early exceptions.)After the interminable process of transcribing the URL from print, I gathered my family around our Packard Bell PC (powered by an Intel 486 DX and, let's say, 8MB of RAM), hit return and waited as the video slowly came down our 33.6kbps dial-up connection. And waited. It took 25 minutes for it to fully load. After corralling my family once again, I hit play and was treated to an horrendously compressed, low-resolution version of the trailer I'd been dreaming about for months. It was unwatchable. The audio was shit. But that was the moment I became obsessed with online video.I imagined a futuristic world beyond my boxy CRT set and limited cable TV subscription. A time after VHS tapes when I could just type in a URL and enjoy a show or movie while eating one of those rehydrated Pizza Hut pies from Back to the Future 2. The internet would make it so.Looking back now, almost 30 years later, and 20 years after Engadget sprung to life, I realize my 11-year-old self was spot on. The rise of online video transformed the internet from a place where we'd browse the web, update our LiveJournals, steal music and chat with friends on AIM to a place where we could also just sit back and relax. For Millennials, it quickly made our computer screens more important than our TVs. What I didn't expect, though, was that streaming video would also completely upend Hollywood and the entire entertainment industry.If my experience with the Mortal Kombat trailer didn't make it clear enough, video was a disaster on the internet in the '90s. Most web surfers (as we were known as the time) were stuck with terribly slow modems and similarly unimpressive desktop systems. But really, the problem goes back to dealing with video on computers.Apple's Quicktime format made Macs the ideal platform for multimedia creators, and, together with its Hypercard software for creating interactive multimedia databases, it spawned the rise of Myst and the obsession with mixed-media educational software. PCs relied on MPEG-1, which debuted in 1993 and was mainly for VCDs and some digital TV providers. The problem with both formats was space: Hard drives were notoriously small and expensive at the time, which made CDs the main option for accessing any sort of video on your computer. If your computer only had a 500MB hard drive, a slim disc that could store 650MB seemed like magic.But that also meant video had no place in the early internet. RealPlayer was the first true stab at delivering streaming video and audio online - and while it was better than waiting 20 minutes for a huge file to download, it was still hard to actually stream media when you were constrained by a dial-up modem. I remember seeing buffering alerts more than I did any actual RealPlayer content. It took the proliferation of broadband internet access and one special app from Adobe to make web video truly viable.While we may curse its name today, it's worth remembering how vital Macromedia Flash was to the web in the early 2000s. (We've been around long enough to cover Adobe's acquisition of Macromedia in 2005!) Its support for vector graphics, stylized text and simple games injected new life into the internet, and it allowed just about anyone to create that content. HTML just wasn't enough. Ask any teen or 20-something who was online at the time, and they could probably still recite most of The End of the World by heart.With 2002's Flash MX 6, Macromedia added support for Sorenson's Spark video codec, which opened the floodgates for online video. (It was eventually replaced in 2005 by the VP6 codec from On2, a company Google acquired in 2009.) Macromedia's video offering looked decent, loaded quickly and was supported on every browser that had the Flash plugin, making it the ideal player choice for video websites.The adult entertainment industry latched onto Flash video first, as you'd expect. Porn sites also relied on the technology to lock down purchased videos and entice viewers to other sites with interactive ads. But it was YouTube (and, to a lesser extent, Vimeo) that truly showed mainstream users what was possible with video on the internet. After launching in February 2005, YouTube grew so quickly it was serving 100 million videos a day by July 2006, making up 60 percent of all online videos at the time. It's no wonder Google rushed to acquire the company for $1.65 billion later that year (arguably the search giant's smartest purchase ever).After YouTube's shockingly fast rise, it wasn't too surprising to see Netflix announce its own Watch Now streaming service in 2007, which also relied on Flash for video. At $17.99 a month for 18 hours of video, with a library of only 1,000 titles, Netflix's streaming offering didn't seem like much of a threat to Blockbuster, premium cable channels or cinemas at first. But the company wisely expanded Watch Now to all Netflix subscribers in 2008 and removed any viewing cap: The Netflix binge was born.It's 2007, and I'm trying to watch a video on the internet. In my post-college apartment, I hooked up my desktop computer to an early-era (720p) Philips HDTV, and all of a sudden, I had access to thousands of movies, instantly viewable over a semi-decent cable connection. I didn't need to worry about seeding torrents or compiling Usenet files (things I'd only heard about from dirty pirates, you see). I didn't have to stress about any Blockbuster late fees. The movies were just sitting on my TV, waiting for me to watch them. It was the dream for digital media fanatics: Legal content available at the touch of a button. What a concept!Little did I know then that the Watch Now concept would basically take over the world. Netflix initially wanted to create hardware to make the service more easily accessible, but it ended up spinning off that idea, and Roku was born. The company's streaming push also spurred on the creation of Hulu, announced in late 2007 as a joint offering between NBCUniversal and News Corp. to bring their television shows online. Disney later joined, giving Hulu the full power of all the major broadcast TV networks. Instead of a stale library of older films, Hulu allowed you to watch new shows on the internet the day after they aired. Again, what a concept!Amazon, it turns out, was actually earlier to the streaming party than Netflix. It launched the Amazon Unbox service in 2006, which was notable for letting you watch videos as they were being downloaded onto your computer. It was rebadged to Amazon Video On Demand in 2008 (a better name, which actually described what it did), and then it became Amazon Instant Video in 2011, when it was tied together with premium Prime memberships.As the world of streaming video exploded, Flash's reputation kept getting worse. By the mid-2000s, it was widely recognized as a notoriously buggy program, one so insecure it could lead to malware infecting your PC. (I worked in IT at the time, and the vast majority of issues I encountered on Windows PCs stemmed entirely from Flash.) When the iPhone launched without support for Flash in 2007, it was clear the end was near. YouTube and other video sites moved over to HTML5 video players at that point, and it became the standard by 2015.By the early 2010s, YouTube and Amazon weren't happy just licensing content from Hollywood, they wanted some of the action themselves. So the original programming boom began, which kicked off with mostly forgettable shows (anyone remember Netflix's Lillyhammer or Amazon's Alpha House? Hemlock Grove? They existed, I swear!).But then came House of Cards in 2013, Netflix's original series created by playwright Beau Willimon, executive produced (and partially directed) by renowned filmmaker David Fincher and starring Oscar winner Kevin Spacey (before he was revealed to be a monster). It had all of the ingredients of a premium TV show, and, thanks to Fincher's deft direction, it looked like something that would be right at home on HBO. Most importantly for Netflix, it got some serious awards love, earning nine Emmy nominations in 2013 and walking away with three statues.By that point, we could watch streaming video in many more places than our computer's web browser. You could pull up just about anything on your phone and stream it over 4G LTE, or use your smart TV's built-in apps to catch up on SNL over Hulu. Your Xbox could also serve as the centerpiece of your home entertainment system. And if you wanted the best possible streaming experience, you could pick up an Apple TV or Roku box. You could start a show on your phone while sitting on the can, then seamlessly continue it when you made your way back to your TV. This was certainly some sort of milestone for humanity, though I'm torn on it actually being a net win for our species.Instant streaming video. Original TV shows and movies. This was the basic formula that pushed far too many companies to offer their own streaming solutions over the past decade. In the blink of an eye, we got HBO Max, Disney+, Apple TV+, Peacock, and Paramount+. There's AMC+, powered almost entirely by the promise of unlimited Walking Dead shows. A Starz streaming service. And there are countless other companies trying to be a Netflix for specific niches, like Shudder for horror, Criterion Channel for cinephiles and Britbox for the tea-soaked murder-mystery crowd.And let's not forget the wildest, most boneheaded streaming swing: Quibi. That was Dreamworks mastermind Jeffrey Katzenberg's nearly $2 billion mobile video play. Somehow he and his compatriots thought people would pay $5 a month for the privilege of watching videos on their phones, even though YouTube was freely available.Every entertainment company thinks it can be as successful as Disney, which has a vast and beloved catalog of content as well as full control of Lucasfilm and Marvel's properties. But, realistically, there aren't enough eyeballs and willing consumers for every streaming service to succeed. Some will die off entirely, while others will bring their content to Netflix and more popular services (like Paramount is doing with Star Trek Prodigy). There are already early rumors of Comcast (NBCUniversal's parent company) and Paramount considering some sort of union between Peacock and Paramount+.Online video was supposed to save us from the tyranny of expensive and chaotic cable bills, and despite the messiness of the arena today, that's still mostly true. Sure, if you actually wanted to subscribe to most of the major streaming services, you'd still end up paying a hefty chunk of change. But hey, at least you can cancel at will, and you can still choose precisely what you're paying for. Cable would never.It's 2024, and I'm trying to watch a video on the internet. I slip on the Apple Vision Pro, a device that looks like it could have been a prop for The Matrix. I launch Safari in a 150-inch window floating above my living room and watch the Mortal Kombat trailer on YouTube. That whole process takes 10 seconds. I never had the chance to see the trailer or the original film in the theater. But thanks to the internet (and Apple's crazy expensive headset), I can replicate that experience.Perhaps that's why, no matter how convoluted and expensive streaming video services become, I'll always think: At least it's better than watching this thing over dial-up.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/streaming-video-changed-the-internet-forever-170014082.html?src=rss

This Saturday, on March 2, 2024, Engadget turns 20. Originally founded by Peter Rojas - you can read more about those early days here - the site has had eight editors-in-chief and, to my count, seven parent organizations to answer to. What started as a truly influential tech blog has morphed into a media organization aiming to break news, give no-BS buying advice and highlight the stories in tech that matter. We have written millions of words, we've won awards and we've somehow survived several media apocalypses. It's been a ride - and if you've been with us since the start, we salute you.To mark the occasion, our team has been thinking about how the tech industry has changed over the past two decades. At the heart of our anniversary package is a collection of over a dozen retrospectives of seminal gadgets and apps that did not exist 20 years ago, illustrated by the brilliant Koren Shadmi.Engadget, believe it or not, is older than YouTube, the iPhone, Uber, WhatsApp, Android, Tesla EVs and countless other things that are a huge part of our lives today.We planned to open this month of celebration with a letter from the editor, but last Friday, Engadget's parent company laid off several people from our small team, including our editor-in-chief, Dana Wollman, and our managing editor, Terrence O'Brien.Though the site does not yet have an editor-in-chief, we do have a strong leadership team that has collectively been at the site for decades. There is no way for things to be business as usual," but we are committed to pushing Engadget forward.While it's a bittersweet time to be celebrating an anniversary, the show must go on. Having edited Dana's letter before it was due to be published, I want to take the opportunity to borrow her main talking points, which are more important to the remaining team than ever before:

The latest version of the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max is on sale for $40, which matches the record low Black Friday price. The streaming stick normally sells for $60, so this is a discount of 33 percent.This is the most advanced streaming stick Amazon has ever made. As the name suggests, it can easily handle 4K video, and it also supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+. The stick integrates with Wi-Fi 6E and boasts 16GB of internal storage, up from eight with the previous generation. There's a new 2.0 GHz quad-core processor, on-device Alexa and a remote that gives you control over affiliated smart home devices.This is also the first-ever streaming stick to feature Amazon's AI Art feature. There's a built-in image generation model, so you can set the screensaver to be, well, whatever you want. If the idea of a six-pawed cat eating a plate of slightly-off spaghetti doesn't do it for you, the stick also allows access to more than 2,000 pieces of actual art for use as screensavers.This is part of a larger Amazon sale on all of its various streaming devices, from sticks to actual televisions. Of note, the Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite has been discounted to $20, which nearly matches a record low price. The Fire TV Stick Lite made our list of the best streaming devices, thanks to its simple interface and support for all of the major streaming platforms.Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-new-amazon-fire-tv-stick-4k-max-is-on-sale-for-a-record-low-of-40-164541303.html?src=rss

It's Friday, which means it's time for another roundup of the week's best tech deals. This week's highlights include a small but rare discount on Sony's PlayStation 5, as a bundle that includes Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is $50 off and down to $450 at Best Buy. If you don't need a new game console, Apple's AirPods Pro are back at an all-time low of $189, while Amazon's Echo Show 8 and Fire TV Stick 4K Max are at respective lows of $90 and $40. A number of recommended Anker accessories are on sale as well, including the Soundcore Space A40, our favorite budget earbuds, down to $53 and the PowerConf C200, one of our favorite webcams, down to $48. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still buy today. 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-ps5-slim-spider-man-2-bundle-drops-to-450-plus-the-rest-of-the-weeks-best-tech-deals-162102658.html?src=rss

Razer's Blade family of gaming laptops are among the most premium on the market. And while there aren't a ton of major changes on the 2024 Blade 14, for the first time ever, it will be available in both classic black and Mercury (aka silver) at launch. Now this might not sound like a big deal, but it means you can get a portable rig with strong performance that doesn't shout about it like a lot of other gaming laptops do. When you combine that with an exquisite chassis milled from a single block of aluminum and a wealth of ports, you end up with a system that straddles the line between a beefy gaming machine and a portable all-rounder.Design: Now in silver from the jumpOn the outside, Razer is definitely taking the approach of If it ain't broke, don't fix it." That's not a bad thing on a laptop that's pretty much the closest thing to a MacBook Pro for gaming. The entire system feels incredibly solid with only the slightest bit of flex on spots like the lid. And unlike a MacBook, the Blade offers a wide variety of ports including four USB (two 3.2 Type-A and two Type-C with USB 4), a 3.5mm audio jack and a full-size HDMI 2.1 connector).Plus, there's a dedicated power socket so you don't need to hog an extra slot while charging. The Blade 14 even supports USB-PD (power delivery) so you can use third-party chargers in a pinch, though you won't get full performance this way due to a lower 100-watt limit (versus 230 watts when using Razer's included brick).The two small downsides to the Blade 14 are that its super sturdy frame weighs a touch more (4.05 pounds) than similar laptops like the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (3.31 pounds). You also don't get an SD card reader like you do on the bigger Blade 16. That's a bummer for anyone planning to occasionally use this thing as a photo or video editing machine, but it's not a deal breaker.Display and webcam: Bright and blazing-fastPhoto by Sam Rutherford/EngadgetThough there's only a single display option for the Blade 14, it's a good one. It features a 2560 x 1600 LCD panel that supports AMD FreeSync and a gamut that covers 100% of the DCI-P3 spectrum. It's also more than bright enough at over 450 nits while the matte anti-glare coating helps keep reflections to a minimum. This means not only do games and movies look great with vivid hues, it's also accurate enough for editing. The only thing I wish there was a config with an OLED panel like there is on the Blade 16.Meanwhile, above the display, there's a 1080p webcam with an IR sensor for Windows Hello. But my favorite thing about this component is that Razer included a tiny physical shutter, which should reduce concerns about government agents spying on you.Performance: Class-leading speedPhoto by Sam Rutherford/EngadgetThe Blade 14 is available in two basic configurations: a base model with an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS chip, 16GB of RAM, 1TB of SSD storage and an NVIDIA RTX 4060 GPU. There's also an upgraded model with 32GB of memory and an RTX 4070 (which is the version we reviewed). In short, this thing flies, delivering about as much performance as you can get out of a 14-inch laptop. In PCMark 10, the Blade 14 scored 7,436 versus 6,170 from an ASUS ZenBook 14 OLED with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H chip. But more importantly, it can handle almost any game you can throw at it with ease.In Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p and ultra settings, the Blade 14 hit 101 fps compared to 67 fps from an MSI Stealth 14 Studio with an RTX 4060. When I increased the resolution to 1440p, it still pumped out a very playable 66 fps. Meanwhile in Returnal at 1080p and epic presets, Razer enjoyed a similar lead reaching 92 fps versus 78 for the MSI. So unless you feel like moving up to a larger 15- or 16-inch system with room for an RTX 4080 or above, this performance is essentially as good as it gets in this segment.Battery Life: Better than expected unless your gaming unpluggedPhoto by Sam Rutherford/EngadgetGaming laptops are notorious for short run times. However, on PCMark 10's Moden Office rundown test, the Blade 14 turned in a respectable time of 6 hours and 46 minutes. That's more than an hour longer than the MSI Stealth Studio 14 (5:19) and nearly good enough to last through an entire workday. But it still falls way short of more typical ultraportables without discrete graphics like the ZenBook 14 OLED (12:43).That said, even with some power-saving tricks like automatically reducing its display to 60Hz when running on battery, you're still going to want to keep the Razer's power brick handy. When I played Teamfight Tactics, the Blade's battery dropped from 85 to 45 percent after a single 40-minute game.Wrap-upPhoto by Sam Rutherford/EngadgetWith a starting price of $2,200 or $2,700 as configured, the Blade 14 is on the pricey side. But that's not really new for Razer's laptops and there's no doubt this thing delivers a thoroughly premium experience, with its excellent build quality, beautiful display and great performance. It's equally adept at gaming or editing on the go, and with the silver model being available at launch, you can get a machine that blends in better outside of LAN parties. The main thing that would stop me from buying one is the existence of ASUS' refreshed ROG Zephyrus G14, which has similar specs and a much lower starting price of $1,600. But if you have the means, the Blade 14 won't do you wrong.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/razer-blade-14-2024-review-a-portable-but-pricey-powerhouse-specs-price-160020891.html?src=rss

Fisker has announced its future plans alongside preliminary 2023 and Q4 earnings, and it's not looking great for the EV manufacturer. The company plans to lay off 15 percent of its workforce - nearly 200 people - as it shifts from a direct-to-consumer to a Dealer Partner model. The company is halting all investments in upcoming models and will resume only if in partnership with another automaker.The company's fourth-quarter revenue increased to $200.1 million from $128.3 million in Q3. However, its gross margin was negative 35 percent, and it lost $1.23 per share. Its sole EV on the market, the Ocean SUV, also had 10,193 units produced but 4,929 vehicles delivered.The automaker first introduced its pivot to a Dealer Partner Model in January and claims it has received interest from 250 dealers across North America and Europe, along with 13 signed agreements. "We are aware that the industry has entered a turbulent, and unpredictable period," Henrik Fisker, chairman and CEO of Fisker, said in a statement. "With that understanding and taking the lessons learned from 2023, we have put a plan in place to streamline the company as we prepare for another difficult year. We have adjusted our outlook for 2024 to be much more conservative than in 2023." The company plans to deliver between 20,000 and 22,000 Ocean models across the world.Fisker is currently negotiating with "a large automaker" for an investment and joint production of future EVs. This means that previously announced vehicle production, such as the Alaska EV pickup with humungous cup holders and a designated cowboy hat space, will be on hold indefinitely. Fisker originally planned to start production on the Alaska EV pickup in early 2025.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/fisker-halts-work-on-new-ev-models-until-it-finds-more-money-140050091.html?src=rss

After years of buildup, Fisker has finally started building its ambitious electric Ocean SUV in Austria. The company pledged to start production by the end of 2022, so it has met that target with around six weeks to spare.If you didn't lock in a pre-order for the EV swiftly, you may still be in for quite a wait before you get your hands on the Ocean. Fisker will ramp up production gradually. It plans to build more than 300 units in the first quarter of 2023, increasing to more than 8,000 the following quarter. For Q3, the aim is to make more than 15,000 units. All told, Fisker expects to assemble around 42,400 units in 2023.Two of the Ocean trims have sold out in the US for 2023 and the company has received more than 63,000 reservations in total. The limited-edition Ocean One trim, which is based on the high-end Ocean Extreme, required a $5,000 deposit and sold out within 30 days earlier this year. Fisker will crank out 5,000 units of the Ocean One before moving on to other variants.Peter Reiter PhotographyThe Ocean Extreme, which starts at $68,999, is capable of traveling 350 miles on a single charge, according to Fisker. The SUV boasts what the company claims is the first digital radar system as a safety feature. The Ocean Extreme has dual-motor, all-wheel-drive with 550 horsepower, which can accelerate the vehicle from 0 to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds. It also includes three driving modes, a 17.1-inch rotating screen you can play games on and a solar roof.The base-level Ocean Sport is selling for $37,499, while the mid-tier Ocean Ultra will set you back $49,999. The Sport has one 275 hp engine that can take the car from 0 to 60 mph in 6.6 seconds. The dual-motor Ultra has 540 horsepower and a 0 to 60 mph time of 3.9 seconds.Fisker claims the Ocean is the planet's "most sustainable vehicle." The SUV is being assembled in a carbon-neutral factory. The vehicle also includes more than 50 kg (110 pounds) of recycled, biodegradable and overall eco-conscious materials.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/fisker-electric-ocean-suv-production-starts-173013409.html?src=rss

This week, Cherlynn and Devindra discuss some of the editorial changes happening at Engadget. We've lost some amazing colleagues, but we're still here aiming to deliver the best tech coverage possible. As for this week's news, we chat about the reported death of Apple's Project Titan" EV car project. It never felt quite real, but it still would have been fun to see.Here's a hot take: Maybe the Apple Car felt redundant since Tesla basically built it already. Say what you will about Elon Musk today, but Tesla certainly disrupted the car industry in all of the ways we'd expect Apple to. Agree? Disagree?Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcast, Engadget News!Topics

The right controller can make your Nintendo Switch gaming experience feel like new again. If you've been relying on the included Joy-Cons ever since you bought a Switch, there's a good chance you're missing out on extra comfort and improved ergonomics. Don't get us wrong: Joy-Cons are perfectly serviceable, but there are more customizable options out there and controllers that will suit certain games better. Whether you want a better grip when you're battling armies of Bokoblins in Tears of the Kingdom, or you want affordable and comfortable spares for impromptu Mario Kart competitions with friends, you have plenty of options. We've tested a bunch of controllers over the years and these are the best Switch controllers you can get right now.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-nintendo-switch-controllers-160034389.html?src=rss

Video doorbells manufactured by a Chinese company called Eken, sold under different brands for around $30 each, have serious security issues, according to Consumer Reports. These doorbell cameras are sold on Walmart, Sears and even with an Amazon Choice badge on Amazon.As is often the case with basic technology products, the device is available under multiple brands, including Eken, Tuck, Fishbot, Rakeblue, Andoe, Gemee and Luckwolf, among others. Most pair with an app called Aiwitt.AmazonThese devices aren't encrypted and can expose the user's home IP address and WiFi network name to the internet, making it easy for scumbags to gain entry. Worse, somebody could easily take control of it by creating an account on the Aiwit app, going up to the doorbell and then pressing a button to put it into pairing mode, which then connects it with their phone.Worse still, even if the original owner regains control, the hijacker can still get time-stamped images from the doorbell, as long as they know its serial number.There's no way to protect yourself if you do own this doorbell series. Temu told Consumer Reports it's looking into the issue. Amazon, Sears and Shein reportedly didn't respond.- Mat SmithThe biggest stories you might have missedMicrosoft plans to streamline game upscaling across different graphics cardsThe best DACs for Apple Music LosslessThis week's gaming news: layoffs and weird PR emails You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!Dell XPS 16 laptop reviewBeauty and power come at a cost.EngadgetThe XPS 16 stands out from most other large laptops by combining power and beauty. But you'll have to suffer through some usability tradeoffs. For example, the XPS 16's invisible trackpad, a lovely divisive design feature, is still annoying and not for everyone. A lack of ports counteracts that minimalist design. (No HDMI, no SD card reader.)Continue reading.UK government wants to use AI to cut civil service jobsThat's not a typo.The UK government is actively promoting the use of AI to do the work normally done by civil servants, including drafting responses to parliamentary inquiries, the Financial Times reports.UK Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden will unveil a red box tool that can allegedly absorb and summarize information from reputable sources, like the parliamentary record. A separate instrument is also being trialed that should work for individual responses to public consultations. The Telegraph quoted Dowden arguing that implementing AI technology is critical to cutting civil service jobs - something he wants to do. It really is the only way, I think, if we want to get on a sustainable path to headcount reduction."Continue reading.Meta is killing the Facebook News tab in the US and AustraliaThe tab is already gone in the UK, France and Germany.In early April, the Facebook News tab will disappear for users in the US and Australia. Meta has announced it's pulling the dedicated tab to align [its] investments to [its] products and services people value the most." Meta added that the number of people using the News tab in the US and Australia over the past year has dropped by 80 percent.By pulling the News tab in Australia, the company will stop paying publishers in the country for their content after their current deals end. A few years ago, Facebook blocked Australian news links in response to the then-proposed law requiring companies like Meta to pay media organizations for their content. The company unblocked news links just a few days after striking deals with Australian media organizations.Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-your-cheap-video-doorbell-may-have-serious-security-issues-121525353.html?src=rss

X has updated its abuse and harassment page in January, and it has added a new section that explains its new rule against intentionally using the wrong pronouns for a person or using a name they no longer go by. As noticed by Ars Technica, the new section entitled "Use of Prior Names and Pronouns" states that the service will "reduce the visibility of posts" that use pronouns for a person different from what they use for themselves and those who are now using a different name as part of their transition.The social networking service formerly known as Twitter removed its longtime policy against deadnaming and misgendering transgender individuals just as quietly back in April 2023. GLAAD CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said at the time that X's decision was "the latest example of just how unsafe the company is for users and advertisers alike." It's worth noting that Elon Musk, the website's owner, has a history of liking and sharing anti-trans posts and talking points.Under the new policy, X will only act on a post if it hears from the target themselves "given the complexity of determining whether such a violation has occurred." That puts the onus on the target who might end up being blamed for not reporting if they choose to distance themselves from the abuse. Jenni Olson, GLAAD's senior director of social media safety, told Ars that the organization doesn't recommend self-reporting for social media platforms. Still, policies clearly prohibiting the deadnaming and misgendering of trans people are still better than vague ones that don't clarify whether or not they're in violation of a platform's rules, Olson said.X reduces the visibility of posts by removing them from search results, home timelines, trends and notifications. These posts will also be downranked in the replies section and can only be discovered through the authors' profiles. Finally, they will not be displayed on the X website or app with ads adjacent to them, which could prevent a repeat of the ad revenue losses the company suffered last year. In late 2023, advertisers pulled their campaigns from the website just before the holidays after Media Matters published a report showing ads on the website right next to antisemitic content.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/x-reinstates-policy-against-deadnaming-and-misgendering-114608696.html?src=rss

In early April, the Facebook News tab will start disappearing for users in the US and Australia. Meta has announced that it's deprecating the dedicated tab found in the bookmarks section of its social network as part of its efforts to "align [its] investments to [its] products and services people value the most." The company already retired the News tab in the UK, France and Germany in early December 2023, explaining that it's funneling its resources to other things that people want to see more of, such as short form videos.In Meta's new post, it said the number of people using the News tab in the US and Australia over the past year has dropped by 80 percent. News makes up less than three percent of what users see on Facebook apparently, and it's just not a big part of their experience. "We know that people don't come to Facebook for news and political content - they come to connect with people and discover new opportunities, passions and interests," the company wrote.By pulling the News tab in Australia, the company will also stop paying publishers in the country for their content after their current deals end. A few years ago, Facebook blocked news links in the country in response to the then-proposed law that would require companies like Meta to pay media organizations for their content. The company unblocked news links just a few days later after it started striking deals with Australian media organizations.According to The Age, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission believes that Google and Meta inked deals with dozens of outlets, including Guardian Australia and News Corp Australia, worth about $200 million a year. Meta is responsible for around one-third or $66 million of that total amount, meaning its decision is bound to have a huge impact on the news business in the country. And there seems to be no room for negotiation: The company made it clear in its announcement that it's not going to enter new commercial deals for traditional news content in any of the regions where it has already removed the News tab.Meta has not blocked news links in the aforementioned countries, however, and Facebook users can still access any that's been posted on the social network. Publishers can also continue posting links to their stories on their official pages as usual.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-is-killing-the-facebook-news-tab-in-the-us-and-australia-082750820.html?src=rss

Saber Interactive has reportedly found an exit strategy from the death grip of its parent company, Embracer Group AB. Bloomberg reported Thursday that a group of private investors" will buy the studio in a deal worth roughly $500 million. Saber would then become a private company with about 3,500 employees.Engadget emailed a spokesperson from Saber for confirmation about the alleged buyout. The studio declined to comment.The alleged agreement would be one of Embracer's most significant cost-cutting moves since the collapse of a reported $2 billion deal with a group backed by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund. Some criticized the imperiled deal as the gaming equivalent of sportswashing," using popular sporting acquisitions and partnerships to boost beleaguered governments' global images. That followed US intelligence's conclusion that the Saudi regime murdered The Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi in late 2018.Other cost-cutting moves at Embracer have included laying off about 900 employees in September, cutting another 50 or so jobs at Chorus developer Fishlabs and implementing more layoffs at Tiny Tina's Wonderland developer Lost Boys Interactive, Beamdog, Crystal Dynamics and Saber subsidiary New World Interactive. Embracer also closed Saints Row studio Volition Games and Campfire Cabal.LucasArts / AspyrAccording to Bloomberg, Saber's sale won't affect the studio's role in developing an upcoming Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) remake. That game has already changed hands once: One of Saber's Eastern European studios took over from Aspyr Media in the summer of 2022.Aspyr had reportedly already been working on the game for years before providing a demo for Lucasfilm and Sony in June 2022; a week later, Aspyr fired its design director and art director. (Reports of the KOTOR demo costing a disproportionate amount of time and money may indicate a possible reason for the fallout.) By late that summer, Saber had taken over the development of the highly anticipated - and indefinitely delayed - remake.Embracer bought Saber for $525 million in 2020 as it scooped up gaming studios left and right. It acquired at least 27 companies during that period, folding some of them (Demiurge Studios and New World Interactive) into Saber. Bloomberg reports that the deal to sell Saber to private investors includes an option to bring along multiple Embracer subsidiaries."One studio that's far too big to be included in this transaction is Borderlands developer Gearbox Entertainment. However, Kotaku reported Thursday that Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford told staff this week that a decision about the studio's future had been made. He allegedly said he'd be able to share more details with them next month.In the meantime, a cloud of uncertainty envelops Gearbox - and Embracer's other remaining studios. I've personally been looking for roles elsewhere not just due to the Embracer layoff fears, but due to pay," an anonymous developer reportedly said to Kotaku. Vague and in a holding pattern is definitely par for the course at the moment and has been for most of 2023."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/saber-interactive-may-escape-embracers-death-hug-and-become-a-private-company-203623311.html?src=rss

Activision studio Toys for Bob has announced that it's leaving the corporate rat race and is spinning off as an independent developer. This comes just weeks after Activision Blizzard's parent company Microsoft instituted sweeping layoffs at Toys for Bob that impacted 86 employees. That's more than half of the entire staff.The developer said the choice to go indie will allow it to return to being a small and nimble studio", harkening back to its early days of the 1980s and 1990s when it made hit titles like Star Control. To that end, the company says it's already developing a new game, though there won't be any official announcements for a while.Additionally, there looks to be no hard feelings for former parent company Activision and, uh, grandparent company Microsoft. Toys for Bob said that both entities have been extremely supportive of our new direction and we're confident that we will continue to work closely together as part of our future."Toys for Bob is primarily known for the Skylanders franchise, but was also behind the well-reviewed Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time and the Spyro Reignited Trilogy. It's also been involved with creating content for Call of Duty: Warzone.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/activision-studio-toys-for-bob-is-going-independent-after-sweeping-xbox-layoffs-201548396.html?src=rss

Dell's XPS 16 takes the minimalist design of the XPS 13 Plus and scales it up to a 16-inch system that's far more powerful and functional. But just like with that earlier machine, which was Dell's first attempt at implementing an "invisible" trackpad in its palm rest, there are some usability tradeoffs. It's hard not to be impressed by how sleek the XPS 16 looks - personally, I consider it one of the most attractive Windows laptops around - but power users who demand a wide variety of ports may find it lacking. (Even Apple can fit a full-sized SD card slot and HDMI port on the MacBook Pros, why can't Dell?)It's no surprise why Dell is leaning so hard on the XPS 13 Plus's design language: That machine looked unlike any other Windows PC when it debuted two years ago. Now instead of being a separate "Plus" variant, it's talking over the XPS 13 mantle entirely. (Pour one out for the traditional XPS 13 design we've loved so much.) The XPS 14 and 16, meanwhile, are more powerful MacBook Pro competitors that fix some of the problems with the smaller model. They both have headphone jacks, for one, and they also offer a total of three USB-C ports (instead of just two) and a microSD card slot.Photo by Devindra Hardawar/EngadgetI'll admit, even though I had issues with the XPS 13 Plus, I was still wowed by the XPS 16 the instant I opened it up. Its 16.3-inch OLED screen was glorious to behold, with the barest amount of bezel around the edges. Its all-glass wrist rest and touchpad looked like a crystal clear pond that was frozen over with an elegant layer of frost. And the XPS 16's elegant keyboard was practically begging to be typed on. It's just so damn pretty.But will that beauty get in the way of its functionality, as it did for the XPS 13 Plus? The mere presence of more ports (and a headphone jack!) makes it clear that Dell is thinking more practically with the XPS 16. It is, after all, a potential successor to the XPS 15, a product that we've praised as one of the go-to options for 15-inch Windows notebooks.While Dell is sticking with the invisible trackpad that I found frustrating on the XPS 13 Plus, it's a bit less of a problem on the XPS 16. For one, the actual trackpad area is far larger, stretching between the Windows key on the left and Copilot button on the right, so there's far less chance you'll miss it. Dell also offers adjustable haptics for the touchpad, which you can tweak from absolutely no feedback (a setting for the criminally insane) and to truly deep and satisfying clicks. There's still no real justification for hiding the trackpad entirely, though, and using it takes some adjustment.I'm all for PC makers taking wild design swings, but Dell's invisible trackpad remains more of a party trick than a leap forward for computing. Techies often criticize Apple for emphasizing aesthetics over functionality, but at least I can clearly tell exactly where a MacBook's trackpad is without looking down. There's still a continuous feeling of smoothness across Apple's palm rests, so Dell doesn't have a major advantage either.The XPS 16's capacitive top row of buttons, which can switch between function keys and multimedia controls, is another design conundrum. Sure, it looks a bit cleaner than a typical laptop keyboard, and it allows for better airflow since Dell can fit in more cooling hardware underneath it, but it's impossible to touch type any of those keys. Even after several days of testing, I couldn't train my fingers to immediately make their way to a specific function key. That's bad for general usability, as well as for users with accessibility needs.Most damning of all, the capacitive top row buttons completely disappear in direct sunlight (or even on a cloudy-yet-bright day (see below). You'll need to cup your hands over them or find some sort of shade to change your volume or screen brightness. Is that really worth avoiding another standard row of keys?Can you see any function keys here?Photo by Devindra Hardawar/EngadgetAt least Dell got the keyboard right, and that's always been a highlight of the XPS lineup. The XPS 16's keyboard is luxuriously wide, with large key caps and a deep 0.3mm dish. Dell was able to make more room for those features by shaving away the space between the keys. I'll admit, it also takes some getting used to since it feels different than most other laptops, but once I suffered through a few hours of typos, I found myself enjoying the typing experience overall. For once, my hands had room to spread out.The keyboard and trackpad experience will likely feel similar across all of the new XPS models, but it's the glorious 16.3-inch screen that sets the XPS 16 apart. You can choose between a 1080p+ LCD screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, or a 4K+ OLED panel that tops out at 90Hz. The OLED option (which our review unit came with) is the one to go for if you're looking for true color accuracy, since it supports 100 percent of the DCI-P3 gamut (the LCD model covers 100 percent of the sRGB minimum spec). And of course, it also comes with all of the advantages of OLED: High levels of contrast and inky dark black levels.Photo by Devindra Hardawar/EngadgetThe XPS 16's massive display allowed me to multitask easily, and it allowed me to see an expansive timeline while working on an Audacity recording in full screen. With its high level of color accuract, everything just popped on the XPS 16, from browsing the web to watching movies on Netflix. (It also supports Dolby Vision HDR, which adds more depth to dark scenes and higher peak brightness highlights).It's worth noting that the OLED display is rated at 400 nits of brightness, 100 nits less than the LCD model, but I didn't have any trouble reading off our review unit's screen outdoors in direct sunlight. (It's annoying that the pricier OLED can't reach a 120Hz refresh rate, but it still looks decently smooth at 90Hz.)In addition to having a tremendous display for creative tasks, the XPS 16 also packs in enough power to get you through an overwhelming work day (and also enough to let you game a bit when you need a break). Our XPS 16 review unit was equipped with Intel's Core Ultra 7 155H, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD and an NVIDIA RTX 4070 GPU, a configuration worth a hefty $3,399.NonePCMark 103DMark (TimeSpy Extreme)Geekbench 6Cinebench R23Dell XPS 16 (Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, NVIDIA RTX 4070)7,4364,0872,298/13,1171,676/14,755Framework Laptop 16 (AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS, Radeon RX 7700S)8,1294,7702,557/11,9611,675/14,448Razer Blade 18 (Intel i9-13950HX, NVIDIA RTX 4060)7,3265,0092,708/12,8741,900/15,442ASUS Zephyrus G14 (2022, AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS, Radeon RX 6800S)7,1703,821N/A1,521/12,212While I've seen Intel's new CPU in action on the ASUS ZenBook 14 OLED, it was far more impressive on the XPS 16, where it scored almost 3,000 points higher than the ZenBook in the Geekbench 6 CPU benchmark. The XPS 16 was also nearly twice as fast in the Cinebench 2024 benchmark when it came to multi-threaded CPU work. (These scores also make me wonder if the ASUS machine was just terribly unoptimized, since it was one of the first notebooks released with a Core Ultra chip.)The XPS 16 also soundly bested the Framework Laptop 16, another big screen notebook targeted at creative professionals (along with being almost entirely modular). It scored over 1,000 points higher than the Framework machine in the Geekbench 6 multithreaded CPU benchmark, and it was over twice as fast in the Cinebench 2024 GPU test.Curiously, the XPS 16 only scored a few hundred points higher in PCMark 10 compared to the 2022 XPS 15 (which used an Intel Core i7-12700H CPU and NVIDIA RTX 3050 Ti), but the advantage this year is that Intel's new chips also feature an NPU for AI tasks. The XPS 16 scored 3,109 points in the Geekbench ML test, a cross-platform benchmark for comparing machine learning capabilities. That puts it on par with an iPad Pro with Apple's M2 chips.In Windows, NPUs mainly enable special features like Studio Effects, which can blur your background or optimize your lighting in video chats. But developers like Adobe and Audacity have committed to adding more AI-powered tools in their apps, so having a capable NPU could pay off down the line.Photo by Devindra Hardawar/EngadgetThe XPS 16's raw horsepower also makes it a capable (if overpriced) gaming machine. I was able to play Halo Infinite in 1440p+ (2,560 by 1,600 pixels) with maxed out graphics settings at an average of 63fps. Cyberpunk 2077 also reached 63fps on average in 1440p, so long as I enabled NVIDIA's DLSS upscaling and avoided ray tracing. These aren't very impressive scores when compared to dedicated gaming systems, but it's certainly better than what I saw on the XPS 15 a few years ago. The XPS 16's keyboard is well suited to shooters, thanks to its large keys and tactile feedback, but it's a pain if you're playing something that frequently uses function buttons. If you're really eager to game on this system, you're better off opting for the 1080p LCD screen, since it can hit a higher 120Hz refresh rate and requires less GPU rendering power.After living with the XPS 16 for a few weeks, I'm still genuinely impressed by its sheer beauty and power. But it's not the easiest machine to travel with, since it clocks in at 4.8 pounds. That's about the same weight as the most powerful MacBook Pro 16-inch, so it's not overkill, but is still something to consider. In comparison, the latest XPS 15 weighs 4.5 pounds, while the new XPS 14 is far more portable at 3.7 pounds. If you need a ton of screen space, you've probably already resigned yourself to having a large machine. But it's still worth considering what your actual workflow looks like. Do you truly need a 16 inch screen at all times, or would you rather have something lighter for travel that you pair with a roomier monitor at your desk?Photo by Devindra Hardawar/EngadgetAnother big benefit of a large machine? Tons of battery life. The XPS 16 lasted eight hours and 30 minutes in the PCMark 10 Modern Office benchmark, while the Framework Laptop 16 survived for only four hours. The ZenBook 14 OLED is still our top performer for that test - it went for 12 hours and 43 minutes - but you'll still be able to last a typical workday with the XPS 16 without searching for power.As you can probably tell from our review unit's cost, the XPS 16's price is its biggest potential issue. It starts at $1,899 with the Intel Core Ultra 7, Intel Arc graphics, 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, a 512GB NVMe SSD and a 1080p+ LCD screen. The latest XPS 15 starts at $1,099 with a 13th-gen Intel Core i7 CPU and a similar build. At the very least, it's nice to see that Dell isn't shipping workhorse machines with 8GB of RAM by default (like Apple and so many other companies are). Other upgrades for the XPS 16, unfortunately, will cost you dearly: It's another $400 to get an NVIDIA RTX 4050 GPU ($600 for the 4060 and $1,100 for the 4070), bumping up to OLED costs another $300 and stepping up to 32GB of RAM is an astounding $600 extra.Good looks don't come cheap. But the same is true for every other premium 16-inch laptop (the MacBook Pro 16 starts at $2,499!). This isn't necessarily a category for finding a good deal, unless you're looking through older or refurbished models. The XPS 16 is meant for people with deep pockets who demand an enormous screen, tons of power and beautiful hardware. In that respect, it's a total success - as long as you're not too annoyed by its invisible trackpad.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/dell-xps-16-review-beauty-and-power-comes-at-a-cost-200513721.html?src=rss

There's a lot to like about Microsoft's Surface Laptop Studio 2, which is a highly versatile system. However, the normally high price was one of our major complaints about the system when we reviewed it last October. That sticker shock is slightly less of a concern now, as the laptop is on sale at Amazon. The price has dropped by $400 to $2,399. That's a new record low for a configuration that includes 32GB of RAM, a 13th-gen Intel i7 processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 GPU.Those specs make the laptop more than capable of handling everyday tasks, while the 1TB of included storage should be enough for most folks' needs. You should be able to run most current games on this computer too.Microsoft says the Surface Laptop 2 will run for up to 18 hours on a single charge, which is respectable. The system has a 14.4-inch touchscreen with true-to-life color and a 120Hz refresh rate. There's Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos support too. As for connectivity, you'll get two USB-C 4.0 ports with Thunderbolt 4, a USB-A port, a microSD card reader and Surface Connect for docking and charging.We gave the Surface Laptop 2 a score of 85 in our review, lauding it for many of those factors as well as the unique design. Since the lid is split into two halves, you can pivot the screen 180 degrees or tilt it down into an easel. It effectively gives you the versatility of a 2-in-1 with the power of a mid-range laptop.On the downside, the Surface Laptop 2 is bulkier than other 14-inch ultraportables and you'll need to buy the Surface Slim Pen 2 separately if you want it. That said, the laptop should be capable of handling all of most people's day-to-day needs.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/microsofts-surface-laptop-studio-2-is-400-off-at-amazon-185728432.html?src=rss

Microsoft has developed a new API to simplify super-resolution coding in PC gaming. The company's DirectSR, developed with hardware partners Nvidia, AMD and Intel, will provide a more streamlined tunnel for developers to tap into the companies' three distinct approaches to graphical upscaling in Windows games.The company describes DirectSR as enabling seamless integration of Super Resolution (SR)" for Windows games. DirectSR is the missing link developers have been waiting for when approaching SR integration, providing a smoother, more efficient experience that scales across hardware," Microsoft program manager Joshua Tucker wrote in a company blog post.Super-resolution is a technology that enhances games' visual quality without pushing the graphics card too hard. It runs games internally in a lower resolution but uses machine learning (and other tricks) to upscale the resolution of what you see on the screen. The result is sharper graphics with only a minimal extra demand on the GPU.An Nvidia demonstration of a Need for Speed Unbound screen with and without DLSS (super-resolution) activated.NvidiaMicrosoft says the DirectSR API opens the door to multi-vendor" super-resolution via a common set of inputs and outputs." Tucker wrote that a single code path would enable a variety of solutions" through the companies' three (otherwise distinct) answers to super-resolution: Nvidia's DLSS, AMD's FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) and Intel's XeSS.The three GPU vendors' SR solutions differ. Nvidia's AI-powered DLSS appears to perform the best but requires an Nvidia graphics card. AMD's FidelityFX is more versatile, supporting competitors' hardware in addition to its own, while Intel's XeSS offers AI upscaling for Intel hardware while still providing limited support for non-Intel GPUs.

Google just announced a trio of features for its Chrome browser to allow for more helpful suggestions." Some of these tools are for the smartphone app, while others work with the standard PC-based browser.First up, desktop Chrome users are getting new search suggestions that pull from what others have been using the browser to look for. The browser will still remember your recent queries and auto populate related search suggestions, but you'll also see user-generated options to the right of those usual autofill suggestions, under a tab marked People also search for."Chrome users on iOS and Android will now see more images to accompany suggested searches. In the past, Chrome only displayed images for search suggestions in the address bar that exactly matched a specific query, with Google giving an example of Isanti dining table." Now, broader searches - say, bohemian table" - will tie an image to each option from the pull-down menu. A picture's worth a thousand words, right?GooglePerhaps the most puzzling new feature is that Chrome for iOS and Android is getting an optimization tool that allows for search even when users have a bad network connection. Google hasn't revealed how this works, simply stating that it's due to improved on-device capabilities." The company says search will continue to work with a bad" connection, so it's likely some level of connection will still be necessary.All three of these features are available today, so have at it. These are just the latest tools for the search engine, as Google seems to be constantly tweaking the service. The company recently added a trio of generative AI features and a Gemini-based writing tool.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-chromes-new-slate-of-features-will-allow-search-even-with-a-bad-network-connection-181522574.html?src=rss

Following the launch of Copilot Pro in January, Microsoft will start rolling out a slew of upgrades today to make its AI assistant more useful in Windows 11. The biggest addition is support for plugins, something that only worked with Copilot on the web previously. You could, for example, connect Copilot to OpenTable so you can make a reservation from within its chat window. If you're low on groceries, you could start an order using the Instacart plugin. Microsoft says that plugins from Kayak, Klarna and Shopify will also be arriving over the next month. The goal, of course, is to keep you locked into the Copilot window for as long as possible.Microsoft doesn't even want you to leave Copilot to access system settings. With this new update, you'll be able to turn battery saver mode on and off, or view your system's hardware profile, from within the AI chat view. You could also request that Copilot turn on Windows 11's Live Captions, Narrator or Screen Magnifier. It can even display a list of available Wi-Fi networks to connect to. Mainstream users might end up loving the ability to tap into Windows 11's features without navigating through the Settings app, so Copilot's enhanced integration could end up being a usability win for Microsoft.Windows 11 apps that use AI-powered features, like Photos and Clipchamp, are also getting a few AI enhancements. Photos now has a Generative Erase feature that can help you remove unwanted objects and elements from a picture, while Clipchamp will begin previewing a Silence Removal AI tool to cut out awkward video moments.Microsoft says it will begin rolling out these Copilot and AI upgrades starting today for users running Windows 11 with the 22H2 (2022) and 23H2 (2023) year-end updates. If you're eager to try out the new features, make sure you've enabled the option to "Get the latest updates as soon as they're available." The company expects to have most features available when it launches the optional March 2024 non-security preview update.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/windows-11-gets-microsoft-copilot-plugins-and-more-ai-upgrades-180002527.html?src=rss

Let's all take a breath. Layoffs are still churning in the video game industry, even as the frigid winter air is beginning to thaw. Amid the turmoil of these past few months, there are still things to be excited about: new games and hardware, the evolution of established franchises, and plenty of small teams building surprises to shake up the status quo. Look at all of the rad things happening over at Playdate for just one example of positive momentum in video games (we'll talk more about this next week).Breathe in, breathe out.Now, let's dive back into the news cycle:This week's storiesPlayStation layoffsThe layoffs crisis in video games isn't slowing down, and the latest company to announce drastic staffing cuts is PlayStation. Sony on Tuesday fired roughly 900 people from its PlayStation division and fully shut down its London Studio, which had been building a co-op multiplayer game for PS5. Insomniac, Naughty Dog and Guerrilla all lost employees, despite being behind some of the platform's most successful games in recent memory. First-party studio Firesprite was also hit by the layoffs, and it reportedly had to cancel a live-service Twisted Metal project. It's barely March, but already more than 7,000 video game workers have been laid off in 2024; last year, more than 9,000 people in the industry lost their jobs to layoffs.Happy Pokemon Day!February 27 was Pokemon Day, and in celebration, Nintendo revealed two new games: Pokemon Legends Z-A and Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket. Pokemon Legends Z-A is set in Lumiose City, which you might remember from Pokemon X and Y on the 3DS, and it looks like it features Mega Evolutions. Pokemon Legends Z-A is due to hit Switch in 2025. The other title, Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket, is a mobile game that should land on Android and iOS devices by the end of the year. It's exactly what it sounds like - Nintendo is putting the physical card-opening mechanic inside your phone, complete with flashy animations and addictive sound effects when you rip off the digital packaging. You'll also be able to engage in quick battles. Nintendo has clarified that Pocket will not have NFTs, but it is described as free to start," so expect microtransactions.Random PR roundupIt's been a strange and slow week here in Engadget video game land, so I thought we'd have some fun this episode. As tech reporters, we receive ridiculous emails from startups and PR agencies literally every day, and even though we don't end up covering many of the proposed products, some of the messages themselves deserve a moment in the spotlight. Many of the pitches we get are just silly or tone deaf, but some of them are outright dystopian. And honestly, I thought you all might enjoy seeing some of the weirdness that hits our inboxes.This is all meant in good fun - I appreciate the communications teams who are just trying to sell their stuff in creative ways. The real enemy here, as always, is capitalism.So, here are some emails that recently found their way into my inbox and made me go wut:

Woot is selling Amazon's largest tablet, the Fire Max 11 for $140. That's $89 below the list price and $37 cheaper than it's selling for on Amazon right now. The price applies to the 64GB model with ads on the lockscreen and just the tablet alone - the magnetic case, stylus and keyboard case are all sold separately. The tablet hit $150 for the shopping holidays last year, so the Woot deal represents a $10 discount off the all-time low price. The sale should run through Sunday or until the tablet sells out.We had a chance to briefly check out a sample when the latest generation came out in May of last year and were impressed by how much you get for the money. There's an 11-inch LCD screen (Amazon's largest tablet screen) with a 2,000 x 1,000 resolution. Most of Amazon's Fire Tablets are built for casual use like browsing, streaming and for kids to play games on, but the Max 11 could be seen as the grown-up of the lineup. It's designed to handle a bit of work and multitasking with its octa-core MediaTek processor that Amazon says is 50 percent faster than the next fastest model. Just keep in mind that Fire Tablets rely on the Amazon Appstore, which does have Microsoft 365 apps, but you can't natively get Google's productivity apps without sideloading.Still, you get an aluminum build, support for Wi-Fi 6, 8-megapixel front and rear cameras, a fingerprint sensor and picture-in-picture capabilities. That last feature could be particularly useful for keeping tabs on your Alexa-enabled smart home cameras while you watch a show or flip through YouTube. In fact, when set up with a stand, it can go into "show mode" and act like one of Amazon's smart displays, providing you with Alexa's controls and interactivity.Even though it's perfectly suitable for adults who want to get some work done, Fire Max 11's claimed 14-hour battery life, comprehensive parental controls and access to an Amazon Kids+ subscription (currently $5 monthly) makes the tablet particularly well-suited for kids, too. Plus Amazon says the Max 11 is "three times as durable as the iPad 10.9 (10th generation)."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/amazons-fire-max-11-tablet-drops-to-a-record-low-of-140-171039269.html?src=rss

Apple has been steadily expanding its Self Service Repair program since spinning it up two years ago. Starting today, you can access the tools, parts and repair manuals you need to fix the latest MacBook Pros and iMacs that run on the company's M3 chips.As of sometime next month, folks with M3 systems will be able to use Apple Diagnostics for Self Service Repair on their systems too. The web-based tool gives end users the same capabilities as the company's authorized service providers and independent repair shops to pinpoint parts that may need to be repaired, as well as to test for "optimal part functionality and performance," Apple says. The company debuted this tool for iPhone and Mac last year.On top of that, Apple notes that it's trying to improve the Mac repair process and make it more efficient through tweaks to system configuration procedures. As of early March, you'll no longer need to contact its Self Service Repair team to carry out the final step of a repair. However, the team will still be available in case you need a hand.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-self-repair-program-now-covers-m3-powered-macbook-pros-and-imacs-165109070.html?src=rss

Meta and LG have partnered up to expedite" the former company's extended reality (XR) business. What does that mean exactly? We don't know, but Meta's current VR/XR business is fairly robust, with the recent release of the Quest 3 headset.LG says the ultimate goal of the partnership is to combine the strengths of both companies across products, content, services and platforms to drive innovation in customer experiences within the burgeoning virtual space."Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg traveled to LG's headquarters in Seoul to announce the collaboration. During this visit, LG CEO William Cho tried out the Quest 3 and the recently-released Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. The business leaders discussed business strategies and considerations for next-gen XR device development." LG's CEO also seemed to take a particularly keen interest in Meta's large language models and the potential to further integrate AI into standalone devices.As stated above, we don't know exactly what this partnership will entail. LG says it hopes to bring together Meta's platform with its own content/service capabilities" from its TV business. That sounds pretty boring, but LG also said the partnership will combine Meta's diverse core technological elements with LG's cutting-edge product and quality capabilities."This leads to the lens-shaped elephant in the room. Meta XR and VR devices require displays and LG makes displays. It could be just that simple. After all, even Apple relied on Sony for the micro-OLED displays inside of the Vision Pro headset.This news follows LG creating a dedicated XR business unit last year, which was founded to accelerate the pursuit of new ventures in the virtual space arena." This led to rumors that the company was planning to launch its own VR/XR headset, which could still happen.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-partners-up-with-lg-to-expedite-its-extended-reality-ventures-163251353.html?src=rss

The number of smart home devices on the market today is intimidating to say the least. With so many companies in the game now, and different IoT standards and voice assistants to consider, it can get confusing to even know where to start building a smart home ecosystem from scratch. But we at Engadget can help: before you dive in, we recommend not trying to outfit your whole home in one go. Not only can this be quite expensive, but also we think it's generally best to buy just one or two items first to see if you like them. You should also pick a preferred voice assistant and stick with it. Below are the best smart home gadgets you can get right now, plus some advice on how to choose the right voice assistant for your needs.Best smart home gadgets: Smart speakersBest smart home gadgets: Smart displaysBest smart home gadgets: Smart lightsBest smart home gadgets: Security camerasBest smart home gadgets: IoT gearHow to pick the right voice assistant before you buyWhile plenty of the best smart home devices are platform agnostic, there are some - smart speakers and smart displays in particular - that require you to choose your voice assistant. Currently, that means deciding if you'll use the Google Assistant or Amazon's Alexa on a regular basis (I'll address Siri in a moment.) They're both compatible with various smart home products from light bulbs to robot vacuums, but there are certain devices that work best with either Google or Amazon. Nest products, for example, are more compatible and have more functionality with Google-powered speakers and displays. They can still work with Amazon devices, but certain features might be disabled. The same holds true with Amazon products: They work better if they're in the same ecosystem.Amazon AlexaSo how do you choose between Alexa and Google Assistant? It really depends on your personal preferences. Do you listen to Audible, watch Prime Video and tend to do a lot of shopping on Amazon? Then you might lean toward an Alexa-powered smart home device.Google AssistantIf you want a voice assistant that's great at answering questions, Google Assistant tends to be better than Alexa. Amazon's helper, on the other hand, currently supports more smart home products. The company's smart speakers and displays also support the Zigbee smart home protocol, and some devices even have built-in smart home hubs. Both Google and Amazon devices can sync with your calendar, though Google's tend to work better with Google services. Plus, if you already have an Android phone, you might be more comfortable with Google Assistant anyway.SiriBut what about Siri? Apple's assistant supports voice commands as well, but it doesn't have as many compatible devices as Google or Amazon. The HomePod mini and the full-sized HomePod are the only Siri-compatible speakers on the market at the moment, too. That said, it's not too hard to find Apple HomeKit-compatible gear as more third-party companies add support for it, but you currently have a smaller pool of devices to choose from.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-smart-home-devices-154557162.html?src=rss

The White House has announced an investigation into cars built in China and other unnamed "countries of concern." The Biden administration notes that cars are "constantly connecting" with drivers' phones, other vehicles, American infrastructure and their manufacturers, and that newer models use tech such as driver assist systems."Connected vehicles collect large amounts of sensitive data on their drivers and passengers; regularly use their cameras and sensors to record detailed information on US infrastructure; interact directly with critical infrastructure; and can be piloted or disabled remotely," the White House said in a statement. Officials are concerned that "new vulnerabilities and threats" could arise from connected vehicles if foreign governments are able to access data from them. They are especially wary that said countries of concern could use such information in ways that put national security at risk.The Department of Commerce will lead the investigation. "We need to understand the extent of the technology in these cars that can capture wide swaths of data or remotely disable or manipulate connected vehicles, so we are soliciting information to determine whether to take action under our ICTS [information and communications technology and services] authorities," Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said.Through its advance notice of proposed rulemaking [PDF], the agency is looking for feedback from the public to help determine "the technologies and market participants that may be most appropriate for regulation." The investigation will help the Commerce Department decide whether to take action. It's the first time that the agency's Bureau of Industry and Security is carrying out an investigation under Trump-era Executive Orders "focused on protecting domestic information and communications technology and services supply chains from national security threats," the White House said."China is determined to dominate the future of the auto market, including by using unfair practices. China's policies could flood our market with its vehicles, posing risks to our national security. I'm not going to let that happen on my watch," President Joe Biden said. "Connected vehicles from China could collect sensitive data about our citizens and our infrastructure and send this data back to the People's Republic of China. These vehicles could be remotely accessed or disabled."As The Washington Post points out, cars built in China aren't especially common on US roads as yet, but they're becoming an increasingly familiar sight in other markets, such as Europe. While many of the vehicles that are causing concerns are EVs, its cars' cameras, sensors and software that are the focus of the probe.It's not the first time that the US has investigated Chinese companies over concerns that they pose security risks to the country's infrastructure. A few years ago, it banned the import and sale of telecom networking equipment made by Huawei and ZTE (after stopping government employees from using the companies' phones). The government also required telecoms to remove and replace Huawei and ZTE gear in existing infrastructure at great expense.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-us-will-investigate-cars-built-in-china-over-security-concerns-155037465.html?src=rss

If you've been looking to pick up a set of Apple's AirPods Pros, today might be a good day to pounce. The latest version of the noise-canceling wireless earphones, which arrived last September and includes a USB-C charging case, is back down to $190 at Amazon and Best Buy. We've seen this discount several times over the last few months, but it still comes within a dollar of the lowest price we've tracked. For reference, Apple sells the pair for $249, though it's regularly available for less at third-party retailers. Note that this offer may be available for Thursday only, as Best Buy lists it as a 24-hour "Deal of the Day" and Amazon is likely price-matching.We gave the second-generation AirPods Pro a score of 88 back in September 2022. That review applied to the model with a Lightning charging case; this USB-C model is virtually identical, only it has slightly better dust resistance and technically supports lossless audio with Apple's Vision Pro headset. Otherwise, it continues to offer effective active noise cancellation (ANC), a stellar ambient sound mode and pleasantly warm sound with slightly elevated bass. Its biggest perk, though, is still how well it works with other Apple devices. With those, you get a simpler pairing process, faster device switching, an adaptive EQ, hands-free access to Siri, automatic ear detection, Find My tracking and spatial audio support. The pair's settings menu and battery life indicator are baked into iOS as well.All of that makes the AirPods Pro the "best for iOS" pick in our wireless earbuds buying guide, but you need to an iPhone to get the most out of them. Even then, their six-ish hour battery life is just OK, their call quality could be better and their touch controls may take some getting used to. The Beats Fit Pro offers a mostly similar feature set in a more workout-friendly design, while Sony's WF-1000XM5s remain our favorite wireless earbuds overall. It's also worth noting that Apple may release new AirPods later this year, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, while those who just need the USB-C case can buy that separately. Still, if you're a dedicated Apple user who needs new earbuds today, this is a solid deal.Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-apple-airpods-pro-are-back-on-sale-for-190-152417164.html?src=rss

The two primary fears around AI are that the information these systems produce is gibberish, and that it'll unjustly take jobs away from people who won't make such sloppy mistakes. But the UK's current government is actively promoting the use of AI to do the work normally done by civil servants, including drafting responses to parliamentary inquiries, the Financial Times reports.UK Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden is set to unveil a "red box" tool that can allegedly absorb and summarize information from reputable sources, like the parliamentary record. A separate instrument is also being trialed that should work similarly but with individual responses to public consultations. While it's unclear how quickly the AI tool can perform this work, Dowden claims it takes three months with 25 civil servants. However, the drafts would allegedly always be double-checked by a human and include sourcing.The Telegraph quoted Dowden arguing that implementing AI technology is critical to cutting civil service jobs - something he wants to do. "It really is the only way, I think, if we want to get on a sustainable path to headcount reduction. Remember how much the size of the Civil Service has grown as a result of the pandemic and, and EU exit preparedness. We need to really embrace this stuff to drive the numbers down." Dowden's statement aligns with hopes from his boss, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, to use technology to increase government productivity - shockingly, neither person has offered to save money by giving AI their job.Dowden does show some restraint against having AI do everything. In a pre-speech briefing, he noted that the government wouldn't use AI for any "novel or contentious or highly politically sensitive areas." At the same time, the Cabinet Office's AI division is set to grow from 30 to 70 employees and to get a new budget of 110 million ($139.1 million), up from 5 million ($6.3 million).This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/uk-government-wants-to-use-ai-to-cut-civil-service-jobs-140031159.html?src=rss

X's audio chat rooms called Spaces can now broadcast live video, but only for those hosting the session. As The Verge reports, a Dogecoin designer posted an official walkthrough of the feature on the platform formerly known as Twitter. Hosts will now be able to choose whether to enable video and switch on their cameras when they create a Space. They can then broadcast with either their front or rear cameras and in vertical or landscape orientation. We're still not seeing the option to enable video in Spaces on Android, but it's reportedly already available for iOS devices.

Video doorbells manufactured by a Chinese company called Eken and sold under different brands for around $30 each come with serious security issues that put their users at risk, according to Consumer Reports. The publication found that these doorbell cameras are sold on popular marketplaces like Walmart, Sears and Amazon, which has even given some of their listings the Amazon Choice badge. They're listed under the brands Eken, Tuck, Fishbot, Rakeblue, Andoe, Gemee and Luckwolf, among others, and they're typically linked to a user's phone via the Aiwit app. Outside the US, the devices are sold on global marketplaces like Shein and Temu. We found them on Chinese website Alibaba and Southeast Asian e-commerce website Lazada, as well.Based on Consumer Reports' investigation, these devices aren't encrypted and can expose a user's home IP address and WiFi network name to the internet, making it easy for bad actors to gain entry. Worse, somebody with physical access to the doorbell could easily take control of it by creating an account on the Aiwit app and then pressing down on its button to put it into pairing mode, which then connects it with their phone. And, even if the original owner regains control, the hijacker can still get time-stamped images from the doorbell as long as they know its serial number. If they choose "to share that serial number with other individuals, or even post it online, all those people will be able to monitor the images, too," Consumer Reports explains.Based on the ratings these doorbells' listings got on Amazon, the platform has sold thousands to people who were probably expecting the devices to be able to provide some form of security for their homes. Instead, the devices pose a threat to their safety and privacy. The doorbells could even put people's well-being and lives at risk if, say, they have stalkers or are domestic violence victims with dangerous exes who want to follow their every move.People who own one of these video doorbells can protect themselves by disconnecting it from their WiFi and physically removing it from their homes. Consumer Reports said it notified the online marketplaces selling them about its findings in hopes that their listings would get pulled down. Temu told the publication that it's looking into the issue, but Amazon, Sears and Shein reportedly didn't even respond.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/surprise-this-30-video-doorbell-has-serious-security-issues-130630193.html?src=rss

Ford EVs will gain access to Tesla's Superchargers across the US and Canada starting today, becoming the first non-Tesla vehicles to do so, Ford announced. The companies cemented the fast charging pact last year and numerous other automakers followed suit later on. The expanded network will be a big benefit for the Ford and its customers amid news that sales of its EVs have heavily sagged.Current Ford EVs use CCS type chargers, so current customers must order the Fast Charging Adapter (NACS) compatible with Tesla's Superchargers (below). That will be available at no charge to new and existing clients in the BlueOval charge network until June 30, 2024. After that, it will cost $230 including estimated taxes and shipping. Starting in 2025, Ford EVs will come standard with the NACS charging system.FordCustomers can use the FordPass App to locate the new Tesla Superchargers, just as they would when looking for BlueOval chargers. Tesla Superchargers will also be coming to Apple Maps EV routing, Google Maps EV routing, and the Ford Connected built-in navigation BlueOval charge network.As for payment, you'll be able to handle that through the FordPass app and Charge Assist app in the vehicle's touchscreen. "This means customers simply have to plug in and charging will automatically start with [costs] managed through FordPass." BlueOval charge network membership is required, and if you're not yet enrolled, you'll be prompted to do so when order the NACS adapter (check's Ford's website for more details).Tesla's 15,000+ strong Supercharger network will more than double Ford EV owners' access to fast DC chargers. With that, it will have 28,000 fast chargers and 126,000 chargers total. The company notes that a lack of charging stations is the second largest barrier after price for customers potentially selecting EVs instead of ICE or PHEV vehicles.The news is good for Ford and other automakers who will get a big boost in the number of fast charging spots. However, Tesla owners will see a lot more Supercharger competition. Last year, the US government opened $2.5 billion in funding for community EV chargersWith declining EV sales, Ford was recently forced to lower Mach E prices by $3,100 to $8,100, it recently said in a financial statement. The company also cut production of that model and the F-150 Lightning pickup truck due to the slowdown.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ford-ev-owners-can-now-use-tesla-superchargers-in-the-us-and-canada-130053549.html?src=rss

Nintendo has filed a lawsuit against the creators of a popular Switch emulator called Yuzu, which gives users a way to play games developed for the platform on their PCs and Android devices. In the lawsuit, the company argues Yuzu violates the anti-circumvention and anti-trafficking provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).While Nintendo taking down online offenders isn't new, this case could set a precedent for future lawsuits against emulators, which aren't themselves illegal. Nintendo is arguing their very nature is unlawful. It could be a big deal.Nintendo says it protects its games with encryption and other security features meant to prevent people from playing pirated copies: Without Yuzu's decryption of Nintendo's encryption, unauthorized copies of games could not be played on PCs or Android devices," the company wrote in its complaint.Nintendo revealed The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was illegally distributed a week and a half before its official release. It was apparently downloaded over a million times from pirated websites, which specifically noted people can play the game file through Yuzu. The company also mentioned that Yuzu's creators are making money from their emulator: $30,000 a month from their Patreon supporters and around $50,000 from the paid version of their Google Play app.- Mat SmithThe biggest stories you might have missedThe Apple Car never felt realThis is the Nothing Phone 2(a)More news organizations sue OpenAI and Microsoft over copyright infringementTikTok is muting all Universal Music-related songsYou can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!Biden executive order aims to stop Russia and China from buying Americans' personal dataThe bulk sale of geolocation, genomic, financial and health data will be off limits.SAUL LOEB via Getty ImagesIn a fun bleak imagining of future late-stage capitalism, President Joe Biden is issuing an executive order to limit the mass sale of Americans' personal data to countries of concern," including Russia and China. The order specifically targets the bulk sale of geolocation, genomic, financial, biometric, health and other personally identifying information.Researchers and privacy advocates have long warned about the national security risks posed by the largely unregulated multibillion-dollar data broker industry. Last fall, researchers at Duke University reported that they could easily buy troves of personal and health data about US military personnel by posing as foreign agents. The loophole: This order will do nothing to slow the bulk sale of Americans' data to countries or companies not deemed to be a security risk.Continue reading.LG's latest OLED evo TVs start at $1,500And go up to a sky-high $25,000.LGLG's 2024 OLED evo TVs finally have prices. They'll start at $1,500 for the midrange C4 models and go up to an impressive $25,000 for the 97-inch G4 flagship. The big theme this year is AI, and the company's latest Alpha 11 processor is supposed to boost graphics performance by 70 percent, but it'll only be in the high-end G4 series. The C4 models, meanwhile, will get the updated Alpha 9 Gen 7 chip. Both promise improved brightness (150 percent for the G4 compared to the G3), along with more AI features, like upscaling.Continue reading.Samsung's new microSD card is faster than some SSDsIf your device supports SD Express.Samsung's upcoming microSD card will not only cram in 256GB of space but will offer a dramatic speed boost. The company's 256GB SD Express microSD - Samsung's first SD Express card - can read data at up to 800 MB/s, significantly faster than the microSDs you can buy today. However, we don't yet know how much it will cost, and the card won't be available until later this year. It will probably be pricey, but it may be worth the premium depending on how you use microSDs.Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-nintendo-steps-up-its-fight-against-switch-emulators-and-game-piracy-121549460.html?src=rss

Apple TV+ has announced it's adapting William Gibson's Neuromancer into a 10-episode series. The novel debuted in 1984 and is largely thought to mark the birth of cyberpunk, which includes creations like The Matrix and Robocop. In fact, it's crazy that it has taken four decades for it to get the Hollywood treatment.Neuromancer follows "a damaged, top-rung super-hacker named Case who is thrust into a web of digital espionage and high stakes crime with his partner Molly, a razor-girl assassin with mirrored eyes aiming to pull a heist on a corporate dynasty with untold secrets," a release states. The story is being brought to the small screen by Graham Roland (Dark Winds, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan) and JD Dillard (Devotion, Sweetheart), who will act as showrunner and director, respectively. Skydance Television and Anonymous Content will co-produce it with support from Drake's DreamCrew Entertainment.Production on Neuromancer has yet to start, so details like the cast and release date are still up in the air. In the meantime, you can check out the existing video game and graphic novel versions of Neuromancer and Amazon's series, The Peripheral, based on another one of Gibson's works and starring Chloe Grace Moretz.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/a-neuromancer-tv-series-is-coming-to-apple-tv-103403046.html?src=rss

Google's Pixel Tablet can also serve as a smart display for your home, and if you've ever wanted to get one, todays' the day. The company's official Amazon store is selling the 256GB Pixel Tablet with a charging speaker dock for only $449 - that's $150 less than retail and is an all-time low for the device on the website. It's the first tablet with the Google Tensor G2 chip, which enables artificial intelligence-powered features such as high-quality video calls and smooth streaming, among other things. The 11-inch device is also the first tablet you can Chromecast to and use as an extra screen.As a smart display, the Pixel Tablet can serve as a digital photo frame or a control center for your smart home devices. Its charging dock can keep it charged 24/7, and you can also use it as a speaker for when you want to play music. We gave the tablet a score of 85 in our review, praising it mostly for its abilities as a smart display. It responded well to our commands - if you want to use it to control connected devices with your voice, just wake it up by saying "Hey Google." But it also comes with a Hub Mode that brings up a dashboard, showing your smart devices and giving you a quick way to monitor your security cameras or to switch lights on and off.We also tried using the tablet as a TV substitute, since it has the capability to act as a Chromecast receiver. While it does work that way as Google promised, take note that the tablet has to be docked for you to be able to cast movies and shows to it. As a tablet, the device runs full Android and can open any app for the platform. It's a better smart display than it is a tablet, but we still found the device enjoyable to use.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-256gb-google-pixel-tablet-with-charging-dock-is-cheaper-than-ever-091352263.html?src=rss

Legal claims are starting to pile up against Microsoft and OpenAI, as three more news sites have sued the firms over copyright infringement, The Verge reported. The Intercept, Raw Story and AlterNet filed separate lawsuits accusing ChatGPT of reproducing news content "verbatim or nearly verbatim" while stripping out important attribution like the author's name.The sites, all represented by the same law firm, said that if ChatGPT trained on copyright material, it "would have learned to communicate that information when providing responses." Raw Story and AlterNet added that OpenAI and Microsoft must have known that the chatbot would be less popular and generate lower revenue if "users believed that ChatGPT responses violated third-party copyrights."The news organizations note in the lawsuit that OpenAI offers an opt-out system for website owners, meaning that the company must be aware of potential copyright infringement. Microsoft and OpenAI have also said that they'll defend customers against legal claims around copyright infringement that might arise from using their products, and even pay for incurred costs.Late last year, The New York Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement, saying it "seeks to hold them responsible for the billions of dollars in statutory and actual damages". OpenAI asked a court to dismiss that claim, saying the NYT took advantage of a ChatGPT bug that made it recite articles word for word.The companies also face lawsuits from multiple non-fiction authors accusing them of "massive and deliberate theft of copyrighted works," and by comedian Sarah Silverman over similar claims.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/more-news-organizations-sue-openai-and-microsoft-over-copyright-infringement-061103178.html?src=rss

Video game company Electronic Arts will lay off 5 precent of its workforce according to a report it filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday. More than 650 EA employees will lose their jobs as a result of the move, part of a broader restricting that will see the company cutting back on office space and ending work on some video games.EA's cuts are the latest in a long line of layoffs that have rocked the video game industry since last year. In 2023, more than 10,500 video game workers lost their jobs, and more than 6,000 people in the industry were cut in January 2024 alone. The video game companies that have laid off workers so far include Microsoft, Riot Games, and Unity among many others. On Tuesday, Sony announced that it was laying off 900 people from its PlayStation division, roughly 8 percent of its headcount.In a memo sent to EA employees, CEO Andrew Wilson wrote that the company is streamlining our company operations to deliver deeper, more connected experiences for fans everywhere." EA expects to finish making the cuts by early next quarter, the memo says. The cuts, Wilson adds, will let EA focus more on its biggest opportunities - including our owned IP, sports, and massive online communities."One of the games that the move will directly impact is a Star Wars first-person shooter being worked upon by Respawn, a game development studio that EA acquired in 2017, according to IGN."It's always hard to walk away from a project, and this decision is not a reflection of the team's talent, tenacity, or passion they have for the game," EA Entertainment president Laura Miele reportedly told staff in a note. "Giving fans the next installments of the iconic franchises they want is the definition of blockbuster storytelling and the right place to focus."Update, February 28 2024, 5:45 PM ET: This story has been updated with more details of the canceled Star Wars game.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ea-is-laying-off-over-650-employees-221221637.html?src=rss

You can grab a three-pack of Google's Nest Cam Indoor / Outdoor for $100 off. Best Buy is offering the battery-powered security cameras for nearly a record-low price. The cameras record in 1080p HDR with night vision and magnetic mounting, making your home security setup as close to painless as possible. Usually $450, you can get the trio of cameras for only $350. (And Best Buy Total members can drop it down to $300.)The Nest Cam can differentiate between people, animals and vehicles, processed locally on the device. You can receive alerts on your phone when it detects any of those types of movement, and you can choose which alert types you get in the Google Home app. A premium feature, Familiar Faces, learns trusted people and notifies you accordingly. (It requires a $8 monthly Nest Aware subscription.)Like most products in this category, the Nest Cam has a built-in speaker and mic, allowing you to check in with visitors and hold a remote conversation. The camera's HDR capabilities make seeing details in bright sunlight easier, while a night vision mode (using six built-in infrared LEDs) makes things clearer in the dark. The camera is water-resistant and rated IP54.Google estimates each camera's battery will last about seven months between charges, provided it only records around two to four events per day. (You can buy a $35 weatherproof cable if you prefer a wired setup.) The three-pack includes three Nest Cams and magnetic mounting plates, three wall plates, six wall anchors and the appropriate screws.Best Buy's deal expires Wednesday evening, so you'll want to act soon if you're in the market for new security cameras.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/three-packs-of-googles-nest-cam-security-cameras-are-100-off-today-215952131.html?src=rss

TikTok is being forced to take down more music from its platform as a royalties spat with Universal Music Group (UMG) rumbles on. UMG recently yanked recordings it owns or distributes from TikTok including tracks from the likes of superstars Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and The Weeknd. The standoff is now impacting songs published by UMG."We are in the process of carrying out Universal Music Group's requirement to remove all songs that have been written (or co-written) by a songwriter signed to Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), based on information they have provided," TikTok said in a statement. "Their actions not only affect the songwriters and artists that they represent, but now also impact many artists and songwriters not signed to universal." TikTok added that it is still committed to "reaching an equitable agreement" with UMG.Due to an issue called split copyrights, if a UMPG-contracted writer has contributed to a song in any way, that track has to be removed from TikTok. So artists who have collaborated with the likes of Swift, Adele, Justin Bieber, Mariah Carey, Ice Spice, Elton John, Harry Styles and SZA will see their songs disappearing from TikTok and being muted on videos that currently use them. The move will prevent more artists from plugging their work on the most important platform for promoting music.According to the BBC, UMG removed around three million songs from TikTok after an agreement over its recording catalog expired. UMG's deal with TikTok over its publishing catalog (which covers some four million songs) ends later this week, at which point all relevant tracks will have vanished from the short-form video service.Update 2/28 3:30PM ET: Added confirmation that TikTok is removing songs by UMPG-contracted songwriters.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tiktok-is-muting-more-songs-amid-its-tussle-with-universal-music-161839190.html?src=rss

Panic just held a games showcase for its portable Playdate console, revealing over a dozen upcoming exclusives. The company also announced a March 12 release date for the long-anticipated Mars After Midnight, which is likely the console's first marquee title.Mars After Midnight is a game created by renowned developer Lucas Pope, the guy behind Papers, Please and Return of the Obra Dinn. Both of these titles were critically acclaimed and commercially successful.Mars After Midnight looks to take a few cues from Papers, Please, as you play as a door guard of an alien colony tasked with letting people in. The lo-res graphics look stunning, which is a calling card of both Pope and the Playdate itself. It also makes use of the console's adorable little crank.However, Lucas Pope's latest creation wasn't the only news to come from today's presentation. Panic also showed off 16 games that are scheduled to hit the platform in 2024 and beyond." These include a cool-looking rogue-like/golf hybrid called Faraway Fairway, the pixel-art brawler Midnight Raider and a sci-fi RPG named For Home, among 13 others.Company CEO Cabel Sasser also took the time to reiterate that the Playdate console is actually now available to purchase, with no wait times. This was a long time coming and Panic says it has finally caught up" with the more than 70,000 preorders.The Playdate online store, called the Catalog, is approaching its one-year anniversary. To celebrate, Panic is holding its first-ever storewide sale from March 7 to March 14. Many of the titles are already pretty cheap, so console owners will likely have a field day here.For the uninitiated, the Playdate is a truly unique portable gaming console. It's cute and bright yellow, with a manually-operated crank that's used as an additional control mechanism in many games. Each $200 console comes with 24 free titles, with two unlocking each week for 12 weeks.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/lucas-popes-mars-after-midnight-hits-the-playdate-console-on-march-12-193110110.html?src=rss

Samsung's upcoming microSD card will offer a dramatic speed boost. The company's 256GB SD Express microSD - Samsung's first SD Express card - can read data at up to 800 MB/s, significantly faster than the microSDs you can buy today. However, we don't yet know how much it will cost, and the card won't be available until later this year.The 256GB SD Express microSD will have (theoretical) sequential read speeds of up to 800 MB/s, which is over 2.5 times as fast as the read speeds in UHS-II microSD cards and 1.4 times faster than SATA SSDs. So, at least in theory, Samsung's new card should be noticeably faster than the cheapest solid-state drives.Samsung added heat management capabilities to help keep temperatures in check. To ensure stable performance and reliability for the small form factor, Dynamic Thermal Guard (DTG) technology maintains the optimum temperature for the SD Express microSD card, even during long usage sessions," the company wrote in a press release announcing the new card.Samsung (perhaps unsurprisingly) is shoehorning the almighty AI" buzzword into the card's zippier speeds. With our two new microSD cards, Samsung has provided effective solutions to address the growing demands of mobile computing and on-device AI," Samsung VP Hangu Sohn wrote.The company's Galaxy S24 series goes big on AI, but Samsung hasn't included a microSD slot in its flagship phones for the last four generations. (Nor has most of the rest of the smartphone playing field.) So, while future AI-powered devices could benefit from the extra speeds, Samsung's current batch of high-end phones aren't on that list. In addition, although SD Express is backward compatible, not many devices (yet) support SD Express, which requires an extra row of pins on the host device. In other words, the card's full potential won't be realized until we have new gear to support it.SamsungAlthough unrelated to the speedy SD Express card, Samsung also unveiled a new 1TB microSD with UHS-1 speeds. Samsung's new 1TB microSD card stacks eight layers of the company's 8th generation 1-terabit (Tb) V-NAND within a microSD form factor, realizing the high-capacity package that used to be possible only in SSDs," the company wrote. The 1TB card includes protection against water, extreme temperatures, drops, X-rays and magnets.Samsung's zippy 256GB SD Express microSD card will launch later this year," while the 1TB UHS-1 microSD arrives in the third quarter of 2024. The company hasn't said how much either will cost.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsungs-new-microsd-card-is-faster-than-some-ssds-191251687.html?src=rss

Substack newsletter writers and readers can now send direct messages to each other. The company says this was a highly requested feature and it adds to the platform's slate of social networking tools.You'll find DMs in the Chat tab on the app and website. You can start a private conversation from that tab, someone's profile page or by selecting the Share option on a note or post. When you get a DM, Substack will let you know in the app and by email.By default, DMs from people you're connected to will land in your inbox and those from others will drop into a Requests folder. Writers can restrict incoming DM requests to paid or founding subscribers. Free subscribers who try to message you will then see a prompt to become a paid subscriber. Writers can include a "send a message" button on their posts if they wish.If you've blocked or banned someone, they won't be able to send you a DM. You can also turn off DMs entirely by disabling message requests in your settings. If you receive a message that breaks Substack's rules, you can report it.Substack has added a number of social networking features over the last year or so, such as the X-like Notes function for short-form posts. It also last week updated a system that allows writers to recommend other scribes to readers.The platform came under fire last month over its handling of pro-Nazi content. It removed five newsletters that promoted white nationalist and Nazi views. However, some prominent newsletter writers left Substack in protest over its approach to content moderation.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/substack-has-direct-messages-now-184154827.html?src=rss

It's been quite some time coming, but Activision has at long last revealed when Call of Duty fans can drop into a mobile version of its battle royale spin-off Warzone. The publisher previously said the game would arrive properly this spring after a period of limited release in certain territories. In fact, Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile will land on the third day of spring, March 21. That's just over two years after Activision announced the free-to-play mobile title.Two battle royale maps will be available at the outset: original Warzone locale Verdansk and Rebirth Island. Verdansk supports up to 120 players across iOS and Android. If you get eliminated, you'll get another chance to rejoin the fray if you win a duel in the gulag. Rebirth Island is a smaller map that hosts a maximum of 48 players. Instead of heading to the gulag after dying, you'll respawn as long as one of your teammates is still alive.Several classic CoD multiplayer modes will be available in Warzone Mobile too. You'll be able to hop into the likes of Team Deathmatch, Domination, Kill Confirmed and Search & Destroy in maps including Shipment, Shoot House and Scrapyard.Shorter multiplayer rounds could help you level up a weapon or increase your overall level when you have a few minutes to spare. Progress is shared between Warzone Mobile and the console and PC versions of Modern Warfare IIIand Warzone, as long as you're logged into the same Activision ID. XP you earn in Warzone Mobile will be reflected in Warzone and Modern Warfare III and vice versa. The same goes for weapon leveling and battle pass progression.Except for a small number of exclusive bundles, most of your unlocked cosmetics and equipment will be available across all three games. If you see a Connected tag on a bundle in the Warzone Mobile store, that means those items will also be available in Modern Warfare III and Warzone should you buy them.You'll have access to a shared friends list and chat channels so you can play with your friends and stay in contact with them. Warzone Mobile supports proximity voice chat, so you can hear noisy nearby enemies. After you score an elimination, you'll be able to hear their last words through the death chat feature too.Activision says Warzone Mobile is deeply customizable. You'll be able to move controller inputs around the screen and tweak other parts of the user interface to your liking. You can choose from several graphics modes to focus on performance, fidelity or a mix of the two. There's controller support as well.There's clearly a ton of interest in Warzone Mobile. Activision says the game has more than 50 million pre-registrations. If you pre-register, you'll get a few bonuses, such as a Ghost operator skin, weapon blueprints and a vinyl and emblem.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/call-of-duty-warzone-mobile-will-land-on-march-21-180026387.html?src=rss

It's that time of the month again. Sony just revealed the PlayStation Plus games lineup for March. There are some decent gets here, including the Destiny 2: Witch Queen expansion and the well-reviewed action brawler Sifu. All four titles are available for both PS4 and PS5 users.Let's start with Sifu. The game has been heralded as a modern take on old-school beat-em-ups, with a major emphasis on actual kung fu fighting styles. You play as a young martial arts student hunting down the people who murdered your family. Who doesn't like a good revenge tale? The game feels great, with satisfying and visceral combat. The only downside for some is that, at launch, it was extremely difficult. Developer Sloclap, however, eventually added difficulty settings for new players.The Destiny 2: Witch Queen expansion experienced plenty of delays before finally hitting digital store shelves back in 2022. The expansion pleased MMO fans with a brand-new story to work through, complete with plenty of new missions. There's also new PvP maps, gear, weapons, dungeons and raids.EA Sports F1 23 is the Formula 1 sim to beat, as it was the official game of the 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship. There are plenty of circuits placed throughout the world, including Qatar and Las Vegas. You can race as any of the top 20 drivers and top ten teams. There's a robust career mode, cross-platform multiplayer and, of course, all kinds of blazingly-fast vehicles to choose from. You can play this and get hyped for the 2024 racing season, which officially begins on March 2.Finally, there's the stealth horror game Hello Neighbors 2. Just like the original, the title has you investigating creepy neighbors to unearth their dirty secrets. Though advertised as a horror title, the cartoony visuals make it appropriate for gamers of all ages. Reviews have praised the large open world, when compared to the original, and the improved physics engine.Multiplayer shooter The Finals is also getting a cosmetic bundle as part of this drop, with 12 new weapon skins and two outfits. All four of the aforementioned games will be available to PlayStation Plus members on March 5 until April 1. As always, some titles are leaving the platform this month. You only have until March 4 to add Foamstars, Rollerdrome and Steelrisingto your catalog.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/marchs-playstation-plus-games-include-sifu-and-the-destiny-2-witch-queen-expansion-174906167.html?src=rss

If you work over public Wi-Fi, need to access geo-restricted content or just want to add an extra layer of privacy to your internet connection, you may want to use a VPN service. NordVPN is one of the most popular providers out there and right now, a digital code giving you a year of access to NordVPN Plus is going for $55 at Amazon. The plan also throws in one of our top password managers, NordPass. For comparison, right now a year of the Plus service is $72 directly from Nord. Of course, the best deals the company offers is on its two-year plans. Right now two years of the Plus service is $60 from Nord - so you're still saving $5 with Amazon's deal, plus you're not locked into a full two-year commitment.If you just want the VPN coverage without the password manager, you can get the standard service. It's $45 for a year of access, a savings of $15 over buying from Nord directly. And if you're just interested in the password manager, two-years of NordPass is down to $35, which is $5 less than going through Nord's site.We named Nord's password manager one of the best for cross-platform use in our guide to those services. The service keeps your credentials safe while making it easy to access your vault from whichever device or operating system you happen to be on. It also allows for biometric sign ins, making it even easier to get at your saved passwords.As for Nord's VPN, like all such services, it masks your IP address and encrypts your data to and from its destination. It also blocks your ISP from seeing data about your browsing. Just keep in mind that VPNs can't protect against other security risks like phishing and identity theft. Nord's VPN service didn't make the cut in our testing of such services, partly because we thought the price was a bit too high for the features provided. This deal removes some of the hesitation and we did find the service to be speedy and like that it's based on WireGuard, one of the more secure protocols. But the lack of open source software for most of its products and a less-than-stellar record of customer data privacy prevents it from being the best we can recommend. The service that did top our list was ProtonVPN. It's currently $72 for one year of the service alone. A bundle that includes a password manager, email and other services is currently $120 for the year.Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/a-year-of-nordvpn-plus-is-just-55-right-now-165142120.html?src=rss

Google CEO Sundar Pichai addressed the company's recent issues with its AI-powered Gemini image generation tool after it started overcorrecting for diversity in historical images. He called the turn of events unacceptable" and said that the company's working around the clock" on a fix, according to an internal employee memo published by Semafor.No AI is perfect, especially at this emerging stage of the industry's development, but we know the bar is high for us and we will keep at it for however long it takes," Pichai wrote to staffers. And we'll review what happened and make sure we fix it at scale."Pichai remains optimistic regarding the future of the Gemini chatbot, formerly called Bard, noting that the team has already seen substantial improvement on a wide range of prompts." The image generation aspect of Gemini will remain paused until a fix is fully worked out.This started when Gemini users began noticing that the generator began cranking out historically inaccurate images, like pictures of Nazis and America's Founding Fathers as people of color. This quickly became a big thing on social media, with the word woke" being thrown around a whole lot.

Apple has reportedly pulled down the shutters on Project Titan, its initiative to build the future of transportation. If the reports are accurate, the project chewed through billions of dollars and several high-profile leaders as its mission shifted and shifted again. What may have started as a control-free autonomous vehicle was eventually scaled down to a generic EV but, ya know, made by Apple. But, I'll be honest, I never believed we'd see an Apple Car in the real world, because it seemed so impossibly far-fetched as to be fictional.I'm not saying Titan itself didn't exist, because every company has speculative projects, and I'm sure the reporting around what it achieved is accurate - Tim Cook definitely wrote "Car?" on a whiteboard at some point. If any company could walk in, learn the skills needed to build and launch a car and do it well (and profitably), it would be Apple. Other tech companies, like Sony, are making a real noise about entering the field, albeit in partnership with Honda. But, from a lot of logical angles, the idea that Apple would start making cars was impossible to fathom.There's a line in The Unbearable Lightness of Being where kitsch - a German word for bad or tacky art - is defined as a denial of the realities of life. Apple fits that description because while it's wildly successful, it's often despite decisions made that fly in the face of common sense. A watch that lasts for less than a day on a charge. A slippery, easily-dropped phone with a glass front and back that's nightmarishly difficult to repair. A mouse that is still being sold with the charging port on its underside so you can only charge it when it's not in use.Even the most environmentally-friendly car still needs oil and grease to lubricate its workings, wheels that leave rubber on the road, brake pads that wear down. Seats that have to deal with spilled coffee and toddler vomit when you're on a long road trip, the grime you only seem to find when you're loading IKEA boxes into your trunk. Can you imagine Apple's design team, who were behind the FineWoven case, who had to be dragged kicking and screaming toward bigger batteries, USB-C and waterproofing, thinking about such considerations?Not to mention that while Apple can exert a lot of control over its devices now, cars aren't so neatly closed off. Imagine how hard it would be for a company obsessed with control to cede so much to the auto shops of the world. Yes, you need to take your Tesla back for major repairs but can you imagine not being able to replace your tires when you get a flat? Unless, of course, Apple is planning to build garages in every major population center to overcharge you when it comes time to get an oil change.And that's before you get to the idea that Apple, who is quite obsessive about its brand, would have its logo plastered on the internet every time one of its cars so much as kissed a lamppost. Car accidents are currently an unfortunate fact of life that we, as a society, are not prepared to tackle the way we should. But all it would take is one fatality in an Apple car and the company would be demonized - and opened up to a raft of lawsuits all looking to get a piece of Apple's cash pile.A car also would muddy the company's stance on environmental matters, and I can already picture the internal contortions. The executives driving their convertible Mercedes into Apple Park's rarified subterranean parking garage would, I'm sure, quite like an Apple car. But I imagine the company's teams who have to look at figures around energy consumption, emissions and climate change don't. If Apple's fine words about looking after the environment mean anything, it would throw its weight and expertise behind something better like scooters or e-bikes.I've also struggled to fathom out how Apple would justify charging $100,000 for a limited-run EV when its real wins have come in the mass market. EVs take enormous amounts of capital and labor to assemble and it's nowhere near as profitable as what Apple does today. In Q3 of 2023, WV - the world's biggest car maker - made a net profit of about $4.7 billion, or about a quarter of what Apple made in the same period. How many luxury EVs would Apple be able to get out of the door and how many would it need to sell in order to justify that initial investment?In fact, I suspect a lot of people piled a lot of unreasonable hopes on Project Titan's shoulders despite Apple's repeated scaling back. 'We'll make a car without a wheel, it'll be great,' you can imagine them saying, 'okay, maybe it'll have a wheel...' they added, years later, 'oh okay so, how about it's just a car that's not as autonomous as a Mercedes.' It hardly screams the sort of class-leading ambitions you normally see with an Apple product, does it?And yes, there may have been lots of pretty renders of what an Apple car would look like made by talented graphic designers looking to bulk out their portfolio. And lots of wishful chat on social media about Apple buying another EV maker like Tesla or Rivian to slap its brand on top of - despite the fact that Apple buying a name-brand company outright has only happened once or twice in a decade. But, until the NDAs lapse and we get a tell-all book with internal imagery, I'm going to say that, despite the reported billions of dollars poured into it, the Apple Car never got close to being a real thing.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-apple-car-never-felt-real-163058168.html?src=rss

At the upcoming SXSW Conference in Texas, Honda will give attendees a chance to try out a new mobility device called UNI-ONE that was specifically designed for mixed reality entertainment experiences. Users can steer the UNI-ONE without the use of their hands - they simply have to lean into one direction to move forwards, backwards, sideways or diagonally. The idea is to pair it with a mixed reality device so that passengers can enjoy a truly immersive game or activity.While that sounds pretty wild, Honda has been testing the UNI-ONE in for multiple use cases in Japan since last year. At the Suzuka Circuit Park in the Japanese prefecture of Mie, for instance, Honda created an activity wherein users have to control the mobility device and navigate it according to the scenes displayed on a tablet. At SXSW, people will be able to ride the UNI-ONE while wearing a virtual reality headset and play a choose-your-own VR adventure.HondaThe vehicle features a seat that can be raised or lowered, so users can adjust it to be able to communicate better with other people around them. It runs untethered, since it's battery-operated, has a maximum speed of 3.7 mph and can support passengers up to 242 pounds. Honda believes that the device has several potential applications in entertainment and believes it could be used to create indoor and outdoor experiences, such as racing games, in theme parks and comparable facilities.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/honda-built-a-powered-chair-to-zoom-around-theme-parks-while-wearing-an-ar-headset-161526252.html?src=rss