Gadgets

Meta will fund seven new natural gas plants to power its biggest data center yet

Meta will essentially foot the power bill for the $27 billion mega data center it's building in Louisiana. On Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the company struck a deal to fund the energy infrastructure needed for the project. Through a deal with Entergy Louisiana, Meta will fund seven new natural gas power plants, 240 miles of transmission lines and battery energy storage at three locations. The gas plants will have a combined power output of 5,200 megawatts, and the transmission lines will operate at 500 kilovolts. In addition, the company will help fund up to 2,500 MW of new renewable resources. It also agreed to a memorandum of understanding for future nuclear power development. The 4-million-square-foot Richland Parish, LA, data center will be Meta's biggest yet . It's currently under construction. The energy deal follows a pledge by tech companies , including Meta, to offset local residents rising electricity costs from AI data centers. The companies plan to uild, bring or buy the new generation resources and electricity needed to satisfy their new energy demands, paying the full cost of those resources. However, the pledge lacks a binding agreement or any enforcement mechanisms. The shift in tone comes in response to growing anger from local communities over the rise of power-hungry, environmentally damaging AI data centers. A December poll found that 60 percent of Americans including majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and independents support more AI regulation. Just this week, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced a bill to force a moratorium on data center construction until meaningful regulations are passed. We could easily file this and similar moves as Big Tech's latest attempt to convince voters and officials that it can be trusted to do right without enforceable regulations. We've seen that movie before . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/meta-will-fund-seven-new-natural-gas-plants-to-power-its-biggest-data-center-yet-201000045.html?src=rss

European Commission confirms data breach

The European Commission has announced that it suffered a cyber attack that affected cloud infrastructure hosting the Commission's web presence on the Europea.eu platform. While the attack has been contained, Bleeping Computer reports that the threat actor claiming to be behind it was able to take over 350GB of data before the Commission addressed the issue. Early findings of our ongoing investigation suggest that data have been taken from [Europa] websites, the European Commission says. The Commission is duly notifying the Union entities who might have been affected by the incident. The Commission's investigation is ongoing, and it has yet to disclose how its cloud infrastructure was breached. According to Bleeping Computer , the threat actor was able to access the Europa sites and employee data via one of the Commission's Amazon Web Services accounts. The Commission disclosed a breach that similarly impacted employee data in February. Both breaches appear to be less severe than the Salt Typhoon hack that impacted US telecommunications companies in 2024. Hackers reportedly gained access to data from the smartphones of members of both the Trump and Harris campaigns, and other government officials. In January 2026, the European Commission introduced a new Cybersecurity Package designed to address similar issues, in part by outlining new ways for EU states to deal with potentially risky companies in their telecom supply chains. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/european-commission-confirms-data-breach-200000982.html?src=rss

Crunchyroll is now available as a channel in the Apple TV app

If you're still using Crunchyroll after its AI subtitle fiasco and subsequent price increase, there's a new way to watch. The anime streaming service is now available as a channel in the Apple TV app. That means you can subscribe and stream your favorite anime titles, all within Apple's video app. No need for the Crunchyroll app or a separate login. (Your Apple account handles your subscription using this method.) 9to5Mac notes that this is the first significant new channel added to the TV app in some time. Crunchyroll starts at $10 per month, after the platform raised all of its monthly subscription prices by $2 earlier this year. That may be a hard sell for fans frustrated by the platform's direction. Last year, months after the company president enthused about the potential for AI subtitles, fans noticed something fishy . The German subtitles for Necronomico and the Cosmic Horror Show included one that began with ChatGPT said Crunchyroll pinned the blame on a third-party vendor and promised it would work to rectify the error. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/crunchyroll-is-now-available-as-a-channel-in-the-apple-tv-app-182500579.html?src=rss

If you live in Georgia, there's a new exhibit you can visit celebrating Apple's 50th anniversary

The Mimms Museum of Technology and Art in Roswell, Georgia is debuting a new exhibit celebrating Apple's 50th anniversary. The exhibit, iNSPIRE: 50 Years of Innovation from Apple , is set to open on April 1, the date the company was founded, and includes more than 2,000 artifacts across 20,000 square feet, making it the largest public display of Apple products in the world. iNSPIRE is supposed to offer a unique look into Apple, by highlighting early computers, rare prototypes, original documentation and immersive installations inspired by Apples most iconic products and campaigns. Based on photos shared from the exhibit's launch event, that includes displays of every model of key products like the iPod, iPhone and iPad, and an interactive installation that inserts you in the company's iconic iPod ads. If you're based on the west coast of the US, the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California is also displaying its own Apple@50 exhibit , and running what it calls Mactivations, scheduled demos where you can interact with a reproduction of an original Macintosh. Apple's own celebrations have included a published letter from CEO Tim Cook ruminating on the company's mission, and live music events at the company's stores, offices and select landmarks around the world. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/if-you-live-in-georgia-theres-a-new-exhibit-you-can-visit-celebrating-apples-50th-anniversary-180940846.html?src=rss

It looks like we're finally getting an Ocarina of Time remake

After years of rumors and countless fan-made Unreal Engine tech demos of varying quality, it sounds like we might finally be getting a ground-up remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time . Thats according to Nintendo insider NatetheHate, who said in the latest edition of his podcast that a remake of the seminal Nintendo 64 game would be coming to Switch 2 in the second half of 2026. The reliable tipster said he doesnt know whether Nintendo is making a 1:1 remake of the original 3D Zelda entry, or something thats a little more free to explore design choices, adding that he was initially reluctant to share the information hed received in case we ended up getting little more than an HD remaster. But it sounds like this is a more ambitious undertaking than that. Ocarina of Time has of course been remastered before, with 2011s The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D for the 3DS generally considered to be the best version of the game you can play today. The original 1998 game is also easily accessible via emulation through Nintendo Switch Online, but a modern remake for Switch 2 does make some sense. For one, 2026 marks the series 40th anniversary, and if you asked every Zelda fan alive what their favorite entry is, you can bet that OoT would feature pretty high in the final rankings. Were also getting that live-action Zelda movie next year, and Nintendo will no doubt want to make sure audiences have done their homework on the games that inspired it. Of course, none of this is official, so have those grains of salt at the ready, but NatetheHate did also claim that anyone hoping for a new 3D Mario game to arrive in 2026 is going to be disappointed. Thats more likely to arrive in 2027. In better news, were apparently also getting a brand new classic-style Star Fox game this summer, which would mark the return of the spacefaring Fox McCloud after a decade spent in Nintendos unloved mascot closet. This rumor seems logical after Nintendos surprise announcement that the anthropomorphic red fox is going to feature in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie , which arrives next week. Hes being voiced by Glen Powell , because of course he is. NatetheHates information on all of the above has been corroborated by VGC , which says it lines up with what it's heard from its own sources. And in the case of the Ocarina of Time remake, that recent Lego set suddenly makes a lot of sense. If indeed we do get the remake of Metacritic s highest-rated game of all time later this year, physical collectors could have a difficult choice to make, after Nintendo announced that physical versions of first-party Switch 2 games are about to become more expensive than their digital counterparts. This adjusted pricing will come into effect when Yoshi and the Mysterious Book launches on May 21. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/it-looks-like-were-finally-getting-an-ocarina-of-time-remake-175546356.html?src=rss

The original Hollow Knight just got an update to fix a glitch with a final boss

Team Cherry just fixed a bug with the original Hollow Knight , according to a report by GamesRadar . That game came out a full nine years ago, so it's pretty impressive that the dev team is still cranking out updates. Spoilers follow, but it's been nine years so whatever. The update involves a glitch regarding an attack from The Radiance, one of the final bosses of the game. At later stages, she tosses out these honing balls of light. These are difficult to avoid on their own, but a glitch made it so the balls of light occasionally lingered in the air after finishing. This added yet another way for the player to take some damage and led to numerous unnecessary deaths. This has now been fixed. The patch notes say the developers fixed Radiance's orb attack hitbox lingering slightly longer than intended if the orb expires in the air. This is great news for brand-new players and frustrating news to people who have been trying to avoid those lingering orbs for the better part of a decade. Better late than never, right? We don't know why the company tackled this particular issue right now. It could be that the success of the long-awaited sequel , Hollow Knight: Silksong , has been driving new players to the original release. It's also possible they just now got around to it. Today's patch includes other stuff, like raising the volume when navigating the inventory and adding more journal notification icons. Team Cherry isn't Ubisoft or Nintendo. It's a relatively small team. The team has been pumping out updates for Silksong as well. Team Cherry recently added traditional Chinese and German language options, which had become a sticking point for some. It's also busy working on the game's first major DLC expansion, called Sea of Sorrow . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-original-hollow-knight-just-got-an-update-to-fix-a-glitch-with-a-final-boss-173533993.html?src=rss

The PS5 is getting more expensive... again

It was only last August that Sony raised PS5 console prices in the US, blaming a challenging economic environment at the time. Today it has slightly tweaked the phrasing to continued pressures in the global economic landscape, but the outcome is the same: price rises across the board, this time even affecting the PS Portal handheld. Starting April 2, the price of the standard PS5 (thats the one with the disc drive) is going up to $650. Thats a whopping $100 hike, or $150 if you go back to before the August price increases. The Digital Edition is getting the same increase, up to $600 from $500 since August. But the most eye-wateringly huge bump goes to the PS5 Pro , which will now cost you $900, $150 more than its (already very high) previous $750 MSRP. If you managed to pick up a Pro during last years Black Friday sale, when its price was slashed to $650, then youre probably feeling pretty smug right now. Even the PlayStation Portal is getting a $50 increase, up from $199 to $250. The Portal has gotten a lot more capable in the last 12 months, but $250 for a device that cant run any games natively might make a purchase harder to justify for a lot of people. In a blog post, Sony acknowledged the impact of prices increases on its audience, but said after careful evaluation that it was a necessary step to ensure we can continue delivering innovative, high-quality gaming experiences to players worldwide. Global economic turbulence is affecting the entire games industry right now. Valve has already pushed back the launch date for the Steam Machine, while the ongoing RAM crisis could also be to blame for Steam Deck stock shortages. Microsoft also raised Xbox prices twice last year, and earlier this week Nintendo announced that some of its physical first-party Switch 2 games will soon be more expensive than purchasing the game digitally. While Nintendo has experimented with this kind of pricing structure before, it might point to the increasingly prohibitive costs of making and shipping products right now. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/the-ps5-is-getting-more-expensive-again-133141514.html?src=rss

Engadget Podcast: Can Microsoft fix Windows 11 by dumping AI?

It turns out people don't actually love having Copilot shoved into their faces. This week, Devindra and PCWorld Senior Editor Mark Hachman discuss Microsoft's surprising plan to fix Windows 11 by refocusing on customization and core features, instead of bringing Copilot AI into tons of apps. Is there any enthusiasm left for Windows? Or will most people be better off considering macOS or Linux? Subscribe! iTunes Spotify Pocket Casts Stitcher Google Podcasts Topic Microsoft hits the reset button on Windows 11, de-emphasizing Copilot AI 1:03 OpenAI pulls the plug on its Sora video generation app after just 5 months 25:23 Metas terrible week in court, part 1: $375 million ruling in New Mexico child engagement case 33:58 Metas terrible week in court, part 2: Meta and Google lose landmark social media addiction suit 38:49 OpenAI puts erotic chat on hold indefinitely 43:49 Update your iPhones: iOS exploit Darksword released on GitHub 46:39 Epic games lays off 1,000 workers after Fortnite engagement dips 47:48 Honda and Sony kill off their Afeela EV collaboration 49:26 Listener Mail: Which Mac Mini to get for a budding pro photographer 55:15 Pop culture picks 57:52 Credits Host: Devindra Hardawar Guest: Mark Hachman Producer: Ben Ellman Music: Dale North and Terrence OBrien This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/engadget-podcast-can-microsoft-fix-windows-11-by-dumping-ai-122601592.html?src=rss

The Morning After: Sony and Hondas debut EV is dead before it even arrived

Honda and Sony announced that they are discontinuing both the Afeela 1 and 2, their electric cars. The company is reviewing its business direction, but it's hard to expect much from a car company thats cancelled all of its cars. The Afeela 1, casually called the PlayStation Car, was meant to be a fusion of a modern EV and your own digital media bubble. (You could have a God of War -themed dash if you wanted that.) Engadget Theres a wider pressure on Honda, beyond this risky collaboration with Sony. It expects to take a $15.7 billion loss after writing off a large portion of its EV investment. The USs removal of federal EV tax credits and the imposition of tariffs have hit everything hard. The Afeela was exciting on paper, but in person, it was a pretty unassuming sedan. And expensive! Rival EV makers were offering more for less. Also: dont tease a car for six full years. Its never a good sign. Check out Tim Stevens editorial on how it all fell apart. Mat Smith The other big stories (and deals) this morning Ugh, Netflix is raising prices again Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez introduce a bill to pause US data center construction . OpenAI is shutting down its Sora video generation app Hades 2 is coming to Xbox Series X/S and PS5 on April 14 Meta and YouTube lose social media addiction case TikTok and Snap settled ahead of the trial. Smart. A jury in Los Angeles has found that Meta and YouTube were negligent in a closely watched trial over social media addiction. The two companies were ordered to pay $6 million in damages to a woman who said their addictive features harmed her. For Meta, it's the second legal setback in recent weeks, after a New Mexico jury ruled against it on child safety issues. Meta was ordered to pay $375 million in penalties, making this settlement seem small in comparison. The companies are planning to appeal. Continue reading. Sonos Play review The company's best portable speaker so far. Engadget The Sonos Play could be the companys reset button, a way to remind people what the company does well and move on from busted updates, expensive gambits and fussy apps. The $299 Play is a portable speaker that sits between the $499 Sonos Move 2 and the $179 Roam 2. The new speaker sounds great, has a wide and versatile feature set and wont break the bank. We particularly like the inclusion of Bluetooth grouping. Continue reading. DJI Avata 360 drone review Theres a new 360-degree drone in town. Engadget DJI responded quickly to Insta360s debut drone, the Antigravity A1, with the Avata 360. Its drawn from years of drone experience (and tech from its new Osmo 360 action cam). Compared to the A1, its safer to fly around people and offers single-camera OIS 4K footage in addition to 8K 360 video. The 360 video it shoots offers incredible editing flexibility, but overall quality is lower than that of DJIs other drones. Its cheaper than its 360 drone rival, too, though US availability remains unclear. Continue reading. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-121539576.html?src=rss

Fender Mix review: Well-designed headphones that just fall short of greatness

I know what youre thinking: Isnt Fender a guitar company? It sure is, and has been one of the most iconic names in guitars and amplifiers since 1946. So what is the company doing making headphones and speakers? Well, it isnt, exactly. Like Zound Industries used to do with Marshall (before buying the amp business), another company is licensing the Fender name for its consumer audio products. Fender Audio , the brand thats on the headphones Im reviewing, is owned by the Fender Corporation, but Riffsound oversees the design and production of portable audio gear. The first products from Fender Audio are the Mix headphones and the Elie speaker (in two sizes). The company revealed these in January before properly showing them off at CES . Ill get to those speakers in a few weeks, but the Mix headphones are first up on the review docket. With the Mix, Fender Audio seeks to offer a set of premium over-ear, noise-canceling headphones at a lower price than the likes of Sony, Bose and Sennheiser. Theres also marathon battery life, several smart design touches, a lossless Bluetooth transmitter and swappable parts that combine for a unique formula to take on those big names. Im honestly impressed that Fender Audio could cram all of that in a more affordable package, but the final verdict on the Mix isnt so straightforward. Whats good about the Fender Mix headphones? Fender Audio made numerous smart design decisions on the Mix headphones, and they resulted in my favorite things about using them. To start, you can swap out the ear pads, ear cups and headband as you see fit. The ear cups attach to the headband via USB-C ports, so theyre easy to snap on and off. Obviously, this allows you to change the look of the Mix over time, within the bounds of Fenders available colors. Underneath the ear pads, Fender put a storage slot for the lossless dongle on the left side and gives you access to the removable battery on the right. Im thrilled that I can enjoy higher quality Bluetooth connectivity without having to remember to bring along such a small accessory. Plus, its nice to know that users will be able to install a fresh battery, provided the company sells those at some point. I also enjoy how Fender Audio designed the onboard controls. First, theyre physical buttons, which are always my preference over touch- or gesture-based options. Second, the main one is a five-way joystick, so theyre very simple. Press it to play/pause, press and hold for pairing mode or press longer to power on or off. If you push the joystick up or down, you can adjust the volume, while moving it left and right skips the track forward or backward. You can also push down twice to enable Auracast pairing right on the headphones. A second button, which is just the regular kind, is used to cycle through noise canceling modes: ANC, transparency and both off. The lossless Bluetooth dongle inside the left ear cup Billy Steele for Engadget Sonically, the Mix headphones are at the height of their powers in lossless mode, which is enabled by the Bluetooth dongle hidden inside the ear cup. Bass tuning thats otherwise overpowering in most cases is restrained, and you can pick up finer details in the more balanced mix. When listening to Watchhouses Rituals, I got the sense that I was surrounded by the band, with strings, drums and vocals enveloping my ears with sound rather than it simply being projected from the left and right channels. Theres more nuance with the lossless mode, and it kept calling me back to the Mix headphones at the times when Id probably opt for the conveniences of earbuds or a speaker. ANC performance is respectable, although its not on the level of Bose. Its good enough to block out mild-to-moderate distractions, but it struggles with louder human voices and sudden jolts of noise. It will certainly do the job in the office or coffee shop, but you may notice some sounds invade your ears during a commute. For calls, transparency mode provides natural sound and it picks up enough of my voice that I never felt the need to shout. Call quality, though, is a different matter (more on that in a bit). Another big perk of the Mix is its long battery life. Fender Audio says youll get up to 52 hours with ANC on or a whopping 100 hours with it off. The company is forthcoming with the fact that the latter number is achieved at 50 percent volume, which will be too low for most regular use. Still, with noise canceling enabled and the volume around 70 percent, I had 52 percent battery left after nearly 30 hours of use. I spent most of that time with either ANC or transparency mode on. Whats not so good about the Fender Mix? The five-way joystick and ANC button on the Fender Mix Billy Steele for Engadget Out of the box, Fender Mixs tuning is too bass heavy. I realize a lot of people prefer a thundering low-end tone out of their headphones, but I found it to be too overpowering here. The stock sound profile is my biggest issue with this model, although its somewhat alleviated by using the lossless Bluetooth dongle. In that mode, the bass is slightly subdued, but its still quite prominent at times when it shouldnt be. On that Watchhouse album, the kick drum starts to drive the sound, rather than the guitars, mandolin and other instruments. When I listen to the same songs on other headphones, Ive noticed a better blend of drums and strings. With more intense genres, like the hardcore riffs and breakdowns of Incendiarys Product of New York, the booming bass isnt as much of an issue. The distorted guitars still cut through, and theres plenty of texture in their tone. And when each song hits its climax, the cranked up lows offer extra oomph. It works for metal, but it isnt always nice for bluegrass, jazz and synth-laiden electronic tunes where the extra bass can muddy the mix. The Fender Mix also lacks many of the smart features that are present in premium headphones today, which is probably how the company is able to sell them for $299. Things like automatic EQ tweaks and adaptive ANC are missing, as is automatic pausing when you speak or things like head gestures. These headphones dont have wear detection either, so they dont pause the audio when you take them off. Theres also no app available to dial in the EQ or adjust other settings (its coming soon). These headphones only have two microphones for calls, and you can tell almost instantly that those are insufficient. Despite claims of crystal clear calls, your voice will just sound okay to the person on the other end. Honestly, I wouldve sounded better just using my iPhone with no headphones. The Mix works to get your voice across, but dont dream of dialing into a podcast recording with them. Whats more, the Mix isnt good at blocking background noise, so youll need to use them in a quiet location to have a chance at sounding decent. Which, again, is about the best these headphones can muster. While the modular design allows for a decent degree of customization, the extra parts youll need arent on sale yet. Whats more, only two colors white, which is really more of a light gray, and black are currently available. So, for now, one of the perks of the Mix remains untapped. Wrap-up The Fender Mix headphones Billy Steele for Engadget Theres a lot to like about the Fender Mix, from the clever design choices to the crisp, detailed sound. The lack of finesse with the bass tuning and the omission of advanced features, particularly the absence of an app for settings changes, keeps these headphones firmly planted in the midrange category. Clearly thats not what the company is aiming for with tools like the lossless Bluetooth dongle, but thats where it lands for me at the end of the day. So, at $299, the Mix is a tough call when a $250 price tag would make these an easier sell. Sure, theres enough here to make these a capable daily audio accessory, but not everything Id need to call them a must buy. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/fender-mix-review-well-designed-headphones-that-just-fall-short-of-greatness-120000974.html?src=rss

MLB The Show 26 is turning me into more of a baseball fan

There were two questions I was looking to answer as I fired up MLB The Show 26 . First, how much does the game cater to a baseball newbie like me? Second, will it keep me hooked enough to keep playing after my first few games? I think it's important to share some personal context. I have very limited experience with baseball. I have been to one MLB game, which was on my first visit to Canada as a teen. The lead-off Toronto Blue Jays hitter scored a home run on his first at-bat. Fireworks went off and everyone was going wild. Fun! But that was the only score of the whole game. My dad and I (both lifelong soccer fans, for what its worth) were bored lifeless for the rest of the three hours. An incredible run of a dog playing a baseball game at Games Done Quick aside, I had no real interest in the sport for the next couple of decades until the Blue Jays made a deep run into the 2025 playoffs. This time, now as a Canadian citizen, I bought into the excitement and watched all of the World Series last year. I was enthralled. I slowly started to appreciate the nuances of pitching, the skill of trying to make every pitch look identical at the time the ball is thrown to hopefully hoodwink the batter. Friends who are in-the-know tolerated my most basic of questions about how everything works as the postseason wore on. Now, Im planning to watch a lot more games this year and MLB The Show 26 arrived at just the right time to get me ready for the new season. Sony's San Diego Studio seemed to be speaking to me, personally, when the first thing the game asked me to do was select my preferred playstyle. The Competitive track was definitely out for now. The Simulation option offers an authentic MLB experience that plays true to player and team ratings. I wasn't quite feeling that either. As a newcomer to all of this, I had to select the Casual style. Thats billed as an easier, fun, pick up and play experience with an emphasis on learning the game. Exactly what I needed. I was immediately impressed with how deeply you can customize the gameplay, even if the vast array of batting and pitching options in particular felt a little overwhelming. Using both a thumbstick to aim and button to swing at the ball seemed too much for someone who has no idea as yet how to read pitches. Dipping my toes in slowly was surely going to help me avoid getting too frustrated too quickly and uninstalling the game, so I chose to keep everything as simple as possible. Im not switching off options like automated bullpen warm ups for a long time, if ever. Finally, after about 20 minutes of fine-tuning some settings in the tutorial, it was game time. The Dodgers didn't know what hit 'em as I won my first game 38-0. I thought this Shohei guy was supposed to be good? Pffft, he didn't even register a hit. His team only got a measly two players on base, while I had 46 hits. That blowout was a fun intro to MLB The Show 26 , but I had to bump up the difficulty and make it a little more challenging if there was any chance of me sticking with it. Instead of jumping into the Road to the Show career mode, an online match or another exhibition game to get my feet a tad wetter, I next tried the Storylines feature. This is what really drew me into MLB The Show 26. San Diego Studio has been sharing the stories of several notable players from the Negro Leagues in the last few editions of the series. I know very little about baseball history outside of household names. So I was fascinated to learn about the likes of Roy Campanella, who debuted in the league as a 15-year-old catcher, and Mamie Peanut Johnson, the league's first female pitcher. The developers did a fantastic job of connecting these athletes' stories to playable moments from their playing careers. Cutscene insights from Bob Kendrick, the president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, tied everything together quite beautifully. Great stories are such an effective way to pull you into a sport and to start learning about it. Stories connect us more than just about anything else. The default difficulty in the Storylines mode was much higher than I dealt with in my first washout game. Still, that gave me a chance to practice the Competitive playstyle without having to play a full game or the stop-start nature of the tutorial. My pitching was less accurate, so figuring out how to compensate for that made for an interesting challenge. Batting was a lot tougher too, with balls travelling faster and pitchers trying to trick me. At first, I was swinging at every ball, but that clearly was the wrong idea. I tried to be more judicious and wait to see if a ball was breaking, but that meant I was swinging too late and fouling or giving the fielders an easy catch. That's a tricky conundrum to solve, and I'll need a lot more practice before I dream of playing online. I'm not even going to get started on how woeful I am at catching. And yet all of this deepened my appreciation for baseball. There's so much more nuance and complexity to the sport than I realized until a few months ago. And even as someone who doesn't typically enjoy turn-based games, I found myself getting into the swing of it... so to speak. I'm never going to care about Diamond Dynasty, MLB The Show's take on Ultimate Team modes in EA Sports games. I can't see myself diving into the team management-focused Franchise mode, in large part because I don't yet have a strong enough understanding of stats to have a decent handle on what makes a specific player great in their role. And as much as I like the idea of the Road to the Show career mode in which you can stick with a player from their high school days all the way to a Hall of Fame induction I don't think I can invest enough time into that to make it worth the effort. I did find the answers to the two main questions I had about MLB The Show 26. It does a bang-up job of easing a baseball newbie like me into the fray. I'm eager to keep playing as well. I don't think MLB The Show has quite enough pull to keep me away from my actual forever game, Overwatch , for too long. But I can absolutely see myself playing it on a second screen while streaming some MLB games this season. After all, I'm always on the lookout for a great story. MLB The Show 26 is out now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/mlb-the-show-26-is-turning-me-into-more-of-a-baseball-fan-120000724.html?src=rss

RGG's Stranger Than Heaven game will span five time periods

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has revealed more details about its upcoming title, Stranger Than Heaven , at the Xbox Partner Preview stream . While previous teasers showed that it was going to be set in the 1910s and 1940s, it turns out its gameplay will span five different time periods: 1915, 1929, 1943, 1951 and 1965. The games events will also take place in five different cities. Ryu Ga Gotoku has yet to reveal what the locations will be based on, but the setting for 1965 seems to be Kamurocho. Thats the fictionalized version of Tokyos Kabukicho entertainment district in the studios games, the Yakuza and Judgment series. One time period seems to be set during winter, while another focuses on a hot spring town. Its clear from teasers and the new trailer RGG released that new title will share Yakuzas aesthetics and maybe even its fighting mechanics. The studio has yet to say whether it will be connected to the Yakuza series, but fans believe Stranger Than Heaven could focus on the beginnings of the yakuza clans that appeared throughout the franchise. RGG Studio will reveal more details about the game on another stream with Xbox on May 6 at 7PM Eastern time. For now, you can watch the trailer below for a preview. Take note that while the studio has teamed up with Xbox for these reveals, the game will also be available on Steam and the PS5. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/rggs-stranger-than-heaven-game-will-span-five-time-periods-114554699.html?src=rss

Court temporarily blocks US government from labeling Anthropic as a 'supply chain risk'

The court has granted Anthropics request for a preliminary injunction, preventing the government from banning its products for federal use and from formally labeling it as a supply chain risk, at least for now. If youll recall, things turned sour between the company and the Trump administration when Anthropic refused to change the terms of its contract that would allow the government to use its technology for mass surveillance and the development of autonomous weapons. In response to Anthropics refusal, the president ordered federal agencies to stop using Claude and the companys other services. The Defense Department also officially labeled it as a supply chain risk, which is typically reserved for entities typically based in US adversaries like China that threaten national security. In addition, department secretary Pete Hegseth warned companies that if they want to work with the government, they must sever ties with Anthropic. The AI company challenged the designation in court, calling it unlawful and in violation of free speech and its rights to due process. It asked the court to put a pause on the ban while the lawsuit is ongoing, as well. In a court filing, the Defense Department said giving Anthropic continued access to its warfighting infrastructure would introduce unacceptable risk to its supply chains. But Judge Rita F. Lin of the District Court for the Northern District of California said the measures the government took appear designed to punish Anthropic. Lin wrote in her decision that it seems Anthropic is being punished for criticizing the government in the press. Punishing Anthropic for bringing public scrutiny to the governments contracting position is classic illegal First Amendment retaliation, she continued. The judge also said that the supply chain risk designation is contrary to law, arbitrary and capricious. She added that the government argued that Anthropic showed its subversive tendencies by questioning the use of its technology. Nothing in the governing statute supports the Orwellian notion that an American company may be branded a potential adversary and saboteur of the US for expressing disagreement with the government, she wrote. Anthropic told The New York Times that its grateful to the court for moving swiftly and that its now focused on working productively with the government to ensure all Americans benefit from safe, reliable AI. The companys lawsuit is still ongoing, and the court has yet to issue its final decision. Judge Lin said, however, that Anthropic has shown a likelihood of success on its First Amendment claim. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/court-temporarily-blocks-us-government-from-labeling-anthropic-as-a-supply-chain-risk-083857528.html?src=rss

Samsung launches Galaxy Book 6, Galaxy Book 6 Pro and Galaxy Book 6 Ultra AI PCs in India

Samsungs Galaxy Book 6 series uses Intel Core Ultra series 3 processors with an integrated NPU supports up to 50 TOPS for AI-driven tasks

ASICS GEL-Kayano 32 Review: Has Kaizen Caught Up with Indian Roads?

The ASICS GEL-Kayano isnt just a shoe, but something that has become a symbol of dependable performance

Apple plans to open Siri to rival AI services: Report

Apple is developing tools to let chatbot apps installed via its App Store work with Siri and other features under its Apple Intelligence platform, Bloomberg News reported

Google Gemini now lets you import your chats and data from other AI apps

Google is adding a pair of new features to Gemini aimed at making it easier to switch to the AI chatbot. Personal history and past context are big components to how a chatbot provides customized answers to each user. Gemini now supports importing history from other AI platforms. Both free and paid consumer accounts can use these options. With the first option, Gemini can create a prompt asking a competitor's AI chatbot to summarize what it has learned about you. The result might include details such as your typical written communication style, your family members' names or your key preferences. The other AI tool's summary can then be pasted into Gemini, providing Google's platform with a preliminary profile. The second option allows users to import their entire chat history with a different AI assistant into Gemini. Doing so allows people to reference earlier conversations or requests made on a different platform after migrating to the Google option. Anthropic recently introduced a similar memory import feature, so Google may also be hoping to scoop up some of the people who are dropping OpenAI following its shady-sounding new arrangement with the Department of War. Whatever the motivation, these options should make it easier to have a seamless transition between providers. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-gemini-now-lets-you-import-your-chats-and-data-from-other-ai-apps-225711015.html?src=rss

Apple discontinues the Mac Pro

Apple has confirmed to Engadget that the Mac Pro, the desktop tower-shaped computer that was last updated in 2023, has been discontinued. As 9to5Mac notes , the computer no longer appears in the lineup of Macs on Apple's website or in its storefront. That means at least for now, the Mac Studio is the Apple's top-of-the-line professional computer. The current version of the Mac Pro was introduced in 2019, with a distinct cheese-grater design, Intel chips and a bevy of easily-accessible expansion slots. Apple released the computer as a make-good for several years of inadequately meeting the performance needs of professional Mac users, but its uncontested time at the top of the company's lineup was short-lived. A year later in 2020, Apple began transitioning to its custom M-series Arm chips , proving Macs could be more powerful and power-efficient by abandoning Intel entirely. Apple eventually updated the Mac Pro to the M2 Ultra without updating the computer's design, but by then the writing was on the wall. The far smaller Mac Studio, introduced in 2022 , also supported the new chip, and it's been updated since then while the Mac Pro has languished. Bloomberg reported Apple was planning to retire the Mac Pro in November 2025, so it's not all that surprising the company quietly pulled the plug only a few months later. Apples effort to cater to professionals, creatives and anyone with a chunk of change to drop on a fast computer lives on through the Mac Studio, and the recently announced Studio Display XDR , itself a replacement for the Pro Display XDR Apple announced for the 2019 Mac Pro. Now all the company needs to do is update the Mac Studio with an M5 Max chip to make it the most pro computer Apple offers. Update, March 26, 6:25PM ET: Added confirmation from Apple that the Mac Pro has been discontinued. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/apple-discontinues-the-mac-pro-221502339.html?src=rss

X moves the ashes of Tweetdeck behind its $40 Premium+ subscription

X Pro, the feature most users would recognize as TweetDeck, has been removed as a benefit of the social network's Premium subscription. It is now only part of the Premium+ tier, which costs $40 a month. TweetDeck was rebranded to X Pro in 2023 following Elon Musk's renaming of Twitter to X. It became a subscription feature shortly after. The tool offered a popular interface for showing multiple timelines, feeds and lists in a single interface. Engadget staffers using X Pro at the Premium level didn't find any advanced notice that the feature would be changing subscription tiers, so people may be in for an unpleasant surprise when they next go to access their accounts. The feature appears to be gone no matter when you last paid up for the service, which might feel pretty scummy for people who just re-upped to have such a key feature lost. At least some of the X support documentation currently describes X Pro as only available under Premium+. It's listed as such under the help center page listing different X Premium plan benefits, but at the time of publish, there's currently no mention of the limitation on the dedicated X Pro page . Here's what Grok had to say when a confused subscriber asked about the change: Hi Nadine, X updated X Pro (TweetDeck) access todayit's now Premium+ only, per the official help page. The Creator Hub table hasn't refreshed yet, causing the mix-up. Upgrade via settings or contact Premium support for details. Grok (@grok) March 26, 2026 This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/x-moves-the-ashes-of-tweetdeck-behind-its-40-premium-subscription-210601250.html?src=rss

Ugh, Netflix is raising prices again

Netflix is raising prices across all of its subscription tiers, according to an updated Plans and Pricing page spotted by Android Authority . The company last raised prices in January 2025, when the cost of all of its tiers were jacked up by $1 or more. As of this latest price hike, Netflix's ad-supported Standard plan is going from $8 per month to $9 per month, while the ad-free version is rising from $18 to $20 per month. The company's Premium plan, meanwhile, which supports things like 4K streams, spatial audio and the ability to watch content on four devices at the same time, is jumping from $25 to $27 per month. Netflix is also making the cost of adding an extra member to your plan more expensive. Adding a member to an ad-supported plan now costs an additional $8 per month, while adding someone to an ad-free plan now costs $10 per month. When asked to comment on the price changes, a Netflix spokesperson shared that the company is updating prices in the U.S to reflect improvements to our wide range of entertainment and the quality of our service. The new prices will roll out to current subscribers in the coming weeks. Existing members will be notified by email a month before the new prices are applied to them, the spokesperson said. The exact timing will depend on the specific members billing cycle. Netflix is not quite at the point where it's raising the cost of its subscription every year, but it's getting close. Prior to last year's price hike, the company last raised prices in 2023 . The streaming service's growing subscription fees have helped Netflix to continue its push into streaming live events like sports and reality TV competitions , and to license new kinds of content like video podcasts . If Netflix hadn't dropped out in February, they also would have served as financial backing for the company's acquisition of Warner Bros . Even though Warner Bros. Discovery ultimately decided to take Paramount Skydance's offer , Netflix didn't leave the deal empty handed: Paramount paid the company $2.8 billion to formally end its acquisition of the historic film studio. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/ugh-netflix-is-raising-prices-again-202318277.html?src=rss

Judge tosses out X's advertiser boycott lawsuit

A US District Court Judge for the Northern District of Texas has dismissed X Corp.s lawsuit against advertisers it claimed participated in an illegal boycott of X, Reuters reports . X originally filed its lawsuit in 2024 in response to advertisers pulling ads from the social media platform, a decision reportedly motivated by X's lax approach to moderating hate speech. Judge Jane J. Boyle was not swayed by Xs claims that advertisers like Twitch , Shell, Nestl and Lego pulling advertising amounted to an antitrust injury. The companies named in Xs lawsuit are members of the World Federation of Advertisers Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), an organization used by advertisers to bargain for certain safety standards from the platforms they advertise on. Advertisers took issue with X's approach to moderation and responded accordingly, purchasing ad space on other social platforms instead. The decision hurt X's ad revenue, but as Boyle writes in the dismissal, the company made no claim that advertisers did so to benefit a competitor or to form their own competing platform. They also didn't prevent X from selling ad space to other companies not in GARM. The very nature of the alleged conspiracy does not state an antitrust claim, Boyle writes, and the Court therefore has no qualm dismissing with prejudice. Xs lawsuit being dismissed with prejudice means the company will be unable to refile the lawsuit at a later date. Separately, Judge Boyle also denied X the ability to appeal her decision. The company's rancor for advertisers was apparent when owner Elon Musk compared X's lawsuit to going to war , but the vitriol appears to be all for naught. X claimed in January 2026 that nearly all its top advertisers had returned to buying ads on the platform. As a subsidiary of xAI , the social platform is now also facing new, even more pressing issues, like its AI assistant Grok's alleged willingness to generate sexually explicit imagery of minors . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/judge-tosses-out-xs-advertiser-boycott-lawsuit-184832071.html?src=rss

Blumhouse's horror-centric cozy game Grave Seasons will be released on August 14

The spooky, yet cozy, game Grave Seasons is coming out on August 14, which was announced at today's Xbox Partner Preview event . This is basically Stardew Valley , but set in a Lovecraftian nightmare of a town. Players farm, mine and romance villagers, but also solve murders and deal with the occasional bloodthirsty demon or two. It looks fun! This is being published by Blumhouse Games, which is a division of the film studio that pumps out modern horror hits like Happy Death Day , M3GAN and Five Nights at Freddy's . Perfect Garbage is the development studio behind the game, which previously made the narrative-driven cyberpunk title Love Shore . Grave Seasons is coming to just about every platform out there, including Xbox Series X/S, Steam, PS5 and the Switch. It's truly a golden age for cozy gamers. This isn't the only cozy game with a darker undercurrent. Titles like Graveyard Keeper , Cozy Grove and Spiritfarer have all experimented with this idea. Even Nintendo's recent smash Pokmon Pokopia is set in some kind of post-apocalyptic world. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/blumhouses-horror-centric-cozy-game-grave-seasons-will-be-released-on-august-14-184042880.html?src=rss

Stalker 2 is getting its first DLC, Cost of Hope, this summer

Stalker 2 is getting its first DLC, titled Cost of Hope , this summer. The expansion and its general release window was announced during today's Xbox Partner Preview showcase. It's been more than a year since the base game finally released, closing a long development cycle that was disrupted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, where the studio GSC Game World was initially based. Stalker 2 was released on PlayStation 5 in the interim, but otherwise, the team has been focused on making this substantial DLC. Stalker 2: Cost of Hope will add two new regions and a new story that takes place alongside the events of the base game. You still play as protagonist Skif as you negotiate between two factions, Duty and Freedom, that have opposing views of the Zone and how to approach it. The blog post teased that there will be a second expansion on the way to close out the full Stalker 2 story as a trilogy. For now, the survival-horror saga will continue when Cost of Hope drops for the Xbox Series X/S, Xbox Cloud, Xbox on PC, PC and PlayStation 5 this summer. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/stalker-2-is-getting-its-first-dlc-cost-of-hope-this-summer-183009759.html?src=rss

Google begins rolling out Search Live globally

Following a false start last week , Google has begun rolling out Search Live globally . The tool allows you to point your phone's camera at an object or scene and ask questions about what you see in front of you. With today's expansion, Google is making Search Live available in every location and language where it offers its AI Mode chatbot . With that, people in more than 200 countries and territories can use Search Live to get answers to their questions. Behind the expansion is Google's Gemini 3.1 Flash Live model. According to the company, the new AI system was designed to be natively multilingual, and capable of more natural conversations. It should also be more reliable and faster. Separately from Search Live, Google is bringing Live Translate to iOS . Live Translate, if you need a reminder, allows you to put on a pair of headphones and get a real-time translation of what another person is saying. With today's announcement, Google is also bringing the feature to more countries, including Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan and the UK, across both Android and iOS. All told, Live Translate can now understand more than 70 languages and work with any set of headphones. Neat. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-begins-rolling-out-search-live-globally-180938407.html?src=rss

Hades 2 is coming to Xbox Series X/S and PS5 on April 14

If youve been (impatiently) waiting for Hades 2 to hit Xbox Series X/S and PS5 , theres some great news for you coming out of Thursdays Xbox Partner Preview showcase . Supergiants roguelite action RPG is coming to those consoles (as well as Xbox on PC and Xbox Cloud) on April 14. Itll be available on Xbox Game Pass too. The full version of Hades 2 hit PC and Nintendo Switch last September after over a year of Steam early access. It was one of our favorite games of 2025 . This time around, you play as Melino, the sister of the original games protagonist, Zagreus. Melino has a longer dash than her sibling, a sprint ability and more of a focus on area-of-effect attacks than ranged projectiles. You can also expect tough bosses along two separate paths, animal familiars, a range of modifiable weapons and messy romances. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/hades-2-is-coming-to-xbox-series-xs-and-ps5-on-april-14-175819696.html?src=rss

The EU is investigating Snapchat over possible child protection breaches

The European Union has opened a formal investigation into whether Snapchat has breached Digital Services Act (DSA) regulations regarding the safeguarding of children using its app. Regulators say that the company, whose audience demographic has always skewed young, may not be doing enough to protect minors from grooming and recruitment for criminal purposes. The EU is also looking into whether Snapchats younger users are too easily accessing information on how to buy illegal drugs and age-restricted products. Brussels argues that while Snapchat requires users to be at least 13 years of age to sign up for an account, its self-declaration age assurance system may not be an adequate means of ensuring those younger than the minimum age cant engage with the platform. The European Commission also says the current measures fail to assess whether users are younger than 17 years old, which it says is necessary for an age-appropriate experience. It also alleges that adults are able to exploit the current system to lie about their own age and impersonate minors. Investigators believe that the app itself doesnt allow for other users to report accounts they suspect are being used by people younger than the minimum age requirements. Moreover, they argue that reporting illegal content found on the app is not easy enough, and that Snapchat may not be informing its users about possibilities for redress. Other issues being looked at by the European Commission include child and teen accounts being recommended to other users by Snapchats Find Friends feature and insufficient guidance on available account safety features. The investigators are now in the process of gathering evidence, sending out interview invitations and requesting information from Snap. The Commission says the investigation is based on analysis of the last three years of risk assessment reports filed by Snapchat, as well as an information request it sent on October 10 in 2025. The safety and wellbeing of all Snapchatters is a top priority, and our teams have worked for years to raise the bar on safety, a Snapchat spokesperson said in a statement to Engadget. Snapchat is designed to help people communicate with close friends and family in a positive, trusted environment, with privacy and safety built in from the start - including additional protections for teens. As online risks evolve, we continuously review, strengthen, and invest in these safeguards. The company added that it has acted proactively and transparently in its efforts to meet the DSAs requirements, and said it would fully cooperate with the Commission throughout its investigation. Snap is one of a number of social media companies currently facing increased scrutiny regarding the safety of minors using its platform. In 2023, the company added new features designed to make it harder for teenagers to connect with strangers. One of these measures involved increasing the amount of mutual friends users must have before appearing in search and suggested accounts. Along with TikTok , the company recently settled a lawsuit that accused its platform of causing social media addiction. The case was brought by a 20-year-old woman who said shed been harmed by addictive features on Meta, YouTube, TikTok and Snap as a child. This week, a jury ruled against Meta and YouTube in the trial, with the companies ordered to pay the woman, who was named as K.G.M in official documents, $6 million in damages. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/the-eu-is-investigating-snapchat-over-possible-child-protection-breaches-174722759.html?src=rss

Serious Sam: Shatterverse will hit Xbox platforms this year

The Serious Sam game franchise is back with a new entry, giving the FPS series a co-op roguelite twist. Basically it's getting the Nightreign treatment in the same way Elden Ring did. The latest title is Serious Sam: Shatterverse , where teams of up to five players will take on waves of perennial foe Mental's monster goons. Each run will offer the usual roguelite approach of upgrade options to make your team more powerful. And if you're a long-time fan of the series, the trailer has plenty of the same broad, loud humor; for instance, the three upgrade cards shown are all ball jokes.Behavior Interactive, the studio behind Dead by Daylight , is helming the project. Serious Sam: Shatterverse will arrive on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox on PC and Xbox Cloud some time this year. Considering the first quarter is nearly over, the team is probably targeting the second half of 2026, but that's only a guess. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/serious-sam-shatterverse-will-hit-xbox-platforms-this-year-174620271.html?src=rss

Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez introduce a bill to pause US data center construction

File this one under hings that might have a shot after the midterms. On Wednesday, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) introduced the Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act. The bill would require an immediate pause on data center construction until specific new regulations are passed. The legislation aims to address the problem that AI is advancing faster than Washington's regulatory response ( basically none ) has kept pace. Despite its benefits , the technology poses grave threats to the job market and the environment . Rapidly advancing deepfakes could soon leave people unable to determine truth from fiction. (That is, more than online propaganda already has .) AI also makes mass surveillance easier than ever , potentially giving unelected tech leaders unfettered control over society. Last year alone, AI was responsible for over 54,000 layoffs nationwide, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez said in a press conference. And when we talk about those jobs, it's not just a number. These are industries. These are communities. These are families... All of this harm has occurred not in spite of, but because of, the absence of federal legislation to regulate AI. SOPA Images via Getty Images The bill would mandate not only an immediate pause on new data center construction but also on the upgrading of existing ones. This moratorium would only be lifted after one or more laws were passed to provide federal oversight of AI products. First, AI products would need to be proven safe for humanity. (That includes not just physical safety, but also areas like civil rights, privacy and public health.) The wealth AI generates would need to be shared with the American people, not just the billionaire tech bros pulling the strings. Protections would need to be in place to safeguard against mass unemployment. (Increasingly, companies are flat-out admitting that their layoffs are due to AI automation .) The legislation would also require future data centers to be environmentally safe. They would need to avoid increasing electricity or other utility bills for Americans. AI data centers would have to create union jobs with strong labor standards. Communities affected by them would be empowered to approve or reject their construction or upgrades. And no government subsidies could be provided for them. A moratorium will give us time, Sen. Sanders said. Time to understand the risks. Time to protect working families. Time to defend our democracy. And time to ensure that technology works for all of us, not just the few. Tom Williams via Getty Images On the one hand, these could be popular proposals. In a December poll , 60 percent of Americans including majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents said they supported more AI regulation. However, in Washington's current environment, well, dont get your hopes up. AI companies are pouring enormous sums of money into campaigns for both political parties. The industry spent at least $83 million in federal elections last year and that was an off-year without national elections. And of course, anti-regulatory Republicans currently control the presidency, both chambers of Congress and (essentially) the Supreme Court. So, fat chance it goes anywhere right now. But depending on how the 2026 midterms (and beyond) shake out who knows? One can dream, anyway. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/sanders-and-ocasio-cortez-introduce-a-bill-to-pause-us-data-center-construction-174451974.html?src=rss

Wikipedia has banned AI-generated articles

English Wikipedia has banned the use of generative AI when writing or rewriting articles. The platform says it came to this decision because using AI to whip up copy often violates several of Wikipedia's core content policies. There are a couple of minor exceptions. Editors can use large language models (LLMs) to refine their own writing, but only if the copy is checked for accuracy. The policy states that this is because LLMs can go beyond what you ask of them and change the meaning of the text such that it is not supported by the sources cited. Editors can also use LLMs to assist with language translation. However, they must be fluent enough in both languages to catch errors. Once again, the information must be checked for inaccuracies. My genuine hope is that this can spark a broader change. Empower communities on other platforms, and see this become a grassroots movement of users deciding whether AI should be welcome in their communities, and to what extent, Wikipedia administrator Chaotic Enby wrote . The administrator also called the policy a pushback against enshittification and the forceful push of AI by so many companies in these last few years. There is one thing worth noting. Wikipedia is not a monolith. Each Wikipedia site has its own independent rules and editing teams. Some may decide to embrace LLMs. However, others may go even further. Spanish Wikipedia, for instance, has fully banned the use of LLMs, with no exceptions for refinement or translation . Also, identifying text written by LLMs is not an exact science so Wikipedia's human moderators could miss some spots of slop every now and again. This is more likely on pages with less frequent moderation. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/wikipedia-has-banned-ai-generated-articles-173641377.html?src=rss

EU says Pornhub and others failed to stop minors accessing adult content

The European Commission (EC) accused four porn platforms of not doing enough to prevent minors from accessing their content. In its preliminary findings of a 10-month investigation , the European Union's regulatory arm said Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX and XVideos have breached the Digital Services Act (DSA). The EC said the platforms have an ineffective self-declaration measure they only require users to make a single click to state they are over 18. Nor do efforts like content warnings, page blurring and restricted to adults labels effectively prevent minors from accessing harmful content. As such, the EC said the platforms are failing to protect the wellbeing and rights of minors, and it demanded that they put privacy-preserving age verification systems in place. Furthermore, the EC said the quartet did not use objective and thorough methodologies to fully assess the risks to minors accessing content on their platforms. The regulator determined Stripchat, Xvideos and XNXX either misrepresented or failed to take into account consultations with organizations that specialize in children's rights and age verification systems in their risk assessments. It also suggested that the platforms' risk assessments disproportionately emphasized business-centric concerns, such as reputational damage, rather than focusing on the societal risks to minors. The platforms now have the chance to review the EC's preliminary findings and respond to them. They can implement measures to remedy the alleged DSA breaches as well. However, if the Commission confirms that the platforms failed to adhere to the DSA and it decides to issue a non-compliance decision, the porn providers could be on the hook for fines of up to six percent of their global annual turnover. In the EU, online platforms have a responsibility. Children are accessing adult content at increasingly younger ages and these platforms must put in place robust, privacy-preserving and effective measures to keep minors off their services, Henna Virkkunen, the European Unions executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy, said in a statement. Today, we are taking another action to enforce the DSA ensuring that children are properly protected online, as they have the right to be. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/eu-says-pornhub-and-others-failed-to-stop-minors-accessing-adult-content-155632108.html?src=rss

How to use Apple's Playlist Playground to make AI-generated mixes

With the release of iOS 26.4 , Apple Music's Playlist Playground can now generate playlists with the help of AI. Best of all, you don't need an Apple Intelligence-capable iPhone to take advantage of the new feature. As long as you're a US Apple Music subscriber with your language set to English, you can start using Playlist Playground right now. Here's how to get started. How to create playlists using Playlist Playground A pair of screenshots showing off Apple Music's new Playlist Playground feature. Igor Bonifacic for Engadget For the time being, there are two ways to access Playlist Playground. For the time being, the company is highlighting the feature within the Top Picks for You section of Apple Music's Home tab. If you don't see a shortcut there, Apple integrated the feature into the app's existing playlist creation tool. Just tap the new icon found in the Library tab. If you're new to Apple Music, the flow looks like this: Open Apple Music. Navigate to the Library tab. Tap the playlist creation button. Write a prompt describing the mood or style of music you want to hear. To help people get started, Apple provides a selection of sample prompts. One pro tip: it's possible to use metadata in conjunction with Playlist Playground. For example, after Apple Music generates a playlist, you can tell Apple's model to edit it by removing any songs released before 2016. Of course, you're also free to add and remove songs manually as you please. Once you're happy with your new playlist, Apple Music treats all Playlist Playground mixes like it does any other playlist, meaning you can save it to your Library, download for offline playback, play it from your Apple Watch and share it with friends and invite them to add songs. FAQ What Apple devices is Playlist Playground available on? As of the writing of this article, Playlist Playground is a beta release only available to Apple Music subscribers in the US with their preferred language set to English. An iPhone or iPad running iOS 26.4, or an Apple Vision headset running visionOS 26.4 is also required. As Apple releases the feature in more countries and languages, we'll update this article. Is Playlist Playground available on Android? Yes, if you use Apple Music on Android, Playlist Playground is available there too. How does Playlist Playground work? When generating mixes, Playlist Playground pulls from both trending data and your personal listening history. Along with other AI-powered Apple Music features like AutoMix and Lyrics Translation, Playlist Playground runs as part of the Apple Music service. Thats one of the reasons Apple can offer it outside of Apple Intelligence-capable devices. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/how-to-use-apples-playlist-playground-to-make-ai-generated-mixes-134500610.html?src=rss

HBO Max finally launches in the UK and Ireland

Its been a long wait, but HBO Max has finally arrived in the UK and Ireland, rounding off the streaming services European expansion. Oscar-winners One Battle After Another and Sinners are both available to stream at launch, alongside Max Original shows like The Pitt . Season three of Euphoria arrives in April, and HBO Max is also home to mega-franchises like The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, both of which are celebrating their 25th anniversaries in 2026. Starting today, March 26, UK audiences can choose from three plans. Basic with Ads costs 5 per month, and offers all HBO shows and select Warner Bros. movies at 1080p, with movies that first stream on HBO Max after their theatrical release excluded. Then there's Standard with Ads for 6 per month, which includes those straight-from-theaters releases and 30 downloads at the same resolution. Both can stream on two devices at a time. For an ad-free experience you can purchase a Standard or Premium plan. The former has all titles available on two devices, up to 30 downloads and, obviously no ads. Finally, the most expensive 15 per month Premium plan allows streaming on four devices in up to 4K Ultra HD with Dolby Atmos. You also get 100 offline downloads on this tier. Eligible Sky TV customers will automatically have HBO Basic with Ads rolled into their packages at no extra cost, thanks to an expanded partnership between Sky and Warner Bros. Discovery. This extends to NOW Entertainment subscribers, who will find HBO Max integrated into the NOW app. HBO Max is also now home to TNT Sports in the UK, which streams over 50 matches in the Premier League, as well as being home to the UEFA Champions League and various other sporting competitions, including MotoGP and the Tour de France. HBO Max launches in the UK as Warner Bros Discovery sets a date for the shareholder vote on its merger with Paramount Skydance, which was finally agreed last month. Netflix was paid a $2.8 billion fee for breaking up its initial well-documented deal to buy the historic studio. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/hbo-max-finally-launches-in-the-uk-and-ireland-133406342.html?src=rss

Sonos Play review: The company's best portable speaker so far

Its been a rough couple of years for Sonos. In mid-2024, the company released a redesigned and thoroughly busted update to its app, which Sonos owners need to set up new products, manage their speaker groups, play music and access a host of other crucial features. The fallout from that was far-reaching the company replaced its CEO, canceled a few planned products and released no new hardware in 2025. The Sonos Play, announced earlier this month , is the companys reset button, a way to remind people what the company does well. The Play is a portable speaker that sits between the $499 Sonos Move 2 (which is large, expensive and extremely loud) and the $179 Roam 2 (the cheapest Sonos speaker and tiny enough to bring anywhere). The $299 Play sits right in the middle of the companys portable lineup in both size and price and after spending a few weeks listening to it, I think its a very smart addition to the collection. Thanks to its impressive sound quality, versatility and portability, the Play is immediately one of the best speakers Sonos sells. The timing couldnt be better, either, with warmer weather finally on the way. Feature set Like all other Sonos speakers, the Play is a Wi-Fi smart speaker that can stream audio from dozens of services; you can also play content on it via AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect and Bluetooth. The USB-C port on the back also lets you connect to turntables, CD players and other audio devices via a line-in dongle, or you can also use that port for an Ethernet connection (again with the corresponding dongle). Finally, you can also control the Play via Amazon Alexa or the Sonos Voice Assistant. And like the Roam, the Play is IP67 rated for water and dust resistance. Thats all standard fare at this point, but I appreciate that Sonos included Ethernet and line-in capabilities, two things the Roam doesnt support. It makes the Play a much more versatile option for being a centerpiece of your indoor setup as well as something you can take on the go. And since the Play comes with a wireless charging base, its easy to keep it charged up during indoor duty and equally simple to just grab it and go without fussing with cables. (Strangely enough, it does not come with a power adapter, so youll need to provide your own USB-C brick.) The real panel of the Sonos Play. Nathan Ingraham for Engadget Physically, the Play reminds me of the Sonos Era 100 with its width squished down to make it more portable. Unsurprisingly, it comes in the same white and black color options; I had been hoping for a few more options like the vibrant Roam colors. The one touch of color youll see is on the light green grab loop attached to the back; you can remove it if youre not a fan. At 7.6 inches, its slightly taller than the Era 100, but its much thinner and lighter. Based on the initial product renders, I expected the Play to be larger than it is in reality, but it feels quite compact and easy to move around. Its not a throw in your bag and forget it speaker like the Roam, but its far more portable than the Move. The Move is a speaker Id really only use in my house or in the backyard, whereas Id toss the Play into a backpack and take with me unless I really needed to save space or weight. The Era 100 (left) and the Play (right). Nathan Ingraham for Engadget Side view of the Sonos Era 100 and Play. Nathan Ingraham for Engadget Its diminutive size is even more impressive when you consider the audio components Sonos packed inside. The Play features a speaker array nearly identical to that of the larger Era 100. It has two tweeters angled at 90 degrees for some stereo separation, along with a mid-woofer and two passive radiators for bass performance. The passive radiators are unique to the Play, specifically included to help bass levels in settings where there arent walls for the sound to reflect off of like anywhere outside you might take a portable speaker. Two Sonos Play speakers paired in stereo. Nathan Ingraham for Engadget Audio quality The Plays flexibility only matters if it sounds good. Fortunately, Sonos has never struggled with producing a speaker thats a pleasure to listen to, and the Play certainly fits the bill. My top-level and unscientific analysis is that the Play sounds nearly as good as the Era 100 , an impressive feat considering its comparatively small frame. I tested a single Play speaker as well as a stereo pair in my small office, where I typically listen to music through a stereo pair of Era 100 speakers. I also used them in stereo on my larger and more open first floor, both streaming music and playing on my turntable via the line-in jack. Finally, I got to test them outside on my deck on a few lovely early Spring days that the Boston area was graced with recently. I used the auto Trueplay tuning feature throughout; it uses the Plays built-in microphone to optimize audio for whenever youve placed the speaker. Sonos has offered various versions of Trueplay for over a decade now and it consistently makes its speakers sound better. And given you dont have to do the old wave your phone around the room method to use Trueplay, theres really no reason not to have it on. While in my office, I did a lot of A/B testing of the Era 100 vs. the Play, typically playing Apple Music lossless via the Sonos app, but I also tried AirPlay and Spotify Connect as well as other music services including YouTube Music and Bandcamp. The biggest differences I noticed between the two speakers are the Era 100 is louder and has a more pronounced mid-range. The Play comparatively feels like its EQ is scooped, and it just isnt quite as loud at the same volume level. The Play also doesnt maintain quality quite as well through the full volume range I wouldnt say that it got distorted when I was playing it at 75 percent volume, but its not as clear as the Era 100 either. These differences I mostly only noticed when I was flipping back and forth between the two speakers when I just sat back and listened, I was extremely happy with the Plays sound. When listening to a single Play, the angled tweeters did provide a small degree of stereo separation when things were hard-panned to the left or right channels. For example, the backing vocals in the chorus of Soundgardens Black Hole Sun jump from one channel to the other, and I did pick up on that effect. Top controls on the Sonos Play. Nathan Ingraham for Engadget The Play sounds very well-balanced and neutral, capable of reproducing songs without over-emphasizing any particular frequency. My usual listening habits include a ton of 90s-era alternative and more modern indie rock, plus some modern pop and the occasional film or video game score, and the Play sounded great across the board. Daughters Be On Your Way is an atmospheric track juggling strings, electronic underpinnings, reverb-drenched guitar and a gorgeous vocal track, and all those elements shined here. The dance-influenced beats of Nine Inch Nails Less Than had appropriate thump and power behind them, and Stay Down by Boygenius sounded great, whether it was the acoustic-tinged intro or the layered, full-band climax. Heavier fare like Metallicas Battery and Tools Fear Inoculum hit with the appropriate intensity as well, particularly when I was running two Play speakers in stereo. My go-to film score for these kinds of tests is Howard Shores Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers , and its often the case that doesnt sound as majestic on smaller speakers. But the Play did a great job with the intricate orchestral arrangements that jump between delicately intimate moments and full-throated majesty the first song Glamdring has all these elements in less than four minutes, and it sounded excellent. I also love Gustavo Santaolallas score for The Last of Us with its tortured strings and host of organic acoustic sounds alongside unsettling electronics, and all its various elements were faithfully conveyed here. The line-in connection on the Sonos Play. Nathan Ingraham for Engadget Using the speakers line-in capabilities with a USB-C to 3.5mm audio input worked easily as well. The only real issue I noticed is that my particular turntables output meant I had to turn the Play up much louder than I would when streaming music, so its top volume level is much lower. That wasnt exactly a problem, but if you really want to push a lot of volume from a line-in source, this might not be the speaker for you. I was also worried that Id switch from line-in to streaming and forget to adjust the volume down, but the speaker is smart enough to re-adjust from the line-in volume down to wherever it was set previously. While the Play isnt the loudest speaker out there, it has plenty of power when outside. I set the volume to around 60 and walked from my porch to the sidewalk and could still faintly hear the music (though not loud enough to be too offensive to passers-by or neighbors). Back up on the deck, the Play maintained its detailed profile despite the lack of surfaces for the sound to reflect off. It feels like a great device to have playing in the background when youre entertaining outdoors, but something like the Move 2 will do better if you want music to be the centerpiece of a gathering. The Plays Wi-Fi connection is strong enough that I didnt need to switch to Bluetooth when I was outside, but its simple to use if you need it. Theres a dedicated Bluetooth button on the back; pressing it turns it on, while holding puts the speaker in pairing mode. Bluetooth is probably the easiest way to give someone else control over your Sonos system. If you start streaming music to it, you can then group other speakers with the Play to get those tunes anywhere in the house without having to give a guest access to your Sonos system. The Sonos Play and its charging base. Nathan Ingraham for Engadget Sonos included a new Bluetooth feature with the Play that theyre also bringing to the Move 2. If youre away from Wi-Fi and playing audio via Bluetooth, other Play or Move 2 speakers can join a group just by pressing and holding the play/pause button. This works with Play or Move 2 speakers that have previously been set up on the same Sonos system, and its as simple as it sounds. I just paired my phone to one speaker, started playing some music and then held the play/pause button on the second speaker to get them in sync. As for battery life, the Play is a huge step up over the Roams rather paltry 10-hour estimate. The Play is rated for up to 24 hours of playback, same as the Move 2, and I think Sonos just about hit that mark. I spent several work days playing music for eight-plus hours and the Plays battery only dropped about 30 percent each time. Your mileage may vary, but I think the Play has plenty of battery life considering its smaller size and given how easy it is to just drop on a charging base when youre done, I dont think most people will run its battery down too often. Sonos also made the battery in the Play user-replaceable, a good option to keep the speaker running for years to come. Side-by-side comparison of the Sonos Era 100 and Play. Nathan Ingraham for Engadget Competition While there are loads of portable Bluetooth speakers out there, the Plays position as a Wi-Fi speaker that can group with others in a household as well as be used on-the-go with Bluetooth makes it a rather unique option. The $269 Bose SoundLink Plus sounds great, can be paired in stereo or grouped in party mode, and is a similar size as the Play. But its battery doesnt last as long and, more crucially, it only works via Bluetooth. Some people wont care, but I prefer the much wider variety of playback options that the Play provides. JBL also has a host of portable Bluetooth speakers, as well as Wi-Fi enabled options meant for home use but again, the combo of Wi-Fi playback and portability seems to be mainly limited to Sonos right now. As such, the main competition for the Play comes from Sonos itself, with the Move 2, Roam and Era 100 all offering different pluses and minuses depending on what youre looking for. Sonos Play speaker sitting outside. Nathan Ingraham for Engadget Wrap-up If it isnt obvious, Im a pretty big fan of the Sonos Play. While its not quite as portable as the tiny Sonos Roam, it sounds significantly better than the smallest Sonos speaker while still being easy to carry around. Its probably the most versatile speaker in the Sonos lineup right now, and a smarter choice than the $499 Move 2 for most people. Unless you really need massive outdoor volume, the Play is the best portable Sonos speaker. The only catch is its price. $299 is fair when you consider its sound quality and feature set. But its also $80 more than the Era 100, or $110 more than the Era 100 SL (which drops the microphone but is otherwise identical to its more expensive counterpart). So youll have to decide how much portability is worth to you. For me, the Play is an excellent addition to my existing setup. But if youre likely to do most of your listening indoors, the Era 100 and its superior sound quality might make more sense. To be clear, thats not a knock against the Play. The latest Sonos speaker offers impressive sound quality, flexibility and portability, and its the kind of product that can help Sonos rebuild its reputation after its recent difficulties. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/sonos-play-review-the-companys-best-portable-speaker-so-far-130000688.html?src=rss

March Madness 2026: How to watch the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight this weekend

Its time to lock in those brackets. The 2026 NCAA basketball tournaments, affectionately known as March Madness , begin this week. In fact, some of the action on the mens side starts tonight. Both the mens and womens tournaments are available to stream through various apps and services, but navigating the web of broadcasters and TV channels can be confusing. Weve broken down when all the games are happening, where to watch and the best options for saving some cash doing so. What does the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight start? The mens NCAA Basketball Tournament Sweet 16 begins on Thursday, March 26 with four of the eight games. The first game begins at 7:10PM ET with the others following at 7:30PM ET, 9:45PM ET and 10:05PM ET. A similar schedule is expected for the second slate of Sweet 16 games on Friday, March 27. The Elite Eight will then follow on Saturday, March 28 and Sunday, March 29 with two games each day. Start times havent been announced for those just yet. On the womens side, everything is offset by a day. The first four Sweet 16 games take place on Friday, March 27 at 2:30PM ET, 5:00PM ET, 7:30PM ET and 10:00PM ET. The second set of matchups follows on Saturday, March 28 at 12:30PM ET, 3:00PM ET, 5:00PM ET and 7:30PM ET. The Elite Eight matchups are on Sunday, March 29 and Monday, March 30 with two games each day, but start times havent been announced for those. Heres the full schedule for each tournament: 2026 Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament First Four: March 17-18 First round: March 19-20 Second round: March 21-22 Sweet 16: March 26-27 Elite Eight: March 28-29 Final Four: April 4 Championship game: April 6 2026 Womens NCAA Basketball Tournament First Four: March 18-19 First round: March 20-21 Second round: March 22-23 Sweet 16: March 27-28 Elite Eight: March 29-30 Final Four: April 3 Championship game: April 5 How to stream the 2026 Mens NCAA Tournament Jacob Kupferman via Getty Images CBS and Warner Bros. Discovery share the broadcast rights to the mens tournament, so TV coverage will be spread across four networks. During the course of March Madness, games will air on CBS, TNT, TBS and truTV, with the final rounds and championship game landing on TBS. If you already have a paid TV plan (such as traditional cable), a good way to watch the mens tournament is with the March Madness Live app or website. There's a big catch though: CBS games aren't available in the app. That means this is really only a good option through the Elite Eight. Once you log in with your TV provider credentials, you can watch games on the other networks in one spot with features like multiview (up to four games at once) and a Fast Break stream that covers all the in-progress games in one spot. The app also offers ways to follow your bracket, if you filled it out on MarchMadness.com. And when youre watching on desktop, the crucial Boss Button will throw up a fake work screen to keep your job safe. In addition to your laptop or phone, March Madness Live is also available on Amazon devices, Fire TV, Apple TV, iOS, macOS, Google Play, LG smart TVs, Roku and Xbox consoles. The most affordable option to watch every game is to actually use two services. Its not ideal, I know, but it will save you a lot of money. HBO Maxs Basic plan is $11/month and gives you access to live games from TNT, TBS and truTV with three-game multiview (46 games total). That includes the Final Four and National Championship as those three games are on TBS this year. If you splurge for a pricier plan ($23/month), you can stream games in Dolby Vision with Dolby Atmos surround sound. For the CBS games, youll need a Paramount+ Premium subscription that costs $14/month ($6 for two months for new users). So, with this best price scenario, streaming all of the mens tournaments will cost $25 across two apps. A live TV service like YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV is over $80 more per month at full price, but they would offer you all the games in the mens tournament in one place. YouTube TV is currently on sale for $60/month for the first two months after a free 10-day trial. Hulu + Live TV now includes Disney+ and ESPN Select, hence its higher price. How to stream the 2026 Womens NCAA Tournament Joe Buglewicz via Getty Images While Warner Brothers Discovery owns the rights to the mens NCAA Tournament, ESPN has the womens bracket locked down. Every game of the womens tournament will be spread across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPNEWS, including the First Four matchups. The Final Four will be on ESPN, but the championship game will air on ABC. All three of those culminating games will stream on ESPN+ (and in the ESPN app) as MegaCast feeds. ESPN says the MegaCasts are available in two options. First, Beyond the Rim provides an aerial camera angle with the main commentary and replays, plus the addition of enhanced stats. On the Rail shows you game action the full length of the floor. This feed will offer natural sound and replays. Since ESPN+ wont get every game, its not an option if you want to watch the entire tournament. However, since last years March Madness, Disney debuted standalone offerings for ESPN. The most affordable option here is ESPN Select which includes womens college basketball and costs $13/month. You could also opt for a live-TV streaming service like Sling , YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV for a comprehensive experience. Sling is the cheapest of these, with the requisite Orange and Sports Extra plan costing $57 (Sling is currently offering a discount on the first month of Orange). YouTube and Hulu live TV options are both more expensive at over $80/month (YouTube TV currently discounted to $60 for the first two months), so its a matter of which set of content and features you like best. YouTube TV offers a handy multiview tool so you can watch up to four games at once, but Hulu + Live TV comes with Disney+ and ESPN Select for that cost. Once you have a TV plan that includes the ESPN family of networks, the ESPN app is the best place to watch the tournament. The mix of scores and info, along with multiview streaming for up to four games at a time on Apple TV and Xbox, make the app a well-equipped conduit for the womens tournament. The March Madness website only shows scores and news for the womens tournament. None of the womens games will be available for streaming live on the website. Are any of the March Madness games available to stream for free? Michael Reaves via Getty Images Without a TV provider login, you can watch all of the games broadcast on CBS on the March Madness website and mobile apps. Sure, its a small sample of the tournament, but its completely free and a good option for casual fans who dont have a paid TV plan they can exploit for more of the action. Its also a good way to watch the first round at work, if your company hasnt blocked streaming sites, or if you can discreetly watch on your phone. For the womens tournament, there arent any games available for free. Unless you have an old-school OTA antenna, that is, in which case you can watch womens games on ABC (and mens games on CBS) without any kind of streaming plan. Of course, as this is a streaming guide published in 2026, Id consider an antenna an extraordinary move. If you were hoping to use a free trial period to watch March Madness, Ive got bad news. None of them will last long enough to cover the entire tournament. Some services dont offer a free trial at all, but the longest is YouTube TV at 10 days. Sadly, that wont even get you through the second weekend. What if I want to stream both the mens and womens tournaments? If youre hoping to stream all of the mens and womens NCAA tournaments, I hope you ordered Samsungs eight-TV bundle . In terms of streaming services, just jump straight to a live-TV option like YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV. I prefer the former because of its multiview feature. At times when there are multiple games that you want to watch, especially during the first two rounds, youll want multiview in order to keep tabs on all of the action. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/march-madness-2026-how-to-watch-the-sweet-16-and-elite-eight-this-weekend-154903032.html?src=rss

WhatsApp rolls out updates including multiple accounts for iOS

WhatsApp shared multiple quality of life updates coming to its messaging platform starting today. The first is a long awaited option to have two accounts on a single iOS device. The option has been available for years on Android , and iPhone users can now be logged into two separate accounts at once. The profile photo for the account will be visible in the bottom tab to double-check which persona you're messaging as. The other new features allow for easier movement of chat histories, both between platforms and devices in the same ecosystem. This chat transfer should make it easier to retain messages when upgrading to a new phone, especially if you're switching between iOS and Android. There's also a new option to delete large files directly from a WhatsApp chat to avoid storage clutter. It's available under the Manage Storage option when you tap a chat's name. It includes an option to delete just media files from a conversation. And of course it wouldn't be a tech news announcement without at least some AI features present. WhatsApp now supports using Meta AI for light photo editing, including removing backgrounds, changing aesthetic styles and deleting elements from the composition. There's also a Writing Help prompt that uses AI to help draft a message, although Meta's blog post states that using this still keeps chats private. The above features should be arriving to all WhatsApp users soon, according to the company. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/whatsapp-rolls-out-updates-including-multiple-accounts-for-ios-130000252.html?src=rss

DJI Avata 360 drone review: 360 video hits new highs

After achieving action camera success, Insta360 invaded DJIs turf with the first mass-market panoramic drone, the Antigravity A1 . It had instant appeal for drone pilots, offering 8K 360 video and features like subject tracking, obstacle detection and FPV flying. Though beaten to the punch, DJI has responded quickly with the Avata 360, aided by its drone experience and camera tech from the new Osmo 360 action cam . It has a lot in common with its rival, but its safer to fly around people and offers single camera 4K footage on top of 8K 360 video. To find out how the Avata 360 stacks up against the A1, I tested it both indoors and out, around people and even stunt horses. The Avata 360 isnt perfect, but it is far more polished than its rival. As with other DJI drones of late, though, US availability remains unclear. How the Avata 360 works The 360 camera makes the Avata 360 different from any other DJI drone. It features two ultrawide cameras with f/1.9 lenses and 1.1-inch 64-megapixel sensors, with one pointing up and the other down for unobstructed 200-degree views. Those are then stitched together by software to create 360 degree video at up to 8K 60 fps. This setup fundamentally changes the way you pilot a drone and capture video. Since the 360 camera records everything around it, you can focus on flying and reframe shots later in DJIs Studio app. That 360 view is also handy when piloting in FPV mode. With the head tracking on DJIs Goggles N3, you can look all around you simply by turning your head. Unlike the Antigravity A1 that only shoots 360 video, the Avata 360 supports regular single-camera shooting as well. When you switch to that mode, the camera rotates forward and shoots 4K video at up to 60 fps with a 28mm field of view. DJIs drone also works with a regular controller, which isnt an option on the A1. You have to use the Insta360s goggles at all times. Design Because of the chunky 360 camera, the Avata 360 is slightly bigger than the Avata 2. Its also quite a bit heavier at 455 grams (one pound) and so, unlike the 249-gram Antigravity A1, youll need a permit to fly one in most regions. The Avata 360s propellers are shielded to protect the drone and keep it safe indoors or around people, unlike the open-prop A1. For additional protection it has two omni obstacle sensors on the side, a Lidar sensor up front, landing sensors on the bottom and, of course, a camera that points in all directions. To keep the lenses off of bare ground, it comes with a foldable 18x18-inch landing mat. DJIs Goggles N3 (available with the RC Motion 3 controller as an option) are comfortable and allow you to wear eyeglasses. Unlike the Goggles 3, though, theres no external camera to see outside. If youd rather pilot conventionally, you can get the Avata 360 bundled with DJIs RC 2 screen controller in another kit. Performance and features As an FPV drone, the Avata 360 is fast and agile. It can hit speeds up to 40 MPH in sport mode (without obstacle avoidance) or 35 MPH in normal mode. When used with the optional FPV Remote Controller 3, you can do flips, rolls and other cinewhoop style maneuvers. Once you get used to flying it that way, its incredibly fun. The 38.7Wh batteries have 26 percent more capacity than the Avata 2s cells, but rated endurance is about the same at 24 minutes. I never got more than about 18 minutes in real-world flying though, so its a good idea to buy the Fly More kit with three batteries and a fast charger that can replenish them all in about 100 minutes. Samuel Dejours for Engadget Part of my testing of the Avata 360 was capturing trick riding horses, so it was important that the drone noise didnt spook them. At 81db the Avata 360 is louder than the Mini 4 Pro (67 db) and less banshee-like than the Neo 2 due to the larger propellers, so the horses werent alarmed. Video is transmitted to the Goggles N3 and RC Motion 3 controller (or the RC screen controller) at 1080p 60 fps via DJIs OcuSync 4.0+ system. The maximum flying range is 20 km (12.4 miles), double that of the Avata 2. This is an impressive distance for an FPV drone. The 45GB of internal storage (42GB usable) can fill up quickly when youre shooting 8K video, but the drone also has a microSD slot. To get your footage onto a PC or smartphone, you can transfer it via the USB-C port or over Wi-Fi using DJIs Fly app. The Avata 360 has DJIs usual tracking and obstacle detection features, but theyre available only with the RC 2 controller and not the Goggles N3. To follow a subject, simply draw a box around them on the controller to enable Focus Track and its three modes: Spotlight, Point of Interest and ActiveTrack. The latter tracks a subject automatically and lets you control the drones position via an on-screen steering wheel. Steve Dent for Engadget To test that, I biked in a narrow forested lane and walked around a bamboo-covered obstacle course. When using Focus Track, the drone dodged most obstacles and was only confused by small leaves and branches. If it did contact one of those, it sailed right through without crashing thanks to the propeller guards. Subject tracking works in both 360 and single camera modes, but when using the latter, The Avata 360 cant see and avoid obstacles behind it. It contacted branches several times during my testing, but fortunately the prop guards prevented crashes. Other automatic features include Dronie, Rocket and Quickshot modes that let you capture clips for social media. Video The Avata 360 prioritizes FPV freedom and flexibility over pure video quality. Though the specs promise 8K, that only applies to the full 360 degree video your final, flat video will actually be 4K or less after processing. And the 360 camera zooms digitally (not optically), which further reduces resolution. On top of that, you can often see a seam in the video where stitching occurs, and dewarping (used to output flat video) can create softness at the edges. With all that, video is less sharp than DJIs regular Mini, Air and Mavic drones. Because the camera is fixed when shooting 360 video, the Avata 360s gimbal cant smooth out jolts or correct for roll. Instead, it uses action cam-style electronic stabilization. Whats more, that type of smoothing causes motion blur and artifacts in low light due to the lower shutter speeds something I also noticed with the Osmo 360. Steve Dent for Engadget With that said, video quality was as sharp and color-accurate as the Osmo 360, and a touch better than the Antigravity A1 when filming in daylight. For tricky, contrasty conditions like a shaded path on a sunny day, the D-LogM option boosted dynamic range, helping me bring out shadow detail and tone down overly-bright highlights. However, the cityscape I shot at night was soft and occasionally blurry due to the aforementioned stabilization issues. In exchange for this lower video quality, the 360 camera provides incredible flexibility. For a vlog style tracking shot, for instance, I usually need to film twice to show the forward and backward directions. With the Avata 360, though, I was able to get both POVs from the same shot and output an overhead view too for good measure. DJI Studio is where you go to select your desired framing and output the flat video. Its not quite as versatile as Insta360s app, but it allows you to reframe shots and create smooth transitions between camera angles. And to save time, you can use the Intelligent Tracking feature to center your subject. The app also offers color correction and other features, but I found it easier to export the final shots to DaVinci Resolve for any additional work. Flat video a mixed bag. Sharpness is mildly better than the 360 video, but the lack of a gimbal roll axis means that the camera cant level itself when the drone banks into the wind. As a result, most of my footage was tilted and often unusable. Wrap-up Steve Dent for Engadget With the Avata 360, DJI has a surprisingly sophisticated drone that offers better video quality and more features than its only rival, Insta360s Antigravity A1. It can do everything youd expect from a DJI FPV drone like tracking, obstacle avoidance and acrobatics, while operating safely around people (or horses). DJI also managed to undercut Insta360 on price, with the Avata 360 starting at 459 euros (approx. $530), or 939 euros ($1,089) in a kit with a screen controller, three batteries and a charger. Its also available with the extra batteries and charger, DJIs FPV Goggles N3 and the RC Motion 3 controller for 939 euros ($1,089). As mentioned, theres no word yet on US pricing, but the Avata 360 has been approved by the FCC so it could appear in the US soon. Like 360 action cams though, this is a niche product. If youre a vlogger, extreme action shooter, FPV pilot or solo filmmaker who wants speed and flexibility, the Avata 360 is a great choice. If its pixel perfect image quality you want, however, youre better off with DJIs Mini 5 Pro, Air 3S or Avata 4 Pro drone. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/dji-avata-360-drone-review-360-video-hits-new-highs-120014666.html?src=rss

OpenAI drops plans to release an adult chatbot

OpenAI has indefinitely abandoned plans to release an a erotic chatbot for adults following concerns from employees and investors, the company confirmed to The Financial Times . Plans for such a feature, first announced in October 2025 for release in December last year, had already been delayed while company debated whether to release it all. It's the second app OpenAI has decided to shelf this week, after announcing on Tuesday that it was shutting down its Sora video generator. The adult-oriented chatbot, reportedly called Citron mode, is now on hold with no planned release date. The company reportedly had difficulty training models that previously avoided erotic content and also removing illegal behavior like bestiality or incest, two people familiar with the matter told the FT . Open AI said that it wanted to conduct long-term research on the effects of erotic chats and user attachment to AI, adding that there was currently not yet enough empirical evidence on the subject. The company also said it wanted to focus on its core productivity tools like coding assistants and drop side quests like Sora and the erotic chatbot. The idea for adult features came after OpenAI announced that it would add parental controls and automatic age detection features for ChatGPT. CEO Sam Altman said back in October that the company had always been careful about such issues over concerns around unhealthy AI attachments, but felt comfortable that it could safely relax the restrictions in most cases. However, the adult mode had reportedly caused concern among investors, particularly amid the controversy caused by rival xAI's Grok model that generated deepfake nudes of real people and children. Staff also worried about the feature, with one senior employee even leaving the company over the issue. AI shouldnt replace your friends or your family; you should have human connections, he told the FT . Another challenge is OpenAI's age-checking tech, introduced following lawsuits from families who said that ChatGPT harmed their children. The tech reportedly has an error right higher than ten percent, which would still give a large number of young people access to the tech. OpenAI said that figure is in the industry standard range and that it is continuing to work on its accuracy. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-drops-plans-to-release-an-adult-chatbot-113121190.html?src=rss

Uber and Pony.ai are testing a robotaxi service for Europe

Uber and Chinese company Pony.ai are gearing up to launch a robotaxi service for Europe, starting with Zagreb in Croatia. The companies are working with Croatian company Verne, which will provide the service ecosystem and operational framework for the service. Theyre using Arcfox Alpha T5 vehicles made by Beijing-based automaker BAIC Motor powered by Pony.ais Gen-7 autonomous driving system. Initially, the autonomous rides will be offered on Vernes app, but they will eventually be available through Uber. In their announcement, the companies said they have already started on-road testing in Zagreb, where the service will be available soon. Theyre hoping to expand it to other European cities in the future, and then to more markets, with the goal of deploying a fleet with thousands of robotaxis over the next few years. Verne will be in charge of securing regulatory approval for the rollouts, while Uber has agreed to invest in the Croatian company. This is but one of Ubers partnerships centering around its efforts to offer more and more driverless rides to its passengers. Just earlier this month, it announced that it was launching a pilot program for a robotaxi service in Tokyo in late 2026 with Nissan and UK self-driving startup Wayve. Uber also started offering robotaxi rides to passengers in Las Vegas at the same time. The fleet deployed in the city is made up of Hyundai Ioniq 5 autonomous EVs, developed in partnership with Motional. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/uber-and-ponyai-are-testing-a-robotaxi-service-for-europe-104811944.html?src=rss

PSA: T-Mobile customers have a week to sign up for a free year of MLB.TV

Today marks the start of the 2026 baseball season and in what has sort of become an annual tradition, T-Mobile is once again offering a free subscription to MLB.TV . In order to take advantage of the deal, T-Mobile customers simply need to log into the T Life app , navigate to the Benefits tab and then hit Redeem after clicking the banner for a free season of MLB.TV. From there, you just need to download the latest version of the MLB app to your mobile device and sign in or create an account. That said, this is a time-limited offer, so if you want the ability to stream regular season baseball for free, youll need claim the deal prior to March 31 at 4:59 AM ET. For anyone on a different carrier, this may be enough time to switch providers and still get in on the savings. Unfortunately, MLB.TV is subject to blackouts and market restrictions, so depending on where you live and where your favorite team is playing that day, you may not be able to catch every game. Sadly, this includes tonights 8:05 PM ET matchup between the New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants , which is streaming exclusively on Netflix. Even so, with a one-year subscription to MLB.TV currently going for $150, this is one of the best perks available from any of the big cellular carriers. In addition to full season of games, an MLB.TV subscription also includes access to a collection of baseball documentaries, game streams from previous years, World Series films, highlights, news and more. And with over 1.25 million customers having redeemed last years offer, this is potentially one of T-Mobiles biggest offers of the year, with the company claiming to have delivered more than $1 billion in savings since it first started running the promotion 10 years ago in 2016. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/psa-t-mobile-customers-have-a-week-to-sign-up-for-a-free-year-of-mlbtv-211306444.html?src=rss

Razer's new Blade 16 has Intel's latest chips and ultra-fast RAM

After leaning into some questionable AI antics at CES 2026, Razer is making some altogether more practical updates to its 16-inch laptop by giving it newer chips and faster RAM. The new Razer Blade 16 features Intel's new Core Ultra chips and speedy LPDDR5X-9600 MHz RAM, and is available to order today for $3,500. The Razer Blade 16 is designed to split the difference between the portable Razer Blade 14 and the monstrous Razer Blade 18, mostly by being thin but offering improved performance. Razer says the 2026 Blade 16 is 0.59 inches (14.9mm) at its thinnest point, which matches the thinness of the 2025 Blade 16 . The laptop also has a similar 16-inch QHD+, 240Hz OLED screen to last year's model, though the company says it's 100 nits brighter than before. Port selection also remains respectable: the laptop includes three USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, a Thunderbolt 4 port, a Thunderbolt 5 port, a full-sized HDMI 2.1 port and a UHS-II SD card reader. Razer The real notable upgrade is Razer's switch from AMD Ryzen chips to new Intel Core Ultra 9 386H chips on the 2026 Razer Blade 16. The new Core Ultra chips are some of Intel's first processors made with its new 18A process and pitched as the company's comeback. Razer says the new chip es 16 cores and an integrated NPU that provides up to 50 TOPS for things like image generation and live translation, which the Razer Blade 16 supports natively as a Copilot+PC . The efficiency of the new chip also contributes to the laptops up to 15 hours of battery life. Of course, if you want power, the Razer Blade 16 has it: the laptop includes NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 50 Series Laptop GPUs and up to 64Gb of LPDDR5X-9600MHz RAM, which should give the Razer Blade 16 plenty of pep for games. Hardware upgrades don't come cheap, and the higher $3,500 starting price of the Razer Blade 16 which includes 32GB of RAM, 1TB of storage and a GeForce RTX 5080 GPU at a minimum is likely reflective of the growing cost of memory and storage that's already negativelyimpacting the PC industry. The Razer Blade 16 is available to purchase now through Razers website. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/razers-new-blade-16-has-intels-latest-chips-and-ultra-fast-ram-185858799.html?src=rss

Nintendo to start charging different prices for first-party digital and physical games

Nintendo just announced it will soon start charging different prices for first-party Switch 2 games based on whether the content is digital or physical . This could actually be a good thing for those who like to download their games instead of heading to a brick-and-mortar store to pick up a copy, as digital titles are getting a nice discount. It starts with the release of Yoshi and the Mysterious Book on May 21 , which will be $60 on the eShop but $70 at retail locations. Prior to this, most first-party games were $70 no matter how you bought them. I prefer downloading games, for convenience, and paid that much for both Donkey Kong Bananza and Pokmon Pokopia . Nintendo It's yet another blow, however, for consumers who prefer physical media. They aren't getting any kind of a discount, and many Switch 2 cartridges don't even contain the game nowadays. The boxes include game key cards , which allow the user to download the title to the console but are basically paperweights after that. This isn't the first time Nintendo has participated in this kind of dual pricing structure. The digital version of Donkey Kong Bananza was cheaper than the physical version in some parts of the world, including the UK. Is this another sign that making and shipping actual things is getting to be prohibitively expensive? There are storage and memory shortages due to AI and oil shortages due to war , not to mention an ever-shifting tariff policy here in the US. It's tough out there. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-to-start-charging-different-prices-for-first-party-digital-and-physical-games-184249374.html?src=rss

YouTube is bringing affiliate shopping features to more creators

YouTube creators can start making money earlier in their careers. On Wednesday, the company said it's reducing the Shopping affiliate program subscriber threshold from 1,000 to 500. The affiliate program launched in 2022, allowing creators to earn kickbacks when viewers buy products tagged in their videos. It applies to YouTube Shorts, VOD and Live content. Creators will still need to meet the YouTube Partner Program's other requirements to reap the benefits. Perhaps not a coincidence, the move comes only a day after Meta added shopping links to Reels . Creators on Facebook and Instagram can now link to up to 30 distinct products from marketplace partners in a single video. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/youtube-is-bringing-affiliate-shopping-features-to-more-creators-183927027.html?src=rss

Jury rules against Meta and YouTube in social media addiction case

A jury in Los Angeles has found that Meta and YouTube were negligent in a closely-watched trial over social media addiction. The companies were ordered to pay $3 million in damages to the woman who said she was harmed by their addictive features as a child. The case was brought by a 20-year-old woman, named in court documents as K.G.M, who sued Meta, YouTube, TikTok and Snap, saying that she had been harmed by the platforms as a child due to addictive features. TikTok and Snap reached a settlement ahead of the trial. According to NBC News , Meta was ordered to pay 70 percent of the $3 million in compensatory damages with YouTube taking on the remaining portion. Punitive damages have not yet been decided. We respectfully disagree with the verdict and are evaluating our legal options, a Meta spokesperson said in a statement. We disagree with the verdict and plan to appeal., Google spokesperson Jos Castaeda said in a statement. This case misunderstands YouTube, which is a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site. The weeks-long trial has been closely watched because it's the first of many court cases in which plaintiffs have argued that social media platforms harmed minors due to how they were designed. Meta's lawyers and executives have disputed the idea that social media should be considered an addiction. CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified that the company wants Instagram to be useful, and repeatedly accused the plaintiff's lawyer of mischaracterizing his past statements. This is the first time in history a jury has heard testimony by executives and seen internal documents that we believe prove these companies chose profits over children, Joseph VanZandt, one of K.G.M.s lawyers, said in a statement to The New York Times, For Meta, it's the second legal setback in as many days. The verdict comes one day after a jury in New Mexico ruled against Meta in a trial over child safety issues. The company was ordered to pay $375 million in penalties ; the company said it would appeal. Update, March 25, 2026, 11:22AM PT: Added a statement from Google. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/jury-rules-against-meta-and-youtube-in-social-media-addiction-case-181344860.html?src=rss

Here's your first look at For All Mankind spinoff Star City

Apples excellent For All Mankind might be wrapping up after its recently confirmed sixth season, but as one big-budget alt-history sci-fi show departs, another is born. Apple TV has just dropped the first teaser for Star City , which focuses on the reimagined space race of the 1960s from the Soviet perspective. ICYMI, For All Mankind has been running for nearly five seasons now (the fifth arrives later this week), with its debut season in 2019 asking, what if Russia had beaten America to the moon? For All Mankind has jumped a number of decades ahead since then, but Star City returns us to that initial premise, taking us behind the Iron Curtain to see how the Soviet Union orchestrated its fictional historical triumph. The brief teaser doesnt show us much in the way of plot, but you straight away get what vibe the streamer is going for with a show it describes as a propulsive paranoid thriller. We also get a look at some of the cast, which includes House of the Dragon s Rhys Ifans, Anna Maxwell Martin and Agnes OCasey. Interestingly, Star City s two-episode premiere lands on Apple TV on May 29, right after the finale of For All Mankind season 5, which takes place in the 2010s. That could make for a pretty jarring backwards time jump if you watch both seasons back to back, but nobody can say that Apple isnt serving its sci-fi audience. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/heres-your-first-look-at-for-all-mankind-spinoff-star-city-174359587.html?src=rss

Google's Lyria 3 Pro can now generate AI music (slop) up to 3 minutes in length

Google just introduced Lyria 3 Pro , an updated version of its AI model that generates songs based on prompts. The biggest improvement here is the ability to make full three-minute songs, up from 30 seconds when the product launched last month . The tool also brings a lot more customization into the mix. Users can now prompt the model to create specific elements within a song, like intros, verses, choruses and bridges. Google says Lyria 3 Pro better understands musical composition when compared to the previous model and that it's great for experimenting with different styles or generating songs with complex transitions. It's already available for paid Gemini users and for enterprise customers on Vertex AI. Additionally, developers have access to the tool via the Gemini API and Google AI Studio. The company is also integrating it into Google Vids , an AI-based video-generation platform. Google says that responsibility was foundational when designing and training this model, so it only uses materials that the company has actual rights to. Additionally, all Lyria 3 Pro outputs are embedded with SynthID, which is a watermark for identifying AI-generated content . That's all well and good, but do we need yet another AI music-making tool? Current estimates suggest that around 50,000 AI-generated tracks get uploaded daily to Spotify alone. The platform had to delete, and this is not a typo, 75 million of these tracks last year. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/googles-lyria-3-pro-can-now-generate-ai-music-slop-up-to-3-minutes-in-length-172738752.html?src=rss

Meta lays off hundreds of workers, including more from Reality Labs

Meta is laying off more employees. Of the hundreds of cuts made on Wednesday, the Reality Labs division is one of the prime recipients. The layoffs come a day after news broke that Meta executives (sans Mark Zuckerberg) could be set for windfalls of up to $2.7 billion each under new pay packages. Today's cuts of hundreds fall well short of its reported 20 percent workforce reduction plans that leaked earlier this month. At the end of 2025, Meta's workforce stood at around 79,000 people. However, this could simply be a smaller initial round before the larger cuts come into play. Earlier in March, Meta reportedly asked some managers to prepare cost-cutting plans. The company is looking to offset its costly AI infrastructure investments, which include a plan to spend $600 billion on data centers by 2028. YouTube / Meta The layoffs are also said to affect Meta's recruiting, sales, Facebook and global operations divisions. But the Reality Labs cuts further illustrate how the company's VR and metaverse bets failed to pay off. Todays cuts follow layoffs in January that shed over 1,000 jobs from the division, which has lost over $70 billion since the beginning of 2021. Now, despite the 2021 rebranding that pivoted from social media to the metaverse, Zuckerberg now increasingly views Meta as an AI titan . In January, the CEO forecast the AI world Big Tech is creating when he said he was beginning to see projects that used to require big teams now [being] accomplished by a single very talented person. That sure sounds peachy for the dwindling few reaping the benefits. Those farther down the food chain may have different thoughts. Speaking of that sweet, sweet C-suite life, Meta is taking a page from Tesla's Elon Musk pay package . SEC filings reveal that the company is planning a lucrative new incentive system for six executives: CTO Andrew Bosworth, CFO Susan Li, COO Javier Olivan and CPO Chris Cox. They're set to receive more stock-based compensation tied to performance. Bosworth, Cox, Li and Olivan could reportedly be looking at bounties of up to $2.7 billion apiece. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/meta-lays-off-hundreds-of-workers-including-more-from-reality-labs-171536879.html?src=rss

Supreme Court rules ISPs aren't liable for subscribers' music piracy

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously on March 25 that Cox Communications is not liable for copyright infringement committed by its subscribers, reversing a 2024 appeals court decision that had upheld the ISP's liability. Sony Music Entertainment and other major labels sued Cox in 2018, arguing the company failed to terminate internet service for subscribers repeatedly flagged for pirating copyrighted music. A jury awarded $1 billion in statutory damages after finding Cox willfully infringed all 10,017 copyrighted works at issue, though this was overturned on appeal and a new trial was ordered. Writing for the court, Justice Clarence Thomas said a provider is not liable for merely providing a service to the general public with knowledge that it will be used by some to infringe copyrights. A provider is liable only if it intended or actively encouraged the infringement, Thomas wrote. The decision applies the same framework the court used in 2005 when it found file-sharing service Grokster liable for promoting piracy. Cox serves approximately six million subscribers and contractually prohibits them from using their connections to distribute copyrighted content. A firm enlisted by the labels to track piracy sent Cox 163,148 infringement notices over a roughly two-year period. Cox terminated just 32 subscribers for copyright infringement during that span. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/supreme-court-rules-isps-arent-liable-for-subscribers-music-piracy-163412791.html?src=rss

Spotify is testing a tool to help real artists deal with AI slop on their profiles

Low-quality, mass-produced AI songs have been flooding music streaming platforms like Spotify for a couple of years now. This is annoying, but relatively easy for fans to avoid. However, it leads to real problems for artists. There's so much slop coming in that some gets falsely attributed to actual musicians on these platforms. This messes with brand identity and audience retention, but Spotify is testing a new tool to help real artists exercise more control over their profiles. The platform's Artist Profile Protection feature lets musicians review releases before they go live and become associated with their profiles. Spotify This should prevent AI slop from creeping in, as the actual artist will have final say when 100 new songs show up out of the blue that sort of sound like them but with all of that pesky soul removed. It's in beta right now and if an artist denies a track, it won't be associated with their profile, won't contribute to stats and won't show up in user recommendations. This looks to be a simple and potentially effective solution to an ongoing problem . Music has been landing on the wrong artist pages across streaming services, and the rise of easy-to-produce AI tracks has made the problem worse, Spotify wrote in a blog post. We know how frustrating this can be for both artists and fans alike. This comes just a week after Sony requested the removal of more than 135,000 AI-generated songs from Spotify after it was discovered the tracks were impersonating real artists. This even happens to bands that have opted out of Spotify entirely. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard left the platform last year , to protest CEO Daniel Ek's investment in a weapons manufacturing company, but a deepfake artist quickly filled the vacuum . Some of this isn't malicious. It's a numbers game for the creators of these tracks. Statistics vary, but it's been estimated that around 50,000 AI-generated songs get uploaded to Spotify each and every day. The platform deleted 75 million of these tracks last year. With this many uploads, it's easy for tracks to accidentally end up on the wrong artist's profile. Bad actors looking to attach their slop to a known quantity compounds the issue. In any event, it's good that Spotify is doing something about this . We don't know when the tool will exit the beta phase and become available for all artists on the platform. That day can't come soon enough. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/spotify-is-testing-a-tool-to-help-real-artists-deal-with-ai-slop-on-their-profiles-161013653.html?src=rss

Reddit will prompt some accounts to 'verify humanness' in latest bot crackdown

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman has detailed the company's latest plan to fight bots and it means that some accounts will need to verify humanness, though the company is stopping short of widespread identity verification. In an update, Huffman said that in rare cases accounts that seem fishy will be prompted for additional verification. Such prompts will not apply to most users, according to Huffman, but will apply to accounts where Reddit detects signs of automated posting or bot-like behavior. If the account doesn't pass the verification test, it may be restricted from the platform. For now, verification will take the form of on-device methods, including FaceID and passkeys. But the company is considering alternative methods, including World ID, the face-scanning orb company run by Sam Altman. I think the internet needs verification solutions like this, where your account information, usage data, and identity never mix, Huffman writes. As part of the new policy, Reddit is also adding an [APP] label to existing good bots on the platform and making it easier for users to report suspected bad bots. The company is also grappling with a growing number of age verification laws. Reddit is exploring ways to comply with these regulations without compromising user privacy, Huffmans said. The company is clearly trying to walk a careful line in how it approaches verification. Huffman notes that Reddit intends to confirm humanness rather than verify users' actual identities, which would erode the anonymity that Reddit is known for. But the rise of agentic AI has meant that Reddit is contending with the same sorts of bot-driven spam that took down the short-lived reboot of Digg. Of course, Reddit is also filled with AI-generated material that's shared by actual humans but may be considered spammy by other users. The company has no plans to crack down on such content, at least for now, according to Huffman. For better or worse, using AI to write is part of how people will communicate in the future (albeit annoying), so our current focus is to ensure there is a real, live human behind the accounts youre seeing. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/reddit-will-prompt-some-accounts-to-verify-humanness-in-latest-bot-crackdown-161000181.html?src=rss

Sony's upcoming Bravia 3 II is a mid-range LED TV available in sizes up to 100 inches

Sony just revealed the upcoming Bravia 3 II mid-range LED TV. It'll be available in sizes all the way up to 100 inches, for those in need of a home theater centerpiece. It's considered a mid-range device, but is still outfitted with plenty of tech typically reserved for the company's high-end displays. First of all, these TVs ship with Sony's XR processor . This grants access to the company's proprietary Clear Image algorithm, auto HDR tone mapping and more. It's nice to see these features expand beyond flagship products. The 4K LED display supports Dolby Vision, Atmos and DTS:X, with refresh rates up to 120Hz. It also features four HDMI 2.1 ports, so you can hook up a Switch 2, a PS5 and an Xbox Series X all at the same time with a port to spare. The software here is integrated with Google Gemini, allowing for all kinds of voice commands. Finally, the TVs ship with Sony's new Inclusive Remote Control, which has been designed for accessibility. The Bravia 3 II line will start showing up at retailers this spring. Prices start at $600 for a 43-inch model and go all the way up to $3,100 for that 100-inch monstrosity. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/sonys-upcoming-bravia-3-ii-is-a-mid-range-led-tv-available-in-sizes-up-to-100-inches-160002697.html?src=rss

Sony adds the Bravia Theater Bar 5 and Bar 7 to its soundbar lineup

Sony already has a robust collection of soundbars in its Bravia Theater lineup . Today, the company is adding two more, as well as new rear speakers and three new subwoofers. The Bar 7 will sit in Sonys premium tier, alongside the existing (and larger) Bar 8 and Bar 9 models, while the Bar 5 will offer a more compact and more affordable solution just below the current Bar 6. The Bravia Theater Bar 7 utilizes nine total drivers to produce Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and IMAX Enhanced sound. More specifically, that arrangement includes three woofers, two tweeters, two up-firing units and two side-firing drivers, in addition to four passive radiators. Compare that to the Bar 8 and Bar 9 which house 11 speakers and 13 speakers respectively. Sony says the Bar 7 has new two-way front speakers and the center, up-firing and side-firing drivers all have the companys oval-shaped X-Balanced design. In terms of features, you get Sonys 360 Spatial Sound Mapping and Sound Field Optimization for more immersive audio performance. The Bar 7 will come bundled with Sonys new Bravia Theater Sub 7 for $870, but you can also purchase it without the subwoofer (pricing TBA). For a more robust system, the Bar 7 can be paired with the companys Bravia Theater Rear speakers. Sony Bravia Theater Sub 7 Sony Speaking of subwoofers, Sony debuted three new models today. The aforementioned Sub 7 is the smallest, employing a 5.1-inch driver for the low-end tone. Move up to the new Sub 8 and you get a 7.9-inch driver for enhanced atmosphere, clearer bass, according to the company. The largest of the new options is the Sub 9 which has two opposing 7.9-inch drivers for powerful, clean bass. Unfortunately, these add-ons dont come cheap: the Sub 7 is $330, the Sub 8 is $500 and the Sub 9 is $900. Sony also touts dual subwoofer connectivity as part of the refreshed Bravia Theater lineup. All three of the new subs can be used as a pair, so long as you have a Theater Bar 7, Theater Bar 8 or Theater Bar 9. You can also use two subwoofers with some of Sonys receivers (STR-AZ7000ES, STR-AZ5000ES, STR-AZ3000ES, STR-AZ1000ES and STR-AN1000). The company explains that opting for two subs provides stronger, more balanced bass, obviously, that fills the room for a more cinematic effect. Sony also says two subwoofers enable richer, fuller bass at lower volumes. Rear speakers are something youll need if you truly want immersive audio, and the new Theater Rear 9 units are a big upgrade over the current Rear 8s. Most notably, you get an up-firing driver for enhanced overhead sounds along with two passive radiators, in addition to a tweeter and a woofer. The drivers all have aluminum diaphragms instead of paper, and the Rear 9s come with a swivel wall mounts that enable 60-degree movement. A pair of Theater Rear 9 speakers will set you back $750. Sony Bravia Theater Bar 5 Sony If all of that sounds too expensive for your living room, Sony has something more affordable in the midrange area. The Bravia Theater Bar 5 is just $350 and still offers Dolby Atmos and DTS:X audio. It doesnt have up-firing drivers, its a 3.1-channel setup, so any overhead effects will be simulated. Still, thats probably okay if you have a smaller space or live in an apartment as the upmixing tech (S-Force Pro Front Surround and Vertical Sound Engine) should provide ample immersion. The Bar 5 does come with a subwoofer though, and you can employ Sonys Voice Zoom 3 feature for enhanced dialogue. The Bravia Theater Bar 7, all three of the new subwoofers and the Rear 9 will be available for pre-order later this spring. The Bar 5 is up for pre-order starting today. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/sony-adds-the-bravia-theater-bar-5-and-bar-7-to-its-soundbar-lineup-160000680.html?src=rss

Mark Zuckerberg, Jensen Huang and Sergey Brin join Trump's tech advisory panel

The leaders of several major tech companies will offer the White House their opinions on tech and science policy as part of an advisory council. Mark Zuckerberg, Jensen Huang, Michael Dell and Larry Ellison the CEOs of Meta, NVIDIA, Dell and Oracle, respectively are joining the panel alongside Google co-founder Sergey Brin and AMD CEO Lisa Su. Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, who has donated to super PACs that support President Donald Trump, will serve on the panel too. The latest iteration of the Presidents Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) has 13 members, though that could expand to 24. White House AI and cryptocurrency czar David Sacks co-chairs PCAST alongside Trump's science advisor, Michael Kratsios. Under President Trump, PCAST will focus on topics related to the opportunities and challenges that emerging technologies present to the American workforce, and ensuring all Americans thrive in the Golden Age of Innovation, the White House told The Wall Street Journal in a statement. Zuckerberg said he was honored to join the presidents council and work with other industry leaders to help ensure the US is the world leader in AI. George W. Bush established PCAST with a 2001 executive order, and some notable executives have been involved with the panel. Barack Obama's advisors included then-Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt and former Microsoft chief research and strategy officer Craig Mundie, while ex-Disney CEO Bob Iger served on PCAST during Trump's first term. Joe Biden's panel included Su. The tech CEOs all have a personal and professional stake here, given the potential impact of federal rules on them and their businesses. Its worth noting that Meta, Google and Huang all chipped in to help pay for the construction of Trumps White House ballroom. Google, Meta and NVIDIA were among the companies that each donated $1 million to the committee for Trump's second inauguration. Meanwhile, Ellison whose family has spent much of the last couple of years building a media empire that includes Paramount and potentially Warner Bros. Discovery has close ties to Trump. Oracle is also one of the companies that backed the takeover of the US version of TikTok, a deal that Trump approved with an executive order. It was reported this month that the Trump administration is receiving $10 billion for brokering the buyout. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/mark-zuckerberg-jensen-huang-and-sergey-brin-join-trumps-tech-advisory-panel-144722797.html?src=rss

Stephen Colbert is writing a new Lord of the Rings movie

Its been quite a while since we visited Middle-Earth on the big screen (anime prequels aside), but it looks like Lord of the Rings fans have plenty to look forward to in the coming years. We already knew that Andy Serkis The Hunt for Gollum was in the works and by all accounts is progressing nicely but another Rings-related film is in development too, and its being co-written by none other than Stephen Colbert. The announcement came from Peter Jackson himself, in a video posted by Warner Bros. to coincide with Tolkien Reading Day. The director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy provided a quick update on Serkis film (the British actor is both directing and reprising his role as Gollum), before introducing very special partner and diehard Tolkien fan Colbert on a video call. With The Late Show nearing its end, its host was seemingly going to be out of work in the summer. Colbert is working with his son Peter as well as screenwriter Philippa Boyens (who co-wrote the original film trilogy). They'll adapt some early chapters of Fellowship of the Ring that never made it into Jacksons 2001 film. The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past is actually set 14 years after the events of Return of the King , and will see Sam, Merry and Pippin retrace the first steps of their famous adventure. So while the new film is inspired specifically by Fellowship chapters III (Three is Company) through VIII (Fog On The Barrow-Downs), it sounds like were actually getting a sequel of sorts, in which well also see Sams daughter Elanor make a huge discovery that puts her on her own quest. Colbert and his son had been scribbling away at their idea for several years before plucking up the courage to show what they had come up with to Jackson, but the legendary 64-year-old filmmaker was clearly a fan. And given the timing of the announcement, Colbert will soon be able to commit all of his energy to the project, which has not yet named any cast members. Will Sean Astin, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan be dusting off their hobbit attire? Only time will tell, but the time jump would presumably make it possible. The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past doesnt have a release date, but its announcement coincides with the 25th anniversary of Fellowship of the Ring , which has already been marked by the whole trilogy returning to theaters earlier this year. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/stephen-colbert-is-writing-a-new-lord-of-the-rings-movie-143004743.html?src=rss

Ring adds 4K to its battery-powered video doorbells

Ring has today announced a spec bump to its battery-powered video doorbells for all those folks who cant wire their units to power. The flagship Battery Doorbell Pro (2nd gen) gets 4K video, with 10x zoom and the promise of far longer time between recharges than the previous model. At the same time, its bringing 2K imaging to its lower-end battery doorbells, the Battery Doorbell Plus and Battery Doorbell (2nd gen). The former, as fitting its higher price, gets a quick-release battery pack, while both models get 2K video and 6x zoom. Naturally, these features are already available on Rings wired products, the bulk of which were announced back in September 2025 . The company is also aware that swapping out batteries isnt ideal if you really need a doorbell to work all of the time. Thats why its also launching a new Solar Charger which integrates into the mount, keeping your doorbell running for longer between trips to the wall outlet. Theres also a bigger Solar Panel, which pumps out more juice than its smaller sibling, and can be mounted in a wider variety of places. All of the above are available to pre-order from today, and are priced as follows: Pro ($250), Plus ($180), Battery Doorbell ($100), Solar Charger ($50), Solar Panel ($60). This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/ring-adds-4k-to-its-battery-powered-video-doorbells-130021181.html?src=rss

Samsung Galaxy A37 and A57 hands-on: The cheaper phone might be a winner

Late last year, Samsung launched its newest generation of affordable A-series phones, starting with the entry-level A17 . Following the arrival of the flagship Galaxy S26 line , the company has returned to flesh out the rest of its midrange portfolio. The more affordable Galaxy A37 and Galaxy A57 sport some interesting upgrades, even when compared to some of their pricier siblings. Core specs and features Before we dive into my hands-on impressions, I want to do a quick rundown of each phone's specs as that should help set up (or temper) expectations. As you'd expect based on their numbering, the A37 is the more affordable of the two with a base price of $450 for 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. You can also choose 8GB RAM and 256GB of storage for $540. Notably, when compared to the A17, the A37 features a much more recent and more powerful Exynos 1480 chip that brings a big jump in NPU performance and helps unlock much of the phone's newfound AI capabilities. It also comes with a large 6.7-inch AMOLED display, a 5,000mAh battery and three rear cameras. However, two of those will likely get more use than the other as the A37 packs a 50-megapixel main camera and an 8MP ultra-wide, along with a 5MP macro shooter. The Galaxy A37 will be available in four colors: charcoal, white, lavender and graygreen. However, the middle two are Samsung.com exclusives and the last one is only available from Best Buy. Sam Rutherford for Engadget Meanwhile, the Galaxy A57 is a bit more expensive, starting at $550 for 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, or $610 for the 8GB/256GB version. It also features a slightly more powerful Exynos 1680 processor and a higher-res 12MP sensor for its ultra-wide lens, but aside from that, it has the same general camera setup as A37 and the same size battery. One small difference is that the A57 has Bluetooth 6 connectivity and Wi-Fi 6E, but the A37 is still stuck with BT 5.3 and basic Wi-Fi 6. For some reason, the A57 is only available in one color: navy. Sam Rutherford for Engadget Both phones come with IP68 ratings for dust and water resistance (which is an upgrade from IP67 on the A36) and 120Hz refresh rates. However, the most important shared trait is that while neither supports wireless charging, they can both take wired power at up to 45 watts, which is actually faster than a base Galaxy S26's limit of just 25 watts. Finally, in addition to six years of OS and security updates, the A37 and A57 are getting some trickle-down AI features from its flagship siblings. Those include improved support for Google's Circle to Search , Object Eraser and better transcription and translation capabilities in the Samsung Voice Recorder app. Galaxy A37 impressions Both phones have nearly identical designs, right down to the same screen size and number of cameras. That said, one area where Samsung cut corners on A37 is that it features a plastic frame instead of the A57s aluminum. But even when you hold them side by side, it's rather difficult to discern between the two. There's no obvious difference in appearance or button layout, so the main way to tell the two apart is by feeling for the cooler touch you typically get from a metal chassis. Alternatively, if you look closely, you'll notice that the A37 has slightly thicker bezels around the outside of its screen. Here's a closer look at the A37's color options. Sam Rutherford for Engadget Compared to the Galaxy A17, the A37's Exynos 1480 felt significantly snappier and much better equipped for multitasking or AI-based tasks like removing unwanted objects from photos. Regardless, as the less expensive of Samsung's new midrange phone options, the company did a really good job disguising the major differences between the two new models. Galaxy A57 impressions To be honest, the A57 wasn't quite as appealing as the A37 due to its higher price and no additional features. The main tool it has that isn't available on its more affordable sibling is Samsung's Best Face camera tool, which allows the phone to analyze people's expressions so you can select your favorite reaction and put it in the photo you want. On paper, its Exynos 1680 chip should be a bit faster, but in normal use, it's really hard to tell. And unlike the A37, which comes in four colors (white, charcoal, lavender and gray/green, depending on the retailer), the A57 is only available in navy. Early thoughts While they look the same, the A57 features an aluminum chassis instead of plastic like on the A37, which should be better for long term durability. Sam Rutherford for Engadget As a more powerful and more premium alternative to the $200 A17, the A37 feels like a worthy upgrade for the money. It offers noticeably smoother performance along with a more elegant hole-punch selfie cam (instead of a waterdrop) and stereo speakers (instead of mono). Starting at $450, the A37 can also undercut the Pixel 10a while offering a larger 6.7-inch AMOLED display (versus 6.3 inches for the Pixel) and a smattering of equivalent AI features. And in some ways, the wider selection of colors just reinforces that Samsung is probably placing bigger bets on the A37's market prospects. If I were looking for an affordable Android phone with a big screen, I'd give more consideration to this new middle child in Samsung's A-series lineup. Aside from bezels that are a tiny bit bigger, the Galaxy A37 (left) looks almost exactly the same as the more expensive Galaxy A57 (right). Sam Rutherford for Engadget As for the A57, it's certainly not a bad phone, but starting at $550, it suffers from being in a much more competitive price bracket. For those who prefer smaller devices, the $500 Pixel 10a is cheaper while offering even better AI tools, a cleaner UI, wireless charging, a slightly larger battery and unmatched photo quality. However, the A57's biggest rival is arguably another Samsung phone: the Galaxy S25 FE . Aside from slower wired charging, it has an even nicer design, an extra year of software and security updates (seven total) and a proper telephoto camera instead of a macro lens. And while its MSRP is a bit higher at $650, it's regularly on sale for under $600 ( or less ), which effectively sidesteps the A57's biggest advantage. That said, no matter which one you prefer, more options for affordable gadgets are always welcome especially with the price of smartphones and PCs increasing due to the global RAM shortage . The Galaxy A37 and A57 will officially go on sale April 9. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/samsung-galaxy-a37-and-a57-hands-on-the-cheaper-phone-might-be-a-winner-120000965.html?src=rss

Apple introduces age verification for iCloud accounts in the UK

Apple has introduced more than just new features, like an AI playlist generator, with iOS 26.4 in the UK. The company now requires users in the region to verify their ages and to prove theyre 18 years old or above before they can access certain services or features, or take certain actions on their account. Users can verify their ages in Settings by linking a credit card to their account or scanning an ID. For people whove had an Apple account for a while, the company will check if they already have a payment method on file that can prove theyre of age. The company says it will automatically switch on its Web Content Filter and Communication Safety features for everyone under 18 and for those who havent verified their ages. These tools are integrated into Apples operating systems and can restrict users from accessing specific websites on Safari and third-party browsers, as well as warn users when theyre receiving or sending images and videos containing nudity. Ofcom, the UKs communications regulator, praised Apple for the decision, especially since its not required to implement age verification for the iOS or its App Store under the regions Online Safety Act . Apples decision that the UK will be one of the first countries in the world to receive new child safety protections on devices is a real win for children and families, the regulator said. Our rules are flexible and designed to encourage innovation, particularly in age assurance. We've worked closely with Apple and other services to ensure they can be applied in a variety of contexts in order to ensure users are protected. This will build on the strong foundations of the Online Safety Act, from widespread age checks that keep young people away from harmful content, to blocking high-risk sites and stepping up action against child sexual abuse material. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-introduces-age-verification-for-icloud-accounts-in-the-uk-115340237.html?src=rss

Samsung launches Galaxy A57 5G and Galaxy A37 5G in India

Both the phones operate on One UI 8.5 out of the box with up to six generations of Android OS and One UI upgrades, along with up to six years of security updates

Sony and Honda kill its Afeela EVs

Sony Honda Mobility, the automotive venture from two of Japans most storied companies, has swung the axe on its EV project. In a statement , it said it would discontinue the development and launch of the Afeela 1 and 2, its long-in-development electric cars. The company added it would review its business direction, and announce its future plans at the earliest possible opportunity. Which, if were honest, probably means the whole thing is going to be shut down, or scaled back so much its no longer worth talking about. 2026 has not been a great year for Honda. On March 12, it posted an up-to $15.7 billion loss as it wrote off a big chunk of its investment in EVs. The US pivot toward fossil fuels, removal of federal EV tax credits and the imposition of tariffs has hit its business pretty hard. Not to mention the high-profile embarrassment of its current F1 engine project with Aston Martin, which promised so much and has delivered less than nothing. Sonys journey into the automotive world began six years ago with the announcement of the Vision-S, the car which would eventually be re-christened Afeela. But while the product looked good on trade show stands, it stood still while the rest of the car world sprinted ahead. In January, Tim Stevens said Afeela 1 looked a little dated, and a little lacking in emotion, and a lot more expensive than comparable models from rivals. Its also worth noting Sony and Hondas vision of a smart device on wheels is hardly a novel concept these days. Not to mention that Afeela 1 is a sedan, being sold to a world thats increasingly fallen out of love with the type in favor of higher-riding SUVs. In Sony's statement, however, the SUV-aping Afeela 2 didn't even get a mention by name, which hints that it was as much an afterthought for the company as we might have guessed when it was announced. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/sony-and-honda-kill-its-afeela-evs-100426852.html?src=rss

X is changing its revenue-sharing policy to deter users pretending to be Americans

X is updating its revenue-sharing incentives to give more weight to engagement from a users home region, Nikita Bier, the companys Head of Product has announced . Bier said the change in policy was to encourage content that resonates with people in [the users] country, in neighboring countries and people who speak [their] language. Bier continued that while X appreciates everyones opinion on US politics, the company is hoping the new policy can disincentivize gaming the attention of US or Japanese accounts. The US and Japan have the largest number of users on X. Bier didnt mention it outright, but dozens of popular accounts tweeting pro-Trump sentiments and commentaries focusing on US politics in general were revealed to be based outside the US late last year, when X rolled out a transparency feature that exposed users locations. Those accounts, which pretended to be from the US and garnered millions of likes, views and reposts, turned out to be based in countries like India, Kenya and Nigeria. X will be a much richer community when there's relevant posts for people in all parts of the world, Bier said. When one user responded to his post that some countries barely have any users, making it hard to earn money from the website, Bier just suggested that they should write about their day-to-day experiences. Of course, youre welcome to continue chiming in on America politics. We just wont send money overseas for that content, he said. Xs new policy will start taking effect on Thursday, March 26. Weve love to hear your thoughts about living in Portugal. Im sure you have plenty of great stories about your day to day experience there. Of course, youre welcome to continue chiming in on America politics. We just wont send money overseas for that content. Nikita Bier (@nikitabier) March 25, 2026 This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/x-is-changing-its-revenue-sharing-policy-to-deter-users-pretending-to-be-americans-090701729.html?src=rss

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Review | A refinement-driven flagship rather than a radical one

Samsungs Galaxy S26 Ultra, the flag-bearer for the South Korean brand in 2026, has been launched with upgrades that seem necessary and natural

Meta is letting creators fill their Reels with shopping links

It's about to get a lot easier for creators on Facebook and Instagram to push products to their followers. Meta will now allow creators to include clickable shopping links for products directly in their Reels. Brand partnerships and affiliate links, in which creators earn a portion of sales generated by their recommendations, are central to how creators earn money from Facebook and Instagram. But Meta has limited the ways in which they can direct their followers off-platform. As a result, creators often rely on third-party link in bio services for managing links to the stuff they endorse. Now, Meta says it will allow eligible creators to link to up to 30 distinct products in a single Reel. the feature will be available on both Instagram and Facebook, though Facebook creators are limited to tagging products from marketplace partners like Amazon. The change could be a boon for lifestyle creators and others who rely on their followers regularly buying the stuff they recommend. It brings Metas apps up to par with TikTok and YouTube Shorts , both of which have had affiliate shopping features for years. It will also make shopping content a lot harder to ignore, which could risk alienating some people if creators go overboard. For Meta, the change will give it new insight into what its users are buying. A Meta spokesperson says the company isn't taking a cut from creators' sales via these links for now, though it's probably safe to assume the company will use the data gleaned from them to bolster its ad business. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-is-letting-creators-fill-their-reels-with-shopping-links-232406681.html?src=rss

Jury rules against Meta, orders $375 million fine in major child safety trial

A jury in New Mexico has found Meta liable for violating the state's consumer protection laws in a high-profile civil trial over child exploitation and other safety issues. One day after closing arguments in the weeks-long trial concluded, the jury ruled against Meta on every count and ordered the company to pay $375 million. The case was brought by New Mexico's attorney general in 2023 and centered around allegations that Meta knew its platform put children at risk of exploitation and mental health harms and failed to put safety measures in place. In the end, the jury ruled that Meta was liable for both counts of violating New Mexico's consumer protection laws for misleading people in the state about the safety of its services. It imposed a penalty of $375 million, the maximum amount under the law based on the number of violations. During the trial, jurors were shown numerous internal documents throughout Meta's history. These included the results of research into mental health issues facing teens, and email exchanges in which Meta executives discussed safety problems like sextortion, self harm content and grooming. Prosecutors argued that these documents showed Meta knew children were experiencing harms on its apps, despite public statements that it prioritized safety. In a statement, Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said the company would appeal the verdict. We respectfully disagree with the verdict and will appeal. We work hard to keep people safe on our platforms and are clear about the challenges of identifying and removing bad actors or harmful content, he said. We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously, and we remain confident in our record of protecting teens online. The verdict isn't the end of New Mexico's case against Meta. The state will argue that Meta is a public nuisance at a bench trial (a trial with a judge and no jury) that's expected to begin in May. In a statement, Attorney General Raul Torrez called the verdict a historic victory for families affected by Meta's safety lapses.Meta executives knew their products harmed children, disregarded warnings from their own employees, and lied to the public about what they knew. Today the jury joined families, educators, and child safety experts in saying enough is enough. The New Mexico trial has been closely watched as it's among the first of many cases against Meta over child safety issues. A jury is currently deliberating in a separate trial in Los Angeles over social media addiction . A coalition of dozens of other states have also brought a lawsuit against the company for harming teens. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/jury-rules-against-meta-orders-375-million-fine-in-major-child-safety-trial-224215209.html?src=rss

Baltimore sues xAI over Grok deepfakes

Grok has already taken extensive heat after the AI chatbot's image generation tool was used to create an estimated 3 million sexualized images over 11 days, including 23,000 of minors, according to the Center for Countering Digital Hate. Regulators around the world have limited access or launched investigations into the platform's potentially illegal and nonconsensual image generation. The US government hasn't made any moves against xAI or its platform at the federal level, but today, the city of Baltimore began a municipal lawsuit against the company. The lawsuit takes a different tactic, arguing that Elon Musk's businesses violated the city's Consumer Protection Ordinance. This complaint , as reported by The Guardian , said that xAI marketed Grok as an all-purpose AI assistant without disclosing the risks and exposure to harm of using both Grok and the X social network. Baltimores consumer protection laws exist to safeguard residents from exactly this kind of emerging harm, City Solicitor Ebony M. Thompson said . When companies introduce powerful technologies without adequate guardrails, the City has both the authority and the obligation to act. We are stepping in now to protect our residents, hold these companies accountable, and prevent these harms from becoming further entrenched as this technology continues to evolve. The other notable action against Grok within the US stemmed from a potential class action filed by three teenagers who alleged that photos of them were used to create child sexual abuse material. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/baltimore-sues-xai-over-grok-deepfakes-214135922.html?src=rss

OpenAI is shutting down its Sora video generation app

OpenAI is shutting down its Sora video generation app. We're saying goodbye to Sora, the company wrote in a X post published Tuesday afternoon. For now, OpenAI has yet to say when the app and its related API service would become unavailable. Instead, promising to share those details at a later date. We've decided to discontinue Sora in the consumer app and API. As we focus and compute demand grows, the Sora research team continues to focus on world simulation research to advance robotics that will help people solve real-world, physical tasks, an OpenAI spokesperson told Engadget. Were saying goodbye to Sora. To everyone who created with Sora, shared it, and built community around it: thank you. What you made with Sora mattered, and we know this news is disappointing. Well share more soon, including timelines for the app and API and details on Sora (@soraofficialapp) March 24, 2026 While today's news might come as a surprise for some, there were warning signs Sora was heading in this direction since the start of the year. While Sora hit the top of the US App Store charts shortly after its debut, interest in the platform appears to have quickly fizzled out thereafter. At the start of 2026, data from analytics firm Appfigures suggested the app was seeing successive month-over-month declines in both new installs and user spending. In December alone, a time of year when most apps typically flourish, Sora reportedly saw a 32 percent decline in new downloads from November. The shutdown also aligns with OpenAI's recent shift in strategy. Since the release of GPT-5.2 , the company's code red response to Google's Gemini 3 Pro model , OpenAI has tried to court professionals like coders and data analysts with systems that excel in those domains, seeing enterprise customers as a route toward profitability. However, todays shutdown does appear to come with an additional cost for OpenAI. According to The Hollywood Reporter , Disney is exiting the deal it signed with the AI lab at the end of last year , and wont, as a result, invest $1 billion into it. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-is-shutting-down-its-sora-video-generation-app-211023358.html?src=rss

Apple could give Siri a standalone app and an 'Ask Siri' button in iOS 27

Bloomberg 's Mark Gurman has been sharing every incremental update about what Apple's long-awaited Siri overhaul will and won't include. His latest article claims that the AI assistant will have a standalone app and will introduce an Ask Siri feature that could mark a decidedly different direction in how users will interact with the platform. Gurman reports that Siri is being designed to leverage personal data from messages, emails and notes to complete requests. Siri will also allegedly be able to execute tasks within apps, access news and conduct web searches. The Ask Siri angle means people will be able to make their requests in conversational, natural language formats by either text or voice, which has not been an option in Apple's platform and appears to confirm that the company wants Siri to function akin to other AI chatbots . These improvements are still expected to be a part of the iOS 27 and macOS 27 updates. The official announcement of the reimagined Siri is expected to happen during WWDC 2026 . Apple's summer showcase is happening over June 8-12, with the keynote and Siri news likely happening on June 8. There have already been so many delays, even just in the past two months , that it's hard to know how substantive the first parts of the Siri overhaul will be. We know direct from the company that Google Gemini will be powering the new Siri, but that's the only real confirmation Apple has offered as the redesign process has dragged on. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/apple-could-give-siri-a-standalone-app-and-an-ask-siri-button-in-ios-27-202802492.html?src=rss

Zoox is bringing its robotaxi to new cities and expanding coverage in Las Vegas and San Francisco

Zoox has announced plans to bring its robotaxi to Austin, Texas and Miami, Florida for the first time, along with offering expanded service in San Francisco and Las Vegas. The company formally launched its robotaxi service in September 2025, and shared earlier in March that it would begin testing in Dallas and Phoenix . A Zoox retrofitted testing fleet has been operating in Austin and Miami since 2024, but offering rides with company's purpose-built robotaxi designed to be more of a rolling social space with seats facing each other is an important step towards Zoox running its full service in both cities. At least to start, rides will be available in a small part of both cities and only for Zoox employees, their families and friends, but the company says it'll expand who can hail a ride as testing continues. For anyone who lives in San Francisco or Las Vegas, Zoox's coverage area and options for pick-ups and drop-offs are also becoming more convenient. Zoox is now able to pick up riders from more locations in Las Vegas, including the Las Vegas Convention Center and a majority of the major hotels along the Strip. The company will also provide limited service to high-traffic events at The Sphere and T-Mobile Arena, and eventually plans to send its robotaxi on trips to Harry Reid International Airport. Starting this spring, Zoox is also expanding where it will offer rides in the eastern half of San Francisco, covering the Marina, North Beach, and Chinatown, as well as Pacific Heights and along the Embarcadero. Besides being able to pick up riders in more places, Zoox is rolling out two product updates to improve the experience of riding in its robotaxis. Find My Zoox will let the company's robotaxis use distinct lighting and sound cues, to signal to riders which robotaxi is theirs, and Zooxcast will let riders play their audio over Bluetooth while they're in a robotaxi. In comparison to all the cities Waymo currently offers its robotaxis , Zoox is playing catch-up, but the company is also approaching its business a bit differently. Zoox is focused on using custom robotaxi for rides, while Waymo has expanded quickly on the back of cars retrofitted with the sensors that makes its Waymo Driver software work. Waymo plans to incorporate its own robotaxis co-developed with Geely into its fleet over time, but for now, rides with Zoox are a bit more bespoke. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/zoox-is-bringing-its-robotaxi-to-new-cities-and-expanding-coverage-in-las-vegas-and-san-francisco-195410391.html?src=rss

AccuWeather is now available inside ChatGPT

Who among us hasn't tormented over the burden of having to exit an AI app to check the weather? Well, I haven't, and I'm guessing you haven't either. But AccuWeather has a solution regardless. On Tuesday, the company rolled out a ChatGPT app to spare someone that pain. Snark aside, there may be a few niche situations where this provides a slight advantage. AccuWeather suggests asking ChatGPT, When is the best time this afternoon to go for a run with the most comfortable weather conditions? or Will it rain on my planned vacation this weekend? Of course, you could just read the dang forecast to get those same answers. But hey, to each their own. After you've connected the AccuWeather app to your ChatGPT account, your weather-related queries will be answered in an interactive weather module. Available info includes MinuteCast, RealFeel and RealFeel Shade. This isn't the first time AccuWeather has adapted its service perhaps questionably to emerging technologies. In 2017, it pushed out a virtual reality app for Samsung's Gear VR headset. Engadget noted at the time that it sounds like one of the least exciting VR experiences imaginable. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/accuweather-is-now-available-inside-chatgpt-192637363.html?src=rss

Splitgate's 1047 Games is starting work on a Titanfall-style movement shooter

At the close of a video announcing the second season of Splitgate: Arena Reloaded , the company's co-founder and CEO Ian Proulx revealed that a small section of the team has started work on a new game. He said that the next project will be a movement shooter in the style of Titanfall and Black Ops 3 . Those two tidbits are really all that 1047 Games had to share. People can sign up to participate when playtesting begins, but considering the latest release is only just hitting its second season, it's a safe bet that we'll have a while before this project gets a title and a trailer, much less a release window. Splitgate is a well-made game with smart traversal and movement mechanics, so it's likely that they'll have good ideas to bring to this sliding and gliding subgenre of FPS. Whether players will continue supporting 1047 Games is a different question. The studio leadership bungled a lot of things in the past year, starting with Proulx's questionable fashion choices and even more questionable handling of said choices . 1047 Games also pulled a bait-and-switch with the release of Splitgate 2 , yanking it back to beta after release and cutting jobs before re-releasing and reimagining the sequel as Splitgate: Arena Reloaded in December. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/splitgates-1047-games-is-starting-work-on-a-titanfall-style-movement-shooter-192551191.html?src=rss

Three new Gemini features come to Google TV

Google has announced a trio of new AI-powered features for its Google TV platform, after showing off smarter Gemini integration at CES back in January. Google TV can now provide richer visual help when you ask it a question. Request the current sports scores, for example, and Gemini will bring up not only a live updating scorecard, but also where you can watch the game. If youre looking for a recipe, itll pair its results with a video tutorial where possible. If youd rather learn something new than binge away at your latest Netflix fix, Google TV can also now do visual deep dives on topics that interest you. If theres an economic trend, scientific phenomenon or technological innovation thats on your mind, Gemini will create a custom, interactive walkthrough on the subject in question, allowing you to ask follow-up questions afterwards. The idea is that the feature lets you turn passive viewing into meaningful screen time. It would appear that even your TV is now telling you off for watching too much TV. When you ask about a topic, you can either click Dive deeper to learn more, or navigate to the Gemini tab at the top of your home screen and select the Learn option. The last new addition is Gemini-powered sports briefs, which function in the same way as the news briefs Google introduced last year, but strictly for sports. Designed as an alternative to checking your phone, you can ask your AI-assisted TV for timely, narrated overviews of the latest goings-on in any league you might follow. Already, the feature supports the NBA, NCAA basketball, NHL, MLS and NWSL, and it will live in the Gemini tab. Deep dives and sports briefs are initially limited to those with Gemini-enabled devices in the US, with Google promising wider device support later in the spring. Richer visual help is rolling out today in the US and Canada, and Google has also announced that its various Gemini Google TV features are coming to more countries in 2026, starting with Australia, New Zealand and the UK in the coming months. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/three-new-gemini-features-come-to-google-tv-175724155.html?src=rss

Apple confirms ads are coming to Apple Maps

Apple Maps will soon have ads, Apple confirmed in a blog post announcing the company's new Apple Business platform. Reports that Apple planned to expand its ad business outside of the App Store and Apple News broke as recently as yesterday, but the company has been rumored to be exploring putting ads in its navigation app as far back as 2022 . Ads in Maps, as the new advertising program is called, will allow businesses to create ads that can appear when users search in Maps, at the top of search results and at the top of a new Suggested Places experience in Maps, which will display recommendations based on whats trending nearby, the users recent searches, and more, Apple says. The program will be open to Apple Business customers in the US and Canada starting this summer. Any advertisers using the existing Apple Ads experience will also be able to book space in Apple Maps. Like the other ads Apple offers to businesses in the App Store and Apple News , ads in maps will be clearly marked and are designed to maintain users' privacy. What ads users interact with and their current location is not associated with their Apple Account, and personal data stays on user's devices and isn't shared with third-parties or collected by Apple. Apple's slow expansion into advertising most directly benefits its over $100 billion Services business , which covers obvious things like Apple TV and Apple Music, but also includes the fees it takes from in-app purchases made through the App Store and the money it makes selling advertising. At least so far, Apple's ads are easy to ignore, and based on the samples provided as part of its announcement, that'll stay true in Apple Maps. Ads in Maps are bundled in Apple's larger Apple Business program, an enterprise offering that's designed to appeal to multiple different sizes of business. Apple Business includes things like mobile device management (for distributing apps and managing user accounts), the ability to set up a business email, calendar and web domain through Apple and the aforementioned Ads in Maps. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/apple-confirms-ads-are-coming-to-apple-maps-175613751.html?src=rss

iOS 26.4 is here, with Playlist Playground and new emoji

iOS and iPadOS 26.4 are here, with a surprising number of new features for a point release. Chief among them is a new AI playlist generator, similar to one Spotify launched in 2024 . Playlist Playground is Apple's branding for the song list generator. It works as you'd expect: Type a prompt, and it spits out tracks that match it. As MacRumors noted , your prompts can relate to mood, feelings, activities and more. Also new in iOS 26.4, an ambient music widget puts background sounds on your home screen. Like the corresponding Control Center tool, it brings up (Apple-curated) sounds for sleep, chill, productivity or well-being. Yet another music feature is Bandsintown integration : upcoming concert dates in your area will appear in the Apple Music app. Unicode's latest emoji characters arrive in the update, too. This includes Hairy Creature, also known as Bigfoot. Another fun one is fight cloud. (Think old-timey cartoons beating each other up inside a puff of vapor.) Also onboard are a trombone, a treasure chest, a distorted face, an apple core, an orca, ballet dancers and a landslide. The update also has fixes for some of iOS 26's nagging bugs. In Apple's latest attempt to stem the tide of complaints about Liquid Glass , there's a new Reduce Bright Effects setting. There's also a fix for a keyboard bug that caused errors when typing rapidly. Although we arent seeing it on our devices just yet, macOS Tahoe 26.4 should be arriving today as well. The update brings back the option to use Safaris compact tab bar. (Youll find this in iPadOS 26.4 as well.) Mac users can also customize their maximum charge level anywhere from 80 to 100 percent. Meanwhile, watchOS 26.4 finally lets you start a workout with one tap. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/ios-264-is-here-with-playlist-playground-and-new-emoji-171343120.html?src=rss

Bandsintown integration for concerts is coming to Apple Music

The live music discovery platform Bandsintowns partnership with Apple goes way back , but iOS 26.4 brings the deepest integration between the two companies to date. Concert listings from Bandsintown will now appear in Apple Music , allowing you to find out when either a band you already love, or one youre discovering for the first time, is next playing live. Artists who use Bandsintown to advertise their tour dates can promote upcoming shows in a number of ways through Apples app. A new Concerts tab will live within Search, allowing subscribers to search for shows by their genre, location and date, while participating artists can also connect their Bandsintown dashboard to their Apple Music artist page. By doing this, their tour dates will automatically appear in an Upcoming Concerts section within 48 hours of connecting the two services. Apple Music users can tap listed events to see more details about a show and will be able to buy tickets through direct links to sellers. If you follow artists, you can also set up push notifications for their announced shows. Bandsintowns platform is already built into a number of other Apple apps and services, with the likes of Shazam, Apple Maps, Photos and Spotlight Search all able to pull through live event data. The new Apple Music features will be available on devices running iOS 26.4 when it leaves beta. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/bandsintown-integration-for-concerts-is-coming-to-apple-music-170034229.html?src=rss

Pokmon Champions will hit Switch and Switch 2 on April 8

Pokmon Champions a battle-focused game along the lines of Pokmon Stadium now has a release date, and it's pretty darn soon. It will hit Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 on April 8. A mobile version is in the works with support for cross-play with Nintendo's consoles. Nintendo released a new overview video that shows how the game works. You can recruit Pokmon in the game or transfer those you've found in previous titles and Pokmon Go via Pokmon Home. Then you'll be able to take half a dozen of your Pokmon into strategic turn-based fights with other players. It's definitely a Pokmon battle game! There are ranked battles, a casual mode, private lobbies and online competitions. You'll earn victory points, which you can use to swap a Pokmon's moves, increase their stat points and make other modifications. In addition, victory points enable you to recruit Pokmon in Pokmon Champions more than once per day. Pokmon that you recruit with victory points can stay in your roster permanently instead of just a week. There's a shop too, where you can spend points on accessories, Pokball throwing styles, victory poses and battle music. Pokmon Champions will be the second new Pokmon game to arrive this year, following the success of Pokmon Pokopia . There's more to come in the not-too-distant future, as Pokmon Wind and Pokmon Waves are scheduled to arrive on Switch 2 next year. While Pokmon Pokopia is selling like hotcakes, the Switch 2 perhaps isnt flying out of the door as quickly as Nintendo hoped. According to Bloomberg , Nintendo has cut back on production of the console after lower-than-expected sales over the holiday season. The company is said to be making 4 million units this quarter rather than the previously planned 6 million, with the lower production rate set to extend into April. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/pokemon-champions-will-hit-switch-and-switch-2-on-april-8-165737121.html?src=rss

The Punisher's one-off TV special hits Disney+ on May 12

We knew Disney+ was prepping a standalone special for The Punisher, but we didn't know it was coming so soon. The Punisher: One Last Kill premieres on May 12. This is just one week after the season two finale of Daredevil: Born Again , which starts up this week. It's possible The Punisher will be featured in that, so we could be in for eight straight weeks of skull-shirted shenanigans. Frank Castle returns in A Marvel Television Special Presentation: The Punisher: One Last Kill May 12, only on @DisneyPlus . pic.twitter.com/4I3H10grXz The Punisher (@ThePunisher) March 24, 2026 One Last Kill was actually co-written by star Jon Bernthal, who has been playing the vigilante for a decade now . It's been described as a love letter to the character, but plot details have been kept under wraps. Marvel TV head Brad Winderbaum has called it a shotgun blast of a story. Reinaldo Marcus Green is directing, who previously made We Own This City with The Wire's David Simon. We do know that Frank Castle survives whatever violent ordeal he goes through in the special. That's because The Punisher is featured prominently in the trailer for the next Spider-Man film . This will be the first time Bernthal's take on the character will show up in an actual movie. He first took on the role in season two of the original Netflix Daredevil show. Bernthal was a fan favorite, which led to two seasons of a spin-off show before Netflix and Marvel ended their whole joint TV experiment. This isn't the only Netflix-era hero getting a resurgence on Disney+ and beyond. Charlie Cox returned to the role of Daredevil for Spider-Man: No Way Home and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law before getting his own show . It's also been reported that Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones is coming back this season on Born Again and Mike Colter has been dropping hints that his version of Luke Cage could be gracing televisions in the near future. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-punishers-one-off-tv-special-hits-disney-on-may-12-162208769.html?src=rss

There's a new Payday game, this time in VR

The popular co-op heist franchise Payday is coming to VR. Payday: Aces High will release for the Meta Quest platform and SteamVR later this year. It looks like it has everything people love about the series, but with some of that VR-style immersion. Just like the mainline games, this version tasks players with planning and then pulling off elaborate heists. It offers four-player co-op, with each person filling a particular role within the group. These are your standard heist movie archetypes. There's the planner, the brawler, the gadget nerd and the silent but deadly assassin. The developer also promises plenty of gear and weapons, with an arsenal that keeps growing. This leads to the usual Payday gameplay loop. Each successful heist lets players buy more weapons and gadgets. Rinse and repeat. Fast Travel Games is making this one, and the developer has a decent pedigree in the VR space. It helped make Cities: VR and Apex Construc t , among many others. The graphics here look decent and we already know the gameplay is solid. Plus, there are clown masks. We'll find out if Payday: Aces High makes the grade later this year. This is just the latest major gaming franchise to experiment with virtual reality. There are VR versions of Half-Life , Assassin's Creed , Horizon and many more. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/theres-a-new-payday-game-this-time-in-vr-160051276.html?src=rss

Epic is laying off more than 1,000 workers, citing a downturn in Fortnite engagement

Epic Games has announced sweeping layoffs of more than 1,000 employees. The downturn in Fortnite engagement that started in 2025 means we're spending significantly more than we're making, and we have to make major cuts to keep the company funded, CEO Tim Sweeney said in a memo to workers on Tuesday. Sweeney wrote that, combined with over $500 million of identified cost savings in contracting, marketing, and closing some open roles, the layoffs will give Epic more stability. He added that the layoffs are not related to AI. Back in 2023, Epic laid off 830 employees . At the time, that was 16 percent of its workforce, suggesting around 4,000 employees remained at the company. If those numbers havent changed too much in the meantime, that means Epic is culling around a quarter of its headcount this week. Along with a dip in Fortnite engagement, Sweeney pointed out that Epic isnt immune from systemic issues the games industry is contending with, such as a slowdown in growth, reduced spending, tougher cost economics and a battle with other types of media for consumers attention. However, Epic has some issues of its own to deal with. Despite Fortnite remaining one of the most successful games in the world, weve had challenges delivering consistent Fortnite magic with every season; we're only in the early stages of returning to mobile and optimizing Fortnite for the world's billions of smartphones; and in being the industry's vanguard we have taken a lot of bullets in a battle which is only in the early days of paying off for ourselves and all developers, Sweeney wrote. (He previously said Epic spent over $100 million in legal fees alone on its App Store battle with Apple.) The path forward for the company, per its CEO, is to create awesome Fortnite experiences with fresh seasonal content, gameplay, story and live events, perhaps in an attempt to recapture some of that magic hes referring to. Speeding up work on developer tools amid the transition to Unreal Engine 6 is important as well, Sweeney indicated. He said that the workers Epic is laying off will receive at least four months of their base pay, though theyll get more depending on the length of their tenure at the company. Epic will pay for extended healthcare coverage, including for six months for affected workers in the US. The company which is not publicly traded will speed up the vesting of stock options through next January and extend equity exercise options for up to two years, Sweeney said. Epic announced the layoffs days after it increased the price of Fortnite s V-bucks currency. The cost of running Fortnite has gone up a lot and were raising prices to help pay the bills, it said. As part of the changes at the company, Epic is killing off three Fortnite modes. Rocket Racing (which was built by Rocket League developer Psyonix) will shut down in October. Fortnite Ballistic a 5v5 tactical shooter mode and Festival Battle Stage , which is a competitive version of the Fortnite Festival rhythm game, will vanish on April 16. We've built a lot of Fortnite modes, and in some cases we failed to build something awesome enough to attract and retain a large player base, Epic said on X . The company noted in its Year in Review recap last month that although the hours that players spent in third-party titles on the Epic Games Store increased by four percent in 2025, overall gameplay hours declined year over year, hinting at a dip in Fortnite numbers. The company said PC players spent $1.16 billion on the store in 2025, an increase of six percent from the previous year. Of that, $400 million was spent on third-party PC games. However, Epic Games Store vice president and general manager Steve Allison told Polygon in February that, factoring in first-party revenue and the 12 percent cut the company takes from third-party games, the store is already even with all this stuff marginally profitable now. Here is the full memo Sweeney shared with Epics employees on Tuesday: Today were laying off over 1000 Epic employees. I'm sorry we're here again. The downturn in Fortnite engagement that started in 2025 means we're spending significantly more than we're making, and we have to make major cuts to keep the company funded. This layoff, together with over $500 million of identified cost savings in contracting, marketing, and closing some open roles puts us in a more stable place. Some of the challenges we're facing are industry-wide challenges: slower growth, weaker spending, and tougher cost economics; current consoles selling less than last generation's; and games competing for time against other increasingly-engaging forms of entertainment. And some of our challenges are unique to Epic. Despite Fortnite remaining one of the most successful games in the world, weve had challenges delivering consistent Fortnite magic with every season; we're only in the early stages of returning to mobile and optimizing Fortnite for the world's billions of smartphones; and in being the industry's vanguard we have taken a lot of bullets in a battle which is only in the early days of paying off for ourselves and all developers. Since it's a thing now, I should note that the layoffs aren't related to AI. To the extent it improves productivity, we want to have as many awesome developers developing great content and tech as we can. What we now need to do is clear: build awesome Fortnite experiences with fresh seasonal content, gameplay, story, and live events; accelerate developer tools with greater stability and capability as we evolve from Unreal Engine 5 and UEFN to Unreal Engine 6. And we'll be kicking off the next generation of Epic with huge launch plans towards the end of the year. This isn't our first time being here. Epic survived upheavals in 1990's with the move from 2D to 3D with Unreal 1; in the 2000's building console games with Gears of War; and in 2012 moving to online gaming with Paragon and Fortnite. Each time, we rebuilt our foundations and earned a renewed leadership position. Market conditions today are the most extreme we've seen since those early days, with massive upheaval in the industry accompanied by massive opportunity for the companies that come out as winners on the other side. That's what we're aiming to do for our players, and we aim to bring other like-minded developers in the industry along on the journey to build an increasingly open and vibrant future of entertainment together. At Epic, we pride ourselves in only hiring the industry's best, so it is very painful to part with so many talented people. The folks impacted by the layoffs will receive a severance package that includes at least four months of base pay, with more based on tenure. Were also extending Epic-paid healthcare coverage. For example, in the U.S., theyll receive paid coverage for 6 months. Well also accelerate their stock options vesting through January 2027 and extend equity exercise options for up to two years. We'll have a company meeting Thursday to talk about the roadmap in more detail. -Tim This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/epic-is-laying-off-more-than-1000-workers-citing-a-downturn-in-fortnite-engagement-154436905.html?src=rss

Samsung's cheaper Mini LED TVs are now on sale

Samsung has unveiled the budget M70H and M80H Mini LED TVs, promising a bright picture and accurate colors starting at just $400 for the 50-inch and $1,200 for the 85-inch models. The company also revealed a pair of new higher-end TVs with the company's Quantum Mini LED tech, the QN70H and QN80H, that offer precise backlighting and 100 percent color volume. Mini LED TVs have been dropping rapidly in price over the past couple of years while also improving in quality. The M70H and M80H are among the cheapest we've seen so far, with, most 50-inch Mini LEDs currently on sale costing $400 or more. Samsung is promising pretty decent specs as well like 10-bit panels that can display a billion colors, Samsung's HDR+ and a 144Hz refresh rate with FreeSync Premium or 240Hz with DLG at 1080p. Samsung's M70H Mini LED TV Samsung Other key features include Samsung's One UI Tizen with Smart Home support and Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple TV) compatibility, along with Samsung's Gaming Hub for cloud gaming and adaptive sound (but not Dolby Atmos support). The company didn't mention some key specs like brightness, color gamut and the number of local dimming zones, so you can likely assume those aren't top-of-the-line. The prices are very good, with the 43-inch M70H at $350, the 65-inch M70 priced at $530 and the 85-inch M70H running $1,200. The M80H starts at $700 for the 55-inch model and runs up to $1,800 for the 85-incher. All models are now on sale, and Samsung said that a 100-inch Class M90H model is arriving later this year this year. Samsung Samsung also revealed a new line of higher-end Neo QLED models powered by its Quantum Mini LED technology. With the QN70H and QN80H, Samsung is promising rilliant brightness and 100 percent DCI-P3 color volume, thanks to the quantum dot tech and more precise backlighting. Samsung said this model would have more local dimming zones than before (though again, it didn't say how many), which should result in better contrast and less looming caused by light leakage from neighboring pixels. Features are largely the same as with the M70H and M80H, but the QN models also offer Dolby Atmos and 360 audio along with a slightly highter 288Hz DLG refresh rate at 1080p. The Neo QLED 4K QN70H starts at $600 for the 43-inch model and goes up to $1,200 for the 65-inch version and $2,300 for the 85-inch model. The 55-inch QN80H, meanwhile, costs $1,299, the 75-inch model is $2,000 and the 100-inch TV is $5,500. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/samsungs-cheaper-mini-led-tvs-are-now-on-sale-150034289.html?src=rss

Akai just released a portable and relatively budget-friendly MPC sampler

Akai just revealed specs and other details about the MPC Sample after teasing the gadget earlier this month . This is a portable sampler and groovebox that looks eerily similar to Teenage Engineering's EP series . It also resembles some legendary Akai gadgets from decades past, including the MPC3000 and MPC60. In other words, it's easy on the eyes and sort of looks like a Super Famicom. It seems pretty capable. The Sample has 16 velocity-sensitive MPC pads with poly aftertouch, which should please finger drummers. It can handle 32 stereo voices of polyphony and there's a sequencer for making actual beats. Akai As for sampling, there's an easily accessible chop mode, in addition to time-stretching and repitching capabilities. Samples can be edited via waveform, thanks to a full-color LCD display. The machine can resample internally with FX, letting creators make some unique soundscapes. The MPC Sample boasts access to four effects engines and 60 effect types. The gadget ships with over 100 factory drum kits, but users can easily add whatever they want. It comes with just 8GB of internal storage, but there's a microSD slot for more. It can, of course, connect to MIDI keyboards for playing melodic samples. The Sample also hooks up to DAWs. Akai The RAM is on the lower side, at just 2GB. However, this is the standard configuration for some more expensive units, like the MPC Live and Live II. It should be able to get the job done, but the MPC XL is the product to pick for those looking for maximum horsepower . That one has a whopping 16GB of RAM. It also costs nearly $3,000. The rechargeable battery here lasts five hours, which is respectable but not groundbreaking. Teenage Engineering's EP series boasts better battery life, but requires pricey AAs. Finally, there's a speaker, but I've never had much luck with speakers on this type of thing. Bring some headphones to actually hear what's going on. Perhaps the biggest news here is the price. The MPC Sample costs just $400, which seems reasonable given the form factor and features. It's available right now. Casio announces this release Casio SX-C1 ... Casio is sooo back and i want it so bad. pic.twitter.com/plMtbdqZU6 LozaxPixel (@LozaxPixel) January 26, 2026 Casio recently unveiled another nifty-looking portable sampler called the SX-C1 . It also resembles a Nintendo product, but this time it's a Game Boy and not the Japanese SNES. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/akai-just-released-a-portable-and-relatively-budget-friendly-mpc-sampler-140047113.html?src=rss

Spotify's SongDNA can tell you all about the track you're listening to

Spotify has started rolling out a feature called SongDNA that can show you the people behind your favorite tracks and give you an insight on how they were created. You can access it by opening the Now Playing view while listening to a specific song and then scrolling down to the SongDNA box. Tracks that support the new feature will show you all the artists, writers, producers and collaborators behind them. Its yet another way to make more music on the platform discoverable, since youll be able to tap on their icons to see their profiles and the other pieces they worked on. The box will also contain the samples and interpolations that helped form a tracks sound, as well as the covers it inspired. Spotify says its giving eligible artist and label teams the power to review and manage the components of the feature, so its bound to be supported by more and more tracks as time goes on. SongDNA is designed to make a songs creative lineage more transparent so fans can easily explore the people and influences behind the music they love, said Jacqueline Ankner, Spotifys Head of Songwriter & Publisher Partnerships. By bringing collaborators, samples, and covers together in one place, were making it easier for fans to discover new music and see how songs connect and come to lifewhile giving songwriters, producers, and rightsholders meaningful recognition for the role they play in creating it. SongDNA is making its way to paying iOS and Android users around the world, but its still in beta and might still go through revisions before its more widely available. It will roll out more broadly to Premium users throughout April. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/spotifys-songdna-can-tell-you-all-about-the-track-youre-listening-to-130000809.html?src=rss

The Morning After: WWDC 2026 is happening June 8th

Its coming. Apples Worldwide Developers Conference ( WWDC ) will take place from June 8-12. Going on past timings, CEO Tim Cook will take the stage for the keynote on June 8, most likely at 1 PM ET. WWDC is a software-focused affair, so expect to see the upcoming 27 operating systems, now that the new naming convention has settled. Apple will likely cover iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, visionOS 27, watchOS 27 and macOS 27. However, Bloomberg 's Mark Gurman is suggesting that WWDC will be a fairly muted affair, but in all fairness, WWDC has never been that explosive. Still, there are things I want to hear about: Rumors suggest that iOS 27 will deliver big upgrades to Apple Intelligence and possibly that overdue Siri overhaul. Reports also suggest the presence of split-pane multitasking, if youre aching to juggle spreadsheets, web browsing and more on your mobile device. Mat Smith The other big stories (and deals) this morning Engadget review recap: Lots of Apple, Galaxy S26, Dell XPS 16 and more Wing expands its drone delivery service to the Bay Area Billionaire OnlyFans owner Leonid Radvinsky has died from cancer at 43 Apple will reportedly start stuffing ads into the Maps app Twitter turns 20 And now what? Senior reporter Karissa Bell marks two decades on Twitter. Twitter/X as changed a lot, especially in the last five years, as AI slop, clickbait, and ragebait keep the algorithm ticking over. More recently, Xs AI assistant was able to undress anyone you ask it to. Great. The social network has moved far away from its exciting heyday of live tweeting, memes and more or even a place to make new friends and contacts. In fact, I got my job here at Engadget through Twitter DMs to former Engadget editor Richard Lai. As Karissa puts it, Twitter stopped being that place a long time ago. Continue reading. Nothing Phone 4a Pro review A new midrange champ? Engadget The Phone 4a Pro punches well above its $499 price tag. Nothing has successfully refined its hardware into a more premium, all-metal unibody, losing the jarring camera bump of its predecessor in favor of a sleek design that houses a genuinely impressive camera. There are still a few signs that its not quite a flagship (mediocre video recording performance and a lack of wireless charging), but at this price, these seem like minor complaints. Nothings next flagship phone needs to offer something, right? Continue reading. Samsungs new S26 series can AirDrop like an iPhone A new update has added support. Android AirDrop sharing is expanding to more devices. Samsung announced earlier this week that its Galaxy S26 Series is getting AirDrop support via the Quick Share feature. Google first introduced the Quick Share feature on its Pixel 10 phones last year. The setting allows Android users to send and receive photos and files from an Apple device. Yknow, like AirDrop. Continue reading. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-121555441.html?src=rss

Snapchat users sent 'nearly' 2 trillion snaps in 2025

Snapchat users are sending a staggering number of snaps to each other, according to newly released data from Snap. In 2025, Snapchat users created close to 2 trillion snaps, the company said in an update. That works out to about 5.5 billion distinct snaps per day and about 63,000 each second, according to the company. When you consider that Snapchat has about 474 million daily users, that averages to more than 11 snaps per user each day. In a blog post, the company called it a reflection of how often people are capturing a moment in a bid to connect with one another. The numbers offer a window into engagement on the nearly 15-year-old platform where much of users' activity happens out of public view. The stat is the first time the company has shared the total number of snaps sent in a year, though Snap said last year its users shared more than 1 trillion selfie snaps in 2024. Snap, which at times has struggled with user growth, has been inching closer to 1 billion users for the last year. It reported 946 million monthly users in its most recent earnings report . CEO Evan Spiegel described reaching a billion people as a long term goal. Jim Lanzone, the CEO of Engadgets parent company Yahoo, joined the board of directors at Snap on September 12, 2024. No one outside of Engadgets editorial team has any say in our coverage of the company. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/snapchat-users-sent-nearly-2-trillion-snaps-in-2025-121500274.html?src=rss

OnePlus Nord 6 with 9,000 mAh battery launches on April 7 in India

Nord 6 also claims to support sustained 165 FPS in titles such as BGMI, Call of Duty Mobile and Free Fire

Denon expands its multi-room speaker lineup with the Home 200, Home 400 and Home 600

If the Sonos app saga still has you down, Denon has three new multi-room speakers that give you some fresh alternatives. The companys Home 200, Home 400 and Home 600 offer audio flexibility with other HEOS-enabled products. These new devices were also designed so that they blend in with home decor better than most speakers, coming in stone and charcoal color options for that purpose. As you progress up in number, the speakers not only get physically larger, but their sonic output is also more robust. The Denon Home 200 houses three drivers and three amplifiers for natural, room-filling sound in a compact speaker. More specifically, you get two 0.98-inch tweeters and a single 4-inch woofer. The Home 200 looks a kind of like the Sonos Move 2, although Denons new compact unit isnt portable. However, you can use a pair of them for a stereo setup, or connect two 200s to Denons Home Sound Bar 550 and Home Subwoofer for a 5.1 home theater system. Next up is the Home 400, which carries two 0.75-inch tweeters, two 4.5-inch woofers and six amplifiers, in addition to two 1-inch up-firing drivers. Here, Denon says you can expect a wide, airy soundstage that provides room-filling audio coverage. Whats more, those upward-facing drivers project sound overhead, so theres a greater sense of dimensionality and immersion here. Denon Home 600 speaker Denon The Home 600 is the largest speaker in the new trio, with dual 6.5-inch woofers alongside two tweeters, two midrange units and two up-firing drivers. Denon explains that this configuration offers deep, authoritative bass that provides more depth in your tunes than other two models. All three of the new Home speakers have Wi-Fi, Bluetooth USB-C and aux connectivity with the wireless streaming powered by Denons HEOS tech. As such, you can connect these Home speakers with up to 64 other HEOS devices including A/V receivers and Denons new DP-500BT turntable and arrange your audio gear in up to 32 different zones. Youll have access to tunes from Tidal, Amazon Music HD and Qobuz in the HEOS app, and all three new Home speakers support Dolby Atmos Music where available. The Home 200, Home 400 and Home 600 speakers are available today for $399, $599 and $799 respectively. Theyre available from Denon directly or other authorized retailers. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/denon-expands-its-multi-room-speaker-lineup-with-the-home-200-home-400-and-home-600-080000916.html?src=rss

Instax Mini Evo Cinema Review | Less of a practical upgrade, more of a lifestyle choice

If you are someone who values aesthetics, nostalgia, and the joy of physical photos, this camera makes sense

Amazon Plans Smartphone Comeback More Than a Decade After Fire Phone Flop

The phone is seen as a potential mobile personalization device that can sync with home voice assistant Alexa and serve as a conduit to Amazon customers throughout the day, the people said.

OnePlus launches Nord Buds 4 Pro with spatial audio and ANC

OnePlus Nord Buds 4 Pro also supports slide controls for volume

Realme launches P4 Lite 5G smartphone with 7,000 mAh battery

Realme has used MediaTek Dimensity 6300 5G chipset in the P4 Lite 5G with up to 6GB RAM and 128GB storage

Poco X8 Pro Max, Poco X8 Pro and Poco X8 Pro Iron Man Edition launched in India

Both devices feature a metal frame, and racetrack-inspired camera modules paired with dynamic RGB lighting

Apple unveils second-generation AirPods Max at $549

Live translation, first introduced on the AirPods Pro 3 in September, enables users to translate in-person conversations across languages using Apple Intelligence

Google Pixel 10a Review | More incremental refinements rather than a major upgrade

Googles Pixel a series has gradually shifted its positioning in India. What earlier felt like a relatively accessible entry into the Pixel ecosystem now sits much closer to the premium mid-range space