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Google says a technical issue caused some users’ Maps Timeline data to be deleted
After weeks of some Google Maps users reporting that their Timelines had been wiped of all the places they’ve visited, as spotted by 9to5Google earlier this month, Google has confirmed that some users’ data was deleted and is, in some cases, unrecoverable. In a statement to The Verge, Google spokesperson Genevieve Park said, “We briefly experienced a technical issue that caused the deletion of Timeline data for some people.” Only users who had backups turned on will be able to restore their Timelines, according to the statement.
Google recently switched to on-device storage for Timeline data, and backups don’t appear to be on by default. To enable them, you have to go into Your Timeline in the Maps app and update the settings from the cloud icon there. The incident caused some users to lose years’ worth of location history. And while some who had backups enabled prior to the issue have said they were able to restore their Timeline data, others on Reddit said they weren’t able to get it all back even after importing their backups.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/google-says-a-technical-issue-caused-some-users-maps-timeline-data-to-be-deleted-214358403.html?src=rssApple’s rumored plastic Apple Watch SE has reportedly hit a serious snag
We’ve been hearing for some time that Apple is working on a version of the Apple Watch SE with a plastic shell to offer a cheaper and more kid-friendly option, but it seems bringing that vision to life is a bit more complicated than expected. After Apple’s September event last year came and went with no new Apple Watch SE announced, Mark Gurman reported that the team had run into some “cost and quality” challenges with the plastic design, but that it was still happening. Now, in this week’s Power On newsletter, Gurman says the plastic Apple Watch SE is “in serious jeopardy.”
According to Gurman, “The design team doesn’t like the look, and the operations team is finding it difficult to make the casing materially cheaper than the current aluminum chassis.” It’s been over two years since Apple released the second generation Apple Watch SE, and that model now feels “bland,” as Engadget’s Amy Skorheim wrote after revisiting the device recently. A refresh is due, but it's now looking like the plastic design may not be in the cards just yet.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/apples-rumored-plastic-apple-watch-se-has-reportedly-hit-a-serious-snag-180820143.html?src=rssApple Watches with built-in cameras to support AI features are reportedly in the works
Apple is working on adding cameras to future Apple Watch models in order to make them function more like AI wearables, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in the Power On newsletter. Gurman reports that the company “is considering adding cameras to both its standard Series watches and Ultra models,” with plans for a 2027 launch. The move would allow the Apple Watch to support AI features like Visual Intelligence, which can provide on-the-spot information about whatever the user points the camera at.
Gurman previously reported that Apple is developing AirPods with a built-in camera for the same purpose, and he notes this week that these are expected to launch around the same time as the camera-equipped Apple Watches. Camera placement would likely vary among the different watch models. According to Gurman, the Series watches could get a camera in the display, while the camera in the Ultra would be on the side of the device.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/apple-watches-with-built-in-cameras-to-support-ai-features-are-reportedly-in-the-works-154531629.html?src=rssAmazon Spring Sale 2025: Everything to know so far and early tech deals from Apple, Bose, Sonos and others
As was the case last year, Amazon will have another big sale to usher in spring for 2025. The Amazon Spring Sale is officially on the books, taking place from March 25 through March 31. The online retail giant is billing this as a good way for folks to stock up on end-of-season winter items, and save on all things fashion, beauty and household and outdoor gear.
If last year was any indication, the Amazon Spring Sale won't be as much of a boon for tech deals as, say, Prime Day in July. However, there are always a number of decent deals that pop up on wireless earbuds, tablets and more. Considering the spring nature of the sale, we expect to see discounts on robot and cordless vacuums, household tech like air purifiers and even some smart home gear. With that in mind, here are the best early Amazon Spring Sale deals you can shop right now.
Best Amazon Spring Sale deals so far
Anker 321 MagGo battery pack for $20 (23 percent off, Prime exclusive): This 5K power bank attaches magnetically to the backs of the latest iPhones to provide extra juice on the go. It can provide up to 19 hours of extra battery, and it's compatible with MagSafe cases as well.
Sonos Ray for $179 ($100 off): This is our favorite midrange soundbar thanks to its compact, attractive design and easy setup. It's best for those who have a smaller living room or den they want to outfit with better TV sound. Also available at Sonos in their March Madness sale.
Bose QuietComfort headphones for $249 ($100 off): These Bose over-ear headphones provide excellent noise cancellation, a comfortable fit and up to 24 hours of listening time on a single charge. A quick-charge feature will net you 2.5 hours of battery life in just 15 minutes of charging, so you'll rarely have to go without them, too.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones for $349 ($80 off): These hold the top spot in our best wireless headphones guide for excellent noise cancellation. These cans will give you a step up in ANC, blocking out most noise and chatter of those around you. General audio quality has been improved as well, and they have a comfy fit.
Dyson AM09 heater and fan for $300 (36 percent off): The AM09 has been around for ages, and for good reason. It's an excellent heater during cold months and fan during warm months, so you can use it all year round. Jet Focus control lets you choose from Focused or Diffused for personal or whole-room heating or cooling, and the handy sleep timer lets you set when the device turns off in intervals from 15 minutes up to nine hours.
Dyson V15s Detect Submarine for $798 ($152 off): This Dyson cordless stick vacuum and mop is a top pick in our best cordless vacuums guide thanks to its sleek design and included mop attachment that easily swap in so you can clean tile, hardwood and other flooring with liquid solution. Yes, it's expensive, but you're essentially getting two cleaning machines in one — plus, when used as a vacuum, it has excellent suction power and great battery life.
Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer for $280 ($70 off): A version of one of our favorite air fryers, this air fryer toaster oven has 11 cooking modes including air fry, broil, bake, roast and more, and it has a large capacity that can fit up to six slices of bread at once or a 13-inch pizza. The Pro model is also on sale, down to $300 from $400.
Apple AirTags (four-pack) for $70 ($29 off): These are the best Bluetooth trackers for iPhone users thanks to their vast finding network and accurate ultra wideband features for locating your things when they’re close by. Just attach them to your keys, wallet or bag with the right AirTag holder and keep track of everything in the Find My app.
AirPods Max (USB-C) for $480 ($70 off): If you’re looking for over-ear headphones with all of the conveniences of in-ear AirPods, the AirPods Max are one of your only options (with the others being Beats devices). The latest models have the same design as the originals, but now charge up via USB-C instead of Lightning.
Apple Watch SE for $169 ($80 off): Those on tighter budgets can opt for the Apple Watch SE and know they’re getting the core Apple wearable experience with few compromises. We consider it to be the best smartwatch for newbies.
Audible (three months) for $3 ($42 off): This deal gives you access to Audible Premium Plus, which includes one credit each month that you can spend on any book you'd like, along with listening access to thousands of other books, podcasts and Audible Originals. You also get to take part in Audible's exclusive member sales.
Blink Mini 2 for $20 (50 percent off): Blink's latest wired, indoor security camera is one of our favorites, particularly if you're just starting out building a security camera system. It's easy to set up and use, and it works seamlessly with Amazon's Alexa. Plus, if you want a local storage option, you can buy the Blink Sync Module 2 and a thumb drive to store video clips locally.
Beats Fit Pro for $169 (15 percent off): These are the best wireless earbuds for working out thanks to their comfortable, secure fit, good sound quality with thumping bass and handful of convenient features provided by Apple's H1 chipset. It provides quick-pairing and switching between Apple devices (and quick pairing with Android phones), Find My compatibility and hands-free Siri.
Levoit Core 400S air purifier for $187 ($33 off): Our top pick for the best air purifier for most people, the Core 400S has easy-to-use onboard controls, powerful filtering technology that isn't too loud and relatively affordable replacement filters. It reliably improved air quality in our testing, and even though its mobile app is a little overstuffed, it gives you another way to control and monitor the device.
TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro mesh Wi-Fi system for $280 (30 percent off): Our current pick for the best mesh Wi-Fi system you can get, this TP-Link bundle may be no-frills, but it gets the job done nicely. It's easy to set up and provides excellent Wi-Fi 6E performance, plus the three included nodes can cover up to 7,200 square feet.
Shark AI Ultra robot vacuum for $300 (31 percent off): This is a version of one of our top picks in our best robot vacuums guide. Shark makes excellent robovacs with strong suction power and convenient bagless, self-emptying bases. This model in particular can hold up to 60 days worth of debris before its base needs to be emptied. If you want a machine that can mop in addition to vacuum, consider Shark's Matrix Plus robovac, which is 47 percent off and down to $400.
iRobot Roomba Combo Vac and Mop for $159 (42 percent off): This "essential" Roomba is relatively no-frills, but it has the added benefit of being a mopping robot in addition to a vacuum. It includes a washable mopping pad and a water reservoir so you can clean hard floors, and it will autonomously vacuum just like all of iRobot's other basic robovacs.
Samsung Evo Select microSD card (512GB) for $35 ($5 off): A value pick in our best microSD cards guide, this Evo Select card provides respectable read and write speeds, and it comes with a full-sized adapter.
Samsung T7 portable SSD (2TB) for $140 (48 percent off): We're on the T9 series now, but if you're looking to save a bit of cash, the T7 remains a great option for on-the-go storage. It supports read and write speeds up to 1,050/1,000 MB/s and sports a pocket-friendly design.
Amazon Spring Sale FAQs
When is the Amazon Spring Sale?
The Amazon Spring Sale 2025 runs from March 25 through March 31.
What is Amazon's Spring Sale?
The Amazon Spring Sale is a multi-day sale event that has taken place at the end of March since 2024.
Do I have to be a Prime Member to shop the Amazon Spring Sale?
No, Amazon Spring Sale deals are available to all, including those who do not subscribe to Prime.
What types of deals can I expect to find during the Amazon Spring Sale?
In the past, we've seen a lot of spring cleaning and fashion items in sale during the Big Spring Sale. We expect this year to be no different. We at Engadget in particular will be on the lookout for discounts on our favorite spring cleaning tech, including robot vacuums, cordless vacuums and air purifiers, along with deals on kitchen and smart home gear.
Are there deals I can shop now ahead of the Amazon Spring Sale?
Yes, check out our list of the best Amazon Spring Sale deals you can get right now above.
How long does the Amazon Spring Sale last?
The Amazon Spring Sale lasts seven days this year, running from March 25 through March 31.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-spring-sale-2025-everything-to-know-so-far-and-early-tech-deals-from-apple-bose-sonos-and-others-130607163.html?src=rssThe Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer is down to $280 in the Amazon Spring Sale
If you’re looking to upgrade your kitchen with a versatile countertop oven, the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer is currently on sale for $280 thanks to the Amazon Spring Sale — down from its usual $350. That’s a $70 discount on one of the most well-regarded air fryer toaster ovens out there, and it’s close to the lowest price we’ve ever seen.
Breville’s Smart Oven Air Fryer combines convection baking and air frying into a single, compact appliance. It features Element iQ system technology, which intelligently adjusts heat distribution to ensure precise and even cooking. Whether you’re roasting a chicken, crisping up fries or baking cookies, this oven is designed to handle it all. The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer has 11 cooking functions, including toast, bake, roast, broil, air fry, and pizza, making it a versatile tool for any kitchen. While throwing down close to $300 might seem steep, you have to consider how flexible this oven is, plus how good of a deal you can get right now.
Air fryers have become convenient alternatives to ovens thanks to the speed at which you can cook with them. The Breville Smart Air Fryer is no different; its super convection technology speeds up cooking times while delivering that golden, crispy finish we all love. The LCD display and easy-to-use dials make navigating the settings simple, while the spacious interior can fit a 13-inch pizza or six slices of toast at once — handy when you have a big family or crowd to feed.
If you want even more features and are prepared to part with a little more cash, the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro is also on sale for $300, down from its usual $400. In our roundup of the best air fryers, we consider it the best air fryer toaster oven thanks to its extra cooking presets, a larger capacity and dehydration capabilities, making it an even better choice for those who frequently cook in bulk.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows has reached 2 million players, Ubisoft says
Assassin’s Creed Shadows may be shaping up to be the hit Ubisoft needed. On social media, the Assassin’s Creed team announced that the game, which was released on Thursday, has so far drawn in two million players. Assassin’s Creed Shadows was originally slated to come out last fall, but was delayed twice as developers worked to further polish the game and try to ensure everything would be running smoothly on day one.
So far, (mostly) so good, it seems. Engadget’s Kris Holt noted in his review this week that the game is for the most part running well on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and PC.
🔥 2 MILLION PLAYERS! 🔥
— Assassin's Creed (@assassinscreed) March 22, 2025
We’re thrilled to celebrate this incredible milestone!
Assassin's Creed Shadows has now surpassed the launches of AC Origins and Odyssey. Thank you for joining the journey in Feudal Japan! #AssassinsCreedShadows pic.twitter.com/a6YezXNtYI
According to Ubisoft, the launch of Shadows “has now surpassed the launches of AC Origins and Odyssey.” In the tweet, the team added, “Thank you for joining the journey in Feudal Japan!” Assassin’s Creed Shadows is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Ubisoft+, Amazon Luna, Mac and PC, and is expected to come to iPad down the line. According to Holt’s review, there’s something in it for longtime players of the series and newcomers alike.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/assassins-creed-shadows-has-reached-2-million-players-ubisoft-says-213050072.html?src=rssWhat to read this weekend: A historical horror classic in the making, and an ex-Facebook employee’s tell-all
These are the recently released titles that belong on your reading list. This week, we picked up Stephen Graham Jones’ The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, Sarah Wynn-Williams’ Careless People and the latest issue of the Image Comics series, Bug Wars.
Amazon Spring Sale Apple deals include the Mac mini M4 for a record-low price
Apple’s most recent Mac mini is down to its lowest price yet in an early Amazon Spring Sale deal. The M4 Mac mini starts at just $499 right now for 16GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage, or 17 percent off the usual price of $599. Other versions are $100 off too, with 16GB/512GB currently going for $699 and the model with 24GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage sitting at $899. You can also get the Mac mini with the M4 Pro chip for $1,299, down from its usual $1,399.
The M4 Mac mini earned a review score of 90 in our review this past fall, impressing us with how much power it packs into its tiny frame. Engadget’s Devindra Hardawar wrote at the time, “The Mac mini was the fastest computer I've reviewed this year, at least when it comes to CPU benchmarks.” That it starts at 16GB of RAM (as is now standard for new Macs) is a big plus, and in addition to the connections on the back, it has some useful front ports: two USB-C ports and a headphone jack.
The M4 Mac mini’s diminutive size means you won’t have to sacrifice much desk space for it, but it’ll still be powerful enough for tasks like light video editing and some gaming. Devindra wrote that “the Mac mini impressed me by running Lies of P in 1,440p with maxed out graphics settings at 60fps,” along with Resident Evil 4 and No Man’s Sky, which “also held a steady 60 fps in 1,440p.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-spring-sale-apple-deals-include-the-mac-mini-m4-for-a-record-low-price-161156926.html?src=rssThe FCC is investigating whether Huawei, other Chinese companies are evading US ban
The US Federal Communications Commission has launched what it describes as a "sweeping investigation" on Chinese companies already on its "Covered List." Those companies include Huawei, ZTE and China Telecom, which the US government believes are aligned with the Chinese Communist Party. In 2022, the Biden administration banned the sale of communications equipment, video surveillance gear and services from those companies in an effort to protect the country's national security and ensure that "untrustworthy communications equipment is not authorized for use within [US] borders."
According to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, the agency has reason to believe that some of the entities in the Covered List are still operating in the US, because they don't think the ban covers "particular types of operations or otherwise." These companies are "trying to make an end run around those FCC prohibitions by continuing to do business in America on a private or 'unregulated' basis," he said.
This investigation is the first major initiative under the Council for National Security that Carr recently established within the FCC. The new council's main purposes is to reduce American technology and telecommunications sectors' reliance on foreign adversaries, mitigate the country's vulnerability to cyberattacks and espionage, as well as to ensure that the US "wins the strategic competition with China over critical technologies."
The FCC intends to gather a wide range of information on entities in the Covered List, including details about their ongoing business in the US and the business of companies that may be aiding their operations. It said it will "close any loopholes that have permitted untrustworthy, foreign adversary state-backed actors to skirt [its] rules."
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/the-fcc-is-investigating-whether-huawei-other-chinese-companies-are-evading-us-ban-150002185.html?src=rssAmazon wants the Consumer Product Safety Commission deemed 'unconstitutional'
Amazon is suing the Consumer Product Safety Commission over its decision to hold the company legally responsible for faulty products on its platform, The Associated Press reports. Amazon's suit demands that the shipping giant be considered a "third-party logistics provider" instead of a distributor and also calls the CPSC "unconstitutionally constructed."
The origins of the legal fight can be traced back to 2021, when the CPSC sued Amazon to force it to recall faulty carbon monoxide detectors, unsafe hair dryers and flammable children's sleepwear. At the time, Amazon had already taken some steps to address the issue, like informing customers who purchased the products that they were hazardous and offering store credit, but the CPSC wanted the company to go further.
The CPSC move to classify Amazon as a distributor in 2024 made the company responsible for issuing recalls and refunds for products sold through its Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA) program. FBA lets sellers send their products to Amazon warehouses, where Amazon then handles picking, packing and shipping those products to customers, along with things like customer service and returns. Amazon takes issue with its classification as a distributor because it doesn't own or make the faulty products the CPSC is concerned with — it sees itself as more of a hands-on FedEx.
Besides wanting to be reclassified and not held responsible for issuing more refunds, Amazon also has problems with the CPSC itself. The CPSC's commissioners are appointed by the President, approved by the Senate and serve for seven years, unless they're removed for "neglect of duty or malfeasance in office." Amazon feels the commission's relative invulnerability is unconstitutional and makes them "judge, jury, and prosecutor" in proceedings.
Amazon's made similar claims about the National Labor Review Board, the organization in charge of protecting workers' right to unionize. The timing of these complaints is key. The Trump administration is not particularly interested in maintaining any government organization empowered to regulate business, and it seems likely it will side with Amazon in disempowering the CPSC, one way or another.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/amazon-wants-the-consumer-product-safety-commission-deemed-unconstitutional-211037804.html?src=rssSeverance season two review: Even before the finale, innie rights and humanity made for a stronger show
If you think about it, Severance's "innies" — the people trapped in an endless cycle of office work — should genuinely hate their "outies" — their other halves who exist everywhere else. While outies are free to live a seemingly carefree existence, unburdened by the labor, boredom and indignities of office life, innies have no escape. Every time they enter the elevator at the end of their shifts, which triggers the switch to their outie persona, innies just blink and return to the sterile hallways of nefarious biotechnology firm Lumon Industries. There are no weekends or holidays, there isn't even time to sleep.
Editor's note: The Severance finale is now live, but this review was written prior to the release of the final episode of the second season. Meanwhile, Apple confirmed today that it has ordered a third season of the hit show, so we can continue to follow the stories of Lumon's finest.
Spoilers ahead for Severance season 2. No spoilers for the finale, "Cold Harbor."
Severance's first season arrived as we were all reeling from the initial onslaught of the COVID pandemic and many of us were dealing with our own work-life balance issues. It introduced the show's core concept — that Lumon pioneered the ability to completely separate work and life experiences — and it made the terms "innie" and "outie" a new cultural shorthand. But the debut season also leaned heavily on the outie perspective, sometimes to a fault. In its second season, Severance became even stronger by focusing more on the innie perspective. Do they deserve whole lives, or just the labor their outies don't want to deal with? Are they allowed to fall in love? Are they even real people?
These are all concepts the show previously touched on, but the innie experience became all the more tragic as season two went on. We watched as Adam Scott's Mark S. wrestled with the dueling desires to rescue Lumon's wellness counselor, Ms. Casey, who was revealed to be his outie's supposedly dead wife, and also nurture a budding romance with fellow innie Hellie R. (Britt Lower). John Turturro's Irving B. spent the entire season nursing a broken heart, after the innie he fell in love with disappeared. And Zach Cherry's Dylan G. ended up falling in love with his outie's wife (Merritt Wever), who saw the best aspects of her floundering husband through his innie.
Innies owe their lives to their outies, but lead a tortured existence that basically just makes everything easier for outies. Season two made it clear that the process of severance, which involves a brain injection that splits the innie and outie personas, essentially creates an adult child who only exists to work. Innies have no understanding of science, history or the greater world beyond what Lumon tells them. And naturally, the company's messaging to innies is purely focused on efficiency, output and the cult-like adoration of its founder, Kier Eagan. (It's as if Apple based its entire internal culture on worshipping Steve Jobs as a god, complete with archaic rituals and holy texts.)
While we spent less time with outies in this season, the show still had a sharper take on their side of the severed experience. There's a funny nod to the "return to office" phenomenon, where Tramell Tillman's Milchick practically had to beg the outies to come back to Lumon, following their innie revolt at the end of season one. In our world, RTO is mostly a phenomenon where executives are eager to witness their employees toiling away, rather than allowing them to potentially slack off while working at home.
We also get a sense of what outies lose by giving up their work life to their innies. When Dylan G.'s outie, Dylan George, is turned down for a basic job outside of Lumon, he learns he can't count his innie's work time, since he didn't actually experience it. (In some ways it feels reminiscent of what we could lose by outsourcing work to AI tools.) Severance isn't just a trap for the innies stuck in Lumon's offices, their outies will also have a tough time landing a job anywhere else. The only choice is to stay loyal to Lumon, and its dear founder Kier, until you retire. Or die.
According to Dan Erickson, the creator and showrunner of Severance, this season was partially inspired by the recent Hollywood writer's strike. "We were all talking to our guilds and having conversations about workers rights and what we owe our employers and what we should reasonably expect back in return... And how much of ourselves and our lives and our energy we should be willing to give up for the sake of a job," he said in an interview on episode 252 of the Engadget Podcast.
While much of the second season was written before the strike, "consciously or unconsciously, I think that the tone of that, of those conversations made their way into the story," Erickson said. "And certainly I think that they'll be on people's minds as they're watching the show. Because at the end of the day... it is a show about the rights of workers and what they deserve as human beings."
As I watched this season of Severance, and processed the events of its explosive finale, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Kazuo Ishiguro’s heartbreaking novel Never Let Me Go. It’s set in a strict boarding school where students are raised to serve one specific purpose, and their own lives are devalued in the process. But they still love, learn and dream. They have hopes and desires. Every innie should be so lucky.
Update, March 21 2025, 4:40PM ET: This story has been updated to add an editor's note about the season finale and the confirmation about a third season of the show..
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/severance-season-two-review-even-before-the-finale-innie-rights-and-humanity-made-for-a-stronger-show-100003889.html?src=rssPerplexity AI says it would rebuild TikTok's algorithm and add Community Notes features
Earlier this year, with a TikTok ban looming, Perplexity AI threw its hat into the increasingly crowded ring to take over the embattled social media company. Now, the maker of the AI search engine is outlining its vision for TikTok if its bid were to win out.
In a blog post, the company made a lengthy pitch for "rebuilding TikTok in America," an effort that would see the AI company rebuild the app’s signature algorithm, add Community Notes, and integrate the shortform videos into its search engine.
Of the many potential buyers, it’s not clear how seriously Perplexity’s bid is being considered. On Friday, the Financial Times reported that ByteDance’s existing US investors are "exploring a deal alongside software giant Oracle" in an effort to "appease" President Donald Trump. The story also notes that ByteDance "strongly prefers" this arrangement.
Still, Perplexity is making the case that it is best suited to own the platform.
Perplexity is singularly positioned to rebuild the TikTok algorithm without creating a monopoly, combining world-class technical capabilities with Little Tech independence. Any acquisition by a consortium of investors could in effect keep ByteDance in control of the algorithm, while any acquisition by a competitor would likely create a monopoly in the short form video and information space. All of society benefits when content feeds are liberated from the manipulations of foreign governments and globalist monopolists.
The AI company also says it would rebuild TikTok’s "black box" recommendation algorithm from scratch and would make the "For You" feed open source. Perplexity also suggests it would add "Community Notes features" as well as the citations used by its own search engine in an effort "to turn TikTok into the most neutral and trusted platform in the world." That would be a significant departure from TikTok’s current fact-checking program, which relies on international media organizations.
This is the first time Perplexity has publicly discussed its vision for TikTok in detail. It’s also notable that some of its plans — like open-sourcing the "For You" feed and adding Community Notes — feel ripped straight from Elon Musk’s playbook for X. In any case, the White House will likely need to make a decision about TikTok’s future soon. Trump’s executive order that temporarily saved the app from a ban is set to expire April 5, although the president has indicated he would "probably" extend it if necessary.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/perplexity-ai-says-it-would-rebuild-tiktoks-algorithm-and-add-community-notes-features-200449390.html?src=rssJoint studies from OpenAI and MIT found links between loneliness and ChatGPT use
New studies from OpenAI and MIT Media Lab found that, generally, the more time users spend talking to ChatGPT, the lonelier they feel. The connection was made as part of two, yet-to-be-peer-reviewed studies, one done at OpenAI analyzing "over 40 million ChatGPT interactions" and targeted user surveys, and another at MIT Media Lab following participants' ChatGPT use for four weeks.
MIT's study identified several ways talking to ChatGPT — whether through text or voice — can affect a person's emotional experience, beyond the general finding that higher use led to "heightened loneliness and reduced socialization." For example, participants who already trusted the chatbot and tended to get emotionally attached in human relationships felt lonelier and more emotionally dependent on ChatGPT during the study. Those effects were less severe with ChatGPT's voice mode, though, particularly if ChatGPT spoke in a neutral tone. Discussing personal topics also tended to lead to loneliness in the short-term, and interestingly, speaking to ChatGPT about more general topics was more likely to increase emotional dependence.
The big finding from OpenAI's study was that having emotional conversations with ChatGPT is still not common. "Emotionally expressive interactions were present in a large percentage of usage for only a small group of the heavy Advanced Voice Mode users we studied," OpenAI writes. That suggests that even if MIT's findings are as concerning as they are unsurprising, they're not exactly widespread outside a small group of power users.
There are important limitations to MIT Media Lab and OpenAI's research, like both studies covering a short period of time (one month for MIT, 28 days for OpenAI) and MIT not having a control group to compare to. The studies do add more evidence to something that seemed intuitively true for a while now — talking to AI has a psychological impact on the humans doing the talking. Given the intense interest in making AI a compelling conversation partner, whether its in video games or as a way to simplify the job of YouTube creators, its clear that MIT Media Lab and OpenAI are right to want to understand what'll happen when talking to AI is the norm.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/joint-studies-from-openai-and-mit-found-links-between-loneliness-and-chatgpt-use-193537421.html?src=rssSpaceX could soon have more control over Texas public road and beach closures
SpaceX could soon have greater control over the recreational activities of South Texas residents. The Houston Chronicle (via Gizmodo) and San Antonio Express-News report that a pair of state senate bills introduced earlier this month would give officials at the likely Starbase city the authority to decide when a nearby beach shuts down for weekday launch activities. Meanwhile, a third bill floated on Wednesday would take the company's control a step further, making it a criminal offense for people on the beach not to comply with SpaceX's evacuation orders.
The bills are possible because of an upcoming election that will almost certainly give SpaceX officials control of the area. On May 3, voters will decide if Starbase becomes a Texas city, something Elon Musk first proposed in 2021. Given that the area near the rocket site is populated mainly by SpaceX employees (after previous homeowners in Boca Chica Village moved, often after being bought out by the company), let's just say the election's outcome won't likely be a toss-up.
Republican state senator Adam Hinojosa's first bill, SB 2188, would let Starbase city officials (assuming the municipality establishment bill passes) decide when Boca Chica Beach is closed for weekday rocket tests and flights. An identical bill, HB 4660, was introduced in the state house by Republican Janie Lopez. Cameron County officials, who control the closures now, would maintain control on Friday afternoons and weekends.
Meanwhile, Hinojosa's second senate bill (SB 2230) would make it a Class B misdemeanor for people on the beach not to comply with Starbase's evacuation orders. The freshman state senator said the bill would give the commercial spaceport "real teeth" to "compel people to do the right thing." (Fittingly, Hinojosa's election website touts his belief that "we don't need more government in business — we need more business in government.")
The Houston Chronicle reports that the FAA's Environmental Assessment shows that SpaceX has moved much of its testing to a site that doesn't require the closure of State Highway 4. A SpaceX flight test in April 2023 closed the road for over 24 hours, while another shuttered it for nearly eight hours last June. The company can close State Highway 4 for up to 500 hours each year for standard operations and up to 300 more hours to address incidents like an exploding rocket.
On the other hand, environmental groups have argued that SpaceX's activities are damaging the area. Last year, the Center for Biological Diversity, American Bird Conservancy and other groups sued the FAA for allegedly rushing SpaceX's permitting process without a full environmental review. And the Environmental Protection Agency fined the company for allegedly dumping pollutants into Texas wetlands adjacent to the Rio Grande River.
Craig Nazor, conservation chair for the Sierra Club's Lone Star chapter, testified to the state senate on Wednesday that SB 2188 would "put beach closures directly in the hands of SpaceX." He also expressed concern that the second senate bill could put folks who are unaware of an upcoming launch into legal trouble. "[SB 2230] could potentially make a criminal out of someone who's out there and lost track of exactly what may be going on at the launch pad," he said.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/spacex-could-soon-have-more-control-over-texas-public-road-and-beach-closures-184526421.html?src=rssThe 560-pound Twitter logo has sold for $34,000
Twitter may be dead, but the 12-foot tall bird logo from its San Francisco headquarters will live on. The sign — one of two birds that formerly adorned Twitter’s office — has been sold at auction for $34,375.
That's a bit less than $40,000 auctioneers RR House estimated it would fetch, but is nonetheless a pricey piece of social media history. The massive logo that marked the company’s headquarters on San Francisco's Market Street is undoubtedly one of the most iconic symbols associated with the social media company. (The sign was unceremoniously removed after Musk’s rebranding of the company to X.)
The unknown buyer will also responsible for costs to move the sign from the San Francisco storage facility where it’s currently located. That alone will be no small feat. The sign is 145˝ x 105˝ (roughly 12 feet by 8 feet) and weighs in at 560 pounds, according to the listing. A YouTube video accompanying the listing shows that it took a crane and a team of several workers to remove the sign from the building.
Exactly where "Larry" will end up next isn't clear as the winning bidder's identity hasn't been disclosed, but the 12-foot tall sign is bound to make quite a statement, wherever it lands.
Notably, this isn’t the first time “Larry” (the nickname former Tweeps gave to the site’s iconic bird logo) hit the auction block. Following Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter in 2022, much of the contents of Twitter’s former offices were auctioned off in 2023. Other, slightly smaller versions of the logo proved to be popular at the time, with one statue that decorated the office selling for $100,000. The building’s other large bird logo was auctioned off in that sale for an undisclosed price.
Update, March 21, 2025, 1:47 PM ET: Now that the auction has closed, this story has been updated to add information about the winning bid.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/the-560-pound-twitter-logo-has-sold-for-34000-180326846.html?src=rssLevoit's Core 400S air purifier is down to a near record-low price for the Amazon Spring Sale
If you can't open a window for whatever reason, an air purifier can help make the air in your home a bit more comfortable. One of our favorites, the Levoit Core 400S air purifier, is on sale for $187 thanks to the Amazon Spring Sale. While that's not a record low — we've seen it as low as $177 last year — it's still a good discount on one of the most convenient air purifiers for large spaces.
We’ve featured Levoit in our list of the best air purifiers for its strong performance and smart features. The Core 400S can cover rooms up to 1,980 square feet using a three-stage filtration system to capture allergens, dust, pet dander and smoke. It also includes a smart sensor that adjusts fan speed based on air quality, so you’re not running it at full blast when you don’t need to.
One of the Levoit Core 400S’ biggest selling points is its low noise output, which makes it a good fit for bedrooms or home offices. If you need to knuckle down and get some work done without distraction whilst keeping your room’s air clean and fresh, even at higher speeds, it stays relatively quiet compared to bulkier purifiers. It also supports smart controls via the VeSync app, allowing you to tweak settings, set schedules or monitor air quality from your phone. If you have a smart home ecosystem in place, you can connect the purifier to third-party voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant — an added layer of convenience that allows you to control the Core 400S with simple voice commands.
Its 360-degree filtration system uses activated carbon to remove gases and odors, while an efficient middle filter captures 99.97 percent of pollutants as small as 0.3 microns. The built-in air quality sensor continuously monitors pollution levels, automatically adjusting performance as needed. You can track real-time air quality data on the LCD screen or through the VeSync app, which is handy (and interesting) to have access to at all times. At night, sleep mode keeps things extra quiet and subtle, dimming the display and operating at the lowest settings — or you can turn off the display completely for total darkness.
If you’ve been looking for an air purifier that can handle larger spaces without taking up too much room, this deal is worth considering, saving you over $30 on its usual price thanks to the Amazon Spring Sale.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/levoits-core-400s-air-purifier-is-down-to-a-near-record-low-price-for-the-amazon-spring-sale-133052638.html?src=rssGoogle says its European 'experiment' shows news is worthless to its ad business
In November, Google said it would conduct a "test" in eight European countries that would omit results from EU-based news publishers for a small percentage of users. The results are in, and the survey says the news has no meaningful monetary value for the company. But the "public experiment" was hardly done for scientific curiosity. European copyright law says the company must pay publishers for using snippets from articles, and Google will likely use the data to try to kneecap news outlets' negotiating leverage.
"During our negotiations to comply with the European Copyright Directive (EUCD), we've seen a number of inaccurate reports that vastly overestimate the value of news content to Google," the company bluntly wrote in its blog post explaining the experiment's results. "The results have now come in: European news content in Search has no measurable impact on ad revenue for Google."
Google Economics Director Paul Liu said that when the company removed news content from one percent of users in Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain, it saw no change in ad revenue and only a 0.8 percent drop in usage. (It initially included France, but a court warned the company that it would break a previous agreement and face fines, so it backed out.) Liu concludes that "any lost usage was from queries that generated minimal or no revenue."
TechCrunch notes that Google is walking a fine line here. It's already faced antitrust fines in France over news content, and Germany is ratcheting up pressure on the company's news licensing tactics. Neither country was ultimately included in the "experiment."
The company has a long history of using the potential withdrawal of visibility as a negotiating stick in similar situations (with success in some cases), including tests in Canada, California and Australia. In the latter case, Aussie grit prevailed: After Google threatened to remove its entire search engine from the country, then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison said, "Let me be clear. Australia makes our rules for things you can do in Australia." The bill was passed and enacted, and Google struck deals with Australian media companies to license content. And yes, Google search is still available Down Under.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-says-its-european-experiment-shows-news-is-worthless-to-its-ad-business-161103352.html?src=rssThis Anker 5K magnetic power bank is only $20 in the Amazon Spring Sale
The Anker 321 MagGo power bank has been discounted to $20 as part of the Amazon Spring Sale. This is a record low price and represents a discount of 23 percent. A whole bunch of colorways are on sale here, including white, black, pink, green and purple.
Anker products are all over our list of the best power banks and portable chargers, so this device is in good company. The 321 MagGo is, as the name suggests, a magnetic power bank that snaps onto the back of smartphones. It works with cases, so long as the case is magnetic. Inside, there’s a 5,000mAh battery that provides up to 19 hours of additional use for modern iPhones.
It’s equipped with heat sensors that continuously monitor temperatures to avoid accidental damage and it can juice up a phone while it’s being charged itself. This power bank is also on the smaller side, so it easily fits into pockets, bags and purses.
The only downside is that this is only for Prime members. The same goes for the Anker MagGo 3-in-1 charging station, which has been discounted to $88 from $110. However, the Anker Nano 3-in-1 portable charger is on sale for everyone. This non-magnetic charger includes a large 10,000mAh battery and is currently $35.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/this-anker-5k-magnetic-power-bank-is-only-20-in-the-amazon-spring-sale-152009004.html?src=rssAmazon Spring Sale deals include Apple's new base iPad for $20 off
The Amazon Spring Sale is just around the corner, but you can already save on some of our favorite tech — in addition to tech that's just been released. Apple announced new iPads and MacBooks earlier this month, and the newest, entry-level iPad has already received a discount on Amazon.
You can pick up the iPad (A16) for $329 right now, or $20 off its standard price. It comes with an A16 chip and a newly upgraded 128GB of storage — double the amount in the previous base iPad. It doesn't support Apple Intelligence, but offers features such as a 12MP wide camera, 4K video and a Liquid Retina display.
If you're not fussed about getting the newest model then check out Amazon's sale on Apple's 10th generation iPad. Right now, it's down to $269 from $349 — a 23 percent discount. It's screen is one-tenth of an inch smaller and it offers many of the same features, like 4K video recording and a 12MP wide camera. Plus, it still has a USB-C port rather than the old lightning port.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-spring-sale-deals-include-apples-new-base-ipad-for-20-off-143705989.html?src=rssThe Blink Mini 2 security camera drops to only $20 for Amazon's Spring Sale
Now that we know the Amazon Spring Sale is on the horizon, we're on the lookout for the best tech deals to grab from it. In typical Amazon fashion, Blink security cameras are some of the first to be discounted for the shopping event. The Blink Mini 2 is available for $20, which is half off its regular price and the best discount we've seen. You can pick up two of the wired security cameras for $38, which represents a 46 percent discount.
We reckon the Blink Mini 2 is the best budget security camera around. You can adjust the webcam-style camera to a variety of angles. It's weather-resistant, so you can place it outside if you have a special power adapter. The camera picks up decent (but not great) images, particularly those captured in the infrared nighttime view. It also has a built-in LED spotlight.
Since Blink is an Amazon company, of course the Mini 2 ties into the Alexa ecosystem. You'll just need to have a Blink account before you can actually use it. As you might expect, you'll be able to view images captured by the Mini 2 via the Alexa app on an Echo Show, Fire Tablet or Fire TV but, curiously, not iOS or Android. To see the captures on your phone or tablet, you'll instead need to use the Blink app. You'll get some extra features — such as cloud storage and people and pet detection — if you sign up for the Blink Subscription ($3 per month for one camera, $10 per month for any number).
Elsewhere in the sale, a five-pack of the Blink Outdoor 4 cameras is half off at $200. This is our recommendation for the best security camera for Alexa users. Having five of them should be enough for many folks to keep an eye on everything that's going on around their property.
Amazon's Spring Sale includes this Dyson heater and fan for 36 percent off
If you've ever seen Dyson's Hot+Cool Jet Focus in a store and wished the ultra-sleek appliance was more affordable, today's your lucky day. Amazon has the product, which usually costs $470, on sale for $300. That's nearly a record low.
As its name suggests, the Dyson Hot+Cool AM09 Jet Focus can heat your room in the winter and cool it off in the summer. Its fan mode includes Air Multiplier tech, which creates a smooth and uninterrupted airstream thanks to its lack of traditional fan blades. When you need some warmth, its ceramic plates heat up quickly.
The appliance has two modes: focused and diffused. Focused mode warms or cools one person, while diffused mode heats your entire room or provides a gentle breeze during the summer. It oscillates at a 70-degree angle. Dyson's fan has a sleep timer with a shutoff range between 15 minutes and nine hours, and you can store its curved and magnetized remote control inside the appliance to help prevent it from being lost.
The lowest we've ever seen this product's price drop is $280, so being able to snag it for $300 in the middle of March, when we're nowhere near Black Friday or Prime Day, is about as good a deal as you can hope for.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazons-spring-sale-includes-this-dyson-heater-and-fan-for-36-percent-off-173031811.html?src=rssApple greenlights Severance season three
After a season that resolved a few key mysteries but still perplexed fans and raised the personal stakes for everyone’s favorite macrodata refiners, it’s not a huge shock that Apple has renewed one of its most successful shows. Just as the second season finale hit Apple TV+, the company confirmed Severance will be returning for a third season.
The company says Severance became the most-watched show on its streaming service during the second season. The sci-fi thriller took the crown from Ted Lasso, which Apple also recently renewed.
Season 3 of Severance is available upon request.
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) March 21, 2025
- Tim C. https://t.co/bNig41qs9t pic.twitter.com/cnctZIRDNF
All going well, the wait shouldn’t be quite as long between seasons of Severance this time around. Fans had to remain patient for three years for the second season, in large part because of filming delays due to writers’ and actors’ strikes in 2023.
This week, The Information reported that Apple slashed its initial content budget for Apple TV+ by 10 percent from $5 billion to help reign in costs. The company is said to be losing over $1 billion per year on Apple TV+ — purportedly making it the only Apple subscription service that isn’t turning a profit despite reaching 45 million subscribers last year. Still, the company is evidently willing to keep supporting expensive projects like Severance if they keep performing well.
There’s no release window for season three of Severance as yet. In the meantime, I’ll be pretending I’m an innie so I can hopefully forget any spoilers I see until I have a chance to watch the season two finale.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/apple-greenlights-severance-season-three-140954214.html?src=rssAMC Theatres will screen a Swedish movie 'visually dubbed' with the help of AI
On May 9, AMC Theatres will start showing a sci-fi movie that was shot in Swedish but will look like it was made in English instead. Watch the Skies, which was released in its home country as UFO Sweden, had undergone "visual dubbing" with the help of artificial intelligence. An AI company called Flawless used its technology to digitally alter the film's images, making the actors look like they were truly speaking in English. Notably, the original actors recorded their own dialogues in English in a sound booth — Flawless AI's technology merely altered the movements of their lips in the movie.
On its website, Flawless says its TrueSync AI technology "captures every nuance of an actor’s performance and generates new lip movements that perfectly map to the new language audio, providing the perfect visual dub." Variety says the tool is compliant with the rules set by SAG-AFTRA, which ended a four-month strike in 2023 after securing a deal with studios that protects members "from the threat of AI."
Flawless AI's technology could lower the barrier of entry into foreign films. It could make them more appealing to audiences resistant to watching subtitled movies and could provide a better experience for audiences in countries that normally dub movies in their native language. "Showing our materials to filmmakers, especially over the past year, they realize the potential from going to a local stage to a global stage," the company's co-founder, Scott Mann, told Variety. "It’s a huge opportunity to get your work out and it’s been invigorating. They are so excited about showing their work in a wider audience, and especially in America."
Watch the Skies revolves around a teenager who believes that her missing father wasn't dead but was abducted by aliens. To uncover the truth about her father's disappearance, she teams up with UFO Club to look for him. AMC Theatres has committed to showing the film in 100 locations across America.
A 'Split Fiction' movie is reportedly in the works
There's a bidding war for the film adaptation of Split Fiction, according to the information Variety has gathered at this year's Game Developers Conference. Split Fiction is a split-screen multiplayer co-op game by Swedish indie developer Hazelight, which was also the studio behind the genre-defining game It Takes Two. The publication says Story Kitchen, the same media company that pieced together the It Takes Two film adaptation package until it was picked up by Amazon, is already looking for actors, writers and a director for the project.
Variety didn't mention specific companies bidding for the game's rights, but offers are reportedly coming in from "multiple top Hollywood studios." Split Fiction was specifically designed for split-screen gaming through local or online play. You can control either one of the two main characters, Zoe and Mio, as they navigate multiple worlds and overcome various obstacles. The game's story revolves around the two authors who were invited by a company called Rader Publishing to test a new simulation technology that allows players to experience their own fictional stories as reality.
Due to an accident, Mio fel into Zoe's story, which created a glitch that allowed them to travel to and from each other's science fiction stories featuring dragons, cyberpunk motorcycles and other sci-fi and fantasy elements. The game was released on March 6, 2025 and is currently available on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/a-split-fiction-movie-is-reportedly-in-the-works-121528148.html?src=rssThe Morning After: A closer look at Facebook’s leadership
For all of the money and clout Meta has, it can’t stop the triennial emergence of a whistleblower revealing how awful its leadership is. Careless People, the tell-all memoir from former staffer Sarah Wynn-Williams is the latest, dishing plenty of dirt on the house of Zuckerberg. The book has shot to the top of The New York Times’ bestseller list despite Meta’s attempts to suppress it.
Engadget’s Karissa Bell summarized some of the more eye-watering details from the book, and even in highlight form, it’s wild. Like the fact Mark Zuckerberg, the billionaire world king of the internet, wanted the company to arrange for him to be mobbed when he landed in Asia. Or that Sheryl Sandberg didn’t quite grasp how difficult it is to transport live organs between countries.
There’s plenty of scorn for Joel Kaplan, the former George W. Bush staffer and friend of Brett Kavanaugh, who has long been seen as the figure behind Facebook’s rightward pull. Kaplan is accused of blocking attempts to address the company’s role in the Myanmar genocide. The book suggests Kaplan didn’t know Taiwan was an island, and that he reportedly harassed Wynn-Williams.
What’s surprising, really, is how unsurprising many of the revelations are, from Zuckerberg’s venality to the company’s general indifference to the harms it creates. It’s not likely many of the claims here will make many people reconsider their relationship with the company and its products, either.
— Dan Cooper
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The biggest tech stories you missed
Honda and Acura EVs will be able to use the Tesla Supercharger network in June
As if you needed another reason to hang around a Tesla location.Anthropic’s Claude chatbot can now search the web too
It won’t be long before they’ll have an AI that’ll even watch YouTube for you.ChatGPT reportedly accused innocent man of murdering his children
Another of the great benefits of AI.
Fujifilm’s GFX100RF is a 102MP medium format compact camera
One hundred and two megapixels, in this economy?
Fujifilm has been on a hot streak for a while, to the point it’s looking to flex its muscles with some absolutely wild specs. The company announced the GFX100RF medium format compact camera with, wait for it, a 102 megapixel sensor. It’s machined from a single block of aluminum, aping the aesthetic found on the company’s other X-series cameras. I can’t wait to see the hipsters who wanted something fancier than an X100 VI wasting this camera’s talents in the next few years.
Google unveils the new Pixel 9a for $499
Meet the new midrange smartphone king
Google has announced the already widely leaked Pixel 9a, its latest budget addition to the Pixel line. It ditches the Pixel’s famous camera bar in favor of a regular raised lens housing, but it has the same Tensor G4 chip as its pricier siblings. That will enable owners to harness some of the same AI smarts Google’s been selling on the flagship Pixels at a far lower price. Check out Sam Rutherford’s hands-on to see if your wallet might be tempted to crack open.
Tesla recalls more than 46,000 Cybertrucks over a faulty exterior panel
Whoops.
Tesla is recalling every Cybertruck on the road (more than 46,000), after it found exterior panels could fall off. Filings with the NHTSA say an exterior trim panel could detach from the automobile, potentially causing an accident. Oh dear.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-a-closer-look-at-facebooks-leadership-114522686.html?src=rssEngadget Podcast: Google’s Pixel 9a is ready to take on the iPhone 16e
After a ton of leaks, Google officially announced the $499 Pixel 9a, which has the potential to be the new king of mid-range phones. It has dual cameras and access to Google's AI features — in many ways, it's everything the iPhone 16e should have been (especially its price). In this episode, Senior Writer Sam Rutherford joins us to discuss what's great about the Pixel 9a, as well as its potential downsides compared to the Pixel 9.
Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcast, Engadget News!
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Topics
Google’s announces the Pixel 9a - potentially the new midrange king – 1:15
Fujifilm’s GX100RF: a 102MP medium format camera (nice!) with only one F4 lens (boo!) – 21:31
Karissa Bell’s roundup of the craziest stuff from Facebook whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams’ book – 24:14
Donald Trump attempts to fire FTC’s two Democratic commissioners – 29:34
Amazon will send all Alexa recordings to the cloud, no more local processing – 32:52
Chinese EV maker BYD announces chargers that give 249 miles of range in 5 minutes – 39:10
Pebble founder introduces two new e-paper smartwatches – 46:47
Listener Mail: Trying to choose an OLED TV – 57:35
Around Engadget – 1:03:49
Working on – 1:09:56
Pop culture picks – 1:10:28
Credits
Hosts: Devindra Hardawar and Cherlynn Low
Guest: Sam Rutherford
Producer: Ben Ellman
Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien
The best budget gaming laptops for 2025
When most people think of gaming laptops, they imagine high-end gaming machines with the latest graphics card, processor and so on. And of course, gaming laptops of that caliber are going to come with a hefty price tag. However, it is possible to get a budget gaming laptop that still lets you play the latest AAA titles, without spending thousands of unnecessary dollars. If you’re searching for the best budget gaming laptop, you’ve come to the right place. All of our recommendations come in at a palatable $1,250 or less, meaning you can still enjoy an immersive gaming experience, at a much more affordable price. They all boast speedy SSDs, dedicated graphics cards and generous screen sizes, which are must-haves when investing in a budget gaming laptop.
Table of contents
Best budget gaming laptops for 2025
What is a budget gaming laptop?
To get a high-end gaming experience, you can easily spend $5,000 on a fully tricked-out notebook like the Razer Blade 18. But when it comes to the best budget gaming laptops, we're focusing on the other end of the pricing spectrum: laptops under $1,000. It used to be tough to find a gaming option with decent performance at that price point but, as PC prices have fallen, they no longer seem like unicorns.
Stepping up a bit to systems between $1,000 and $2,000 puts you firmly in mid-range territory, which is beyond the scope of this guide. Still, it's worth keeping an eye out for sales that can push those higher-end models below $1,000. Be sure to check out our guide to the best gaming laptops for a general overview of what to look out for in these more expensive systems.
Are cheap gaming laptops worth it?
Cheap gaming laptops are definitely worth it if you’re trying to save money and are being realistic about what you can get at this price range. You can expect to find Intel and AMD's latest (but not greatest) CPUs, as well as entry-level GPUs like NVIDIA's RTX 3050. Budget models are also typically paired with FHD screens running at a respectably high refresh rate of 120Hz or beyond — ensuring smooth frame rates in your favorite games. There are some exceptions though: Dell's G16 (currently discounted to $900) is notable for its 16-inch quad HD+ screen.
Many cheap gaming laptops also skimp on specs like RAM and hard drive space. We'd recommend getting at least 16GB of RAM and SSD storage of at least 512GB. Modern games need a decent chunk of memory to run, and they also tend to be large, so you wouldn't be able to fit much alongside Windows 11 on a 256B SSD. You might be tempted to jump on one of those dirt-cheap gaming laptop deals from Walmart or Best Buy, but it's just not worth it if you're stuck with 8GB of RAM or a tiny SSD.
As for build quality, expect to find more plastic than metal on budget gaming machines. Still, the best budget gaming laptops we're recommending should be sturdy enough to last a few years. Affordable systems will also be heavier and thicker than mid-range and higher-end models, and often don’t have the best Wi-Fi or connectivity options. Battery life is another trade-off, though even the most expensive gaming laptops can struggle with longevity.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/best-budget-gaming-laptop-130004199.html?src=rssThe best Apple deals you can get right now: Save on iPads, Apple Watches, the Mac mini and more
Whether it’s your nephew who wants a new iPad, your sister who needs a new pair of AirPods or your parent who could benefit from an easy-to-use MacBook, Apple devices are some of the most in-demand devices you can get today. That means, unfortunately, that big discounts are few and far between, and they’re often the first to sell out when sales do arise. But make no mistake: you can find good Apple deals across the web, you just have to know where to look.
Engadget keeps track of deals like these regularly, so we’re here to help. We’ve collected the best Apple deals on items like AirPods, MacBooks, iPads and more that you can get right now. Just note: you’ll find the best Apple deals from retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Target and others — not directly from Apple. Unless you shop refurbished, you’ll always pay top dollar direct at Apple, and for some things (like iPhones), that might be the best route to take.
Currently, a bunch of Apple deals are overlapping with the Amazon Spring Sale. While no where near as comprehensive as standard Prime Day, this year's Amazon Spring Sale includes discounts on a few iPads and Apple Watches, along with sales on things like robot vacuums, air purifiers and more.
Best AirPod deals
Apple AirPods Pro 2 for $199 ($50 off): These are the best wireless earbuds for Apple users, period. The latest models have improved ANC and transparency mode, along with good battery life, spatial audio and hands-free Siri. They also have MagSafe charging support and work with Apple’s "clinically validated” hearing test. Also at Target.
AirPods 4 with ANC for $169 ($10 off): These buds have ANC, but they don’t have the interchangeable ear tips you’ll find on the AirPods Pro 2. Even so, they have an improved fit over the last version, plus good sound quality and a heap of advanced features.
Best Apple accessories deals
Apple Pencil Pro for $99 ($30 off): The most advanced Apple Pencil includes a gyroscope, plus support for the squeeze gesture and Find My. It’s essentially an upgraded version of the second-gen Pencil, complete with pressure support and magnets so it can snap to the side of your iPad for safe keeping.
Apple Pencil USB-C for $69 ($10 off): This more affordable Apple Pencil doesn’t support pressure sensitivity, but makes for a good stylus overall. If you’re a casual note-taker and can handle connected charging, you’ll save a few dollars by picking this one up. Also at Walmart.
Best iPad deals
Apple iPad Air (M3, 11-inch) for $549 ($50 off): The only major difference between the latest iPad Air and the previous generation is the addition of the faster M3 chip. We awarded the new slab an 89 in our review, appreciating the fact that the M3 chip was about 16 percent faster in benchmark tests than the M2. This is the iPad to get if you want a reasonable amount of productivity out of an iPad that's more affordable than the Pro models.
Apple iPad (A16 chip, 11-inch) for $329 ($20 off): The new base-model iPad now comes with twice the storage of the previous model and the A16 chip. That makes the most affordable iPad faster and more capable, but still isn't enough to support Apple Intelligence. It just went on sale on March 12, so this is an early discount. Also at B&H Photo.
Best Apple Watch deals
Apple Watch SE for $199 ($80 off): Those on tighter budgets can opt for the Apple Watch SE and know they’re getting the core Apple wearable experience with few compromises. We consider it to be the best smartwatch for newbies.
Best MacBook deals and Mac discounts
MacBook Air (13-inch, M2) for $915 ($85 off): With the launch of the M4 MacBook Air, the M2 model feels a little old — even though it's objectively a solid laptop. We called it Apple's "near-perfect" Mac in our original review, praising it for its excellent performance, gorgeous screen and thinner design.
MacBook Air (M3, 13-inch) for $889 ($210 off): Now that the M4 MacBook Air is out, the M3 MacBook Air is no longer the latest edition. But it's still a great computer and our current budget pick for a MacBook. It builds upon the solid foundation of the M2 model, meaning it’s more than enough computer for most people. It earned a score of 90 in our review thanks to its speedy performance, sturdy yet sleek design, excellent keyboard and trackpad and good speaker system. If you want a slightly larger display, grab the 15-inch model instead. Also at B&H Photo.
MacBook Pro (M4, 14-inch) for $1,399 ($200 off): Both the 14- and 16-inch M4 MacBook Pros are some of the fastest laptops you can get right now, ideal for content creators, video editors and anyone who needs a notebook that can handle pretty much anything they throw at it. They have bright, bold displays, improved webcams and long battery lives, plus some models have Thunderbolt 5 ports. Also at B&H Photo.
iMac (M4, 24-inch) for $1,179 ($120 off): For an all-in-one solution, the M4 iMac is a good pick thanks to its powerful performance, standard 16GB of RAM and improved webcam. Just note that it only comes in the 24-inch screen size option.
Read more Apple coverage:
Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/best-apple-deals-150020110.html?src=rssBloober Team launches horror publishing label with debut game I Hate This Place
Bloober Team is taking its horror game cred into a new direction with the launch of publisher Broken Mirror Games. This "co-development label" is collaborating with Rock Square Thunder, an indie outfit founded by ex-Bloober devs, for a new open-world survival horror game called I Hate This Place. It's scheduled for release in the final quarter of 2025 on PC, PlayStation, Xbox Series S/X and Nintendo Switch.
The source material for this adaptation is a comic book series of the same title from Skybound Entertainment by writer Kyle Starks and artist Artyom Topilin. Fittingly, the game has kept a hand-drawn style for its tale of protagonist Elena, who has accidentally unleashed a nightmarish force and now has to fight for her life by using her wits and finding shelter before the sun sets.
While its exact focus in the genre has shifted, Bloober Team has created several well-received horror games such as Layers of Fear, last year's Silent Hill 2 remake and the upcoming Cronos: The New Dawn.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/bloober-team-launches-horror-publishing-label-with-debut-game-i-hate-this-place-220032691.html?src=rss‘FBC: Firebreak’ first look: Left 4 Dead but with Remedy’s silly, surreal touch
There’s something really exciting about FBC: Firebreak, Remedy’s take on cooperative, online first-person shooters. I’ve been trying to pinpoint a specific wow factor since attending the game’s developer-led demonstration last week, but I’ve concluded it’s a combination of multiple cool features blended perfectly together. FBC: Firebreak is set in the sterile headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Control and it features Remedy’s trademark dark surrealism, but it’s also infused with a healthy dose of silliness and mechanical depth. The result feels like a modern Left 4 Dead in the best possible way, just with Hiss instead of zombies and three players instead of four.
Left 3 Dead, anyone?
FBC: Firebreak takes place six years after the end of Control. The Oldest House, which used to be the seat of power for the FBC, has been sealed with the Hiss inside, and it’s now time to eradicate the invasion and lift the lockdown. The agency is sending in the Firebreak team, a unit composed of government volunteers with no extra combat training and little hope of making it out alive. As a member of Firebreak, you’re handed some special equipment, patted on the back and locked inside the headquarters with the Hiss and every unfortunate employee it’s infested. Good luck.
The game is broken down by Jobs, which are essentially custom-built missions in specific regions of The Oldest House. All Jobs have three zones, but otherwise each one has a unique objective, crisis, and environment. After selecting a Job, you get to customize your run by setting the Threat Level and Clearance Level — Threat Level determines combat difficulty and the number of rewards up for grabs, while Clearance Level sets the number of zones you have to clear and the type of rewards.
“I will say we do have more than three clearance levels, and you get into some pretty interesting stuff later, such as corrupted items that appear during the job,” game director Mike Kayatta said.
Before the match begins, each player gets to select one of three Crisis Kits, loadouts designed with specific playstyles in mind. Crisis Kits come with a tool and an item each. The Jump Kit is based around electricity and it has the Electro-Kinectic Charge Impactor, a portable jackhammer kind of device with a conductive metal plate on the end, capable of slamming into enemies or propelling yourself into the air. It also has the BOOMbox, which plays music to attract enemies before exploding. The Fix Kit gives you a big wrench that’s able to repair machinery and stagger Hiss, and it also includes a turret that you have to smack with the wrench to assemble. The Splash Kit is for all the water signs out there — it features the Crank-Operated Fluidic Injector, an industrial water cannon that can extinguish fires and soak enemies so they’re primed for extra damage, plus a Humidifier, which sprays healing water in a wide area.
“A good way to look at all of this is that you're going to kind of combine the threat level and the clearance level and the type of job you want to play to sort of create your own load, your own experience, exactly the session that you're looking for with whatever group you're playing with that night,” Kayatta said.
Members of the Firebreak squad have their own Research Perks, or upgrade slots. You purchase Perks with currency earned during Jobs, and stacking upgrades of the same type strengthens their effect. Equipping three Perks of the same type lends that ability to nearby teammates as well.
“For example, one perk might give you the feature that each missed bullet has a chance to return to your clip, or the ability to extinguish yourself by jumping up and down, which is how that of course works,” community manager Julius Fondem said. “If you equip just one perk, you get its effect. Simple, straightforward. If you equip two of the same type, you get a stronger version of that perk. And if you equip three of the same perk type, you can actually share its effect with your nearby crewmates. As you increase your kit proficiency, you'll increase the slots you have to play with, giving you the opportunity to play with a lot of different builds and strategies.”
Killing Hiss is all fine and dandy, but collecting currency is a major goal of each run in FBC: Firebreak, too. Currency is used to purchase new gear and cosmetics as well as Perks. Regardless of whether you actually escape a Job alive, you're rewarded with XP and proficiencies for the gear you used. You can only earn currency by finding it in the environment and successfully escaping with it (and your life).
“Ultimately, Firebreak is about efficiency,” Fondem said. “You can't fail objectives, but the longer you spend doing them, the more and more Hiss will show up to stop you, increasing the chance that your crew dies on the job. That means the longer you spend exploring for currency, the more risk you're inviting and the harder it will eventually become to make it back to headquarters in one piece.”
Speaking of currency — Remedy promises it won’t charge for critical content post-launch.
“We want to keep all of our players united, which means that all playable post-launch content, such as Jobs, will be free for everyone who has the game,” Fondem said. “We'll support the game by offering paid cosmetic content as well.”
The Job that Remedy showed off in the media briefing (and featured in today’s Future Games Show Spring Showcase) was Paper Chase, a mission filled with flying yellow sticky notes, sticky-note monsters, and one hulking sticky-note titan as the final boss. It’s set in a classic FBC office space, concrete walls and blood-orange carpet, and players have to eradicate the rogue, multiplying sticky notes as well as the rushing Hiss. Little squares of paper swirl through the air and cling to the player’s face, covering the screen at times, amid explosions, flickering lights and showers of bullets. At one point, a player places a piggy bank in their melee weapon and smashes it on the Hiss, screaming, “Stand back, piggy’s coming out!” It activates an AOE wind effect on nearby enemies. There are environmental factors to mess with and a range of weapons to deploy — shotguns, machine guns, rifles, pistols, water cannons, turrets, grenades, electrified impact devices, boomboxes — and overall, Paper Chase seems like a damn good time.
It’s taken plenty of iteration to get to this point. And as it turns out, FBC: Firebreak isn’t limited to three players just to differentiate itself from a slightly similar 16-year-old game with a four in its title.
“The reason why we did three-player squads, really, it was like an organic quirk of the development,” Kayatta said. “We actually started testing with four players. I think it just didn't feel quite as good. It was a little harder to understand where people were. That's something that's, like, not required but definitely helpful in this game. And it just felt like, with all of the chaos and all of the fun systems going off, three just felt right over time. So that's it. And yeah, you can play solo or duo.”
FBC: Firebreak is due out this summer, and it’s heading to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, plus it’ll be available day-one on Game Pass and PlayStation Plus. It’ll support cross-play. Remedy is aiming for a “lower-minimum” PC spec requirement and optimizing the game for Steam Deck. Still, FBC: Firebreak will ship with full ray-tracing support, DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation and NVIDIA Reflex capabilities.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/fbc-firebreak-first-look-left-4-dead-but-with-remedys-silly-surreal-touch-214657219.html?src=rssGame companies will standardize accessibility labels on storefronts and product pages
Console makers and game developers like Microsoft, Nintendo and Electronic Arts have created a new initiative, managed by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), that aims to make it easier to know what accessibility features games have.
The new Accessible Games Initiative has defined a set of 24 accessibility tags that will appear in participating game storefronts and product pages so players can know what features a game has before they buy it. The tags have easy to understand definitions and cover a range of accessibility features games offer, like subtitles, input remapping for controls, text-to-speech and speech-to-text in chat and narrated menus. All of the tags and definitions are available to view on the Accessible Games Initiative's website. The ESA also says it will provide developers with criteria for the tags so they can develop accessibility features with them in mind.
The new tags are designed to co-exist with existing accessibility information on product pages, but some companies may choose to focus exclusively on the new "cross-industry" standard. For example, Microsoft plans to "replace existing Xbox Game Accessibility Feature tags with their equivalent Accessible Games Initiative tags" to avoid duplication, while keeping its own tags that aren't in the initiative's list.
The idea for the Accessible Games Initiative "was first developed by Electronic Arts, Google, Microsoft, Nintendo of America, Sony Interactive Entertainment and Ubisoft," according to the ESA, and new companies have joined in time for launch, like "Amazon Games, Riot Games, Square Enix and Warner Bros. Games."
Offering some kind of standardized way to know what accessibility features a game has is desperately needed. While developers have gotten better at offering accessibility features in their games by default, players interested in a specific feature have mostly had to rely on third-party resources like Can I Play That? to figure out how well they've been interpreted and implemented. These tags should start to fix that.
The only open question is when they'll be adopted. The ESA told The Verge that "the timeline for implementation of the tags is company-dependent," meaning there could be a wait ahead for players hoping to take advantage of the Accessible Games Initiative's work.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/game-companies-will-standardize-accessibility-labels-on-storefronts-and-product-pages-211335539.html?src=rssHonda and Acura EVs will be able to use the Tesla Supercharger network in June
If you own a Honda Prologue or Acura ZDX, you'll soon have a lot more places you can charge your car. Honda and Acura EVs will be able to access the Tesla Supercharger network in June 2025, when Honda's official NACS-CCS adapter goes on sale.
Adapters will be available to purchase from authorized dealerships, and EV owners will receive a notification from the HondaLink and Acura EV apps when they're available. The apps will also be able to locate Tesla Superchargers around the same time. Honda says the adapter is the safest way to charge on Tesla's more than 20,000 chargers in the US, but hasn't shared how much it'll actually cost once it's available. For a preview of the possible price range for Honda's adapter, car makers have charged anywhere from nothing (Rivian) to $230 (Ford) for an NACS adapter.
Honda's plan to adopt the North American Charging Standard (NACS) has been in the works since 2023. In finally offering its own adapter, Honda joins other EV makers like Mercedes-Benz, Rivian, Polestar, Lucid and Ford in giving existing EV owners a way to take advantage of Tesla's expansive charging network.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/honda-and-acura-evs-will-be-able-to-use-the-tesla-supercharger-network-in-june-185608357.html?src=rssAnthropic's Claude chatbot can now search the web too
In late February, Anthropic released Claude 3.7 Sonnet. As the industry's first hybrid reasoning model, it was a major milestone for the company. Rather than forcing users to pick between a version of Claude that can answer a question nearly instantaneously or work through a problem step by step, the chatbot can do both, with a simple toggle allowing you to switch between Claude's different “thinking modes.” Today, Anthropic is enhancing 3.7 Sonnet by giving it the ability to search the web.
"With web search, Claude has access to the latest events and information, boosting its accuracy on tasks that benefit from the most recent data," Anthropic explains. Before today, Claude's knowledge cut-off was October 2024, meaning if you asked it about recent events, there was a good chance you wouldn't get the best answer. When Claude turns to the web for help, it will list citations you can tap or click on to fact-check its answers.
If you live in the US and pay for Claude, you can enable web search through the profile settings menu. Anthropic says it will roll out the feature to free users and more countries soon. With today's announcement, Anthropic is playing catchup. OpenAI began rolling out ChatGPT Search to paying subscribers last fall, and as of the start of this past February, all users, including those without a ChatGPT account, can use the feature for free.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/anthropics-claude-chatbot-can-now-search-the-web-too-183501166.html?src=rssGmail is getting AI-powered search results
If you receive a lot of email, and most people do, then sometimes it can be a challenge to pull up a particular old missive in your inbox. Google has decided that the solution must be more artificial intelligence. Today, the company announced that it is rolling out an update that uses AI to assess inbox search queries to account for recency, frequent contacts and most-clicked emails. The "most relevant" search feature is rolling out globally to personal accounts, while business accounts will get it at an unspecified future date.
If the idea of yet more AI in your software icks you out, at least you won't be required to use this feature. Google notes that once a personal account gets the "most relevant" search results option, there will be a toggle to swap back to the "most recent" view that will show hits in reverse chronological order as usual.
If you're happily on board the AI train, you're in luck, because there are a lot more places that Google has been putting this technology. This month alone, AI has been popping up in more aspects of Google's search and shopping portals.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/gmail-is-getting-ai-powered-search-results-181745405.html?src=rssHuawei reveals a wide-ass 16:10 foldable with a DeepSeek-powered AI assistant
Because of sanctions that will prevent Huawei’s latest foldable from going on sale in the US, many folks who are interested in the handset will never lay eyes on it in person. Still, you might want to get a load of this oddity.
The Pura X should maybe have a “wide load” warning that pops up on the back once it’s opened up. Per CNBC, the 6.3-inch display has a 16:10 aspect ratio. That means it’s wider and more tablet-like than most other phones. It's not quite as unusual as Huawei's (admittedly cool-looking) tri-fold Mate XT, but it's still funky. Close the hinge and the Pura X folds into a square that has a 3.5-inch display and brings the rear camera array to the front.
The handset, which starts at 7,499 Chinese yuan (about $1,037), stands out for other reasons. The Pura X is the first Huawei phone that doesn't have a lick of Android. It runs on a version of HarmonyOS that the brand revealed back in November. It also features Xiaoyi, an in-house AI assistant that uses DeepSeek's tech to bolster Huawei's own Pangu model.
Threads will finally let everyone change their default feed
Meta’s Threads is finally allowing users to change their default feed in the app, in a move that addresses what has long been one of the most frustrating parts of the service. With the update, users will be able to make the “following” feed or a custom feed the default view in the app rather than Threads’ sometimes chaotic “for you” feed.
Mark Zuckerberg said that Meta would test the feature way back in November, but the company has said little about it since. Now that it’s official, the change could help address criticism that Threads isn’t as useful for following real-time events because it pushes users to the “for you” algorithmic feed, which often surfaces older posts with many replies rather than newer posts from followed accounts.
It could also help Meta as it tries to lure more users from X and Bluesky, which saw a surge of new users last year. Threads currently has 320 million monthly active users, according to a Meta spokesperson, while Bluesky has about 33 million.
The long overdue change arrives alongside several other upgrades to the service. The app is also finally getting a setting that allows users to limit quotes and replies to followers only. That should address complaints about reply guys and unnecessary dunking (previously, the app’s quote controls had options for “profiles you follow” and mentioned accounts only).
Threads is also making changes that make it easier to surface topics in various parts of the app. As a refresher, topics on Threads are essentially the site’s version of hashtags (with a few notable distinctions). Now, the app will surface topics in more places in an effort to steer users toward more relevant posts.
While drafting a new post, Threads will allow users to browse topics, including ones that are currently trending in the app. The service will also more prominently highlight trending topics alongside relevant feed posts. Meta is also testing the ability to add topics to Threads profiles, much like how you can add hashtags to Instagram profiles. The company notes that taking advantage of topics could help users’ expand their reach, noting that “internal data” suggests that posts with a tagged topic “generally receive more views than those that without one.” That will likely be useful info for Threads creators trying to decipher the app’s sometimes confusing algorithm.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/threads-will-finally-let-everyone-change-their-default-feed-170001140.html?src=rssNintendo Switch 2: Everything we know about specs, pricing, games and more
As the world turns, so do the console generations. The Nintendo Switch 2 will arrive in 2025, over eight years after its predecessor. Nintendo officially revealed the successor to its best-selling home console in a brief trailer on January 16.
The Switch 2 looks functionally very similar to the original system, albeit with a larger display, magnetic Joy-Cons and a sleeker design. The company also reaffirmed that the upcoming console will be backwards compatible with Switch games.
While the reveal did confirm some rumors and have a few interesting details for those who were paying close attention, Nintendo is still largely keeping its cards close to its chest. We'll have to wait until a special Nintendo Direct at 9AM ET on April 2 for all the juicy information. Before that, we'll just have to gaze at the sleeves on the Seattle Mariners' jerseys this year — Nintendo and the MLB team announced they'll have a Nintendo logo on the sleeve of the home jersey and a Switch 2 logo on the away jersey. If you can't trust a sports partnership to forecast a new console arriving soon, what can you trust?
The Nintendo Switch 2 was announced on January 16
The rumor mill had heavily suggested that Nintendo would pull back the curtain on the Switch 2 on January 16, and that turned out to be the case.
The company hasn't changed the core form factor. It's a portable console with detachable Joy-Cons. The Switch 2 can be placed in a dock for big-screen gaming. There are some significant differences from the original console, however.
The most obvious one is that the next-gen Joy-Cons will no longer slide into place mechanically. Instead, they appear to attach to the main unit magnetically. There is a small connector that's likely used to charge the controllers. It's unclear at this point if Joy-Cons from the original system will be compatible with the Switch 2.
One other big (and very welcome) change is the addition of a second USB-C port on the top of the device. That should make it much easier to plug in accessories while the Switch 2 is docked. FCC filings suggest that you'll be able to charge the console using either USB-C port, which is another nice quality-of-life change.
It's great to see that Nintendo has kept the headphone jack as well. Let's just hope that Bluetooth headphone support is live from the jump this time and Nintendo doesn't leave everyone waiting four years for that feature.
The kickstand is getting an upgrade. As with the Switch OLED, it spans the length of the console this time around. But, according to the reveal trailer, this one looks fully adjustable, so you can tweak the viewing angle to one that works for you.
There are still a great many unknowns regarding the upcoming console. We don't really know the specs yet, or what type of display it uses. We also don't know anything about battery life, the UI or launch games. We'll surely learn a whole lot on April 2.
When will the Nintendo Switch 2 come out?
2025. That's all we know for sure at this point.
It's highly unlikely that Nintendo will release the console before the dedicated Direct on April 2, and not only because that's at the start of Nintendo's next financial year. However, accessory manufacturer Genki, which has been a major source of leaks in recent months, claims the console will be released in April. Other reports have pegged June as the release window, as have several analysts.
In any case, we should learn the release date during the April 2 Direct.
When can I try the Nintendo Switch 2?
Nintendo is planning a worldwide roadshow to let gamers go hands-on with the console. These events start in New York and Paris on April 3-6, with others taking place throughout the following two months. That lends credence to some suggestions that Nintendo will release the Switch 2 in June.
Ticket registration for many of the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience events has closed, but waitlists are available. However, given that Nintendo is taking a first come, first served approach, your chances of attending the roadshow if you don't already have a ticket (or unless you signed up for the waitlist immediately) seem very small at this point.
The full list of Nintendo Switch 2 Experience dates is as follows:
North America:
New York, April 4-6, 2025
Los Angeles, April 11-13, 2025
Dallas, April 25-27, 2025
Toronto, April 25-27, 2025
Europe:
Paris, April 4-6, 2025
London, April 11-13, 2025
Milan, April 25-27, 2025
Berlin, April 25-27, 2025
Madrid, May 9-11, 2025
Amsterdam, May 9-11, 2025
Oceania:
Melbourne, May 10-11, 2025
Asia:
Tokyo (Makuhari), April 26-27, 2025
Seoul, May 31-June 1, 2025
Hong Kong, To be announced
Taipei, To be announced
Will the Nintendo Switch 2 have some weirdness?
Everything we've seen and so far about this console has been fairly, well, traditional. It looks like the original Switch, but better. That's awesome, but will there be any of that unpredictable Nintendo magic? Maybe! There are two puzzling additions that folks can't make hide nor hair of.
Genki, the accessories manufacturer, just published a landing page for their Nintendo Switch 2 accessories. This landing page features a video that includes a very detailed look at a Switch 2 mockup. pic.twitter.com/Db7RSk4YlQ
— Bob Wulff (@BobWulff) January 8, 2025
Keen eyes will have noticed a new button on the bottom of the right Joy-Con. It it not yet clear what this does. Could it initiate voice chat during gameplay? Could it calibrate the controllers? Could it create a room-sized hologram of Bowser in your living room? We'll have to wait and see.
Now onto the updated Joy-Cons. There appears to be a new sensor on the connecting side of each controller. It looks a whole lot like an optical sensor, which is what a computer mouse uses. This has led to speculation that players will be able to flip the Joy-Con over and use it like a mouse. Of note: the trailer shows the Joy-Cons moving along a flat surface, connector side down and looking suspiciously like a mouse.
But why would anyone even want this? We can think of three words. New Mario Paint.
Genki reveal isnt a mockup, its straight up just the Switch 2, optical sensor is literally flashing in this shot @Stealth40k #Switch2 pic.twitter.com/COeLsonqMd
— Ash (@Ashinarii) January 8, 2025
Mouse control isn’t the only “too strange for any company but Nintendo” rumor floating around. A patent filed by the company suggests you can swap the Switch 2’s Joy-Cons, snapping them onto either side of the console. That would align with the magnetic Joy-Con attachment scheme.
But much like the weird mouse rumors, it doesn’t necessarily align with, well, any logical reason for why you’d want to do that. The patent suggests it could allow for more user choice in where the headphone jack is. But since it’s Nintendo, the company that brought us Labo cardboard peripherals and the Game Boy Advance e-reader attachment, we have to wonder if there are… quirkier designs at hand.
Is the Nintendo Switch 2 backwards compatible?
The company confirmed in November 2024 that the Nintendo Switch 2 will be backwards compatible. It will also feature access to Nintendo Online, so users will be able to play all of those old retro titles.
In the initial Nintendo Switch 2 press release, Nintendo reiterated that physical and digital Switch games will work on the new system. However, it noted that "certain Nintendo Switch games may not be supported on or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2." More details about which games those are will be revealed later.
Will old games be enhanced in any way?
The original Switch has, to put it mildly, struggled to run some of the late-generation software that's come down the pike. Could these games be enhanced to take advantage of the increased horsepower of the Switch 2? We have no idea. We also don't know if any of these releases will receive graphical upgrades, perhaps taking advantage of upscaling tech.
What will the cartridges taste like?
You may remember that the original Switch cartridges taste absolutely awful. This was on purpose, to discourage folks from putting the games in their mouth. Will the successor follow suit and continue to dip cartridges in a foul-tasting bitter coating? Only time will tell.
What about specs?
The rumors regarding specs are all over the place, so it’s tough to pin down. We know one thing for sure: It’ll be more powerful than the ancient Switch hardware, which was already antiquated back in 2017. One analyst allegedly got a hold of a spec sheet from the Korean United Daily News that said the Switch 2 would boast an eight-core Cortex-A78AE processor, 8GB of RAM and 64GB of internal eMMC storage. This tracks, as these specs are about as underpowered now as the original Switch was in 2017. However, some reports do indicate that the console will include 12GB of RAM.
Another source suggests that the eight-core CPU will be packaged inside an NVIDIA-produced Tegra239 SoC (system on a chip). Given the current Switch runs on an NVIDIA chip, that makes a lot of sense. The CPU will be more powerful, but it's the Switch 2's new GPU that will be a major differentiator. It's all-but-confirmed that the Switch 2 will support DLSS, NVIDIA's "deep learning supersampling" upscaling tech, which would allow the console to render games at a low resolution internally while outputting a high-resolution image. (Fun fact: We actually wrote about how perfect DLSS was for the Nintendo Switch 2 when the technology was announced alongside the RTX 20 series back in 2018.)
There are still questions about the Switch 2 and DLSS: Will the system support newer DLSS features like frame generation? Will existing games be automatically tidied up by NVIDIA's algorithm? Regardless of the exact implementation, DLSS upscaling will be a huge leap over the rudimentary techniques available to Nintendo Switch developers.
As for the display, there are many conflicting rumors. Early reports from solid sources suggested the Switch 2 would have an 8-inch LCD screen. The Switch 2's display certainly looks larger than that of the original Switch in a side-by-side comparison in the reveal trailer. Some folks have worried that the Switch follow-up may actually be too big, especially for kids.
Certain analysts have suggested this would be an OLED screen, while others have said it would be a Mini-LED display. A Mini-LED display is basically an LCD display that has a backlight made of (surprise!) mini-LEDs rather than edge lighting. This allows for local dimming, making the blacks more black.
We're hedging our bets here. We think it’ll be a standard LCD, to cut costs, with an OLED or Mini-LED model coming later down the line. However, Mini-LED screens are slightly cheaper than OLED displays, so that’s certainly a possibility at launch.
As for resolution, recent reporting suggests that the console will output 1080p in handheld and 4K when docked. That's much better than the OG Switch.
More tenuous “leaks” have intimated that the Switch 2 could also support a faster microSD card standard known as microSD Express. This allows for significantly faster transfer rates than the common UHS-I cards supported by the Switch today. It’s technically been around for several years, but we’ve only recently started to see microSD cards that take advantage of the spec hit the market.
We actually tested one of them from SanDisk for our microSD card buying guide and found it could reach sequential read speeds up to around 900 MB/s. With the current Switch, microSD transfer speeds top out closer to 100 MB/s.
So, in theory, all of this could bring a sizable boost in load times and general storage performance for the Switch 2 (though it’s still not likely to be on par with the SSDs in the PS5 or Xbox Series X/S). But again, these rumors are far from concrete. It’s also worth noting that microSD Express cards cost significantly more than what we usually see today — the SanDisk card we tested, for instance, starts at $45 for just 128GB of storage.
Recently-unearthed FCC filings also indicate that the console will support Wi-Fi 6 and NFC. The latter indicates that the Switch 2 will continue Amiibo integration.
How much will the Nintendo Switch 2 cost?
We don't have too much information regarding price but we do have plenty of history to work with. The original Nintendo Switch launched at $300, which is pretty much the "magic number" when it comes to Nintendo console releases in recent years. The Wii U also came in at $300.
However, there are plenty of rumors circulating that Nintendo could be upping the asking price for the Switch 2. Several analysts are expecting Nintendo to hike the price to at least $400 and possibly even as much as $500. Rising costs of components and development, as well as US tariffs, are likely to mean that the Switch 2 is more expensive than its predecessor.
Dipping back into history, there is some precedence for a price uptick. The GameCube was $200 and the Wii was $250. The Wii U and Switch increased to $300 and, well, numbers like to go up. A $400 price tag would make the Switch 2 nearly as expensive as a PS5 and Xbox Series X. That would also put it at the same price as the 256GB LCD Steam Deck.
Again, we should get confirmation of the price during the April 2 Nintendo Direct.
How well will the Nintendo Switch 2 sell?
Even with an expected price increase, Nintendo is likely to sell boatloads of Switch 2 consoles. The company seems to be positioning itself to shatter sales records. Reports suggest that Nintendo wants to have as many units ready to sell as possible on release day. One analyst told Bloomberg that they expected Nintendo to have an inventory of between 6 million and 8 million units at the outset.
As Bloomberg notes, the company sold 2.7 million Switch units in that console's first month. Sony's PS4 and PS5 each sold 4.5 million units in their first quarter on the market, though it's worth noting the PS5's early momentum was hindered somewhat by shortages.
Nintendo has sold more than 150 million Switch units. Given that many fans are more than ready for an upgrade (and to perhaps give their old Switch to a young relative or sell it on the cheap), the Switch 2 is very likely to go gangbusters right out of the gate.
Do we know about any launch games?
Not so much. The reveal trailer offered a peek at a new Mario Kart game. Nintendo released Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U over a decade ago and it's been milking that cash cow ever since, having sold more than 64 million copies of the game across that console and the Switch. It's definitely time for a new entry!
It's certainly been a long time since we’ve gotten a proper 3D Mario adventure as well, so a new one could be a launch title. That would be one heck of a system seller. Other than that, your guess is as good as ours. Past as prologue, we can expect something from Ubisoft and an off-the-wall title like 1-2-Switch. One report suggested that PowerWash Simulator 2 is bound for the Switch 2, so that's something.
If there’s a gimmick or hook involved with the console, we’ll also get a game that takes advantage of that. A dual release of Metroid Prime 4, just like Breath of the Wild and Twilight Princess before that, is also a possibility.
It's all but nailed on that we'll learn much more about the Switch 2 launch lineup during the April 2 Nintendo Direct, which starts at 9AM ET. You'll definitely want to set your Alarmo for that one.
That's everything we know about the Nintendo Switch 2 today. We'll update this article with rumors we trust and with information we gather directly from sources. Any changes made to the article after its initial publishing will be listed below.
Update, January 24, 2025, 12:36 PM ET: This story has been updated to include speculation about price, potential game enhancements and the taste of cartridges.
Update, February 5, 2025, 9:30AM ET: This story has been updated to note the time when the April 2 Nintendo Direct starts.
Update, February 24, 2025, 12:30 PM ET: This story has been updated to include speculation about storage and information about the new microSD Express standard.
Update, March 6, 2025, 2:30PM ET: This story has been updated to note recent FCC filings to indicate the presence of Wi-Fi 6 and NFC support.
Update, March 14, 2025, 12:15PM ET: This story has been updated to include pricing and sales speculation from analysts.
Update, March 20, 2025, 12:45PM ET: Updated to include a note about the Seattle Mariners new jersey patches featuring Nintendo and the Switch 2.
Jeff Dunn contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2-everything-we-know-about-specs-pricing-games-and-more-172120466.html?src=rssTikTok is adding Amber Alerts to the For You feed
TikTok is bringing Amber Alerts to the For You feed, the platform just announced via blog post. It has teamed up with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) to bring these alerts to users and to “leverage the power of the US TikTok community” to help reunite kids with their families.
The social media platform started experimenting with this functionality last year, with a pilot program in Texas. The rollout was successful, with TikTok saying Amber Alerts in Texas were viewed more than 20 million times and contributed to 2.5 million visits to NCMEC's website.
When an AMBER Alert is issued, users who live near the missing child will see it show up in the For You feed. The posts will feature two hyperlinks. One will lead to the relevant NCMEC data and the other will contact 911, just in case there’s information to impart. The platform is also donating advertising credits from these posts to “amplify NCMEC's messaging via their official TikTok account.”
This is just the latest social media platform to integrate Amber Alerts in some way. Instagram began pushing these alerts to users back in 2022. Facebook did the same in 2015. Here’s hoping that TikTok’s adoption of this idea leads to more kids returning safely to their loved ones.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/tiktok-is-adding-amber-alerts-to-the-for-you-feed-162909699.html?src=rssHow to stream every March Madness 2025 game
The brackets are set and the teams are en route to their respective arenas. The 2025 NCAA Tournaments, affectionately known to many as March Madness, begin this week. The men’s tournament begins first on March 18 with the women’s version tipping off on March 19. Both will begin with First Four or “play-in” games (depending on who you ask) before providing action on the court through the first weekend in April. Different broadcasters own the rights to each tournament, so streaming them both can be confusing. I’ve broken down the best, most affordable way to access each one so that you'll be ready when the games begin.
When does March Madness start?
The men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament begins on Tuesday, March 18 with two of the so-called First Four matchups. These are the four games that are used to determine the final four teams in the main 64-team bracket. To some, they’re known as the “play-in games” although they’ve officially been part of the men's tournament since 2011. The first game on March 18 begins at 6:40PM ET with another to follow at 9:10PM ET. The same schedule is expected for the second slate of games on Wednesday, March 19.
On the women’s side, March Madness is offset from the men’s tournament by a day. The first two of the First Four games are Wednesday, March 19 at 7PM ET and 9PM ET. The second pair of matchups follows on Thursday, March 20 in the same two time slots.
The 64-team bracket kicks off in earnest for the men at 12:15PM ET on Thursday, March 20. For the women, the main action begins at 11:30AM ET on Friday, March 21st. Here’s the full schedule for each tournament:
2025 Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament
First Four: March 18-19
First round: March 20-21
Second round: March 22-23
Sweet 16: March 27-28
Elite Eight: March 29-30
Final Four: April 5
Championship game: April 7
2025 Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament
First Four: March 19-20
First round: March 21-22
Second round: March 23-24
Sweet 16: March 28-29
Elite Eight: March 30-31
Final Four: April 4
Championship game: April 6
How to stream the 2025 Men’s NCAA Tournament
CBS and Warner Bros. Discovery share the broadcast rights to the men’s tournament, and as they have in years past, TV coverage will be spread across four networks. During the course of March Madness, games will air on CBS, TNT, TBS and truTV, with the final rounds and championship game landing on CBS.
If you already have a paid TV plan (such as traditional cable), a good way to watch the men’s tournament is with the March Madness Live app or website. There's a big catch though: CBS games aren't available in the app. That means this is really only a good option through the Elite Eight. Once you log in with your TV provider credentials, you can watch games on the other networks in one spot with features like multiview (up to four games at once), “excitement alerts” that let you know when there’s a close game and a Fast Break stream that covers of all the in-progress games in one spot.
The app also offers ways to follow your bracket, if you filled it out on MarchMadness.com. And when you’re watching on desktop, the crucial Boss Button will throw up a fake work screen when you need it. March Madness Live is also available on Amazon, Fire TV, Apple TV, iOS, macOS, Google Play, LG smart TVs, Roku and Xbox devices.
Your most affordable option to watch every game is to actually use two services. It’s not ideal, I know, but it will save you a lot of money. Max’s Basic plan is $10/month and gives you access to live games from TNT, TBS and truTV with three-game multiview. B/R Sports, which powers all of the live coverage on Max, will only be available on the pricier Standard and Premium levels starting March 30. That's not a problem since games after that date will only air on CBS. For the CBS games, you’ll need a Paramount+ with Showtime subscription that costs $13/month. So, in total, your best option to stream all of the men’s tournament is $23 spread across two apps.
A live TV service like YouTube TV or Hulu plus Live TV is over $50 more per month at full price, but they would offer you “one-stop shopping” for all the games in the men’s tournament. YouTube TV is currently on sale for $70/month for the first six months you use it.
How to stream the 2025 Women’s NCAA Tournament
While Warner Brothers Discovery owns the rights to the men’s NCAA Tournament, ESPN has the women’s bracket locked down. Every game of the women’s tournament will be spread across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPNEWS, including the First Four matchups. The Final Four will be on ESPN, but the championship game will air on ABC. All three of those culminating games will stream on ESPN+.
Since ESPN+ won’t get every game, it’s not an option if you want to watch the entire tournament. You will be able to watch “select matchups” on both ESPN+ and Disney+, but ESPN hasn’t announced what those will be. So, unfortunately, your best bet is a live-TV streaming service like Sling, YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV for a comprehensive experience. Sling is the cheapest avenue here, with the requisite Orange and Sports Extra plans costing $34 (Sling is currently offering a discount on the first month of Orange). YouTube and Hulu live TV options are both the same price at $83/month (YouTube TV currently discounted to $70 for the first six months), so it’s a matter of which set of content and features you like best. YouTube TV offers a handy multiview tool so you can watch up to four games at once, but Hulu + Live TV comes with Disney+ and ESPN+ (both with ads) for that cost. (Opting for Hulu + Live TV only saves you one whole dollar per month if you don’t include the Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu bundling.)
If you’re a more casual fan who can afford to roll the dice on the “select” options on ESPN+, you can save some money. That service only costs $12/month. And if you already have a TV plan that includes the ESPN family of networks, the ESPN app is the best place to watch the tournament. The mix of scores and info, along with multiview streaming for up to four games at a time on Apple TV and Xbox, make the app a well-equipped conduit for the women’s tournament.
The March Madness website only shows scores and news for the women’s tournament. There are no live games available on the website.
What if I want to stream both the men’s and women’s tournaments?
If you’re hoping to stream all of both the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments, I hope you ordered Samsung’s eight-TV bundle. In terms of streaming services, just jump straight to a live-TV option like YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV. I prefer the former because of its multiview feature – a tool that Hulu doesn’t offer. At times when there are multiple games that you want to watch, especially during the first two rounds, you’ll want multiview in order to keep tabs on all of the action.
Are any of the March Madness games available to stream for free?
You can watch all of the games broadcast on CBS on the March Madness website and mobile apps without a TV provider. Sure, it’s a small sample of the tournament, but it’s completely free and a good option for casual fans who don’t have a paid TV plan they can exploit for more of the action. It’s also a good option for watching the first round at work, if your company hasn’t blocked streaming sites, or if you can discreetly watch on your phone.
For the women’s tournament, there aren’t any games available for free. Unless you have an old-school OTA antenna, in which case you can watch men’s games on CBS and women’s games on ABC without any kind of streaming plan. Of course, this is a streaming guide so I’d consider an antenna an extraordinary move in 2025.
If you were hoping to use a free trial period to watch March Madness, I’ve got bad news. None of them will be long enough to watch an entire tournament. Some of them don’t offer them at all, but the longest is YouTube TV at 10 days which wouldn’t get you through the second weekend.
Update, March 20, 2025 12:19PM ET: This guide has been updated to clarify the games available on March Madness Live and to update game availability and pricing for Max.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/how-to-stream-every-march-madness-2025-game-181552865.html?src=rssTesla recalls more than 46,000 Cybertrucks over a faulty exterior panel
Tesla is recalling more than 46,000 Cybertrucks due to a potential safety issue. According to a filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the armored vehicle's cant rail (a cosmetic exterior trim panel) could detach from the truck, potentially leading to injury or a collision.
The recall covers all 46,096 Cybertrucks manufactured between November 13, 2023, and February 27, 2025. Given that the vehicle launched in late 2023, that should be, well, just about all of them. The NHTSA filing states that owners of the vehicles can visit a Tesla service department for a free cant rail replacement.
The recall is the latest in a recent downward slide for Tesla. Last month, its US sales reportedly fell two percent year over year even as the country's EV market grew by 16 percent. The automaker's picture is even gloomier in other regions: Its China sales plummeted by 49 percent (compared to 85 percent EV growth in the country) and sales dropped by 76 percent in Germany (vs. 31 percent EV growth there).
That has resulted in Tesla's stock falling by over 40 percent since January. Elon Musk's DOGE shenanigans are leading to snowballing consequences not only for the US government but also for his EV company.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/tesla-recalls-over-46000-cybertrucks-over-a-faulty-exterior-panel-153844072.html?src=rssGoogle unveils the new Pixel 9a for $499
Google has followed up an ocean's worth of leaks with the official announcement of its Pixel 9a smartphone, which will retail for $499. Possibly the biggest change to the new A-series model is in its appearance, with the removal of the camera bar on the back of the phone. In the 9a, the camera housing is "slightly domed," sitting nearly flush with the rest of the frame, giving this midrange model a sleeker appearance. There are also new colors for this series — a pale purple dubbed Iris and a vibrant pink named Peony — joining the usual Porcelain and Obsidian options. (The peony option is similar to that on the pricier Pixel 9.)
Our senior reviewer Sam Rutherford has already been able to check out the new device in person, and you can read why he thinks the Pixel 9a might be "the new midrange smartphone king." But here's the details before you head over to his impressions.
In addition to what's already been covered here, the Pixel 9a is also getting a chip upgrade, moving up to Google's Tensor G4 processor from the G3 that was in Google's excellent Pixel 8a. Performance in the 8a was already quite good, so expect even smoother control with the G4. As with the 8a, the 9a is equipped with 8GB of RAM and comes with either 128GB or 256GB of storage. The new A-series also promises up to "30+ hour battery life."
Cameras were a big reason why we liked the Pixel 8a, naming it our top pick for a midrange smartphone. The housing is different in the 9a, but it's also got slightly different specs inside. The rear dual cameras in the 9a offer 48MP wide and 13MP ultrawide lenses, while the front is equipped with a 13MP selfie camera; the 8a had 64MP wide in the rear camera. It'll support AI-powered features such as Magic Editor, Magic Eraser, Best Take and Photo Unblur. Google is bringing the Macro Focus option to the A-series for the first time for photos with lots of close-up details. There's also Night Sight to help improve your nocturnal photography.
It is worth noting that since the announcement, Ars Technica has reported that because the Pixel 9a ships with 8GB of RAM, it's "forced to" rely on an "extra extra small" model of Gemini AI. The article also notes that this means "some of Google's coolest AI features don't work on the 9a." However, Ars also states that features like AI-generated transcripts via the Recorder app will work on the 9a. Once we get our hands on a review unit, we'll figure out exactly what works and what is missing from the more powerful (and more expensive) Pixel 9 and 9 Pro.
The 9a will be available in the US and Canada in North America, as well as numerous other countries in Europe and the Asia Pacific region. Google says the device will be available in April, with no further detail on specific timing.
Update, March 20 2025, 11:25AM ET: This story was updated with more details about AI features that might not be available on the Pixel 9a.
Update, March 19 2025, 12:16PM ET: This story has been updated to correct the last sentence, which said pre-orders would open in April. There will be no pre-orders.
Update, March 19 2025, 3:27PM ET: This story has been updated to add a paragraph informing readers of our hands-on of the Pixel 9a, as well as another paragraph about an Ars Technica report on limited AI features.
Shark robot vacuums are up to 47 percent off as part of the Amazon Spring Sale
Many Shark robot vacuums and related products have been deeply discounted as part of the Amazon Spring Sale. This includes the well-regarded Shark AI Ultra robovac, which is now $300 instead of $438. That’s a pretty serious deal.
The Shark AI Ultra not only made our list of the best robot vacuums, but it was our very favorite. This is a fantastic machine. The suction is strong, particularly for a robot vacuum, and the mobile app is easy to use. The vacuum ships with an extra-large self-emptying base that can go 60 days without manual intervention.
It’s great for pet hair and all-around cleaning tasks. The only major downside is that this isn’t a hybrid unit, so it doesn’t mop. For that, consider the Shark Matrix Plus. This 2-in-1 robovac vacuums and mops, and it’s currently on sale for $400. That’s a massive discount of 47 percent, as the typical price is an eyebrow-raising $750.
This one also includes a self-emptying base that can accommodate 60 days of dirt and debris. It boasts a true HEPA filter and excels at mopping away deep stains. This is thanks to powerful scrubbers that operate at 100 times per minute. We couldn’t truly recommend this model at its original price, as that’s a whole lot of cheddar, but it’s a steal right now for $400.
Spotify's latest custom playlist highlights artists with upcoming shows in your area
Any music fan will know how time-consuming it can be to keep tabs on which artists are playing nearby soon. To make that a bit easier — and help make sure you don't miss shows by musicians you like — Spotify is debuting its latest personalized playlist.
Concerts Near You will update every Wednesday with 30 songs from artists that align with your interests and are playing close to you. Tapping on a track will reveal details about the relevant show as well as links to buy tickets. You'll be able to share this personalized playlist and any event info with friends to see if any shows catch their interest.
The playlist is something that makes sense for all involved. You may be able to stay better in the loop about upcoming concerts, and it should help artists sell more tickets. Perhaps Spotify will get a cut of any sales it facilitates too.
For Concerts Near You to work properly, Spotify says you should make sure the location that's set in the Live Events section of the app is correct. All it takes to find the playlist is to search for "concerts." You can also follow artists to get updates about their shows and switch on notifications to get reminders about them coming to town.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/spotifys-latest-custom-playlist-highlights-artists-with-upcoming-shows-in-your-area-150817219.html?src=rssAmazon Spring Sale Apple deals: The 10th-gen iPad gets an $80 discount
Apple announced a bunch of news recently, as the company refreshed its Mac and iPad lineups for 2025. As a result, there are deals aplenty on older models — and now they're overlapping with the Amazon Spring Sale. Take, for instance, the 10th-gen iPad. It's $80 off at $269, bringing the tablet back down close to its record-low price.
The 10th-gen iPad arrived in late 2022. At least until we put the new model through its paces, this is our current pick for the best budget iPad — a recommendation that automatically becomes a little stronger whenever it gets this kind of discount.
We gave this model a score of 85 in our review. We felt that the screen was somewhat lacking compared with those found in the likes of the iPad Air. However, we appreciated several updates such as the switch to a USB-C charging port and improved performance compared with the previous base iPad. Apple also moved the front-facing camera to the landscape edge, making video calls much more palatable when you're using the tablet in that orientation.
If you just want an iPad to help you catch up on reading and email, control your smart home devices, watch videos and stream music, this is probably the one to go for. More resource-intensive tasks will require a more powerful tablet, but this one will handle the basics.
Meanwhile, if you're interested in picking up the latest base iPad, you can order one now. Amazon even has a small discount on the latest iPad, dropping it from $349 to $329. Apple has upgraded the chipset to an A16 and doubled the base storage to 128GB, but there's no support for Apple Intelligence in the 11th-gen iPad.
Amazon Spring Sale deals include three months of Audible for only $3
With the Amazon Spring Sale getting underway in a few days, a great deal on Audible is already available. You can snag three months of Audible Premium Plus for only $3, or just $1 per month. That's one of the best deals we've seen on the audiobook streaming service.
We last saw this discount in January, but Amazon's now bringing it back in the lead up to its latest major shopping event, though you'll have until April 30 to take up the deal. You can cancel the subscription at any time. That's worth bearing in mind, as after the three months are up, the price will rise to the usual Premium Plus cost of $15 per month.
The Premium Plus plan grants you one credit per month. You can use a credit to claim any audiobook you like and you'll retain access to it even after your subscription expires. In other words, you can permanently add three audiobooks to your collection for $3.
The Premium Plus plan also includes access to thousands of other audiobooks. You'll also be able to listen to Audible Originals as well as podcasts through the service. All of that for a dollar a month is not a bad deal at all.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-spring-sale-deals-include-three-months-of-audible-for-only-3-145456901.html?src=rssSoftBank is buying ex-Intel president Renee James' chip design company for $6.5 billion
In case you need further evidence that companies involved in AI chip manufacturing are looking to give themselves whatever edge they can, SoftBank is adding to its institutional expertise by buying former Intel president Renee James’ Ampere Computing. The conglomerate is paying $6.5 billion in cash for the chip design business.
Ampere, which James founded in 2018, focused on cloud-native computing at first. No prizes for guessing which area the company has moved into since then: "sustainable AI compute," according to a press release.
SoftBank is betting that Ampere will bolster Arm’s research and development. It was reported last month that Arm, which SoftBank also owns, is working on an in-house chip.
"As SoftBank Group broadens its AI infrastructure investments in ventures such as Cristal intelligence and Stargate, the acquisition will help enhance SoftBank Group’s capabilities in key areas and accelerate its growth initiatives," the company said in a statement. Ampere is set to keep its name and run as a wholly owned subsidiary after the deal closes, which is expected to happen later this year pending regulatory approval and other closing conditions.
"With a shared vision for advancing AI, we are excited to join SoftBank Group and partner with its portfolio of leading technology companies," James, who is CEO of Ampere, said in a statement. "This is a fantastic outcome for our team, and we are excited to drive forward our AmpereOne roadmap for high performance Arm processors and AI."
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/softbank-is-buying-ex-intel-president-renee-james-chip-design-company-for-65-billion-141112408.html?src=rssGet $120 off our favorite mesh Wi-Fi system with this Amazon Spring Sale deal
If you’re looking to boost the Wi-Fi coverage in your home without spending too much, the Amazon Spring Sale has you covered. The TP-Link Deco mesh Wi-Fi system is $120 off as part of the Big Spring Sale. While not a record-low, it's close to it and a great deal considering how expensive mesh Wi-Fi systems can be.
The Deco XE75 Pro comes with three nodes (or satellites) offering coverage up to 7,200 square feet, which is especially beneficial for large family homes or home office setups. Each node has one 2.5 Gbps and two Gigabit ports which offer a stable and reliable wired connection for devices such as your PC, laptop and game consoles. Thanks to AI-driven mesh technology, your mesh Wi-Fi system uses the same user name and password, meaning you can move from room to room switching nodes in the background and on the fly for an uninterrupted wireless connection.
If you’ve never used a mesh Wi-Fi system (or have limited experience with them), setup is fairly simple using the Deco app. You’ll have access to three wireless network bands as well: 6 GHz (2402 Mbps), 5 GHz (2402 Mbps) and 2.4 GHz (574 Mbps). We ranked the Deco XE75 Pro “best mesh Wi-Fi system for most” in our best mesh Wi-Fi system buying guide because of its excellent performance, comprehensive coverage and user-friendliness. This three-pack gives you everything you need (and arguably more than you need) to enjoy fast and reliable whole-home coverage.
You can set up a separate guest Wi-Fi network, meaning your friends and family can easily join your Wi-Fi without having to grant them access to your devices or data. Although the app could do with a bit of polish in places, it does support voice commands via Alexa, so you can conveniently turn your guest Wi-Fi on or off with voice commands.
TP-Link’s HomeShield is built into the Deco XE75 Pro, which gives you access to a suite of customizable security features. You can set parental controls to block specific websites, strengthen your network security, or program “no internet” bedtimes for your kids. With this deal, you get a lot of bang for your buck, future-proofing your home Wi-Fi at a fraction of the usual cost.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/get-120-off-our-favorite-mesh-wi-fi-system-with-this-amazon-spring-sale-deal-133030064.html?src=rssThe Discord app is getting video ads in June
Discord is officially launching Quest ads on mobile and will start showing users videos in exchange for rewards starting in June 2025. The messaging service has been testing its advertising experience called "Quests" on mobile for a while now after they were officially launched on desktop a year ago. But next month, video Quests will become widely available on its mobile application. Discord frames the experience as as "a way for players to discover games and new content while earning rewards for playing, streaming, or watching videos."
For advertisers, though, it's a way to get people to watch their trailers for new games, as well as video announcements for things like DLC drops. Some Quests even ask users to stream games to unlock rewards, potentially gaining advertisers new players for their titles. Discord says companies have used the format for advertising campaigns for some of the most recognizable video game franchises out there, including Diablo, Street Fighter, World of Warcraft and Genshin Impact. Other non-video game companies have also used the format, so you can expect movie trailers and other kinds of video announcements, as well. Max, for instance, made users watch a trailer of Dune: Prophecy before it premiered. Like on desktop, users will get a notification when a Quest is available, and they can choose to accept it to perform the task that it requires.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/the-discord-app-is-getting-video-ads-in-june-130054000.html?src=rssOne of our favorite air fryers is $30 off in the Amazon Spring Sale
Make light work of meal times and enjoy a saving of $30 to boot with this 9-in-1 Cosori TurboBlaze air fryer. It’s currently on sale for $90 in the Amazon Spring Sale, reduced from its usual price of $120. We’ve seen similar price drops for this product in the past, but this is still a great deal that’s well worth a look.
The Cosori TurboBlaze air fryer is one of the top picks in our best air fryers guide. We loved its spacious basket and easy-to-use touchscreen controls, and were impressed with its built-in safety features, like the handy basket-release button. Plus, for anybody who’s stuck for a bit of inspiration in the kitchen, it comes with a Cosori recipe book with more than 100 tasty recipes to try.
The Cosori TurboBlaze air fryer boasts nine preset cooking modes, making it a versatile kitchen companion for air frying, roasting, baking, broiling and more. With a roomy six-quart capacity, there’s ample space to easily feed the whole family or whip up an appetizer for social gatherings. It sports an efficient five-speed fan, has a top temperature of 450 degrees Fahrenheit and can deliver crisp, juicy chicken wings up to 40 percent faster than conventional ovens.
This compact air fryer is ideal for busy families or anyone who values the program-and-go convenience that it provides. It’s small enough to be stowed away when not in use, and thanks to its dishwasher-safe design, clean up is a breeze, too. The non-stick basket is built for daily use, whether you’re batch cooking or whipping up a last-minute meal, making it a reliable go-to option for people with hectic lives.
The Amazon Spring Sale ends on March 31st, so if you don’t want to miss out on this discounted rate, you should grab hold of this deal now while you can.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/one-of-our-favorite-air-fryers-is-30-off-in-the-amazon-spring-sale-123016888.html?src=rssChatGPT reportedly accused innocent man of murdering his children
It has been over two years since ChatGPT exploded onto the world stage and, while OpenAI has advanced it in many ways, there's still quite a few hurdles. One of the biggest issues: hallucinations, or stating false information as factual. Now, Austrian advocacy group Noyb has filed its second complaint against OpenAI for such hallucinations, naming a specific instance in which ChatGPT reportedly — and wrongly — stated that a Norwegian man was a murderer.
To make matters, somehow, even worse, when this man asked ChatGPT what it knew about him, it reportedly stated that he was sentenced to 21 years in prison for killing two of his children and attempting to murder his third. The hallucination was also sprinkled with real information, including the number of children he had, their genders and the name of his home town.
Noyb claims that this response put OpenAI in violation of GDPR. "The GDPR is clear. Personal data has to be accurate. And if it's not, users have the right to have it changed to reflect the truth," Noyb data protection lawyer Joakim Söderberg stated. "Showing ChatGPT users a tiny disclaimer that the chatbot can make mistakes clearly isn’t enough. You can’t just spread false information and in the end add a small disclaimer saying that everything you said may just not be true.."
Other notable instances of ChatGPT's hallucinations include accusing one man of fraud and embezzlement, a court reporter of child abuse and a law professor of sexual harassment, as reported by multiple publications.
Noyb first complaint to OpenAI about hallucinations, in April 2024, focused on a public figure's inaccurate birthdate (so not murder, but still inaccurate). OpenAI had rebuffed the complainant's request to erase or update their birthdate, claiming it couldn't change information already in the system, just block its use on certain prompts. ChatGPT replies on a disclaimer that it "can make mistakes."
Yes, there is an adage something like, everyone makes mistakes, that's why they put erasers on pencils. But, when it comes to an incredibly popular AI-powered chatbot, does that logic really apply? We'll see if and how OpenAI responds to Noyb's latest complaint.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/chatgpt-reportedly-accused-innocent-man-of-murdering-his-children-120057654.html?src=rss