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Pinterest CEO says teens under 16 should be banned from social media (but not Pinterest)
Pinterest's CEO has thrown his support behind an Australia measure banning social media for younger teens and is calling for governments around the world to implement similar bans. "Social media, as it’s configured today, is not safe for young people under 16," Ready writes in a piece published by Time. "We need a clear standard: no social media for teens under 16, backed by real enforcement, and accountability for mobile phone operating systems and the apps that run on them."
Ready is one of the highest-profile tech CEOs to come out in favor of a broad ban on social media for teens. That may also seem like a bold stance for someone who runs a platform with a user base that's more than 50 percent Gen Z, but Ready doesn't think that ban should apply to Pinterest. Pinterest, as he notes, already bars teens under 16 from accessing messaging features and other social features. It also makes teen accounts private by default.
A spokesperson for Pinterest confirmed the company has no plans to change its own policies regarding users under 16, and said Pinterest considers itself a "visual search platform" not social media. Pinterest, like most social media and social media-adjacent companies, doesn't allow users under 13 to sign up.
Social media or not, Pinterest has encountered child safety-related issues in the past. In 2023, NBC News reported that Pinterest's recommendation algorithm was surfacing photos and videos of young girls to adults who were "seeking" such content. Some of those users had created Pinterest boards featuring images of young girls with titles like "sexy little girls," their investigation found. The company made profiles for teens under 16 private and "not discoverable" six months later.
According to Ready, Pinterest's popularity with younger users is proof its policies are also good for the company's business. "Our experience shows that prioritizing safety and well-being doesn’t push young people away; it builds trust," he writes.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/pinterest-ceo-says-teens-under-16-should-be-banned-from-social-media-but-not-pinterest-211630443.html?src=rssThe White House proposes new AI policy framework that supersedes state laws
The White House has announced a new AI policy framework that calls for Congress to craft federal regulation that overrules state AI laws. The Trump administration has made multiple attempts to overrule more restrictive state-level AI regulation, but has failed so far, most notably in the passing of the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
The framework focuses on a variety of topics, covering everything from child privacy to the use of AI in the workforce. “Importantly, this framework can succeed only if it is applied uniformly across the United States,” The White House writes. “A patchwork of conflicting state laws would undermine American innovation and our ability to lead in the global AI race.”
In terms of child privacy protections, the framework ask for Congress to require companies to provide tools like “screen time, content exposure and account controls” while also affirming that “existing child privacy protections apply to AI systems,” including limits on how data is collected and used for AI training. The framework also says carveout states should be allowed to enforce “their own generally applicable laws protecting children, such as prohibitions on child sexual abuse material, even where such material is generated by AI.”
The energy-use and environmental impact of AI infrastructure is a going concern, but the White House’s policy proposals are primarily worried about the cost of data centers. The framework suggests federal AI regulation should make sure that higher electricity costs aren’t passed on to people living near data centers, while streamlining the process for permitting AI infrastructure construction, so companies can pursue “on-site and behind-the-meter power generation.” The framework also calls for fewer restrictions on the software-side of AI development, proposing “regulatory sandboxes for AI applications” and asking Congress to “provide resources to make federal datasets accessible to industry and academia in AI-ready formats.”
While a recently AI bill from Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Ten.) attempts to eliminate Section 230, a piece of a larger law that says platforms can’t be held responsible for the speech they host, the framework appears to propose the opposite. “Congress should prevent the United States government from coercing technology providers, including AI providers, to ban, compel or alter content based on partisan or ideological agendas,” the White House writes. The framework is similarly hands-off when it comes to copyright and the use of intellectual property to train AI. “Although the Administration believes that training of AI models on copyrighted material does not violate copyright laws,” the White House writes, it supports the issue being settled in court rather than by legislation. Though, the White House does think Congress should “consider enabling licensing frameworks” so IP holders can bargain for compensations from AI providers.
The clincher in the White House’s proposal is the idea that federal regulation should preempt state law, specifically so that states don’t “regulate AI development,” don’t “unduly burden American’s use of AI for activity that would be lawful if performed without AI” and don’t punish AI companies “for a third party’s unlawful conduct involving their models.” The idea that AI companies aren’t liable for the illegal or harmful uses of their products is particularly problematic because it lies at the heart of multiple intersecting issues with AI right now, including it being used to generate sexually explicit images of children and allegedly playing a role in the suicide of users.
Ultimately, though, the framework might be too contradictory to be useful, Samir Jain, the Vice President of Policy for the Center for Democracy and Technology, writes in a statement to Engadget:
The White House’s high-level AI framework contains some sound statements of principles, but its usefulness to lawmakers is limited by its internal contradictions and failure to grapple with key tensions between various approaches to important topics like kids’ online safety. It rightly says that the government should not coerce AI companies to ban or alter content based on ‘partisan or ideological agendas,’ yet the Administration’s ‘woke AI’ Executive Order this summer does exactly that. On preemption, the framework asserts that states should not be permitted to regulate AI development, but at the same time rightly notes that federal law should not undermine states’ traditional powers to enforce their own laws against AI developers. States are currently leading the fight to protect Americans from harms that AI systems can create, and Congress has twice correctly decided not to pursue broad preemption.
President Donald Trump has attempted to have an active role in how AI is developed and regulated in the US with mixed results, primarily because, as Jain notes, Congress has been unwilling to give up states’ right to regulate the technology on their own terms. Without that, its hard to say how much of the framework will actually make it into federal law.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/the-white-house-proposes-new-ai-policy-framework-that-supersedes-state-laws-192251995.html?src=rssMicrosoft will yank Copilot from some Windows apps and let you move the taskbar again
After one too many of you threatened to switch to Linux, Microsoft has published a long list of changes it plans to make to Windows 11. In a lengthy blog titled "Our commitment to Windows quality," Pavan Davuluri, the executive vice president of Windows and Devices, said the company has spent a "great deal" of time in recent months reading feedback from users. "What came through was the voice of people who care deeply about Windows and want it to be better," he said. To that end, Windows Insiders can expect to see some of the changes Microsoft plans in response to all criticism begin rolling out starting this month.
Most notably, Microsoft ease up on the AI pedal. "You will see us be more intentional about how and where Copilot integrates across Windows, focusing on experiences that are genuinely useful and well-crafted," writes Davuluri. As a first step, Microsoft says it will remove "unnecessary Copilot entry points," starting with apps like the Snipping Tool, Photos, Widgets and Notepad.
Elsewhere, users can look forward to additional taskbar customization, allowing them to position the interface element at the top or sides of the screen; less disruptive updates, with the option to shut down or restart your device without being forced to install a new patch; and a faster, less janky File Explorer. "Our first round of improvements will focus on a quicker launch experience, reduced flicker, smoother navigation and more reliable performance for everyday file tasks," said Davuluri.
Looking beyond the next two months, Microsoft notes it will work to improve performance across Windows, with “lowering the baseline memory footprint” of the operating system a key area of focus. Presumably, this plan of action is as much a response to the global memory shortage as it is user feedback. PC manufacturers are struggling right now, with a recent estimate warning the market could shrink as much as 8.9 percent year-over-year in 2026 due to the high cost of RAM and SSDs. On the subject of reliability, the company says reducing OS-level crashes and releasing higher quality drivers is a priority, as is making Bluetooth and USB connections less prone to errors and disconnects.
Microsoft's promise to fix Windows 11 is long overdue. In January, the company released a couple of emergency updates after what should have been a routine security patch caused bugs that left some PCs unable to shut down and broke Outlook. The general state of the operating system has led many to explore Linux alternatives like Bazzite. With Apple also recently releasing the $600 MacBook Neo, a laptop that few Windows manufacturers can match right now, Microsoft’s dominance in the PC market is looking vulnerable for the first time in more than a decade.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/microsoft-will-yank-copilot-from-some-windows-apps-and-let-you-move-the-taskbar-again-202857203.html?src=rssThree people have been charged with illegally exporting NVIDIA GPUs to China
The US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York has charged three people with illegally exporting NVIDIA GPUs to China in violation of the Export Control Reform Act. NVIDIA's chips have become a critical component in the rush to train and run increasingly complex artificial intelligence models, one the US has sought to manipulate with export controls and profit-sharing schemes with NVIDIA.
The three people, Yih-Shyan "Wally" Liaw, Ruei-Tsang "Steven" Chang and Ting-Wei "Willy" Sun, two employees and one contractor working for US IT company Super Micro Computer, allegedly circumvented export control laws via a multi-step scheme that involved creating fake orders for servers with NVIDIA chips from Southeast Asian companies, that were then secretly sent to China. The plan involved paying a logistics company to repackage the servers in Taiwan, staging dummy servers to be inspected by Super Micro Computer's compliance team and falsifying records so Liaw, Chang and Sun's employer was unaware where the servers were actually being sent.
The DOJ claims Liaw, Chang and Sun facilitated the illegal purchase of $2.5 billion worth of servers between 2024 and 2025 in direct violation of US export laws. Super Micro Computer is not named as a defendant in the US Attorney's indictment, but the company's stock price has been impacted by the scheme, CNBC writes. In a statement released on Thursday, Super Micro Computer announced that it's distancing itself from Liaw, Chang and Sun. "The individuals charged are Yih-Shyan "Wally" Liaw, Senior Vice President of Business Development and a member of the Company's Board of Directors; Ruei-Tsang "Steven" Chang, a sales manager in Taiwan; and Ting-Wei "Willy" Sun, a contractor," the company writes. "Supermicro has placed the two employees on administrative leave and terminated its relationship with the contractor, effective immediately."
This isn't the first time people have attempted to illegally smuggle NVIDIA's products out of the US, and it likely won't be the last time. Reportedly $1 billion worth of NVIDIA's AI chips were illegally sold in the three months after the Trump administration tightened export controls, and back in December 2025, Texas authorities seized more than $50 million worth of NVIDIA GPUs bound for China. As long as there's demand for AI, there'll be demand for the hardware that makes it possible.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/three-people-have-been-charged-with-illegally-exporting-nvidia-gpus-to-china-184928430.html?src=rssHere's how not to leak military information with your Strava run
A French officer recently leaked the location of an aircraft carrier because of a run on the sports app Strava. This is not the first time this has happened, as the app tracks location data.
It was used to access the location of US military bases back in 2018 and members of the Secret Service accidentally shared their whereabouts while protecting then-US President Joe Biden. The same has happened to President Trump and other world leaders.
🚨🇫🇷 NEW: The location of the French aircraft carrier, FS Charles de Gaulle, has been given away by a sailor using Strava whilst jogging on the ship deck
— Politics Global (@PolitlcsGlobal) March 19, 2026
[@lemondefr] pic.twitter.com/FuoKMAs06w
In other words, the use of Strava to track runs is becoming a global security risk, but it doesn't have to be. If you happen to find yourself in an undisclosed location as part of a military entourage, here are a couple of ways to keep things private.
Change the settings
Don't want to give up those Strava runs? Just change the settings. On the web, click on "Do Not Share My Personal Information" on the feed page and then look for "Opt Out."
This is also fairly easy for smartphone users. Just head to "Privacy Controls" for the app and follow the prompts on both iOS and Android. Both versions include an option to disable the sharing of personal information, including location data.
Use another running app
Most sports apps track location data, but they don't all share Strava's spotty history. There are plenty of apps out there to choose from, and some are quite good. No matter which one you download, be sure to take steps to change the privacy settings.
Run the old-fashioned way
Believe it or not, people still jogged before smartphones. Just lace up a pair of shoes and get out there. For extra protection, leave your phone and smartwatch at home.
Get a treadmill
Are you stuck on an aircraft carrier somewhere in the middle of the ocean? It could be tough to get your steps in, so consider bothering the top brass for a treadmill.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/heres-how-not-to-leak-military-information-with-your-strava-run-183635879.html?src=rssNintendo is reportedly making a Switch 2 with a user-replaceable battery for the EU
Nintendo is reportedly preparing a new version of the Switch 2 with a user-replaceable battery, according to Nikkei. This is to comply with a 2023 EU "right-to-repair" policy on portable electronics that mandates easy battery replacement.
The regulation also covers the Joy-Con 2 controllers, so they are reportedly being redesigned to allow users to replace each lithium-ion battery. We don't know when this new Switch 2 will hit store shelves, but the policy gives companies until 2027 to make the required changes.
This is great news for Europe, but the rest of the world isn't quite so lucky. There are no reported plans by Nintendo to bring this console refresh to other regions, but IGN notes that this could change if countries adopt similar policies to the EU. Tossing a perfectly good handheld console in the trash because the battery craps out isn't exactly fun, so here's hoping they do.
This EU legislation has forced other companies to make changes to their products. Apple has modified the design of newer iPhones to make it easier for consumers to swap out the battery. It's long been rumored that Sony will update its DualSense PS5 controllers for the same reason.
The EU regulates that by 2027, all smartphones must be equipped with replaceable batteries. The new iPhone’s adoption of a stainless steel battery case not only reduces the difficulty of removing the battery to meet EU regulations but also allows Apple to increase the battery… https://t.co/jLhEbw04po
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) June 30, 2024
It has also been suggested that the original Switch may stop being sold in the EU by the end of 2027. It's either that or redesign the now-ancient device. Nintendo hasn't issued an official response to any of this just yet. Engadget has reached out to the company and will update this post when we hear back.
This has been a big week for the company's flagship console. It just received a software update that lets many older games run in 1080p while in handheld mode. There's also a little game called Pokémon Pokopia currently taking over the world.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-is-reportedly-making-a-switch-2-with-a-user-replaceable-battery-for-the-eu-172318540.html?src=rssNetflix’s Assassin’s Creed is officially set in ancient Rome
Netflix’s live-action Assassin’s Creed show has entered production and will officially be set in Rome in the year 64AD, confirming previous reports.
The upcoming adaptation, then, will return to the setting of 2010’s Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, although the latter’s story took place more than 1,000 years after the events we'll see in Netflix's show. Ubisoft confirmed in a press release that the Netflix series will tell an original story centered on a war between the Templar Order and the Assassin Brotherhood, who each have very different ideas on how the future of mankind should look.
The full ensemble cast has also now been announced. Sandra Guldberg-Kampp (Foundation), Youssef Kerkour (A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms), Mirren Mack (28 Years Later: The Bone Temple), and Louis McCartney (Broadway production Stranger Things: The First Shadow) have all been cast as recurring characters. Netflix previously announced Lola Pettigrew (Trespasses) and Toby Wallace (Babyteeth) as possible leads, along with a number of other series regulars.
Roberto Patino (Westworld, Sons of Anarchy) and David Wiener (Halo, The Killing) are serving as creators, showrunners and executive producers on the show, which is primarily filming at Rome’s iconic Cinecittà Studios. No release date has been announced.
Assassin’s Creed won’t represent the first time that Netflix has adapted a Ubisoft property. 2023’s Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix was based on a Far Cry 3 expansion, and last year Sam Fisher made his TV debut in the broadly well received Splinter Cell: Deathwatch.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/netflixs-assassins-creed-is-officially-set-in-ancient-rome-171533234.html?src=rssProject Hail Mary could teach humanity a thing or two
It's hard not to find the premise of Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary instantly compelling: Something is slowly killing the sun and threatening life on Earth. That same mysterious force, dubbed the Astrophage, also destroyed every nearby star — except one. Our only hope is to visit that solar system and figure out what helped it survive. And there's just one middle school science teacher who can do it.
At its core is Weir's love of technical problem solving, along with a tremendous performance by Ryan Gosling in full nerd hero mode as the aforementioned science teacher (and former molecular biologist). It's the sort of sweeping sci-fi epic that will make a whole generation of kids ready to science the shit out of humanity's future problems. And maybe it'll remind clueless adults that we gain much more by working together to solve global issues, instead of being purely self-interested.
The film starts with Gosling's character, Ryland Grace, waking up from an induced coma with no memory. He's shocked to find that he's light years away from Earth, and that the other two members of his crew are already dead. As he gets his bearings, he recalls that he was sent on a last-ditch mission, Project Hail Mary, to save the sun and everyone on Earth. No pressure! These early moments make it clear that screenwriter Drew Goddard (who also adapted The Martian), as well as directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, can deftly juggle comedy alongside the inherent drama in the story.
There's something genuinely moving about the mission. With about 30 years before the planet is faced with a global cooling event likely ending in mass starvation, Earth's major political powers put aside their differences and deliver their finest scientific minds to come up with a solution. You can really take your pick with real-world parallels, like the impending climate crisis, or the increasing threat of nuclear war. Simply seeing the world work together feels meaningful in these bleak times. And unlike other space disaster films like Armageddon and Interstellar, cooperation, rather than NASA alone, is the only way forward.
Sure, humanity's hope for survival ultimately falls on the shoulders of one of the most attractive white men on (or in this case, off) the planet, but you know, movies. It's also not a spoiler to say that Grace isn't entirely alone on his journey. As already revealed by the film's trailers and a ton of social media clips, he's also joined by a crab-like being made of rock, which he simply calls Rocky. They eventually learn to communicate, and it's revealed that Rocky is also on a mission to save their own home planet.
While we get brief glimpses of life on Earth, and the planning of Project Hail Mary, for the vast majority of the film we're just left with Grace figuring things together with a rock alien. And yet, the film never drags. It's a testament to Gosling's inherent charm, but he also demonstrates an incredible ability to shift from joy and goofiness, to sheer terror, to leading-man heroics on a dime. It's also hard to take your eyes off of Rocky, who is rendered with a loving mixture of practical puppetry and CG. We've never seen a creature like them before – one that, despite having no eyes or mouth, manages to connect with viewers mostly through their very expressive arms.
Project Hail Mary is ultimately a work of pulp sci-fi as told by an author who loves deeply nerdy technical solutions, as well as a writer and directors who know precisely what makes a great blockbuster tick. But the notion that humanity can collectively come together to do the impossible always tugs at my heartstrings a bit. And yes, there’s the power of friendship, too. In this moment, when things seem particularly bleak, these ideas seem especially meaningful.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/project-hail-mary-could-teach-humanity-a-thing-or-two-154327806.html?src=rssBelkin Charging Case Pro for Switch 2 review: A more elegant solution
Last year, Belkin released a couple of cases for the Nintendo Switch 2 just in time for launch, including one that came with a handy battery pack. That one was simple and effective, but it felt a bit crude because it wasn't much more than a basic travel pouch with a generic power cell tossed inside. Now, Belkin is back with a Pro version of its Charging Case for the Nintendo Switch 2, featuring a more sophisticated battery pack along with a higher price tag ($100 vs. $70). So here’s the question for any Switch 2 owners still looking for a way to protect their console while keeping it topped off: Is a more elegant charging solution really worth the extra money?
Case design
At 11.7 x 6.1 x 2.5 inches and weighing 1 pound 12 ounces, the Pro Charging Case is a touch larger and heavier than its non-pro sibling. It also features a very similar design with the same color options and materials, including a tough polyester outer shell that’s balanced by a softer, velvet-like material and cutouts for your Switch 2 on the inside.
Once again, Belkin has done a good job of providing a snug cabin to store your console while still making it easy to take it in and out. That said, if your system also has an extra-thick protector or hardshell case like the Killswitch from Dbrand, it may not fit. There's also a padded flap that swings down to protect your Switch 2's screen that also pulls double duty as a place to stash up to 12 game cartridges, which is a very thoughtful touch.
However, the biggest change to the Pro Charging Case's exterior design is a new cutout on the front edge, which allows you to top off other gadgets (or a Switch) by plugging a USB-C cable into Belkin's included battery pack. Unfortunately, the case doesn't come with a cord, which seems a bit odd until you take a closer look at the power pack's layout. That’s because once you open up the case, you’ll see a second port designed to fit right into the bottom power jack on the Switch 2 without the need for a cable.
Other small touches on Belkin's Pro Charging Case include a mesh pocket for storing things like cables, Joy-Con straps or cleaning cloths, which is very handy. However, my favorite thing might be the AirTag pouch that's also hidden inside that pocket, which could give you a fighting chance of recovering your system if it's ever lost or stolen (though I wouldn't count on it).
Battery pack
Despite the increased size of the Pro Charging Case's included battery, it has the same 10,000mAh capacity as what you get from its less expensive sibling. That means you'll typically have enough juice for a little more than 1.5 recharges for your Switch 2 and its onboard 5,220mAh cell. Instead of relying on a simple external power pack like before, Belkin's bundled battery comes with a second USB-C port and a kickstand. This makes it super easy to plug in your Switch 2 every time you put it in the case. This way, you know the next time you turn it on, it'll be at 100 percent.
Alternatively, you can raise the kickstand to prop up the Switch 2 and game on it while it stays nestled inside the case. This might seem a bit redundant as Nintendo's console already has its own kickstand, but Belkin’s allows you to continue charging the system while you're playing without needing a cord. There's even a handy display on the side of the battery, so it's super easy to see how much juice is left, even when the case is closed. Furthermore, when you need to recharge the power pack, you can do so without removing it from the case or disconnecting your Switch thanks to that bonus USB-C port on the outside. Compared to the previous model, this is certainly a more elegant solution that provides some subtle quality of life improvements. The one downside is that the battery pack is somewhat awkwardly shaped, so you won't really want to use it on its own.
Wrap-up
There's no doubt the Pro Charging Case's new battery pack is a more premium solution that's easier to use and manage. When you need to recharge it, you can do so from the outside without opening the pouch. It also lets you charge a Switch 2 without ever needing a cable. The built-in kickstand is another bonus that helps elevate the whole kit from a simple case to something closer to a tiny all-in-one gaming booth.
That said, after using it for a couple of weeks, I'm still not sure the added convenience is worth an extra $30 over the original. Due to the battery packs' new shape, it's less useful as a standalone power cell, and the rest of the case's design is largely unchanged. Of course, it's always nice to have options, and if you're the kind of person who doesn't mind spending a little extra for a more streamlined and convenient kit, Belkin's Pro Charging Case for the Switch 2 is still very much worth consideration.
Amazon is reportedly working on a new phone built around Alexa
Amazon is reportedly planning to re-enter the smartphone market more than 10 years after its last attempt. According to a Reuters report, the mysterious phone is internally codenamed "Transformer" and is being developed by the company’s devices and services unit.
There isn’t a whole lot to go on right now, but it probably won’t surprise many to learn that the phone will likely lean heavily on AI. According to Reuters’ sources, Alexa functionality would be a core part of the experience, but Amazon wouldn’t necessarily build a custom OS around its voice assistant. The phone would make buying products on Amazon and using services like Prime Music and Prime Video "easier than ever," and may bypass traditional app stores.
Reuters reports that the Transformer project is being led by the recently established ZeroOne, an Amazon devices unit headed up by ex-Microsoft executive and Xbox co-founder J Allard, who was also one of the creators of Zune. Allard joined Amazon last year to lead a "a special projects team dedicated to inventing breakthrough consumer product categories."
The development team has reportedly considered launching both a traditional smartphone and a so-called "dumbphone," which would presumably strip away anything that needlessly distracted you from the Amazon empire. Reuters’ anonymous sources suggest the latter could help combat screen addiction by offering fewer features.
ZeroOne is apparently inspired by the ultra-minimalist Light Phone, suggesting that Amazon might be reluctant to take on the flagship devices of Apple and Samsung. The report adds that the Transformer phone could even be positioned as a secondary handset.
This, of course, would not be Amazon’s first crack at the smartphone business. The company launched the Fire Phone in 2014, an ambitious and interesting device that ultimately failed to tempt people away from the more established smartphone ecosystems. It’s widely remembered as perhaps the company’s biggest hardware misstep.
With analysts forecasting an unprecedented decline in the smartphone market in 2026, now seems like a risky time for Amazon to try again, and Reuters was unable to determine exactly how much the company has committed to the Transformer project. Sources also wouldn’t rule out it being scrapped altogether if the company’s priorities suddenly shifted.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/amazon-is-reportedly-working-on-a-new-phone-built-around-alexa-142244500.html?src=rssByteDance is selling its Moonton game unit to Savvy Games for a cool $6 billion
Following discussions first reported on earlier this year, ByteDance has agreed to sell its games unit Moonton to Savvy Games Group for $6 billion. Moonton is known for mobile titles popular in Asia like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, which has been downloaded 1.5 billion times. The transaction is set to be finalized in the "near future," according to an internal memo from Moonton's CEO seen by Bloomberg.
ByteDance has been winding down its gaming arm and shopping Moonton since 2023, just two years after it first acquired the developer. Around that same period, the TikTok parent was shuttering its Nuverse gaming arm, which published notable titles like Marvel Snap and Ragnarok X: Next Generation. The company has since shifted its focus to AI, competing with Chinese rivals to develop chatbots and foundational models.
Savvy Games, which is owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), has been going in the opposite direction. Last year the company (via its subsidiary Scopely) acquired Pokémon Go developer Niantic for $3.5 billion. PIF was also among the key investors that purchased Electronic Arts in a blockbuster $55 billion deal last year. The Saudi fund holds a 7.5 percent stake in Nintendo as well.
The sale is the latest chapter in the recent gaming industry consolidation that saw around 45,000 jobs lost in a brutal three-year period between 2022 and 2025. According to a recent GDC study, one-third of US video game industry workers were laid off over the last two years.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/bytedance-is-selling-its-moonton-game-unit-to-savvy-games-for-a-cool-6-billion-124131595.html?src=rssEngadget Podcast: Why does everyone hate NVIDIA's DLSS 5 AI upscaling?
NVIDIA started an online firestorm this week when it announced DLSS 5 at its GTC conference. The company claims it's meant to deliver "photorealistic" lighting and materials in games by using neural processing. But it differs considerably from previous versions of DLSS, which were focused on using machine learning to upscale lower resolutions and generate additional frames, and gamers online aren’t too happy. To help us break this down, Anshel Sag, VP and principal analyst at Moor Insights and Strategy joins us to discuss his experience with NVIDIA's DLSS 5 demos. Also, we dive into what's next for Xbox with Project Helix.
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Topic
NVIDIA announced DLSS 5, the disgust was immediate (with Anshel Sag from Moor Insights & Strategy) – 0:51
Arizona attorney general sues Kalshi for operating an illegal gambling business – 36:22
Polymarket users threaten the life of a reporter at The Times of Israel over accurate reporting – 36:59
Apple announces AirPods Max 2 with improved noise cancellation – 44:33
Elon Musk’s xAI faces class action suit over facilitating CSAM dsitribution – 47:38
Samsung stops selling Galaxy Z TriFold after 3 months because components got too expensive – 51:22
Around Engadget: Apple Studio XDR review, Dell XPS 16 review – 53:49.346
Listener Mail: Stick with iPhone on Linux? And are there any good Android tablets? – 55:41
Pop culture picks – 58:46
Credits
Hosts: Devindra Hardawar
Guest: Anshel Sag
Producer: Ben Ellman
Music: Dale North and Terrence O’Brien
How to get your grill ready for the outdoor season
If you're like me, you've absolutely had enough of winter and you're hoping warm weather is right around the corner. When it's finally more enjoyable to spend time outside, you're likely going to be cooking on the grill, so now is a great time to give everything a deep clean to prepare for your upcoming culinary adventures.
I don’t blame you if you opted to let your grill hibernate during the winter months, but if that’s the case, it’ll probably need a tune-up before spring arrives. If you did keep the grill in working order over the last few months, this is a good time for a scrub and polish before warmer temperatures inspire heavy use. Here are a few tips and tricks that will hopefully make things easier.
Disassemble, scrub, reassemble
A good rule of thumb when it comes to cleaning anything you haven’t used in a while is to take it apart as much as you feel comfortable and give it a thorough wipe down. For grills, this means removing the grates and any bars or burner covers – basically, anything you can take out that’s not the heating element. This gives you a chance to inspect the burners of your gas grill or the fire pot of a pellet model for any unsightly wear and tear. If those components are worn out or overly rusted, most companies offer replacements that you can easily swap out with a few basic tools.
Once all the pieces are out, start by scraping excess debris off all sides of the interior – with the help of some cleaner if needed. For a gas grill, this likely means pushing everything out through the grease trap. On a pellet grill, you’ll want to scrape the grease chute clear and out into the catch can, but you’ll also need to vacuum the interior with a shop vac – just like you would after every few hours of use. And while you’re at it, go ahead and empty the hopper of any old pellets that have been sitting since Labor Day. Fuel that’s been sitting in the grill for months won’t give you the best results when it comes time to cook so you might as well start fresh.
Thankfully, pellet grill companies have made easy cleaning a key part of their designs. Weber’s Searwood, for example, has minimal internal parts that need to be removed to open up the bottom of the chamber. This is also a design feature of the company’s gas grills. Simply vacuum or push the debris out the grease chute. The catch pan where all of the garbage ends up is also easy to access from the front of the grill, and you can remove the aluminum liner and replace it with a new one in seconds.
Traeger’s most recent pellet grills were also redesigned to improve cleaning. Most notably, grease and ash end up in the same “keg” that’s easy to detach from the front of the grill. The company also allows you to quickly remove all of the interior components, though they’re larger than what you find on the SmokeFire. Lastly, Traeger moved the pellet chute to the front of the Timberline and Ironwood, making it a lot more convenient to swap out wood varieties or empty an old supply.
You’ll want to get as much of the food leftovers out of your grill as possible for a few reasons. First, that stuff is old and lots of build-up over time can hinder cooking performance and might impact flavor. The last thing you want is old food or grease burning off right under an expensive ribeye. Second, in the case of pellet grills, not properly clearing out grease and dust can be dangerous. It’s easy for grease fires to start at searing temperatures and if there’s enough pellet dust in the bottom of your grill, it can actually ignite or explode. That’s why companies tell you to vacuum it out after every few hours of use.
To actually clean the surfaces, you’ll want to get an all-natural grill cleaner. There are tons of options here, and it may take some time to find one you like. I typically use Traeger’s formula since it’s readily available at the places I buy pellets and I’ve found it works well cutting through stuck-on muck. You want an all-natural grill cleaner over a regular household product as it’s safe to use on surfaces that will touch your food. They’re also safe to use on the exterior of your grill without doing any damage to chrome, stainless steel or any other materials.
Spray down the inside and give things a few minutes to work. Wipe it all clean and go back over any super dirty spots as needed. Ditto for the grates, bars and any other pieces you removed. I like to lay these out on a yard waste trash bag (they’re bigger than kitchen bags) so all the stuff I scrape or clean off doesn’t get all over my deck. You can use shop towels if you want to recycle or paper towels if not, but just know whatever you choose will be covered in nasty black grime so you won’t want to just toss them in the clothes washer when you’re done. A pre-wash in a bucket or sink is needed to make sure you don’t transfer gunk from your grill to your business casuals.
In terms of tools, you don’t need much. I’ve tried that grill robot that claims to do the job for you, but I’ve found sticking to the basics is more efficient. And honestly, when you get the hang of it, it doesn’t take all that long. It’s a good idea to have a wire brush specifically for the grates that you don’t use to clean anything else. After all, this will be touching the same surfaces you put food on. I recommend another, smaller wire brush – the ones that look like big toothbrushes – for cleaning the burners on a gas grill. If you notice the flame isn’t firing through one of the holes, you can use this to clean the pathway. Lastly, plastic is the way to go for a scraper, anything else and you risk scratching the surfaces of your grill. Sure, any damage done would be on the inside, but it’s still not a great feeling to knick up your previous investment.
Check for updates before your first cook
If you have a smart grill from the likes of Traeger, Weber or another company, you’ll want to plug it in and check for software updates well in advance of your first grilling session. Chances are you haven’t cooked much since last fall, which means companies have had months to push updates to their devices. Trust me, there’s nothing worse than spending an hour trimming and seasoning a brisket only to walk outside to start the grill and it immediately launches into the update process. This could extend the whole cooking time significantly depending on the extent of the firmware additions and strength of your WiFi.
Thankfully, checking for updates is quick and easy. All you need to do is turn on your grill and open up the company’s app on your phone. If there’s a download ready for your model, the mobile software will let you know and it’s usually quite prominent. If there’s not a pop-up alert that displays immediately, you can check the settings menu just to make sure. Sometimes for smaller updates, a company might not beat you over the head to refresh. However, starting a fresh slate of firmware is always a safe bet and will ensure your grill is running at its best when it comes time to cook.
For a good time every time, clean after each use
I’ll be the first to admit I don’t adhere to my own advice here, but it’s nice to have goals. I will also be the first to tell you every single time I smoke a Boston Butt or some other super fatty cut of meat that I wish I would’ve done at least a quick cleaning right after the meal. Grease buildup is not only highly flammable but it’s much harder to clean once it cools and solidifies. Ditto for stuck-on sauce or cheese that’s left on your grates after chicken or burgers. It’s best to attack these things while the grill is still warm, but cooled down from the cook.
You don’t necessarily have to break out the shop vac each time for your pellet grill or empty the grease bin. But you’ll want to make sure that stuff is away from the main cooking area for safety and so any burn off won’t impact the flavor of your food. A few cups of hot water can cleanse the grease run-off while that wire brush I mentioned is best for the grates. It also doesn’t hurt to do a light wipe down with an all-natural cleaner so everything is ready to go when you want to cook again.
New grills for 2026
If you're looking for something brand new this spring, Weber is the only big grill company that has announced its 2026 lineup thus far. That collection of new models includes the Performer Smart Charcoal Grill, the company's first Wi-Fi-enabled charcoal grill, that offers automatic temperature control and remote monitoring via the Weber Connect app. There are two options which vary based on how big of a cart/storage space you need. The company will also sell non-smart versions that are more in line with previous Performer offerings.
If you already have a Weber Kettle, the upcoming Kettle Smart Ring adds a touch of Wi-Fi and automation for $280. It too works with the Weber Connect app and supports two food probes. Plus, there's the basic LCD display and knob-based navigation for ease of use. Lastly, both the Genesis and Spirit gas grill lines have been updated with the display from the Weber Slate Griddle and side shelves that accommodate handy Weber Works accessories.
Notable smart grills that debuted late last year include the X-Fire Pro and Flagship 1600 from Recteq. The former is a dual-mode pellet grill with options for smoking and searing. It functions like a traditional pellet grill for low-and-slow cooking and then the controls are more like a gas grill for high-heat grilling. The Flagship 1600 is an updated version of "the grill that built the brand" with 1,667 square inches of cooking space. Both models sync with the Recteq app for monitoring and controls. I should have a full review of the X-Fire Pro in the coming weeks.
Both Kamado Joe and Masterbuilt won't be unveiling any new models this year. Traeger hasn't announced anything new for 2026 yet either, but the company is currently facing both a financial crisis and a class-action lawsuit from former brand ambassadors over employment terms. As part of the so-called Project Gravity restructuring, Traeger no longer hosts its roadshow program at Costco and points would-be buyers to retail partners (Ace Hardware, etc.) rather than facilitating direct sales through its website.
Check out more from our spring cleaning guide.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/kitchen-tech/how-to-clean-your-grill-for-summer-outdoor-season-spring-cleaning-140040826.html?src=rssBlue Origin also wants to put AI data centers in space
Blue Origin has revealed its plans for an orbital AI data center system in a new filing with the Federal Communications Commission. The company has asked the agency for permission to deploy 51,600 satellites, as reported by the Wall Street Journal and SpaceNews. Called Project Sunrise, the initiative aims to launch and operate a constellation of satellites that can deliver computing capacity for artificial intelligence uses.
Project Sunrise’s satellites will be placed in sun-synchronous orbits at altitudes between 311 and 1,118 miles. Each layer in the constellation will have between 300 to 1,000 satellites and will be approximately 3 to 6 miles apart. In its filing, Blue Origin said the constellation would complement terrestrial data centers.
The satellites will, of course, will be fitted with solar panels to be able to gather energy from the sun. Blue Origin explained that the orbital AI data center will lower the “marginal cost of compute capacity compared to terrestrial alternatives,” because the satellites will be powered by the sun, won’t need land and won’t need grid infrastructure. Project Sunrise will “enable US companies developing and using AI to flourish, accelerating breakthroughs in machine learning, autonomous systems and predictive analytics,” Blue Origin added.
By filing its request with the FCC, Blue Origin has officially joined SpaceX in the list of companies looking to build an AI data center in space. In January, SpaceX asked the FCC for permission to deploy 1 million satellites for its constellation. The company justified at the time that “orbital data centers are the most efficient way to meet the accelerating demand for AI computing power.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/blue-origin-also-wants-to-put-ai-data-centers-in-space-115614142.html?src=rssOpenAI is putting ChatGPT, its browser and code generator into one desktop app
OpenAI is developing a “super app” for desktop that unifies ChatGPT, its browser and its Codex app, according to the Wall Street Journal and CNBC. A company spokesperson told the publications that OpenAI Chief of Applications Fidji Simo will lead the application revamp with assistance from OpenAI President Greg Brockman. Simo will also help the marketing team advertise the app when it comes out. OpenAI’s leadership is apparently hoping that combining several products can help it streamline user experience and dedicate its resources to one project.
The company has yet to make an official announcement about the new app, but Simo replied to the Journal piece’s author on X. “Companies go through phases of exploration and phases of refocus; both are critical,” Simo said. “But when new bets start to work, like we're seeing now with Codex, it's very important to double down on them and avoid distractions. Really glad we're seizing this moment.”
The Journal saw the internal note Simo sent to employees, wherein she said that the company realized it was spreading its efforts across too many apps and that it needed to simplify its efforts. “That fragmentation has been slowing us down and making it harder to hit the quality bar we want,” she reportedly wrote. In an all-hands meeting, CNBC said she also told employees that the company was “orienting aggressively” towards high-productivity use cases.
It’s not clear yet when the unified app will be available, but OpenAI is reportedly focusing on developing agentic AI capabilities for it. The agents will be able to make decisions and use tools to do tasks on computers, such as writing software or analyzing data, with little human oversight.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-is-putting-chatgpt-its-browser-and-code-generator-into-one-desktop-app-025709839.html?src=rssAlphabet no longer has a controlling stake in its life sciences business Verily
Alphabet's life sciences business Verily is restructuring and raising money as a new corporate entity. Verily announced that with its $300 million investment round, it will change from an LLC to a corporation and rename itself Verily Health Inc. As a result, Alphabet now has a minority stake rather than a controlling one in the business.
Similar to every other tech business, this chapter for Verily will be focused on AI. “From research to care, our customers need solutions that bring the best of clinical and scientific rigor together with AI to deliver the next generation of healthcare - one that is as precise as it is personal," Chairman and CEO Stephen Gillett said.
Google Life Sciences was renamed Verily in 2015, around the same time as Google also rebranded to Alphabet. It has worked on a wide range of projects over the years, such as using eye scans to predict heart disease and an opioid addiction center. In 2025, it closed its medical device division, a move that may have signaled its shift toward AI.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/alphabet-no-longer-has-a-controlling-stake-in-its-life-sciences-business-verily-221718631.html?src=rssStates are suing the EPA for relinquishing its role as a greenhouse gas emissions regulator
California, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York are leading a group of 20 other states in suing the US Environmental Protection Agency for renouncing its ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, The New York Times reports. The lawsuit specifically argues that the EPA's decision to rescind a 2009 study that determined greenhouse gases are dangerous to public health was illegal. The study, which is the source of what's called the "Endangerment Finding," was one of several justifications — along with things like the Clean Air Act — for the agency's ability to regulate emissions.
Rescinding the finding nullified the EPA's evidence for things like emissions standards and a variety of other regulations that attempted to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases produced by the automotive, coal and oil industries. The Trump administration framed the rollback as a cost-saving measure, but it was also a major blow to the government's ability to fight climate change. Greenhouse gases, which include things like carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, collect in the atmosphere and warm the planet, upsetting weather patterns and negatively impacting the environment. Determining the changes caused by greenhouse gases posed a risk to public health gave the EPA the authority to regulate them under its existing mandate to address air pollution. An authority it could have again, depending on the result of this litigation.
Of course, winning a lawsuit isn't necessary to restore the EPA's role in fighting climate change. Congress could do that now by passing a new law. The legal route is just faster, and potentially riskier. The New York Times writes that this new lawsuit was filed in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, and could ultimately be combined with an existing lawsuit from environmental groups. Depending on how the case fairs in the lower court, it may eventually be appealed to the US Supreme Court, who could decide on an even more restrictive interpretation of the EPA's role.
Under President Donald Trump, the EPA has already rolled back clean water rules and attempted to stifle research. The Trump administration has separately tried to undermine the authority of independent agencies like the EPA and FTC, something the Supreme Court has yet to determine to be illegal.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/states-are-suing-the-epa-for-relinquishing-its-role-as-a-greenhouse-gas-emissions-regulator-221425064.html?src=rssAmazon acquires autonomous robotics startup Rivr
Amazon has acquired Rivr, a startup focused on autonomous robotics. Rivr is based in Zurich and was valued at $110 million in a funding round from August 2024, which both Amazon and its CEO's Bezos Expeditions participated in. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Rivr's robots have four legs and wheels that allow it to maneuver on stairs and other potentially uneven surfaces. The company just released its second generation of the robot. The purchase will likely further Amazon's capabilities for ever-faster and more efficient package deliveries.
"This acquisition reflects our commitment to a continued investment in research, which we believe has the potential to further improve safety outcomes and the overall delivery experience for delivery service partners and their delivery associates," a representative from Amazon told The Information.
Amazon has been working toward introducing automations and robotics at various stages of its shopping business. It deployed its 1 millionth robot last summer and has future goals for automating 75 percent of all its operations.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/amazon-acquires-autonomous-robotics-startup-rivr-212839750.html?src=rssDoorDash will start paying gig workers for creating content to train AI models
DoorDash has launched a new option for its gig economy workers to earn some extra cash. The delivery service introduced Tasks, which it describes as "short activities Dashers can complete between deliveries or in their own time." It gives taking pictures of restaurant dishes or recording video of unscripted conversations in languages other than English as examples. These materials will be used to train artificial intelligence and robotics models.
A representative from DoorDash told Bloomberg News that it will use Tasks content for evaluating its in-house AI models as well as those made by its partner companies in retail, insurance, hospitality and tech. DoorDash is piloting a standalone app for Tasks where Dashers will submit their content. The blog post notes that pay will be displayed upfront, and compensation will vary based on the complexity of the activity.
This idea isn't new. We've seen other startups in AI and robotics offering payment for content filmed by regular people. Considering how many lawsuits are underway against AI companies that have already benefited from unauthorized use of copyrighted materials, at least this approach lets people be directly compensated for training content.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/doordash-will-start-paying-gig-workers-for-creating-content-to-train-ai-models-204048743.html?src=rssGoogle is reportedly testing a Gemini app for Mac
Google is testing a version of its Gemini app for macOS, Bloomberg reports. The app would bring the AI assistant to uncharted territory, and in more direct competition with OpenAI's ChatGPT and Anthropic's Claude, both of which offer standalone Mac apps.
Gemini remains accessible through the web, and it sounds like the macOS app offers the same set of features, with the ability to respond to prompts, search the web and generate text, images and code. The major differentiator of the Mac app could be a feature called "Desktop Intelligence," which gives Gemini a new source of information and context for its responses. According to a message in the app's code viewed by Bloomberg, "when you enable apps for Desktop Intelligence you are enabling Gemini to see what you see (such as screen context) and pull content directly from these apps to improve and personalize your experience only when Gemini is in use."
The ability to refer to information in apps and what's currently on your screen is offered by both the Claude and ChatGPT macOS apps, and something Gemini is capable of on mobile devices. It's not clear if Gemini for macOS will be able to actually take action in the apps it can view — like, for example, Anthropic's popular Claude Cowork feature — but Google has already started offering that experience in a limited form on smartphones, so who's to say that couldn't come to desktop operating systems, too.
Bloomberg reports that the Gemini app is being tested with non-Google employees, which could be a sign it's making its way to a public release. Thanks to Apple and Google's AI partnership, whether the app sees the light of day or not, some of the technology that makes Gemini possible will run on macOS in the future. Google and Apple announced in January that Google's Gemini models would power future versions of Apple Intelligence. Apple is also reportedly overhauling Siri into more of a chatbot, an experience likely made possible by Gemini.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-is-reportedly-testing-a-gemini-app-for-mac-203703372.html?src=rssAndroid will hide some app sideloading behind a new one-time security process
Google has detailed how users will be able to sideload apps from unverified developers once it implements its more restrictive policy towards downloading software on Android. The company originally planned to require all developers to be "verified" to distribute on Android, but softened its stance in November 2025 to allow carveouts for Android power-users and hobbyist developers.
For the average Android users, the ability to sideload apps will now be locked behind a multi-step one-time process. Users will first have to enable developer mode in settings, confirm they're not being coached into disabling security, restart their phone (to cut off any phone calls), then wait a day and confirm their identity with biometric authentication or a pin before installing any apps. Google says you can enable the ability to install apps from unverified developers for seven days or indefinitely, but regardless of what you'll choose, you'll still have to dismiss a warning telling you the app you're installing is from an unverified developer.
For hobbyist developers or students who want people to try their app but don't want to create a verified developer account, Google also plans to offer free "limited distributions accounts" that let you share apps without being verified. These accounts will let you share apps with up to 20 devices without having "to provide a government-issued ID or pay a registration fee."
Google is implementing its new verification process in the name of security, and has likened the requirements being asked of developers to "an ID check at the airport, which confirms a traveler's identity but is separate from the security screening of their bags." Neither the verification nor this new approach to sideloading entirely closes off getting apps from unverified developers onto your Android device, they just make it harder to download something dangerous directly from the internet onto your phone.
Google appears to be trying to split the difference on Android, tightening up what apps can be distributed via verification, while cutting its own Play Store fees and changing its stance towards third-party app stores. Requiring verification to distribute software extends Google's influence outside of its own apps and app store, which is why some developers and digital rights organizations have publicly pushed back on the company's plan.
Developers can sign-up for early access to the developer verification process now. Google says its new workflow for enabling sideloading and small distributions of apps will go live in August.
Correction, March 19, 2026, 3:44PM ET: The headline has been change to clarify that the new procedure does not apply to all app sideloading.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/android-will-hide-app-sideloading-behind-a-new-one-time-security-process-184651171.html?src=rssThe Steam Spring Sale is here with discounts on Arc Raiders, Hades 2 and much more
The Steam Spring Sale is underway and as usual, there's plenty of good stuff to add to your library. The seasonal discounts will run through Thursday, March 26 at 1PM ET. If there's anything you've been waiting to buy, it's worth checking to see if it's on sale now, because huge chunks of the Steam catalog are at least a little bit off.
Recent releases don't usually receive big price cuts during Steam sales, but you can save at least a couple bucks on several 2025 hits this time. The excellent Arc Raiders is $32, Doom: The Dark Ages is about $23 and Battlefield 6 is $42. Silent Hill f is half off at $35 for the horror fans, and indie appreciators can snag Hades 2 for less than $23.
No Man's Sky is $24 for endless space adventures. Check out Ghost of Tsushima on PC for $36 or be the meanest cowboy in the west in Red Dead Redemption 2 for $15.
We usually spy some indie excellence on the sale list and this year is no different. Is This Seat Taken? is a few bucks off, as is Megabonk. Explore the islands of Tchia for 75 percent off. No Rest for the Wicked, a newer title from the team behind Ori and the Blind Forest, is $28. Perennial Steam Sale fave Stardew Valley is half off for the five of you who don't already own it.
This spring, the steep discount section has a few especially notable titles. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate, Fallout New Vegas and Totally Accurate Battle Simulator are among the games that are 90 percent off.
Now you'll just need to play everything you buy before the Summer Sale.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-steam-spring-sale-is-here-with-discounts-on-arc-raiders-hades-2-and-much-more-184000691.html?src=rssMeta will move away from human content moderators in favor of more AI
A little more than a year after ditching third-party fact checkers and rolling back much of its proactive content moderation, the company says it will further "transform" its approach by drastically reducing the number of human moderators in favor of AI-based systems. The company says the change will happen "over the next few years," and will allow the company to catch more issues faster than its current approach.
Meta didn't say how much of its contract workforce might be cut as it makes this transition. The company employs thousands of contractors around the world to review content flagged by its AI systems and user reports among other tasks. The company said that as it shifts its approach humans will "play a key role" in "critical decisions" and aid in training and other tasks.
"Experts will design, train, oversee, and evaluate our AI systems, measuring performance and making the most complex, high‑impact decisions," Meta said in an update. "For example, people will continue to play a key role in how we make the highest risk and most critical decisions, such as appeals of account disablement or reports to law enforcement."
The company has been testing LLM-based systems for content moderation for a while and says that early tests have had "promising" results. Another advantage is that its AI can handle languages used by "98% of people online," compared with the 80 languages currently supported by its moderation capabilities.
While Meta says its underlying rules aren't changing, the new approach could dramatically change users' perception of how Meta enforces its policies. The company already relies heavily on AI for certain rules, and many users believe that these systems make too many mistakes and make it difficult for their appeals to reach a set of human eyes. On the other hand, Meta, which stands to save a lot of money if it significantly downsizes its contract workforce, says its new systems make "fewer over-enforcement mistakes" and catch more of the most "severe" violations.
In the nearer term, Meta is introducing an AI powered "support assistant" that will help users with certain types of account issues. The chatbot, which is rolling out now in the Facebook and Instagram app, will be able to help users report content and manage appeals, reset passwords and manage other account settings. It will also be able to help people who get locked out of their accounts "starting with select cases in the US and Canada."
Don’t be surprised that the FBI is buying your location data
The FBI has confirmed to the Senate it is once again buying data which can be used to track the locations of US citizens. That may have surprised the people who thought the precedent in Carpenter v. United States prohibited it. But while that case examined if it was legal for law enforcement to obtain location data from mobile networks without a warrant, here the FBI and other agencies have found a way to skirt the Fourth Amendment entirely. Over the last few years, they have taken to just buying location data from the same companies which power the enormous online advertising ecosystem.
Where does this data come from?
When your phone is connected to the internet, it broadcasts about itself, and so do the apps and platforms you use. That information includes your IP address and device type, as well as your longitude and latitude if your device has GPS. This data, known as Bidstream, alongside any third party cookies tied to your device, enables the process of Real Time Bidding (RTB). RTB is the process where your attention is auctioned off to the highest bidder in the milliseconds after you’ve loaded a page. In order to make the auctions work, these platforms need to know as much about you as they can.
As I explained in depth back in 2021, data such as your location and IP address is broadcast over the ad networks. This information can also be aggregated, licensed or sold to data brokers who can pair this with any “deterministic data” available. For instance, if you sign up to a platform and tell them your name, email address and annual income, that data could be licensed to a data broker. Even banks looking for new revenue streams are planning to license anonymized customer data to these companies. Data brokers can easily combine the two streams of information to build out a fairly extensive picture of you as a person, and what advertisers will be the most interested in you. Unfortunately, it’s extremely difficult to opt out of this and, even if it were, it would be even more difficult to destroy the data already in circulation.
In 2018 French company Vectaury, which acted as an ad sales intermediary for mobile apps, was inspected by the French data protection regulator. Officials found the company had built a database containing the personal data of 67.6 million people without proper consent.
Data brokers don’t just harvest and hoard this data to make online ad sales, however, they will also license and sell its databases to others. Lawmakers believe that these brokers have sold this data to rival nations looking for ways to spy on US citizens.
How are law enforcement agencies getting it?
In January, 404Media revealed the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) bought access to tools supplied by cybersecurity company Penlink. Specifically, it purchased access to tools named Tangles and Webloc, which can be used to surveil large numbers of people at once. The latter tool reportedly has the power to identify smartphones in a given area and time, and can then follow them on their journey through the day and back to their home at night.
Given the secretive nature of its business, Penlink does not reveal much about how its tools operate. A since-removed marketing page says Webloc automatically analyzes “location based information” available in “endless digital channels from the web ecosystem.” And 404Media’s report says these tools access “commercially available smartphone location data,” supplied by third-party data brokers. Forbes reports the system can also pull together data from a variety of sources, including social media, to offer a real-time view of an event. The Texas Observer says Webloc can use this information to enable “warrantless device tracking.”
A number of other US law enforcement agencies have also purchased location data from data brokers, including the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, the Secret Service and the Internal Revenue Service. This isn’t just limited to government agencies, however, as anti-abortion groups did similar while targeting people visiting Planned Parenthood clinics.
How can this be legal?
The Fourth Amendment guarantees the right of the people to be protected from “unreasonable searches and seizures,” made without probable case. But, as Dori H. Rahbar wrote in the Columbia Law Review, “the Fourth Amendment does not regulate open market transactions.” Aaron X Sobel, writing in the Yale Law and Policy Review, described the practice as “end-running warrants,” and urged legislators to close this loophole. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), is also pushing for legislation under the Fourth Amendment is Not For Sale Act.
It’s not likely that such legislation will be passed for a long time, and a cynic would suggest it’s not possible under the current administration. But, even if it is, it won’t address the bigger issue of the ad tech industry and its partners vacuuming up as much information about us as it can. When these companies — many of which aren’t even known to the public — are able to store up enough information on us that, if they were so motivated, they could follow our path through the day, it’s a sign something is very rotten indeed. If we’re concerned about governments having this sort of access, then we should be equally nervous about anyone else having it as well.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/dont-be-surprised-that-the-fbi-is-buying-your-location-data-182047627.html?src=rssThe complete Stranger Things DVD set includes 25 discs and costs around $200
Stranger Things fans will soon have permanent access to the Upside Down, as a full DVD set is now available to preorder. Stranger Things: The Complete Series comes in Blu-Ray and 4K UHD editions.
This collection includes all five seasons of the hit show, which totals 25 discs. It'll be available at brick-and-mortar and online retailers beginning on July 28. Prices range from $200 to $260, depending on the media type and edition.
Return to Hawkins this July with STRANGER THINGS: THE COMPLETE SERIES, available in Special and Deluxe Editions on Blu-ray and 4K UHD.
— Arrow Video (@ArrowFilmsVideo) March 19, 2026
Pre-order in the US via Arrow: https://t.co/wJbH9FJvo1
Pre-order in the UK via Arrow: https://t.co/yXi3HBPA42 pic.twitter.com/ddYQVcB04J
To that end, there's a deluxe edition available for true diehards. This includes the complete series, of course, but also bonus content like bloopers, interviews with the cast and crew and various behind-the-scenes featurettes. It also comes with a bunch of doodads, like a self-adhesive Hellfire Club patch, five posters, 25 smaller art cards, a fold-out map of Hawkins and a branded twenty-sided die.
There's a collector's box and each season comes in reversible sleeves with new artwork. Finally, this edition ships with a large artbook that includes original design sketches, concept art, storyboards and more. This is a pretty cool and comprehensive package.
The price might seem high, but Stranger Things consists of 42 episodes and they get pretty lengthy in seasons four and five. In any event, owning physical media of stuff you like is never a bad idea, given that everything on streaming is subject to the whims of executives looking to avoid paying residuals or whatever.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/the-complete-stranger-things-dvd-set-includes-25-discs-and-costs-around-200-172222577.html?src=rssUbisoft ends development at Tom Clancy studio Red Storm
Ubisoft is ceasing game development at its studio, Red Storm Entertainment, best known for its work on the Tom Clancy’s series. While the studio is set to remain open, 105 people will be laid off, a Ubisoft source told GamesIndustry.biz.
Those who survive the cull will reportedly continue to work on the Snowdrop engine, used in many of Ubisoft’s tentpole games over the last decade, including Star Wars Outlaws and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora more recently. Red Storm had been working on an untitled Splinter Cell VR game that was canceled in 2022, as well as the also-canceled The Division Heartland.
The studio was co-founded by the author Tom Clancy himself in 1996 (taking its name from Clancy's novel Red Storm Rising), and in its 30 years has worked on a large number of Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six games, among others. It also developed 2023’s broadly well-received Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR.
According to GamesIndustry.biz’s source, the layoffs at Red Storm are part of Ubisoft’s wider cost-saving reorganization, which has resulted in sweeping job cuts and game cancellations across the French publisher's portfolio.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ubisoft-ends-development-at-tom-clancy-studio-red-storm-170847892.html?src=rssMeta isn't shutting down its VR metaverse after all
Meta is backtracking on its plans to shut down the VR version of its metaverse. The company now plans to support Horizon Worlds in VR for the "foreseeable future," though users shouldn't expect new games, CTO Andrew Bosworth said in an update.
"We will keep Horizon Worlds working in VR for existing games, to support the fans who've reached out," Bosworth said in a post on Instagram. "For people who already have games they like that they're using in Horizon Worlds, [they] will be able to download the Horizon Worlds app and use it in VR for the foreseeable future."
The reversal comes after Meta said earlier this week that Horizon Worlds in VR would no longer be accessible after June 15 as the company pivots its metaverse experiences to mobile. Though Horizon never gained mass appeal, even among VR enthusiasts, Meta's move to shut it down was just the latest sign of how the company has pivoted away from its metaverse ambitions as it chases AI "superintelligence."
In his post on Instagram, Bosworth said there was "a lot of misinformation" about the company's plans. "We announced, 'hey, we're moving away from Horizon Worlds in VR,' and the headline is that Horizon is dead," he said. "It's not. And likewise, VR is not dead. We're continuing to invest tremendously." The company laid off more than 1,000 employees from its metaverse division and shut down three VR studios earlier this year. Bosworth said that the company is still working on its next two generations of VR headsets.
He described the metaverse as a "misunderstood concept" that was never meant to only encompass virtual reality. He said that AR is also part of the vision and that even people scrolling their phones could be part of the metaverse. "When somebody is using their phone and you're physically with them, they're at the dinner table with you, and yet when you talk to them, they hear nothing because they've transported themselves through the glowing rectangle into a digital space," he said. "Maybe that they're scrolling media, maybe that they're in the text world, but like they have transported themselves. So we've always had this internally — at least me and Mark — this very expansive construct of the metaverse."
Kena: Bridge of Spirits launches for Switch 2 on March 26
The Switch 2 ports keep on coming. This time it's Kena: Bridge of Spirits, the award-winning 2021 title from Ember Lab. Previously announced for spring 2026, the visually striking title now has an official release date of March 26.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits won Best Independent Game and Best Debut Indie Game at The Game Awards 2021. It's already available for PS5 / PS4, PC (Steam and Epic) and Xbox Series X/S and One.
You play as Kena, a young spirit guide on a quest to a sacred mountain shrine. Gameplay has a Zelda-like flair. (That could make it a solid next play after Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.) Like in Link’s adventures, you’ll find plenty of exploration, puzzles and fast-paced combat. That encompasses whacking bad guys with Kena's staff, firing arrows and flinging bombs.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits launches for Switch 2 on March 26 in North America, Europe and Asia. Meanwhile, folks in Thailand can get it a day earlier, on March 25. Details about Taiwan will be announced "soon." You can preorder the game today in North America and Europe and get a taste of its Pixar-esque art style in the trailer below.
Rivian will provide 50,000 robotaxis to Uber in a deal worth $1.25 billion
Rivian and Uber have entered into a major partnership, with the former to provide the latter with 50,000 robotaxis in a deal worth $1.25 billion in funding. This starts with Uber purchasing 10,000 Rivian R2 robotaxis, which will be deployed in San Francisco and Miami by 2028.
If all goes well, Uber will scoop up 40,000 more robotaxis by 2030. The company plans to scale the initiative to 25 major cities by 2031. The full $1.25 billion investment is contingent on several autonomous milestones, according to a report by Yahoo Finance. However, Uber has already committed $300 million as an initial investment, though this is subject to regulatory approval.
A fleet of R2 Robotaxis is coming exclusively to @Uber. ⚡🌿
— Rivian (@Rivian) March 19, 2026
Today, we announced a partnership to help both companies accelerate their autonomous vehicle plans across 25 cities in the US, Canada and Europe by the end of 2031. https://t.co/6WazhobMyr pic.twitter.com/9fzgmIsOd5
The announcement actually caused Rivian's stock to surge by ten percent before settling down to around four percent. This speaks to optimism surrounding the deal, given that just about every other stock is on the downswing at the moment due to certain geopolitical concerns.
This isn't Uber's only partnership for this type of thing. It's a giant company with robotaxi hands in a number of cookie jars. The rideshare platform recently unveiled its own in-house robotaxi fleet, which is a design partnership with Lucid and Nuro.
Our partner @nvidia has long helped power the AV ecosystem
— Andrew Macdonald (@andrewgordonmac) March 16, 2026
Now we’re working together to bring fully NVIDIA-driven L4 robotaxis to the @Uber platform across 28 cities by 2028, starting in LA and SF next year https://t.co/CeaxZ7dL8Z pic.twitter.com/2d2Fhol5S0
It also announced a partnership with NVIDIA to develop software-driven autonomous vehicles, which will begin deployment in Los Angeles and San Francisco by the first half of 2027. Uber even teamed up with Waymo to bring robotaxis to cities like Atlanta and Austin.
As for Rivian, the company is slowly but surely becoming the "cool" American EV maker, a position once held by Tesla. It just announced pricing and availability for the long-anticipated R2 electric SUV. It arrives this spring, with a starting cost of $58,000. A cheaper model is expected to go on sale in 2027.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/rivian-will-provide-50000-robotaxis-to-uber-in-a-deal-worth-125-billion-153856638.html?src=rssA new iPhone hacking tool puts some iOS 18 users at risk
Google and cybersecurity companies Lookout and iVerify have detailed a new hacking technique that potentially puts a significant portion of iPhone users in danger, just by visiting the wrong web page. The hack is called "DarkSword" and it currently targets iOS 18 releases between iOS 18.4 and iOS 18.6.2.
For its part, an Apple spokesperson told Engadget that the company had patched the underlying vulnerabilities in iOS versions 15 through 26 last year; the company also issued an emergency update for devices running iOS 15 and 16 that are unable to run newer versions of iOS. The company does note that users running iOS 13 or iOS 14 would need to update to at least iOS 15 to be protected; those operating systems were released in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
In response to this threat, Apple has also published details on what users can do to make sure they’re fully protected, which are essentially the same as what the company shared with Engadget. Even if you’re not running iOS 26, updates are and have been available to protect users from this particular threat. Apple also notes that the URLs detected and published in Google’s security blog are blocked by its Safe Browsing features in Safari.
DarkSword is a "fileless" hack that leverages a collection of exploits to access sensitive data when an iPhone visits an infected website. Rather than install spyware that hangs around on a user's phone after messages and other private information are stolen, fileless hacks like DarkSword take control of "the legitimate processes in an iPhone's operating system to steal data," according to Wired. Even more troubling, DarkSword deletes any evidence it was running on an iPhone after it finishes stealing your information.
The hack starts as soon as an iOS device encounters an "malicious iframe embedded in a web page," after which it works its way through your iPhone, gathering sensitive information like passwords before deleting itself. DarkSword can abscond with things like messages and iCloud content, but it's also specifically designed to access crypto currency wallets, Lookout says, which could indicate who was using DarkSword before it became widely available.
DarkSword has reportedly been used in Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Turkey and Russia, and its origins could be tied to a different hacking toolkit called Coruna that TechCrunch reports may have been created for the US government by a company called Trenchant. Regardless of where DarkSword came from, the tool didn't become widely available until its Russian users left DarkSword's source code on a website for anyone to access, "complete with explanatory comments in English that describe each component and include the 'DarkSword' name for the tool," Wired writes.
Apple patched the exploits that DarkSword and Coruna used in recent updates to iOS 26, the yearly software release from 2025 that followed iOS 18. DarkSword currently targets iOS 18 releases between iOS 18.4 and iOS 18.6.2, and according to Apple's latest iOS usage stats for developers, around 24 percent of iOS devices are still on some version of iOS 18.
However, Apple simultaneously released iOS 26 and iOS 18.7 on September 15, 2025. So even if people didn’t want to upgrade to iOS 26, Apple has released patches to mitigate the vulnerability. Apple’s stats indicate that about 24 percent of iPhone users are still on iOS 18, the actual number of potentially vulnerable phones is lower. Still, it’s a good reminder to stay on top of software updates if only for the security features if nothing else.
Update, March 19, 2026, 11:19AM ET: This story has been updated with details from Apple about what versions of iOS had been proactively patched to mitigate this vulnerability.
Update, March 19, 2026, 10:10AM ET: This story has been updated to note that while this vulnerability targets iOS 18, Apple released iOS 18 updates over the last six months that are secure against this attack.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/a-new-iphone-hacking-tool-puts-some-ios-18-users-at-risk-203745666.html?src=rssVampire Survivors spinoff Vampire Crawlers is coming to PC and consoles on April 21
Poncle could be about to ruin the planet’s productivity all over again now that Vampire Crawlers has a release date for PC and consoles. The dungeon-crawling roguelike deckbuilder — which is a Vampire Survivors spinoff — is coming to Steam, Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and Nintendo Switch on April 21. It’ll cost $10. Alternatively, you’ll be able to check it out via Xbox Game Pass on day one.
Vampire Crawlers is on the way to iOS and Android as well. However, you’ll have to wait until sometime later this year to play it on mobile devices.
Vampire Crawlers is set in the same world as Vampire Survivors and it features many of the same playable characters and enemies. The action takes place from a first-person perspective this time around. Instead of firing weapons automatically, you play cards to use your attacks or boost your stats. Each card has a mana cost, so there’s more of a strategic element to combat. Cards can be modified and weapons can be evolved.
Poncle made Vampire Crawlers with the help of Nosebleed Interactive. It’s the first of several Vampire Survivors spinoffs that Poncle has planned. There’s also a licensed Warhammer take on the original title coming soon.
While I didn’t get deep enough into it to experiment with some truly wild combos, I enjoyed what I played of the Vampire Crawlers demo. If you need me, I’ll be busy cancelling all of my other plans for late April.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/vampire-survivors-spinoff-vampire-crawlers-is-coming-to-pc-and-consoles-on-april-21-151217962.html?src=rssAlexa+ launches in the UK
Amazon’s next-generation smart assistant has entered its Early Access program in the UK, marking Alexa+’s European debut following rollouts in the US, Canada and Mexico. Starting March 19, invitations to start using the smarter, more conversational Alexa will be sent out to "hundreds of thousands" of willing participants, Amazon said in a press release, adding that Alexa is the most popular voice assistant in the UK.
As well as its more natural communication, agentic capabilities, contextual awareness and ability to remember previous conversations across devices, Amazon that users across the pond are getting an "authentically British" AI-powered assistant. It understands slang terms like "cuppa" and might even accuse you of taking the mick in the middle of a conversation. Can we rule out some cringe-inducing cockney impersonations? Absolutely not. It also distinguishes between, for example, how people in the UK say the date — "the 1st of April" — versus how it’s said in the US.
Amazon said that engineers, linguists and speech scientists have worked together at the company’s Cambridge-based Tech Hub to ensure the voice assistant understands British users, with naturally flowing conversations being a crucial part of the Alexa+ experience.
On the agentic side of things, the current lineup of UK partners will include OpenTable and, soon, JustEat, alongside existing partnerships with services like Spotify, Philips and Apple Music. Amazon also sources news from the likes of The Guardian and Future Publishing.
UK-based customers who purchase a new supported Echo device will automatically qualify for Early Access, and if you already own one you can register here to receive an invite. You can also try Alexa+ on select Fire TV devices and in a web browser.
During the Early Access period, which ran for nearly a year in the US before its nationwide rollout last month, Alexa+ will be free, and will remain free for Prime members. On its own it will cost £20 per month. As a reminder, Prime costs £9 per month in the UK (£95 annually) so it makes no sense whatsoever to pay more for Alexa+ exclusively when it's included in the main membership anyway.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/alexa-launches-in-the-uk-141058988.html?src=rssNothing Phone 4a Pro review: A midrange phone that rivals the Pixel 10a
Nothing takes a different tack with its phone series. For the second time in a row, its midrange entry-level A-series smartphones debuted ahead of its next flagship device. The company has even warned that we won’t be getting the Nothing Phone 4 until next year. Until then, the Phone 4a Pro is here to make an impact, with a more restrained design, a less obtrusive camera bump and specs that beat out last year’s Nothing Phone 3 — all for $499. In 2026, Nothing is truly aiming to dethrone the Pixel 10a.
Hardware
It’s a new look. That’s often the case with Nothing’s smartphones as the company typically reimagines or rejigs what you can see through the clear back panel. This year, however, Nothing is making bigger changes: this is its first metal (aluminum) unibody phone.
With a new periscope telephoto camera design, the jarringly thick camera bump of last year’s Phone 3a Pro is thankfully gone, resulting in a slice of smartphone that feels — and to some, looks — more premium and more refined than Nothing’s “flagship” Phone 3.
However, compared to the Nothing phones that came before, it also feels muted, and a little safe. The playfulness of Nothing has been hemmed in a little. You might prefer it, but I’m not sure I do.
Those identifiable Nothing design flourishes — red details, visible screens, lots and lots of circles — are now squeezed into a camera panel. This oblong area with curved corners houses a trio of cameras, a “Now Recording” red light and a tweaked Glyph Matrix, which we last saw on the Nothing Phone 3.
This new Glyph Matrix is bigger and brighter, but at a lower “resolution,” that’s made of 137 mini-LEDs. That’s fewer than the Nothing Phone 3’s 489-strong dot-matrix, but the LEDs here are 100 percent brighter. So bright, in fact, that I had to turn them down to their lowest brightness when I was using them.The 4a Pro, however, lacks the rear button on the Phone 3 that lets you cycle through Glyph functions. Does this mean the company has made it easy to switch between Glyph toys and notifications in the phone’s UI? Sadly not.
You can dip into the Glyph options through the main settings menu, but to change what the Glyph displays is hidden in a sub-tab. I also noticed that the offering of “toys” was limited, with fewer items than even the Nothing Phone 3 had at launch. Hopefully, this will expand once the phone officially launches.
The 4a Pro packs a bigger screen than the company’s flagship, with a 6.83-inch AMOLED screen running at 1.5K resolution. It also has a higher refresh rate than the 6.67-inch Phone 3. And on top of that, the Phone 4a Pro’s display has a peak brightness of 5,000 nits, making it Nothing’s brightest smartphone yet.
I’ve handled so many phones over the last four weeks that it’s often hard to discern the difference between brighter displays. Fortunately, I have the Nothing Phone 3 (and 3a Pro) to compare against the Phone 4a Pro. It’s noticeably brighter, and as we slowly get into sunnier weather, a smartphone that’s easier to read outdoors is always very welcome.
The Phone 4a Pro also has improved IP65 water and dust resistance, while Nothing says it's 42 percent more bend-resistant than the Phone 3a Pro as well. It’s also almost 0.5mm thinner, if you ignore the camera bump for those measurements. Factor that in and the Phone 4a Pro is almost 1.5mm thinner than its predecessor. This design change also makes Nothing’s newest phone feel far less top-heavy than the 3a Pro. Regardless of the aesthetic changes, this is unmistakably refined hardware.
Cameras
Besides the streamlined camera unit, with a new tetraprism periscopic lens that takes up less space, the Phone 4a Pro has improved imaging capabilities (almost) across the board. The new 50-megapixel periscope telephoto lens (which Nothing says also uses less power) has a 3.5x optical zoom, plus computational photography magic that can now crank it up to a (mostly unusable) 140x hybrid zoom.
The main 50MP sensor also features a bigger sensor for improved low-light performance. With an f/1.88 lens though, it doesn’t quite match the Phone 3’s main camera (f/1.68), both on paper and in practice. The array is rounded out with an 8MP ultrawide camera, which sounds like the weakest link, but I rarely use the ultrawide cameras on any phone aside from review testing. Oddly, the selfie camera is a technical downgrade in resolution, with a 32MP sensor on the 4a Pro, down from 50MP on the 3a Pro.
One new addition was co-developed by Google. Ultra XDR blends Android’s native HDR processing with Nothing’s own approach, capturing 13 RAW frames at different exposures and combining them to deliver greater dynamic range and detail. However, as proof of how new they are, your Ultra XDR images can’t be shared as easily. They do work with Google Photos and Instagram, at least. If it’s any consolation, Ultra XDR so far doesn’t seem hugely far away from typical HDR capture. I’ll keep testing the cameras and if I figure out where it really shines, I’ll update this review.
If one thing disappoints on the 4a Pro, it’s recording video. Switching between zoom levels will often completely derail exposure settings. Even if you record on a single camera at the same focal length, exposure levels seem extremely sensitive and struggle to stay locked. Footage is often muddy and low-light performance isn’t great, even if using the Ultra XDR video mode. You aren’t forced to endure this with the Pixel 10a, but then again, there’s no zoom on Google’s mid-range phone — just a lossless crop. In more forgiving lighting, video is adequate, but quality drops off beyond the 3.5x optical zoom. Still, the versatility and quality of the still images from both the main camera and the telephoto lens put it above every other smartphone at this price.
Performance and software
The Phone 4a Pro is now powered by a more capable processor: Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7 Gen 4. Nothing claims that, in addition to its own on-device optimizations, it improved CPU performance by 27 percent, GPU performance by 30 percent and AI performance by 65 percent compared to the Phone 3a series.
There’s certainly a big difference in performance while gaming. While the 3a series struggled with more complex games, the 4a Pro kept up with Red Dead Redemption and Diablo Immortal. It’s not the most polished interpretation of Decard Cain and the lands of Sanctuary, but it's responsive and playable, even at 60 fps, with only a few frame drops.
The Phone 4a has a 5,080mAh battery, roughly equivalent to its predecessor. It supports up to 50W fast charging, a tad faster than the Pixel 10a, though it lacks wireless charging support, unlike Google’s midranger. It’s one of the few signs that this isn’t Nothing’s “true” flagship, even if it looks the part.
I was pleasantly surprised by the battery life, too. Typically, phones are getting increasingly bigger batteries, but as I mentioned, that’s not the case here.. However, the 4a Pro lasted 24 hours in our battery rundown test, five hours more than last year’s model.
The Phone 4a Pro has all the software features either present or teased in older Nothing Phones. Essential Search is a system-wide search that can find terms in messages, files and the rest of your phone. There’s also a new Breathing Break widget; we definitely need that in 2026.
Essential Memory is Nothing’s name for its background algorithms and analysis, scrutinizing your phone’s contents as well as whatever’s saved in Essential Space. Nothing has added cloud storage for Space, aimed at devoted upgraders, meaning everything you saved on older compatible Nothing phones can be transferred over. Sure, it’s a little niche, but it was an early frustration while testing the Phone 3 after the 3a series. If, for some reason, you have to reset your device, keeping everything in Space backed up elsewhere is a boon.
Also, while it’s technically a hardware tweak, Nothing has also moved the Essential Key to the left edge of the phone, making it far less likely to be triggered when you’re adjusting the volume and more in line with other phones and my own smartphone muscle memory.
One caveat from previous Nothing devices remains. The company says it will deliver three years of Android updates and an additional three years of security patches. Compare that to Samsung’s seven years of Android updates for this year’s S26 series (and Google’s Pixel 10a), and you can see how it falls short.
Wrap-up
The Phone 4a Pro punches well above its $499 price tag. Nothing has successfully refined its hardware into a more premium, all-metal unibody, losing the jarring camera bump of its predecessor in favor of a sleek design that houses a genuinely impressive camera. The improved camera versatility, coupled with its class-leading 24-hour battery life and a more capable processor, makes this a serious threat to the Pixel 10a.
However, some of Nothing's signature playfulness has been dialed back. The Glyph Matrix, while brighter, is lower-resolution and its “toys” are disappointingly limited at launch. The lack of wireless charging is another nod to its midrange status.
Nothing’s Phone 4a Pro is a device with a clear identity, delivering on the essentials for half the price of many rivals.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/nothing-phone-4a-pro-review-glyph-matrix-130042005.html?src=rssUK fines 4chan nearly $700,000 for failing its online safety act obligations
UK’s Ofcom has fined 4chan a total of £520,000 ($690,000) over the website’s failure to comply with the rules of Online Safety Act 2023. The biggest chunk of the amount came from 4chan’s failure to ensure children cannot encounter pornographic content on its website by implementing an effective age check mechanism. For that violation, the website has received a penalty of £450,000 ($598,000) and an order to apply an age check system by April 2. It carries a daily rate penalty of £500 ($664) until the website is compliant or until June 1, whichever comes sooner.
Ofcom also found that 4chan has failed to carry out sufficient illegal content risk assessment on its website and has fined it £50,000 ($66,400) for that violation. 4chan has until April 2 to conduct a risk assessment, or it has to pay an additional £200 ($266) per day. Finally, the regulator has determined that 4chan failed to include provisions in its terms of service that specify how it protects users from illegal content. That carries a fine of £20,000 ($26,600), with a daily rate penalty of £100 ($133) a day from its compliance deadline of April 2 to June 1.
The regulator started investigating 4chan, famous for its anonymous and unmoderated messaging boards, in June 2025 to determine if it was failing to meet its obligations under the law. In October, Ofcom announced its decision for some of the investigations it opened. It slapped 4chan with a £20,000 ($26,700) fine for ignoring its requests for a copy of the website’s illegal harms risk assessment and to provide information about its qualifying worldwide revenue. The regulator has confirmed to Engadget that 4chan has yet to pay that previous fine, which also earned cumulative daily punishment fees for 60 days.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/uk-fines-4chan-nearly-700000-for-failing-its-online-safety-act-obligations-115106264.html?src=rssThe FBI confirms it's buying Americans' location data
During a Senate hearing, FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that his agency has bought information that could be used to track individuals' movement and location. "We do purchase commercially available information that’s consistent with the Constitution and the laws under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, and it has led to some valuable intelligence for us," he said.
Law enforcement is required to obtain a warrant in order to get location data from cell service providers following the Carpenter v United States ruling from 2018. But why bother with all that hassle when they can just buy the information from the open market?
"Doing that without a warrant is an outrageous end run around the Fourth Amendment, it’s particularly dangerous given the use of artificial intelligence to comb through massive amounts of private information," Sen. Ron Wyden, (D-Ore.) said during the Intelligence Committee hearing. Wyden is one of several lawmakers pushing for an overhaul of when and how the government can obtain citizens' personal information.
It's an overhaul that's badly needed. Patel already has a history of dubious use of government resources, such as ordering SWAT protections for his girlfriend and somehow horning in on men's hockey victory celebrations at the recent winter Olympics, so one would hope he's not also stretching the limits of the few privacy protections that do exist. Then outside the FBI, we have the Department of Homeland Security being sued for illegally tracking immigration raid protestors and the Pentagon's labeling of Anthropic as a supply-chain risk after the AI company refused to let its products be used for mass surveillance of Americans.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/the-fbi-confirms-its-buying-americans-location-data-230835196.html?src=rssA Meta agentic AI sparked a security incident by acting without permission
The Information reported that an AI agent within Meta took unauthorized action that led to an employee creating a security breach at the social company last week. According to the publication, an employee used an in-house agentic AI to analyze a query from a second employee on an internal forum. The AI agent posted a response to the second employee with advice even though the first person did not direct it to do so.
The second employee took the agent's recommended action, sparking a domino effect that led to some engineers having access to Meta systems that they shouldn't have permission to see. A representative from the company confirmed the incident to The Information and said that "no user data was mishandled." Meta's internal report indicated that there were unspecified additional issues that led to the breach. A source said that there was no evidence that anyone took advantage of the sudden access or that the data was made public during the two hours when the security breach was active. However, that may be the result of dumb luck more than anything else.
Many tech leaders and companies have touted the benefits of artificial intelligence, this is just the latest incident where human employees have lost control over an AI agent. Amazon Web Services experienced a 13-hour outage earlier this year that also (apparently coincidentally) involved its Kiro agentic AI coding tool. Moltbook, the social network for AI agents recently acquired by Meta, had a security flaw that exposed user information thanks to an oversight in the vibe-coded platform.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/a-meta-agentic-ai-sparked-a-security-incident-by-acting-without-permission-224013384.html?src=rssSenator Blackburn introduces the first draft of a federal AI bill
The White House has been promising a set of national rules to guide artificial intelligence since late last year, and today Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) fired the first volley. The senator shared a discussion draft for codifying the executive order signed by President Donald Trump in December calling for an AI bill. Her stated goal is a policy that "protects children, creators, conservatives and communities from harm."
Blackburn has called for tougher policies for AI safety, and one of the core messages in this discussion draft is that it "places a duty of care on AI developers in the design, development and operation of AI platforms to prevent and mitigate foreseeable harm to users." It also draws a line on the many copyright infringement questions raised by creative industries: "an AI model's unauthorized reproduction, copying, or processing of copyrighted works for the purpose of training, fine-tuning, developing, or creating AI does not constitute fair use under the Copyright Act."
Some of the other notable provisions are:
Requires covered online platforms, including social media platforms, to implement tools and safeguards to protect users under the age of 17 against online harms.
Protects the voice and visual likenesses of individuals and creators from the proliferation of digital replicas without their consent.
Sets new federal transparency guidelines for marking, authenticating and detecting AI-generated content.
Requires certain companies and federal agencies to issue reports on AI-related job effects, including layoffs and job displacement to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) on a quarterly basis.
It includes ending Section 230, marking the latest attempt to retire a law that has been questioned as a possible loophole for AI companies to escape liability when their tools cause harm. While AI critics might see positive signs here, remember that this is just the initial version of the framework. Lawmakers will likely spend a lot of time negotiating over the eventual result, which may be notably de-fanged from its current state. It could wind up with a lot more requirements echoing this Republican complaint: "Combats the consistent pattern of bias against conservative figures demonstrated by AI systems by requiring third-party audits to prevent discrimination based on political affiliation." Despite the claims of suppression and censorship, we’ve consistently seen this conservative argument to be false — or at the very least misleading.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/senator-blackburn-introduces-the-first-draft-of-a-federal-ai-bill-202509852.html?src=rssAmazon will reportedly cut its USPS shipments by at least two-thirds
A recent change in how the US Postal Service handles shipping partners appears to have forced Amazon to make alternative plans. The company reportedly plans to cut the number of packages it ships through USPS by at least two-thirds later this year. It says the decision came after USPS ended negotiations “at the eleventh hour” in favor of a new bidding process.
On Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Amazon plans to reduce the shipments it hands off to USPS. Last year, the company accounted for nearly 15 percent of the Postal Service’s package deliveries. Cutting that by nearly two-thirds diminishes one of the USPS’s most reliable sources of revenue. In fiscal 2025, the agency reported a net loss of $9 billion.
Amazon’s current contract with USPS ends on September 30. In a public response to the WSJ story, the company said it notified USPS in October 2025 that it would need to complete a new deal by December. “You can't add capacity for hundreds of millions of packages overnight — it requires major capital investment, long-term infrastructure planning, hiring, and logistics coordination,” Amazon wrote.
According to Amazon, USPS then pulled the plug on negotiations at the last second. “We negotiated with [USPS] in good faith for more than a year to reach a deal that would bring them billions in revenue and believed we were heading toward an agreement,” Amazon wrote in a statement. “Our goal was to increase our volumes with USPS, not reduce them — until USPS abruptly walked away at the eleventh hour in December.”
That’s when Postmaster General David Steiner implemented a new bidding process for last-mile deliveries, replacing a long-established one where USPS negotiated with shipping partners individually. He described the move as “a fair bidding process that enables the marketplace to find the best mix of local shipping attributes for the best volume-driven pricing.” Steiner was appointed to the post in May 2025, following the departure of former head Louis DeJoy.
Amazon said it submitted a bid in February using the new system but hasn’t heard back. “This creates significant uncertainty for our long-term network planning,” the company said. “Despite this, we participated in good faith and submitted a bid in February 2026. We've received no response.”
USPS plans to announce the bidding results in Q2 2026. Contracts are expected to be finalized by Q3. Despite apparently moving forward with the contingency plan, Amazon said it’s still “ready to continue this partnership.”
As for Postmaster Steiner, he spent Tuesday asking Congress to loosen USPS regulations and let him raise prices. Warning that the agency will “run out of cash” in about a year, he told a House subcommittee that he wants to raise the agency’s current $15 billion debt cap. He also asked for the ability to increase postage prices and reform its retiree pension obligations.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/amazon-will-reportedly-cut-its-usps-shipments-by-at-least-two-thirds-200915702.html?src=rssGoogle is testing Search Live in more markets
Update, 4:05PM ET: A few hours after this story was published, Google reached out to retract the news. The company provided Engadget with the following statement:
"Search Live has not rolled out globally to all users. It remains available in the US and India, with testing currently underway in additional markets. We apologize for the earlier miscommunication."
Given that the company says it is testing in more markets, it seems entirely possible that the global Search Live release will happen sooner than later. But, for now, it’s on hold.
The original, unedited article follows below:
After rolling out Search Live to all US Google app users last September, Google is now bringing the feature to every place where it offers its AI Mode chatbot. Search Live, if you need a reminder, allows you to point your phone's camera at an object or scene and ask questions about what you see in front of you. Google debuted the tool at I/O 2025 before it began rolling it out to users. With today's expansion, Search Live is available in more than 200 countries and territories.
What's more, Google has updated the feature to run off its Gemini 3.1 Flash model, an upgrade the company says should translate to more natural conversations, in addition to a faster and more reliable experience. The new model is also natively multilingual. You can access Search Live from the Google app on Android and iOS. Tap the "Live" button below the search bar to get started. You can also access Search Live through Google Lens. As in the Google app, look for the "Live" icon, here located near the bottom of the screen, to start chatting.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-is-testing-search-live-in-more-markets-150000316.html?src=rssHubble catches rare view of a comet crumbling
NASA and ESA have released new images from the Hubble Space Telescope of a comet breaking up as it exits the solar system, captured as part of study recently published in the journal Icarus. The images are notable not only because they offer a more detailed view of the inside of a comet, which could offer new information about the early days of the universe, but also because they were taken by accident.
Photographing K1, or "Comet C/2025 K1" as it's officially known, wasn't the original intention of the study. "This comet [was] observed because our original comet was not viewable due to some new technical constraints after we won our proposal," John Noonan, a research professor in the Department of Physics at Auburn University in Alabama said. "We had to find a new target — and right when we observed it, it happened to break apart, which is the slimmest of slim chances."
The comet broke up over a period of days into "at least four pieces," each with a "fuzzy envelope of gas and dust" around them, with Hubble specifically capturing the disassembly from November 8 through November 10, 2025. K1 was interesting before it started to crumble because at "around 8 kilometers across" (about 5 miles), it's larger than the average comet, and having footage of it shattering will likely offer new insights into the physics of comets in general. Additionally, the lack of carbon in the gases released by the comet as it broke is apparently "chemically very strange," which suggests the composition of K1 could bear scientific fruit, too.
Hubble has tracked comets of different sizes and compositions for years. Studying them remains a focus because comets are frequently made of ice and rock from the primordial period when solar systems were first forming. The ESA hopes to dramatically expand our understanding of that period with its "Comet Interceptor" mission, which is supposed to launch in 2028 or 2029, and aims to use photos captured from multiple angles to create a 3D model of a comet.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/hubble-catches-rare-view-of-a-comet-crumbling-185817544.html?src=rssPerplexity's Comet AI browser is now available for iPhones
Perplexity's Comet AI browser is now available as a standalone app for iPhone users. The tool initially debuted last summer on PCs, but cost $200 a month. The new app is free, as is the recently-released Android version.
Comet is an AI-powered browser, which has become a hot product category throughout the past year or so. This is basically a web browser combined with a chatbot that can perform some tasks on a user's behalf. Like related tools, people can ask it to summarize a webpage or conduct additional research for more context about a subject.
Comet is now available for iOS.
— Perplexity (@perplexity_ai) March 18, 2026
Download on the App Store: https://t.co/JCfCIO3Fdw pic.twitter.com/DitCKlmg65
Perplexity says that Comet "acts as a personal assistant and thinking partner" to "turn curiosity into momentum." Those are certainly words. The company boasts that folks can use the tool to shop and make schedules. I advise some caution for both of these tasks, given that AI browsers are notorious marks that easily fall for various online scams.
One cool thing here is that the app takes full advantage of Apple's Liquid Glass technology. It certainly looks easy on the eyes and that address bar really pops. The iOS version does suffer from some limitations inherent to Apple's walled-garden approach, according to a preview by MacStories. Users cannot install third-party extensions here, though it can be made the default browser.
Finally, there's a privacy concern worth considering. Perplexity has been open about the fact that it uses browsers in part to collect customer data for ad targeting. There's a reason why something that used to cost $200 is now available for free.
The Comet browser is now available for iPhones, Android devices, Windows PCs and Macs. There isn't a native iPad app yet, but the standard Perplexity app is available for Apple's tablets so maybe the browser will follow suit.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/perplexitys-comet-ai-browser-is-now-available-for-iphones-183947569.html?src=rssUK reverses course on AI copyright position after backlash
Chalk up a win for creative artists against AI companies. On Wednesday, the UK government abandoned its previous position on copyrighted works. It’s currently working on a data bill that, if unaltered, would have allowed AI companies like Google and OpenAI to train models on copyrighted materials without consent. Artists and other copyright holders would only have been offered a mere opt-out clause.
After significant backlash, the UK backed off from that position. "We have listened," Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said on Wednesday. However, the government’s new stance is, well, not a stance at all. It currently "no longer has a preferred option" about how to handle the issue.
Still, backpedaling from its previous position is viewed as a win for artists. UK Music CEO Tom Kiehl described the decision as "a major victory," while promising to work with the government on the next steps.
Last year, some of Britain's highest-profile artists objected to the government's position. Sir Elton John and Dua Lipa were among those speaking out. Even Sir Paul McCartney weighed in, warning that the AI industry could "rip off" artists and lead to a "loss of creativity."
"You get young guys, girls, coming up, and they write a beautiful song, and they don't own it, and they don't have anything to do with it," McCartney told the BBC in 2025. "And anyone who wants can just rip it off. The truth is, the money's going somewhere… somebody's getting paid."
The government will now weigh its options, taking "the time needed" to balance the wishes of artists and the tech industry. "We will not introduce reforms to copyright law until we are confident that they will meet our objectives for the economy and UK citizens," it wrote in a report. "This means protecting the UK's position as a creative powerhouse, while unlocking the extraordinary potential of AI to grow the economy and improve lives."
"Any reform must ensure that right holders can be fairly rewarded for the economic value their work creates, and that they are protected against unlawful and unfair use of their work. It must also ensure that AI developers can access high-quality content."
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/uk-reverses-course-on-ai-copyright-position-after-backlash-175630732.html?src=rssMicrosoft will finally let you turn off Quick Resume for individual games
Microsoft is rolling out a number of Xbox Series X|S updates to those on its Xbox Insiders program, and one of them has been requested by the community for years. You’ll soon be able to disable the Quick Resume feature for specific games, meaning they'll boot up fresh each time you launch them.
As a reminder, Quick Resume is a feature that Microsoft introduced with its current generation of consoles. It lets you suspend a number of games simultaneously so they’re running in the background even when the console is turned off. When you want to return to a game that supports Quick Resume, it'll drop you back in exactly where you left it within a few seconds, often even when it’s been months since you last played that game. It’s a pretty neat feature, and still impressive more than five years since the Series X|S launched.
But over the years, players have discovered that Quick Resume isn’t ideal for every title, particularly always-online games. When you take these out of their suspended state, they’ll often shout at you for letting them disconnect, forcing you to manually close the game down properly and then relaunch it. Other games just don't seem to get on with it for a variety of other reasons. You can manually close any game you want at any time, but it takes a few more button presses than Quick Resume, so it’s easy to forget.
The latest Xbox update finally addresses this, letting you turn off the feature on a game-by-game basis by selecting "More Options" and then "Manage Quick Resume" on a game tile. That way you can ensure it’s only enabled for single-player titles in which the ability to instantly pick up where you left off is very appealing. It’s a change that has gone down well with ex-Xbox icon Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb, who said on X that he first requested it five years ago when still employed by Microsoft.
Love this. I filed a feature request to make Quick Resume per title in 2021. Great to finally see it happen. https://t.co/eDn56MIMSu
— Larry Hryb, Gamer Emeritus 📱⌨️🖱️🎮 (@majornelson) March 18, 2026
Microsoft is also adding more customization options to the Xbox dashboard in the upcoming update. You’ll be able to create custom background colors, rather than having to select one of the existing color options, while the amount of Groups you can add to your Home screen has been increased from two to 10. These can be reordered in the same way you reorder individual game tiles.
Select Xbox Insiders can start using the new features now, before they’re eventually made available to everyone.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/microsoft-will-finally-let-you-turn-off-quick-resume-for-individual-games-174639730.html?src=rssDouble Fine’s Kiln pops out of the oven and onto PC, Xbox and PS5 on April 23
Double Fine is following up on Keeper — one of our favorite games of 2025 — with Kiln, a “multiplayer online pottery party brawler.” The game was showcased during Xbox’s Developer Direct stream in January and now it has a release date. It’s coming to Xbox Series X/S, Xbox on PC, Xbox Cloud, PlayStation 5 and Steam on April 23. Xbox said Kiln will be Handheld Optimized from the jump.
In Kiln, you'll use a virtual pottery wheel to shape a piece of clay into a vessel and then decorate it. The size and shape will determine how much health you have, the water capacity of your vessel and your speed. For instance, smaller pots will be able to attack faster, while a larger, slower pot might be more powerful. The shape you opt for (bowl, bottle, chalice and so on) determines which special ability you have. The decorations are purely cosmetic.
In the main Quench mode, the aim is to gather water and be the first team of four to put out the other side's kiln three times (which sounds a bit like a MOBA to me). Doing so won't exactly be straightforward, of course. When you run into an enemy vessel, you can try to smash it, and they'll probably attempt to do the same to you.
In one map, you'll be able to pour water onto sponges to create barriers. In another, there's a "disco dance floor that compels players to dance on the flashing squares for a short while." There's no in-game voice chat, but players could easily get around that using their console's built-in party features or the likes of Discord.
An open beta will take place on Steam from April 9 to 11. Pre-orders will go live at that time as well. The base version of the game is $20. A $30 "Fired Up" edition includes premium cosmetic options as well as extra chips, the in-game currency that's used to unlock customizations. Otherwise, chips can only be earned through gameplay.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/double-fines-kiln-pops-out-of-the-oven-and-onto-pc-xbox-and-ps5-on-april-23-171433966.html?src=rssThe Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer is filled with MCU cameos
We just got our first trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the next big Marvel film. This is the fourth installment led by Tom Holland and follows the multiversal shenanigans of Spider-Man: No Way Home.
I'm about to get into some spoilers, for those still working through the MCU catalog. No Way Home ended with the entire world forgetting about the existence of Peter Parker, so this new movie will deal with the fallout from that. His whole support system is gone, though it looks like he still checks in on besties MJ and Ned from time to time.
Peter Parker may be lonely, but he's not alone in the film. He's teaming up with the Punisher, who is still played by Jon Bernthal after returning to the role in Daredevil: Born Again. In the comics, Spider-Man and the Punisher are long-time work buddies and occasional sparring partners. As a matter of fact, Frank Castle made his introduction in a Spider-Man comic that was published in 1974.
Bruce Banner also shows up in the trailer, potentially as Parker's professor. Mark Ruffalo is returning to the role, but we don't have any confirmation that he'll turn into the Hulk. It's worth pointing out that this is the regular human Banner, and not the hybrid version that's been popping up in recent MCU projects.
The trailer even highlights an iconic Spider-Man villain. Michael Mando is playing Scorpion, which is a pretty deep MCU cut. The character was teased all the way back in Spider-Man: Homecoming. The footage also shows Spidey battling ninjas that look suspiciously like the Hand, who were last seen in The Defenders on Netflix. This lends credence to rumors that Daredevil could be appearing in the film.
We don't have all that long to wait. Spider-Man: Brand New Day premieres in theaters on July 31. This is the final MCU film before the long-awaited Avengers: Doomsday, which hits cinemas in December.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-spider-man-brand-new-day-trailer-is-filled-with-mcu-cameos-170215452.html?src=rssMeta's latest creator push comes with $3,000 bonuses for posting on Facebook
Stop me if you've heard this before: Meta has a new program to lure top creator talent to Facebook and it comes with hefty bonus payments. The company is launching a new initiative aimed at popular creators who already have large followings on TikTok, YouTube or Instagram and offering them bonuses up to $3,000 a month just for posting on Facebook.
Meta's goal is to draw more top talent to its Content Monetization program, which pays creators based on views and other engagement metrics across Stories, Reels and posts. The new bonuses will be part of an initiative Meta has dubbed "Creator Fast Track," which is meant to make the onboarding process easier — and more enticing — to Facebook newcomers.
Under the new "Fast Track" program, Meta is offering monthly bonuses of $1,000 to creators who have at least 100,000 followers on another platform and $3,000 for those that have a million or more. Creators who join will need to post a minimum number of Reels per month to earn the bonuses, but aren't required to meet engagement targets or post exclusive content to earn. They also aren't limited to video content as Facebook also rewards text and photo posts, as well as Stories.
That may sound like a pretty good deal (it is), but it's also a limited one. The fast track bonuses will only last for three months. Creators should think of the bonuses as payment "for the hassle of starting on a new platform," not the central part of the program, Meta's VP of Product for Creators, Yair Livne, tells Engadget. "Our hope is that within a few months … the earnings that you see from Facebook Content Monetization will become the more important thing." He also notes that Meta will boost the reach of creators it fast-tracks, which should help them speed up their earning potential.
It's far from the first time Facebook has sought to lure big names with big checks. It promised publishers big payouts when it launched Facebook Watch nearly a decade ago. It once courted game streamers for its (now defunct) Twitch competitor. A year after launching Reels to take on TikTok, it invested $1 billion in a bonus program that offered creators as much as $35,000 a month only to pull the plug in 2023.
Livne acknowledged that it "took us a long time to find our path" to a more sustainable creator program. "We don't have a pool structure so you're not competing with other creators for dollars. It really is based on your performance."
There are already signs that the Facebook Content Monetization program, which it introduced in the fall of 2024, is working — at least for some. Meta says it paid Facebook creators nearly $3 billion in 2025, a new high for the social network. Creators have also reported that the new streamlined program is paying off.
One political news creator told the newsletter Chaotic Era that they made $250,000 from Facebook in January alone. Publishers told Digiday last year that they expected to make "between six and seven figures" in 2025 thanks to the program. There are numerous recent posts in Reddit's r/passiveincome forum where users report making five figures a month from the program, which is still invitation only.
Livne agrees that Facebook's monetization program has been something of a "well kept secret" in the creator community. "We're trying to make it less well kept and less of a secret."
Are you in Facebook's Content Monetization Program, Creator Fast Track or another creator program at Meta? You can reach Karissa by email, on X, Bluesky, Threads, or send a message to @karissabe.51 to chat confidentially on Signal.
Tech companies are teaming up to combat scammers
A coalition of Big Tech companies is working on a more comprehensive solution to combat online scams. As first reported by Axios, Google, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Meta, Amazon, OpenAI, Adobe, Levi Strauss & Co, Target, Pinterest and Match Group announced the signing of the Industry Accord Against Online Scams and Fraud. The new agreement is meant to put up a united industry-wide front against online fraud and scams, particularly those from sophisticated criminal networks that use multiple platforms.
According to the Axios report, the measures will include adding fraud detection tools, introducing new user security features, and requiring more robust verification for financial transactions. The agreement will also set up best practices for scam detection, prevention and reporting, while encouraging the sharing of information between companies and law enforcement. On the policy side, the coalition will call on the governments to "declare scam prevention a national priority," according to Axios. While these measures are extensive, the report noted that they're all voluntary since the accord doesn't mention any penalties if the companies don't follow through.
Many of the companies involved in the new accord already have experience in dealing with scams found on their own platforms. Earlier this month, Meta announced several new features across Facebook, Messenger and WhatsApp that would alert users about suspicious friend requests or accounts. Last year, LinkedIn introduced a new verification requirement for company recruiters or executives to address scams targeting job seekers on its platform.
Update, March 18, 2026, 9:40AM: This article has been updated to add additional members of the accord and to include its full name, the Industry Accord Against Online Scams and Fraud.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/tech-companies-are-teaming-up-to-combat-scammers-144616545.html?src=rssIt's time for Game Freak to finally give Pokémon some proper voice acting
Ever since making the jump to the Nintendo Switch, there's something that's bugged me about practically every modern Pokémon game, a feeling that has only intensified after spending countless hours in Pokopia. For titles based in big, open worlds and filled with adorable polygonal characters and lovely music, why is nearly every pokémon still saddled with a call that sounds like a dial-up internet connection?
As someone who played Pokémon Red and Blue at launch, I'm very aware that the origin of these sounds is tied directly back to those original titles on Game Boy, which was powered by an 8-bit SM83 processor from Sharp. Back then, it was a herculean challenge to fit the entire game into a single 512KB cartridge. So as a way to save space, the voice (or cry as they are more commonly known) of each of the original 151 Pokémon came from just 38 base cries, which then had their pitch or duration modified to create more unique sounds.
Naturally, this tradition of lo-fi cries continued throughout Pokémon's run on the Game Boy and Game Boy Advance and onto the Nintendo DS and 3DS. And despite the higher-res graphics we got in subsequent titles, the use of sprite-based icons and other nostalgic touches made those bitcrushed calls sound right at home. However, when the series moved to the Switch and Switch 2 and embraced larger 3D worlds, those cries began to feel disconnected, especially for newer players without years of nostalgia to draw from.
The first issue is one of identifiability. They all kind of sound the same, especially in earlier titles like Red and Blue or Gold and Silver, where around one hundred new Pokémon are represented by just 30 base cries. Ideally, a monster's voice would be just as recognizable as its silhouette. Unfortunately, the current lo-fi cries just don't fit the bill.
The second problem is that the continued use of the old-school cries feels out of place in the grand scheme of Pokémon. When you watch the Pokémon anime, monsters don't use the same crunchy screams. Same goes for the movies, including big theatrical releases like Detective Pikachu. At this point, pretty much every new piece of Pokémon media except the games (and the TCG for obvious reasons) features proper voice acting, which sort of brings us to the biggest reasons to ditch the audio clips from the Game Boy era: Pokémon that actually say their name is just super fun and easy to understand.
Sure, it's a bit of a gimmick, but it works. Plus, it kind of resonates with the philosophy that many vexillologists hold that says flags should be simple enough for a child to draw. Kids can say "Charmander," "Greninja" and even "Alomolola." But there ain't no way they are pronouncing this. For a game that's intended to be played by younger audiences, having the reinforcement of hearing a pokémon say its name while also seeing it written out in text isn't just easier to comprehend, it can also be a learning exercise. Also, just ask yourself, when you think of Squirtle, what do you hear in your head: this or this?
Now, there are several reasons why Game Freak hasn't made this leap already. The first is obviously money. Granted, localization costs only make up a fraction of the budget for a Pokémon game, but it's still a lot of work to translate things for various regions across the world, especially with modern titles available in at least nine different languages. This includes adjusting the names of specific monsters to better suit a specific market. For example, in Japanese, Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee are named Ebiwalar and Sawamular as a tribute to some of the country's most famous boxers. So when you consider the need to get different voice actors across the world to perform all of these variations, things get expensive.
Furthermore, there's an argument that creating a canonical voice for a main character like Victor or Gloria from Sword and Shield takes away from players' ability to imagine their own. Pokémon is an RPG after all. However, I don't think that reasoning flies when it comes to each monster's individual cry, even though many of them have been upgraded or refined in recent years. Same goes for the idea that a Pokémon that says its name sounds less natural than whatever this is. At the end of the day, these monster calls are iconic, and the Pokémon devs know this, because they've given proper cries to characters like Pikachu and Eevee in certain situations.
Regardless, for a franchise that's one of, if not the most valuable media property on the planet, I really hope that one day we can get proper vocal performances in Pokémon games, even if it costs Game Freak and Nintendo a little extra money. To be clear, I don't hate the old 8-bit cries and I don't think Game Freak needs to delete them entirely. They can simply be an alternate choice for anyone who prefers them over their actual voices. I just feel like after recently celebrating its 30th birthday, it's time for Pokémon to move on and celebrate some of the voice acting that helped make the franchise so popular in the first place.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/its-time-for-game-freak-to-finally-give-pokemon-some-proper-voice-acting-130000851.html?src=rssBMW's i3 is reborn as a sporty 440 mile range EV sedan
After letting us drive a prototype around in the snow earlier this month, BMW has fully unveiled its all-new i3 electric vehicle. It's a far cry from the original funky hatch launched way back in 2013, offering more of everything including power, range and space. It also looks like you'd hope a 3-series EV would: a sporty sedan, minus the polarizing grille on the gas-powered M3.
The i3 uses BMW's Neue Klasse platform and indeed borrows inspiration from the company's Vision Neue Klasse concept unveiled in 2023. With motors on the front and rear in the 50 xDrive configuration, along with the 800-volt electrical system, it delivers a combined 463 HP and 476 lb-ft of torque, just a touch less than BMW's G80 M3.
That will make the BMW quick (the automaker didn't say how quick yet), but it will also be efficient. BMW estimates that the i3 will go 440 miles on a charge according to EPA guidelines and offer quick energy replenishment as well via DC charging speeds up to 400kW — up to 30 percent faster than its previous Gen5 tech. The battery pack will also be directly integrated into the chassis to reduce weight and increase torsional rigidity, while allowing bidirectional charging so you'll be able to use it as a battery on wheels to power your home in a blackout.
Styling-wise, the i3 is much simpler up front with the grille and headlights incorporated as a single unit. A recess down the center of the hood draws your eye to the badge, while giving the EV muscle car allure. The side intakes add to that impression, as do the bulgy fenders, "Le Catellet Blue" metallic paint and optional lighting animations (Relaxed, Excited and Balanced).
On the tech side, the i3 supports BMW's Digital Key Plus so you can open the doors or trunk with a smartphone or smartwatch. The interior, meanwhile, looks as futuristic as I've seen in any recent EV thanks to the 17.9-inch Panoramic Vision display that's angled toward the driver, along with an optional 3D heads-up display. The system features a self-learning voice assistant with Amazon Alexa+ AI and supports customizable themes, colors and background images. It also includes a wireless charging pad for your smartphone or other devices.
Inside, you can choose between multifunction and M Sport seats trimmed in different themes, including imitation leather in Agave Green, Digital White, Castanea or Black, or an M Design World theme in Black Veganza with M Performtex material. Alternatively, you can go for the BMW Individual scheme with real black Merino leather. For controls, BMW is using a hybrid system with physical buttons for the hazard lights and parking brake and "Shy Tech" buttons on the steering wheel that activate only when required.
BMW will start i3 production in August 2026 and deliveries later in the fall, with pricing set to be revealed around that time. From what we've seen so far it's going to offer outstanding performance and range, but don't expect it to be cheap.
The Defense Department reportedly plans to train AI models on classified military data
The Pentagon is making plans to have AI companies train versions of their models specifically for military use on classified information, according to the MIT Technology Review. If true, it wouldn’t come as a surprise, seeing as the US is aiming to become an “AI-first" warfighting force, based on the statement [PDF] released by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth earlier this year.
The department is already using AI models in the military: For instance, the US reportedly used Anthropic’s Claude to help with the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and with its attack on Iran, even after President Trump ordered federal agencies to ban its technology. But models trained on actual classified data could give more accurate and detailed responses, say, for situations similar to what happened in the past that aren’t public information.
MIT Tech Review says the department is looking to conduct the training in a secure data center that’s allowed to host classified government projects. The Pentagon would train copies of AI models, but it would remain the only owner of any data used for training. In rare cases, someone from the AI company could be granted the appropriate security clearance to see classified information.
Aalok Mehta, who previously led AI policy efforts at Google and OpenAI, told the publication that training models on classified data carries certain risks. It’s not that the information could go public, since the the models trained would be versions made specifically for military purposes. However, if the same model is used across the whole Defense Department, for instance, personnel without the correct clearance level could end up getting information that they weren’t supposed to have access to.
If the initiative pushes through, the department would likely be training models from OpenAI and xAI, which recently signed agreements with the agency. Anthropic, which has long worked with the government, might not be part of this project. The company refused to allow its technology to be used for mass surveillance and the development of autonomous weapons, and Trump ordered all federal offices to ban it as a result.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/the-defense-department-reportedly-plans-to-train-ai-models-on-classified-military-data-120332113.html?src=rss