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Xfinity Mobile now includes device protection and anytime phone upgrades

Cell phone plans can get exceedingly complicated, so Comcast’s pitch for Xfinity Mobile’s simplicity is rather appealing — particularly at a time when everything is more expensive than ever. Today, the company is announcing two simple plans priced at $30 and $45 a month that have some serious perks for their prices.

The $30 Mobile Select plan covers the main basics, including 50GB of “premium” full-speed data; Global Travel Pass to cover yourself when traveling in 215 different countries; and Xfinity’s Wi-Fi PowerBoost. That latter feature takes advantage of Xfinity’s wide network of Wi-Fi hotspots around the country. Your phone will automatically connect to those when you’re out and about, and you’ll get priority speeds of up to 1 gigabit on those networks as well as at home.

The $45 Mobile Plus plan adds some pretty significant perks. For starters, you’ll get unlimited premium data and 4K video streaming (the Select plan limits you to 720p). But more significantly, the Plus plan promises device upgrades at literally any time. At this point, most carriers offer ways to upgrade before the typical three-year device payment plan is up, but as someone who did that late last year, I can confirm that the constantly changing promotions around phone upgrades make it hard to know exactly what you’ll be eligible for.

Comcast, however, says that Mobile Plus subscribers can literally upgrade their phone at any time. I asked how it would work if I was crazy enough to switch to a Galaxy S26 six months after getting an iPhone 17 Pro, and they said it would be no issue, regardless of how much I had beat up my iPhone. I’m trying to figure out if there’s a catch, but the company’s representatives were very adamant about “anytime upgrades” being as uncomplicated as they said.

Similarly, the Plus plan also includes lifetime device protection, another thing that most carriers charge separately for. This extends to any connected device on your plan like smartwatches or iPads in addition to your phone. If you need a replacement, just bring it in.

Xfinity Mobile is still limited to people who subscribe to an Xfinity internet plan. But given Xfinity promises five-year price guarantees and even lets customers try a year of the Mobile Select plan for free (or the Plus plan for $15/month) so there’s very little risk involved here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/xfinity-mobile-now-includes-device-protection-and-anytime-phone-upgrades-133511715.html?src=rss

Hey Meta workers, are you getting paid for those keystrokes?

No longer content to subsume recognizable intellectual properties, the majority of the indexed internet and books (basically all of them), AI will apparently now begin devouring its own workforce.

A report in Reuters alleged that the keystrokes, mouse movements and clicks of Meta's workforce are to be captured for the purposes of training AI — something the company's communications department was happy to confirmed as accurate! In a cheery missive, a company spokesperson told Engadget that "If we're building agents to help people complete everyday tasks using computers, our models need real examples of how people actually use them [...] we’re launching an internal tool that will capture these kinds of inputs on certain applications to help us train our models."

All this leads one to ask the obvious question: hey, what the fuck?

The nature of at-will employment in the United States is such that your boss basically never needs to explain why your job duties change, but it's rarely so sweeping, so brazen or so unavoidably tied to the reminder that you are being surveilled at a frighteningly granular level. Gross!

Installing keyloggers on someone else's computer in a non-work setting can often constitute a criminal offense (hello CFAA!) and it's frankly weird we allow this sort of thing to happen in the workplace at all. But in this case, there's at least some possibility this data may eventually be used to replace the exact people currently strongarmed into making those clicks and clacking those keys — or as a thin excuse to lay a lot of them off.

It's not as though the data underpinning large language models is worthless. Ill-gotten information has been the subject of exorbitant settlements and many pending court cases with considerable sums riding on their eventual judgements. If Meta thought it could obtain this sort of data from its estimated 3.5 billion combined users instead of its comparably paltry body of employees without it immediately reading as the single most invasive chapter in a laughably long history of move fast, break things, and never admit to the mess, wouldn't it just... do that? Technology has progressed so far, yet people continue to really hate feeling taken advantage of. And that sort of thing is still bad for business.

In a fragile economy floated by rampant self-dealing and the shifting moods of a few very rich weirdos, even the mere mention of AI's relentless forward march to annihilate its own creators can make a shoe company's stock pop, however briefly.

Maybe that's why Meta was delighted to confirm the broad details of the Reuters story, yet declined multiple requests to comment on if workers can opt out of this surveillance, or if they are being compensated in any way for their data. I, for one, would still love to know!

Do you work at Meta and want to talk confidentially? I'm @amarae.60 on Signal.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/hey-meta-workers-are-you-getting-paid-for-those-keystrokes-131934881.html?src=rss

BMW's new i7 xDrive EVs will offer longer range and faster charging

BMW just announced its 7-series lineup for 2027 promising "the most extensive model update ever undertaken" by the Bavarian automaker. The series includes a pair of i7 EVs, a plug-in hybrid, two ICE models and a V8-powered M model — all running on BMW's "Neue Klasse" technology and flaunting all-new design language. 

BMW describes its updated luxury segment design language as "monolithic," touting the minimalist crystal headlights and (divisive) light-up kidney Iconic Glow grille. The body form includes a new "character line" that lends an almost "boat-tail-like" aesthetic to the three-quarter view, according to the company. BMW also hyped its new "Individual Dual-Finish" paint that pairs a matte finish in the lower area of the vehicle with a manually-applied metallic finish in the upper section for a "discrete but supremely elegant look."

The 7-series offers some shiny new interior tech as well, with an extensive upgrade for its 31.3-inch 8K BMW Theater Screen that gives back seat passengers 8K streaming, gaming and Zoom calls. If you get BMW's Digital Premium package (which includes 5G data), you'll also gain access to a TiVo powered video app, select games and the BMW Drive Recorder that gathers exterior footage in case of an accident. Naturally, it includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration as standard.

The new lineup also offers special welcome and goodbye animations for when you approach and walk away from the vehicles, in Relaxed, Balanced and Excited modes. Part of that animation is the "Ceremonial Light Carpet" that projects a dynamic graphic light pattern onto the ground near the door.

With two new i7 electric sedans — the i7 50 xDrive and i7 60 xDrive — BMW has far from given up on EVs. Both promise reduced sound levels thanks to their sound-isolated electric motors, along with "instantaneous" power delivery, passenger comfort and a luxurious ambience. 

Sam Rutherford

Both come with all-new cylindrical battery packs with 20 percent higher energy density and capacities up to 112.5 kWh. Combined with increased drive system efficiency, they'll power the BMW i7 60 xDrive up to an EPA-estimated 350 miles on a charge. You'll also be able to charge them quicker thanks to the higher 250 kW charging rate. The company claims they'll go from 10 to 80 percent in just 28 minutes with a compatible charger.

The i7 50 xDrive's dual motors offer up to 449 hp and 487 lb-ft of torque, allowing acceleration from 0 to 60 mph in 5.3 seconds with a 130 mph top speed. The i7 60 xDrive, meanwhile, packs 536 hp and 549 lb-ft of torque for a 0 to 60 mph time of just 4.6 seconds and a top speed (electronically limited) of 149 mph.

They'll also feature a new "adaptive recuperation" system that takes traffic lights into account and can automatically brake. Drivers can choose from high, medium or low brake energy recuperation, with the "high" setting offering a one-pedal feeling. BMW also introduced AI-powered "charging optimized route planning" to include charging stops if a destination is outside the vehicle's range. It can even precondition the battery to an ideal temperature to increase the charging rate as soon as the vehicle is plugged in. 

The i7 50 xDrive and i7 60 xDrive are debuting today at Auto China 2026 in Beijing and at a special New York City event at Grand Central Terminal. Production begins in July 2026 and they'll be priced starting at $106,200 and $124,700 (plus $1,550 destination and handling) respectively. 

BMW is also introducing the 750e xDrive PHEV arriving in 2027, which pairs a 308 hp six cylinder inline engine with a 194 hp electric motor for a combined peak 483 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. No electric-only range was specified, but the top speed on all-electric power will be limited to 87 mph. That model will start production in Q4 2026, with no price yet announced. 

Finally, BMW's 740 and 740 xDrive ICE vehicles will offer up to 394 hp and 398 lb-ft of torque, offering sub-five second 0 to 60 mph sprint times and 155 mph top speeds. They'll arrive later this year at $99,800 and $102,800 respectively. All of the new 7-series models and drivetrain variants, including EVs, will be built on a single production line at BMW's Group Plant in Dingolfing.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/bmws-new-i7-xdrive-evs-will-offer-longer-range-and-faster-charging-131059423.html?src=rss

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book preview: A choose-your-own-adventure even adults can love

Yoshi's solo titles have always been a product of contrasts: lovingly crafted art styles belying somewhat thin gameplay meant to appeal to a younger audience. But after getting the chance to preview Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, it feels like Nintendo has created a cozy side-scroller that retains the accessibility of earlier titles while adding extra depth and replayability for gamers of all ages. 

As you'd expect from Nintendo's lovable green dino, Yoshi's moveset consists of familiar techniques like his signature ground pound, egg toss, extendable tongue and jumping flutter kicks, the latter of which now last longer than ever before. Seriously, if you get enough height, you can float across entire levels. However, one new mechanic is that Yoshi now also possesses a tail flick that allows him to toss certain enemies onto his back. Not only is this a nice twist after years of often being treated as a beast of burden by Mario and co., it also allows Yoshi to use whoever he's carrying to interact with other elements in the stage. By flicking a Crayzee Dayzee (one of the new flower characters) into his saddle, Yoshi can make plants bloom to earn stars and uncover secrets, for example. 

Nintendo

Instead of simply remixing the gorgeous textile-inspired visuals we saw in Yoshi's Woolly World and Yoshi's Crafted World, Nintendo opted for a treatment that looks like a children's bedtime story. The game looks hand-drawn, while also featuring a cell-shaded effect that adds extra depth and impact to characters and backgrounds. Animations have a sort of hitch (which I initially mistook for a bug) that gives them a stop-motion effect, as if you're seeing the pages of a flipbook whiz by instead of frames being refreshed on a digital display. 

But the biggest change in Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is that it's not a traditional side-scrolling format. In many ways, this title plays like a mix between an adventure game and a platformer. Instead of just running to the right as fast as possible, the game encourages you to explore, experiment, backtrack and see what kind of new hijinks Yoshi can discover. Don't do what I did and mindlessly run around and eat up every enemy you see, because there's a good chance they are more valuable alive instead of being turned into an egg. It's almost like Nintendo applied a similar approach to subverting expectations in Super Mario Bros. Wonder, but builds on that style of gameplay even more here. 

Nintendo

To really drive home the children's storybook conceit, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book gives you greater control over how you unlock and explore new levels. Instead of linearly moving from one stage to the next, you actually select stages by moving a magnifying glass over a new character, allowing you to learn who they are experientially. Collect enough stars from quests and you can decide where you'll go and who you'll meet next, while spending tokens found throughout each level allows you to reveal hints about how to find and complete specific objectives. Then, once you finish a stage, Mr E. (who is both the titular book and acts as the game's narrator), allows you to name each new character whatever you like. 

Nintendo

The one thing that may rub old-school sidescroller fans the wrong way though is that Yoshi doesn't take damage — for all intents and purposes, he's invincible. This is great for kids because they don't need to worry about running out of lives or looking for coins to heal. But after playing through a couple of chapters, I found that the game can still be quite challenging — the learning process is just a bit more forgiving. One objective required me to bounce off the heads of a series of Croakaokes (the chubby amphibians that make sounds when you jump on them) to the tune of "Mary had a little lamb" while trying to reach a high-up platform. If you play a note out of order or miss a jump, it's not game over, but you will need to start over from the bottom. And even without damage, enemies like Bunchabees will still chase you around and disrupt your adventuring if you try to ignore them. 

Nintendo

Yoshi's latest adventure might not be a super traditional side-scrolling platformer, but it offers a fresh take on the genre while also providing a new level of exploration and adventure for gamers of all ages. But I suppose the real test will be if it gets my own kid's seal of approval. 

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is available for pre-order now for the Switch 2 before official sales begin on May 21 ($70 for a physical copy or $60 for a digital download).

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/yoshi-and-the-mysterious-book-preview-a-choose-your-own-adventure-even-adults-can-love-130000507.html?src=rss

Anker's 'Thus' chip brings AI to its headphones and other products

Anker has announced its own chip that can give its small, wearable products AI capabilities that run locally on device. The company is planning to debut the chip called “Thus” on a new model of headphones, slated to be unveiled at its Anker Day event on May 21.

Anker calls Thus the “first Compute-in-Memory (CIM) AI audio chip with neural networks.” The company explains that Thus is “inspired by the workings of the human brain” in that the storage and processing of information takes place in one location instead of keeping them separate, similar to how it works on modern chips for computers.

Thus integrates computing power directly into NOR flash memory cells, which provide faster read speeds than NAND memory. A NOR-based CIM system requires only a tiny space inside devices, which makes it an ideal option for small products like headphones. Anker says headphones are a particularly challenging environment to demonstrate what a new chip can do, because “hardly any other device places higher demands on an AI chip.” They have a tiny space allotted for components and operate with just a few milliwatts of power, even though they have to consistently provide noise cancellation. If the model delivers, it could be a huge advertisement for Thus, which Anker plans to put in other mobile accessories and IoT devices, as well.

While the company has yet to reveal all its upcoming headphones’ AI-powered capabilities, it did announce one particular feature. Clear Calls, as it’s called, will cancel noise “with a large neural network running entirely on the device, supported by eight MEMS microphones and two bone conduction sensors.” Anker says it will enable significantly clearer conversations even in environments that are challenging for conventional noise cancellation.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/ankers-thus-chip-brings-ai-to-its-headphones-and-other-products-122142552.html?src=rss

X finally adds custom timelines

Nikita Bier, X’s head of product, has announced the launch of custom timelines, which lets you curate what you see on your feed based on your topics of interest. He called the update “one of the biggest changes to X” and a ”huge undertaking” that took the team “many months” to develop. The feature lets you pin specific topics to your home tab, so you can switch from one to the other to see the latest discussions about your interests and hobbies.

Bier said that X’s custom timelines is “powered by Grok's understanding of every post with the algorithm's personalization.” You have 75 topics to choose from, including food, art, photography, business, finance, movies and TV. As you’d expect, the personalization aspect of the feature works better if it’s a topic you already engage with regularly. X’s new feature is similar to Bluesky’s and Threads’ custom feeds, which also allow you to pin topic-based timelines to the home screens of the apps, and which their users have been enjoying since 2023 and 2024, respectively.

At the moment, X’s custom timelines is still in its early access phase and is only available to Premium subscribers on iOS. It will be rolling out to Premium users on Android “very soon,” as well. Bier has also announced that X has released a tool to snooze topics on the For You tab. With the tool, you’ll be able to hide certain topics, such as politics or sports, for 24 hours from your feed. It’s now available for Premium users on iOS and the web.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/x-finally-adds-custom-timelines-103130966.html?src=rss

Anthropic is investigating 'unauthorized access' of its Mythos cybersecurity tool

Anthropic is investigating potential "unauthorized access" to its Claude Mythos model that has been touted for its ability to find cybersecurity flaws, the company told Bloomberg. A group gained access to the model through a third-party contractor portal and by using internet sleuthing tools, according to the report. However, the group is only interested in trying the models and not using them maliciously, according to a person familiar with the matter. 

"We're investigating a report claiming unauthorized access to Claude Mythos Previous through one of our third-party vendor environments," Anthropic said in a statement. 

The Claude Mythos Preview arrived earlier this month as part of "Project Glasswing" with significant fanfare. Anthropic limited the preview release to a small number of trusted test companies including Amazon, Microsoft, Apple and Cisco. Another was Mozilla, which said the model helped it find and patch 271 Firefox vulnerabilities. A growing number of banks and government agencies have been seeking access as well in order to safeguard their own systems. 

However, several unauthorized users (who reportedly have a private chat on Discord), supposedly gained access to Mythos through a developer portal and by making an educated guess as to where the model might be located. That same group may also have access to other unreleased Anthropic models, according to the report. 

The new Mythos model has gained notoriety of late for its supposed ability to sniff out security flaws in operating systems and internet browsers. This has prompted some skepticism among security researchers but also fear that AI-generated cyber attacks could become a "real threat," CTO of cloud security firm Edera Alex Zenla recently told Wired. Anthropic was recently designated as a "supply chain risk" by the US Department of Defense, but has been in talks with the Trump administration of late to have that label removed. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/anthropic-is-investigating-unauthorized-access-of-its-mythos-cybersecurity-tool-091017168.html?src=rss

SpaceX and Cursor strike partnership that might end in a $60 billion acquisition

SpaceX and AI company Cursor have struck a new partnership that could see the owner of X buy the AI company for $60 billion later this year. "SpaceXAI and  @cursor_ai  are now working closely together to create the world’s best coding and knowledge work AI," SpaceX wrote in a post on X. 

According to SpaceX, the deal allows for it to either invest $10 billion into the company known for its AI coding tool, or acquire it entirely "later this year" for $60 billion. If an acquisition were to happen, it's not clear at what point Cursor could officially join the fold of Elon Musk's rapidly expanding and increasingly enmeshed web of companies. SpaceX bought xAI, the billionaire's AI company that also controls X, earlier this year. SpaceX is currently getting ready to go public this summer in what will likely be the biggest initial public offering (IPO) in history. 

Cursor, which has reportedly been in talks to raise its own $2 billion round of funding, is known for its AI coding tool of the same name that's become the vibe coding platform of choice for many developers. It allows people to use either its own models or those from other leading AI companies, including OpenAI, Google, Anthropic and xAI.

In a statement, Cursor said its partnership with SpaceX will "accelerate our model training efforts" while addressing infrastructure-related issues that have slowed it down in the past. "We've wanted to push our training efforts much further, but we've been bottlenecked by compute," the company said. "With this partnership, our team will leverage xAI's Colossus infrastructure to dramatically scale up the intelligence of our models for coding and beyond."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/spacex-and-cursor-strike-partnership-that-might-end-in-a-60-billion-acquisition-232131487.html?src=rss

Mozilla says it patched 271 Firefox vulnerabilities thanks to Anthropic's Claude Mythos

Anthropic's buzzy announcement about using AI to improve cybersecurity earlier this month was met with plenty of skepticism. However, Mozilla shared some details that support use of the company's special Claude Mythos Preview model as a way to protect critical services. Using Mythos helped Mozilla's team find and patch 271 vulnerabilities in the latest release of the Firefox browser. "So far we’ve found no category or complexity of vulnerability that humans can find that this model can’t," the foundation said.

The blog post from Mozilla feels like a positive sign for Anthropic's Project Glasswing. Obviously the AI company would want to put itself in the best possible light while presenting its own initiative, but there's something encouraging about hearing the benefits from a third party. Mozilla also noted that in its time with Claude Mythos, the AI wasn't able to turn up any bugs that a human wouldn't have been able to find, given enough time and resources, which indicates that AI isn't presently able to do more to crack cybersecurity protections than a person can.

An organizaion successfully using AI for good is certainly a refreshing change of pace in tech news. And for those Firefox users who aren't personally interested in applying any generative AI in their browsing, Mozilla has given the option to turn it all off for the past several months.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/mozilla-says-it-patched-271-firefox-vulnerabilities-thanks-to-anthropics-claude-mythos-224330023.html?src=rss

Cash App now supports accounts for kids 6-12

Cash App, the banking and payments app run by Block, has added support for parent-managed kids accounts. The new accounts include key benefits from the service's normal account, with an eye towards teaching financial literacy to younger users ages 6 to 12. Cash App first allowed teenage users on its platform in 2021.

As part of the "expanded Cash App Families experience," eligible legal guardians and parents can create managed accounts that offer "a dedicated place on the platform to send allowances, set aside savings, and track spending for their child, kickstarting their path to financial independence," Cash App says. Adults managing these accounts will be able to set up recurring transfers, see how their child is spending and do things like lock their child's account to prevent transactions. Kids will get a custom debit card and the ability to receive payments from up to five trusted accounts, though notably they won't be able to access Cash App itself.

Cash App says managed accounts are designed for kids 6 through 12. Once those kids turn 13, Cash App says parents will be able to choose to convert their account to a "sponsored account" to unlock more features, like the ability to send and receive payments, invest in stocks or trade crypto. Those sponsored accounts are technically still monitored and controlled by a parent or legal guardian, but they do give 13-year-olds more control over how they use their money.

A parent-managed account for kids is not a new idea in the fintech space, though Cash App is trying to reach a younger audience than some of its competitors. Venmo rolled out access to its payment platform to teens between the ages of 13 to 17 in 2023. Separately, both Apple and Google also offer their own kids accounts in Google Wallet and Apple Cash Family.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/cash-app-now-supports-accounts-for-kids-6-12-210651025.html?src=rss

YouTube is muting push notifications from channels you don't watch

YouTube notifications can get messy fast, particularly if you’re subscribed to a lot of different channels. To address that, today the company will begin muting push notifications from creators that you haven’t engaged with in the last month.

The change to YouTube notifications began as a small trial the company tested out earlier this year. The idea behind it is that if a viewer continually receives notifications about content they don't engage with, this may eventually cause the user to disable YouTube notifications altogether. Now obviously, this is bad for YouTube. Turning off notifications means people will use the platform less, thereby resulting in lower revenue. However, it's also bad for content creators, especially the ones you do like, who will have one fewer avenue to keep you updated about new and upcoming videos. 

So starting today, for channels that you have subscribed to and have notifications set to "all," YouTube will no longer send out push notifications to mobile devices from creators that you haven't interacted with for one month. That said, these notifications will continue to be available inside the YouTube app in your inbox (the little bell icon in the top right). 

Notably, for those who are clicking on notifications and watching related videos, nothing will change. Additionally, based on info from the test earlier this year, YouTube said "channels that upload infrequently will not have their notifications affected." This is a good thing, especially for creators who post long-form content that takes extra time to make, as people probably don't want notifications to go away in case they happen to miss a once-a-month upload. 

The one thing that's unclear is if you start watching a channel again that you have not interacted with in a while, is if YouTube will automatically restart related push notifications. However, as a way to prevent too many alerts from clogging up your phone, YouTube's new protocol seems like a good way to cut down on the clutter.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/youtube/youtube-is-muting-push-notifications-from-channels-you-dont-watch-205119228.html?src=rss

AI company deletes the 3 million OKCupid photos it used for facial recognition training

When online platforms violate their own privacy policies to sell your photos, have no fear: They just might have to pay an undisclosed settlement fee 12 years later. (Who says justice is dead?) According to Reuters, AI company Clarifai says it has deleted 3 million profile photos taken from dating site OkCupid in 2014. It follows a settlement reached last month between the FTC and Match Group, OkCupid's owner.

The Delaware-based Clarifai reportedly certified the data deletion to the FTC on April 7. The company also confirmed to US Representative Lori Trahan (D-MA) that it deleted any models that trained on the data. Clarifai told the representative's office that it hadn't shared the data with third parties.

The FTC opened the investigation in 2019, after The New York Times reported that Clarifai had built a training database using OkCupid dating profile photos. The behavior was a direct violation of OkCupid’s privacy policy. Court documents reviewed by Reuters reveal that Clarifai asked OkCupid executives for the data in 2014. Apparently, they obliged.

Clarifai

"We're ⁠collecting data now and just realized that OkCupid must have a HUGE amount of awesome data for this," Clarifai founder Matthew Zeiler wrote in an email to OkCupid co-founder Maxwell Krohn. The AI startup used the dating site's images to build a facial recognition service that can identify a person's age, gender and race. (Another brilliant and totally ethical idea from Clarifai, tapping into unsecured city surveillance cameras without authorization, was reportedly shuttered.)

Zeiller suggested to The New York Times in 2019 that people needed to, well, get over it. "There has to be some level of trust with tech companies like Clarifai to put powerful technology to good use, and get comfortable with that," the AI founder declared. Some of OkCupid's founders were reportedly investors in Clarifai.

As part of the settlement, the FTC "permanently prohibited" OkCupid from misrepresenting its data collection and privacy controls. TechCrunch notes how strange it is to use that as a penalty, given that FTC rules already bar that behavior.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/ai-company-deletes-the-3-million-okcupid-photos-it-used-for-facial-recognition-training-195223996.html?src=rss

Meta has misled users about scam ads on Facebook and Instagram, lawsuit says

Meta is facing a new lawsuit over its advertising practices. The nonprofit group Consumer Federation of America (CFA) has filed a proposed class-action suit against Meta for "failing to protect users" from scam ads on Facebook and Instagram. 

The lawsuit, which was first reported by Wired, alleges that Meta has run afoul of consumer protection laws in Washington D.C. for misleading Facebook and Instagram users about scams on its apps and that the company has "chased profits rather than protecting its users." The filing includes numerous examples of alleged scam ads that CFA says it found in Meta's ad library. These include ads promoting a "free government iPhone," as well as those claiming to offer $1,400 checks to people born in certain years. Many of the ads use AI videos, according to CFA.  

CFA

Meta's advertising practices have been in the spotlight since last year when Reuters reported on internal documents that indicated the company was making billions of dollars from ads promoting scams and banned goods. The report also highlighted how Meta's own processes have at times made it harder for its own employees to fight malicious advertisers.

"Meta claims it is doing all it can to crack down on scam advertising on its platforms," CFA's lawsuit states. "But in reality, Meta has knowingly taken steps and adopted policies that pad its bottom line at the expense of its users’ safety and well-being. In fact, rather than prohibiting advertisers who the company itself has determined pose a higher risk to its users (as other tech companies like Google have), Meta just charges these advertisers more. The perverse result is that the riskier the advertiser, the more money Meta makes."

CFA's allegations "misrepresent the reality of our work and we will fight them," a Meta spokesperson said in a statement. "We aggressively combat scams across our platforms to protect people and businesses — last year alone, we removed over 159 million scam ads, 92% of which we took down before anyone reported them, and took down 10.9 million accounts on Facebook and Instagram associated with criminal scam centers. We fight scams because they are bad for business — people don't want them, advertisers don't want them, and we don't want them either.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-has-misled-users-about-scam-ads-on-facebook-and-instagram-lawsuit-says-193220235.html?src=rss

New York Attorney General sues two prediction markets on illegal gambling allegations

New York is the latest state to take a stand against prediction markets. Attorney General Letitia James has sued Coinbase Financial Markets and Gemini Titan on charges that both are illegally running unlicensed gambling operations. The suit also claims that these prediction markets violate state laws that prevent betting on games involving New York college sports teams. 

"Gambling by another name is still gambling, and it is not exempt from regulation under our state laws and Constitution," James said. "Gemini and Coinbase’s so-called prediction markets are just illegal gambling operations, exposing young people to addictive platforms that lack the necessary guardrails."

Multiple states have taken similar actions over the proliferation of prediction markets, but they may face a new roadblock at the federal level. Earlier this month, the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission sued three of the states that have charged prediction markets with running unlicensed gambling. The CFTC claimed that it should be the sole regulator for prediction markets and called the efforts by Arizona, Connecticut and Illinois an overreach of authority.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/new-york-attorney-general-sues-two-prediction-markets-on-illegal-gambling-allegations-192012225.html?src=rss

Florida AG opens criminal investigation into OpenAI and ChatGPT

Florida Attorney General James Ulthmeier has announced that the state's Office of Statewide Prosecution has opened a criminal investigation into OpenAI and ChatGPT. The investigation was opened because the suspect in a mass shooting at Florida State University in 2025 reportedly used ChatGPT in the lead up to the shooting.

Per Uthmeier, "Florida law states that anyone who aids, abets, or counsels someone in the commission of a crime, and that crime is committed or attempted, may be considered a principal to the crime." That means that the responses provided by ChatGPT to the shooter could be interpreted as the AI assistant aiding and abetting his actions. Or at least that's what Florida seems interested in arguing.

OpenAI provided the following statement when asked to comment on the Florida investigation:

Last year's mass shooting at Florida State University was a tragedy, but ChatGPT is not responsible for this terrible crime. After learning of the incident, we identified a ChatGPT account believed to be associated with the suspect and proactively shared this information with law enforcement. We continue to cooperate with authorities. In this case, ChatGPT provided factual responses to questions with information that could be found broadly across public sources on the internet, and it did not encourage or promote illegal or harmful activity. ChatGPT is a general-purpose tool used by hundreds of millions of people every day for legitimate purposes. We work continuously to strengthen our safeguards to detect harmful intent, limit misuse, and respond appropriately when safety risks arise.

As part of the investigation, Florida has subpoenaed OpenAI for information on "all policies and internal training materials" related to how the company handles things like users threatening to harm others, threatening to harm themselves and how OpenAI responds to law enforcement. The state is also asking OpenAI to share its organizational chart and any publicly released statements on the shooting.

"Florida is leading the way in cracking down on AI's use in criminal behavior, and if ChatGPT were a person, it would be facing charges for murder," Attorney General James Uthmeier said. "This criminal investigation will determine whether OpenAI bears criminal responsibility for ChatGPT's actions in the shooting at Florida State University last year."

Florida’s investigation isn’t the first time OpenAI has been connected to a mass shooting. Canadian regulators called for OpenAI to change how it approaches threats of harm following a Wall Street Journal report that claimed the company flagged the account of a Canadian shooting suspect in 2025 but failed to bring their threats to law enforcement. The company agreed to new policies around how it works with Canadian law enforcement in March. Separately, OpenAI is still in the midst of a wrongful death lawsuit from 2025 for the role it may have played in the suicide of a teenage user.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/florida-ag-opens-criminal-investigation-into-openai-and-chatgpt-190200227.html?src=rss

ChatGPT Images 2.0 is better at rendering non-Latin text

A little more than a year after OpenAI gave ChatGPT users the option to create images and designs directly from its chatbot, it's now releasing ChatGPT Images 2.0. OpenAI describes the new system as a “step change” for image generation models, particularly when it comes to the tool’s ability to follow instructions in detail, render dense text and place and relate objects in a scene. For the first time, OpenAI has also built an image model with reasoning capabilities, giving the system the ability to do things like search the web and verify its outputs. According to the company, those capabilities should translate to a tool that's more reliable when accuracy, consistency and visual cohesion are essential. 

OpenAI

OpenAI says it has also put in a lot of work to make Images 2.0 better at understanding and rendering non-Latin text, with "significant gains" when it comes to the model's ability to handle Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Hindi and Bengali. At the same time, the company claims the new model is better at faithfully recreating the specific characteristics of different visual languages. On this point, OpenAI says that makes Images 2.0 more useful for tasks like game prototyping and storyboarding. Outside of those features, the new model is more flexible when it comes to aspect ratios, allowing it to generate images that are as wide as 3:1 and as tall as 1:3. It can also produce designs at resolutions of up to 2K, and even generate up to eight outputs in one go. 

ChatGPT

I got a chance to preview Images 2.0 ahead of its public release. For my first prompt, I asked ChatGPT to generate an image of a tortoiseshell cat in the pixel art style of Pokémon's third generation. I thought this would be a good test because AI models typically struggle with pixel art, and the Game Boy Advance Pokémon games are iconic for their art style, so much so that if ChatGPT merely approximated that style, it wouldn't do. The result is the image you see above, and I think ChatGPT did a commendable job there. I then tasked the new model with converting that image into a transparent PNG. For one last test, I asked ChatGPT to create a four-page manga about my cat enjoying a sunny day by an idyllic city stream. 

ChatGPT

Of those three tests, ChatGPT spent the most time on the second one and the output there was slightly different from the first image it generated, which I felt deviated from my prompt. Still, it managed to generate a proper transparent image, which is something other image models can struggle to do properly. Once more people have a chance to put the model through its paces, we’ll have a better idea of how it compares to Google’s Nano Banana 2, and where OpenAI can make additional improvements.

ChatGPT

Images 2.0 is available starting today for all ChatGPT users, including those on the company's Free and Go tiers. Plus and Pro subscribers get access to more advanced outputs. OpenAI is also making the model available through its API service and Codex coding app, which just last week it updated to offer built-in image generation. Notably, Images 2.0 arrives just days after Anthropic waded into the visual design market with its own design assistant.  

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/chatgpt-images-20-is-better-at-rendering-non-latin-text-190000153.html?src=rss

Netflix's Devil May Cry animated adaptation returns for a second season on May 12

Netflix's hit animated adaptation of the video game series Devil May Cry is returning for a second season on May 12. The streamer has released a full trailer alongside this announcement, after dropping a short teaser several months back.

The new footage promises plenty of action and franchise fans will note that protagonist Dante now looks extremely similar to his counterpart from the games. This tracks with what series creator Adi Shankar said last year, when he promised that season two would show the character "embrace more of the iconic badassery fans of the game expect."

The show, and the games, follow a half-demon demon hunter as he fights to prevent the gates of Hell from opening. The first season was a gigantic hit for the platform, racking up more than 5 million views in its first four days of release.

Showrunner Shankar was heavily involved with the animated Castlevania adaptation, also for Netflix. Studio Mir is once again handling the animation, which is always great to see. This is the studio behind The Legend of Korra, X-Men '97, Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts and My Adventures with Superman, among others. The first season of Devil May Cry looked gorgeous, so season two should follow suit.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/netflixs-devil-may-cry-animated-adaptation-returns-for-a-second-season-on-may-12-184003226.html?src=rss

Framework is building an eGPU kit for its Laptop 16

Framework’s Laptop 13 Pro may be the star of today’s launch, but it is by no means the only product the company is unveiling. We’re also seeing some quality-of-life upgrades for the Laptop 16, a new wireless keyboard and a carrying case. Plus, it’s addressing something a vast number of its own users have demanded for a while: A 10GB Ethernet expansion card.

Laptop 16

Framework

The top deck of the Laptop 16 is sufficiently customizable that you can cram in any number of modules alongside the keyboard and trackpad. If you want an area blank, then you can just put in the requisite spacer, but that creates an unintended problem for some users. CEO Nirav Patel admitted the areas where the modules sit side-by-side can trap some people’s arm hairs, leading to some unplanned depilations when they move away from the deck. To solve this, the company is releasing a new all-in-one trackpad and all-in-one keyboard cover. The trackpad has also been updated to the same haptic model found in the 13 Pro. Plus, it’s now available with a lower-end Ryzen 5 340 mainboard as a more affordable entry level model.

OCuLink Dev kit

At the back of the Laptop 16 is an expansion module slot that either holds a blank unit or the discrete graphics hardware. Last year, the company launched a module with an RTX 5070 inside and, now, it’s started thinking about using it for eGPUs as well. The OCuLink Dev Kit (pictured, above) is a prototype board using OCuLink 8i which can connect directly to your mainboard over its native PCIe lanes.

If you already own a blank module, you won’t need to buy a replacement either. Framework has ensured you can simply drop the OCuLink board into the slots of your existing one. As well as the board, the kit includes an OCuLink Dock that’ll let you slot in any off-the-shelf PCIe card — including GPUs, 100Gb Ethernet and video capture — and run it as if you had your very own desktop.

Sadly, it’s not yet ready for prime time and so far all the company has said is we’ll see more about the hardware “later this year.”

Wireless Touchpad Keyboard

Framework

“There’s one living room keyboard that everyone owns, that Logitech keyboard they haven’t updated in 15 years,” said Patel. “I’ve got two of them, polled the team, and a bunch of them all have the same keyboard,” he added. But Patel’s frustration drove him and his team to build their own, better model, which has been an idea since development work started on the Framework Desktop. It was only when the team learned that the Desktop was being used as a living room PC, however, that they actually brought it to market. It is, in fact, using the same excellent keyboard hardware as found on the Framework Laptop 12, repackaged for its all-in-one form.

Laptop Sleeve

Framework

Framework’s built a laptop sleeve containing extra pockets for your spare expansion cards and screwdriver. Patel said that the real focus was on ensuring the materials used had as small a carbon footprint as possible.

10Gb Ethernet Expansion Card

Framework / WisdPi

Rounding out the announcements is a 10Gb Ethernet expansion card for users who want a faster wired internet experience than the current 2.5Gb model. But this isn’t a Framework product per-se, but was designed and developed by hardware makers Wisdpi. Patel said the community is so passionate that they’re constantly looking at new chip and hardware announcements. They then head to the company’s forums to ask “Hey, like, can we get a Framework version of this?” he explained. The advent of a slender 10Gb Ethernet chip was enough to inspire one third-party developer to build an Expansion Card module to harness it. “Basically, we got in contact with them,” said Patel and offered some guidance to help build the module. And once it was finished, Framework is now acting as a reseller to enable the whole community to easily buy it. Patel admitted that a 10Gb Ethernet Card would inevitably cater to a fairly niche customer, but “love to see a third party come in and fill that gap.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/framework-is-building-an-egpu-kit-for-its-laptop-16-181516238.html?src=rss

Framework launches the Laptop 13 Pro with Intel's new Panther Lake chips

Framework’s lineup of modular, repairable laptops has seen the company grow from a niche to the mainstream. Now, the company is launching a pro version of its 13-inch laptop, but it’s still held close to all of its principles. Because while this all-new version has plenty of bells and whistles, almost all of its components are still instantly compatible with the rest of the range. You can take a part from this new 13 Pro, and install it into the first-generation 13 launched back in 2021 without much fuss.

Framework Laptop 13 Pro is touted as a “ground up redesign” of the existing 13, taking into account feedback from its dedicated and passionate users. That includes a far bigger battery, new chassis, new memory, haptic trackpad and a custom touch display. It also comes in black and, even in the press images, it’s immediately clear it’s a better color for the company’s austere industrial design. CEO Nirav Patel smiled knowingly when I said it’s immediately evocative of a ThinkPad, and I mean that in the most complimentary way.

Framework

The biggest change has been to boost the battery to 74Wh to address gripes about longevity. It’s the second time Framework has boosted the cell size, which started at 55Wh and presently runs to 61Wh. To make the battery fit, the bottom of the chassis has been redesigned, filling out the chamfers present on the existing 13. Framework says the Pro’s lifespan will hit 20 hours of uptime while streaming Netflix in 4K, and says it’ll post the videos to YouTube to prove it.

Given the redesigned lower chassis, the new battery is the one part you can’t simply drop into an older machine. “You’ll need the new bottom cover to fit,” explained Patel, “but because we’ve also increased the thickness of the battery, you have to switch over to the new input cover that has the haptic trackpad.” Patel added while you may need to pair up some parts from upgrades, there’s no component that you can’t retrofit. The new chassis means the speakers are now side-firing, and are now Dolby Atmos-certified.

The bigger battery is working in tandem with Intel’s new Core Ultra Series 3 chips which promise to be incredibly efficient. Both Intel and Framework are sure the Panther Lake silicon is going to sip at that beefy battery, but with enough grunt to play AAA games. Users will get the pick of a Core Ultra 5, X7 or X9, with the promise all of them will be able to eat a game like Cyberpunk 2077 for breakfast, lunch and dinner. At the same time, the Pro will also launch with an AMD Ryzen AI 300 series mainboard option, which are the same mainboards found on the 2025 Laptop 13. 

Framework

The last major shift has been in the RAM, going from regular SO-DIMMs to LPCAMM2. The newer hardware design enables the use of LPDDR5X RAM with its better power efficiency and faster memory bandwidth. And it’s not soldered to the board, so you can add in more at some unspecified future date. Which is important if, I dunno, for some reason the global RAM market suddenly crunches and you need to mortgage a kidney for a single stick.

Naturally, I wanted to know how this would impact the laptop’s thermals, Framework’s weak spot. Patel said the mainboard’s cooling has been tweaked (once again), this time with some extra help from Intel. He added the Pro he was using to run our call hadn’t spun up its fans in half an hour which, for a Framework, is a big deal. As always, I’ll reserve judgment until I’ve seen the thing in person.

The Pro is also a way for Patel to fix some of the compromises the company had to make at its genesis. “As a startup six years ago, we just didn’t have access,” said Patel, “when we go to a display vendor [now] and say ‘we want a custom panel’ they say ‘okay, let’s talk specs’ rather than ‘who are you?”’ The 13 Pro ships with a 13.5-inch, 3:2, 2,880 x 1,920 touch display with a variable refresh rate between 30 and 120Hz. Its backlight pushes all the way to 700nits, it has a 1800:1 contrast ratio and per-unit color calibration.

I was surprised the 13 Pro has touch given it’s still a 13-inch productivity notebook without a wraparound hinge. “All the way back in 2021, when we first launched, we were getting asked for touch support,” said Patel. But the company was naturally resistant, assuming touch was an unnecessary addition for a machine of this class. It was only when building the Laptop 12 did the team find it to be quite useful. “It was a slam dunk. We know people want it, we used it on the 12, we like it and it doesn’t actually cost that much. Let’s just add it in,” said Patel.

Framework

Framework knows touchpads are a weak spot for Windows laptops when compared to those made by Apple. Consequently, the Pro 13 has a haptic touchpad with four piezo elements that, it’s hoped, will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with a MacBook Pro. The new input cover keeps the came keyboard and fingerprint sensor, wisely not touching a feature that isn’t broken and doesn’t need fixing. What is cool, however, is the more punky gray and black aesthetic on the keyboard that splits the difference between a ThinkPad and a cyberdeck. “A big part of this goes back to the idea to build the ultimate developer laptop,” said Patel.

Existing Framework owners may be concerned about how this will affect their machine’s longevity. The company might not like me saying, but to me, the Pro name is only meaningful if you’re buying a new machine off the shelf with the new features in one package. There’s nothing stopping you from upgrading your existing machine to match the pro in one go, or as your needs evolve. That’s fundamentally the company’s greatest strength, since it has committed to bringing every single one of its existing users along. But doesn’t make for the splashiest headlines when it comes to debut a new product.

Framework Laptop 13 Pro is available to pre-order today, with the first shipments due to start in June. The base-model pre-built Windows system will start at $1,699, while the DIY model will set you back $1,199.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/framework-launches-the-laptop-13-pro-with-intels-new-panther-lake-chips-181503934.html?src=rss

Monterey Park, California has banned any data centers within its city limits

Monterey Park's city council has moved to ban construction of any data centers within its borders. The California city's leaders placed a permanent ban on these buildings, labelling them a public nuisance. A proposed plan to construct a 250,000 square foot data center was stopped after residents and advocates pushed back against the project. 

Tech journalist Brian Merchant reported on the public comment phase of the city council meeting where residents spoke decisively about data centers. "I can tell you that this issue has brought left, right and center together. It’s a quality of life issue," one commenter said. "Don’t let the rich steal our future."

Monterey Park may be the first US city to lay down the law blocking data center projects, but others are primed to follow suit. New York's state leadership is working on legislation that would prevent data center construction for three years. Maine has a similar bill that has already made it to the governor's desk. At the federal level, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) have proposed a ban on building new data centers until there are more guardrails in place for AI development and environmental security. 

Existing facilities have also faced some pushback. For instance, the NAACP is suing xAI for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act at its data center in South Memphis.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/monterey-park-california-has-banned-any-data-centers-within-its-city-limits-180426656.html?src=rss

NASA's Curiosity Rover found promising organic chemicals on Mars

The search for signs of life on Mars continues to yield promising data. A first-of-its-kind wet chemistry experiment, published Tuesday in Nature, confirmed the presence of essential ingredients of life preserved in ancient Martian sandstones.

The molecules were found inside 3.5-billion-year-old sandstone. NASA's Curiosity rover collected the clay-filled rocks from an area called Glen Torridon, inside Mars' enormous Gale Crater. The rover's Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) mobile instrument suite analyzed the data.

The experiment was unique as the first off-Earth study to use the chemical tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH). The reagent allows Curiosity to break down larger organic molecules on the Martian surface, reducing them to something the rover's instruments can read.

It revealed the presence of over 20 different organic molecules. Among the data was confirmation of naphthalene and benzothiophene, some of the largest and most complex organic compounds discovered on the Red Planet. The experiment also yielded the first detection of a possible N-heterocycles, which DNA and RNA are built upon.

NASA

“That detection is pretty profound because these structures can be chemical precursors to more complex nitrogen-bearing molecules,” the paper’s lead author, Amy Williams, wrote in NASA’s announcement. “Nitrogen heterocycles have never been found before on the Martian surface or confirmed in Martian meteorites.”

As with previous discoveries of organic material on Mars, this one is not yet the smoking gun we've been waiting for. But it adds to a growing body of evidence that, at a minimum, the foundations of life as we know it were present on an ancient version of the planet. The study also confirms that organic material can survive on Mars for billions of years, which will encourage future experiments.

The paper's authors say the data will help NASA to optimize its second (and final) TMAH experiment on Curiosity. It also opens the door to future TMAH tests on the Rosalind Franklin Mars rover and the Dragonfly mission to Saturn's moon, Titan. Both missions are scheduled for 2028 at the earliest.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/nasas-curiosity-rover-found-promising-organic-chemicals-on-mars-174514375.html?src=rss

Silo's season 3 trailer takes us back to how it all began

The relatively long wait for the third season of Silo is nearly over. Apple TV just announced the dystopian sci-fi hit returns on July 3, with episodes airing each Friday until September 4. We have long championed this show, calling it "another gem" for the platform.

The streamer has dropped a short teaser for the upcoming season and it confirms rumors of an increased focus on the "before times" via a storyline that was introduced in the finale of season two. The trailer depicts scenes from both time periods, as protagonist Juliette, played by Rebecca Ferguson, speaks in voiceover.

"Before we can know why we’re here. Before we can know everything is as it is. Before we know how it all will end, we need to understand how it all began,” she says, alluding to the creation of the various bunkers littered throughout the post-apocalyptic wasteland.

For the uninitiated, Silo is an adaptation of Hugh Howey's Wool series of books. It's primarily set in the titular silo, a society of around 10,000 people living deep underground. The show is sort of like Fallout, but without the radioactive monsters and nihilistic sense of humor.

Silo stars Ferguson, along with Tim Robbins, Common and Steve Zahn. Cast members joining the show for season three include Colin Hanks, Jessica Henwick and Ashley Zukerman. The show has already been renewed for a fourth and final season.

This is a busy summer for sci-fi on Apple TV. The second season of Dark Matter premieres on August 28, which is uncharted territory as the first season was based on a book that doesn't have a sequel. Star City, a spinoff of For All Mankind, premieres on May 29. This is the same day that For All Mankind concludes its fifth and penultimate season.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/silos-season-3-trailer-takes-us-back-to-how-it-all-began-171033410.html?src=rss

Oppo announces the Find X9 Ultra with a 50MP 10x optical zoom telephoto camera

Elbowing for attention alongside Vivo and Xiaomi, Oppo has finally launched its long-teased “ultra” version of its flagship smartphone. The Find X9 Ultra is another camera-first smartphone from Oppo, with an even more impressive spec sheet and a new array of accessories. We’re not even halfway through 2026 and we’ve been spoiled with choices, whether it’s the Galaxy S26 Ultra, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra (with or without Leica livery) or Vivo’s X300 Ultra.

The Find X9 Pro was already a powerful, capable camera phone. So, what’s changed with the Ultra? We’ve had the base device for over a week, but we’re waiting on the upgraded telephoto converter kit to land before we tackle a more in-depth review.

There are several design changes, starting with the two color options. Canyon Orange looks similar to Oppo’s recent flagship phones, with a subtle etched finish meant to replicate the Grand Canyon. Meanwhile, Hasselblad fans might prefer the other option: a woodland-themed Tundra Umber, inspired by the camera maker’s X2D. Oppo says this colorway channels “Scandinavian minimalism and the raw elegance of glaciers.” Together at last.

Image by Mat Smith for Engadget

Perhaps due to all the camera hardware, it’s a big, thick phone with the camera unit protruding noticeably from the back. The camera array on the Ultra now has a subtle hexagonal design, apparently a nod to camera history — and that Hasselblad partnership. That area has a circular, metal frame, like many of Oppo’s rivals. The edges of the camera unit are knurled, which helps you to grip the device when taking photos. Unlike Xiaomi’s recent Ultra phone, the ring doesn’t act as a zoom control, but Oppo and Hasselblad’s “Earth Explorer Kit” for the Find X9 Ultra adds a very understated camera grip with a zoom lever.

Putting last year’s Find X9 Pro next to the X9 Ultra, the Ultra model looks more modern, more advanced and more powerful. And it is. The Ultra has Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, a notable step up from the MediaTek Dimensity 9500 chip found on last year’s Find 9 Pro.

There’s also a 7,050mAh silicon-carbon battery that supports 100W SUPERVOOC charging. Oppo says it has included the “industry’s first” encapsulated thermal unit to keep temperatures under control when pushing the device hard, such as recording high-resolution video for extended periods. The display screams expensive Android flagship, too. The 6.82-inch 144Hz display can reach up to 3,600 nits of peak HDR brightness and drop to 1 nit in low-lit situations.

Image by Mat Smith for Engadget

It’s all about the cameras, however. The Find X9 Ultra’s main camera is a 200-megapixel sensor. At 1/1.12 inches, Oppo says it’s the largest 200MP sensor in a phone yet. It has a low f/1.5 aperture, too. This was my ‘main’ camera when I first started taking the X9 Ultra out to shoot sample photos. After all, bigger sensors mean more detail, and more ability to crop for tighter zoomed shots. With a mixture of streetlights, neon signs and more, I was impressed by the color accuracy. Oppo has embedded a new True Color Camera into the Find X9 Ultra’s camera module, which works across stills and video. Still, if you’re demanding punchy, high-contrast images, there’s an array of Hasselblad filters and effects for playing with, too.

Image by Mat Smith for Engadget

There’s also a 3x Telephoto camera, with another (different!) 200MP sensor and f/2.2 aperture. This is the camera that the new teleconverter lens attaches to. There’s something appealing about having an instant 3x zoom camera, even though it gets a little lost among the cropped focal-length equivalents in the camera app. In fact, Oppo claims that the Find X9 Ultra offers the equivalent of eight focal lengths. Sadly, I noticed some differences in color temperature and light sensitivity as the Find X9 Ultra hopped between all those camera sensors while I tested different zoom levels.

Images by Mat Smith for Engadget

The next camera is another telephoto, with an impressive 10x zoom with a 50 megapixel sensor. We’ve seen 10x zoom on phones before, like the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, but never at such high resolution. Oppo added support for its Portrait mode here, even at full zoom. You can also crop in for a 20x zoom, but the results didn’t blow me away in early testing. At 10x zoom, though, I was impressed. That’s a lot of zoom before even thinking about attaching a teleconverter.

Oppo isn’t going quite as hard on video as its rival (and distant corporate relative) Vivo, but the Find X9 Ultra can capture 4K 60 fps video with Dolby Vision. It’s also the first Oppo smartphone capable of recording 8K video at 30 fps. For those looking to dig into video detail, Oppo has launched a new log profile, O-Log2. The company says this will help reveal greater shadow detail and reduce image smearing — it’s something else I’m itching to try once the teleconverter lands.

Images by Mat Smith for Engadget

Like Vivo's X300 Ultra, Oppo’s newest phone is certified for the Academy Color Encoding System (ACES), so videographers can integrate its footage into professional workflows. You can also load third-party LUTs (look-up tables) directly onto the device to monitor custom color grades in real time and see how they look in the on-device preview.

As is often the case with Chinese phone makers, there’s a lavish accessory kit to build on the smartphone’s shooting talents. Oppo’s Hasselblad Explorer case adds a two-stage focus button and the aforementioned zoom controls. The case has the same muted black and clay colors as the Tundra Umber edition of the Find X9 Ultra. Then there’s the new Hasselblad 300mm Explorer Teleconverter. The magnification ratio of the teleconverter has been increased from 3.28x on Find X9 Pro to around 4.3x on the Find X9 Ultra. The lens mounts directly onto the 200-megapixel 3x telephoto lens, upgrading it to a heady 13x optical zoom.

Image by Mat Smith for Engadget

This is also the biggest smartphone telephoto lens yet, dwarfing both the Find X9 Pro’s add-on and Vivo’s not-petite 400mm teleconverter. The companies chose different combinations of camera sensors and lenses, making spec sheet comparisons a little trickier, but Oppo’s latest accessory is certainly the largest thus far. I can’t wait to see how the Find X9 Ultra’s photos fare against images from the Vivo X300 Ultra, though. In the Find X9 Ultra’s favor, it has an iPhone 17 Pro-like touch-sensitive button for quickly launching the camera, something I missed on Vivo’s new flagship.

Unfortunately, there is no cross-compatibility among previous Oppo teleconverters and phones. The company says this is to ensure optimal image quality, but it’ll disappoint faithful Oppo fans hoping to carry over the expensive camera accessories from previous years. The company has learned some lessons from the Find X9 Pro, with a new telephoto adapter that can be left mounted on the phone without obscuring the other camera lenses.

On first impression, the Find X9 Ultra is shaping up to be another powerful camera phone, with another hard-to-actually-buy caveat. The Find X9 Ultra will arrive in parts of Asia and Europe. In the UK, it’s set to launch on May 8th, priced at £1,449 (roughly $1,959). While there’s no US release planned, we’ll update this story when we hear more details on the global launch. Once the telephoto add-on arrives, I’m excited to put it through its paces. I’ve got its rival from Vivo too, so it’s time for the battle of the teleconverters.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/oppo-find-x9-ultra--50mp-10x-optical-zoom-telephoto-release-date-price-170052539.html?src=rss

Xbox cuts Game Pass prices but new Call of Duty games will no longer hit the service on day one

Xbox is cutting the prices of both Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, effective immediately, but there’s one big caveat. First, the good news: Game Pass Ultimate now costs $23 per month, down from $30. PC Game Pass will now run you $14 a month instead of $16.50. The Xbox team noted in a blog post that prices may vary by region.

That’s a smart, much-needed decision. In a memo that leaked last week, new Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma expressed concern over the high price of Game Pass, stating that it “has become too expensive for players, so we need a better value equation. Long term, we will evolve Game Pass into a more flexible system which will take time to test and learn around." Sharma reiterated that publicly in a post on X.

In October, Microsoft increased Game Pass Ultimate to $30 per month, which was a 50 percent price hike. It was the second time in 15 months that the company had jacked up the monthly fee, making it an unjustifiable expense for many. The price of a PC Game Pass subscription also rose by $4.50 per month, and now Microsoft is bringing that back down a bit too.

“Our players cover a wide breadth of geographies, preferences, and tastes, so while there isn’t a single model that’s best for everyone, this change responds to a lot of feedback we’ve gotten so far,” the Xbox team wrote. “ We’ll continue to listen and learn.”

There is one giant tradeoff here: new Call of Duty games will no longer be available on Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass on day one. They’ll eventually hit those tiers about a year later, during the following holiday season. That means Call of Duty titles will be the only first-party Xbox games that don’t hit Game Pass on their release date.

This, of course, is an attempt to generate more revenue from one of the biggest gaming franchises in the world. Call of Duty is a major reason why Microsoft shelled out $68.7 billion to buy Activision Blizzard a few years back. While Call of Duty fans on PlayStation still had to pay full price for the last few annual releases to play them as soon as possible, Xbox and PC players have been able to hop in to them via Game Pass. (There’s still no sign of Call of Duty on Switch or Switch 2 as yet!)

There had been rumors that Microsoft would carve out Call of Duty from the current versions of Game Pass and give those tiers a price cut. Chatter suggests that the company may introduce yet another, higher-level Game Pass tier (or an add-on) that will include day-one Call of Duty games, but there’s no official word of that as yet.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/xbox-cuts-game-pass-prices-but-new-call-of-duty-games-will-no-longer-hit-the-service-on-day-one-163636536.html?src=rss

LG's super-thin Wallpaper OLED TV starts at $5,500

The single most impressive piece of technology I saw at CES this year was LG’s revamped Wallpaper TV, AKA the OLED evo w6. It’s about as thin as a typical pencil, it’s completely wireless and it packs in all of LG’s latest OLED technology, giving it incredibly rich colors and anti-reflective capabilities. We ended up giving the Wallpaper set our best TV of CES 2026 award, simply because it looked so damn good. Now, we finally know how much it costs: LG announced the 77-inch evo w6 will go for $5,500, while the 83-inch model will sell for $7,500.

Both sets are a $1,000 premium over the OLED evo G6 models, which are LG’s highest-end TVs without the company’s super-thin Wallpaper tech. While the thicker sets are obviously a better deal, there’s still something inherently impressive about the Wallpaper models. For many people, the simple “wow factor” of the evo W6’s design will be worth the extra $1,000.

If that all sounds too rich for your blood, LG’s mainstream OLED sets are far cheaper, starting at $1,399 for the 43-inch C6 set. And if you don’t need the latest OLED panels around, it’s worth keeping an eye out for deals around older models. I’ve seen 65-inch C5 sets for near $1,000, and 77-inch TVs for around $1,500. Those older sets will be a bit less bright, and probably show more reflections, but in a dim room they’ll still have all the benefits of OLED: Incredibly high contrast, and ridiculously dark black levels.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/lgs-super-thin-wallpaper-oled-tv-starts-at-5500-163415130.html?src=rss

Google now lets you have full conversations with Gemini for Home

Google announced today that it is upgrading the Gemini for Home service with a "continued conversations" feature. Continued conversation allows a user to have a natural discussion with the Gemini platform without prefacing every follow-up request with the "Hey Google" prompt. The microphone will remain active on a smart device for a few seconds after the Gemini AI assistant provides its reply. During that window, the lights on the hardware will pulse or glow, indicating that you can keep chatting normally with the chatbot without needing a wake word. Gemini should retain the context as the conversation progresses, which should allow it to provide the desired information faster without the need for a user to repeat key details.

The feature is rolling out today for all Gemini for Home voice assistant languages and in all supported regions. Continued conversations have to be manually enabled in the Google Home app through the settings menu under "Gemini for Home voice assistant." Google said that Gemini should be able to distinguish between follow-up questions addressed to the chatbot and other conversations happening in a room, but it should be interesting to track how successful that is given the past history of voice assistants unintentionally eavesdropping. 

Continued conversation was an option under the Google Assistant platform, but it had more limited availability. Google has been preparing Gemini for Home as a replacement for Google Assistant platform since the fall.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/google-now-lets-you-have-full-conversations-with-gemini-for-home-160000511.html?src=rss

Samsung brings SmartThings integration to IKEA's Matter devices

Samsung is expanding the SmartThings connectivity platform to include many IKEA products. The company promises "seamless integration" with the furniture giant's Matter-over-Thread devices, which include stuff like smart lights, air quality sensors, remote controls and smart plugs.

This is great news for IKEA fans who want to bark orders at a smart assistant to turn the lights off and on, as Samsung says users will be able to "effortlessly incorporate" these gadgets into daily life. The SmartThings platform allows for advanced home automation routines.

Samsung

Samsung says it "built enhanced integrations" for IKEA's devices and that the two companies "conducted multiple rounds of validation to enhance connectivity stability and implemented a dedicated user experience within the SmartThings app for full compatibility." This should translate into a plug-and-play experience with minimal frustration.

The caveat here is that Matter is already supposed to offer a plug-and-play experience, without the need for this kind of intensive platform-specific work to get things going. IKEA customers have had serious problems connecting the company's Matter devices to networks. Matter is supposed to offer a comprehensive smart home integration solution to manufacturers, but that doesn't look to be working out.

Samsung has steadily been improving the SmartThings platform. It recently integrated Siri voice commands.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/samsung-brings-smartthings-integration-to-ikeas-matter-devices-151819629.html?src=rss

Splatoon Raiders lands on Nintendo Switch 2 on July 23

Nintendo has padded out the Switch 2 release slate for this summer by revealing that Splatoon Raiders is coming to the console on July 23. This is the first spinoff in the series and while it's a "single-player-focused Splatoon game," there is a multiplayer element. Nintendo announced Splatoon Raiders (the title of which is a soft pun on Tomb Raider) last June.

You play as a mechanic and after customizing your character's appearance, you'll go hunting for treasure across the Spirhalite Islands. You'll be working with Deep Cut — a fictional band that appeared in Splatoon 3 — and upgrading your weapons as you take on enemy sea creatures.

The colorful, inky action and wacky weapons in the latest trailer remind me a bit of Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart. You can mount Deep Cut member Big Man (a manta ray) as you venture into battle and it seems as though you'll be able to cut through swarms of bad guys by firing a shark at them. Alongside Splatoon Raiders, Nintendo will release an Amiibo pack featuring the three members of Deep Cut.

The company also confirmed there's a multiplayer mode in Splatoon Raiders. You'll be able to team up with as many as three friends locally or online to take on raids together. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/splatoon-raiders-lands-on-nintendo-switch-2-on-july-23-140447901.html?src=rss

Chipolo and Secrid team up for a new trackable wallet

Chipolo has built a name for itself as the independent tracking company which happily integrates its products with both Apple and Google’s item-finding networks. Today, it’s announcing a partnership with wallet maker Secrid that, if you haven’t guessed already, sees the pair launch a compatible miniwallet. The Chipolo x Secrid Miniwallet Trackable is tailor-made to suit Chipolo’s Card tracker and accentuate all of its positives.

For instance, the tracker sits on the back of the wallet, with the Find button accessible from the outside to make it easier to find your phone. If you misplace your device, you can simply press the button and follow the noise back to whichever couch cushions it slid between. Even better, the wallet is designed to amplify the Card’s speaker, ensuring you’ll never not hear it when it goes off. The pair claim that the unit will boost the sound by up to 3dB, for the far more likely these days event you misplace your wallet.

The pair are also buffing the hardware’s sustainability credentials, made in the EU from responsibly sourced materials. And the tracker itself is made from 50 percent recycled plastic and has a wirelessly rechargeable battery that’ll regain all of its mojo after just two hours sat on a Qi pad. If any, or all of that, appeals, then you can order it from today for $140, €120 or £120, depending on your local currency.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/chipolo-and-secrid-team-up-for-a-new-trackable-wallet-130035324.html?src=rss

John Ternus will be CEO of Apple when Tim Cook steps down this fall

Apple CEO Tim Cook is officially stepping down from his role on September 1, the company announced today, while current SVP of hardware engineering John Ternus will take over as the new CEO. Cook will transition to a new role as executive chairman of Apple’s Board of Directors. The company says the move was “approved unanimously” by Apple’s Board, and that Cook will work on transitioning his duties over the summer.

“It has been the greatest privilege of my life to be the CEO of Apple and to have been trusted to lead such an extraordinary company,” Cook said in a statement. “I love Apple with all of my being, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with a team of such ingenious, innovative, creative, and deeply caring people who have been unwavering in their dedication to enriching the lives of our customers and creating the best products and services in the world.”

Cook became CEO of Apple in 2011 following the death of co-founder Steve Jobs, and he led the charge for Apple’s post-iPhone and iPad era by launching the AirPods, Apple Watch and Vision Pro. He also pushed the company into being more of a service provider with the launch of Apple TV and Apple Music. While he’s had a strong reputation as a logistics-oriented executive, Cook has been criticized for lacking the product vision that Jobs was known for.

Ternus, on the other hand, has been focused on product design since joining Apple in 2001. He became VP of hardware engineering in 2013, and later transitioned to a senior executive role in 2021. Ternus was also prominently featured at the MacBook Neo launch a few months ago, where Apple announced a low-cost yet high-quality notebook that encapsulates its unique place in the PC industry.

“I am profoundly grateful for this opportunity to carry Apple’s mission forward,” Ternus said in a statement. “Having spent almost my entire career at Apple, I have been lucky to have worked under Steve Jobs and to have had Tim Cook as my mentor. It has been a privilege to help shape the products and experiences that have changed so much of how we interact with the world and with one another.”

Cook published a community letter timed for the announcement, which we’ve included below:

To the Apple community:

For the past 15 years I’ve started just about every morning the same way. I open my email and I read notes I received the day before from Apple’s users all over the world.

You share little pieces of your lives with me and tell me things you want me to know about how Apple has touched you. About the moment your mom was saved by her Apple Watch. About the perfect selfie you captured at the summit of a mountain that seemed impossible to climb. You thank me for the ways Mac has changed what you can do at work and sometimes give me a hard time because something you care about isn’t working like it should.

In every one of those emails I feel the beating heart of our shared humanity. I feel a sense of deepening obligation to work harder and push further. But most of all, I feel a gratitude that I cannot put into words, that I somehow got to be the person on the other end of those emails, the leader of a company that ignites imaginations and enriches lives in such profound ways it defies description. What an honor and a privilege it has been.

Today we announced that I’m taking the next step in my journey at Apple. Over the coming months I will be transitioning into a new role, leaving the CEO job behind in September and becoming Apple’s executive chairman. A new person will be stepping into what I know in my heart is the best job in the world. That leader is John Ternus, a brilliant engineer and thinker who has spent the past 25 years building the Apple products our users love so much, obsessed with every detail, focused on every possible way we can make something better, bolder, more beautiful, and more meaningful. He is the perfect person for the job.

John cares so much about who we are at Apple, what we do at Apple, who we reach at Apple, and he has the heart and character to lead with extraordinary integrity. I am so proud to call him Apple’s next CEO. This company will reach such incredible heights under his leadership, and you will feel his impact in every bit of delight and discovery that grows out of the products and services to come. I can’t wait for you to get to know him like I do.

This is not goodbye. But at this moment of transition, I wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you. Not on behalf of the company, this time, though there is a wellspring of gratitude for you that overflows inside our walls. But simply on behalf of me. Tim. A person who grew up in a rural place in a different time and, for these magical moments, got to be the CEO of the greatest company in the world. Thank you for the confidence and kindness you’ve shown me. Thank you for saying hi to me on the street and in our stores. Thank you for cheering alongside me when we unveiled a new product or service. Thank you, most of all, for believing in me to lead the company that has always put you at the center of our work. Every day we get up and think about what we can do to make your life a little bit better. And every day, you’ve made mine the best I could have asked for.

Thank you.

Meanwhile, the newly named chief hardware officer, Johny Srouji, reportedly told employees that his division’s staff members will be divided to work on five key areas. According to Bloomberg, staffers working on hardware will be organized into hardware engineering, silicon, advanced technologies, platform architecture and project management teams. Apple reportedly plans to add thousands of employees to work on its iPhones, iPads, Macs, Watches and other products, as well.

Update, April 21, 2026, 8:05AM ET: This story has been updated to add information about the hardware team’s new structure.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/tim-cook-will-step-down-as-204959434.html?src=rss

Amazon allegedly pressured companies to raise product prices with other retailers

Rob Bonta, the Attorney General of California, has released an unredacted copy of a legal document that the state filed in relation to its lawsuit against Amazon, containing details of the company’s alleged price fixing scheme. In it, the state of California accuses the e-commerce company of reaching out to brands and asking them to “fix” the retail prices of their products on competitors’ websites. Due to Amazon’s “overwhelming bargaining leverage” and out of fear of punishment, the brands agree to raise their products’ prices on other retailers like Walmart and Target or to remove them altogether, the filing reads.

California filed an antitrust lawsuit accusing Amazon of price fixing back in 2022. It said the company prevented sellers from offering lower prices on other sites and that vendors risked losing buy buttons and prominent listings if they defied Amazon. In February this year, Bonta filed for a preliminary injunction, asking the court to put a stop to Amazon’s “illegal conduct” while the state’s lawsuit is ongoing and waiting to go to trial next year.

In the unredacted filing, California said that Amazon instructs vendors and brands to increase their prices on other retailers and threatens them with “significant penalties for failure to comply.” State officials gave several examples in the filing, including one incident wherein Amazon allegedly emailed security systems provider Arlo.

The company talked to Arlo about “external price matching,” along with a screenshot of one of its cameras on Walmart, noting that its price of $549.93 “did not go back up.” Arlo reportedly responded that it would get it addressed, and Amazon told the company to “get [it] corrected by EOD.” Afterward, Arlo sent Amazon a screenshot, showing the same Walmart page now listing the camera’s price at $649.99. Amazon ended the conversation by thanking Arlo for its “quick action.” Other samples include Amazon asking Levi’s to “resolve” the lower prices of its khaki pants on Walmart and Hanes to increase the prices of its clothing items on Walmart and Target.

Amazon shrugged off the filing’s release and called California’s case against the company weak. “The Attorney General’s motion is a transparent attempt to distract from the weakness of its case, coming more than three years after filing its complaint and based on supposedly ‘new’ evidence it has had for years,” an Amazon spokesperson told Engadget. “Amazon is consistently identified as America’s lowest-priced online retailer, and we’re proud of the low prices customers find when shopping in our store. Amazon looks forward to responding in court at the appropriate time.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/amazon-allegedly-pressured-companies-to-raise-product-prices-with-other-retailers-115302642.html?src=rss

The Morning After: The next CEO of Apple will be hardware exec John Ternus

Apple’s current SVP of hardware engineering John Ternus will take over as the new CEO when Tim Cook steps down this September. Cook said in a statement: “It has been the greatest privilege of my life to be the CEO of Apple and to have been trusted to lead such an extraordinary company.”

Following the death of co-founder Steve Jobs, Cook led the charge for Apple’s post-iPhone and iPad era, launching the AirPods, Apple Watch and Vision Pro. He also turned the company into a service provider with the launch of Apple TV, Apple Music and several other subscription services. Cook will transition to a new role as executive chairman of Apple’s Board of Directors.

Ternus joined Apple in 2001 and became VP of hardware engineering in 2013, later transitioning to a senior executive role in 2021. You might have spotted Ternus being prominently featured at the MacBook Neo launch a few months ago. Expect to see a lot more of him.

— Mat Smith

The other big stories this morning

• DaVinci Resolve 21 hands-on: A viable Lightroom alternative for casual users

• The Mandalorian and Grogu director used Apple Vision Pro to preview the film in IMAX

• Palantir posted a manifesto that reads like the ramblings of a comic book villain

• Meta is testing a WhatsApp Plus subscription

---

Artemis II commander shares a view of Earth vanishing behind the Moon

Who else has seen an Earthset? Apollo 17.

NASA

We’ve seen a few beautiful moments from the Artemis II crew’s history-making trip around the Moon. Now, Reid Wiseman, the mission’s commander, has something to share. While mission specialist Christina Koch was using a Nikon camera to snap stunning still images of the Earthset, Wiseman used an iPhone 17 Pro Max to film the moment. “I could barely see the Moon through the docking hatch window, but the iPhone was the perfect size to catch the view.”

This was the first time that human eyes had witnessed an Earthset in 54 years, since the Apollo 17 mission.

Continue reading.

Beijing's robot half-marathon is back for its second year

And far less embarrassing results.

This year's edition of the robot half-marathon hosted more than 100 competitors, with first place going to Honor and its red-clad robot named Lightning. Last year's event featured many bipedal robots receiving assistance from human operators who ran alongside them, along with some comical mishaps. According to the BBC, around 40 percent of the robots competed autonomously this year, while the rest were remote-controlled.

Continue reading.

Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones review

Almost the perfect floor cleaner for tiny apartments.

Engadget

The PencilVac is light, mobile and easy to use, making it great for smaller living spaces and quick clean-ups. However, it struggles with thicker carpet and rugs. It could be perfect for a future-forward witch costume next Halloween, though.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-111546149.html?src=rss

Yelp's AI chatbot can now make your dinner reservation

Every business seems to think that its customers want more AI. Yelp is the latest to add more artificial intelligence tools. The review site has upgraded its Yelp Assistant, an agentic AI chatbot, to work across all of Yelp's categories. Yelp Assistant was initially launched in 2024 with a limited scope and then expanded in 2025.

With the latest update to its chatbot, Yelp Assistant can handle natural language queries for finding a specific local business. It can also be used to take some additional actions, such as making a restaurant reservation or ordering takeout. Yelp's spring product updates introduced new third-party integrations with Vagaro, ZocDoc and Calendly. Yelp Assistant can also use these integrated services for booking appointments in related fields. The chatbot now has a dedicated Assistant tab in the iOS and Android apps, and it can also be accessed directly from business pages for certain fields, such as restaurants and retail shops. A desktop version is planned for later in 2026.

Other AI features coming to Yelp include a personalized home page on mobile and extra photo discovery tools.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/yelps-ai-chatbot-can-now-make-your-dinner-reservation-110000661.html?src=rss

Homeland Security reportedly wants to develop smart glasses for ICE

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is reportedly developing smart glasses that could be used to collect intelligence on immigrants and US citizens, journalist Ken Klippenstein reported. The devices would help ICE agents identify "illegal aliens" from a distance by capturing video and comparing it to biometric data like facial recognition and walking gait, according to budget documents seen by Klippenstein. The DHS wants to deploy the "ICE Glasses" by September 2027. 

"The project will deliver innovative hardware, such as operational prototypes of smart glasses, to equip agents with real-time access to information and biometric identification capabilities in the field," the document states. The glasses could allow agents to compare observed subjects against existing biometric databases and identify them in real time during interactions. 

Such devices could help make surveillance of US residents "ubiquitous," according to the report. "It might be portrayed as seeking to identify illegal aliens on the streets, but the reality is that a push in this direction affects all Americans, particularly protestors," a DHS lawyer speaking on the condition of anonymity told Klippenstein. 

The deployment of such devices is worrying to civil liberty groups, particularly in light of recent law enforcement activities under the Trump administration. The FBI was reportedly directed by the Department of Justice to "compile a list of groups or entities" who demonstrate "anti-Americanism," according to a previous Klippenstein investigation. 

It's not the first time smart glasses have come up in reports about the DHS. An investigation by The Independent last month found that ICE and Border Patrol agents in six states were using Meta's AI smart glasses of their own accord, in possible violation of DHS rules. Congress has reportedly been notified of the DHS's Ice Glasses project but has yet to comment publicly. 

 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/homeland-security-reportedly-wants-to-develop-smart-glasses-for-ice-093449347.html?src=rss

Sennheiser launches HD 480 Pro, the closed-back headphones fans have been waiting for

Sennheiser has introduced a new high-end headphone set for audio professionals. The HD 480 Pro is essentially a closed-back reimagining of the company's popular HD 490 Pro headset. Both headphones are designed for audio professionals, aiming to fit both a studio or a live performance setting. The company is positioning this product as a versatile option that can handle recording, monitoring, producing or mixing.

The HD 480 Pro aims to address two complaints for closed-back headsets: comfort for long wearing sessions and accurate bass reproduction. Sennheiser uses what it dubs a "Vibration Attenuation System" to prevent distortions or reflections in the audio signal. The cable can be detached and used on the left or right side in order to accommodate different setups. 

To address comfort, the HD 480 Pro uses some of the same proprietary fit features as the HD 490 Pro, including cushioned pads at the temples for people also wearing glasses and a design that maintains equal contact pressure for any head shape. 

The headphones will retail for $479 and the set comes with recording earpads, a 9-foot coiled cable and a carrying bag. A travel case is available for $15.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/sennheiser-launches-hd-480-pro-the-closed-back-headphones-fans-have-been-waiting-for-080000727.html?src=rss

Instagram says a bug turned your photos black and white

If Instagram has been turning your color photo posts into black and white recently, don’t worry, there’s no problem with your camera or your account. The Meta-owned app has confirmed to Engadget that the issue is caused by a bug that’s affecting HDR photos in particular. "Earlier today, a technical issue caused some HDR photos to appear incorrectly as black-and-white for a subset of accounts,” Instagram has told us. However, we see complaints dated April 18 and 19, so the issue has been going on a bit longer for some people.

Regardless of when the bug started causing problems, the Instagram team said it has since corrected the issue. If your posts are still showing up in black and white, Instagram said the fix will automatically turn your affected photo posts back to their original state over the next few hours. “We apologize for any inconvenience,” they added.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/instagram-says-a-bug-turned-your-photos-black-and-white-061802389.html?src=rss

Amazon will invest up to $25 billion in Anthropic in a broad deal

Amazon and Anthropic are strengthening their ties once again, with steep financial commitments made on both sides. Today, Amazon announced that it will invest $5 billion in the AI company, along with as much as $20 billion in additional payments if certain milestones are met. This news follows the initial $4 billion investment Amazon made in Anthropic in 2023 and a second $4 billion round from 2024.

On Anthropic's side, it has committed to continued use of Amazon's custom Trainium silicon for its AI models. The latest agreement will see Anthropic promising to spend more than $100 billion on AWS technologies over the coming decade. It will secure up to 5 gigawatts of current and future chip capacity for training and powering its models. Their partnership is also bringing Anthropic's Claude platform to Amazon Web Services customers within the AWS portal, removing the need for additional credentials.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/amazon-will-invest-up-to-25-billion-in-anthropic-in-a-broad-deal-225239302.html?src=rss

Google brings Gemini in Chrome to users in Asia and the Pacific

After debuting in the US, Gemini in Chrome is making its way to more markets. Starting today, Google is rolling out Chrome's built-in chatbot to users in Asia and the Pacific, including Australia, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Vietnam. The expansion comes after Google earlier this year made Gemini in Chrome available to people in Canada, India and New Zealand. 

With the exception of Japan, where Google isn't making the new suite available on iOS just yet, everyone else in the countries mentioned above can access Gemini in Chrome through Chrome's desktop browser, and the app on their iPhone or iPad. To get started, just tap the "Ask Gemini" icon at the top right of the screen. It will open a new sidebar Google introduced at the start of the year where you can chat with Gemini across every open tab. From there, you can also access Google's in-house image generator, Nano Banana 2. As you would expect, the suite offers integrations with Google's other apps, allowing you, for instance, to add events to Calendar without leaving the interface. 

If you don't want to use Gemini, you can right click on the shortcut to unpin it from the top of the interface.    

Update 7:43PM ET: This article has been updated to reflect the expansion includes the entire Asia-Pacific region.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-brings-gemini-in-chrome-to-users-in-asia-and-the-pacific-220000698.html?src=rss

Mastodon was hit by a 'major' DDoS attack that briefly took down parts of the service

Mastodon seems to be recovering after a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack that took down its primary mastodon.social instance. As TechCrunch notes, the platform began reporting issues early Monday morning as much of the Mastodon-operated server became inaccessible. 

It's not clear who might be behind the attack, but Mastodon's head of communications Andy Piper described it as a "major" incident. A couple hours later, Mastodon shared on a status page that it had implemented countermeasures and that users should be able to access mastodon.social once again. Piper said that "some ongoing instability is a possibility" as the site recovered. It's unclear if any other instances of the service were also targeted; mastodon.social is run directly by the nonprofit and is the largest server on the federated platform. 

Mastodon is the second decentralized platform to be targeted with a DDoS in recent days. Last week, Bluesky also dealt with a significant DDoS incident that took parts of the service offline for several hours. The company posted what it said was its final update Monday morning, saying that its service had "remained stable" and that there was "no evidence of unauthorized access to private user data." A few hours later, however, it seemed Bluesky was once again experiencing some issues, though the cause was unclear. Its official status page was down, and a post from its server status account indicated that there were "elevated errors and timeouts on some Bluesky-hosted services." Bluesky said it was investigating.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/mastodon-was-hit-by-a-major-ddos-attack-that-briefly-took-down-parts-of-the-service-204823221.html?src=rss

Sony will require age checks in the UK and Ireland to access PlayStation communication features

Sony is adopting new age verification policies for PlayStation users in the UK and Ireland. The company isn't making this a blanket requirement, but steps to confirm age will be needed to access "communication, broadcasting, and certain in-game features" beginning in June 2026. That includes essentials for online and social gamers, such as joining a party, voice chatting, text messaging or using third-party chat programs such as Discord. Some in-game communication tools, like chats or sharing user-generated content, will also only be available after an age check is completed. Although the new requirements will not be enforced until summer, users are already being prompted to get the verification process squared away.

Several states and countries began adopting this type of legislation in 2025, pushing restrictions as a way to protect children and teens from inappropriate content. It seems the trend will be continuing into this year, despite the concerns about privacy risks and new questions about whether these restrictive laws are even effective at their stated goals, but companies have still been moving to comply. Discord was one of the more notable gaming-centric services to begin age verification policies last year, although the company did walk back some of its initial plans at the start of 2026 in order to better protect users' personal data and their anonymity. Roblox also began requiring age checks and those results were not great.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/sony-will-require-age-checks-in-the-uk-and-ireland-to-access-playstation-communication-features-194916442.html?src=rss

Ubisoft will officially reveal the Assassin's Creed Black Flag remake on April 23

It's happening. Ubisoft has scheduled a livestream for April 23 at 12PM ET to discuss the long-awaited Assassin's Creed Black Flag remake. The showcase will be available to watch on the company's YouTube and Twitch pages.

It's officially called Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced and has been rumored to be in development for years. Ubisoft ended speculation by announcing the game last month.

We don't know anything about how the game will play or look, as Ubisoft has only dropped some promotional art featuring protagonist Edward Kenway lounging on a boat. The livestream should feature a trailer that will answer many burning questions.

For instance, rumors have been swirling that this is a total top-to-bottom remake and not a simple port. That makes sense given the continued popularity of Black Flag. It's also been rumored that this new version will cut out all of the modern day gameplay sections, with a total focus on pirate-themed action.

We don't have that long to find out. Maybe the livestream will also give us some information about that upcoming mainline franchise entry, which is currently being developed under the moniker Codename Hexe. Ubisoft has promised it will be a "unique, darker, narrative-driven Assassin's Creed experience."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ubisoft-will-officially-reveal-the-assassins-creed-black-flag-remake-on-april-23-184729772.html?src=rss

LinkedIn's new Crosscheck feature lets premium subscribers test competing AI models for free

You can now use LinkedIn to test out some of the latest AI models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft and other companies without having to worry about token limits or paying for an extra subscription. The professional network is experimenting with a new feature that allows people to test AI platforms' latest offerings within LinkedIn. 

It’s called Crosscheck, and it's rolling out now to anyone with a LinkedIn Premium subscription in the United States. The feature is meant to be a kind of "blind taste test" for AI models, according to the company's Chief Product Officer Hari Srinivasan. Users start with a prompt and get two answers, each of which is provided by a different model. It's only after choosing which model you like better that you can see the underlying models behind each. 

Srinivasan says that Crosscheck is still an "early product" from LinkedIn Labs and that "there’s work to do to make it faster and add more models and question types." But it already seems to support a fairly wide range of models. In my initial tests of the feature I saw multiple answers generated by Anthropic models, as well as those from Google, MoonshotAI, Mistral and Amazon. Crosscheck will also have its own leaderboard that tracks how people in different industries are rating the various models.

LinkedIn Screenshot

Crosscheck only supports text-based prompts, so you can't generate images, upload files or use some of the more advanced tools that would be available natively on the AI platforms themselves. But there are no limits on the number of text-based chats you can have, so you don't have to worry about token limits or signing up for a pricey subscription if you find a model that's helpful.

LinkedIn is, however, sharing data back to the respective AI companies who will presumably use information gleaned from LinkedIn usage to improve their products. "Anonymized data is shared with model builders to help them understand how their models are performing amongst different occupations," the company explains. "No personally identifiable information is shared with model builders."

While Crosscheck is initially only available to LinkedIn Premium subscribers in the United States, the company plans to expand the the feature to more countries and free users “soon.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/linkedins-crosscheck-feature-lets-premium-subscribers-test-ai-models-for-free-183949210.html?src=rss

Meta is testing a WhatsApp Plus subscription that mostly focuses on cosmetic upgrades

Meta is testing out a premium version of its messaging app, called WhatsApp Plus, that will include several paywalled features. As first spotted by WABetaInfo, Meta is currently rolling out a paid version of WhatsApp, which features mostly cosmetic upgrades. According to the Help Center page, WhatsApp Plus subscribers will get access to premium stickers that can have special effects and the ability to personalize the app's themes and icons.

Beyond the decorative elements, WhatsApp Plus users can pin up to 20 chats, set a premium ringtone for certain contacts and further customize chat lists with alerts, ringtones and themes. According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is exploring more features for its premium plan, but there's no exact pricing announced yet. Subscription costs currently range from 229 Pakistani Rupees, or less than $1, to €2.49, or around $3, according to WABetaInfo.

Meta isn't paywalling any of WhatsApp's basic functions, so the ability to send messages, make voice calls and take advantage of end-to-end encryption remains free. However, the introduction of WhatsApp Plus follows Meta also trialing Instagram Plus, which previewed premium features like Stories that last longer than 24 hours and sending "super hearts." The prices haven't been announced for Instagram Plus either, but WABetaInfo reported that Meta may offer one-month trials for any interested users of WhatsApp Plus.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/meta-is-testing-a-whatsapp-plus-subscription-that-mostly-focuses-on-cosmetic-upgrades-175452371.html?src=rss

The FAA grounds Blue Origin New Glenn rocket after failure to put payload in orbit

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has grounded Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket following an incident during Sunday's launch from Cape Canaveral, according to reporting by Orlando Sentinel and others. The rocket looked good on the way up but was ultimately unable to put its payload into the correct orbit.

The FAA is calling the incident a "mishap" and is beginning an investigation to "enhance public safety, determine the root cause of the event and identify corrective actions to avoid it from happening again." The organization said in a statement that a "return to flight is based on the FAA determining that any system, process or procedure related to the mishap does not affect public safety."

The company hasn't provided any information as to what happened with New Glenn that made it mess up the positioning. It was supposed to position a satellite into a 285 mile orbit after completing two burns, but telemetry data shows that the satellite only reached a 95 mile orbit, which is not sustainable.

This was New Glenn's third mission, and not the first time the rocket has been grounded by the FAA. Blue Origin was unable to land it after the debut launch and it wasn't allowed to fly again for nearly three months. The agency hasn't announced when the rocket will be cleared to fly this time, so we don't know if it will put a crimp in Blue Origin's plans to launch a bunch of Amazon Leo broadband satellites. That mission is currently scheduled for later this year and will use the New Glenn rocket.

The FAA has grounded several rockets due to mishaps in recent years, including the smaller Blue Origin New Shepard. It has also grounded SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Starship.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/the-faa-grounds-blue-origin-new-glenn-rocket-after-failure-to-put-payload-in-orbit-173016117.html?src=rss

Ball x Pit's next update adds 11 more balls to the fray on April 27

It's been a whole month since I've played some Ball x Pit after the mobile versions went live in March, but I'll surely be jumping back in again next week. The latest update will arrive on April 27, bringing a host of goodies to the wonderful brick-busting roguelite, which was one of Engadget's favorite games of 2025.

Designer Kenny Sun spilled most of the beans about the update on the PlayStation Blog, revealing that it will add two new characters, 11 more balls with special powers, four passive upgrades and a new building. If you opt to play as The Tiptoer, you'll be able to get close to enemies without fear of them attacking you, but you'll have lower health and damage. She could be a good partner for The Shieldbearer, so you can right in front of bosses to rapidly bounce back balls and ramp up the damage in no time at all. As for The Tunneller, that character fires balls that wrap around the edge of the screen and return from the other side.

The latest balls and evolutions include Venom, which slows down targets and can paralyze them in place after hitting them enough times. Other new time-based balls can freeze enemies too. Erosion saps away a percentage of a target's health, which could weaken bosses very quickly, and the Warp ball jumps to a random place and increases in speed every time it hits an enemy. I can't wait to see how effective these are after merging them with area-of-effect abilities or ones that spawn more balls with the same powers. 

The Sniper ball sounds interesting too. That will reward precision as it cuts through every enemy in a straight line until it hits a boundary. I prefer a more chaotic approach, though.

As such, the Full Metal Rapier passive ability seems like one I'll want. It scales up the damage of each ball depending on how many enemies and baby balls (i.e. ones that don't inherently have special abilities) are on screen. The Arrow of Fate passive is intriguing as well, as it turns every enemy projectile that hits you into a smattering of baby balls. I smell some synergy between those two.

On top of that, the new Guildhall building that you can place in the citybuilder side of the game allows you to change upgrades that you've already chosen for your character. Looking forward to seeing how that plays out in practice.

This is the second of three free updates that Sun and publisher Devolver Digital have announced for Ball x Pit. The first one, which introduced more upgrades and an endless mode, dropped in January. The third one is expected in July.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ball-x-pits-next-update-adds-11-more-balls-to-the-fray-on-april-27-170929983.html?src=rss

Deezer says AI-made songs make up 44 percent of daily uploads

AI-generated music is spreading like wildfire, according to Deezer, who reported receiving nearly 75,000 uploads of AI-made tracks a day on its platform. The alternative music streaming service based in Paris published a report revealing that 44 percent of its daily uploads are AI-generated songs, accumulating to around 2 million flagged songs a month. If that figure doesn't alarm you, Deezer said that more than 13.4 million songs were detected and flagged as AI-generated across 2025.

Those statistics are made possible with Deezer's patent-pending AI music detection tool, which was launched in January 2025. A few months following the release, Deezer announced that it saw around 20,000 AI-generated tracks uploaded a day, which made up roughly 18 percent of its overall uploads. Despite the swell of AI music on its platform, Deezer said that only about 1 to 3 percent of total streams on the platform involve AI-generated music and that a majority of these streams are marked as fraudulent and demonetized.

Deezer said its proprietary tool can detect AI-generated music, particularly from two of the most popular offerings right now: Suno and Udio. Despite these two AI music tools getting hit with lawsuits in their early days, some major record labels have had a change of heart and later struck deals with the startups. On the other hand, other music streaming platforms are employing their own verification tools to fortify the floodgates holding back music made by AI. Similar to Deezer, Coda Music uses "AI Artist" labels and even let users flag suspicious artists.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/deezer-says-ai-made-songs-make-up-44-percent-of-daily-uploads-163642921.html?src=rss

DaVinci Resolve 21 hands-on: A viable Lightroom alternative for casual users

Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve is a highly capable free color grading tool with a history dating way back to the ‘80s, but it has never been thought of as a rival to Adobe’s Lightroom due to its video origins. Now, Blackmagic Design has released a new version in beta that may change people’s minds about that. The new Photo page lets you import RAW images then adjust them using Resolve’s powerful color grading tools. You even get access to advanced VFX and AI features not found in Lightroom.

When I saw the new feature, I immediately wondered if I could cancel my $20 per month Adobe Photography subscription (with Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC). Apparently, I'm not alone. After trying it out, I believe that I could do so because photos are secondary to video for me. However, photographers who’ve used Lightroom for a long time would likely find it too painful to switch — at least, for now.

The Photo page and Albums

I tested the new Photo page functions and many of Resolve’s new filter effects, but beware that the first beta is still buggy. I used it inside the $295 DaVinci Resolve Studio app (which includes free updates for life), because it has a few extra features not found in the free version.

With that said, DaVinci Resolve 21 now supports RAW photos from Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon and Sony, with other brands to follow. Blackmagic has pledged to support RAW files for new cameras shortly after they’re released like Adobe does with Lightroom. It also supports TIFFs, JPEGs, HEIFs and other photo file formats.

Steve Dent for Engadget

To organize files, you can think of Resolve’s Projects as equivalent to Lightroom Catalogs. You import photos into a Project just as you do video, by dragging and dropping photos or folders into the media pool or using the “import” function. Resolve’s dedicated Media file management page also supports RAW photos. I find Resolve’s import system to be easier and more logical than Lightroom’s, with less steps required. You can import a full or partial Lightroom catalog into Resolve as well.

Once your photos are in the media pool, you can select and organize them by file name, rating, colors, favorites and other tags. DaVinci Resolve Studio also offers a new feature called AI IntelliSearch that lets you visually identify photos based on their content using terms like “cats” or “dancing.”

Photos can then be moved from the media pool into Albums, a new feature that’s similar to Lightroom’s Collections. Albums activate several photo-specific features in the Color and Edit pages. In Edit, Albums appear as simplified, single-track timelines, with each photo shown as a two second clip. That way, you can work with photos in the Color and Fusion pages just as you do with video.

You can reframe and crop images inside Photo (either by typing in the size or dragging) and make basic RAW-style adjustments for settings like exposure, highlights and shadows. For more advanced grading (like you may do in Lightroom’s Develop), you need to jump into the Color page.

Color and Fusion

On the Color page, you get the same functions for photos as video: primary and log color correction, curves, qualifiers, power windows, noise reduction and sharpening. You can also employ Resolve’s class-leading scopes, including parades, waveforms, vectorscopes and histograms.

Once you’ve created an Album, you can select it at the top of the Color page viewer, just as you would a video timeline. You can also label and sort photos as you do in the Photo page.

Steve Dent for Engadget

Resolve's node-based workflow really shines for photo editing. You can add nodes in series or parallel to build complex grades, then save and apply those grades to multiple images or an entire photo album. Resolve’s system for doing this via “stills” that show your grade is more visual and powerful than the one in Lightroom. You also get support for Resolve’s functions used for video like Look-Up Tables (LUTs) and the new Film Look Creator effect.

All of Resolve’s filter-style effects — like Vignette, Lens Blur and Film Damage — are available directly from the Photo page. Those include some of DaVinci Resolve Studio’s new AI effects (not available in the free version) like AI CineFocus, AI Face Age Transformer and AI Ultrafocus. This gives the app a leg up over Lightroom, which only offers comparable features via third-party plugins.

If you want even more advanced effects, the Fusion page is Resolve’s equivalent to After Effects. There, you’ll find tools like warping, lights and Paint, which lets you do Photoshop-like cloning. Resolve 21 now includes the Krokodove filters with features like warping and text animation.

This raises the question of whether you can do multi-image compositing in the Photo page like you can in Photoshop or After Effects. In short, it’s not possible as Photo only supports one image at a time. However, once you’ve adjusted a RAW image, you can drop it into a video timeline where your color adjustments and other tweaks will carry over. Then, you can stack multiple images and use any of Resolve’s compositing tools from the Edit or Fusion pages. This is pretty clunky compared to using Photoshop, but it’s the only way to combine multiple images for now.

Steve Dent for Engadget

Once you’ve finished grading and adjusting images, there are two ways to export them. One is by the Quick Export function that provides minimal settings like file type, name and resolution. The better method is via Resolve’s Deliver page, which now has dedicated photo functions when you’re working with an Album. There, you can control size parameters like short and long side, width and height or percentage. You can also change the file type, resolution and quality. This function is severely lacking compared to Lightroom though, which offers advanced settings missing from Resolve, like content credentials, watermarking and post-processing.

Finally, another new dedicated feature within the Resolve Photo page is Capture Live View for camera tethering, which only supports Canon and Sony cameras for now. It allows you to connect a camera to your PC via USB-C and control aperture, shutter speed, ISO and exposure compensation directly from the app. You can also view your images using Resolve’s scopes and tweak RAW settings like white balance, temperature, shadows, highlights and more.

Wrap-up

DaVinci Resolve’s new Photo page can do most of what Lightroom does in terms of image adjustments, while adding powerful effects tools that its Adobe counterpart lacks. It’s not yet a substitute for Photoshop, though, as it lacks the organizing, exporting, compositing and pixel-level editing tools found in that app.

For now, the Photo page is ideal for filmmakers who dabble in photo editing, along with hobbyists and power users familiar with Resolve’s formidable grading tools. However, professional photographers may want to stick with Lightroom, because Resolve still lacks certain advanced features, particularly around organization and exporting.

The new DaVinci Resolve Photo page only just launched and is bound to improve greatly over time. If you’re on the fence, download the free version and see if it works for you. A lot of video editors made the same switch from Premiere and have never looked back. Given the current grumbling about Adobe’s subscriptions, I could see many people making the same move from Lightroom to Resolve.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/davinci-resolve-21-hands-on-a-viable-lightroom-alternative-for-casual-users-160520123.html?src=rss

Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones review: Almost the perfect floor cleaner for tiny apartments

The big deal with Dyson’s new vacuum is how small it is. While “pencil” is certainly an ambitious noun to compare a floor vacuum to, the slender body of the PencilVac Fluffycones ($600) brings to mind mops and brooms rather than hulking cyclone-suction tech and connected cleaning. As we described it last year, it’s the company's most stick-like stick vacuum yet. Dyson has been repurposing its engine tech into smaller form factors for years, such as its hair dryers. However, this is the first time it’s been utilized for floor cleaning.

Dyson recently launched the PencilVac Fluffy, with a more traditional dual-roller system, but I’m focusing on the Fluffycones iteration and will call it simply the PencilVac for brevity. It combines several delightful design features, and while surprisingly potent, it’s — predictably — not quite able to match the power of its bigger brothers. The entire vacuum weighs under four pounds, which adds to its ease of use. That said, it’s heavier than it looks, as the rod shape holds everything inside.

With a 40mm-diameter (almost 1.6-inch) handle, it’s usable even with a single hand, if you want to be extra casual in your cleaning habits. It’s also a delight to use. As with several previous Dysons, like the OmniGlide, the dual-roller system seems to help the PencilVac glide across hard floors. It can be pulled and coaxed around furniture, table legs, under low-profile credenzas and more.

When at rest, the PencilVac sits on four central wheels, but once you start cleaning, the suction creates a sort of floating effect. Those four Fluffycone heads are designed to resist hair tangles, with any captured hair bundled like yarn at the tips of each cone for easier cleaning at the center of the PencilVac. The tips of each cone mean the vacuum can reach the edges of my flooring, too. The Fluffycones aren’t really able to dig into the pile, meaning that while they can certainly pull and lift a layer of dirt and dust, anything deeper will stay there.

Image by Mat Smith for Engadget

That said, the PencilVac is a dedicated hard floor cleaner. If your home is entirely hardwood or has lots of tile, then it’s not an issue. But if you have carpeted rooms (or large rugs), you might want to consider other models. Also, at higher suction levels, the PencilVac’s rollers would occasionally cut out while vacuuming carpets and rugs.

The PencilVac is also equipped with front and back Dyson Detect lasers, making it easier to see where you’ve missed (and how terrible your floor cleaning habits are). Compared to bigger, more powerful models like the V15 Detect, the PencilVac had a greater tendency to spit out dirt when overwhelmed by larger amounts of debris. This only happened for me when I pushed the limits of what the PencilVac could handle: a handful of garden soil on my hardwood floor.

Because it’s 2026, of course, it’s a connected vacuum, too. When I put together and charged the PencilVac, the first thing it does is project a QR code for pairing. A quick firmware update later and it was ready for use. The only feature in the MyDyson app that you might find useful is maintenance reminders (i.e., when to clean the filter). Everything else, including a battery readout, is built into the handle.

Image by Mat Smith for Engadget

Everything else is built into the handle. Compared to Dyson’s other stick vacs, there is no removable dust canister or battery block. The collection bin is cleverly integrated, drawing in dirt and using the same suction to compact it with force. When you need to empty the compartment — which holds a surprising amount (0.8 liters, according to Dyson) — you remove the cleaning head, point the body at your garbage can and ‘slide’ the dust (compacting it further in the process) into your trash can. The collection area is also see-through, so you can see everything you’re pulling into the PencilVac build up like a sort of gauge. When emptying the stick vac, I also noticed it doesn’t produce the dust cloud you often get with vacuums, which is another nice improvement.

Unlike its other stick vacuums, Dyson’s PencilVac comes with a free-standing charging dock, instead of a wall mount. This makes storage a little more versatile. If you’re a renter, there’s no need for any drilling. I think this also speaks to how it’s meant to be used: briefly, in bursts.

To that point, battery life seemed to be around 20 minutes, depending on the power level used and how dirty the surfaces were. Running entirely on boost, I got under 10 minutes of use. This weakness is exacerbated by a sluggish charging time of over three hours. For smaller spaces and not-too-messy lives, that’s more than enough clean time, though.

Image by Mat Smith for Engadget

The PencilVac also comes with that Dyson premium, too, priced at $600. That’s still less than the company’s other recent stick vacuums. For example, that’s $50 less than the aforementioned V15 Detect. If your home has a lot of carpeting or rugs to clean, the bigger, more powerful models might be a better choice. The newer PencilVac Fluffy has a more traditional dual-roller system and it's also $150 cheaper.

With its minimalist form factor, the PencilVac is still an engineering marvel. Its high degree of mobility makes it easy to clean in tight corners and between furniture. I just wish it were slightly more powerful.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/dyson-pencilvac-fluffycones-review-almost-the-perfect-floor-cleaner-for-tiny-apartments-154550089.html?src=rss

The Elden Ring movie hits theaters on March 3, 2028

Bandai Namco and A24 have announced that the Elden Ring movie will hit theaters on March 3, 2028. Filming is set to begin in the next several weeks. The movie was first revealed over a year ago, so this is a welcome update. 

We also got a full cast announcement, though the companies haven't said who or what everyone is portraying. The cast includes Kit Connor from Heartstopper, Ben Whishaw from the beloved Paddington movies and Cailee Spaeny from Alien: Romulus. Peter Serafinowicz, Jonathan Pryce, Nick Offerman and Sonoya Mizuno will also appear in the film.

Elden Ring will be written and directed by Alex Garland, fresh off the harrowing Civil War. Garland has directed plenty of sci-fi, with credits like Ex Machina, Annihilation and the woefully underrated TV show Devs. He hasn't, however, made any legit fantasy, so we'll have to see how he handles the magic-filled continent known as The Lands Between.

In any event, we have nearly two years before finding out. By that time, theaters will have already experienced two new Avengers and Star Wars films. Elden Ring, the game, is getting some new DLC content this year with armor sets, weapons and skins.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-elden-ring-movie-hits-theaters-on-march-3-2028-154411670.html?src=rss

Artemis II commander shares a remarkable video of Earth vanishing behind the Moon

We’ve seen some astonishing photos of an Earthset — the Earth setting behind the Moon — from the Artemis II crew’s history-making trip around our planet’s closest neighbor. Now, Reid Wiseman, the mission’s commander, has shared a remarkable video of that same phenomenon.

While mission specialist Christina Koch was using a Nikon camera to snap stunning still images of the Earthset, Wiseman used an iPhone 17 Pro Max to film the moment. “I could barely see the Moon through the docking hatch window but the iPhone was the perfect size to catch the view… This is uncropped, uncut with 8x zoom which is quite comparable to the view of the human eye,” he wrote on X.

This was the first time that human eyes had witnessed an Earthset in 54 years since the Apollo 17 mission. The Artemis II crew flew more than 5,000 miles beyond the Moon as they travelled more than a quarter of a million miles away from Earth — the furthest any humans have ever been from terra firma.

I, like many people, overuse the word “awesome.” It should only really be used when something actually inspires awe. This video absolutely meets that mark. It’s genuinely awesome.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/artemis-ii-commander-shares-a-remarkable-video-of-earth-vanishing-behind-the-moon-152036403.html?src=rss