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ISPs are fighting to raise the price of low-income broadband

A new government program is trying to encourage Internet service providers (ISPs) to offer lower rates for lower income customers by distributing federal funds through states. The only problem is the ISPs don’t want to offer the proposed rates.

Ars Technica obtained a letter sent to US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo signed by more than 30 broadband industry trade groups like ACA Connects and the Fiber Broadband Association as well as several state based organizations. The letter raises “both a sense of alarm and urgency” about their ability to participate in the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. The newly formed BEAD program provides over $42 billion in federal funds to “expand high-speed internet access by funding planning, infrastructure, deployment and adoption programs” in states across the country, according to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

The money first goes to the NTIA and then it’s distributed to states after they obtain approval from the NTIA by presenting a low-cost broadband Internet option. The ISP industries’ letter claims a fixed rate of $30 per month for high speed Internet access is “completely unmoored from the economic realities of deploying and operating networks in the highest-cost, hardest-to-reach areas.”

The letter urges the NTIA to revise the low-cost service option rate proposed or approved so far. Twenty-six states have completed all of the BEAD program’s phases.

Americans pay an average of $89 a month for Internet access. New Jersey has the highest average bill at $126 per month, according to a survey conducted by U.S. News and World Report. A 2021 study from the Pew Research Center found that 57 percent of households with an annual salary of $30,000 or less have a broadband connection.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/isps-are-fighting-to-raise-the-price-of-low-income-broadband-220620369.html?src=rss

Amazon is giving The Boys the prequel treatment

The Boys may be one season away from ending but it’s not done caking your screens with blood and torn muscle tissue. Cast member Jensen Ackles who plays Soldier Boy on The Boys revealed at the San Diego Comic-Con that Amazon will produce a prequel of the superhero show called Vought Rising.

The new prequel will take place in the 1950s during the early days of the evil Vought empire, the mega conglomerate that runs the entire superhero industry in The Boys’ universe. The new series will show the early exploits of characters like Soldier Boy and the almost-immortal Nazi supe Stormfront played by Aya Cash. The story will revolve around some kind of “twisted murder mystery about the origins of Vought,” according to executive producer Eric Kripke and showrunner and executive producer Paul Grellong.

Vought Rising sounds like a reimagining of Watchmen without the brooding and self-importance. That’s not to say Watchmen is bad. Those things and its brutal honesty about the nature of its characters are what makes it great but would it kill Rorschach to make just one curse-laden pop culture reference?

The Boys has become Amazon’s Game of Thrones. Even when the main series ends, it won’t be the last we hear from it. The same Comic-Con panel also revealed its college themed spinoff Gen V is getting another season, according to GamesRadar+. There’s also another spinoff in development called The Boys: Mexico with Diego Luna, Gael García Bernal and Blue Beetle writer Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, according to Deadline.

There’s also The Boys Presents: Diabolical, the animated anthology series in which some of the original series’ writers and producers like Garth Ennis and Seth Rogen and special guest stars like Awkwafina and Andy Samberg penned original stories about supes and presented them in different animation styles. Not to sound ungrateful but when are we gonna get another season of that?

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-is-giving-the-boys-the-prequel-treatment-201058614.html?src=rss

You can date everything in Date Everything!

Have you ever looked at something in your home like a dining room table or an adjustable height desk and wondered what it would be like to go on a date with it? Also, were you sober at the time? A new dating sim game called Date Everything! will let you see just what it’s like to search for true, meaningful love with the things you see almost every day (in the cleanest way possible, of course).

The surreal sounding dating sim game comes from an LA-based studio called Sassy Chap Games founded by a group of voice actors who’ve worked on games and shows like Critical Role, HiFi-Rush, One Punch Man, Final Fantasy XV, X-Men ‘97 and Genshin Impact. The indie game publisher Team17 will distribute the game for PC on Steam, the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, according to a press release.

The game puts players in the role of a lonely heart who receives a special pair of glasses called a “Dateviator” that transforms items in their home into human date candidates. For instance, the vacuum cleaner turns into a hunky heartthrob named Hoove and the laundry hamper transforms into a fiery redhead named Harper. Date Everything! has 100 possible mates in your home with their own voices, styles and personalities.

You get to know items like the refrigerator or the drawing room piano in their human forms. Depending on how things go, the relationship can end in one of three ways: Love, Friend or Hate. These relationships create a chain of different possible paths in which your choices influence the outcome along a “critical path tying it all together,” according to the press release.

Team17/Sassy Chap Games

Since Date Everything! comes from a studio founded by voice actors, all of the characters are fully voiced. Some of the more familiar names include Felicia Day from Supernatural and Mystery Science Theater 3000, Johnny Yong Bosch from Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers and Grey DeLisle from Scooby-Doo and The Last Airbender.

Date Everything! doesn’t just sound like a new and interesting twist on the dating sim game concept. It also sounds like a great way to boost your ego. If you’re down because you don’t have someone in your life, at least you can play the game and realize, “Well, at least I’m not trying to date my garbage disposal.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/you-can-date-everything-in-date-everything-190032967.html?src=rss

The Bioshock movie is still happening but with a reduced budget

We haven't had an update on Netflix’s Bioshock movie in a couple of years, leading some to wonder if it was quietly canned. The good news? The movie’s still coming. The (potential) bad news? The budget has been slashed, according to reporting by Variety.

This comes from producer Roy Lee, who was one of the people behind The Lego Movie. He announced the reduced budget during a panel at San Diego Comic-Con. He didn’t put out any numbers, but did say that the movie is currently being “reconfigured” to be a “more personal” film. Director Francis Lawrence is still helming the picture. He has directed four of the five Hunger Games movies, along with I Am Legend and the original Constantine.

The Bioshock film was first announced back in 2022, but since that time Netflix has experienced something of a regime change on the executive level. Dan Lin replaced Scott Stuber as the streamer’s film chief and Lin has tightened the purse strings away from stuff like Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon.

“The new regime has lowered the budgets,” Lee said at Comic-Con. “So we’re doing a much smaller version.”

In addition to budget cuts, Lee noted that Netflix has changed its compensation strategy with regard to movies. It’s shifting to a more traditional model that relies on bonuses tied to actual viewership numbers.

This could actually be good news. In my opinion, personal stories tend to work better than constant CGI battles with hordes of faceless baddies. Bioshock is also, at its heart, a personal story about family, with the fantastical Rapture setting being window dressing.

I guess it ultimately depends on how much of that budget was cut. There’s a big difference between a slightly reduced budget and a massive cut that turns all of the footage into darkened corridor scenes filmed in a series of Toronto or Atlanta warehouses. The release date hasn’t been announced and, honestly, it could still be a ways off. Director Lawrence has a lot on his plate right now, including an adaptation of Stephen King’s The Long Walk and yet another Hunger Games movie.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-bioshock-movie-is-still-happening-but-with-a-reduced-budget-184524214.html?src=rss

Warner Bros. Discovery sues the NBA in a last-ditch effort to block Amazon’s new streaming package

Warner Bros. Discovery followed through on its threat to “take appropriate action” against the NBA for rejecting its broadcasting rights offer. Variety reported on Friday that the media company sued the league in the New York State Supreme Court after the NBA turned down its bid to match Amazon’s streaming package that kicks in starting in the 2025-26 season.

The conflict stems from Warner’s belief that its current contract gives it the right to match any offer that would replace Warner’s TNT as a home for NBA games (and the iconic Inside the NBA) in the upcoming deal. As for the league’s stance, The Athletic reported that since the current agreements were signed when streaming was “on the horizon, but not part of the deals,” the NBA disagrees with Warner’s matching claim.

The lawsuit was expected as soon as the league announced its new broadcasting and streaming package, which also includes Disney (ABC and ESPN) and Comcast (NBC). The NBA reportedly told Warner it rejected its matching offer because it wanted to put all its games on its streaming service, Max, in addition to TNT. Amazon also allegedly offered to pay its first three years in full, whereas Warner offered a three-year line of credit. Finally, the NBA reportedly believed Amazon’s reach was simply greater.

“Warner Bros. Discovery’s most recent proposal did not match the terms of Amazon Prime Video’s offer and, therefore, we have entered into a long-term arrangement with Amazon,” the NBA’s statement on Wednesday read.

TNT / Warner Bros. Discovery

Unless Warner can force the NBA’s hand, the new agreement will almost certainly mean the end of Inside the NBA. The decades-old sports show, starring Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal, has harnessed a rare blend of comedy, chemistry and (sometimes taking a backseat to the first two) sports analysis. The beloved program, which has won 19 Sports Emmy Awards, began in 1989 as a Johnson solo effort before fleshing out its tight-knit cast through the following years and (in the case of Shaq) decades.

Turner has partnered with the NBA since the 1984-85 season, which coincided with Barkley’s (and Michael Jordan’s) entrance into the league out of college.

Barkley lashed out at the NBA after hearing about the new rights package, accusing it of wanting to “break up with us from the beginning” in a statement on X. Adding, “I’m not sure TNT ever had a chance,” the Hall of Famer described it as “a sad day when owners and commissioners choose money over the fans.”

“It just sucks,” Barkley wrote before thanking Turner’s fans for the last 24 years he’s been on the show. Inside the NBA will return next season, perhaps its last, along with the network’s standard lineup of NBA games, before the new deal begins in the 2025-26 season.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/warner-bros-discovery-sues-the-nba-in-a-last-ditch-effort-to-block-amazons-new-streaming-package-183352404.html?src=rss

Apple’s M3 MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM is $200 off right now

Apple’s M3 MacBook Air combines Apple’s lightest and thinnest laptop design with the impressive horsepower of third-generation Apple silicon. B&H Photo Video has the 2024 laptop on sale for $200 off. Usually $1,299, the variant with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage is only $1,099.

The 2024 MacBook Air adds the M3 chip, Apple’s silicon with a 3nm process that crams more electronic components into a smaller space compared to its predecessor. Apple’s Neural Engine, which will become more crucial with the introduction of Apple Intelligence AI features this fall, is also 15 percent faster in the M3 family than the M2. While the M3 MacBook Air may not provide a dramatic speed boost over the M2 in day-to-day tasks, it has a higher ceiling for intensive work and is more future-proofed.

The M3 model adds support for dual screens with the lid closed. It also supports Wi-Fi 6E’s faster speeds and lower latency if you have a compatible router.

Engadget Senior Editor Devindra Hardawar praised the device in his review from earlier this year, describing the two sizes of the laptop as “great computers with excellent performance, gorgeous screens and incredible battery life.” The M3 MacBook Air lasted over 10 hours in our video-playback battery stress test.

Although the $200 off deal at B&H is for the 13-inch model, the retailer (which operates online but also has a robust Manhattan retail outlet) has the 15-inch model for $150 off. If you like more real estate for your apps and desktop (or, like me, need larger text for aging eyes), the larger model may be the better choice.

One thing to keep in mind before ordering is that B&H’s return policy states that it won’t take computers back for a refund once the packaging has been unsealed. Although you can contact customer service for an exchange if something is wrong out of the box, buyer’s remorse alone won’t cut it for getting your money back. This contrasts with competitors like the Apple Store, Amazon and Best Buy, so consider that before proceeding. However, apart from that footnote, B&H has been an Apple partner for nearly a decade and has built a solid reputation with customers since its 1973 founding.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-m3-macbook-air-with-16gb-of-ram-is-200-off-right-now-165605741.html?src=rss

Here's how to stop Grok's AI models using your tweets for training

There's word going around that X just enabled a setting that lets it train Grok on public tweets, as well as any interactions they have with the chatbot. That's not entirely true: a help page instructing users how to opt-out of X using their data to train Grok has been live since at least May. X just never exactly made it crystal clear that it was opting everyone into this, which is a sketchy move. If you don't want a bad chatbot to use your bad tweets for training, it's thankfully easy to switch that off.

You just need to uncheck a box from the Grok data sharing tab in the X settings. If that link doesn't work, you can go to Settings > Privacy and Safety > Grok. For the time being, the setting isn't accessible through X's mobile apps (the company says it will be soon), so you'll have to uncheck the box on the web for now. It's also worth noting that Grok isn't trained on any tweets from private X accounts. 

One of X's selling points for Grok when it rolled out the chatbot was that it had the advantage of using real-time information that's published on the platform — in other words, users' tweets. That only works if users opt-in or are automatically enrolled into sharing their data with the chatbot. But X isn't exactly the pinnacle of truth and accuracy. It's full of pranksters, and lifting their jokes might be one of the reasons why Grok keeps on getting stuff wrong. In any case, it's not exactly uncommon for AI models to be trained on material without explicit permission from the original creators.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/heres-how-to-stop-groks-ai-models-using-your-tweets-for-training-161041266.html?src=rss

The 10th-generation iPad is back down to $300, plus the rest of this week's best tech deals

As we've seen in years past, once Amazon's Prime Day ends, many of the deals evaporate. But one week after the sale frenzy (both from Amazon and other retailers) we're still seeing quite a few deals that have either stayed true to their event pricing or have come up with a fresh discount after the fact. Right now, the budget pick in our iPad guide is just $1 more than the low it hit last week. Our favorite pair of budget earbuds is also just a buck more than the Prime Day low. And, as of this writing, Amazon is still offering a free $300 gift card if you order the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 that just started shipping on Wednesday. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.   

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-10th-generation-ipad-is-back-down-to-300-plus-the-rest-of-this-weeks-best-tech-deals-155930268.html?src=rss

The 65-inch LG C3 OLED TV is nearly half off for today only

The 65-inch LG C3 OLED TV is 48 percent off via Woot, which brings the price down to $1,298. That’s a savings of around $1,200 on the well-regarded OLED panel. There’s one major caveat. This deal is for today only, or until the stock runs out. To that end, there’s a limit of one per customer, but that’s probably not a huge deal unless you’re in the process of furnishing a mansion or something.

The LG C3 OLED is considered one of the best TVs for gaming, and with good reason. We loved this television’s high contrast and the deep blacks on offer. We also praised the low input lag, increased motion response and wide array of appropriate viewing angles. It follows HDR guidelines, works with all the major VRR formats and has four HDMI 2.1 ports that are capable of outputting 4K 120Hz with a gaming console or PC.

It supports all the major HDR standards, including Dolby Vision. This TV is available in sizes up to 83-inches, but the larger models aren’t on sale. I use a 65-inch OLED, though not this one, and it’s plenty big enough for TV and gaming.

Despite being a dang good value, this isn’t a perfect television. The WOLED panel doesn’t get quite as bright as a QD-OLED like the Samsung S90C. Also, it doesn’t support a 144Hz refresh rate, which could be a dealbreaker to picky PC gamers. Still, the price is definitely right. Just make sure you pick this up sooner rather than later.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-65-inch-lg-c3-oled-tv-is-nearly-half-off-for-today-only-152153420.html?src=rss

NASA's Perseverance rover found a rock on Mars that could indicate ancient life

NASA's Perseverance rover has been collecting samples from Mars since 2021, but one of its most recently collected rocks could help it achieve its goal of finding evidence of ancient life on the planet. Nicknamed Cheyava Falls after the tallest waterfall in the Grand Canyon, the 3.2 feet by 2 feet sample contains "chemical signatures and structures" that could've been formed by ancient microbial life from billions of years ago. 

Perseverance collected the rock on July 21 from what was once a Martian river valley carved by flowing water long ago. The sample, which you can see in close up below and from afar at the center of the image above, exhibits large white calcium sulfate veins running along its length. They indicate that water did run through the rock at one point. 

More importantly, it contains millimeter-size marks that look like "leopard spots" all over its central reddish band. On our planet, those spots could form on sedimentary terrestrial rocks when there are chemical reactions that turn hematite, one of the minerals responsible for Mars' reddish color, to white. Those reactions can release iron and phosphate, which could've served as an energy source for microbes. 

The rover's Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry (PIXL) tool already determined that the black rings around the spots contain iron and phosphate. However, that doesn't automatically mean that the rock truly did serve as a host for ancient microbes. 

NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

The spots could've been formed by non-biological processes, and that's something scientists will have to figure out. "We cannot say right now that we have discovered life on Mars,” Katie Stack Morgan, the deputy project scientist, said. "But what we are saying is that we have a potential biosignature, which is a set of features that could have a biological origin but do need further study and more data." 

NASA still has to bring back the samples Perseverance had collected to our planet, including Cheyava Falls. As The New York Times notes, the Mars Sample Return mission is years behind schedule and would not be able to bring back rocks from the red planet until 2040 instead of in the early 2030's like originally planned. NASA recently asked aerospace companies for alternative solutions on how to get the samples to Earth much sooner and will finance their studies due later this year. Scientists will also have to conduct extensive testing to rule out contamination and non-biological processes, as well as other possible explanations for how the leopard spots had formed, before they can proclaim that they're indeed evidence of ancient Martian life. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nasas-perseverance-rover-found-a-rock-on-mars-that-could-indicate-ancient-life-150006064.html?src=rss

Apple agrees to stick by Biden administration's voluntary AI safeguards

Apple has joined several other tech companies in agreeing to abide by voluntary AI safeguards laid out by the Biden administration. Those who make the pledge have committed to abide by eight guidelines related to safety, security and social responsibility, including flagging societal risks such as biases; testing for vulnerabilities, watermarking AI-generated images and audio; and sharing trust and safety details with the government and other companies.

Amazon, Google, Microsoft and OpenAI were among the initial adoptees of the pact, which the White House announced last July. The voluntary agreement, which is not enforceable, will expire after Congress passes laws to regulate AI.

Since the guidelines were announced, Apple unveiled a suite of AI-powered features under the umbrella name of Apple Intelligence. The tools will work across the company's key devices and are set to start rolling out in the coming months. As part of that push, Apple has teamed up with OpenAI to incorporate ChatGPT into Apple Intelligence. In joining the voluntary code of practice, Apple may be hoping to ward off regulatory scrutiny of its AI tools.

Although President Joe Biden has talked up the potential benefits of AI, he has warned of the dangers posed by the technology as well. His administration has been clear that it wants AI companies to develop their tech in a responsible manner.

Meanwhile, the White House said in a statement that federal agencies have met all of the 270-day targets laid out in a sweeping Executive Order related to AI that Biden issued last October. The EO covers issues such as safety and security measures, as well as reporting and data transparency schemes. The White House says that agencies have met all the stipulated deadlines to date.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-agrees-to-stick-by-biden-administrations-voluntary-ai-safeguards-144653327.html?src=rss

North Korean who used ransomware to attack US healthcare providers has been indicted

A grand jury in Kansas City has indicted Rim Jong Hyok, a North Korean intelligence operative who allegedly used ransomware to attack health providers' systems in the US, according to AP News. The State Department said Rim is part of a group called Andariel that's controlled by the North Korean intelligence agency, the Reconnaissance General Bureau. Rim is not in the US government's custody. The agency is now offering a $10 million reward for information that would lead to his location or the location of a foreign operative who "engages in certain malicious cyber activities against US critical infrastructure."

A Kansas medical center alerted the FBI about an attack that blocked personnel's access to patient files and lab test results, as well as prevented them from operating hospital equipment with their computers, was back in 2021. It's a common MO of Rim's Andariel group, which would infiltrate a computer system and infect it with Maui ransomware. The group would then ask their target for payment and would threaten to release sensitive information if they don't pay up. In the Kansas hospital's case, the group demanded a ransom in Bitcoin worth $100,000 within 48 hours. The group allegedly used the money it gets to buy more computers and servers to fund more cyberattacks. 

The FBI, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Department of the Treasury issued a joint cybersecurity warning in the midst of Andariel's attacks on healthcare providers in 2022. "The North Korean state-sponsored cyber actors likely assume healthcare organizations are willing to pay ransoms because these organizations provide services that are critical to human life and health," they wrote. Federal investigators said they followed the ransom the Kansas medical center paid across blockchains and found that someone had transferred the Bitcoin to an address belonging to two Hong Kong nationals. Based on the court documents seen by AP, the money was then transferred to a Chinese bank and withdrawn from an ATM in China close to the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge connecting the country to North Korea. 

Andariel and Rim are being accused of infiltrating 17 entities across 11 states, including four defense contractors, two US Air Force bases and NASA. The group was reportedly able to stay in NASA's computer system for three months and steal 17 gigabytes of classified information. During one of its operations that targeted a US defense contractor in November 2022, the State Department said the group was also able to extract over 30 gigabytes of data that include information on the material used in US military aircraft and satellites. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/north-korean-who-used-ransomware-to-attack-us-healthcare-providers-has-been-indicted-140008610.html?src=rss

Samsung Galaxy Ring review: A bit basic, a bit pricey

I don’t expect much from a device as small as a ring. There’s no room for a lot of hardware, so it only really needs to do a few things well. A sleep tracker that doesn’t get in the way of, well, sleeping, is my holy grail, and smart rings are a tantalizing option. Samsung’s Galaxy Ring promises to monitor my slumber and log my daily activity, and do so comfortably and unobtrusively, all for $400. That’s $100 more than its closest competitor, the Oura Ring, though the latter charges an additional $6 a month to use its software. Oura has been around for over five years, and in that time, it has developed more sophisticated ways to deliver insights to its customers, while Samsung is just starting. But for a debut effort, the Galaxy Ring has been a surprisingly informative health-tracking device for those with compatible Samsung phones.

The Galaxy Ring’s weight and design

Of all the wearables available, rings are among the smallest and lightest. My Galaxy Ring is a size seven, which is the third tiniest Samsung makes. That puts it at about 2.3 grams, or just under 0.1 ounces light, which is about half the 4 to 6 grams that Oura’s rings weigh, depending on their size.

Thanks to that lack of weight and the device’s slim profile, I barely feel it on my finger when trying to fall asleep, which, for a sensitive sleeper like me, is a huge deal. The only thing that sometimes bothers me are the red and green LEDs flashing in my dark bedroom, but they’re not so bright to keep me up after I close my eyes.

I’m extremely finicky, and don’t like wearing a ring when my hands are even the slightest bit wet, so I frequently took the wearable off. But if you’re less sensitive than me, you’ll be happy to know the Galaxy Ring will survive soap and running water. I wore it while washing my hands a few times, taking the ring off afterwards for my fingers to fully dry. When I eventually put the device back on after having applied lotion and sunscreen, I was happy to see that the creams did not get in the way of its sensors getting readings.

Because I frequently took the ring on and off, I did have mini panic attacks a few times when I thought it fell out of my pocket. Thankfully, in those situations, I was able to use Samsung’s location-tracking app to see that it wasn’t too far away and was likely in my pants. The problem with the ring’s lack of components, though, is that I can’t play an audible alarm to help find it.

That absence of features is a compromise I’m happy to make in exchange for the Galaxy Ring’s barely-there footprint. What Samsung does offer here also feels good enough for a basic health tracker, though it does pale in comparison to the competition.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

The Galaxy Ring as a sleep tracker

I’ve mostly used the Galaxy Ring to track my sleep and general activity, since it doesn’t log any workout beyond walking and running. For the most part, all I really have to do with the ring is make sure I place it on my index finger, where it fits more snugly than the middle. This helps ensure my blood oxygen readings are accurate, or I end up with numbers that are wildly low.

Beyond that, I spent most of my testing time on Samsung’s Wear and Health apps, poring over my sleep data. We’ve come a long way since the early days where Fitbits only looked at the duration of your rest, guessing based on how still you are whether you’ve fallen asleep. These days, using your heart rate to determine whether you’re in REM or deep sleep is table stakes, and on that front Samsung delivers as expected.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

I obviously can’t tell you what stages I’m in as I sleep, but I did like that Samsung not only presents the data clearly, but also adds helpful context. It tells me why it’s important to have time in the REM zone, and whether 11 minutes in deep sleep was enough for recovery. The app also helps me understand how I compare to other people, without me having to navigate to a separate app or browser. I did find that the Ring noted accurately what times I fell asleep and awoke, and even logged a midday nap in the app (though it didn’t show sleep cycle data for that period).

It took a few days, but once a baseline was established, the Galaxy Ring started telling me what my skin temperature was throughout the night, highlighting my peak and lowest numbers. I’ve been pleasantly surprised to find that my coldest temperature to date has been on one night in Singapore, which goes against my assumption that the local heat and humidity would affect these readings.

It’s been mollifying to see that my stats seem normal, although my blood oxygen levels have varied wildly depending on which finger I wear the ring on. It’s even gone as low as 76 percent, which would be concerning, but I’ve stopped caring much about that section of my sleep insights, since it seems my review unit might be a little loose.

You don’t have to spend as much time as I do digging into the numbers — Samsung, like most other modern sleep-tracking services, will assign a sleep score to tell you how well you slept. There are also graphs to help you understand your trends at a glance.

It’s important to note that Samsung said the energy score, sleep tracking and Wellness Tips features are based on Galaxy AI, meaning they’ll require a Galaxy phone, Samsung Health app and Samsung account to work.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

The Galaxy Ring as an activity tracker

Samsung’s ring might not track a wide variety of exercises, but the data it does gather is surprisingly comprehensive. I was fully expecting the walks it automatically detected to only show me basic stats like duration and, perhaps, step count. But it actually presented my average speed, cadence, heart rate, heart rate zones, calories burned and distance traveled too.

I’m pretty impressed, but I must point out that Oura offers a Workout heart rate feature that lets you manually start and end heart-rate tracking sessions from your phone. It also automatically detects at least 40 different activities, including yardwork, cycling, snowboarding, horseback riding and HIIT. Oura also frequently adds new metrics like cardiovascular age and capacity, as well as experimental features like Symptom Radar to guess when you might not be feeling well. It’s ahead of Samsung in the game here and seems to be fighting to keep that gap open. I guess if you’re going to pay an extra $6 a month, you better get a significantly superior service.

In my experience, both Samsung and Oura are fairly accurate at tracking activity. In the last few days, I’ve been surprised to see the Galaxy Ring had tracked pretty much every time I went with my parents to a nearby hawker center, even though the walks only took fewer than 10 minutes. Compared to the Apple Watch Series 9 I usually wear, Samsung is more likely to include a short trip in its app’s activity log, which was not only more rewarding but also felt like a more complete picture of my day.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

My problems with Samsung Health

One area where the Galaxy Ring (and rings in general) falls short of smartwatches is in delivering any sort of notification. As an activity tracker, this is mainly a problem when it comes to pushing stand reminders. Both Samsung and Oura will serve alerts on your phone when you’ve been stationary for too long, prompting you to get up and move. Wristworn wearables typically buzz and tell you on the screen, and it’s a lot harder to miss or ignore them. I’ve definitely had a few days where I was in an editing or writing hole and only noticed numerous alerts to move hours later when I looked at my Galaxy phone.

This isn’t a major problem, and is another small tradeoff I’m happy to accept since the Ring is so small. But I do have two specific complaints for Samsung, and they both pertain to the app. My first issue is the confusing interface for automatic activity detection. When you go into the Ring’s settings to enable this (which is unfortunately not turned on by default), you’ll see the words “Activities to detect” under a tinier label called “Auto detect workouts.” Next to the larger font is a grayed out toggle that turns blue when you slide it to the right.

Pushing this switch on didn’t actually enable the feature. Tapping on the words “Activities to detect” brought me into a different page with rows for “Walking” and “Running,” each accompanied by their own toggles. You’ll also have to press each of these activities to go into another page and turn on location tracking. Because of this, I spent my first few days with the Galaxy Ring confused why my walks weren’t being logged, despite having turned on the main toggle. A better layout with improved organization that requires fewer taps and pages would really help here.

My other gripe is a more specific situation. As I’m concurrently testing the Galaxy Watch Ultra, the information collected by that smartwatch is also considered by Samsung Health when calculating my energy score. This is actually a good thing, as I’d prefer to use a Galaxy Watch to log my gym sessions and rely on the ring everywhere else. But because the Galaxy Watch Ultra is so inaccurate when it’s not being worn, it actually recorded random workout sessions, like two bike rides that I never took. This caused the Health app to think I had overexerted myself and it ended up recommending I take it super easy the next day, when in reality I had done very little.

Yes, I can manually delete these entries, but when I’m busy and just want to glance at my energy score, this causes confusion. Why was my score so low? Did I somehow sleep poorly? I can already imagine hypochondriacs spiraling if they didn’t know what happened.

Luckily, Samsung clearly labels at the bottom of each workout record which device detected the activity. This is unlikely to be a huge problem unless you have both the Galaxy Ring and Watch like I do, and is something that seems easy enough to fix.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

The Galaxy Ring’s battery life

Samsung says the Galaxy Ring can deliver “continuous usage” for up to seven days, and in my experience that’s fairly accurate. But you’ll have to be able to tolerate seeing the battery levels drop all the way to zero to get the full week. In the two weeks or so that I’ve worn the ring, it consistently dropped to under 20 percent by day six, and would basically die on day seven.

Charging the device’s 18mAh battery shouldn’t take too long. Samsung says 30 minutes will get you 40 percent of the way, and when I placed the Ring in its case for about 5 minutes, it went up by two percent. If I hadn’t been trying to gauge its battery life for this review, I would probably have recharged it any time I wasn’t wearing it, and likely wouldn’t have ever run out of juice.

Other issues

For its debut smart ring, Samsung’s delivered a satisfactory product that mostly delivers. Compared to the Oura ring, the Galaxy Ring is perfunctory. The main bonus Samsung had over the competition is its double pinch gesture, that can dismiss alarms or remotely launch the camera on your Samsung phone. I wasn’t able to test this feature because I tested the Ring with a Galaxy S24, and it’s only compatible with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6. Samsung says double-pinch functionality is coming to the S24 lineup soon.

Unlike the Oura ring, Samsung’s wearable doesn’t work with iPhones, though rumors are rife that iOS support is coming. For now, if you’re in Apple’s ecosystem you won’t be able to use the Galaxy Ring. Those who use a Samsung phone are more likely to appreciate the Galaxy Ring most. Other integrations like Find My and Samsung Health are available to anyone that installs the SmartThings app and has a Samsung account.

Wrap-up

Though the Galaxy Ring is fairly basic at the moment, it seems to have a lot of potential. Samsung needs to continue to invest in research to expand the insights it could deliver with the limited set of data the ring collects. Given the company’s history with bringing new features to its watches, Health app and the Z series of foldable phones so far, it might just do that. If you’re happy to spend $400 on a low-profile wearable sleep tracker that also logs your walks or runs, the Galaxy Ring will do the job.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-galaxy-ring-review-a-bit-basic-a-bit-pricey-130034811.html?src=rss

Apple's 14-inch MacBook Pro laptop with an M3 Pro chip is $300 off at Amazon

Apple's well-specked 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M3 Pro chip, 18GB of memory and 512GB of storage is on sale for the lowest price we've seen yet at Amazon. You can pick one up for $1,699, a savings of $300 (15 percent) and the lowest price we've seen to date on this particular model. We're also seeing discounts across the board on various 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros.

Ad we noted in our review, Apple's MacBook Pro is one of the best ultraportables you can buy today thanks to the fast and efficient M3 Pro chip, gorgeous 14-inch screen, useful port selection and excellent keyboard and trackpad. It's particularly strong for content creation thanks to real-time decoding of commonly-used pro video formats — a feature missing on many PC laptops.

One issue we had with the MacBook Pro is that updates to the processor, RAM or storage add a lot to the price, and those things are important for video or photo editing. That makes this model a particularly good deal, because it's already well-equipped with 18GB of unified memory and an M3 Pro processor. 

If you don't need the M3 Pro's horsepower, the 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M3 chip is on sale for $1,749 and nets you 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. Or, if your budget doesn't permit that, the 8GB/512GB M3 model is available for $1,399 or $200 off. 

You can also grab a 16-inch M3 Pro model with 18GB of RAM and 512GB of storage for $2,249, a savings of $200 (10 percent) over the list price. Another great deal is on the 16-inch M3 Max model with 36GB of memory and 1TB of storage at $3,099, or $400 off.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-14-inch-macbook-pro-laptop-with-an-m3-pro-chip-is-300-off-at-amazon-123042013.html?src=rss

Gran Turismo 7's more realistic physics update is launching cars into orbit

Yesterday's Gran Turismo 7 game update 1.49 introduced all-new physics that have added extra realism and generally improved gameplay. However, the change is also causing some bizarre problems in specific situations, making cars bounce violently or just get hurled into the air.

The physics updates are generally positive, adding "more natural cornering physics and acceleration/deceleration stability levels," according to the developer. Similar changes to tire physics and steering allow a more challenging and rewarding driving experience overall. 

However, some bugs appear to have crept in as well, according to gtplanet and posts on Reddit's r/granturismo. High-horsepower vehicles, often with engine swaps and extreme suspension settings, are literally flying, bouncing or intersecting with the ground, according to multiple (hilarious) videos. 

The problem appears to happen when cars try to accelerate from low speeds, and mostly affects cars under AI control. It also happens during dynamic "Scapes Movies" scenes designed to show off landscapes from cars operated at slow speeds by AI. It's even been seen in GT Auto's garages.

It's clearly a weird z-axis programming bug, but Gran Turismo's team is aware of the issue and working on it. "We are now aware of the following issue in the 1.49 Update released on July 25: Car Physics Simulation — Unintended vehicle behavior is produced when a particular car setting is set within Car Settings," devs said in a post on X. A fix should be ready soon, so enjoy the comedy while it lasts. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gran-tourismo-7s-more-realistic-physics-update-is-launching-cars-into-orbit-120045578.html?src=rss

The Morning After: OpenAI reveals its AI-powered search engine, SearchGPT

OpenAI announced a new AI-powered search engine prototype called SearchGPT. It’s described SearchGPT as “a temporary prototype of new AI search features that give you fast and timely answers with clear and relevant sources.” The company plans to test out the product with 10,000 initial users, then roll it into ChatGPT after gathering feedback.

It’s a spicy time to launch AI-powered search engines. Last month, Perplexity faced criticism for summarizing stories from Forbes and Wired without adequate attribution or backlinks to the publications. It also ignored robots.txt, a way for websites to tell crawlers that scrape data to back off. Earlier this week, Wired publisher Condé Nast reportedly sent a cease-and-desist letter to Perplexity and accused it of plagiarism. Also: see the Reddit drama earlier this week.

SearchGPT categorizes its results with short descriptions and visuals, but according to some early users, just like its chatbot forebears, accuracy is… lacking.

— Mat Smith

The biggest stories you might have missed

The best cameras for 2024

WhatsApp hits 100 million monthly active US users

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Google brings its faster, lighter AI model to free Gemini users

It’s also expanding access.

Google is making its Gemini AI faster and more efficient across the board. You now have access to 1.5 Flash, its generative AI model designed to generate responses more quickly and efficiently, even if you’re not paying for access to Google’s AI. The company says you’ll notice improvements in latency and in the tool’s reasoning and image understanding.

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Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro review

AirPods clones that actually deliver.

Engadget

Sure, Samsung copied Apple in multiple ways on its Galaxy Buds 3 ($180) and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro ($250). Not only in physical design (remember when Samsung ribbed Apple for the AirPods’ stems?), but the third-gen Buds mirror a few features from AirPods too. That includes Adaptive Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), Adaptive EQ and Voice Detect. However, the best features require a recent Samsung device, while ANC, on an open-type earbud, is basically useless.

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AI video startup Runway reportedly trained on ‘thousands’ of YouTube videos without permission

YouTube’s spokesperson reiterated it would be a ‘clear violation’ of its terms.

AI company Runway reportedly scraped “thousands” of YouTube videos and pirated versions of copyrighted movies without permission. 404 Media obtained alleged internal spreadsheets suggesting the AI video-generating startup trained its Gen-3 model using YouTube content from channels like Disney, Netflix, Pixar and popular media outlets. 404 Media found that prompting the video generator with the names of popular YouTubers listed in the spreadsheet spat out results bearing an uncanny resemblance. Entering the same names in Runway’s older Gen-2 model — trained before the alleged data in the spreadsheets — generated “unrelated” results.

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Overwatch 2 may test a return to six-player teams

Blizzard plans to experiment with various team compositions after the controversial 5v5 switch.

Overwatch 2 developers plan to experiment with a range of team compositions beyond the role-locked 5v5 format of the current game. That includes a potential revival of six-player teams from the original Overwatch.

Game director Aaron Keller wrote the team was “exploring how we can test different forms of 6v6 in the game to gauge the results.” Faced with increased team shooter competition, it could be a move to keep its most loyal fans.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-openai-reveals-its-ai-powered-search-engine-searchgpt-111656599.html?src=rss

The best fitness trackers for 2024

Fitness trackers are a solid option if you really want to hone in on tracking, well, your fitness. Some of the best fitness trackers also include additional sensors to track things like stress, sleep and other health metrics. Sure, you could opt for the best smartwatch, but if you’re not interested in all of the extra features they offer, a fitness tracker might be a better (and more affordable) option. Accurate workout and activity tracking is what fitness trackers do best. They might not look as glamorous as an Apple Watch, but they do a particular job well. We’ve researched and tested a good selection of the most popular fitness trackers out there to help make your decision a little easier.

What do fitness trackers do best?

The answer seems simple: Fitness trackers are best at monitoring exercise, be it a 10-minute walk around the block or that half marathon you’ve been diligently training for. Obviously, smartwatches can help you reach your fitness goals too, but there are some areas where fitness bands have proven to be the best buy: focus, design, battery life and price.

When I say “focus,” I’m alluding to the fact that fitness trackers are made to track activity well; anything else is extra. They often don’t have the bells and whistles that smartwatches do, which could distract from their health tracking abilities. They also tend to have fewer sensors and internal components, which keeps them smaller and lighter. Fitness trackers are also a better option for those who just want a less conspicuous device on their wrists all day.

Battery life tends to be better on fitness trackers, too. While most smartwatches last one to two days on a single charge, fitness bands offer between five and seven days of battery life — and that’s with all-day and all-night use even with sleep tracking features enabled

When it comes to price point, there’s no competition. Most worthwhile smartwatches start at $175 to $200, but you can get a solid fitness tracker starting at $70. Yes, more expensive bands exist (and we recommend a few here), but you’ll find more options under $150 in the fitness tracker space than in the smartwatch space.

When to get a smartwatch instead

If you need a bit more from your wearable and don’t want to be limited to a fitness or activity tracker, a smartwatch may be the best buy for you. There are things like on-watch apps, alerts and even more robust fitness features that smartwatches have and the best fitness trackers don’t. You can use one to control smart home appliances, set timers and reminders, check weather reports and more. Some smartwatches let you choose which apps you want to receive alerts from, and the options go beyond just call and text notifications. Just make sure your smartwatch is compatible with your Android or iPhone, however, before purchasing, as not all of them work with both operating systems.

But the extra fitness features are arguably the most important thing to think about when deciding between a fitness tracker and a smartwatch. The latter devices tend to be larger, giving them more space for things like GPS, barometers, onboard music storage and more. While you can find built-in GPS on select fitness trackers, it’s not common.

Best fitness trackers

Other fitness trackers we've tested

Fitbit Inspire 3

The Fitbit Inspire 3 strips out all the luxury features from the Charge 6 and keeps only the essential tracking features. You won’t get built-in GPS tracking or Fitbit Pay or Spotify control but you do get solid activity tracking, automatic workout detection, smartphone alerts and plenty more. The updated version has a sleeker design and includes a color touch display and connected GPS, the latter of which lets you track pace and distance while you run or bike outside while you have your phone with you. When compared to the Charge 6, the Inspire 3 is more fashionable, too. Its interchangeable bands let you switch up the look and feel of your tracker whenever you want, and it’s slim enough to blend in with other jewelry you might be wearing. We were also impressed by its multi-day battery life: Fitbit promises up to 10 days on a single charge, and that checked out for us. After four days of round-the-clock use, the Inspire 3 still had 66 percent battery left to go.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-fitness-trackers-133053484.html?src=rss

The best cameras for 2024

The last year has continued to bring whiplash to the camera world, with numerous new models introduced across mirrorless, action and compact lineups. We continue to see improvements in all areas, with greater speed, more accurate autofocus and better video specs.

All those options can be overwhelming, but that’s where this guide comes in. Whether you’re an aspiring action or wildlife photographer, an extreme sports junkie or a content creator, we’ll help you find the perfect camera to match your budget and requirements.

What to consider before choosing a camera

Though smartphones get better for video and photos every year, full cameras are still better in many ways. The larger sensors in mirrorless cameras let more light in, and you have a wide choice of lenses with far superior optics. Where smartphones typically have one f/stop, cameras have many, which gives you better exposure control. You also get natural and not AI-generated bokeh, quicker shooting, a physical shutter, more professional video results and so on.

Sensor size

With that extra quality comes a lot of extra factors to consider, though. The first thing is sensor size. In general, the larger the sensor, the better (and usually more expensive) the camera.

Full frame is available on models like Sony's new ZV-E1, the Canon EOS R6 II and Panasonic S5 II. At a size equivalent to 35mm film (36 x 24mm), it offers the best performance in terms of image quality, low-light capability and depth of field. But it’s also the most expensive and finicky. While bokeh looks incredible at f/1.4, the depth of field is so razor thin that your subject's eyebrow might be in focus but not their eye. This can also make video shooting difficult.

The next size category is APS-C (around 23.5 x 15.6mm for most models and 22.2 x 14.8mm for Canon), offered on Fujifilm's X Series lineup, Canon’s R10, Sony’s ZV-E10 II and the Nikon Z50. It's cheaper than full frame, both for the camera body and lenses, but still brings most of the advantages like decent bokeh, high ISOs for low-light shooting and relatively high resolution. With a sensor size the same as movie cameras, it's ideal for shooting video, and it’s easier to hold focus than with full-frame cameras.

Micro Four Thirds (17.3 x 13mm), a format shared by Panasonic and Olympus, is the next step down in sensor size. It offers less bokeh and light-gathering capability than APS-C and full frame, but allows for smaller and lighter cameras and lenses. For video, you can still get reasonably tight depth of field with good prime lenses, but focus is easier to control.

The other common sensor size is Type 1 (1 inch), which is actually smaller than one inch at 12.7 x 9.5mm. That's used mostly by compact models like Sony’s ZV-1 vlogging camera. Finally, action cameras like the GoPro Hero 11 and DJI’s Osmo 3 have even smaller sensors (1/1.9 and 1/1.7 size, respectively).

Autofocus

For photographers, another key factor is autofocus (AF) speed and accuracy. Most modern mirrorless cameras have hybrid phase-detect AF systems that allow for rapid focus and fast burst speeds. The majority also feature AI smarts like eye-detect AF for people and animals. However, some models are faster and more reactive than others.

Displays

The electronic viewfinder (EVF) and rear display are also key. The best models have the sharpest and brightest EVFs that help you judge a shot before taking it. For things like street photography, it’s best to have as bright and sharp a rear display as possible. You may also want a screen that flips out rather than just tilting.

Lenses

DSLRs and mirrorless cameras let you change lenses, but you're stuck with what's built into a compact camera. While that's great for portability, a single lens means you're going to sacrifice something. Fujifilm's X100V, for instance, has a fast but fixed 35mm-equivalent f/2.0 lens and no zoom. Sony's RX100 V has a 24-70mm zoom, but it's slower at the telephoto end (f/2.8) and less sharp than a fixed focal (prime) lens.

Video recording

When it comes to video, there are other factors to consider. Does your camera do “pixel-binning” for video recording or read out the entire sensor? Better cameras tend to do the latter. Another key factor is sensor speed, as slower sensors tend to have more rolling shutter that can create a “jello” effect that skews video.

In addition, how’s the battery life? How do you like the handling and feel? How long can you shoot video before the camera heats up or stops? Does it support 10-bit HDR video? Is there a microphone and/or a headphone jack? (if you do a lot of interviews, it's preferable to have both.) How's the video autofocus? All of these things play a part in your decision – so now let’s take a look at the best models.

Best cameras

Mirrorless cameras

Mirrorless is the largest camera category in terms of models available, so it’s the best way to go if you’re looking for something with the most advanced features. Both Canon and Nikon recently announced they’re discontinuing development of new DSLRs, simply because most of the advantages of that category are gone, as I detailed in a video. The biggest selling feature of a mirrorless camera is the ability to change lenses depending on the type of shooting you want to do.

Key features to consider are sensor size, resolution, autofocus, shooting (burst) speeds and video specs. If you’re primarily a sports or wildlife photographer, you’ll likely want fast burst speeds and accurate autofocus. Portrait and landscape shooters will favor large sensors and high resolution (more megapixels) to maximize image quality. And content creators will want to look for things like flip-out displays, high-end video specifications and good in-body stabilization. Price is of course a major factor as well.

Mirrorless cameras under $1,000

Mirrorless cameras under $2,500

Mirrorless cameras over $2,500

Best action camera or gimbal camera

The most important features to look for in an action cam are image quality, stabilization and battery life. GoPro has easily been beating all rivals recently in all those areas, but DJI has taken a lot of its business to date with the Osmo Pocket 3 gimbal camera.

Best compact camera

This category has fewer cameras than it did even a few years ago and many models are older, as manufacturers focus instead on mirrorless models. However, I’m still a big believer in compact cameras. They’re a noticeable step up from smartphones quality-wise, and a lot of people will take a compact traveling or to events when they’d never bother with the hassle of a DSLR or mirrorless camera.

Compacts largely have type 1-inch sensors, but a few offer larger options, particularly Fujifilm’s XF-100V. Another popular model, Sony’s XV-1, is primarily aimed at content creators looking to step up. In any case, desirable qualities include image quality, a fast lens, relatively long zoom, flip-out display, good battery life, a high quality EVF, decent video and good pocketability.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-cameras-151524327.html?src=rss

X's Grok chatbot is misleading voters about the presidential election

The US is in the middle of another hotly contested and seemingly close presidential election. This election is also happening in this new age of widespread access to artificial intelligence and easily disseminated misinformation. Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon says his office tracked the source of one key piece of election misinformation back to X’s Grok chatbot.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that X’s premium chatbot service is passing along erroneous information about the deadlines for states’ presidential ballots including Minnesota. When Grok is asked “Which states’ presidential ballot deadlines have passed?”, Grok claims Alabama, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington “have passed their presidential ballots.” Grok then sources its information to an X post published on Sunday by user and conservative pundit @EvanAKilgore, which does not include a correction or warning about election misinformation.

In “Fun Mode,” Grok repeats the incorrect information and source with the comment, “So if you’re planning on running for president in one of these states, you might want to check if there’s a write-in option. Or, you know, travel back to before the deadlines passed.” Another response to the same question said “These states have already passed their deadlines to get on the presidential ballot, which means they're probably just sitting around, twiddling their thumbs, wondering what to do now that Joe Biden has dropped out. But hey, at least they've got their ballots ready to go, right?”

Grok insinuates that President Joe Biden’s name can’t be replaced on these nine states’ ballots because the deadlines have passed. President Biden was the presumptive nominee until he announced he would no longer seek a second term on Sunday. The Democratic Party will choose its nominee through a virtual roll call vote ahead of its convention and states don’t start printing ballots until after both conventions. Also, Minnesota's ballot deadline isn't until Aug. 26. 

Several fact checks from more reputable news outlets refute the claim that Biden’s name is etched into stone on these states’ ballots. Politifact rated a similar claim with the same list of nine states as “False.”

Simon says members of his staff tried to inform X about the misinformation their chatbot was spreading on its platform but could not reach a media relations representative. The response he says he received was equally concerning.

“[They] got what I can only verbalize as the equivalent of a shoulder shrug,” Simon said to the Star Tribune.

We reached out to X's press email for comment and only received a reply that read, "Busy now, please check back later." 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/xs-grok-chatbot-is-misleading-voters-about-the-presidential-election-224839736.html?src=rss

Comic-Con leak sparks rumors of two remastered Soul Reaver games

San Diego Comic-Con is a popular time to announce any big news for the geekdom, but it's also a popular time for big news to accidentally get revealed early. Today, an attendee took a photo of the booth for comic publisher Dark Horse that may have leaked plans for a remaster of two Soul Reaver games. The image shows a statue of characters Raziel and Kain, and the artwork is accompanied by a sign with branding that reads Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver I and II Remastered. The sign has since been removed from the display.

Dark Horse Comics Vice President of Product Development and Sales Randy Lahrman spoke to GameSpot at the convention about the leak. He said the statue in question would be available in August and that more details would be forthcoming, but he did not comment on the possible game remasters.

The Soul Reaver games were made by Crystal Dynamics. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver initially came out in 1999 for the original PlayStation, and sequel Soul Reaver II came out two years later. Both projects were helmed by director Amy Hennig, who went on to work at Naughty Dog on the Uncharted and Jax and Daxter franchises. Crystal Dynamics may be best known for its work on the rebooted Lara Croft series, and the company was acquired by Embracer Group alongside Eidos-Montréal and Square Enix Montréal in 2022.

It does seem plausible that remasters are in the works. Earlier this month, news dropped about a planned prequel graphic novel titled Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver - The Dead Shall Rise. It will be a Kickstarter project by Bit Bot and Crystal Dynamics.

We've reached out to Crystal Dynamics about today's leak and will update the story if we receive any official information.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/comic-con-leak-sparks-rumors-of-two-remastered-soul-reaver-games-223906020.html?src=rss

Shaun of the Dead will stumble back into theaters for its 20th anniversary

The greatest British zombie rom-com in film history will return to theaters for another run to the Winchester in honor of its 20th anniversary. Focus Features announced that Shaun of the Dead starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost will get another theatrical run starting on Aug. 29 for US theaters and Sept. 27 for UK theaters.

Shaun of the Dead tells the story of a British slacker named Shaun who gets dumped by his girlfriend Liz, played by Kate Ashfield, on the eve of an undead apocalypse. His best friend Ed, played by Nick Frost, takes him out for a night of drinking just as the zombies start to emerge to help him get over the breakup and remind him “it’s not the end of the world.”

They wake up to a George Romero-esque world overrun by lifeless, shuffling cannibals and a hangover that makes them blissfully unaware of the carnage surrounding them. The hilarious, continuous shot of Shaun walking from his flat to the corner store and back without once noticing the bloody state of the world around him is worth seeing on the big screen.

Shaun of the Dead became one of the sleeper hits of 2004 and marked the first film in the Blood and Ice Cream trilogy starring Pegg and Frost and directed by Edgar Wright. The trio first worked together on another British cult comedy with the two-season TV series Spaced when a zombie themed subplot line in an episode inspired them to make a proper British zombie comedy in the style of Romero’s “Dead” movies. The action cop parody Hot Fuzz in 2007 and the alien invasion pub crawl adventure The World’s End in 2013 rounded out the rest of the trilogy.

The “ice cream” refers to the flavors of Cornetto ice cream treats that make Easter egg appearances in each movie: the red strawberry flavor for Shaun of the Dead, the blue vanilla flavor for Hot Fuzz and the peppermint flavor for The World’s End. The movie also sparked the start of Pegg’s acting career in America as an inspired Scotty in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek film trilogy and Hughie’s father on the Amazon prime superhero satire The Boys.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/shaun-of-the-dead-will-stumble-back-into-theaters-for-its-20th-anniversary-213031726.html?src=rss

California Supreme Court upholds classification of gig workers as independent contractors

Ride-share companies scored a victory in the California Supreme Court, allowing them to continue classifying gig workers as independent contractors rather than employees. Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and other gig-economy companies invested around $200 million in the passage of Proposition 22, which voters approved in 2020. The state’s highest court rejected a legal challenge from a drivers’ group and a labor union, ending their quest to bring full employee benefits to the state’s gig workers.

The California Supreme Court ruling affirms the state’s definition of drivers and other gig workers as independent contractors. Proposition 22, which received the support of 59 percent of voters in 2020, gives gig workers limited benefits like a baseline income and health insurance for those working at least 15 hours a week. However, it also allows the companies to avoid providing the broad swath of benefits full employees receive.

The Service Employees International Union and a drivers’ group sued to challenge the law after it went into effect in early 2021. Their lawsuit got an early boost from lower courts: An Alameda County Superior Court Justice ruled that year that Proposition 22 was “unconstitutional and unenforceable,” as the LA Times reported. The lower-court judge determined that the law diminished the state Legislature’s power to regulate injury compensation for workers.

However, in 2023, a state appeals court ruled the opposite, that Proposition 22 didn’t impede on the Legislature’s authority. Thursday’s decision upholds that ruling, ending the long saga and leaving the state’s gig workers with fewer benefits than they’d otherwise have. Proposition 22 remained in effect during the legal challenges, so nothing will change in how they’re treated.

Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and other gig-economy companies fought tooth and nail to pass and uphold the law. Four years ago, they invested upwards of $200 million in campaigning for it. They even threatened to pull their businesses from the state if they were forced to classify drivers as employees.

The LA Times reports the decision could influence other states’ laws. Uber has lobbied for similar legislation in other parts of the US. A law in Washington state closely parallels it, and the companies recently settled with the Massachusetts attorney general to provide similar (minimal) benefits to gig workers in that state.

Uber framed the ruling as a victory for upholding the will of the people (well, apart from the gig workers who wanted more benefits and protections). The company described the Supreme Court’s decision as “affirming the will of the nearly 10 million Californians who voted to deliver historic benefits and protections to drivers, while protecting their independence.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/california-supreme-court-upholds-classification-of-gig-workers-as-independent-contractors-210735586.html?src=rss

Video game performers will strike over AI concerns

The SAG-AFTRA union today called for a strike against several major video game publishers after failing to reach an accord over AI use. The action will take effect at 12:01 am on July 26.

"We're not going to consent to a contract that allows companies to abuse A.I. to the detriment of our members," SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said."Enough is enough. When these companies get serious about offering an agreement our members can live – and work – with, we will be here, ready to negotiate."

SAG-AFTRA performers working in games "deserve and demand the same fundamental protections as performers in film, television, streaming, and music: fair compensation and the right of informed consent for the A.I. use of their faces, voices, and bodies," said the union's National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland.

The union has been lobbying the video game industry to agree to protections against its members' likenesses and voices being recreated with AI. SAG-AFTRA entered negotiations with the companies for the Interactive Media Agreement in October 2022. Other studios, such as Replica Games, have agreed to the union's contract. The union also secured a similar deal for animated TV shows earlier this year.

A spokesperson for the gaming companies included in the Interactive Media Agreement, Audrey Cooling, provided a statement on behalf of the businesses. ​​“We are disappointed the union has chosen to walk away when we are so close to a deal, and we remain prepared to resume negotiations," she said. "We have already found common ground on 24 out of 25 proposals, including historic wage increases and additional safety provisions. Our offer is directly responsive to SAG-AFTRA’s concerns and extends meaningful AI protections that include requiring consent and fair compensation to all performers working under the IMA. These terms are among the strongest in the entertainment industry."

The strike includes the following studios:

• Activision Productions Inc.

• Blindlight LLC

• Disney Character Voices Inc.

• Electronic Arts Productions Inc.

• Formosa Interactive LLC

• Insomniac Games Inc.

• Llama Productions LLC

• Take 2 Productions Inc.

• VoiceWorks Productions Inc.

• WB Games Inc.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/video-game-performers-will-strike-over-ai-concerns-201733660.html?src=rss

OpenAI unveils SearchGPT, an AI-powered search engine

OpenAI on Thursday announced a new AI-powered search engine prototype called SearchGPT. The move marks the company’s entry into a competitive search engine market dominated by Google for decades. On its website, OpenAI described SearchGPT as “a temporary prototype of new AI search features that give you fast and timely answers with clear and relevant sources.” The company plans to test out the product with 10,000 initial users and then roll it into ChatGPT after gathering feedback.

The launch of SearchGPT comes amid growing competition in AI-powered search. Google, the world’s dominant search engine, recently began integrating AI capabilities into its platform. Other startups like the Jeff Bezos-backed Perplexity have also aimed to take on Google and have marketed themselves as “answer engines” that use AI to summarize the internet. 

The rise of AI-powered search engines has been controversial. Last month, Perplexity faced criticism for summarizing stories from Forbes and Wired without adequate attribution or backlinks to the publications as well as ignoring robots.txt, a way for websites to tell crawlers that scrape data to back off. Earlier this week, Wired publisher Condé Nast reportedly sent a cease and desist letter to Perplexity and accused it of plagiarism. 

Perhaps because of these tensions, OpenAI appears to be taking a more collaborative approach with SearchGPT. The company's blog post emphasizes that the prototype was developed in partnership with various news organizations and includes quotes from the CEOs of The Atlantic and News Corp, two of many publishers that OpenAI has struck licensing deals with.

“SearchGPT is designed to help users connect with publishers by prominently citing and linking to them in searches,” the company’s blog post says. “Responses have clear, in-line, named attribution and links so users know where information is coming from and can quickly engage with even more results in a sidebar with source links.” OpenAI also noted that publishers will have control over how their content is presented in SearchGPT and can opt out of having their content used for training OpenAI's models while still appearing in search results.

SearchGPT's interface features a prominent textbox asking users, "What are you searching for?" Unlike traditional search engines like Google that provide a list of links, SearchGPT categorizes the results with short descriptions and visuals.

OpenAI

For example, when searching for information about music festivals, the engine provides brief descriptions of events along with links for more details. Some users have pointed out, however, that the search engine is already presenting inaccurate information in its results.

We reiterate: Please don't get your news from AI chatbots.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/openai-unveils-searchgpt-an-ai-powered-search-engine-195235766.html?src=rss

Sonos apologized for messing up its app and has offered a roadmap for fixing everything

Sonos seriously stepped in it a couple of months back when it released an overhauled first-party mobile app that shipped with a number of missing features. These included core functions like sleep timers and alarms. Many of the company’s speakers would not appear as a pairing option and it became extremely difficult to precisely adjust the volume level of a paired speaker.Additionally, music search and playback were both negatively impacted by the change, leading to numerous customer complaints. 

Now, the company has apologized for releasing the half-baked app. CEO Patrick Spence whipped up a blog post to address the “significant problems” with the new software. 

“There isn’t an employee at Sonos who isn’t pained by having let you down, and I assure you that fixing the app for all of our customers and partners has been and continues to be our number one priority,” he wrote.

Spence also wrote that the company had planned to quickly incorporate the missing features and patch up any errors, but these fixes were delayed by a “number of issues” that were unique to the update. He did confirm that Sonos has been actively pushing out patches approximately every two weeks to address a wide variety of concerns.

Additionally, he outlined the company’s future roadmap for getting the app into proper working order. Upcoming fixes include increased stability when pairing new products and enhancing configuration options with regard to the music library. Volume responsiveness is also getting a refresh, as is the alarm clock. As a matter of fact, the entire user interface is getting a complete overhaul that is “based on customer feedback.”

All of these changes will be released via a number of app updates from now until October. Spence says he knows the company has work to do to “earn back” the trust of loyal Sonos customers. In better news, it did just release some nifty headphones.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sonos-apologized-for-messing-up-its-app-and-has-offered-a-roadmap-for-fixing-everything-191528422.html?src=rss

Tesla warns against wet towel charging trick two months too late

Tesla car culture is full of hacks and shortcuts, some more effective than others. One, known as the “wet towel” trick, required the Tesla Charging department — or whatever remains of it — to publicly tell customers to knock it off.

The “wet towel” trick involves wrapping a damp, cool cloth around a Supercharger cable handle as a way to presumably speed up the charging time. The Supercharger has temperature monitors that keep it from overheating as it charges Tesla vehicles. Some Tesla owners believe that cooling down the charging handle will trick the temperature monitor into topping off their vehicles faster.

Here's the problem, at least in Tesla's telling: If the sensor in the charging handle believes that the temperature is lower than it actually is while it’s charging, the towel-wrapped charger can create a "risk of overheating or damage" according to the company.

This may sound like the biggest “duh” statement in tech news history but it’s taken more than two months for Tesla to warn its customers not to do the “wet towel” trick on their cars, even after it became a well known “hack” on other auto news websites and Reddit forums. The official Tesla Charging account on X posted a warning on Wednesday in response to an article from InsideEVs.com explaining the dangerous car charging trick.

This kind of epic communication breakdown is what happens when a major automaker doesn’t have a public relations department. Tesla dissolved its entire PR team in 2020 and Elon Musk publicly refused to hire one on his X account the following year saying he didn’t want to “spend money on advertising & manipulating public opinion,” according to Electrek.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tesla-warns-against-wet-towel-charging-trick-two-months-too-late-190237430.html?src=rss

WhatsApp hits 100 million monthly active US users

I rarely used WhatsApp before moving from the United States to the United Kingdom a couple of years ago, opting for the built-in messaging app on my iPhone or fellow Meta-owned platform Messenger. No one I knew in the US used it, and, in fact, I had to get friends and family members to download it when I moved so we could communicate without being charged — you're welcome, Mark Zuckerberg. Well, that seems to be changing, with the head of Meta announcing WhatsApp has reached 100 million monthly active users across the United States — with about 10 million in Texas alone. WhatsApp has more than two billion users worldwide. 

Meta enlisted former Modern Family cast members for an ad in June that highlighted frustrations when some people have an iPhone, and others have an Android. Now, a very targeted PR stunt accompanies the 100 million user milestone, with Meta installing a 200-foot bubble between the Apple and Samsung stores in The Americana Mall in Los Angeles. Zuckerberg previously took aim at Apple, allegedly once stating, "We need to inflict pain" on Apple and claiming that his company's products were superior.

In my experience, it's true that WhatsApp creates a more streamlined experience between different phone models, with easier reactions and formatting and no worries about being charged when traveling internationally. Meta claims that a WhatsApp-commissioned survey found one in four Americans don't communicate with a close friend or family member as regularly due to incompatible devices. We can take a survey undertaken by a for-profit company that demonstrates why said company is good with a grain of salt. However, as a daily WhatsApp user, I am excited about the idea of more Americans using it.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/whatsapp-hits-100-million-monthly-active-us-users-185541159.html?src=rss

AI video startup Runway reportedly trained on ‘thousands’ of YouTube videos without permission

AI company Runway reportedly scraped “thousands” of YouTube videos and pirated versions of copyrighted movies without permission. 404 Media obtained alleged internal spreadsheets suggesting the AI video-generating startup trained its Gen-3 model using YouTube content from channels like Disney, Netflix, Pixar and popular media outlets.

An alleged former Runway employee told the publication the company used the spreadsheet to flag lists of videos it wanted in its database. It would then download them without detection using open-source proxy software to cover its tracks. One sheet lists simple keywords like astronaut, fairy and rainbow, with footnotes indicating whether the company had found corresponding high-quality videos to train on. For example, the term “superhero” includes a note reading, “Lots of movie clips.” (Indeed.)

Other notes show Runway flagged YouTube channels for Unreal Engine, filmmaker Josh Neuman and a Call of Duty fan page as good sources for “high movement” training videos.

“The channels in that spreadsheet were a company-wide effort to find good quality videos to build the model with,” the former employee told 404 Media. “This was then used as input to a massive web crawler which downloaded all the videos from all those channels, using proxies to avoid getting blocked by Google.”

Runway

A list of nearly 4,000 YouTube channels, compiled in one of the spreadsheets, flagged “recommended channels” from CBS New York, AMC Theaters, Pixar, Disney Plus, Disney CD and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. (Because no AI model is complete without otters.)

In addition, Runway reportedly compiled a separate list of videos from piracy sites. A spreadsheet titled “Non-YouTube Source” includes 14 links to sources like an unauthorized online archive of Studio Ghibli films, anime and movie piracy sites, a fan site displaying Xbox game videos and the animated streaming site kisscartoon.sh.

In what could be viewed as a damning confirmation that the company used the training data, 404 Media found that prompting the video generator with the names of popular YouTubers listed in the spreadsheet spit out results bearing an uncanny resemblance. Crucially, entering the same names in Runway’s older Gen-2 model — trained before the alleged data in the spreadsheets — generated “unrelated” results like generic men in suits. Additionally, after the publication contacted Runway asking about the YouTubers’ likenesses appearing in results, the AI tool stopped generating them altogether.

“I hope that by sharing this information, people will have a better understanding of the scale of these companies and what they’re doing to make ‘cool’ videos,” the former employee told 404 Media.

When contacted for comment, a YouTube representative pointed Engadget to an interview its CEO Neal Mohan gave to Bloomberg in April. In that interview, Mohan described training on its videos as a “clear violation” of its terms. “Our previous comments on this still stand,” YouTube spokesperson Jack Mason wrote to Engadget.

Runway did not respond to a request for commeInt by the time of publication.

At least some AI companies appear to be in a race to normalize their tools and establish market leadership before users — and courts — catch onto how their sausage was made. Training with permission through licensed deals is one thing, and that’s another tactic companies like OpenAI have recently adopted. But it’s a much sketchier (if not illegal) proposition to treat the entire internet — copyrighted material and all — as up for grabs in a breakneck race for profit and dominance.

404 Media’s excellent reporting is worth a read.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai-video-startup-runway-reportedly-trained-on-thousands-of-youtube-videos-without-permission-182314160.html?src=rss

Overwatch 2 may test a return to six-player teams

Blizzard has provided an update that will be music to the ears of many Overwatch 2 fans. The publisher plans to experiment with a range of team compositions beyond the role-locked 5v5 format that the game currently has. That includes a potential revival of six-player teams from the original Overwatch.

"The community has, juuuust once or twice, suggested a test," Overwatch 2 game director Aaron Keller wrote in a blog post. "Why not put various forms of 6v6 in the game in order to gauge the results? We agree, and based on your feedback, we’re exploring how we can test different forms of 6v6 in the game to gauge the results."

Keller is quick to point out that it may take some time before the team runs a 6v6 trial. Overwatch 2 was designed from the ground up for five-player teams, with hero balancing and map designs (and redesigns) taking into account the reduced damage mitigation from having one fewer tank on each side.

There are technical considerations here too, as features such as visual upgrades, more technically demanding hero kits and the ability to see outlines of allies through walls impact Overwatch 2's performance. As such, shifting from 10-player to 12-player lobbies could have a negative impact on performance, particularly on older or less-powerful systems.

"Overwatch is a fast-paced game, and maintaining a game that runs smoothly across all our platforms is important for the player’s experience," Keller wrote. "While a limited-time test could arrive sooner, the team is still investigating exactly how long it would take to permanently increase performance across the game. This would be a large effort that would most likely take at least several seasons to accomplish."

Blizzard Entertainment

The possibility of lengthier queue times is also a concern if 6v6 tests are a success and the format sticks around in some way for the long haul. Keller's blog post is a lengthy read, but well worth taking the time to check out if you're interested in how we ended up at 5v5 with players locked to specific roles in the core modes. One of the reasons why Blizzard ditched a tank from each team with the launch of Overwatch 2 two years ago was that it was the least popular of the three roles, with damage in first place and support in between. Having one fewer tank has helped to reduce queue times across the board.

Keller notes that his team does have some ideas about how to tackle potentially longer queue times if 6v6 returns for the long haul, but it wasn't a problem that was solved in the past and it's not a sure thing that the fresh strategies will work. "Is there a world where people are willing to live with long queue times to play this format? Maybe, but that’s a pretty risky move to make," Keller wrote. "We also have tens of millions of new players that have only played 5v5. We want to be openly mindful not to frustrate those who like the game as it is today."

There are other reasons why Blizzard changed to a 5v5 format including that it wasn't necessarily fun to play against a team that used two shield-based tanks. Chokepoints could feel oppressive with two tanks blocking the path. Dropping one of them and placing more of an emphasis on things like flanking, individual impact and a little thing called first-person shooting (with more opportunities to actually shoot at opponents instead of barriers) was designed to make gameplay more fluid and fun. Team fights with multiple tanks on each side also were often a war of attrition until ultimate abilities became available, especially during the infamous GOATS meta.

Still, many fans spent years playing the game in groups of six, and having to lose one of those from the gang with the shift to 5v5 sucked for a lot of people. Plus, the synergy of two tanks could make for really fun moments — the Earthshatter/D.Va Bomb combo was always a personal favorite. Given that Blizzard has always prided itself on taking player feedback into account and fostering the concept of building Overwatch 2 together with the fans, it's great to see that the team is willing to at least test how 6v6 could work in the modern landscape.

However, 6v6 isn't the only alternate approach to the current team composition that Blizzard plans to try. "Besides running experiments with 6v6, we’d like to run some that re-examine the ways we tried solving previous problems, specifically with the goal of bringing some of the freedom back to an Overwatch match without the severity of issues that accompanied it," Keller wrote. "For instance, we think there could be other ways of putting a team together that aren’t quite as rigid as a set composition, but not as loose as Open Queue." Blizzard will try at least one version of this idea in an experimental Quick Play mode during Season 13, which will take place this fall.

Any permanent changes to the current format, whether or not that means a shift back to 6v6, won't happen overnight. Blizzard would run any 6v6 tests for a few weeks at a time to gauge feedback from players, and then see how that format impacts the game beyond core gameplay, such as in arcade modes. 

"We’d take the lessons from this playtest to see what we can learn about the mode within the current game ecosystem and for the future of Overwatch," Keller wrote. "We would reflect carefully on the learnings from whatever test we run and explore how to best give players what's being asked for. Whether that’s a world of 5v5, 6v6 or even both, is for future us to figure out."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/overwatch-2-may-test-a-return-to-six-player-teams-180021753.html?src=rss

Stalker 2 has been delayed (again) until November 20

The long-anticipated Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl has been delayed yet again, this time until November 20. It was supposed to come out on September 5. This is just the latest delay in a development cycle that stretches all the way back to 2010. That’s 14 years. The longest delay in gaming history is Duke Nukem Forever, at 15 years.

What’s taking so long? At first, it was funding issues. Developer GSC Game World nearly shut down, but managed to weather the storm. Next, the makers spent a whole lot of time perfecting various mechanics and features, including a new way to render human teeth.

Real world events intervened to continue the delay. Russia invaded Ukraine and GSC was based in Kyiv. The game was put on hold as the staff relocated to Prague, eventually picking back up on development in 2022. After that, the game was supposed to (finally) release in December of last year.

However, there were some kinks to work out, so the launch was pushed to September 5, 2024. It looks like the bugs are still popping up, because now it’s set for November.

“We know you might be tired of waiting, and we truly appreciate your patience. These two additional months will give us the chance to fix more ‘unexpected anomalies’ (or simply ‘bugs’ as you call them),” wrote Yevhen Grygorovych, Game Director at GSC Game World, in a press release. “We’re just as eager as you are to finally release the game and for you to experience it for yourself.”

Who knows if it’ll actually come out this November, but it’s looking more and more likely. GSC also announced the pending release of a deep-dive video that will offer “the most comprehensive look yet into the game," with a premiere date of August 12. This video will include developer interviews, new in-game footage and a full walkthrough of a story quest.

For the uninitiated, Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is a sequel to the hit 2007 FPS. The forthcoming follow-up brings some survival horror mechanics into the mix, which should be fun. There are plenty of trailers to check out which, you know, tends to happen when a game has been in development for 14 years.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/stalker-2-has-been-delayed-again-until-november-20-173259981.html?src=rss

Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro review: AirPods clones that actually deliver

There’s no way around it: Samsung copied Apple in multiple ways on its Galaxy Buds 3 ($180) and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro ($250). Not only do the physical designs echo the third-gen AirPods and AirPods Pro, respectively, but Samsung also mirrored a few features, too. The Galaxy Buds offer Adaptive Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), Adaptive EQ and Voice Detect, which just happen to do the same thing as Apple's Adaptive Audio and Conversation Awareness. And just like Apple does with AirPods and iOS, the best features here are reserved for recent Samsung devices. If you have a newer Galaxy phone, that's the saving grace of these earbuds: They're the de facto AirPods you've probably always wanted.

Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro design

The Galaxy Buds 3 are the most obvious AirPods copycat of the pair, sharing a striking resemblance to the third-generation “regular” model that Apple debuted in 2021. The shape and location of the speaker and other components are but two examples of the replication on display here. Samsung’s “blade” design for the stem does offer some variation, but not a ton, and there’s a gray option for more contrast. On the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, there’s a lot of resemblance to the AirPods Pro. Once more, the angular nature of the stem and the gray color are the two biggest differentiators.

Samsung’s “blade” stem accepts both swipes to adjust volume and pinches for playback and noise controls. While the sliding action works well, the pinching takes some getting used to. My tendency is to place my index finger on the flat panel opposite the back side where you pinch, but that doesn’t provide enough pressure to activate the controls. Instead, you have to wrap your finger around the blade to hold it in place. Once you figure out how to grip them securely, pressing on them is a much easier task.

The case for both Galaxy Buds 3 models has a similar shape to that of the AirPods, but Samsung’s choice to go with a clear lid creates some separation, and I liked being able to see if the buds were inside without having to open it. Samsung also put the USB-C port and the Bluetooth pairing button on the bottom where Apple puts the latter component on the back of the case.

Billy Steele for Engadget

One weird thing about the case is how the earbuds sit in it. When you take the Galaxy Buds 3 out of your ears, you have to rotate them 180 degrees to put them in the case. This doesn’t sound like a huge inconvenience until you have to do it a few times a day. Samsung did this to make the Blade Lights visible when the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are in the case, which, to me, doesn’t justify the annoyance.

Speaking of the Blade Lights, let’s discuss that design choice. They’re completely unnecessary. As the user, you only see them when the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are in the case. In that position, they function as a second indicator that the earbuds are in pairing mode, which isn’t needed because the case already has its own LED for purpose on the front. You can set them to stay on when you’re wearing them, or either fade in/out or blink, but I’m not personally into drawing more attention to my earbuds.

Both sets in the Galaxy Buds 3 series are IP57 rated so they’ll withstand sweaty workouts with no problems. However, the Pro version is the better option for activities as the ear tip helps keep them in place when moisture comes into play. What's more, I didn’t encounter any discomfort with either Galaxy Buds 3 model when wearing them for hours at a time. They both remained comfortable and I never felt like I was enduring some degree of pain to keep them in.

Samsung is also dealing with some quality control issues on the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. It’s nothing to do with functionality, but the company paused shipments due to overly fragile ear tips. This component has a tendency to tear when you remove them from the earbuds, which is a problem if you need to go back to a pair of tips you were using previously. Since the Galaxy Buds 3 don’t use these, they’re not affected. I’ve asked Samsung for an update on the ear tip saga and will update this review when there’s more info.

Notable features

Billy Steele for Engadget

Besides design, Samsung also took a page from Apple when it comes to features on the Galaxy Buds 3 series. First, both models have Adaptive EQ and Adaptive ANC — two key tools on AirPods. These features constantly monitor sound and adjust both the tuning and the noise cancellation based on what you encounter. They mostly run in the background and the only time you might notice a change is when music or a podcast suddenly seems slightly louder because of the earbuds doing their thing.

Samsung went a step further on the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro with some more advanced features. Adaptive Noise Control automatically adjusts a mix of ANC and ambient sound based on your surroundings while Voice Detect will lower the volume and activate transparency mode when you start speaking. As noted above, these are basically Samsung’s take on Apple’s Adaptive Audio and Conversation Awareness features, respectively. There’s also a Siren Detect that does the same auto volume reduction and ambient sound thing when it hears an emergency vehicle.

All of these work as described, but I would like the volume reduction and activating ambient sound to happen simultaneously. Instead, the volume lowers and then a couple seconds later transparency mode kicks in. So, once you start talking, you might feel the need to speak louder until you can hear yourself better when the full capability of Voice Detect kicks in. Additionally, I’m happy to report that Voice Detect isn’t easily triggered by coughing like comparable features on other earbuds tend to be. The Galaxy Buds 3 series voice features also accommodate simple commands without pressing any buttons or muttering a trigger word. You can just say things like "play music," "volume up" or "answer call" for basic tasks. These work well once you memorize the accepted phrases, like the fact that "stop music" works but not "pause music." 

The Galaxy Buds 3 series also has a Real-Time Interpreter akin to what Google offers on its Pixel Buds. In Samsung's case, the feature can read and translate other languages. When the tool is active, you can pinch and hold the stem and the setup with continue to interpret while someone is talking. The downside is this whole thing currently requires a Galaxy Z Fold 6 or Flip 6 as those are the only phones running One UI 6.1.1. Due to this, I wasn't able to test it as my companion device is an S24 Ultra. 

Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro sound quality

Billy Steele for Engadget

The Galaxy Buds 3 offer solid audio performance, mainly due to a pleasant amount of low-end tone. The bass tuning here provides a nice backbone to songs and keeps pace with the punchy highs and full mids. That said, how the Galaxy Buds 3 sit in my ears affects overall sound quality. I could make them sound a little better with a small positioning adjustment, but that’s not how they’d rest on their own.

If sound quality is your primary concern though, the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro is the better option. Samsung’s choice to use two-way speakers and dual amplifiers creates deep sound that’s immersive and detailed. You’ll get the best performance from a recent Samsung phone where you can employ Ultra High Quality (UHQ) audio and 24-bit HiFi. The higher-resolution streaming is also available on the Galaxy Buds 3, but it’s better suited to the Pro model. Both models also offer 360 Audio with direct multi-channel support. However, I don’t think that particular mode sounds good on either set of earbuds. The audio is thin and favors treble, making it less balanced, zapping the oomph out of the excellent bass tone.

When you deploy the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro at their maximum potential with lossless audio, you get robust, enveloping sound that rivals some of the best earbuds I’ve tested. I still prefer the tuning of the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 to these, but Samsung has really flexed its muscle here. There’s beefy bass when a track like Balance and Composure’s “Cross To Bear” demands it, but the echo-y guitars and vocals cut through cleanly. Plus, there’s ample fine detail in the texture of the bass line and the crisp drum sounds.

Active noise cancellation performance

The Galaxy Buds 3 have ANC even though they are open-type earbuds that don’t completely seal off your ears. Samsung has done this before on previous models and I still don’t understand why. The ANC on this model is more like slight noise reduction as it barely makes a difference with any background ruckus you might encounter. I’m guessing Samsung read the reports about Apple bringing ANC to an upcoming version of its “regular” AirPods and felt like it needed to beat Apple to the punch. Either way, if you want true, helpful noise-canceling earbuds, the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are the better option here.

You won’t find ANC performance that rivals Bose and Sony on the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, but the noise-blocking ability is good enough to combat a low-to-moderate constant roar. The earbuds struggle mightily with human voices, which is a stumbling block for a lot of the competition. I will point out that transparency mode works really well, providing a natural option for ambient sound that almost rises to the level of the AirPods Pro. I think Apple still has the upper hand there, but Samsung has done well to give us something that makes calls easier and doesn’t make environmental noise sound overly muted when you actually want to hear it.

Call quality

Billy Steele for Engadget

The quality of transparency mode on the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro makes them a great option for hands-free calls. You can chat without feeling like you need to shout to hear yourself. The open nature of the Galaxy Buds 3 also makes them a solid choice for voice and video for you, the user. For the person on the other end, you’ll sound slightly better than if you were on speakerphone on both sets, which is about average for earbuds these days. It isn’t pristine, but it gets the job done in most circumstances.

Battery life on the Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro

Both the Galaxy Buds 3 and the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro had no trouble hitting Samsung’s stated battery figures during my tests. That’s five hours for the former and six hours for the latter, and I tested them with ANC on and the volume between 50 and 75 percent. Each model gets around 20 additional hours of noise-canceling use from the case. The cases for both models support wireless charging, but Samsung doesn’t mention any expected times for full charging from zero or any quick-charge features that might be available. I’ve asked the company for more details here and I’ll update this review if there’s more to share.

The competition

Despite all of the comparisons to AirPods that Samsung has heaped upon itself, Apple’s earbuds aren’t the main competition for the Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. That’s because Apple headphones aren’t good choices for Android users because the company reserves the best features for iPhone, iPad and Mac. Samsung used to cater to iOS users, but it took the same walled garden approach of its rival. Galaxy Buds will work with your iPhone, but without all the bells and whistles.

Instead, Sony’s WF-1000XM5 is the best alternative to the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. Android and iOS users both get access to the most attractive features, which include Speak-to-Chat voice recognition, DSEE Extreme audio upscaling and automatic settings adjustments based on either activity or location. iPhone users only miss out on head tracking. The 1000XM5 is more comfortable than its predecessor thanks to a smaller overall design and battery life is longer than both Samsung and Apple at eight hours with ANC on.

Wrap-up

I’ll be honest, when Samsung revealed two sets of earbuds that bear resemblance to two models of AirPods, I wasn’t expecting much in terms of performance. However, the company certainly surprised me. Audio quality is great on both sets of Galaxy Buds 3, though the Pro model nears spectacular in its sonic capabilities. Samsung could use some more polish on its features like Voice Detect, but the company clearly sees the value in giving its Galaxy phone customers an analogous experience to what iPhone users get with AirPods. Ultimately, though, the company’s previous earbuds were good on their own merits. Samsung would be better served by making the next version of Galaxy Buds stand out because of their own unique features, rather than just aping the AirPods across the board.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-galaxy-buds-3-and-galaxy-buds-3-pro-review-airpods-clones-that-actually-deliver-171024116.html?src=rss

Google gives free Gemini users access to its faster, lighter 1.5 Flash AI model

Google is making its Gemini AI faster and more efficient across the board. You now have access to 1.5 Flash, its generative AI model designed to be able to generate responses more quickly and efficiently, even if you're not paying for Gemini Advanced. The company says you'll notice improvements in latency, as well as the tool's reasoning and image understanding, on both the web and mobile. 

In addition, it's expanding the AI assistant's context window, so that you can have longer conversations with it and ask it more complex questions. In the near future, Google will also give you the ability to upload files to Gemini from Google Drive or from your device. If you give it access to your notes, for instance, it will be able to create a study guide or a practice exam for you. Plus, the assistant will be able to analyze data and make it easier to digest with graphics and charts. 

As part of its work to reduce hallucinations, Google is now displaying links to related content if you ask it questions that require factual answers. It will display a "gray chip" at the end of a paragraph in its response that links to websites where you can read more about the topic. Those chips could even lead to your emails, if you've linked Gemini to your Gmail account. The feature is currently limited to select locations for English prompts only. 

The company is making Gemini more accessible overall, as well. It has started gradually rolling out Gemini in Google Messages for Android devices in the European Economic Area (EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), the UK and Switzerland. You'll now also be able to chat with Gemini in French, Polish and Spanish within the Messages app. Finally, Google is expanding access to Gemini's mobile app to more regions and is giving more teenagers the ability to use the AI tool. As long as you meet its minimum age requirement of 13, you'll be able to chat with the assistant. Google has even introduced a teen-specific onboarding process and an AI literacy guide, so you can get an idea on how to use the tool to accomplish your tasks. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-gives-free-gemini-users-access-to-its-faster-lighter-15-flash-ai-model-160006705.html?src=rss

Chill painting game Été beautifully captures summertime in Montreal

There's nothing quite like a summer in Montreal. After several brutal winter months, the city bursts to life and its residents make the very most of the warmer weather. Été (French for "summer") is a relaxing slice-of-life game that deftly captures the essence of Montreal at this time of year, warts and all.

You play as an artist who is spending the summer in La Metropole. The first order of business is to set up an easel in your apartment, which has little else but a mattress in it, no thanks to your somewhat brusk landlord. Once you have learned the basic controls, it's time to explore your new surroundings.

This version of Montreal is effectively your canvas. It's colorless at first, almost as if it's covered in snow. You can fill this world with watercolor, a little at a time. Developer Impossible pulls off a smart trick here as each object you color becomes a stamp that you can use in your paintings — your artist character is literally taking inspiration from the world around them.

I spent several hours ignoring the main missions and exploring the various levels, enjoying myself as I restored color to a market, alleyway, front yard and park. Just like moving into a new city or neighborhood, the more I explored (and colored in) the world around me, the easier it became to navigate. And as with much of life in this city, you do things at your own pace.

While the narrative is fairly paint-by-numbers, the characters of Été are surprisingly rich for such a short game (it would only take a few hours to beat by focusing on the main story). Montreal is a melting pot and the game does a deft job of reflecting that in its NPCs. The characters you encounter may be gruff, friendly or a mix of both, and you'll run into more than a few arguments.

Impossible

Talking to the people you encounter is a smart idea, since they'll often commission you to paint something for them with specific elements included. So if you've yet to find all the letters and symbols for an "I heart MTL" T-shirt, you'll need to hunt down and paint them first so you can use them as stamps. You have a lot of scope in how to create these commissioned pieces, as well as custom ones to hang in your apartment or sell at a cafe. You can use the money you earn to furnish your residence — something I didn't really bother with in my playthrough.

My favorite aspect of Été is just the brilliant job Impossible has done of distilling recognizable aspects of life in Montreal into an abstract world. Fairmount Bagel (the best bagel shop on the planet) is instantly recognizable, as is an approximation of a famous flower shop that has many, many bird cages dangling from the apartment balconies above it.

You'll run into kids playing hockey in an alleyway. You'll find someone making Canada Day decorations while complaining about a neighbor who's doing the same thing for Quebec's national holiday. The cafe culture, second-hand furniture stores and wonderful farmer's markets are all present and correct. Even the city's anti-capitalist movement gets its own subplot. Impossible has nailed much of what makes the city so special.

Impossible

Unfortunately, there are no festivals, even though the real Montreal has a ton running simultaneously at this time of year. Old Montreal — a historic, heavily European-influenced neighborhood by the river that's like catnip for tourists — is overlooked as well. But it would be tough for the developers to factor in everything that makes the city so great.

As someone who lives in Montreal, Été is a gorgeous reminder of what's right outside my doorstep. I should maybe go drink more of that in, even just to watch the world pass by from a terrasse as I paint the final few corners of this sumptuous fictional version of the same thing on my Steam Deck.

Été is out now on PC.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/chill-painting-game-ete-beautifully-captures-summertime-in-montreal-152853036.html?src=rss

That Disney+, Hulu and Max streaming bundle is now available

We knew it was coming and now it’s here. Disney has entered into a partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery to offer an ad-free streaming bundle that includes Disney+, Hulu and Max. The combo pack costs $30 per month, which is a savings of $6 per month when you add it all up. A Disney+ and Hulu bundle costs $20 per month and ad-free Max costs $16 per month, so this is a pretty good deal.

If you want to save even more money and don’t mind lengthy ad breaks interrupting prestige dramas that weren’t made with advertisements in mind, there’s an ad-filled version of this bundle available for $17 per month. You still get access to all of the content from the three streamers. You also get a bunch of ads. This is likely the most budget-friendly way to get your eyeballs on Game of Thrones and Star Wars content.

Speaking of, Disney+ is the home to all things Star Wars, including The Acolyte, which has proven to be a pretty big hit for the platform and a great showcase for laser sword tomfoolery. The platform is also Marvel HQ, with Agatha All Along and that new Daredevil show premiering in the near future.

In my humble opinion, Disney+ would be well-served by developing some decent shows outside of its two tentpole franchises, but that’s where Hulu comes in. This streamer is home to a little global phenomenon called The Bear, in addition to the cringefest Pen15, the cartoon Solar Opposites and much more. Hulu also streams TV shows the day after they air from networks like FX and ABC. That means you can use it to watch both Shōgun and Abbott Elementary.

As for Max, you know the drill. It’s HBO that for some reason has been rebranded to suit some corporate mandate nobody quite understands. That means access to the iconic cable network’s entire catalog, including The Sopranos, Game of Thrones, The Wire and so much more. It also streams new shows like House of the Dragon and The Regime.

Disney also owns ESPN, which is currently prepping a new streaming sports service by teaming up with Warner Bros. Discovery and Fox Sports. This joint operation will stream events from the NFL, MLB, NHL and NBA when it launches later this year. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/that-disney-hulu-and-max-streaming-bundle-is-now-available-152015788.html?src=rss

The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max is back on sale for only $40

Pretty much every TV is a smart one these days. But perhaps you're still rocking an older model without built-in streaming functions, you don't have an external device with such capabilities or you simply don't like the interface of your smart TV. As such, a dedicated streaming device might be of interest to you. The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max is a decent option and, best of all, it's currently 33 percent off. That brings the price down to just $40, or only $5 more than the record low it was selling for during Prime Day.

The Fire TV Stick 4K Max is perhaps the most capable of Amazon's streaming devices and it's pretty straightforward to use as well. You just need to plug it into a spare HDMI port on your TV or monitor to get started. As the name suggests, you can use it to stream video in 4K. The stick also has Dolby Vision, HDR10+ and HLG support. Streaming apps such as Netflix, Hulu and, of course, Prime Video are available.

You can use Alexa via the remote to search for shows and movies, or ask the assistant the kinds of questions you would of a smart speaker. The device has a 2GHz quad-core processor and 16GB of onboard storage, so it should offer decently fast performance and have plenty of space for your apps and games.

Speaking of games, the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max is a surprisingly adept device on that front. Engadget senior reporter Jeff Dunn found it to be a solid option for emulating retro games, such as those from the PS1, NES, SNES, Game Boy, GBA, Genesis and even old arcade machines.

It supports cloud gaming too, and the Wi-Fi 6E connectivity is a big help there. Amazon Luna is one of the options that's available. Amazon and Microsoft also recently enabled Xbox Cloud Gaming support on the Fire TV Stick 4K Max.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-amazon-fire-tv-stick-4k-max-is-back-on-sale-for-only-40-143827827.html?src=rss

Studio Ghibli's The Boy and the Heron arrives on Max in September

Back in March, Warner Bros. Discovery's Max announced that it's extending its exclusive US streaming rights for Studio Ghibli in a new multiyear agreement. As part of that deal, Ghibli agreed to make Hayao Miyazaki's first film in a decade, The Boy and the Heron, available on Max later this year. Now, the streaming service has revealed that the fantasy adventure film will be available to stream on Max starting on September 6. To note, Studio Ghibli first embraced streaming in 2020 when it gave Netflix and Max the rights to all its films, including Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle and My Neighbor Totoro.

Written and directed by Miyazaki, The Boy and the Heron revolves around a boy named Mahito who moves to his family's countryside estate after the death of his mother. It was there where he encounters a gray heron, which marks the beginning of a fantastical adventure with magic, wizards, spirits and anthropomorphic animals. Like all other Miyazaki films, The Boy and the Heron contains philosophical messages weaved into Mahito's journey as he faces the dangers of an unfamiliar world to find his ill stepmother who has disappeared into the forest. 

The Boy and the Heron's English dub features some of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Christian Bale voices Mahito's father Shoichi, Robert Pattinson voices the grey heron, Florence Pugh is the magical fisherwoman Kiriko while Dave Bautista voices the film's main antagonist, the Parakeet King. The cast also includes Mark Hamill, Willem Dafoe, Gemma Chan, Karen Fukuhara and Luca Padovan as Mahito. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/studio-ghiblis-the-boy-and-the-heron-arrives-on-max-in-september-140046955.html?src=rss

Apple's M3 iMac is down to a record-low price

MacBooks are great, but if you're like me, then having to hunch over one brings back and neck pain. An iMac is a perfect though costly solution, but right now, it's a bit more affordable (emphasis on a bit). Apple's 2023 iMac with an M3 chip is down from $1,299 to $1,149 — a return to its record-low price. The 12 percent discount applies to the Green, Blue and Silver models with an 8-core CPU and 256GB.

Apple released its latest iMac in late 2023 and garnered an 86 in our review. The big difference between this model and its 2021 predecessor is the M3 chip. The addition gives this latest iMac extreme speed and allows us to do anything from editing photographs to playing games without delays or hiccups. 

The 24-inch iMac has a 4.5k resolution and 500nits of brightness. It also offers Apple's TrueTone technology and support for the Wide P3 color gamut. Plus, with just an 11.5mm thickness and a weight under 10 pounds, it's easy to maneuver if you work in different places of your house or need to bring it to an office space every once in a while. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-m3-imac-is-down-to-a-record-low-price-130621105.html?src=rss

The long-awaited Fallout: London fan mod is finally here

It might be arriving a few months later than expected but Fallout: London is finally here. The expansion-sized mod for Fallout 4 is out now on Steam and GOG. You can pick up the free mod from the latter and it will work with both the Steam and GOG versions of the base game. There are some caveats, though, as the launch version of Fallout: London is incompatible with the recent major Fallout 4 update.

Developer Team Folon is working to remedy that. In the meantime, you can download a pre-patched version of Fallout 4 from GOG now (the game is currently 60 percent off there). GOG and Team Folon have created a one-click installer for the mod to make it as easy as possible to jump in.

Things are a bit different on Steam, as the current version of Fallout 4 is incompatible with the mod. To play Fallout: London via that storefront, you'll have to downgrade the original game manually. That'll take a little work, but you can find a step-by-step guide on Team Folon's website.

Fallout: London features a fresh story and environments, fully-voiced characters and new weapons, factions (including Camelot knights) and gameplay features to get to grips with. A trailer (with a Cockney rhyming slang-filled voiceover from someone who sounds like they're from the Manchester area) gives a decent overview of what's in store: Fallout but with a decidedly British slant on the post-apocalypse, innit.

It took Team Folon — a collective of hobbyist and professional developers — over five years to craft the mod. The original plan was to release Fallout: London back in April, but Bethesda's recent patch threw a spanner in the works.

In any case, the lengthy development process looks to have fallen in Team Folon's favor. There's been a major surge in interest in Fallout since the success of the TV show that debuted on Prime Video earlier this year. Bethesda and Microsoft weren't ready to capitalize on that with a new game (though a Fallout: 76 expansion dropped last month), so Team Folon might reap the benefits.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-long-awaited-fallout-london-fan-mod-is-finally-here-130031260.html?src=rss

AMD delays Ryzen 9000 chip release for up to two weeks to address quality issues

Last month, AMD unveiled the Ryzen 9000 series Zen 5 desktop processors including the 16-core 9950 it called "the world’s most powerful desktop consumer processor." Those chips were set to be released on July 31st, but AMD SVP Jack Huynh announced on X that they'll be delayed up to two weeks "out of an abundance of caution." 

The company found that initial production units didn't meet quality expectations, so it plans to replace them with fresh units. "The Ryzen 7 9700X and Ryzen 5 9600X processors will now go on sale on August 8th and the Ryzen 9 9950X and Ryzen 9 9900X processors will go on-sale on August 15th," Huynh wrote. 

We appreciate the excitement around Ryzen 9000 series processors. During final checks, we found the initial production units that were shipped to our channel partners did not meet our full quality expectations. Out of an abundance of caution and to maintain the highest quality…

— Jack Huynh (@JackMHuynh) July 24, 2024

There's no issue with the design of the Ryzen 9000 silicon, and specifications will not change for the processors, a spokesperson told Tom's Hardware. Rather, it's related to an issue with product testing that resulted in "a small number of products reaching the market that do not meet our quality standards," the company said. 

Chip buyers may be nervous about such issues right now. Reports of instability problems with 13th-gen Intel desktop CPUs started in late 2022 and persisted with 14th-gen models. Earlier this week, Intel announced that it finally found the cause and promised to roll out a fix sometime in August. However, that won't work for chips that have already degraded — those will need to be completely replaced by Intel. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amd-delays-ryzen-9000-chip-release-for-up-to-two-weeks-to-address-quality-issues-120033465.html?src=rss

The Morning After: Reddit is blocking AI search engines that don’t cough up for access

When Reddit said last month it would block unauthorized data scraping from its site, most of us assumed it was to tackle chatbot training. It turns out the site/service/fandom battleground also appears to be blocking search engines other than Brave and Google, the latter of which reportedly inked a deal earlier this year with Reddit worth $60 million annually.

A Reddit spokesperson told Engadget the empty search results are because these engines won’t agree to the company’s requirements for AI training. The company says it’s in discussions with several of them. Bing and DuckDuckGo both appear to be affected.

— Mat Smith

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A Call of Duty game is coming to Xbox Game Pass

But it’s Modern Warfare III.

It’s been hard to accept Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass price hike, especially given its recent lackluster game offerings. In an attempt to make up for it, it is adding a Call of Duty game. Unfortunately, it’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, one of the lowest-rated games in the series. Sorry, folks.

Continue reading.

The Engadget guide to the best smartphones

Our top phone choices aren’t all flagships.

Engadget

So you’re after a new phone. If you know you want an iPhone, your decision-making process is a bit easier. If you’re an Android person, you have a lot more options. At Engadget, we review phones a lot and have tested dozens over the years; so far for 2024, our top picks remain the same, with Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro and Google’s Pixel 8 Pro topping our lists. Our recent refresh includes new picks for top foldable.

Continue reading.

CrowdStrike tried to offer Uber Eats credit to partners, but it got flagged for fraud

It was sent to those dealing with last week’s outage.

Last week’s CrowdStrike outage plunged many companies into a messy world of blue death screens. The cybersecurity company tried to apologize with an Uber Eats gift card. Unfortunately, when people tried to use it, the offer had been rescinded by the issuing party. CrowdStrike said Uber had flagged it as a fraud because of high use rates.

CrowdStrike blamed the global system outage on a boot loop bug that knocked out systems in banks, airports and even hospitals.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-reddit-is-blocking-ai-search-engines-that-dont-cough-up-for-access-111537431.html?src=rss

Meta needs updated rules for sexually explicit deepfakes, Oversight Board says

Meta’s Oversight Board is urging the company to update its rules around sexually explicit deepfakes. The board made the recommendations as part of its decision in two cases involving AI-generated images of public figures.

The cases stem from two user appeals over AI-generated images of public figures, though the board declined to name the individuals. One post, which originated on Instagram, depicted a nude Indian woman. The post was reported to Meta but the report was automatically closed after 48 hours, as was a subsequent user appeal. The company eventually removed the post after attention from the Oversight Board, which nonetheless overturned Meta’s original decision to leave the image up.

The second post, which was shared to a Facebook group dedicated to AI art, showed “an AI-generated image of a nude woman with a man groping her breast.” Meta automatically removed the post because it had been added to an internal system that can identify images that have been previously reported to the company. The Oversight Board found that Meta was correct to have taken the post down.

In both cases, the Oversight Board said the AI deepfakes violated the company’s rules barring “derogatory sexualized photoshop” images. But in its recommendations to Meta, the Oversight Board said the current language used in these rules is outdated and may make it more difficult for users to report AI-made explicit images.

Instead, the board says that it should update its policies to make clear that it prohibits non-consensual explicit images that are AI-made or manipulated. “Much of the non-consensual sexualized imagery spread online today is created with generative AI models that either automatically edit existing images or create entirely new ones,” the board writes.”Meta should ensure that its prohibition on derogatory sexualized content covers this broader array of editing techniques, in a way that is clear to both users and the company’s moderators.”

The board also called out Meta’s practice of automatically closing user appeals, which it said could have “significant human rights impacts” on users. However, the board said it didn’t have “sufficient information” about the practice to make a recommendation.

The spread of explicit AI images has become an increasingly prominent issue as “deepfake porn” has become a more widespread form of online harassment in recent years. The board’s decision comes one day after the US Senate unanimously passed a bill cracking down on explicit deepfakes. If passed into law, the measure would allow victims to sue the creators of such images for as much as $250,000.

The cases aren’t the first time the Oversight Board has pushed Meta to update its rules for AI-generated content. In another high-profile case, the board investigated a maliciously edited video of President Joe Biden. The case ultimately resulted in Meta revamping its policies around how AI-generated content is labeled.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-needs-updated-rules-for-sexually-explicit-deepfakes-oversight-board-says-100005969.html?src=rss

The best Android phones for 2024

There’s one clear perk that Android has over iOS and that’s variety when it comes to the phones you have to choose from. Apple has made the iPhone is the only game in town for iOS, but with Google’s operating system, there are dozens of choices out there from manufacturers like Samsung, Motorola, OnePlus and others. But that also means it can be difficult to decide which device is best for you when it comes time to upgrade, or if you want to switch from iPhone to Android in the new year. If you’re looking for a new phone and don’t know where to start, we’ve got you covered with a selection of the best Android phones for every budget.

What to look for in a new Android phone

Performance

When it comes to picking our favorite Android phones, the main things we look for are pretty straightforward: good performance (both compute and AI), a nice display, solid design, sharp cameras, long battery life and a significant commitment to ongoing software support. For performance, not only do we look at benchmarks and other metrics, but we also evaluate phones based on responsiveness. Regardless of whether you’re reading, text messaging, scrolling through social media or playing a game, no one wants a gadget that feels sluggish.

Display

Sam Rutherford/Engadget

When it comes to displays, we generally prefer OLED panels that can produce rich, saturated colors with at least 600 nits of brightness, though many of our top mid-range and high-end phones can hit 1,000 nits or more. And more recently, most of our favorite devices also support screens with fast refresh rates of 90Hz or 120Hz, which adds an extra level of smoothness and fluidity.

Design

Now we will admit there is a bit of subjectivity when deciding which phones look the best, but there are other design aspects like dust and water resistance or screen durability that can make a big difference to long-term survival. It’s also important to consider things like support for wireless charging, power sharing (aka reverse wireless charging) and UWB connectivity, which can have an impact on how your phone interacts with your other devices.

Cameras

Obviously, for photos we’re looking for sharp, colorful shots in both bright and low-light conditions. And we want video clips with high dynamic range, rich audio and smooth image stabilization. Extra cameras for ultra-wide and telephoto lenses are a plus. The best cameras should also include features like dedicated night modes, support for various video recording resolutions, and additional photo modes like timelapse, slow motion and more.

Battery and software

Finally, in terms of longevity, we’re looking for all-day battery life on devices that also delivered great results on our local video rundown test (at least 16 hours on a charge, but more is obviously better). Wireless charging capabilities have become almost ubiquitous over the past few years, and most of our top picks have this extra perk. Fast-charging is available on some Android phones, too. Finally, with people holding onto their phones longer than ever, we like to see companies commit to at least three years of software support, upgrades and regular security updates.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-android-phone-130030805.html?src=rss

Max's SharePlay feature for iOS is now available to all ad-free subscribers

Back when Max was still known as HBO Max, it released a redesigned app that added SharePlay for Apple devices, but only in the US. Now, the streaming service is rolling out the feature to all its users around the world. SharePlay is now available to all Max users paying for Ad-Free and Ultimate Ad-Free plans, allowing them to hold and join watch parties over FaceTime and iMessage, no matter where they are. 

Users can start watching with friends by hitting the "share" button either on the details section of each title or within the FaceTime app. Each session can have as many as 32 participants, but they all have to be Max subscribers. That means people from regions where Max isn't available, such as in Asian countries, won't be able to hop on and watch with their pals in the US or Europe. Warner Bros. is planning to expand Max's reach to South East Asia later this year, but it warns on its website that the timeline could still change.

SharePlay for Max works on iPhones, iPads, Apple TVs and Vision Pro headsets. To initiate a watch party on iPhones, iPads and Vision Pros, users have to find the Share icon on the details page of a show or a movie, enter the contacts they want to share with and initiate a FaceTime call. If they choose Messages on their mobile devices, their friends will get a message asking them to join SharePlay. On Apple TV, users will have to open FaceTime first before clicking the SharePlay button and choosing Max from the app list. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/maxs-shareplay-feature-for-ios-is-now-available-to-all-ad-free-subscribers-040624031.html?src=rss

NBA TV rights go to ESPN, NBC and Amazon as TNT is rejected

The NBA and WNBA have inked deals for where games will be aired and streamed for the next eleven years. The NBA deals run from the 2025-2026 season through the 2035-2036 season. For the WNBA, the agreement covers the 2026 through 2036 seasons.

Pro basketball has been an ESPN mainstay for years and that will continue, with the Disney-owned network remaining the primary media rights owner for both leagues. ESPN will be the exclusive home for the NBA finals for all eleven years of the new deal, as well as five out of the eleven years of the WNBA finals. The games covered by ESPN's deal will be part of the sports network's direct-to-consumer platform and a package of NBA and WNBA games will also be made available to stream on Disney+ in select international markets.

While the bulk of the games will go to ESPN, basketball is going to have more of a streaming presence thanks to two new partnerships. NBC and Peacock will have access to 100 NBA national games during each regular season. About 50 games will be exclusive to the Peacock streaming platform, including national Monday night games and doubleheaders. The rest of the games go to Amazon. Prime Video will be the home for 66 regular-season NBA games and 30 regular-season WNBA games each year of the deal.

Regular basketball viewers may notice that TNT Sports is not part of this lineup. The NBA's deal with that network does not appear to be getting an extension after next year, with those games mostly going to Amazon. But the situation may yet go into overtime. TNT Sports claims that it matched Amazon's offer for the games and seems to be challenging whether the NBA can switch partners. NBA's statement counters that the offer from parent company Warner Bros. Discovery did not match Amazon's, leaving them free to shop elsewhere.

The long-awaited agreements for both basketball leagues aren't a complete slam dunk for fans. On the positive side, the next decade marks a notable shift toward streaming. After so long with the sport closely tied to broadcast shows, having access as part of your existing streaming plans is great. But on the negative side, multiple media partners mean that you'll have to double- and triple-check where to watch each game. Major League Baseball, for instance, has games scattered across ESPN, Fox, Apple TV+, TNT Sports, and MLB Network on any given night.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nba-tv-rights-go-to-espn-nbc-and-amazon-as-tnt-is-rejected-230811550.html?src=rss

World of Warcraft workers unlock 'form a union' achievement

World of Warcraft (WoW) artists, designers, engineers, producers, quality assurance (QA) testers and other game developers have unionized. The staff of more than 500 workers voted to unionize the Blizzard Entertainment studio with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) creating the World of Warcraft Gamemakers Guild, according to an X post from the union’s official account.

The Blizzard studio is the latest major game studio to form a union during uncertain times of layoffs and studio closures across the gaming industry. Bethesda Game Studios, the studio behind the Fallout and Elder Scrolls franchises, formed its union with the help of CWA last weekend that includes 241 workers.

“What we’ve accomplished at World of Warcraft is just the beginning,” said Eric Lanham, a test analyst and Wow Gamemakers Guild member, in a statement released by the CWA. “My colleagues and I are embarking on a quest to secure better pay, benefits, and job security through a strong union contract. We know that when workers have a protected voice, it’s a win-win for employee standards, the studio, and World of Warcraft fans looking for the best gaming experience.”

We're the World of Warcraft Gamemakers Guild: the first wall-to-wall union at Blizzard! We're thrilled to include WoW's QA, Art, Sound, Design, Engineering and Production voices for a democratized workplace. At this crucial moment in games, we stand together as one. For Azeroth! pic.twitter.com/ieewW5KFuI

— WoW Gamemaker's Guild (@WoWGG_CWA) July 24, 2024

The World of Warcraft Gamemakers Guild is the largest wall-to-wall union currently under Microsoft’s umbrella. Activision unionized around 600 QA workers with the CWA in March. ZeniMax Studios also voted to unionize around 300 staffers back in January.

Microsoft also made an agreement with Activision Blizzard two years ago to respect the right of its workers to form a union. The agreement was part of Microsoft’s deal to takeover Activision Blizzard.

The CWA cites the start of the WoW Gamemakers Guild formation to a protest conducted by Activision Blizzard workers in 2021. The crew staged a walkout at its Irvine, California headquarters over a lawsuit filed by the state’s Civil Rights Department (CRD) alleging the company was a “breeding ground for harassment and discrimination against women.” The CRD later withdrew all allegations of systemic sexual harassment, and Activision Blizzard reached a settlement of $54.8 million relating to pay and promotion disparities. The WoW studio also agreed to remove “references that are not appropriate for [its] world” from the game.

“What seemed impossible six years ago is now a reality, and this is just the beginning,” said CWA’s Senior Director of Organizing Tom Smith in a written statement. “Together, workers are redefining their industry.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/world-of-warcraft-workers-unlock-form-a-union-achievement-220148151.html?src=rss

Respawn is walking back its unpopular changes to the Apex Legends battle pass

Respawn Entertainment is bringing back the option to buy Apex Legends battle passes with in-game currency. "You've spoken, and we've listened," the company said. The developer drew player outrage and a sweep of review-bombing earlier this month after it announced a new approach to the game's reward system.

The original announcement was convoluted, but the gist of what frustrated the Apex community was that players would no longer be able to use in-game currency to access an upgraded version of the battle pass. People earn Apex Coins by playing, and under the original model, serious fans could easily earn enough over the course of one battle pass to pay for the next season's.

Today, Respawn said it would return the option to pay 950 Apex Coins (about $10) to unlock the Premium battle pass tier. And with 1,300 Apex Coins available at that tier, this segment of the battle pass experience has mostly reverted to the old model. Players will be able to unlock the premium version by completing some "simple in-game challenges" at the start of Season 22, Split 1 on August 6. After that, beginning on September 17 with the season's Split 2, the new/old model will take effect.

An update on our new Battle Pass: pic.twitter.com/ga8NB8cwFB

— Apex Legends (@PlayApex) July 24, 2024

However, other parts of the original announcement are still in place. New battle passes will drop at the start and halfway point of a season. Apex Legends will have a free battle pass with minimal perks, the Premium version with more rewards and unlocked by in-game currency, an Ultimate version for $10 with all the Premium content and a handful of additional instant unlocks, and finally, an Ultimate+ version for $20 with two legendary skin variants and access to all of the game's playable heroes for that split.

Battle passes have become de rigueur for the games-as-a-service industry. It's proven to be one of the most successful options for generating the revenue to fund creating more content while still offering players value. But once an approach has been laid out, studios may have a hard time convincing players to adapt to changes. In fact, this isn't the first time the Apex Legends battle pass has been changed, then re-changed. But the trend toward game communities tanking review scores or directly harassing devs and creators to air their grievances at any changes means that the financial situation for many of these ongoing titles can still feel precarious.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/respawn-is-walking-back-its-unpopular-changes-to-the-apex-legends-battle-pass-215117879.html?src=rss

AI search engines that don’t pay up can’t index Reddit content

When Reddit said last month that it would block unauthorized data scraping from its site, everyone’s (rightful) first reaction was “AI, AI, AI.” However, now that the change has taken effect, chatbot makers may not be the only ones being locked out. The widely used forum also appears to be blocking major search engines other than Brave and Google, the latter of which reportedly inked a deal earlier this year with Reddit worth $60 million annually. However, a Reddit spokesperson told Engadget that the empty search results are about Google’s rivals not agreeing to the company’s requirements for AI training. It says it’s it’s in discussions with several of them.

404 Media reported on Wednesday (and Engadget confirmed in our queries) that searching for Reddit results from the past week on rival engine Bing (using “site:reddit.com”) returns empty results. The publication reported that DuckDuckGo produced seven links without any descriptions, only providing the note, “We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us.” The engine now appears to have removed even those, as our test only produced an empty page, reading, “no results found.”

When Reddit said last month that it would update its Robots Exclusion Protocol (robots.txt) to block automated data scraping, it’s now apparent that it wasn’t only meant to thwart AI companies like Perplexity and its controversial “answer engine.” Currently, Google appears to be the only search engine allowed to crawl Reddit and produce results from “the front page of the internet.”

A Reddit spokesperson told Engadget on Wednesday it isn’t accurate to say the missing search results are a result of its Google deal. “We block all crawlers that are unwilling to commit to not using crawl data for AI training, which is in line with enforcing our Public Content Policy and updated robots.txt file,” the company said. “Anyone accessing Reddit content must abide by our policies, including those in place to protect redditors. We are selective about who we work with and trust with large-scale access to Reddit content.”

Meanwhile, a source familiar with Reddit’s thinking told Engadget on Wednesday that Bing’s omission is due to Microsoft refusing to agree to Reddit’s terms regarding AI crawling. Instead, the Bing maker allegedly claimed its standard web controls were sufficient. The source claims Microsoft’s stance conflicts with Reddit’s data privacy policy, leading to the impasse and empty search results.

The ubiquitous robots.txt is the web standard that communicates which parts of a site can be crawled. Although many crawlers are known to ignore its instructions, Google’s standard procedure is to respect it. So, on the technical side, the companies in cahoots on the lucrative deal appear to have deployed some manual override.

The saga could be seen as a trickle-down effect of AI chatbots scraping the live web for results. With courts slow to determine how much of the open web is fair use to train chatbots on, companies like Reddit, whose bottom lines now depend on safeguarding their data from those who don’t pay, are building walls at the expense of the open web. (Although, given the integral role Microsoft has played in this AI era, cozying up with OpenAI early on, it seems ironic that Bing finds itself on the losing end of at least one aspect of the fallout.)

Colin Hayhurst, CEO of lesser-known “no-tracking” search engine Mojeek, told 404 Media that Reddit is “killing everything for search but Google.” In addition, the executive said his attempts to contact Reddit were ignored. “It’s never happened to us before,” he said. “Because this happens to us, we get blocked, usually because of ignorance or stupidity or whatever, and when we contact the site you certainly can get that resolved, but we’ve never had no reply from anybody before.”

Reddit has made no secret of its desire to block AI companies from scraping its treasure trove of data in this burgeoning age of AI. Last year, CEO Steve Huffman risked alienating large portions of its user base by blocking third-party API requests, leading to the demise of beloved apps like Christian Selig’s Apollo. Despite widespread protests among moderators and forum-goers, the company only temporarily lost negligible numbers of users.

The gamble appeared to pay off, and Reddit recovered. It went public in March.

Update, July 24, 2024, 5:00 PM ET: This story has been updated to add statements from Reddit and additional context from sources familiar with the company’s thinking.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/search-engines-that-dont-pay-up-cant-index-reddit-content-172949170.html?src=rss

Microsoft is adding AI-powered summaries to Bing search results

The race to bring more AI features to search is escalating, with Microsoft moving forward with additional tools for Bing. Today, the company began previews for Bing generative search, where the top result for a user's query will be an original response compiled by AI.

The blog post about Bing generative search showed a few sample results. In addition to the overview statement, Microsoft will provide links to the main sources that the large-language models and small-language models used to create their answer. It will also have a section of related information. For instance, with the sample query "how long do elephants live," the main summary is followed by videos with information about factors that impact elephant longevity. After the generative results, the usual list of search hits will be displayed.

Microsoft

If you're curious and want to try out generative search right away, you may be out of luck. This isn't an opt-in choice yet for Bing users and it is only being applied to "a small percentage of user queries" at this stage. "We are slowly rolling this out and will take our time, garner feedback, test and learn, and work to create a great experience before making this more broadly available," Microsoft said.

Google rolled out a similar tool earlier this year called AI Overview in an effort to retain users who might go directly to an AI chatbot for answers to their questions. AI Overview had a rough, gluey pizza start, so it will be interesting to see how well Microsoft's counterpart performs in comparison. And while Microsoft did emphasize in the blog post that it developed generative search without the intent of ruining web publishers' business, it's worth repeating that this kind of AI tool is not a replacement for actual news.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-is-adding-ai-powered-summaries-to-bing-search-results-203053790.html?src=rss

The US Senate unanimously passes a bill to empower victims of intimate deepfakes

The US Senate unanimously passed a bill on Tuesday designed to hold accountable those who make or share deepfake porn. The Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits Act (DEFIANCE Act) would allow victims to sue those who create, share or possess AI-generated sexual images or videos using their likeness. The issue took root in the public consciousness after the infamous Taylor Swift deepfake that circulated among online lowlifes early this year.

The bill would let victims sue for up to $150,000 in damages. That number grows to $250,000 if it’s related to attempted sexual assault, stalking or harassment.

It now moves to the House, where a companion bill awaits. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) sponsors the sister bill. If it passes there (which sounds likely, given the unanimous nature of the Senate’s vote), it will move to President Biden’s desk for final passage.

“There’s a shock to seeing images of yourself that someone could think are real,” Ocasio-Cortez told Rolling Stone earlier this year. “And once you’ve seen it, you’ve seen it. It parallels the same exact intention of physical rape and sexual assault, [which] is about power, domination, and humiliation. Deepfakes are absolutely a way of digitizing violent humiliation against other people.”

The bill, sponsored by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), lets the victims of intimate digital forgeries (deepfakes) sue for damages. It would give victims a 10-year statute of limitations, beginning either from the discovery of the content or when they turn 18 in the (even more disturbing) case of minors.

“As we know, AI plays a bigger role in our lives than ever before, and while it has many benefits, it’s also easier than ever to create sexually explicit deep fakes without a person’s consent,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said on the Senate floor late Tuesday. “It is a horrible attack on someone’s privacy and dignity to have these fake images of them circulating online without recourse.”

Schumer cited Swift and Megan Thee Stallion in his floor speech as two celebrity examples who have fallen victim to the types of content the bill targets. However, The Verge notes online sexual deepfakes have affected those with much less clout (and money for lawyers) than A-list pop stars, like high school girls, some of whom have found out about contrived sexual images of them being passed around among their peers.

Fortunately, the bill stipulates that victims would have privacy protections during court proceedings and that they could recover legal costs. “It’s a grotesque practice and victims of these deep fakes deserve justice,” Schumer said.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-us-senate-unanimously-passes-a-bill-to-empower-victims-of-intimate-deepfakes-201343557.html?src=rss

Police in Scottsdale, AZ will start using drones as first responders

Police departments across Arizona plan to implement the use of drones as part of its first responders to emergency situations. Scottsdale’s police department will be the first in the state to use a special fleet of drones that can be sent to potential crime scenes and emergencies by special detection cameras.

The drone technology will come from a new drone startup called Aerodome and the public safety tech firm Flock Safety, which makes gunshot sensors, analytic software and cameras that can monitor neighborhoods and read license plates. Scottsdale PD’s drones will respond to emergencies in real time to provide first responders with a bird’s eye view of emergencies as first responders make their way to the area.

The drones can be dispatched by police officers and emergency dispatchers as well as Flock cameras that detect unlawful activity such as stolen vehicles or cars that match descriptions from an AMBER alert. They can even silently follow a suspect while officers handle multiple 911 calls and keep an aerial view of a runaway vehicle without risking the safety of officers and bystanders.

The use of drones by law enforcement has been growing over the years. More than 1,500 police departments use them in some capacity, according to Axios. First responders may see these drones as a useful tool but there are also serious concerns about protecting citizens’ Constitutional privacy rights.

Screenshot from YouTube/Flock Safety

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has raised concerns about Flock’s license plate reader cameras. Last year, the ACLU expressed concerns with law enforcement’s use of “eye-in-the-sky policing” calling for communities to “put in place guardrails that will prevent those operations from expanding,” according to an editorial written by ACLU senior policy analyst Jay Stanley.

“It’s not clear where the courts will draw lines, and there’s a very real prospect that other, more local uses of drones become so common and routine that without strong privacy protections, we end up with the functional equivalent of a mass surveillance regime in the skies,” Stanley wrote.

There are some federal regulations currently in place that prevent police departments from misusing drones and maintain some level of safety. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) limits police’s drone use to the operator’s line of sight. The drone cannot be over 55 pounds including attached equipment or goods it may be carrying to emergency sites and they can’t fly any higher than 400 feet above the ground or structures.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/police-in-scottsdale-az-will-start-using-drones-as-first-responders-195503311.html?src=rss