Social Security watchdog investigating claims that DOGE engineer copied its databases
The inspector general's office of the Social Security Administration is investigating allegations of a security breach by a member of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency operation spearheaded by Elon Musk. A whistleblower has claimed that a former software engineer from DOGE said he possessed two databases from the SSA, Numident and the Master Death File. The person reportedly asked for help transferring the databases from a thumb drive to his personal computer so that he could sanitize the data before using it at [the company], an unnamed government contractor where he is currently employed. Those databases include personal information about more than 500 million living and deceased Americans. The Washington Post reported that the whistleblower complaint was filed with the inspector general in January. When The Post contacted the agency and the company in January, both said they had not heard of the complaint. Both said they subsequently looked into the allegations and did not find evidence to confirm the claims, the publication said. It is unclear why the complaint is now being investigated and neither party offered comment this week for The Post 's article. The SSA watchdog informed both members of Congress and the Government Accountability Office of its investigation. These allegations follow a different whistleblower complaint filed last August about DOGE access and mishandling of data from the SSA. Charles Borges, former chief data officer at the agency, claimed that a SSA database was stored in an unsecured cloud environment. This is absolutely the worst-case scenario, Borges told The Post of the latest claims. There could be one or a million copies of it, and we will never know now. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/social-security-watchdog-investigating-claims-that-doge-engineer-copied-its-databases-212722061.html?src=rss
Google and Tesla think were managing the electrical grid all wrong
The duo have teamed up with other companies to launch Utilize, which seeks to change how the grid is used and regulated.
Metadata company Gracenote is the latest to sue OpenAI for copyright infringement
AI companies have been spending a lot of time in court arguing copyright cases over the past year and the latest plaintiff is Gracenote, the metadata company owned by Nielsen. Axios reports that Gracenote is suing OpenAI for the unauthorized and unpaid use of both its metadata and its framework for connecting that information. Gracenote specializes in entertainment metadata, creating descriptions and identifiers for content that clients such as TV providers use to help their own customers with discovery. Most of the lawsuits against AI businesses have focused on the content used to train LLMs, but the Gracenote case brings an extra layer with the alleged infringement of the structure or sequence for a dataset in addition to the actual data. Defendants could have paid Gracenote to license its valuable Gracenote Data. Or they could have sought to train and ground their models only on information in the public domain. They did neither. Defendants instead improperly copied and used Gracenote Data to create their own commercially valuable AI products, all without paying a dime, the complaint states . The company claims that its previous attempts to work with OpenAI for a licensing agreement were rebuffed or ignored. Gracenote has recently inked deals to back AI ventures from other companies, including Samsung and Google . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/metadata-company-gracenote-is-the-latest-to-sue-openai-for-copyright-infringement-200347812.html?src=rss
Meta acquires Moltbook, the AI agent social network
The viral social network project was created with OpenClaw.
Epic is increasing the price of Fortnite's V-Bucks currency
The real world price of impulse-buying Fortnite skins is going up, Epic has announced . Not because skins themselves are getting more expensive on paper, but because V-Bucks, Fortnite 's digital currency, is. The same prices you paid for bundles of V-Bucks in February will now effectively earn you fewer bucks starting on March 19, along with several other Fortnite -related pricing changes. Epic will still offer bundles of V-Bucks starting at $8.99 and running all the way to $89.99, but with a new conversion rate. The new bundle prices breakdown as follows: $8.99 will get you 800 V-Bucks, down from 1,000 V-Bucks $22.99 will get you 2,400 V-Bucks, down from 2,800 V-Bucks $36.99 will get you 4,500 V-Bucks, down from 5,000 V-Bucks $89.99 will get you 12,500 V-Bucks, down from 13,500 V-Bucks On top of those changes, the cost of Epic's Exact Amount Pack, which lets you buy the exact amount of V-Bucks necessary to complete a specific purchase, is changing from around $0.50 for 50 V-Bucks to $0.99 for 50 V-Bucks. These new prices for V-Bucks are US-specific and will vary in other regions. They're also not entirely representative of the value Epic is offering with each purchase. As part of the company's Epic Rewards program, you get 20 percent back on purchases made in Fortnite, Fall Guys and Rocket League when you use the Epic Games Store or Epic's payment system on Android, iOS, PC or the web. That means you can receive anywhere from $1.79 (for 800 V-Bucks) to $17.99 (for 12,500 V-Bucks) to spend in Fortnite or the Epic Games Store when you use the company's payment system. Changes to the value of V-Bucks are also impacting Fortnite 's various passes. The standard Battle Pass will now cost 800 V-Bucks and award 800 V-Bucks, down from its previous price of 1,000 V-Bucks. Meanwhile, the price of the OG Pass (for Fortnite 's throwback game mode) is lowering from 1,000 V-Bucks to 800 V-Bucks, and both the Music and Lego Passes are going from costing 1,400 V-Bucks to 1,200 V-Bucks. For any subscribers to Fortnite Crew, Fortnite 's monthly subscription service, your monthly stipend of the digital currency is also shrinking from 1,000 V-Bucks to 800 V-Bucks. Epic claims that it's making all of these changes because the cost of running Fortnite has gone up a lot and raising prices helps pay the bills, but the company is also in a much better position to make money on every transaction that happens in the game. In securing largely favorable outcomes in its lawsuits against Apple and Google , Epic now has a way to point users to its payment system on iOS and Android (all the better to avoid app store fees), and its won major concessions that seem poised to reshape how app store economies work. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/epic-is-increasing-the-price-of-fortnites-v-bucks-currency-185800744.html?src=rss
Amazon wins a temporary injunction against Perplexity's Comet browser
Amazon has secured a temporary win in its fight with Perplexity over the use of AI shopping bots. Bloomberg reported that a San Francisco federal court has determined that Perplexity must stop using its Comet web browser's AI agent to make purchases for users on Amazon's marketplace. The AI company will have a week to appeal the decision, otherwise it has been ordered to stop accessing any password-protected areas of Amazon's systems and destroy its copies of Amazon's data while the two companies continue to argue their cases. Amazon has provided strong evidence that Perplexity, through its Comet browser, accesses with the Amazon user's permission but without authorization by Amazon, the user's password-protected account, District Judge Maxine Chesney wrote in placing the temporary block. The preliminary injunction will prevent Perplexitys unauthorized access to the Amazon store and is an important step in maintaining a trusted shopping experience for Amazon customers, an Amazon spokesperson told Bloomberg . Amazon sent a cease-and-desist letter to Perplexity over the AI company's shopping bots in November. According to Amazon, use of the Comet agent to make purchases is a violation of its terms of service. Perplexity will continue to fight for the right of internet users to choose whatever AI they want, a representative from Perplexity said of this week's decision. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/amazon-wins-a-temporary-injunction-against-perplexitys-comet-browser-184000462.html?src=rss
Mandiants founder just raised $190M for his autonomous AI agent security startup
Mandia, who sold his previous company Mandiant to Google for $5.4 billion in 2022, has launched an agentic security startup.
Here's the final trailer for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is nearly upon us , as the hotly-anticipated sequel arrives in theaters on April 1. Nintendo recently dropped the final trailer for the film , which is filled with quick visual gags and nods to the source material. There aren't too many actual reveals in this footage, as it covers a lot of the same ground as previous trailers. However, it does show that fan favorite Lumalee is returning as a prison guard of some sort, reversing the storyline from the original film in which the cheerfully nihilistic creature was trapped in a cage. Nintendo also released a larger presentation that featured the aforementioned trailer, but also included interviews with actors and franchise creator Shigeru Miyamoto. We did get some news in this video. It was revealed that the long-tongued dinosaur Yoshi will be voiced by Donald Glover. So it's likely the dino will be saying a lot more than Yoshi over and over. Actor Luis Guzman will also be playing Wart, the primary antagonist from Super Mario Bros. 2 . Issa Rae will be on hand to voice Honey Queen, the gigantic bee character from the Super Mario Galaxy games. It was even confirmed by lead actors Chris Pratt and Charlie Day that Luigi would be on hand for the entire adventure this time, and not confined to a cage-based subplot. I didn't realize Luigi's role in the first film was enough of a controversy to warrant this kind of mention, but here we are. Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri also appeared in the video, assuring viewers that there are still some big surprises waiting in the actual film. To that end, there's been a rumor floating around that Fox McCloud from the Starfox franchise would be showing up. Is this the start of a Nintendo cinematic universe that will culminate in 10 years with a Super Smash Bros. movie? Stranger things have happened. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/heres-the-final-trailer-for-the-super-mario-galaxy-movie-181819593.html?src=rss
ChatGPT can now create interactive visuals to help you understand math and science concepts
On Tuesday, OpenAI introduced dynamic visual explanations, a new ChatGPT feature that allows users to see how formulas, variables, and mathematical relationships change in real time. Instead of just reading an explanation or looking at a static diagram, users can now interact directly with interactive visuals. For example, when exploring the Pythagorean theorem, you can []
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ChatGPT will now generate interactive visuals to help you with math and science concepts
OpenAI is rolling out new interactive responses in ChatGPT it says are designed to make the chatbot more useful for learners. Starting today, ChatGPT will generate dynamic visuals when you ask it to explain select scientific and mathematical concepts, including the Pythagorean theorem, Coulomb's law and lens equations. When ChatGPT responds with an interactive visual, you'll be able to tweak any variables and the equation itself, allowing you to see how those changes affect the solution. With today's release, OpenAI says ChatGPT will respond with interactive visuals when asked about more than 70 concepts, with support for additional topics to come down the line. The visuals are available to all ChatGPT users, regardless of subscription status. However, OpenAI notes high school- and college-aged students are likely to get the most out of the new feature. ChatGPT explains Ohm's law. OpenAI The more interactive responses from ChatGPT follow the release of Study Mode last summer. Released in response to the sheer amount of students using chatbots to complete their coursework, that feature guides the user toward finding an answer themselves, rather than provide an outright solution. This is just the beginning, OpenAI says of its latest feature. Over time, we plan to expand interactive learning with additional subjects and continue building tools that strengthen learning with ChatGPT. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/chatgpt-will-now-generate-interactive-visuals-to-help-you-with-math-and-science-concepts-170000520.html?src=rss
Yoshi and the Mysterious Book will be released for Switch 2 on May 21
Nintendo's next platform adventure, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book , will be released for Switch 2 on May 21. The company announced the release date as part of its annual Mar10 Day celebration. This is a made-up holiday that exists because the date spelled out like that sort of looks like the word Mario. In any event, there's a new trailer for the perpetually hungry dinosaur's latest adventure . It looks super cute. It sort of resembles a children's picture book come to life . Yoshi games typically boast unique graphical styles, with past entries featuring entire worlds made of yarn, cardboard and more. Even the very first Yoshi platformer, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island , featured a kind of hand-drawn aesthetic. The gameplay looks to be somewhat unique, with a reduced emphasis on chucking eggs. Many of the game's creatures grant Yoshi special abilities when they hop on the dino for a ride. This reminds me of another Nintendo-branded glutton, Kirby. Today's trailer also shows Yoshi gobbling up an enemy and encountering a foul and bitter taste, giving the little cutie a momentary stomach ache. I guess Yoshi's palette has become more refined since the last game. This has already been a big week for the anthropomorphic dinosaur. Nintendo recently dropped another trailer for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and it was revealed that Donald Glover will be voicing Yoshi. That film hits theaters on April 1, which is just a few weeks away. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/yoshi-and-the-mysterious-book-will-be-released-for-switch-2-on-may-21-164753150.html?src=rss
Google to Provide Pentagon with Gemini-powered AI agents
Google is rolling out Gemini AI agents to the Department of Defense's more than 3 million civilian and military employees, according to Bloomberg . The agents will initially operate on unclassified networks, with talks underway to expand them to classified and top-secret systems, according to Emil Michael, the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. Eight pre-built agents will automate tasks like summarizing meeting notes, building budgets and checking proposed actions against the national defense strategy. Google Vice President Jim Kelly said in a blog post on Tuesday that Defense Department personnel can also create custom agents using natural language. Google's AI chatbot, accessible through the Pentagon's GenAI.mil portal, has been used by 1.2 million Defense Department employees for unclassified work since December, with personnel running 40 million unique prompts and uploading more than 4 million documents. Training has reportedly not kept pace with adoption, however, as only 26,000 people have completed AI training since December, but future sessions are fully booked, something that suggests more employees are getting on board. The expansion comes as the Pentagon rapidly broadens its AI partnerships after its standoff with Anthropic , which refused to remove guardrails against domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons from its technology. The Pentagon has since classified the American AI company as a supply chain risk, which Anthropic will fight in court . Roughly 900 Google and 100 OpenAI employees have since signed an open letter urging their employers to hold firm on the same guardrails. Google quietly altered its AI Principles regarding these exact uses in early February. The Department of Defense has since struck deals with OpenAI and xAI for restricted networks. Google itself faced internal backlash over Pentagon work in 2018 when thousands of employees protested Project Maven , a program that used AI to analyze drone video feeds. It did not renew that contract but has since loosened its restrictions on military work. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-to-provide-pentagon-with-gemini-powered-ai-agents-161037444.html?src=rss
Obama thinks they are real, Trump has 'UFO speech ready': Are we close to finding aliens?
The possibility of alien life has moved from fiction to scientific inquiry, fueled by government interest in UAP reports. While scientists haven't confirmed alien spacecraft, the universe's vastness sparks questions about life beyond Earth. Despite discoveries, the Fermi Paradoxthe lack of evidence for alien civilizationsremains a profound cosmic puzzle.
Pokmon Pokopia is even better than Animal Crossing: New Horizons
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AgentMail raises $6M to build an email service for AI agents
AgentMail provides an API platform that lets you give AI agents their own email inboxes, with support for two-way conversations, parsing, threading, labeling, searching, and replying.
The Trump administration has awarded Event Strategies several contractsincluding one that could be worth up to $100 millionwith little competition, according to federal filings.
NVIDIA is reportedly working on its own open-source AI agent platform
NVIDIA is reportedly working on its own open-source AI agent platform, according to Wired . The chipmaker has been pitching the product to enterprise software companies. Reporting indicates it's going to be called NemoClaw, suggesting that the entire industry is going to embrace this whole claw naming convention moving forward. Just like OpenClaw, this will be a platform in which users dispatch AI agents to perform a variety of tasks. However, NVIDIA's effort looks to have an enterprise focus for now. To that end, reporting indicates that companies will be able to access this platform even if their products don't run on NVIDIA chips. NVIDIA is currently preparing for its annual developer conference next week and Wired has suggested that the company has already reached out to entities like Salesforce, Cisco and Google to strike partnerships for its platform. It's not clear if these discussions have led to anything official, as none of these companies have provided statements. This could be a steep climb for NVIDIA, as usage of these multi-purpose agents in the enterprise space is relatively controversial. Some tech companies have asked employees to refrain from using OpenClaw and related tools on their work computers, as the agents can be unpredictable and cause all manner of mayhem. A Meta employee recently shared a story about an AI agent going rogue and mass deleting emails . This poses a serious security risk to enterprise customers. It's one thing if the claw is trapped on a personal computer, but another thing if it has access to an entire enterprise network. NVIDIA is reportedly beefing up NemoClaw with additional layers of security for AI agents, which is likely an effort to attract those business customers. Why is this a big deal? Unlike traditional chatbots that typically require hand-holding from the user every step of the way, claws are designed to run autonomously on computers and perform complex, multi-pronged tasks without too much human supervision. Peter Steinberger is joining OpenAI to drive the next generation of personal agents. He is a genius with a lot of amazing ideas about the future of very smart agents interacting with each other to do very useful things for people. We expect this will quickly become core to our Sam Altman (@sama) February 15, 2026 This all started with software originally called Clawdbot, which is now called OpenClaw. The creator of OpenClaw, Peter Steinberger, recently joined OpenAI to help drive the next generation of personal agents. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/nvidia-is-reportedly-working-on-its-own-open-source-ai-agent-platform-153203397.html?src=rss
GeForce Now adds GOG syncing and 90fps game streaming in VR headsets
NVIDIA's GeForce Now game streaming platform has added a few minor but useful updates, especially for GOG and VR headset users, the company announced at Game Developer's Conference (GDC). The biggest technical improvement is for virtual reality headsets that support GeForce Now like the Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest. Starting next week (March 19), those devices will be able to stream at 90 fps for Ultimate members (up from 60 fps) for improved smoothness, responsiveness and realism. Another helpful update is in-app labels coming soon to GeForce Now. Once you connect an Xbox or Ubisoft_ account, you'll see clear labels directly on game art inside the GeForce Now app showing exactly what's available to play from your subscription services. NVIDIA is also expanding account linking, adding GOG to the roster of services on top of Gaijin single-sign announced at CES. GeForce Now is also expanding its Install-to-Play library with select Xbox titles including Brutal Legend from Double Fine Productions and Compulsion Games' Contrast . The service will also see several anticipated games directly on the cloud service at launch, namely Remedy's Control Resonant and Samson: A Tyndalston Story from Liquid Swords. As a reminder, NVIDIA's GeForce Now is one of the better cloud gaming services out there, particularly since it added GeForce RTX 5080 -powered servers that Engadget's Devindra Hardawar called indistinguishable from a powerful rig. The service recently came to Fire TV sticks and is available on Windows and Mac PCs, NVIDIA's Shield, Android TV, smartphones and many other devices. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/geforce-now-adds-gog-syncing-and-90fps-game-streaming-in-vr-headsets-130656731.html?src=rss
Meta is buying Moltbook, the ridiculous social network populated by AI bots
Meta is snapping up Moltbook, a Reddit-like social network for AI agents that has been around since January and remains completely ridiculous . The company hasn't disclosed the terms of the deal. Moltbook and its creators Matt Schlicht and Ben Parr will be joining Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL) when the deal closes. That's expected to happen in the coming days, according to Axios . The Moltbook team joining MSL opens up new ways for AI agents to work for people and businesses, a Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch . Their approach to connecting agents through an always-on directory is a novel step in a rapidly developing space, and we look forward to working together to bring innovative, secure agentic experiences to everyone. It seems current Moltbook users will be able to continue interacting with the platform for the time being. Moltbook was built on the back of OpenClaw, a tool that enables people to whip up AI agents that can interact with dozens of different apps. (OpenAI hired the creator of OpenClaw last month.) Schlicht used OpenClaw to create a bot named Clawd Clawderberg and asked it to create a social network for AI agents. And that's how Moltbook came to be. For what it's worth, Clawd Clawderberg is a play on Mark Zuckerberg and Moltbook is a clear riff on Facebook, so its somewhat fitting that Schlicht vibe-coded his way to a job at Meta. It also emerged that it was relatively easy for humans to pose as AI agents and post on Moltbook. Again, all of this is deeply, deeply absurd. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/meta-is-buying-moltbook-the-ridiculous-social-network-populated-by-ai-bots-152732453.html?src=rss
Thinking MachinesLab inksmassive compute deal with Nvidia
The multi-year deal involves at least a gigawatt of compute power and also includes a strategic investment from Nvidia.
From menu cuts to electric grills: How Indian restaurants are tiding over the LPG crisis
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Google gives in to users complaints over AI-powered Ask Photos search feature
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Coreworks raises $5M in Seed round led by Together Fund
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Google brings Gemini-powered content creation tools to Docs, Sheets, Slides and Drive
Google is rolling out a batch of Gemini updates across its Workspace apps that give the AI assistant the ability to generate first drafts in Docs, build entire spreadsheets in Sheets, design presentations in Slides and answer questions about files stored in Drive. The features started rolling out on March 10 in beta for Google AI Ultra and Pro subscribers and Gemini Alpha business customers, in English only. In Docs, a new Help me create tool produces a formatted first draft by pulling context from Drive, Gmail, Chat and the web based on a user's prompt. Gemini can also match the writing style or formatting of a reference document. Google says more than a third of new Docs are created from copies of existing files, so the formatting tool is meant to cut down on that manual work. In Sheets, Gemini can now construct an entire spreadsheet from a natural language prompt, drawing data from a user's files and emails, as well as Google Chat and the web. A Fill with Gemini feature auto-populates table cells, which Google says is nine times faster than manual entry based on a 95-person study (this sounds profoundly unscientific, so take these claims with a grain of salt). Sheets also gained optimization tools powered by Google DeepMind and Google Research that can solve problems like employee scheduling through written prompts. In Slides, Gemini can generate individual slides that match an existing deck's theme, with full presentation generation from a single prompt coming later. Google Drive is getting AI Overviews in search results, similar to a feature the company recently added to Gmail, along with a new Ask Gemini tool that lets users query their files, emails and calendar. The Drive features will be released first only for customers in the US, unlike the rest of these updates. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-brings-gemini-powered-content-creation-tools-to-docs-sheets-slides-and-drive-144705622.html?src=rss
Criticism, satire of PM, UGC regulations target of government takedowns on X, Instagram
The most up-to-date takedown stats from Meta show that the Instagram and Facebook parent took down three times as much content in response to government orders in JanuaryJune 2025 than in the same period in 2023
Legora reaches $5.55 billion valuation as AI legal tech boom endures
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A Resident Evil Requiem story expansion is in the works
It takes around 30 hours to experience everything Resident Evil Requiem has to offer. If you've already enjoyed all the thrills and spills and you're itching for more, there's some positive news. Capcom has some updates on the way. The biggest of those is a story expansion, which is now in development. Just don't expect it to arrive imminently. In this story, we will delve deeper into the world of Requiem , game director Koshi Nakanishi said in a short video message . Were hard at work on it now. It will take some time, so we ask for your patience and hope youll look forward to it. A message from Koshi Nakanishi, director of Resident Evil Requiem. pic.twitter.com/54aKw80h8K Resident Evil (@RE_Games) March 10, 2026 Nakanishi noted that on top of the story expansion and fixing bugs and performance issues, the development team is cooking up some other features. A photo mode is on the way to help you capture all the horrors that Grace and Leon encounter. There's also a surprise coming around May, Nakanishi said. Were planning to add a mini-game. Resident Evil Requiem sold more than 5 million copies within its first week of release. Reviews have been generally positive, though we can safely discount the one that was likely AI generated and briefly featured on Metacritic . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/a-resident-evil-requiem-story-expansion-is-in-the-works-140512827.html?src=rss
YouTube expands AI deepfake detection for politicians, government officials, and journalists
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The Sonos Play puts the best parts of the Era 100 in a portable speaker
Sonos has just announced its first new products since 2024, when the companys plans went sideways after a disastrous update to its app . First up is the Sonos Play, the companys latest portable speaker. Long-time Sonos watchers will recognize the name from the old Play:1, Play:3 and Play:5 speakers, but this new model has little to do with those products of the past. The $299 Play is a Wi-Fi and Bluetooth speaker that sits between the $179 Roam 2 and $499 Move 2 and could be the goldilocks speaker in the companys portable lineup, at least based on what I know so far. The closest comparison for the Play is the excellent Era 100 , which Sonos released back in 2023. At 7.6 tall, 4.4 wide and 3 deep, its much thinner than the Era 100 which is over 5 inches deep. And compared to the Move 2 (9.5 x 6.3 x 5) its much more portable. That goes for weight, too the Play is less than 3 pounds, compared to over 6.5 pounds for the Move 2. Its not the kind of speaker youll throw in your bag and forget about, like the tiny Roam 2, but its far more portable than the Move 2. Finally, the Play is IP67 rated, just like the Roam 2. That means it can be submerged in up to a meter of water for up to 30 minutes; its also dustproof. The grab handle on the back of the Sonos Play. Sonos From a speaker component perspective, its again quite similar to the Era 100. It has two tweeters positioned at a 90-degree angle for stereo separation paired with one midwoofer; it also has two additional passive radiators to increase the bass response in its relatively small case. The Era 100 lacks those passive radiators but is otherwise identical. Obviously, well have to listen to the Play before saying how closely it compares to the Era 100, but this speaker should significantly outperform the Roam 2 simply due to the increased size of its components. The Move 2, on the other hand, is extremely loud and will likely still be the best choice for people who want a speaker to cover a large outdoor space. Youll find familiar controls on the Sonos Play, which comes in black or white. (Fingers crossed for future color options like the lovely trio that Sonos offers on the Roam.) On the top surface are buttons for play/pause, volume up and down and a microphone toggle. On the back is a power button, a Bluetooth button and a physical switch that disconnects the microphone for increased security. Finally, theres a new feature here: a removable plastic grab loop. Sonos was keen to note that the Play is a full-featured member of the Sonos ecosystem. Like all of its other speakers, that means youll see all Sonos speakers in the app and can group them as you see fit, or have different music playing on different speakers throughout the house. You can also pair two of these in stereo. If you remove one from your network (say youre outside and away from Wi-Fi), youll need to re-pair them though. In addition to controlling playback via the Sonos app (which, in my testing, is functioning fine and recovered from the 2024 debacle), you can stream music via AirPlay 2 or Spotify Connect. The Sonos Voice Assistant as well as Amazon Alexa are also on board here for anyone who likes to shout at their speakers. The Sonos Play on its wireless charging base. Sonos Theres a new trick here for both the Play and Move 2, as well. For the first time, you can group Sonos speakers together through Bluetooth. After pairing a Play to your phone via Bluetooth, you can press and hold the play/pause button on three more Play or Move 2 speakers to add them to the group. If you want to cover a larger outdoor space with multiple speakers, this sounds like a pretty handy way to do so. The Play also has line-in via its USB-C port, and you can use it for Ethernet as well; both features require a separate adapter. You can even use the USB-C port to top up your phone if youre so inclined. And while you can also charge via the USB-C port, the Play comes with a wireless charging dock which makes for a nice home base for the speakers primary location. Annoyingly, Sonos did not include a charger, so youll need to provide your own USB-C brick. A pair of Sonos Era 100 SL speakers with a turntable. Sonos Sonos is also adding a second, much simpler speaker to its lineup today: the Era 100 SL. Like the One SL before it , the Era 100 SL is identical to the Era 100 with one key difference. There are no microphones on it at all. As such, the Era 100 SL is also a bit cheaper, coming in at $189 compared to $219 for the standard model. Otherwise, there are no differences in acoustic architecture or feature set here. As its most affordable speaker besides the portable Roam 2, Sonos is positioning the Era 100 SL as the ideal entry point into its products. I cant really argue with that, as the Era 100 still sounds outstanding and is also quite flexible with features like line-in and Bluetooth as well as all the standard streaming options. Both versions of the Era 100 are compatible with each other, too so if you get an SL and then decide you want a stereo pair, a standard Era 100 with a mic will work there and bring voice control to your system as well. Both the $299 Play and $189 Era 100 SL are up for pre-order now, and Sonos says theyll be shipping on March 31. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/the-sonos-play-puts-the-best-parts-of-the-era-100-in-a-portable-speaker-133000129.html?src=rss
After outages, Amazon to make senior engineers sign off on AI-assisted changes
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I Used Googles New Gemini-Powered Help Me Create Tool in Docs. Its Great at Corporate-Speak
Google has injected Docs, Drive, Sheets, and Slides with its Gemini assistant, adding new features that can pull information from your emails and the web to help you draft content. I gave it a whirl.
Apple MacBook Neo Review: Delicious, Low-Hanging Fruit
At $599, the MacBook Neo is Apples first budget laptop. For the most part, Apple cut corners in the right places and made a MacBook its intended buyers will adore.
Hyperscale Power is the latest startup to challenge 140-year-old transformer tech
Startup Hyperscale Power is developing technology that promises to shrink power transformers, freeing up precious space within data centers.
Google rolls out new Gemini capabilities to Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drive
The idea behind the new features is to make the apps more personal and capable to help users get things done faster, right within the platforms themselves.
Zoom introduces an AI-powered office suite, says AI avatars for meetings arrive this month
Zoom is also introducing a real-time deepfake detection tech for meetings
MacBook Neo review: Apple puts every $600 Windows PC to shame
I really don't know how Apple did it. The MacBook Neo is a $600 laptop that doesn't feel like an afterthought, which is a curse that has befallen so many cheap Windows notebooks. Sure, it has a slower A-series processor and it's limited to 8GB of RAM. But the MacBook Neo still feels as deeply considered as Apple's most premium hardware. Its screen, trackpad and overall usability is so far ahead of the competition, every Windows PC maker, including Microsoft, should be ashamed. I've argued that a cheap MacBook could be the best for Apple to peel away Windows users , and after spending almost a week with the Neo, I'm convinced it will do just that. It's just fast enough to handle basic productivity work. It's sturdy enough to be tortured by kids in classrooms. And you really can't beat its $599 starting price. Once Windows users learn it's not that hard to switch to macOS, Apple will likely have another hit on its hands. What's so Neo about this MacBook? I'll admit, I laughed at the MacBook Neo's name at first. It really does feel like a desperately hip name ASUS or Acer would slap onto their machines (in fact, Acer is doing so right now), rather than something Apple would even consider. But the Neo name is more than just a dated reference to the Matrix it's also a clear signal that this is a new type of MacBook. It's the first one Apple has ever been able to sell so cheaply. It's the first one powered by a mobile A-series chip. And for many people, it will likely end up being their first Mac. The MacBook Neo also marks the first time Apple has built a value-focused notebook under $1,000. The adorable handle-equipped iBook G3 looked like a system geared towards kids, but it launched at $1,599 in 1999. The original MacBook Air, which Steve Jobs revealed by pulling it out of a manilla envelope, sold for $1,799 in 2008. MacBooks only got semi-affordable when Apple dropped the Air's entry price to $999 in 2014. (The starting price has bounced between $999 and $1,099 ever since.) It dabbled in the concept further by keeping the M1 MacBook Air around at Walmart stores for $699 in 2024 before eventually dropping its price down to $650 last year. If you were lucky, you could also find it for $499 during some holiday sales. A citrus MacBook Neo being held up with one hand. Devindra Hardawar for Engadget While the M1 MacBook Air was a great value over the last few years, its last-gen Apple design aged quickly. The Neo looks far more modern, with an all-aluminum case that resembles the current Air (it's a bit smaller, but weighs the same 2.7 pounds). Color is the Neo's biggest draw, with bolder options like the greenish citrus and pink blush, along with Apple's typical dark and light case options. The citrus hue is the most unique, as we've seen rose gold MacBooks before. It would have been nice to see other strong colors too, like a brighter blue or something with a hint of purple. The people want personality, Apple! Under the hood, the MacBook Neo is a story of compromise, more so than any MacBook before it. Apple had to find a way to deliver its premium user experience while also cutting costs significantly to reach its $599 price. Relying on the A18 Pro, which powered last year's iPhone 16 Pro, was likely far more cost effective instead of using an older M-series chip that isn't being built anymore. That A18 Pro chip also means the MacBook Neo has to be fairly limited when it comes to ports: there are only two USB-C connections on board (one is USB 3.0, and the other is USB 2.0). There's no MagSafe charging connection, which is a shame since the MacBook Neo will likely end up around trip-prone kids in schools and homes. A citrus MacBook Neo's USB-C ports. Devindra Hardawar for Engadget The biggest compromise lies in the MacBook Neo's RAM and disk space. It starts with just 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. You can shell out another $100 to get 512GB of storage and a Touch ID button, but there's no way to add more RAM. Typically, my first piece of advice to any prospective computer buyer is to get at least 16GB of memory, as that's the easiest way to see faster performance when juggling tons of tabs, apps and large files. That's particularly true for Mac laptops, since Apple's unified memory is baked into its A-series and M-series chips. The MacBook Neo's 8GB limitation shows the precise audiences Apple is targeting with the MacBook Neo: casual users. Those include people who need secondary machines for light workloads and schools relying on Chromebooks. I'm not reneging on my 16GB RAM recommendation if the idea of less RAM in your main computer makes your skin crawl, the Neo isn't for you. The MacBook Air is still around, and it can easily be equipped with tons of RAM and storage. Apple also deserves credit for squeezing in an impressive 1080p webcam in the Neo, something I havent seen in any other $600 Windows notebook. And while the resolution is impressive, Apples image processing also manages to deliver sharp and vibrant image quality. Its usually easy to tell the overall quality of someones computer on group video calls based on their video quality. The MacBook Neo will have people thinking youre calling in from a pricier MacBook Air or MacBook Pro. When I first demoed the MacBook Neo at Apple's launch event, its keyboard felt a bit flimsier than those on the Air and Pro. But I may have just been distracted by the crowd and noise. My review unit's keyboard feels just as accurate as the Air's, allowing me to type at full speed (near 100 words per minute) without any issues. There's none of the weird input problems I noticed on Dell's far more expensive XPS 14 . The MacBook Neo's trackpad is similarly responsive and accurate for swiping and gestures. That's particularly surprising, since Apple isnt using a haptic Force Touch trackpad like all of its laptops for the past decade. The Neo's pad clicks down mechanically and yet, it doesn't feel as muddy as similar trackpads we see on budget PCs. It's also notable that Apple was able to make the Neo's trackpad completely clickable, whereas PC mechanical options often only click along their bottom half or third. A citrus MacBook Neo on a table outside. Devindra Hardawar for Engadget Enough Mac for most I didn't expect much from the Neo's A18 Pro processor and limited specs, and yet it still managed to surprise me. It easily handled having dozens of tabs open across multiple browsers, a show playing on the TV app, photo editing in Pixelmator Pro and running the new Apple Arcade title Oceanhorn 3 without any significant slowdown. There's clearly some swift memory management going on, delivering just enough RAM for the task right in front of you. The Neo's RAM usage typically hovered between 80 and 85 percent when I was trying to stress it, but it never went beyond that range. And if you're curious, the Neo typically used around 50 percent of its memory just to run macOS, even with no other apps running. I'd bet most people wouldn't see a major performance difference between the MacBook Neo and the Air for basic tasks. Even their screens look similar: The Neo's LCD panel has only a slightly lower resolution than the Air's, but its smaller 13-inch screen size gives it a similarly rich pixel density. The screen looks bold and colorful indoors, and it's also bright enough to use in direct sunlight outside. That's not something you usually see on $600 laptops. Oceanhorn 3 on a MacBook Neo. Devindra Hardawar for Engadget During a demo at the Neo's launch event, I saw its screen compared side-by-side to a $600 HP laptop. The difference was literally night and day the HP's display struggled to show the vibrancy of daylight photos, while the Neo's made photos pop off the screen. Similarly, the Neo's side-firing speakers sound significantly better than the tinny garbage HP stuffs into its discount machines. The Neo's speakers are ideal for watching videos and streaming content, but they definitely lack the clarity and low-end bump from the Air and MacBook Pro's upward firing speakers. Geekbench 6 CPU Geekbench 6 GPU Cinebench 2024 Apple MacBook Neo (A18 Pro) 3,372 /8,406 19,511 107/324 Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4, 2025) 3,784/14,745 36,273 172/660 GPU: 3,465 Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3, 2024) 3,190/12,102 30,561 N/A Microsoft Surface Pro 12-inch (2025, Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus) 2,315/10,915 9,539 108/530 I was definitely trying to push the MacBook Neo harder than a typical user, but it simply kept delivering. In Geekbench 6's CPU benchmark, the MacBook Neo sits between the M2 and M3 MacBook Air for single-core tests, and below the M2 for multi-threaded work. Apple's hardware still manages to put Intel and AMD to shame, with single-threaded Geekbench 6 scores that are higher than the latest hardware from both companies. But of course, that's just one benchmark beefy CPUs with active cooling will still be more performant overall. Whats most impressive about the MacBook Neo is that it manages to be a functional and well-rounded notebook at just $599. Microsofts low-budget $800 Surface Pro 12-inch was cute, but we found its performance incredibly underwhelming (and you still had to pay more for the keyboard). The 2.2-pound ZenBook A14 was impressively light, but again it was just too slow to be useful. Apple probably could have worked harder to make the MacBook Neo a tad lighter, but its still easy to hold and travel with. Id much rather Apple kept it at the MacBook Airs 2.7-pound weight, instead of making the Neo less powerful or more expensive. The only time the MacBook Neo completely failed was when I tried to run complex games meant for Apple's M-series chips. Lies of P installed just fine, but upon launch it just stopped as it tried to load shaders. Honestly, I'm surprised I was even able to install it in the first place. The most gaming you'll do on the Neo are things built specifically for Apple Arcade and the company's mobile chips, or cloud streaming options like GeForce Now or Xbox. During our battery test, which involves looping a 4K video, the MacBook Neo lasted 12 hours and 15 minutes. That's far below the 18 hours and 15 minutes I saw on the M4 MacBook Air, but it's still enough to last you during a typical work or school day. Again, Apple also had to sacrifice plugging in a bigger battery to keep the Neo's costs down. A citrus MacBook Neo on a table outside. Devindra Hardawar for Engadget Should you buy the MacBook Neo? It's rare for Apple to genuinely surprise me these days, but the MacBook Neo did just that. It's a $599 computer that can handle basic workloads just fine, all the while looking like one of the company's more expensive notebooks. Most importantly, it delivers more speed, a brighter screen and an overall better user experience than any competing $600 Windows PC. It's so good, I think it'll make many people wonder why they've stuck with sub-par PCs for so long. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/macbook-neo-review-apple-puts-every-600-windows-pc-to-shame-130000878.html?src=rss
Sandbar secures $23M Series A for its AI note-taking ring
Sandbar aims to ship the Stream, which can be used to take notes, chat with an AI assistant, and for media playback, this summer.
Some People Are Too Sleepy to Make Fancy Coffee. For Them, Theres the Keurig K-Cafe
If convenient coffee is what you seek, this coffee machine is worth every inch of counter space.
The best robot vacuums on a budget for 2026
If vacuuming is your least favorite chore, employing a robot vacuum can save you time and stress while also making sure your home stays clean. While once most robo-vacs landed on the higher end of the price spectrum, thats not the case anymore. Sure, you could pick up a $1,000 cleaning behemoth with mopping features, but it would be incorrect to assume that you need to spend that much money to get a good machine. Now, you can get an autonomous dirt-sucker with serious cleaning chops for $500 sometimes even $300 or less. But you get what you pay for in this space; dont expect affordable robot vacuum cleaners to have all of the bells and whistles that premium machines do, like self-emptying capabilities or advanced dirt detection. After testing dozens of robot vacuums at various price points , Ive narrowed down our top picks for the best budget robot vacuums you can buy right now. Best budget robot vacuums for 2026 Are robot vacuums worth it? Since I've tested dozens of robot vacuums, I'm often asked if these gadgets are worth it and I'd say the answer is yes. The biggest thing they offer is convenience: just turn on a robot vacuum and walk away. The machine will take care of the rest. If vacuuming is one of your least favorite chores, or you just want to spend less time keeping your home tidy, semi-autonomous robotic vacuum is a great investment. Many models, albeit more expensive ones, even come with features like a self-empty station to further reduce maintenance. There are plenty of other good things about them, but before we dive in lets consider the biggest trade-offs: less power, less capacity and less flexibility. Those first two go hand in hand; robot vacuum cleaners are much smaller than upright vacuums, which leads to less powerful suction. They also hold less dirt because their built-in bins are a fraction of the size of a standard vacuum canister or bag. Fortunately, some models include features like an auto-empty station, which helps with dirt capacity, especially in homes with pet hair. When it comes to flexibility, robot vacuums do things differently than standard ones. You can control some with your smartphone, set cleaning schedules and more, but robo-vacs are primarily tasked with cleaning floors. On the flip side, their upright counterparts can come with various attachments that let you clean couches, stairs, light fixtures and other hard-to-reach places. What to look for in a budget robot vacuum When looking for the best cheap robot vacuum, one of the first things you should consider is the types of floors you have in your home. Do you have mostly carpet, tile, laminate, hardwood? Carpets demand vacuums with strong suction power that can pick up debris pushed down into nooks and crannies. Unfortunately, there isnt a universal metric by which suction is measured. Some companies provide Pascal (Pa) levels and generally the higher the Pa, the stronger. But other companies dont rely on Pa levels and simply say their bots have X-times more suction power than other robot vacuums. So how can you ensure youre getting the best cheap robot vacuum to clean your floor type? Read the product description. Look for details about its ability to clean hard floors and carpets, and see if it has a max mode you can use to increase suction. If you are given a Pa measurement, look for around 2000Pa if you have mostly carpeted floors. Pay attention to the brush roll mechanism as well, especially if you're dealing with dog hair or other stubborn debris that can cause tangles. Many budget models use bristle brushes, while others offer tangle-free designs to minimize maintenance. You may find some budget robot vacuums also offer vacuum/mop combo capabilities. These bots feature a water tank, which means they can offer mopping functionality, enhancing debris pickup, and resulting in shiny floors. However, these are less common when youre shopping in the lower price range. Size is also important for two reasons: clearance and dirt storage. Check the specs for the robots height to see if it can get underneath the furniture you have in your home. Most robo-vacs wont be able to clean under a couch (unless its a very tall, very strange couch), but some can get under entryway tables, nightstands and the like. As for dirt storage, look out for the milliliter capacity of the robots dustbin the bigger the capacity, the more dirt the vacuum cleaner can collect before you have to empty it. You should also double check the Wi-Fi capabilities of the robo-vac youre eyeing. While you may think thats a given on all smart home devices, its not. Some of the most affordable models dont have the option to connect to your home Wi-Fi network. If you choose a robot vac like this, you wont be able to direct it with a smartphone app or with voice controls. Another feature thats typically reserved for Wi-Fi-connected robots is scheduling because most of them use a mobile app to set cleaning schedules. But Wi-Fi-incapable vacuums usually come with remote controls that have all the basic functions that companion mobile apps do, including start, stop and return to dock. And if youre concerned about the possibility of hacking, a robot vac with no access to your Wi-Fi network is the best option. Obstacle detection and cliff sensors are other key features to look out for. The former helps the robot vacuum navigate around furniture while it cleans, rather than mindlessly pushing its way into it. Many also offer no-go zones, letting you block off areas you dont want the robot to enter. Meanwhile, cliff sensors prevent robot vacuums from tumbling down the stairs, making them the best vacuum for multi-level homes. How we test robot vacuums When we consider which robot vacuums to test, we look at each machines specs and feature list, as well as online reviews to get a general idea of its capabilities. With each robot vacuum we review, we set it up as per the instructions and use it for as long as possible at minimum, well use each for one week, running cleaning cycles daily. We make sure to try out any physical buttons the machine has on it, and any app-power features like scheduling, robot mapping and more. Since we test robot vacuums in our own homes, there are obstacles already in the machines way like tables, chairs and other furniture this helps us understand how capable the machine is at avoiding obstacles, and well intentionally throw smaller items in their way like shoes, pet toys and more. With robot vacuums that include self-emptying bases, we assess how loud the machine is while emptying contents into the base and roughly how long it takes for us to fill up the bag (or bagless) base with debris. Robot vacuum maintenance tips First and foremost, always empty your robot vacuums dustbin after every cleaning job, or use a self-empty station if the model supports it. Simply detach and empty the dustbin as soon as the robot is done cleaning, and then reattach it so it's ready to go for the next time. Its also a good idea to take a dry cloth to the inside of the dustbin every once in a while to remove any small dust and dirt particles clinging to its insides. In addition, youll want to regularly examine the machines brushes to see if any human or pet hair has wrapped around them, or if any large debris is preventing them from working properly. Some brushes are better than others at not succumbing to tangled hair, but its a good idea to check your robots brushes regardless both their main brush and any smaller, side brushes or corner brushes they have. These parts are often easy to pop off of the machine (because they do require replacements eventually) so we recommend removing each brush entirely, getting rid of any tangles or other debris attached to them and reinstalling them afterwards. If you have a robot vacuum with mopping capabilities, youll need to wash the bots mop pads too, to avoid any unpleasant smells or tracking mess around your home. Similarly, if your robot vacuum has a water tank, its worth washing this out regularly to keep it clean. Robot vacuums also have filters that need replacing every couple of months. Check your machines user manual or the manufacturers website to see how long they recommend going in between filter replacements. Most of the time, these filters cannot be washed, so you will need to buy new ones either directly from the manufacturer or from other retailers like Amazon or Walmart . Budget robot vacuum FAQs Are budget robot vacuums good for pet hair? Yes, budget robot vacuums can be good for pet hair. Just keep in mind they generally tend to have lower suction power and smaller dustbins than more expensive (and larger) robot vacuums. If pet hair is your biggest concern, we recommend getting as expensive of a robot vacuum as your budget allows, or consider investing in a cordless vacuum since those tend to be more powerful overall. How long do budget robot vacuums last per charge? Budget robot vacuums typically last 40-60 minutes per charge, and the best ones will automatically return to their charging dock when they need more power. Do budget robot vacuums work on carpets and hardwood floors? Yes, budget robot vacuums work on both carpets and hardwood floors. Which budget robot vacuums have mapping features? Home mapping features are typically exclusive to more expensive robot vacuums. Check the product description of any robot vacuum you're thinking of buying and look for smart mapping or smart home mapping in the feature list if you want a device that supports it. Check out more from our spring cleaning guide. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/best-budget-robot-vacuums-133030847.html?src=rss
AI network startup Eridu emerges from stealth with hefty $200M Series A
Unlike a vibe-coded product built by a college dropout, Eridu's co-founder, Drew Perkins, has been inventing networking tech since the dawn of the internet.
You can now use ChatGPT to open Shazam instead of... just opening Shazam
Shazam is now available within ChatGPT , if you dont want to launch the music discovery app on your phone for, well, reasons. You will have to link the Shazam app with the chatbot first from its Apps page , after which you can summon it in-chat to identify whatever song is playing. To summon Shazam in-chat, you can use prompts like Shazam, whats playing? or Shazam, what is this song? A box will pop up that you can tap on to launch the music discovery service, which will then listen to the tune playing. ChatGPT will display the songs name, artist and artwork, along with the option to save the song to Shazam. Take note that the feature will work within ChatGPT even if you dont have the music discovery app downloaded on your device, which does make it useful if youre using a phone with full memory. The Shazam integration has started rolling out globally within ChatGPT on iOS, Android and the web. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/you-can-now-use-chatgpt-to-open-shazam-instead-of-just-opening-shazam-114000363.html?src=rss
8 Best Cheap Phones (2026), Tested and Reviewed
Theres little reason to pay top dollar for a smartphone. These iPhones and Android devicesranging from $100 to $600stood up to WIREDs testing.
FAA opens up real world testing for air taxi startups
US regulators have approved eight pilot programs across 26 states that will allow Archer , Joby and other eVTOL companies to finally start testing aircraft this summer, according to a US Department of Transportation (DoT) press release . That will allow those manufacturers to run trials for use cases like urban air taxi services, regional passenger transportation, cargo, emergency medical operations and autonomous flight technology. The new projects were made possible by the White House's Advanced Air Mobility and eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (e-IPP) approved last year to allow certification for such aircraft to progress after being stuck in the mud for years. By safely testing the deployment of these futuristic air taxis and other AAM vehicles, we can fundamentally improve how the traveling public and products move, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at the time . Other FAA aircraft partners include Beta, Electra, Elroy Air, Wisk, Ampaire and Reliable Robotics. Key pilot programs were approved for the Texas, Utah, Pennsylvania, Louisiana and North Carolina Departments of Transportation, along with New York and New Jersey Port Authority and the City of Albuquerque. We've already glimpsed some of the ideas, like Archer's plan to use air taxis between New York's major airports and city heliports. A number of eVTOL startups have launched in recent years, but so far none of the aircraft have received ype certificates for carrying passengers or other commercial purposes. Archer and Joby are the farthest along in that process, having been granted the FAA's final airworthiness criteria the final step before full approval. The delays are mostly about safety and working eVTOL planes into existing aviation flows. The gap isn't technical capability anymore. It's regulatory synchronization, the FAA's Kalea Texeira said last year on LinkedIn . [That includes factors like] vertiports. Energy supply chains. Part 135 [commercial] integration. Pilot training frameworks that match the aircraft timeline. In the same post, Texeira added that Joby wouldn't certify until mid-2027 at the earliest, with Archer following in 2028. The new program could help accelerate plane-makers' plans. In a YouTube video , Beta CEO Kyle Clark said selection for the program will help his company start operations a year earlier than it previously expected. Archer, meanwhile, compared the program to robotaxi testing and said it will help build trust with the public for its Midnight aircraft. This is the clearest sign yet... that bringing air taxis to market in the United States is a real priority, said Archer CEO Adam Goldstein. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/faa-opens-up-real-world-testing-for-air-taxi-startups-112219316.html?src=rss
The Morning After: The new iPad Air M4 is Apple's best overall tablet
Now that Apple is designing and engineering its own silicon, the updates come fast. Its been less than two years since the company released the M2-powered iPad Air and were already on our third iPad Air iteration, one with the M4 inside. Thats the same chip that was inside the iPad Pro in 2024. Thats one way of expressing how powerful 2025's iPad Air now is and it remains a step above the base iPad in most ways. However, theres room for improvement. Apple has stuck with the same display for another year. The 11-inch iPad Air that Nathan Ingraham reviewed seems to have has the same screen in 2026 as it did when the first no-Home button iPad Air was released in late 2020. (And thats the one Im still using!) Also, why still no FaceID? Mat Smith The other big stories (and deals) this morning iPhone 17e review: The economical choice Anthropic sues US government over supply chain risk designation You can (sort of) block Grok from editing your uploaded photos OpenAI's robotics hardware lead resigns following deal with the Department of Defense Qualcomm's new Arduino Ventuno Q goes all-in on AI and robotics Its a more sophisticated board. Qualcomm, which bought microcontroller board manufacturer Arduino last year, just announced a new single-board computer that marries AI with robotics. The Ventuno Q is more sophisticated (and expensive) than Arduino's usual AIO boards, thanks to the Dragonwing IQ8 processor that includes an 8-core ARM Cortex CPU, Adreno Arm Cortex A623 GPU and Hexagon Tensor NPU that can reach up ot 40 TOPs. It also pacs in Arduino App Lab, with pre-trained AI models including LLMs, VLMs, gesture recognition and object tracking, all running offline. Continue reading. Apple may delay its smart display launch until fall Siri's ongoing AI overhaul could be to blame for the wait. Bloomberg s Mark Gurman is back with the latest rumors on new Apple hardware and the companys continued Siri woes. His sources say that Apple is expected to postpone its smart home display until later in 2026, possibly September, when it often introduces another barrage of new gadgets. The hardware has reportedly been finished for months, but the AI-centric overhaul of Siri is still not done. Continue reading. Dell XPS 14 (2026) laptop review That one flaw... Engadget Dells revamped XPS 14 is more powerful than ever. The XPS series has long been a favorite at Engadget, and this ones lightweight and features a gorgeous OLED screen. However, Dells keyboard this year has a baffling flaw: its keyboard. It somehow forces you to type more slowly to log each key press. And this isnt a capacitive touchscreen or anything complicated. According to Dell, a small batch of early XPS units have these quick typing issues. They also say the issue is currently resolved and doesnt affect XPS units shipping now. Well be checking once a firmware update, meant to fix the issue, lands. Continue reading. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-111539860.html?src=rss
Proshort wins enterprise adoption with RateGain for its AI-native revenue platform
RateGain selects Proshort for its global revenue teams, signalling a broader shift from legacy revenue intelligence tools and static dashboards to AI-driven execution systems.
The Best Streaming Bundles and Streaming Deals of March 2026
Here are the current best bundles from the most popular services.
How Can a Locomotive Pull a Long Train Thats Much Heavier?
For railroads, its all about managing static and kinetic friction.
Digital experience testing platform Mozark raises $40M in Series B round
The Singapore-headquartered company is an AI-powered platform that tests and measures the performance of digital services across devices, networks, and infrastructure to help organisations detect and fix issues before users experience them.
Wiim Amp Ultra Review: A Fantastic Streaming Amp With TV Input
This amazing Sonos Amp alternative offers nearly everything you could want from a modern stereo.
Whoop launches a new blood test focused on womens health
The wearable maker is launching a new panel focused on women's health through its Whoop Labs blood testing service. It's also adding a new feature to its app that surfaces information about hormonal changes during menstrual cycles.
The Oversight Board says Meta needs new rules for AI-generated content
The Oversight Board is once again urging Meta to overhaul its rules around AI-generated content. This time, the board says Meta should create a separate rule for AI content that's independent of its misinformation policy, invest in more reliable detection tools and make better use of digital watermarks among other changes. The group's recommendations stem from an AI-generated video shared last year that claimed to show damaged buildings in the Israeli city of Haifa during the Israel-Iran conflict in 2025. The clip, which racked up more than 700,000 views, was posted by an account that claimed to be a news outlet but was actually run by someone in the Philippines. After the video was reported to Meta, the company declined to remove it or add a high risk AI label that would have clearly indicated the content had been created or manipulated with AI. The board overturned Meta's decision not to add the high risk label and says the case shines a light on several areas where the company's current AI rules are falling short. Meta must do more to address the proliferation of deceptive AI- generated content on its platforms, including by inauthentic or abusive networks of accounts and pages, particularly on matters of public interest, so that users can distinguish between what is real and fake, the board wrote in its decision. Meta eventually disabled three accounts linked to the page after the board flagged obvious signals of deception. One of the board's top recommendations is that Meta create a dedicated rule for AI-generated content that's separate from its misinformation policy. The rule, according to the board, should include specifics about how and when users are required to label AI content as well as information about how Meta penalizes those who break the rule. The board was also highly critical of how Meta uses its current AI Info labels, noting that the way they are applied is neither robust nor comprehensive enough to contend with the scale and velocity of AI-generated content, especially in times of conflict or crisis. A system overly dependent on self-disclosure of AI usage and escalated review (which occurs infrequently) to properly label this output cannot meet the challenges posed in the current environment. Meta, the board said, also needs to invest in more sophisticated detection technology that can reliably label AI media, including audio and video. The group added that it was concerned about reports that the company is inconsistently implementing digital watermarks on AI content created by its own AI tools. Meta didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on the Oversight Board's decision. The company has 60 days to formally respond to its recommendations. The decision isn't the first time the board has been critical of Meta's handling of AI content. The group has described the company's manipulated media rules as incoherent on two other occasions, and has criticized it for relying on third-parties, including fact checking organizations, to flag problematic content. Meta's reliance on fact checkers and other trusted partners was again raised in this case, with the board saying that it had heard from these groups that Meta is less responsive to outreach and concerns, in part due to a significant reduction in capacities for Metas internal teams. Meta, the board writes, should be capable of conducting such assessments of harm itself, rather than rely solely on partners reaching out to them during an armed conflict. While the Oversight Board's decision relates to a post from last year, the issue of AI-generated content during armed conflicts has taken on a new urgency during the latest conflict in the Middle East. Since the start of the US and Israel's strikes on Iran earlier this month, there has been a sharp rise in viral AI-generated misinformation across social media . The board, which has previously hinted that it would like to work with generative AI companies, included a suggestion that would seem to apply to not just Meta. The industry needs coherence in helping users distinguish deceptive AI-generated content and platforms should address abusive accounts and pages sharing such output, it wrote. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/the-oversight-board-says-meta-needs-new-rules-for-ai-generated-content-100000268.html?src=rss
TikTok can continue its operations in Canada after agreeing to enhanced security measures
TikTok doesnt have to close its offices in Canada after all. The country will allow TikTok to keep its business operational after a national security review, Minister of Industry Mlanie Joly has announced . This is a complete 180 of the countrys decision back in 2024 to order TikTok to shut down its operations, citing unspecified national security risks posed by the company and its China-based parent ByteDance. Canadian authorities said back then that their decision was based on evidence collected by the countrys security and intelligence community. As Bloomberg notes, the order was paused shortly after Mark Carney replaced Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister in early 2025. Carney was the first Canadian PM to visit China in years and had a discussion with President Xi Jinping about tariffs. Joly said TikTok will be allowed to operate in Canada with new enhancements in data security and regulatory oversight. To start with, it will have to implement privacy-enhancing technologies to reduce the risk of unauthorized access that compromise Canadians personal information. It will also have to add enhanced protections for minors and ensure transparency by letting an independent third party audit and continuously verify data access controls. this decision will protect Canadian jobs, ensuring that TikTok Canada maintains a physical presence in Canada, with commitments to invest in its cultural sector, Joly said in a statement. TikTok Canada will support the growth of Canadian creators, artists and cultural organizations, while strengthening the production and accessibility of Canadian cultural content in both official and Indigenous languages across the country. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/tiktok-can-continue-its-operations-in-canada-after-agreeing-to-enhanced-security-measures-095239399.html?src=rss
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Rodes Rodecaster Video Core makes livestreaming even cheaper
Rodes not done releasing trimmed-down versions of its production tools with an eye on budget conscious creators. Today, its launching Rodecaster Video Core, an all-in-one studio setup which sits below its flagship Rodecaster Video and its (now) mid-range Video S . Its aimed at folks who are either dipping a toe into this world, or already have audio gear and just want to broaden out to HD video as well. Arguably, the biggest change is the lack of any controls on the hardware itself, as youll be running the show entirely from inside the Rodecaster App. In terms of connectivity, youll find three HDMI-in, one HDMI-out, four USB-C, two 3.5mm and two Neutrik combo ports round back. Connect a compatible video device to a USB-C port and youll be able to run up to four sources at a time, and you can even use network cameras via Ethernet. Plus, youll be able to use the Rode Capture app to wirelessly connect the feed from an iOS device to your setup. And youll even be able to set it up to automatically switch between feeds based on audio inputs, reducing your need to micromanage multi-person feeds. Rode And, if youre already rocking one of Rodes audio consoles, the Rodecaster Sync app will make your life a lot easier. Essentially, if youve got a Rodecaster Pro 2 or Duo , youll be able to hook it up to your Video Core, allowing you to set shortcuts directly to your pads. In fact, you can run your audio and video setup from the one desk, hopefully reducing the amount of fiddling you need to do in the middle of your stream. Core is designed to stream straight to YouTube, Twitch and any other platforms youd care to use instead. Youll be able to record your footage to an external drive and, thanks yo a new firmware update across the range, youll also be able to output a EDL file for DaVinci Resolve. Oh, and youll now be able to import media in non-standard resolutions and aspect ratios such as square footage from social media which will be automatically scaled and optimized for your show. Rodecaster Video Core is available to pre-order now for $599 , but theres no word yet on when the sturdy boxes will start winging their way around the world. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/rodes-rodecaster-video-core-makes-livestreaming-even-cheaper-230053061.html?src=rss
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You can (sort of) block Grok from editing your uploaded photos
People can block the xAI's Grok chatbot from creating modifications of their uploaded images on social network X. Neither X or xAI, both Elon Musk-owned businesses, have made a public announcement about this feature, which users began noticing on the iOS app within the image/video upload menu over the past few days. This option is likely a response to Grok's latest scandal, which began at the start of 2026 when the addition of image generation tools to the chatbot saw about 3 million sexualized or nudified images created. An estimated 23,000 of the images made in that 11-day period contained sexualized images of children, according to the Center for Countering Digital Hate. Grok is now facing two separate investigations by regulators in the EU over the issue. The positive side of the recent feature addition is that X and xAI have taken a step toward limiting inappropriate uses of Grok. This block is a simple toggle and it hasn't been buried in the UI. So that's nice. The negative side, however, is that this token gesture that doesn't amount to any serious improvement to how Grok works or can be used. It's great that the chatbot won't alter the file uploaded by one person, but as reported by The Verge , the block only limits tagging Grok in a reply to create an image edit. There are plenty of workarounds for those dedicated individuals who insist on being able to use generative AI to undress people without their consent or knowledge. Hopefully xAI has more powerful protective tools in the works. The limitations Grok on putting real people in scanty clothing that X announced in January seem to have had only partial success at best. If this additional and narrow use case is all the company offers, then the claims of being a zero-tolerance space for nonconsensual nudity are going to ring hollow. Especially since, as we noted at the time , xAI could stop allowing image generation at all until the issue is properly and thoroughly fixed. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/you-can-sort-of-block-grok-from-editing-your-uploaded-photos-215356117.html?src=rss
OpenAI and Google employees rush to Anthropics defense in DOD lawsuit
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