Gadgets

SNK's Neo Geo console remake works with original cartridges and HDMI

Not everyone had the money for the original Neo Geo Advanced Entertainment System when it released in the '90s, but there's still a chance to experience it as an adult with disposable income. SNK and Plaion Replai, who is also behind the all-black remake of the Commodore 64 , announced a faithful remake of the high-end retro console, called the Neo Geo AES+ . To bring the original console into the modern day, the collaborating companies added HDMI compatibility for resolutions up to 1080p and DIP switches on the bottom of the console to allow for language selection, overclocking and switching display modes. Rounding out the upgrades, SNK and Plaion Replai included a permanent way to retain high scores on a memory card and a low-power usage mode. For the purists out there, the Neo Geo AES+ still works on those chunky CRT displays since it has the original AV output. Preorders are currently open for two versions of the Neo Geo AES+, including an all-white 35th anniversary edition bundle that includes an Arcade Stick, a limited-edition Metal Slug game cartridge and a memory card, for $349.99. The standard edition in classic black will only come with an arcade stick, but will be available for $249.99. Coinciding with the console release, Replai Plaion will release 10 modernized game cartridges, including Metal Slug, The King of Fighters 2002 and other classics, for $89.99 each. If you think those prices are high, don't forget the original Neo Geo AES' release price was $649.99. The Neo Geo AES+ is set to start shipping on November 12. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/snks-neo-geo-console-remake-works-with-original-cartridges-and-hdmi-194509442.html?src=rss

Judge sides with creators of banned ICE trackers who allege DHS and DOJ violated their First Amendment rights

A judge has granted the makers of the ICE Sightings - Chicagoland Facebook group and the Eyes Up app a preliminary injunction to stop the Trump administration from coercing platforms to take these projects down. Judge Jorge L. Alonso of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois found that the plaintiffs, Kassandra Rosado and Kreisau Group, are likely to succeed in their case, which alleges that the government suppressed protected speech under the First Amendment by strong-arming Facebook and Apple into removing ICE monitoring efforts. Both Eyes Up and ICE Sightings - Chicagoland use publicly available information to keep tabs on ICE activity. But after pressure from Trump officials, they were removed from Apple's App Store and Facebook, respectively. Similar apps including ICEBlock and Red Dot were also taken down from the App Store and Google Play. The lawsuit cites social media posts by former US Attorney General Pam Bondi and former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that demanded and took credit for the removal of these apps. In a document filed on Friday, Alonso called these posts thinly veiled threats. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), which is defending the plaintiffs, wrote in a post on X that it is extremely encouraged by this ruling. It continued, Even though its not the end of the case, it bodes well for the future of our legal fight to ensure that the First Amendment protects the right to discuss, record, and criticize what law enforcement does in public. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/judge-sides-with-creators-of-banned-ice-trackers-who-allege-dhs-and-doj-violated-their-first-amendment-rights-191701801.html?src=rss

Apple avoids a second import ban for its redesigned smartwatches in latest court ruling

Apple has secured a major victory for its redesigned smartwatches as per the latest decision from the US International Trade Commission. The federal agency ruled against reinstating an import ban on Apple Watches, allowing the tech giant to continue selling its devices with a reworked blood-oxygen monitoring technology. The ITC decided to terminate the case and refer to a preliminary ruling from one of its judges in March that claimed that Apple's redesigned smartwatches don't infringe on patents held by Masimo, the medical tech company that has long been embroiled in lawsuits surrounding the Apple Watch . Apple thanked the ITC in a statement, adding that Masimo has waged a relentless legal campaign against Apple and nearly all of its claims have been rejected. We reached out to Masimo for comment and will update the story when we hear back. The latest decision could offer some closure to the longstanding legal feud between Masimo and Apple. The patent battle dates back to 2021 with Masimo's first filing against Apple that requested an import ban on Apple Watches. The ITC ended up ruling that Apple violated Masimo's patents, resulting in the previous import ban and the Apple Watch maker redesigning the blood-oxygen reading feature in certain models. However, Masimo wasn't satisfied with this conclusion and sought another import ban on the updated Apple Watch models. Now that the ITC has ruled against that, Masimo is left with the option to appeal the decision with the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. While Masimo may currently be on the losing side of this legal battle, it's confronting Apple on multiple fronts. In November, a federal jury sided with Masimo and ruled that Apple has to pay $634 million in a separate patent infringement case. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/apple-avoids-a-second-import-ban-for-its-redesigned-smartwatches-in-latest-court-ruling-175600668.html?src=rss

A comet gets destroyed by the sun, data centers endanger the Potomac River, and more science news

The Artemis II astronauts are settling back into life on Earth, but we're not quite tired yet of hearing about their amazing journey. There's a new PBS documentary now streaming on YouTube that dives into the Artemis program and the latest efforts to send humans to the moon again. Also this week, NASA shared some awesome images of a comet flying into the sun, the nonprofit American Rivers released its annual report on the most endangered rivers in the US and ESA posted a throwback image of Mars to highlight some interesting changes down on the surface. Here are the science stories that caught our attention this week. A comet grazes too close to the sun Earlier this month, a recently discovered comet made a close approach to the sun but it couldn't handle the heat. NASA has shared incredible images of the encounter that took place on April 4, showing the comet exploding into dust as it swings around our star. As NASA notes in a social media post, this was its first and last observed flyby of the Sun. The comet, C/2026 A1 (also known as MAPS) was first spotted on January 13 of this year. As it neared the sun, it was observed by a slew of instruments: NASA and ESA's SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) spacecraft, NASA's STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) and NASA's PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere). This allowed for views of its passage from multiple angles. Seen in a narrow-field coronagraph view captured by SOHO, the comet appears to plunge directly into the sun. But, the wide view from NASA's STEREO shows it actually swinging closely around the sun before breaking apart. 2/4 This close-up coronagraph view from NASA/ESAs SOHO spacecraft shows comet C/2026 A1 (MAPS) approaching the Sun on April 4. After the comet passes behind the disk, only a cloud of dust emerges. pic.twitter.com/PbkzqPnZ5F NASA Solar System (@NASASolarSystem) April 16, 2026 MAPS was one of a family of comets aptly called Kreutz sungrazing comets, and according to Karl Battams, the principal investigator for SOHOs coronagraph, its destruction occurred likely several hours before what would have been its closest approach. Potomac named most endangered river in the US The nonprofit conservation organization American Rivers has released its 2026 report on the most endangered rivers in the country, and data centers play a major role in the status of its top pick. According to American Rivers, the Potomac River is the most endangered in the US due both to the threat of sewage pollution from aging pipe systems and the unprecedented surge in data center development in its vicinity. The Potomac River basin spans parts of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, DC. In January, the catastrophic failure of the Potomac Interceptor wastewater pipe in Montgomery County, Maryland dumped hundreds of millions of gallons of untreated sewage into the Potomac River and the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal, causing bacteria levels to hit over 4,000 times the safe recreational limit at sites closest to the incident, according to the report. The Potomac Interceptor is over 60 years old, and is just one of many in the region that is at or past the 50-year service life, American Rivers notes. On top of that, data center development in places like Virginia and Maryland has skyrocketed, which could put a strain on local water and energy sources . Data centers also have potential to cause further pollution to the river. The region currently has over 300 data centers and is on track to have a total of about 1,000 centers occupying roughly 200 million square feet of buildings enough to cover 3,472 football fields on an estimated 20,000 acres of land, the report explains. These facilities pose a significant and growing threat to both water quality and water quantity, yet are being approved without meaningful transparency, regulatory review, and assessment of cumulative impacts. The organization is calling for Congress to reauthorize infrastructure funding bills so aging systems can be upgraded, and for regulators in these states to require transparency about data centers' resource use, along with comprehensive environmental assessments before development plans are approved. Mars ash: then vs now ESA/DLR/FU Berlin The European Space Agency this week shared a look at how a region on Mars has changed since it was observed by NASAs Viking orbiters way back in 1976. New images captured by ESA's Mars Express spacecraft show how dark volcanic ash has encroached upon a swath of land in an area known as the Utopia Planitia basin. If you visit the blog post , you'll find a side by side comparison of images from the two time periods. It's a rare example of an observable change on the surface of the red planet that's occurred over such a short period of time, ESA notes. The agency explains, The spread of the ash over the last 50 years has two possible explanations: either it has been picked up and moved about by martian winds, or the ochre dust that previously covered the dark ash has been blown away. Before you go, be sure to check these stories out too: The PBS Artemis II documentary is streaming on YouTube NAACP sues xAI over data center pollution There's yet another study about how bad AI is for our brains This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/a-comet-gets-destroyed-by-the-sun-data-centers-endanger-the-potomac-river-and-more-science-news-160000714.html?src=rss

Cyberpunk platformers, gallivanting geckos and other new indie games worth checking out

Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. Once again, there are some neat new games for you to check out this weekend. We've got a bunch of updates and announcements for upcoming titles to tell you about too. There have been a bunch of solid indie showcases lately (and highlights from another one to tell you about below). If you want to learn about a ton of other games ASAP, you might want to set your alarm pretty early on April 25. Starting at 5AM ET that day, the latest edition of Indie Life Expo takes place on YouTube , Twitch , TikTok , Bilibili and elsewhere. This one will feature more than 200 games! A rapid-fire Indie Waves segment will power through 160 of them. Organizers received 1,100 submissions for this installment, so hats off to them for featuring a sizable percentage of those. Before that, you can check out another showcase on April 21. Top Hat Studios Presents: Spring Showcase 2026 will start at noon ET on the publisher's YouTube and Twitch channels. The stream will feature Motorslice, Well Dweller and survival horror game Becrowned , as well premieres and other Top Hat games. I've been looking forward to Motorslice, which has a May release window. I wager we'll get a precise release date for that during this stream. Meanwhile, there's an interesting Steam event taking place soon. InterfaceX26 will run from April 27 until May 4. This one is focused on games that deal with made-up operating systems and other custom interfaces. Organizers have brought together more than 150 developers and publishers, who are asking Valve to introduce an official Fake OS tag for games on Steam. Some neat games will be included in a sale and a showcase on May 2, including Blippo+ , TR-49 and The Roottrees are Dead . Expect demos and relevant new releases too. Speaking of which... New releases We've been waiting a very long time for Replaced. This cyberpunk adventure from Sad Cat Studios and publisher Thunderful finally landed this week on Steam , GOG , Xbox on PC and Xbox Series X/S . It's on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Otherwise, the base game costs $20. A supporter edition that includes the soundtrack is $25. It'll hit the Epic Games Store at a later date. The game was initially supposed to arrive in 2022. It certainly didn't help that Sad Cat Studios was forced to relocate from Belarus to Cyprus after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But the game is finally here and it debuted to generally positive reviews. Replaced is a 2.5D action platformer set in an alternate version of 1980s America, in which you play as an AI trapped in a human body that may or may not dream of electric sheep. I haven't yet had a chance to properly jump into this gorgeous-looking game, but I'm hoping to do so this weekend. Speaking of games I've long had on my wishlist, Gecko Gods arrived this week. I think I first clapped eyes on this around 2022. Various trailers charmed me with the idea of a puzzle exploration platformer that casts you in the role of a gecko that's able to run along walls and ceilings. I've played around 90 minutes of this one so far. I dig the look and the gecko is very cute (being able to customize its appearance is a nice touch). I love that you collect different types of bugs by eating them. It's a fairly relaxing game, which is broadly what I need at the minute. I think there are some issues here, though. I've explored two of the main five islands in the open world and it feels a bit sparse so far. The joy of being able to clamber up and around any object complicates things when it comes to more precise platforming sections. While the sailing sections are pretty, the boat is clunky to control on the choppy water. I ran into some mild technical issues as well on PS5 with occasional framerate dips and objects popping in. Hopefully, that's something the developers at Inresin are able to address. Gecko Gods from publishers Super Rare Originals and Gamersky Games is available now on Steam , PS5 and Nintendo Switch . It's normally $20, but there's a 10 percent launch discount until April 30 (on PS5, this only applies to PlayStation Plus members) Another highly anticipated game landed this week in the form of Mouse: PI for Hire . We've had our eyes on this first-person shooter/detective game with sumptuous rubberhose-style animation for quite some time. Reviews have been generally positive so far, and it seems that there's enough substance here to live up to those stellar visuals. Mouse: PI for Hire from Fumi Games and publisher PlaySide is out now for $30. It's available on PC , Nintendo Switch 2 , PS5 and Xbox Series X/S . Thirsty Suitors developer Outerloop Games and co-publisher Outersloth served up the cooking-themed Dosa Divas this week. It tells the story of two sisters who set out on a journey with their mech to take down a fast food empire and reconnect communities through cooking. It caught my eye when I saw it during a showcase a while back and it has a great concept, though I don't exactly love turn-based combat. I've read a few lukewarm reviews of the game, and the consensus seems to be that the cooking mechanics and combat perhaps needed some more time to simmer. If you'd like to try Dosa Divas yourself, you can pick it up on Steam , Xbox Series X/S , PS5 , Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 . It'll usually run you $20, but there's a 10 percent launch discount until April 28. If you're looking for a puzzle game that can be relaxing or rather dark, depending on your mood, it might be worth checking out A Storied Life: Tabitha . As you pack up the home of a late loved one, you'll need to decide which items to keep in the limited storage space you have and discard the rest. You'll need to wrap fragile items in bubble wrap and vacuum pack soft items to save room in the boxes. As you save items, you'll unlock words that you can use to fill in the blanks of your loved one's life and tell their story, Mad Libs-style. Given that you'll find items like a blackmail letter and a shirt with lipstick on the collar, it seems like there's a lot of variety to the kinds of stories you can tell. A Storied Life: Tabitha is available on Steam now. It'll normally run you $15, but you can save 10 percent if you buy it before April 28. To round out this section, Ill quickly note that Hades 2 is out now on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S for $30, with a 20 percent launch discount. It's on Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass too. I bought Hades 2 when Supergiant Games brought it to Steam early access two years ago, telling myself I'd wait until the full game was out. But I still haven't gotten around to it yet. There are always too many games tugging at my fragile attention span and Hades 2 faded into the background for me. I really ought to play it, I know! Upcoming I'm keeping an eye out for Agefield High: Rock the School from Refugium Games. This spiritual successor to Rockstar's Bully is set to arrive this summer on Steam . It emerged this week that it will hit PS5 and Xbox Series X/S later in the year. It's a coming-of-age adventure in which you play as Sam, a young lad who has moved to a new school in the early 2000s. He wants to make his last few months of high school a time to remember. There's a branching narrative with multiple endings here you can opt to go to classes and be a good student, or skip school and cause trouble. As a mostly rule-abiding student way back when, I'd be tempted to go for the latter. This seems like a bit of a life sim with a broad array of activities and ways to get into bother. Im looking forward to it. The latest edition of the Galaxies Showcase yet another indie spotlight event took place this week and The Backworld caught my attention. This is a Mother -inspired RPG from Numor Games and publisher Top Hat with charming art direction (yes, I did see that one character doing a Naruto run), an intriguing mix of characters and... Oh no, why did the music stop? Why did it get so dark all of a sudden? What are these horrifying beasts that are chasing my character? Yup, there's a heavy horror element here. Numor took inspiration from The Backrooms as well. The Backworld will be released later this year. A demo just hit Steam . A Study in Blue, from Relate Games, was another highlight of the Galaxies Showcase, thanks in large part to that impressive animation. This is a point-and-click adventure in which you play as two characters with complex pasts: private detective Kenneth and runaway Blue. You'll explore a semi-open world and solve crimes by collecting clues and calling out characters' lies. There are three intertwined story acts and multiple endings. A Steam demo featuring a side quest from the main game that'll take around two hours to complete is available now. I'm always going to be interested in any game that riffs on The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past . On the face of this trailer, Elementallis developer AnKae Games seems to borrow quite a bit of the design language and other ideas from the SNES classic. Still, if you're going to crib from anything, it may as well be the best game of all time. This 2D action RPG, which is also published by Top Hat and has a heavier focus on elemental powers than A Link to the Past , looks very much like my kind of jam. It's coming to Steam , GOG , Switch , PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One on April 28. Per the eShop listing, it'll cost $18. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/cyberpunk-platformers-gallivanting-geckos-and-other-new-indie-games-worth-checking-out-110000924.html?src=rss

India smartphone shipments fall to 6-year low in Q1 amid price hikes: Report

Over 80 smartphone models saw average price hikes of 15%, with a further 15%20% expected later

The PBS Artemis II documentary is streaming on YouTube

The crew of NASA's Artemis II mission have safely returned to Earth , but if your Moon fever has yet to break, or you're curious to get a big picture view of how the second of a planned five Moon missions was pulled off, PBS has a new documentary you'll want to watch. The hour-long Return to the Moon was produced for PBS' NOVA and aired on TV on April 15, but you can view the episode in its entirety on YouTube right now. Return to the Moon covers the history of NASA's Artemis program, and specifically the planning and preparation that went into Artemis II. Per the documentary's official description: Follow the four members of the Artemis II crew as they embark on a perilous 10-day journey to orbit the Moon, venturing beyond Earth orbit for the first time since Apollo and farther into the Solar System than any humans have gone before. And get an inside look at the preparations needed to overcome the extreme engineering challenges of human-crewed spaceflight, all the way from launch to splashdown. The last Apollo mission was in 1972, so Artemis II getting a group of four astronauts anywhere near the Moon has naturally generated a lot of excitement. The crew flew further away from Earth than anyone has gone so far, captured some stunning photos of both the Moon and our home planet and managed to make everyone feel better about their dislike of Microsoft Outlook . Few Moon missions have been as well-documented or relatable. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/the-pbs-artemis-ii-documentary-is-streaming-on-youtube-210347406.html?src=rss

A lot of you panic-bought PCs to avoid RAMaggedon 2026

The specter of price hikes caused by the current AI-driven demand for memory and storage appears to have convinced a fair share of people to buy a new computer. According to data analyzed by Counterpoint Research , global PC shipments grew around 3.2 percent year-over-year in Q1 2026, driven by pre-emptive buying before memory-led price increases hit the retail level and Microsoft forcing some customers to upgrade by ending support for Windows 10 last year . Sales hit 63.3 million units during the first quarter, Counterpoint says, and were particularly concentrated in five high-end PC makers: Lenovo, ASUS, Apple, HP and Dell. Of the five, Lenovo commands the most PC market share at 26 percent, but sales increased for almost all of the companies, save for HP, whose year-over-year sales technically declined by 5 percent. Of particular note, Apple's PC sales grew by 11 percent, likely on the strength of the M5 updates it made to the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air , and the introduction of the affordable $600 MacBook Neo . Counterpoint suggests the updates could drive even further sales growth next quarter. Even with positive sales, the PC industry as a whole is by no means out of the woods. The aggressive expansion in AI infrastructure investment is driving up overall component costs, which will likely impact the pricing of CPUs and other key components in [PCs], Counterpoint Senior Analyst Minsoo Kang says. Ultimately, the sustained upward pressure on costs and the resulting hike in retail prices are expected to have a significant negative impact on the PC markets growth in 2026. A general sense that the worst is yet to come is consistent with what other analysts have warned about the current shortages of RAM and storage. In December 2025, IDC predicted that PC shipments could drop as much as 8.9 percent in 2026 in response to the price of RAM, and later revised its prediction to 11.6 percent this past March. Even if consumers aren't feeling the worst of these price hikes just yet, new announcements of price increases seem to arrive like clockwork every few weeks for example, this week, Meta raised the price of its Quest headsets which means if they aren't feeling them now, they will soon. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/a-lot-of-you-panic-bought-pcs-to-avoid-ramaggedon-2026-200237204.html?src=rss

Sam Altman's 'human verification' company thinks its eye-scanning orbs could solve ticket scalping

,Among them, is a new tool called Concert Kit that could help bands and artists fight back against ticket scalping bots. The new feature relies on the revamped World ID, the orb-based verification system that scans users eyeballs and faces to create a proof of human signature that lives on users' mobile devices. It's basically like a little human passport for the internet that lets you prove on apps and websites that you are a real and unique human without revealing anything about yourself, Tools for Humanity Chief Product Officer Tiago Sada tells Engadget. Now, as more apps and services are starting to support World ID, that human passport can unlock some new abilities. Coupled with Concert Kit, it allows artists to designate a specific pool of tickets for verified humans only. The concept is a bit like how pre-sales currently work, with artists (or their teams) setting aside a specific number of tickets for people who have set up a World ID. Those folks can then use their World ID to get ticket codes for Ticketmaster, Eventbrite, AXS or other major ticketing platforms. Because World ID is limited to actual, verified, humans the system won't be susceptible to the same tactics that have enabled bots to ruin the ticket-buying process for so many, Tools for Humanity says. Artists are also in control of what level of verification they want to require from their fans. (The new World ID app will also allow people to set up an account with a selfie check if they don't have ready access to an orb.) Just how much of a dent Concert Kit will be able to make in the massive scalping bot problem that plagues the concert industry is less clear. So far, Bruno Mars is slated to use the solution on his upcoming world tour no word on just how many of his tickets will be reserved for World ID-verified humans, though and Concert Kit is available to other artists starting today. Concert Kit is one of several new integrations and updates to World ID that Tools for Humanity announced at an event in San Francisco Friday. Tinder, which earlier this year started testing World ID as an age verification solution in Japan , will be rolling out support worldwide. In the US, Tinder's integration won't be for age verification, though. Instead, it will indicate whether there is an actual verified human behind a given profile. Tinder profiles that verify with World ID will get a badge as an extra signal of authenticity. Tools for Humanity On the enterprise side, Zoom and DocuSign are also adding support for World ID to help businesses verify that there is an actual person (and not a deepfake or bot) joining their video calls or signing important documents. Tools for Humanity is also introducing a standalone app for World ID that separates its identity verification tools from its existing crypto wallet app. The updates are Tools for Humanity's latest attempt to make their orb-based verification system, which has been widely mocked, more mainstream and perhaps a little less dystopian. (Elsewhere, orbs have begun appearing in some new places like a San Francisco Gap .) On their part, Tools for Humanity seems aware that a lot of people aren't ready to scan their faces at a bunch of orbs controlled by Altman just to prove they are humans. I asked Sada, Tools for Humanity's Chief Product Officer, what he would say to people who think that the company is solving for the wrong problem: that really it should be up to ticketing platforms and dating apps and other services to strengthen their security and bot-fighting tools, rather than rely on their users to prove their humanness. He said it was a completely understandable question and compared it to some people's initial discomfort with things like Apple's TouchID or FaceID. Not everyone has to do it upfront, and that's important, he said. It's optional. If you want to have a World ID, you get access to that enhanced experience. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/sam-altmans-human-verification-company-thinks-its-eye-scanning-orbs-could-solve-ticket-scalping-171500555.html?src=rss

NASA restarts work to support Europe's uncrewed trip to Mars after years of setbacks

NASA has confirmed the pending launch of the European Space Agency's (ESA) Rosalind Franklin rover, which is being sent to Mars. The current plan is to launch via a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center. The timing is still being worked out, but the space agency says this won't happen until at least 2028. This is a partnership between NASA and the ESA, with the European agency providing the rover, the spacecraft and the lander. The US will provide braking engines for the lander, heater units for the rover's internal systems and, of course, assistance with the actual launch. The rover will be outfitted with scientific instruments to look for signs of ancient life on the red planet. These include a state-of-the-art mass spectrometer and an organic molecule analyzer, which will come in handy as the vehicle collects samples at the Oxia Planum landing site. This is a mission that has suffered years of delays for all kinds of wild reasons. It was actually first conceived all the way back in 2001 . The rover mission was originally scheduled for 2009, after NASA came on board. Budget constraints forced NASA to drop out in 2012, so Russia signed on as the ESA's launch partner. During this period, the mission experienced technical malfunctions which forced additional delays . The ESA suspended its partnership with Russia in 2022 after the country invaded Ukraine. This left the mission in doubt until 2024, when NASA came back into the fold . In the middle of a historic mission back to the Moon, this Administration is proposing to a 47% cut to NASA science and a 23% cut to NASAs budget overall. Last weeks launch showed our country and world what were capable of when we work together toward a common goal. None of pic.twitter.com/zW3i3iFaEQ Senator Mark Kelly (@SenMarkKelly) April 10, 2026 However, the setbacks didn't even end there. The Trump administration has repeatedly tried to end NASA's involvement with the project, and many others, via stark budget cuts . The current proposal was made while the Artemis II crew was on their mission around the Moon, according to a report by The Register . Here's hoping the launch actually happens in 2028. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/nasa-restarts-work-to-support-europes-uncrewed-trip-to-mars-after-years-of-setbacks-161524488.html?src=rss

Panic says the Playdate Catalog won't accept games made with generative AI

Panic, the company behind the tiny and excellent Playdate console, is taking a stand on generative AI. The company has published an AI disclosure that says as of this month, the Playdate Catalog will no longer accept titles that use Generative AI for art, audio, music, text, or dialog. Panic does allow for developers to use AI assistance for coding, but also says that we will flag any title as such and specify the extent that it was used (for example, Lua debugging) so the customer can decide whether to support it or not. This comes a day after Panic announced that Playdate season three was happening and would arrive later this year. For those who dont recall, the Playdate includes a season worth of games when you buy it, 24 titles in total with two revealed every week. Season two came out last year with 12 games but, as Game Developer notes , one of those games used generative AI for writing and coding. On Bluesky, someone asked Panic if it would disclose what games in season three used AI, and the company confirmed that it was a requirement for season three that developers not use AI for art, music, writing or coding. Specifically, Panic says you cant use large language models like ChatGPT or Google Gemini, AI image generators like Stable Diffusion or audio generators like MuseNet and Suno. Previously-approved games with generative AI will be allowed to stay on the catalog with a disclosure that indicates what exactly AI was used for. The company says these guidelines are under constant discussion and is subject to change at any time. I recall seeing AI disclosures on games in the Playdate Catalog in the past, but it makes sense to be up-front and clear on exactly what Panic allows and what it will reject. That said, its fairly easy to sideload games onto a Playdate, so anyone who wants to use generative AI to make a game isnt entirely out of luck though distribution and discovery for Playdate owners will obviously be harder. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/panic-says-the-playdate-catalog-wont-accept-games-made-with-generative-ai-160615022.html?src=rss

Exit 8 is cinema for the livestreaming era

The rules of Exit 8 , both the cult indie game and the recent film adaptation, are simple: You're stuck in a subway station that loops around endlessly. If you notice any anomalies on your current loop, you turn around. If everything is the same, you keep going forward. Each successful guess takes you to a new entrance where the loop recurs, until you reach the end of the labyrinth, Exit 8 itself. It's a setup that perfectly suits a first-person video game, where you can fully control where your character looks and moves. And it's also something director Genki Kawamura deftly replicates in the film through long tracking shots and sweeping camera movements. Even without a controller, or a keyboard and mouse, the viewer remains immersed, looking and listening for any minor changes. Within just a few minutes, the film makes it clear it's not just another thoughtless video game adaptation like The Mario Galaxy Movie it's an attempt to translate the experience of the game to an entirely new medium. That's a daunting challenge for most artists, but Kawamura is no stranger to jumping between formats. He's known for producing popular anime films from the likes of Makoto Shinkai and Mamoru Hosoda, including Your Name and Belle . He's also made a name for himself as a best-selling author, with books including the novelization of Exit 8 . Kawamura's perspective for the film came from a conversation with Nintendo's legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, who had mentioned that the greatest games are both fun for the players and people watching them. So what I tried to do in the film is to really place the audience in the shoes of the player in certain shots... almost like they were watching a live stream of a video game in other scenes, he said in an interview with Engadget (via a translator). That's kind of structurally the through-line of the film. The Exit 8 adaptation balances that sense of immersion with a more traditional narrative structure, something the game lacked entirely. As the film begins, we're introduced to a young man standing in a crowded train. A drunken businessman shouts at a mother to quiet crying baby down. Instead of telling the belligerent salaryman to fuck off, the young man plugs in his earbuds and tries to ignore the situation, just like everyone else. He eventually steps off, while the tearful mother suffers through the verbal assault. It's a scene that anyone who's lived in a crowded city can relate to the moments where you know you should try to help a stranger, but fear, cowardice or embarrassment hold you back. Exit 8 NEON Shortly after receiving a call from his ex-girlfriend, who reveals that she's pregnant, the young man stumbles into the Exit 8 loop. At first, it's just a normal subway station, with large poster ads, a photo booth and random maintenance doors. But he quickly notices that the room repeats itself. Thanks to a helpful set of instructions on the wall, he learns that his only way out is to start tracking anomalies, like slight changes in text, or the way a robotic businessman walks past him. And yes, things get freaky quickly. Kawamura points to his experience working in animation as a major influence for Exit 8 . In particular, the works of Satoshi Kon and Katsuhiro Otomo influenced how he externalized what characters were thinking and feeling, as well as how he depicted the interaction of dream and real worlds. When we were filming, I told my DP [director of photography] that the main character of this film is the corridor, he said. And all of our human characters, they have no names, so therefore they're NPCs in this corridor, which is the main character. So I wanted the corridor to almost evoke this feeling in the audience that it has a will of its own. And this yellow Exit 8 sign is almost like this divine God-like being. Kawamura says he personally views it as the corridor challenging humans who have a guilty conscience, but you can easily read in other meanings. More importantly, Exit 8 isn't merely a faithful recreation of the source material it adds enough to make a case for existing a separate medium, a challenge many video game adaptations fumble. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/exit-8-is-cinema-for-the-livestreaming-era-151112907.html?src=rss

Anthropic now has a design assistant too

In hindsight, I suppose it was only a matter of time after Anthropic made Claude capable of generating charts and diagrams that the company would then begin offering a more robust image editor. Now, a little more than a month after that release, Anthropic has announced Claude Design, a new research preview that allows subscribers to use Claude to generate designs, prototypes, slides and more. Claude Design gives designers room to explore widely and everyone else a way to produce visual work, Anthropic says of its newest product. As with its previous forays into image generation, the company isn't calling this, well, an image generator. Instead, Anthropic describes Opus 4.7 , the system powering the app, as its most capable vision model to date. In other words, you won't be using Claude Design to whip up a picture of a cat in space eating a lasagna . As you might expect, every project in Claude Design starts with a prompt. From there, Anthropic notes users can refine Claude's outputs through conversation, inline comments and direct edits. Like Adobe's recently announced AI assistant , Claude will also generate custom sliders that correspond to specific elements in a design, which the user can push and pull to modify those elements. For instance, in the screenshot below, you can see how Claude has tweaked the interface to allow the user to adjust the glow and density of arcs it used to illustrate a connected network. Claude Design will generate custom sliders you can use to adjust specific visual elements. Anthropic Anthropic has also built an onboarding process that allows Claude to build an internal visual language after reading your organization's codebase and existing design documents. Every project after that uses your colors, typography, and comments automatically, according to the company. Outside of text prompts, there's also support for image and document uploads, and Anthropic has even included a web capture tool so enterprise customers can snapshot elements from their company's website. There's also built-in sharing, and you can export a design directly to Claude Code. In the coming weeks, Anthropic has promised to make it easier to build integrations with its new app. Claude Design arrives in the same week that both Adobe and Canva released their own visual AI assistants. If Anthropic is preparing to eat Canvas lunch, it's doing so in a strange way given that you can export your Claude Design projects to Canva. If you want to try the new app for yourself, it's available as part of Anthropic's Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise subscriptions, with usage running up against your usage limits. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/anthropic-now-has-a-design-assistant-too-150000903.html?src=rss

Donut Lab's battery claims reportedly subject of whistleblower complaint

Startup Donut Lab made a splash at the start of the year with some astonishing and suspicious claims about its solid state batteries. Now Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat reports an individual has filed a criminal whistleblower complaint against the company over those claims. Until recently , Lauri Peltola was listed as the Chief Commercial Officer at Nordic Nano the firm reportedly contracted to handle portions of the manufacturing on Donut's behalf, and which Donut Lab has invested in . He reportedly filed a criminal complaint that Donut Labs promises of energy density and longevity have been overstated and that the company lacks the production capacity previously claimed. HS suggests it has seen copies of internal communications between Donut Lab and two partner companies, CT-Coating and Nordic Nano. The paper says that CT-Coatings first-generation battery is the one that Donut Lab has been advertising, and is the model it handed to Finnish national lab VTT to test. But, according to the emails viewed by HS , CT-Coating had abandoned development on that cell in favor of a one still in early development, despite Donut Labs claim in January that it had a technology ready to enter mass production. Donut Lab CEO Marko Lehtimki reportedly told HS he had no knowledge of Peltolas complaint. Nordic Nano CEO Esa Parjanen, meanwhile, denied Peltolas accusations, saying that his views were not shared by the company and that Peltola had no involvement with Nordics battery project. In a joint public statement Donut Lab and Nordic Nano stated they do not know the exact nature of the complaint but denied having committed any crime or misleading investors. They also describe the complainant (presumably Peltola, though the statement does not name him) as not having the necessary knowledge of battery technology or the overall picture of the development work. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/donut-labs-battery-claims-reportedly-subject-of-whistleblower-complaint-142133269.html?src=rss

Engadget Podcast: Allbirds goes from shoes to AI

So a shoe company turned into an AI company. Thats it, thats the joke. In this episode, Devindra chats with Engadgets Daniel Cooper about Allbirds sudden transformation and what it says about the AI economy. Also, they chat about the Artemis II moon mission, Meta being warned about the dangers of facial recognition (again) and how teens think social media is really shaping them. Subscribe! iTunes Spotify Pocket Casts Stitcher Google Podcasts Topic Near-dead shoe company Allbirds is doing AI now 1:47 Artemis II safely returns to Earth, did you know they had DSLRs and iPhones up there? 15:57 Meta warned by dozens of civil rights organizations that facial recognition in its smart glasses will enable predators 28:41 Social media isnt bad for teens, say teens 36:00 NAACP sues xAI over data center pollution 44:30 Around Engadget 50:28 Credits Hosts : Devindra Hardawar and Daniel Cooper Producer: Ben Ellman Music: Dale North and Terrence OBrien This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/engadget-podcast-allbirds-goes-from-shoes-to-ai-115922991.html?src=rss

The Morning After: Our verdict on the DJI Osmo Pocket 4

Youve probably seen DJIs stick vlogging cameras everywhere. At trade shows and tech events Ive attended, its often the de facto video camera used by reporters and influencers alike. The Osmo Pocket 3 was easy to use, had sharp focus, potent image stabilization and handled vertical and horizontal video recording with minimal compromises. That was two years ago, so naturally its time for an update. According to our review by James Trew, the Osmo Pocket 4 is the one to beat. Its still incredibly easy to record with, whether youre doing talk-to-camera vlogs or ambitious, more cinematic-quality videos. With a new 1-inch sensor, improved framerate capture and an extended battery, its better than its predecessor in every way. (Except the $605 price.) Theres a new dedicated zoom button, and you can assign up to three controls to this button through single, double and triple clicks. Theres also 107GB of internal storage, so you dont need to add storage thats plenty to get started with. There are some things on our wishlist: wed love some optical zoom, and the lack of dust- and water-protection might give you pause before more ambitious video shoots. Mat Smith The other big stories this morning Not just Street Fighter: Call of Duty movie arrives on June 2028 Recteq X-Fire Pro 825 review: A smart grill that pulls double duty Reed Hastings is leaving Netflix after 29 years You can now hide Shorts on YouTube Rejoice. You can ditch the barrage of short-form videos from your YouTube feed if you dont want to see them. YouTube has rolled out the capability to set your Shorts feed limit to zero minutes. The video-sharing platform originally launched a Shorts feed limit back in October last year, but the lowest option you could choose was 15 minutes. The priority placement of shorts I didnt want to watch has rankled me for a while this could be the solution. Continue reading. The first full trailer for the new Street Fighter movie is here Yes, Ken beats up a car. YouTube After a short teaser dropped last year, weve finally got a full trailer for the newest attempt to bring Street Fighter to cinemas. The good news, to me, is that its going to be silly, fun and high camp. Ken and Ryu are squabbling, and M. Bison is still, bafflingly, a head of an international crime org. And Chun-Li plans to take him down. Jason Momoa is playing Blanka and Curtis 50 Cent Jackson is portraying Balrog, while mask-toting Orville Peck will don another mask as Vega. Continue reading. Allbirds pivots to AI Never a good sign. Allbirds Its like walking on a Claude. Continue reading. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-111515383.html?src=rss

A third of our sales happen in non-metro cities, DailyObjects CEO says

The company started with smartphone cases and then went deeper into charging solutions, power banks, cables, and bags

PSA: Stop using your Casely Power Pods wireless charger immediately

Casely has reannounced a recall of its Power Pods 5,000mAh MagSafe E33A charger after dozens of people were injured and one even killed by the defective devices, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (USCPSC) announced . It's recommended that you stop using the devices immediately, dispose of them safely and seek a replacement from the manufacturer. A year ago, Casely and the USPSC published a recall of 429,000 units of the power bank with the model number E33A. That followed 51 incidents of the devices overheating, expanding or catching fire and burning users in multiple cases. However, many of the devices have remained in use and are even more dangerous than initially thought. In August 2024, a 75-year-old woman from New Jersey, was charging her cell phone with the power bank on her lap when it caught on fire and exploded, the USCPSC reported. The victim suffered second and third degree burns and later passed away from complications from her injuries. In another incident this year, a 47-year-old woman was charging her phone on a plane when it caught on fire and exploded, giving her first degree burns. As a result, the recall has been reissued due to a risk of serious injury or death from fire and burn hazards to consumers, according to the Commission. The defective Casely Power Pods 5,000mAh charger is identifiable by the Casely embossed logo on the front and model number E33A on the back. It was sold at various online retailers including getcasely.com and Amazon between 2022 and 2024. Casely is offering free replacement units as a remedy (it's not clear if you can get a full refund). Those seeking one should write ecalled on the battery pack in permanent marker and submit a photo, along with a second photo showing the E33A model number as pictured above. Owners are instructed to dispose of them by contacting a facility that handles lithium-ion batteries. Do NOT throw them away with regular household waste, recycling, or standard battery disposal bins due to the risk of fire and explosion. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/psa-stop-using-your-casely-power-pods-wireless-charger-immediately-062120825.html?src=rss

Bluesky blames DDoS attack for server outages

Bluesky is once again having a wobble. The platform said some of its systems are down and that its investigating an incident with service in one of our reginos (thats Blueskys typo, not mine). The issue appears to have started at 1:42AM ET and was still persisting as of 11AM when this story was originally published. Since then, the site has been experiencing intermitent interuptions, including at times to its status page where users should be able to monitor outages. At 7:47PM ET, the platform explained that its been attempting to mitigate a sophisticated Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack, which intensified throughout the day. It said the attack had caused interruptions to users feeds, notifications, threads and search, all of which the Engadget team experienced first-hand at various points through the day. While DDoS attacks are frequently used as virtual smokescreens for hacks, Bluesky says it has not seen any evidence of unauthorized access to private user data. The social media service had another brief outage earlier this month. The outage is ongoing, but due to its intermittent nature its more of a rolling blackout than a power outage. Bluesky says it will provide another update on the situation by 1PM ET on April 17. Update, April 16, 8PM ET: This story was updated after publish with an of the outage from Bluesky. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/bluesky-blames-ddos-attack-for-server-outages-150515882.html?src=rss

Reed Hastings is leaving Netflix after 29 years

Netflix co-founder and current chairman Reed Hastings is leaving the streaming companys board in June to focus on his philanthropy and other pursuits, according to a shareholder letter released alongside Netflix's Q1 earnings. Hastings has served as chairman of Netflix's board since 2023, a role he assumed after stepping down as co-CEO and promoting Greg Peters in his place. Netflix changed my life in so many ways, and my alltime favorite memory was January 2016, when we enabled nearly the entire planet to enjoy our service, Hastings said in a statement. My real contribution at Netflix wasnt a single decision; it was a focus on member joy, building a culture that others could inherit and improve, and building a company that could be both beloved by members and wildly successful for generations to come. A special thanks to Greg and Ted, whose commitment to Netflixs greatness is so strong that I can now focus on new things. Hastings founded Netflix in 1997 as a DVD-by-mail rental service with his co-founder and the company's first CEO Marc Randolph. In 1999, Hastings became CEO, and eventually led the company through its transformation into a streaming service in 2007. Netflix started producing its own television series and movies in 2013, and in 2020, the company's board named Ted Sarandos as Hasting's co-CEO , in part to oversee its growing production business. Hastings stepped down as co-CEO in 2023 to become Netflixs executive chairman, as then COO Greg Peters was promoted to co-CEO. Among his other contributions, Hasting is also the architect of Netflix's infamous culture memo, which codified the company's high-performance culture. While he'll no longer be on Netflix's board, Hastings still has a seat on the board of AI startup Anthropic and media and financial software company Bloomberg . Netflix, for its part, is continuing to expand outside of the television and film business Hastings helped build, by offering a selection of curated party games , a growing library of video podcasts and live sports . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/reed-hastings-is-leaving-netflix-after-29-years-213136444.html?src=rss

Perplexity brings its Personal Computer AI assistant to Mac

Perplexity has just released Personal Computer . The software, which is available starting today for Mac, builds on the multi-model orchestration capabilities the company debuted with Perplexity Computer at the end of February . Like Claude Cowork (and, as of today, OpenAI Codex too), it's a suite of computer use agents that can work with your files, apps, connectors and the web to complete complex and even continuous workflows. Perplexity suggests a few different use cases for Personal Computer, starting with the obvious. You can ask Personal Computer to read your to-do list, the company states. In fact, you can ask it to DO your to-do list. It explains you can open the Notes app on your Mac, ask Personal Computer for help and the system will reason how to best assist you. In the process of tackling that task, it can work across all your files, as well as apps like Apple Messages. When needed, it will also employ multiple agents to complete a request. Like Anthropic did with Claude Cowork, Perplexity says you can also use its software to organize messy folders so files feature sensible names and there's an easy-to-understand structure to everything. You can prompt Personal Computer with your voice, and you can even initiate and manage tasks from your phone. Perplexity says the app creates files in a secure sandbox, and any actions it takes are auditable and reversible. A system that acts on your behalf needs to be useful and legible. It should feel like a team you manage, not a rogue employee with keys to your most important data, the company said. Personal Computer for Mac is available starting today, beginning with Max subscribers . Perplexity said it would bring the app to its other users soon, prioritizing those who joined the waitlist for the experience. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/perplexity-brings-its-personal-computer-ai-assistant-to-mac-202045969.html?src=rss

Call of Duty movie arrives on June 30, 2028

A Call of Duty movie is still happening, but don't hold your breath for it to hit screens any time soon. Today, the popular FPS' social media revealed that the movie's theatrical release date will be June 30, 2028. A film adaptation of the game franchise was first revealed last year, and shortly after, we learned that Taylor Sheridan and Peter Berg would be serving as the producers. The duo, whose past credits include Friday Night Lights and Yellowstone , will also be co-writing the project under Berg's direction. We still haven't heard anything about the cast, or even what era of the long-running series will be depicted, so it seems like a safe bet that there's still a ways to go before this wraps. But CoD is nothing if not a money-maker, so reimagining it as a summer blockbuster seems pretty expected. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/call-of-duty-movie-arrives-on-june-30-2028-200033481.html?src=rss

Meta is giving Threads on web a redesign that finally adds direct messages

Meta is starting to test a long-overdue facelift for Threads on web. The company's head of Threads Connor Hayes showed off a new look for the web version of Threads that finally adds direct messaging and makes it easier to navigate between multiple feeds. The new layout adds a bunch of new shortcuts to the site's left rail, including saved posts, insights, activity, and the ability to move between different feeds. Those features have all been accessible on web before, but many were hard to find. For example, the only way to currently get to insights is to navigate to your own profile or save it as a pinned column. Most importantly, though, the update finally adds the Threads inbox, which has not been available to web users even though the feature was added to the app last June . It's not clear when the new look will roll out, but Hayes said Meta has already started to test it and that the company will be investing more here going forward. The last time the Threads website got a major update was last April , which added some basic functionality. But since then, Meta has focused much of its efforts on the Threads app, rather than the website. Some newer features, like disappearing ghost posts , are able to be viewed on the web but can only be created in the app. Speaking of the Threads app, the web updates come one day after Hayes previewed some tweaks to how replies look on mobile. With the change, replies under a post will be indented slightly to make it easier to follow conversations. That change is rolling out now on iOS and currently testing on Android. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-is-giving-threads-on-web-a-redesign-that-finally-adds-direct-messages-192903284.html?src=rss

The European Commission wants Google to share search engine data with competitors

The European Commission has proposed new measures for Google aimed at bringing the tech giant's search business into compliance with the Digital Markets Act. In order to allow third-party online search engines to be competitive with Google, the EC has recommended that Google permit those services to access its treasure trove of search engine data. As it stands, the proposal would require Google to let rivals see data points such as ranking, query, click and view data, on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms. Data is a key input for online search and for developing new services, including AI, said Teresa Ribera, the Commission's executive vice-president for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition. Access to this data should not be restricted in ways that could harm competition. In fast-moving markets, small changes can quickly have a big impact. We will not allow practices that risk closing markets or limiting choice. European regulators have been using the Digital Markets Act to hammer at Google's dominant market position for several years. Beginning in March 2024, Google was required to be in compliance with the DMA and it did plan some changes in accordance with the legislation. A year later, though, the Commission levied preliminary charges against Google arguing that Google Search and the Play Store had not met their obligations for market competition. Google offered some possible adjustments to how search results are displayed in response, but it seems the regulator is going to keep fighting for more robust changes to Google's search business. If you think all that sounds like something Google is unwilling and unlikely to do, you'd be correct. For starters, the actual requirements for Google could change in the coming months. The EC is accepting comments on the proposed measures through May 1, and Google's legal team is certain to have a lot of opinions to share. We've reached out to the company for a comment on these preliminary measures. A final, binding decision on Google's next steps is due by July 27, so we're expecting a lot of back-and-forth between the parties until that date. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/the-european-commission-wants-google-to-share-search-engine-data-with-competitors-192709530.html?src=rss

Blizzard just made Overwatchs best mode much worse

While I dabble in other Overwatch modes, I spend the vast majority of my time there in Mystery Heroes, a casual mode in which you load in as a random character and automatically switch to another one when you respawn. It's by far my favorite way to play Overwatch (which I do a lot!), since it helps me switch off and relax. Others play it as a warmup for competitive action. It requires a particular skillset, as players need a working knowledge of all 51 heroes to help them coordinate with teammates and know what the opponents have on deck. But with the arrival of the new Overwatch season this week, Blizzard changed Mystery Heroes, and made it much less fun to play. The developers say they modified Mystery Heroes to help keep the mode's casual pace intact while mitigating some of the more extreme pain points it's had in the past. That might have something to do with how the mode handled perks. In other modes, players earn perks (upgrades to their existing tools or entirely new abilities) throughout a match. In Mystery Heroes, they load into a round with random perks already equipped. That's fun! I love the chaos of Mystery Heroes and trying to make things work with whatever hero and perks I have. Now, perks are gone from Mystery Heroes. I kind of get it. Nixing them helps players clock what's going on a bit faster they won't feel the need to quickly check which perks they have when they're racing back to the action when the time is running out. Perks were only added to Overwatch a little over a year ago and they've helped make the game more enjoyable. Removing them from Mystery Heroes diminishes it compared with other modes, especially given that some heroes are now more oriented around their perks. Overwatch Blizzard Entertainment The other major change in Mystery Heroes is a switch from teams of five players to 6v6. I'm fine with 6v6 in other game types, but it makes Mystery Heroes much worse. In other 6v6 formats, you typically have two tanks, two supports and two damage heroes. In Mystery Heroes, the defense might load in with four tanks and two supports (teams are limited to three heroes from any class after respawns). While tanks generally have lower health pools in 6v6 modes, that's still an oppressive composition to run into. Attackers lack the agency to switch to other characters that can counter such a setup. For instance, if the attackers don't spawn in as heroes that can get behind a chokepoint and take out those supports, they might never break through. That doesn't make for a fun round. Trying to keep five other players alive as a solo support isn't exactly a blast either. Im not the only one whos disappointed with these changes. In every single Mystery Heroes game Ive played since the update, other players have lamented the loss of perks (the reaction to the 6v6 switch is more mixed). They're protesting on Reddit and the Overwatch forums too. Its not like Im averse to change. Blizzard has made a ton of updates to greatly improve Overwatch over the last few years. It added the big Stadium mode in 2025 and the game recently had a soft, successful relaunch . Even in this season, there are lots of positive tweaks, including some welcome hero updates (and some that are less welcome) and the return of post-match awards. New damage hero Sierra is rad too. The Mystery Heroes changes, though, are a step in the wrong direction. I dearly hope Blizzard reverses course on those soon. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/blizzard-just-made-overwatchs-best-mode-much-worse-185114683.html?src=rss

Playdate Season 3 is coming later this year

Playdate is getting a third season of curated, surprise games, Panic announced today. We don't know much beyond the fact that Season Three is officially happening, but Panic's Head of Playdate Greg Maletic said in an announcement video that it will be here in time for the holidays this year. Considering we had to wait a whole three years for Season Two to come out following Season One's release with the console in 2022, that doesn't sound so bad. Panic hasn't yet said how many games Season Three will include, or how much it will cost. While Season One had a total of 24 games with a release schedule of two games per week for 12 weeks last years Season Two had half the amount (plus Blippo+ ), and cost $39. But that drop in quantity thankfully didn't mean a drop in quality. Season Two was great , with a collection of games that felt stronger overall than the first. I, for one, can't wait to see what Season Three brings. In other exciting news, Panic also announced today that the much, much-awaited game Office Chair Curling is finally available for purchase on Playdate and Steam, with the option for online cross-play. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playdate-season-3-is-coming-later-this-year-181340117.html?src=rss

A first look at Metro 2039 shows how its Ukrainian developer turned the darkness up to 11

If the real world isnt grim enough for you, Ukranian developer 4A Games has your back: Metro 2039 has been announced and is scheduled to arrive this winter. And based on the developers first look at the title, Metro 2039 looks to be an even darker affair than previous titles in the series. A tall order, but the real-world turmoil that has enveloped 4A Games since Russias invasion of Ukraine sounds like it has turned into a painful inspiration for the developer. The lengthy cinematic reveal, which also contains a brief bit of gameplay at the end, doesnt give much of the story away. But it does serve to place you right in the ruined, terrifying world of the Metro series. Metro 2039 arrives about 25 years after a nuclear apocalypse wiped out most life on the planet. The series focuses on survivors who live in Moscows ruined metro system. 4A says that this time out, the different underground factions have been united by a group known as the Novoreich, complete with a new ruler, the Spartan known as Hunter. Despite Hunter promising salvation and a new life for the survivors left on the surface, things arent exactly rosy underground. As you might expect, this supposedly united society is still a complete disaster, with propaganda, authoritarian rule and violence the hallmark of the regime. Screenshot from Metro 2039. 4A Games The Metro series is based on novels by Dmitry Glukhovsky, a Russian author who has been in exile due to his public denouncement of Russias invasion of Ukraine. 4A Studios says that while this new game isnt based specifically on one of his works, they worked in collaboration with Glukhovsky on the story for Metro 2039 shaped by shared values of freedom and truth, and informed by the harsh realities of the world today. In statements from the studio, 4A directly acknowledges the conditions that Metro 2039 was created under. Many developers continue to work from multiple locations, facing daily challenges never anticipated, the studio says. Through power outages, reliance on generators, and disruptions from missile and drone attacks, development has continued driven by resilience, shared support, and a commitment to the work. It goes on to state that: The war has directly shaped the development of Metro 2039 , with its story focused acutely on choices, actions, consequences, and the cost of securing a future. While told from a distinctly Ukrainian perspective, Metro 2039 remains an authentic Metro story. While the Metro series has been unfailingly bleak, its not hard to imagine how Russias invasion could have influenced the storytelling coming out of a Ukranian studio with an exiled Russian being part of the story team. But the limited bit of the game weve seen so far doesnt make anything too explicit. Screenshot from Metro 2039's reveal trailer. 4A Games The trailer shows off the new player-character known as The Stranger, the first voiced protagonist in the series (though we dont hear him do anything but scream in the preview). The Stranger has apparently been surviving in the above-ground wasteland but is forced to return to the metro. The little bit of gameplay we saw was the standard first-person shooter view of The Stranger heading underground to be immediately ambushed by a pretty horrific monster that he barely escapes from hes then dragged to safety by a group of survivors who just get the doors to their shelter shut before being overrun by a larger horde. Creepy stuff. The rest of the preview largely feels like a dream (or nightmare) sequence but while its hard to put together what is going on, theres no doubt that the detail in the environments and characters is top-notch. Given that the last metro game, Metro Exodus , was released way back in 2019, its fair to say that were getting a more graphically impressive rendering of ruined Moscow and the tunnels beneath it. Theres no exact release date yet, but 4A Games says Metro 2039 will arrive this winter for Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5 and PC. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/a-first-look-at-metro-2039-shows-how-its-ukrainian-developer-turned-the-darkness-up-to-11-171500713.html?src=rss

Google Chrome makes it easier to wrangle different tabs in AI Mode

Love 'em or hate 'em, no modern browser is complete without robust tab support, and so too would it seem Google's AI Mode . Starting today, the company is rolling out an update to users in the US that makes the tool better at interacting and understanding tabs. To start, the next time you use AI Mode on Chrome for desktop and click on a link, the chatbot will open a new side-by-side interface that allows you to both browse the new webpage and ask questions of AI Mode. The connection allows the chatbot to maintain the context of the search that brought you to that website in the first place. For instance, say you're looking for a new coffee maker to buy for your apartment. After AI Mode finds a handful of different models for you to compare, you can click on one to go to the manufacturer's website and ask additional questions of the chatbot like how easy is this to clean? Thanks to the expanded context window, you don't need to refer to the specific name of the model. Meanwhile, if you have an existing tab or group of tabs that you'd like AI Mode to factor into a new search, you can do that now too. From the redesigned Plus menu, just click the new option that's there. While you're in the Plus menu, you can also prompt AI Mode to consider other materials, including images and PDFs, alongside any relevant tabs. In testing, Google says users found the integration translated to less tab switching, and made it easier to focus. Mike Torres, vice-president of product for Chrome, said the new features represent a broader effort by Google to bring practical AI capabilities to its web browser. Torres added the company would soon bring today's updates to more places around the world. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-chrome-makes-it-easier-to-wrangle-different-tabs-in-ai-mode-170000914.html?src=rss

OpenAI's latest Codex update builds the groundwork for its upcoming super app

Last month, following reporting from The Wall Street Journal , OpenAI confirmed it was working on a desktop super app that would combine ChatGPT, its Codex coding agent and Atlas web browser into one cohesive experience. OpenAI is not releasing that application today. Instead, it's pushing out a major update to Codex that significantly expands what that software can do. However, the new release offers a glimpse of what OpenAI hopes to build with its latest effort. We're building the super app out in the open, said Thibault Sottiaux, the head of Codex, during a press briefing held by OpenAI. This release is about developers. In the future, we will broaden it up to a wider audience. Until then, the latest version of Codex offers developers multi-purpose AI agents that can work across a larger surface area, while being more proactive. In practice, that translates to a host of new capabilities, starting with computer use. The agents inside of Codex can interact with other apps on your PC. When prompting one of OpenAI's models, you can name a specific program or let it determine the best application for the job. Computer use is available in competing apps like Claude Cowork , but where OpenAI believes Codex offers an edge in that department is in the secret sauce it built to allow an agent to run an app without bogging down your entire system, so the two of you can work in tandem. At the same time, OpenAI is releasing 111 new plugins for Codex that combine skills, app integrations and model context protocol server connections togive Codex more ways to gather context and use the tools developers depend on for their work. The company has also added a built-in browser, with a commenting system that allows you to prompt Codex to make tweaks to specific parts of a webpage or web app you're building. In the demo OpenAI showed, one member of the Codex team used this tool to instruct Codex to change the margins on a graph so that the y axis wasn't cut off. Complementing this is built-in image generation. Codex can use gpt-image-1.5 to create product concepts, mockups, frontend designs and even assets for simple games. It also allows Codex to use screenshots to verify it's on the right track with a user request. With today's update, OpenAI is also previewing a pair of memory features. The first allows Codex to recall context from previous tasks to inform how it goes about future prompts. According to OpenAI, with time, this will allow Codex to complete requests faster and to a higher standard. The app will also use the context it's gathered to suggest proactive actions. For example, at the start of your day, it might suggest you respond to a comment a coworker left on a Google Doc draft you wrote. If you want to try the updated Codex for yourself, OpenAI is starting to roll out the new version to desktop app users who are logged in with their ChatGPT account. Computer use is available to macOS users first, with availability for people in the EU and UK to follow soon. Similarly, Brits and Europeans will need to wait to try the memory features OpenAI has built into Codex. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openais-latest-codex-update-builds-the-groundwork-for-its-upcoming-super-app-170000019.html?src=rss

Intel launches new Core Series 3 chips for mainstream laptops

Intel has unveiled its new Core Series 3 chips, the official title for its Wildcat Lake-codenamed series intended for mainstream and value-oriented laptops. Built using the same Intel 18A process as its Core Ultra Series 3 chips, theyre significantly more powerful than the previous generation and promise exceptional battery life and boosted AI-ready performance. Intel says the Core Series 3 offers up to 47 percent better single-thread performance and 41 percent better multi-thread performance, as well as 2.8x better GPU AI performance compared to a five-year-old PC. Stacked up against its last-gen Intel Core 7 150U processors, the new mobile chip uses up to 64 percent lower processor power and is capable of 2.7x AI GPU performance. In other words, expect more grunt and improved efficiency. At the top end of the lineup sits the six-core Intel Core 7 360, which has a P-core Max Turbo frequency of 4.8GHz and NPU TOPS performance of 17. This scales down as you move through the other six-core options, and theres also a five-core Core 3 processor at the entry level with a more modest GPU. Intel promises all-day battery life, rated at 12.5 hours in the office and 18.5 hours for streaming from Netflix. As for connectivity, theres support for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and two Thunderbolt 4 ports. The Core Series 3 chips will be making their way into a variety of laptops throughout 2026, including Acers Aspire Go 14, 15 and 16, the ASUS Vivobook 14/15/17 and ExpertBook B5 Flip, B3 G2 and P3 G2. The likes of Dell, Samsung and Lenovo will announce their own Core Series 3 devices in the near future. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/intel-launches-new-core-series-3-chips-for-mainstream-laptops-164821846.html?src=rss

The first real trailer for the Street Fighter movie is filled with crowd-pleasing moments

We finally have a real-deal trailer for the upcoming Street Fighter movie, after a short teaser dropped at The Game Awards last year. This is nearly three minutes of fighting, silly dialogue and, of course, Easter eggs from the games. To the latter point, there's a scene of Ken beating up a car like in the bonus stages from Street Fighter II and footage of Ryu powering up one of his famous Hadoken fireballs. There's even a cheeky reference to Chun-Li's notoriously-large and powerful thighs. This is all helped along by the fact that the actors all look very silly and mostly accurate to the games . The plot looks to be fairly standard for this type of adaptation. There's a big, important fighting tournament and Chun-Li is recruiting people from around the globe, acting like the franchise's Nick Fury or something. Ken and Ryu are beefing, M. Bison is involved in a criminal conspiracy (big surprise) and everyone else is punching and/or making snarky asides. It looks campy as hell, which is a good thing. Street Fighter is directed by Kitao Sakurai, who made the film Bad Trip and was heavily involved with The Eric Andre Show . It hits theaters on October 16. The cast is actually stacked. Noah Centineo and Andrew Koji lead the film as Ken and Ryu, but Jason Momoa is playing Blanka and Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson is portraying Balrog. Other actors involved include David Dastmalchian, Callina Liang, Cody Rhodes and Orville Peck. This is the third attempt at a live-action Street Fighter adaptation. The 1994 film is famous for Raul Julia's iconic performance as M. Bison and 2009's Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li is famous for being very bad . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-first-real-trailer-for-the-street-fighter-movie-is-filled-with-crowd-pleasing-moments-153145868.html?src=rss

Meta isn't setting its Oversight Board free just yet

The Oversight Board the policy body Meta created to weigh its most impactful moderation rulings has seen its role within Mark Zuckerberg's empire come into question due to shifting content policy priorities and dwindling investment. The Oversight Board has taken steps to formalize its long-contemplated desire to work with other companies, but Engadget has learned Meta has thus far declined to move forward with that process. Over the last year, board members have become increasingly interested in artificial intelligence policy and how their experience shaping Meta's content rules could translate into advising companies in the generative AI space. That interest has intensified as some AI companies have privately signaled they would be open to working with the board, according to a source familiar with the organization who was not permitted to speak publicly. The board began talks with Meta last fall about the possibility, which would require the company to sign off on changes to the legal documents that govern the board's operations. But Meta officials have not indicated whether the company is willing to make those changes, which would likely require approval from top executives. Platformer, which first reported on Meta's budget negotiations with the Oversight Board, noted that the company has long encouraged the board to seek additional funding sources. So far, no other company has publicly shown interest in working with the group, though the board has had conversations with other firms behind the scenes. Oversight Board co-chair Paolo Carozza told Engadget in December that there had been eally preliminary discussions between the board and AI companies, though he declined to name which ones in particular. It feels like quite a different moment now, largely because of generative AI, LLMs, chatbots [and] the way that a variety of retail-level users of these technologies are facing a whole new set of challenges and harms that's attracting a lot of scrutiny, he said at the time. Meta has readily agreed to amend the board's governing documents in the past like when the trust that controls the Oversight Board's budget funded a new organization to mediate content moderation disputes in Europe. While Meta executives once promoted the idea of its ostensibly independent Oversight Board working with other social media platforms, the prospect of the group working with a competitor as it pursues AI superintelligence is apparently more complicated. Over the last five years, board members have received briefings from officials at Meta about the inner workings of its moderation systems and other non-public details as part of their work with the company. That raises practical questions about how the board would safeguard Meta's proprietary information, as well as larger strategic questions about whether Meta would want its Oversight Board to work with some of the companies it's now fiercely competing with, the source said. It's not clear how invested Meta's current leadership is in ensuring a future for the board. Former president of global affairs Nick Clegg, who was one of the most vocal champions of the board's work, left the company last year. Meanwhile, other board members have publicly made the case that the group, which consists of free speech and human rights experts from around the world, is well-positioned to guide AI companies grappling with an increasing number of real-world harms. When Anthropic published a Claude Constitution earlier this year, the board published a lengthy analysis from member Suzanne Nossel arguing that Claude also needed the kind of oversight the board has provided for Meta. She made a similar argument for the wider AI industry in an op-ed in The Guardian last month. While Nossel denied that she was directly pitching the Oversight Board to Anthropic, she said that AI companies face many of the same dilemmas as social media platforms. When the board was first created, there was the notion that we might work across the industry, she told Engadget. Now, as the world shifts toward an AI-centric paradigm, we're very interested in what our experience can bring to that conversation. Oversight Board members, who naturally have a vested interest in expanding their purview, aren't the only members of the industry who have warned that generative AI platforms are essentially speed-running social media companies' playbook. A former OpenAI researcher recently wrote that OpenAI Is Making the Mistakes Facebook Made, citing the AI company's moves toward optimizing for engagement and its plans for in-app advertising . The researcher cited Meta's Oversight Board as an example of the kind of independent governance that's needed in the AI industry. The question of working with other companies has taken on new urgency as the Oversight Board faces the possibility that it will lose its backing from Meta. In a statement, a Meta spokesperson pointed to previous reports that Meta has committed to funding the board through 2028 and said that othing has changed. But a source familiar with the board tells Engadget that Meta has so far only handed over half of the smaller tranche of 2028 funds to the board amid ongoing discussions about its future, including whether it will expand its purview beyond Meta. There are also very real questions about how the Oversight Board fits into Meta's current strategy around content moderation. Zuckerberg announced last year that Meta was shifting away from most proactive moderation, ending fact-checking in the United States and rolling back hate speech rules. Zuckerberg himself reportedly led the push for these changes following a meeting with then President-elect Donald Trump. The Oversight Board, which Meta has sometimes asked to advise on major policy changes, was not consulted. The company recently said it plans to reduce the number of human moderators in favor of AI-based systems . The Oversight Board is currently engaged in meaningful discussions with Meta regarding its future and the evolution of its model to ensure the organization can address the most urgent emerging challenges in AI governance, standards, and accountability, an Oversight Board spokesperson said in a statement. At this time, no decisions have been made about the Boards future, and the organizations day-to-day work and mandate remain unchanged. Critics have long said that the board, which has received more than $280 million from Meta, moves far too slowly. In a little more than five years of operation, the board has published more than 200 decisions about specific moderation issues, which Meta is required to uphold. Those decisions a tiny fraction of the millions of requests it receives can take months, though the board can opt to move more quickly . The board has also made hundreds of policy recommendations, which Meta has to respond to but isn't required to implement. The company has agreed to at least some changes in response to 75 percent of recommendations, according to the board. For the Oversight Board, working with a company besides Meta would begin to address some of the challenges it now faces. It would boost the group's credibility at a time when Meta seems to be re-evaluating its relationship with the board, and it would open up the possibility of new sources of funding. But the situation underscores another long-simmering tension when it comes to the role of the independent oversight organization. Meta has always been in control of how much influence the group can actually have. And it's not clear that the company is ready to let the board, which has spent the last five years learning the minutiae of Meta's content moderation and policy processes, advise the companies it's now competing with. During its work with Meta, the Oversight Board has weighed in on its rules for AI several times. The board has criticized the company's manipulated media policy that governs deepfakes and other content, which led to Meta adopting new rules around AI labeling. In its most recent decision dealing with AI, the board urged Meta to invest in better AI detection tools and to collaborate more closely with other platforms. The company has not yet formally responded to those recommendations. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-isnt-setting-its-oversight-board-free-just-yet-153000172.html?src=rss

Meta Quest headset prices are going up on April 19

The RAM crisis has prompted another company to jack up hardware prices. Meta says it will be increasing the price of Quest headsets on April 19.The Meta Quest 3 will get a $100 hike to $599, while the Quest 3S will be $50 more expensive at $350 (for a version with 128GB of storage) and $450 (256GB). Meta is blaming the increases on the rising costs of RAM, which has skyrocketed in price due to a shortage of chips as AI companies gobble up as much memory as they can for their data centers. Sony recently bumped up the prices of PS5 consoles and the PlayStation Portal handheld for similar reasons. Microsoft made its Surface PCs more expensive this week too. Meta Quest accessories are staying at the same prices, but refurbished Quest units are somehow getting more expensive as well.Refurbished Quest 3S units will be also be $50 more at $320 (128GB) and $410 (256GB). Meta is increasing the price of a refurbished Quest 3 by $100 to $550. Im not exactly sure how the company can pin those changes on increased manufacturing costs. Meanwhile, Meta told The Verge that it doesnt expect to increase the prices of its smart glasses anytime soon. Correction April 16, 2026, 11:28AM ET: This story initially stated that the price of a refurbished Quest 3 is increasing by $170. Its going up by $100. We regret the error. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/meta-quest-headset-prices-are-going-up-on-april-19-143259031.html?src=rss

Anna's Archive told to pay Spotify and record labels $322 million over unprecedented music scraping

The open-source library and search engine Annas Archive has been ordered to pay Spotify and the three of the worlds largest music labels $322 million in damages after it claimed to have scraped the entirety of the streaming platforms library of music. Spotify, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment, sued Annas Archive in January for a slightly comical $13 trillion. They alleged Anna's Archive had illegally scraped 86 million songs a significant chunk of all the music on the planet and intended to make them available for download via BitTorrent. At the time, Spotify called the scraping a brazen theft of millions of files containing nearly all of the worlds commercial sound recordings. In a since-deleted blog post , Anna's Archive stated the scraping was an act of preservation. Still, a New York federal judge sided with the plaintiffs after the archive's anonymous operator failed to respond to the lawsuit. The court order finding Anna's Archive guilty of direct copyright infringement, breach of contract and violation of the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) was filed on April 14. A further claim of violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) was dismissed by the judge. The total breakdown of damages includes $7.5 million to each of Sony and Universal Music and $7.2 million to Warner Music, with the remaining $300 million going to Spotify. The latter figure amounts to $2,500 for each of the 120,000 scraped music files already made available by Annas Archive. The remainder of the 86 million files were due to be released to the public at a later date. The court also ordered Annas Archive to immediately destroy all copies and phonorecords of any work scraped, downloaded, copied or otherwise extracted from Spotify, but whether it actually does this, or indeed hands over a penny of the damages, remains to be seen. The bizarre reality of this case is that the person (or people) behind Annas Archive remains a mystery. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/annas-archive-told-to-pay-spotify-and-record-labels-322-million-over-unprecedented-music-scraping-151034032.html?src=rss

Bluesky is having some issues in one of its 'reginos'

Bluesky is once again having a wobble. The platform says some of its systems are down and that its investigating an incident with service in one of our reginos (thats Blueskys typo, not mine). The issue appears to have started at 1:42AM ET and was still persisting as of 11AM. According to Blueskys status page , three servers were down, including one based in the US East region. The outages appear to be due to connection timeout issues. It seems that only certain users are being affected. Bluesky has been mostly working fine for me this morning, though there were a couple of occasions when I had to refresh the page to get my feed to load. The social media service had another brief outage earlier this month. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/bluesky-is-having-some-issues-in-one-of-its-reginos-150515987.html?src=rss

Spotify debuts a new UI just for tablets

Spotify has a new look today for listeners on tablets. The streaming services updated tablet UI now provides adaptive orientation, switching between portrait and landscape layouts rather than simply resizing the interface when changing how the device is held. Spotify's tablet app now sports a collapsible sidebar so listeners can take advantage of their larger screen space when watching a music video or podcast. Parallel browsing lets you continue to scroll through the app while a video or lyrics are in the sidebar, and the switch to video toggle has been made more prominent. The new design had appeared for some users earlier this year during tests. The final version is rolling out today for both iPad and Android devices. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/spotify-debuts-a-new-ui-just-for-tablets-130000533.html?src=rss

Canva starts previewing a more powerful version of its AI assistant

Adobe isn't the only company releasing a new AI assistant this week . Ahead of its Create event in Los Angeles today, Canva announced Canva AI 2.0. Building on its existing AI assistant , the company is billing the release as its most significant update since the platform first launched in 2013, and the culmination of years of investment to build its own foundational design models. As you might imagine, it all starts with a conversational interface that allows you to describe an idea or goal and the system will start generating a design to match. Under the hood, there's a new orchestration layer that allows the model to use all of Canva's disparate tools to accomplish complex, multi-step tasks. For instance, the company suggests you could use Canva AI to create a multi-channel advertising campaign, and the software will generate everything you need to get that off the ground. For brands, Canva AI 2.0 can adapt to their design needs. Canva If edits are required, the company says Canva AI avoids one of the pitfalls of many other image generation models. It's possible to edit every visual element the system generates, just like if they were created with a traditional image editor. As a result, you can do things like swap out images and tweak fonts without affecting any other part of a design. To bring everything together, Canva has built persistent memory into the tool. The more you use Canva AI, the better the system will get at applying your personal taste and style to future generations. According to the company, it also has a context window that is long enough to maintain coherence until you arrive at a final design. Alongside those enhancements, Canva is adding support for new workflows that expand what you can do with its software, starting with connections that allow its models to pull data from other apps, including Notion, Slack, Zoom, Gmail, Google Calendar and more. Users can also schedule tasks for Canva AI to complete in the background, and the company has even baked in deep research capabilities into the tool. The coding function Canva previously offered has been upgraded to include support for HTML imports, allowing users to bring any HTML file or AI-generated experience into Canva's visual editor to tweak the design of it without breaking things. For brands, the company is also offering a tool that can process their visual identity and apply it to new and existing designs. Canva's updated coding agent now support HTML imports. Canva As a casual observer, it might seem like Canva is trend chasing, but Danny Wu, the company's head of AI, argues the new AI tools represent a natural evolution for Canva. This is something we've been dreaming of and working towards for quite a while, he tells Engadget. Even before ChatGPT was a thing, we were thinking, 'what if we don't have a template that matches your needs?' So I wouldn't describe this as a pivot or shift, we've been wanting to offer these kinds of capabilities all along as part of our mission to make design simple. If you want to give Canva's new tools a try for yourself, Canva AI 2.0 is available as a research preview starting today. The first 1 million people who visit the Canva website will get first access, with availability graduallyexpanding to more users over the coming weeks. As before, access to Canvas AI features remains included in the companys free offering, though its also introducing a new AI Pass add-on that significantly increases rate limits for users. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/canva-starts-previewing-a-more-powerful-version-of-its-ai-assistant-130000966.html?src=rss

DJI Osmo Pocket 4 review: The only vlogging camera you'll ever need

DJIs Osmo Pocket 3 gimbal-camera was a category-defining camera. Two years since its launch , everyone from vloggers to pro film makers continue to upload how-to guides and gushing reviews to YouTube. When the Osmo Pocket 4 landed at the FCC at the end of 2025 (followed by a credible leak ), creator forums and Reddit threads started to chatter with excitement. Over the following months the Pocket 4 leaked again and again , to the point where theres very little that someone with a passing interest and an internet connection doesnt already know about the camera. But DJI chose today to give us the official reveal , so were here with the full review which, remarkably, does contain some surprises. Whats new For those who were waiting for official, confirmed specs and information, heres a rundown of the headline new features of the Osmo Pocket 4. The camera is still 4K, but comes with an updated 1-inch CMOS sensor that DJI says is good for another two stops of low light performance (for a total of 14). The camera retains the 20mm equivalent, f/2.0 lens but squeezes in an improved max framerate of 240 fps (up from 120 fps) for up to 10x slow-mo. The Pocket 4 can also shoot in full, high dynamic range 10-Bit D-Log, upgraded from the more lightweight D-Log-M available on the Pocket 3. Shutter speeds are now expanded and go right down to 1/4 for extreme light effects. Hardware changes are few, but do include two new buttons below the 2-inch display. One is a dedicated zoom button and the other you can assign a function from a selection of common tasks rotating the gimbal, toggling recording presets and so on. You can assign up to three different controls to this button via single, double and triple clicks. Theres also 107GB of internal storage. You can still use SD cards, but you dont need to if you dont want to. That zoom, DJI states, is good for 2x lossless zoom while shooting in 4K and 4x in 1080p. The Pocket 3s 2x Mid-Tele zoom had to be activated first, but now you can use lossless zoom any time and/or while using ActiveTrack face-tracking. Its available in Portrait mode, too, but if youll need to have the screen in the horizontal position to access the buttons, which means your viewfinder/preview will be teeny-tiny as its rescaled for 16:9. DJI Osmo Pocket 4 James Trew for Engadget DJI has added on-camera Film Tones which are similar, functionally, to film simulations seen on Fujifilm cameras. There are six to choose from at launch and include subtle and not-so-subtle stylized color tones that apply different moods to your videos without having to manually color grade or use a LUT after the fact. As for still images, theres an on-screen button for Live photos similar to what you might find on an iPhone. Live photos were sorta-kinda possible on the Pocket 3, but they are a little bit easier this time around. A lot of DJI drones include Gesture Control, which lets you start/stop recording and engage ActiveTrack from a distance, and thats new on the Pocket 4 too. On the audio side of things, the Pocket 4 now has audio zoom, so if you have two people in a scene and do a close up on one of them, the volume of their voices will be boosted. Its a little crude, but it could be handy in certain situations. The Pocket 4 can also record spatial audio via the three onboard microphones, good for live music and other situations where sound placement might matter. Lastly, the Pocket 4 has a modular component. At launch, theres a magnetic fill light that clips onto the gimbal and can be configured via the camera menus. Its included in the creator combo and opens the door for other modular accessories, though its limited to things that can sit on the gimbal without causing problems. A shotgun-style microphone, for example, could be possible. The display and controls on the Osmo Pocket 4 James Trew for Engadget Battery life also gets a slight boost over the Pocket 3 with a 1,545mAh cell which is almost a 20 percent increase. That translates to an extra 30 minutes or so of recording time for an average of two and a half hours at 4K, more if you shoot in lower resolutions or are using the camera for photos. What we dont see here, an item that you might have been hoping for, is any type of optical zoom. Whats more, the max resolution in vertical mode remains capped at 3K. You still have to rotate the camera if you want full-sensor, 4K video in portrait. Video quality The popularity of the Pocket series is thanks to its combination of high-quality video and a portable form factor. The Pocket 4 builds on this winning formula with exceptional quality for the cameras size. The new 1-inch sensor is noticeably more detailed than the Pocket 3 and DJIs claim of improved low light performance is backed up by stellar results. I took the Pocket 4 out at night and it bested its predecessor with far more dynamic range and better exposure in shadowed areas that come out dark or fuzzy on the Pocket 3. Image performance in general is impressive and a definite strong point for a camera of this size. Colors now look more natural than ever without looking over-saturated. Similar shots on the Pocket 3 look a little flatter when viewed side by side. I like that the f2.0 aperture still provides some light bokeh, and when combined with the new D-Log mode, theres plenty of scope for cinematic shots. These would be harder to achieve with a phone and dont require the setup and planning of a mirrorless camera. With the extended shutter speeds you can get some interesting effects dramatic light trails in traffic for example but its going to over expose any other light source in your shot. So, proceed with caution. The Pocket 3 bottomed-out at 1/25, but the Pocket 4 goes right down to a dramatic 1/4. The 2x lossless zoom surprised me. At first, I was sceptical about DJIs claims of it being lossless, but it does seem to maintain visual quality without noticeable loss of detail. Though if you want to use that 4x zoom in 4K, expect to see some digital artifacts. The Pocket 4s 20mm lens is particularly suited to wider, vlog-style shots, so a usable zoom is a welcome addition. Its worth noting that its better used for static and tripod shots as any gimbal movements and keeping a subject in frame can feel like steering a ship. Film tones Until now, if you were aiming for a more cinematic style, you had to get comfortable shooting in D-Log-M and boning up on color-grading. DJI provided some filters in the Mimo app for a quick and dirty way to add a mood or vibe to your videos, but that still caused some friction in the workflow. The new film modes are on camera, so achieving something more stylized is now just a menu tap away. Ill be honest, Im not a huge fan of the selection available right now as theyre either too hot or too cold. Of the six, Warm and Movie seem the most usable for cozy-style landscapes or B-roll cityscapes. DJI hasnt shared much about whether these are just on-camera filters or true film simulations. Movie and Retro, at least, were already available as filters in the app. If the full effect is too strong, you can dial down the intensity, but thats the extent of the control. Their addition here expands what you can get out of the camera without using the app or having to drag things over to your editing software. Its unclear if well see more options in the future, but theyre there if you need them. New buttons One of my main complaints with the Pocket cameras was the zoom. More specifically, controlling it with the joystick. It always looks slow, inconsistent and a bit amateur when zooming in manually. The new button provides an instant punch-in that can be used for an intentional, attention-drawing effect. I cant count the number of times Ive ruined a shot because I thought I had the joystick set to zoom, but it was still assigned to panning (you had to toggle its use via an on-screen button). With the physical button, I can close in on a target instantly and never worry about accidental pans. The button layout on the Osmo Pocket 4 James Trew for Engadget The second, customizable button is also a real usability upgrade. If, like me, youre constantly recentering the gimbal, youll know that the usual double-click on the joystick is often unreliable. Now you can assign that action to the button plus two more controls from a selection of common actions. I have it set so double-click switches to one of my manual recording presets and triple-click locks the gimbal so I no longer have to jump into the main menu to switch gimbal modes. It even works while recording if I spontaneously decide I want to keep my horizon level. Changing what this button does is simple: Long-press it and itll jump into the settings where you can choose its functionality. Theres still scope for some refinement, as although a double click can instantly start recording with my preferred settings, clicking again doesnt stop it. You have to use the record button. This makes some sense, but Im used to using the same button to stop/start recording, so intuitively I thought that might be the case here. Sadly not. Audio upgrades Something a little unexpected in the Pocket 4 is the addition of spatial audio. Using the three built-in microphones, the theory is you should be able to hear where sounds are coming from though youll need headphones on for the effect to work. In practice, it does create a different audio ambience, one where sounds feel more relative to their location, but it comes at a price. If you speak to the camera, even if youre nearby, your voice will sound distant and muddled so spatial audio is something youll want to use intentionally and certainly not as a default setting. The same is true for that audio zoom. To be fair to DJI, Ive never found an audio zoom I truly liked. You cant capture better audio than what the microphone is receiving, so amplifying it in any way isnt going to improve it beyond what you can do with editing software. In a pinch, this might help with interviews when you have multiple speakers, no external microphone and need to publish quickly, but Im reluctant to recommend it for anything else. You can get an Osmo Pocket 4 bundle with a DJI lapel mic James Trew for Engadget The new Vocal Boost is a more useful option under the Pro settings menu. When activated, it enhances voices by lowering background noise and other sounds. Again, its not a fix for getting good source audio, but in noisy run-and-gun vlogging environments, it can improve your chances of capturing something useful with just the internal microphones. Fortunately, DJI has a much better solution that was already a feature of Pocket cameras native connectivity with its wireless microphones. The Creator Combo now includes a single DJI Mic 3 transmitter and charging cable, and its the absolute best way to get YouTube-ready audio from the camera. One nice tweak with the Pocket 4 is that you can now export videos with both the built-in and external mic audio as one 4-channel file. Open this in your video editor and you can mix and cut between mic and ambient audio without having to deal with separate files as before. The competition The fact that theres no real direct competition for the Pocket series is surprising. For true, like-for-like gimbal cameras, expect to find alternatives from brands youre less familiar with such as Agfaphoto or Feiyu . Most of the nearest competition will be action cameras like the GoPro Mission 1 or Insta360 Ace Pro 2 . Both of these are great portable cameras with solid stabilisation, but they unsurprisingly favor that wide, bright and sharp action-style footage. The Pocket 4s nearest rival for stabilized vlog-friendly filming is still the Pocket 3 . This raises the question of whether the Pocket 4 (445) is worth it over the more affordable Pocket 3 (389) at launch. (DJI cant directly sell the Pocket 4 in the US, so official prices are in British Pounds or Euros.) Both are great, all-purpose, vlogging cameras versatile enough for recording in a variety of situations though less suited to rugged/action filming thanks to the delicate mechanical gimbal. Its likely that the price difference between the two will expand after the launch window. The Osmo Pocket 4 flipped down and powered off James Trew for Engadget Wrap-up The Pocket 4 might not bring defining new features like optical zoom or higher resolution, but its a better camera in every way that matters. There are also several quality of life improvements that make it incredibly compelling. For the extra money, youre getting better image quality that will pay you back over time. The new buttons make the camera even more convenient and that onboard storage alone effectively closes the price gap not to mention the huge convenience that feature alone brings with it. Hardcore fans might have been hoping for more dazzle with the Pocket 4. In reality, DJI delivered a camera that builds on an already winning formula in ways that actually matter: higher quality video, improved usability, modular capabilities and longer battery life. Its hard to argue with that. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/dji-osmo-pocket-4-review-the-only-vlogging-camera-youll-ever-need-120000374.html?src=rss

Amazon MGM's 2026 theatrical slate includes 'Highlander' and 'Spaceballs: The New One'

Fresh off the box office success of Project Hail Mary , Amazon MGM Studios has announced its theatrical release lineup for the next year. Most of the titles aren't likely to hit the highs of the Ryan Gosling starrer which has grossed $515 million in theaters. However, there are a number of promising releases like Spaceballs: The New One and Highlander starring Henry Cavill, both sequels to '80s films. Another is The Sheep Detectives with Hugh Jackman, the trailer for which has been a hit on YouTube. Earlier this year, Amazon MGM promised to release up to 14 films in theaters over the next year and leave them to run for as long as 45 days a far cry from its previous policy of releasing just a few films for several weeks at most. That strategy is paying off so far. Four months. Four films. Over $670 million at the box office. And we have nine more on the way, said Amazon MGM's head of domestic theatrical distribution, Kevin Wilson. The company said that it's not about volume, but impact. We are building films that give audiences a reason to leave the house. Films with scale. Ambition, Wilson said. Looking at the slate, though, some of those films are likely to be hits and some not so much. First up is The Sheep Detectives set to arrive on May 8th. You may scoff at the title, but the trailer has racked up 20 million views and mainly positive comments. It looks like fun, family-friendly fare and stars a popular actor, so one could easily see this being a hit for Amazon MGM. Masters of the Universe is next up on June 5, 2026. Director Travis Knight brings the world of Eternia to life on a massive scale with stars Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, and Idris Elba, Amazon explains. The film is based on the Mattel toy franchise and animated series so again, it could be another magnet for kids and their nostalgic parents. How to Rob a Bank is a heist comedy with a solid cast including Nicholas Hoult, Zo Kravitz, Anna Sawai, Pete Davidson, and John C. Reilly, set to arrive on September 4. That's followed by Verity (October 2, 2026) based on the Colleen Hoover novel and Peter Farrelly's I Play Rocky Sylvester Stallone biopic about the production of the 1976 film Rocky . 2027 starts with the The Beekeeper 2 (January 15) starting Jason Statham, followed by The Thomas Crown Affair (March 5, 2027) directed by and starring Michael B. Jordan. Spaceballs: The New One , a sequel to the classic Mel Brooks movie arrives on April 23, 2027 with Rick Moranis, Josh Gad, Keke Palmer, Lewis Pullman, Daphne Zuniga, Bill Pullman, and Mel Brooks. Other films expected but without release dates yet include The Chosen: Crucifixion , A Colt is My Passport , Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother and Highlander starring Henry Cavill based on the 1986 cult classic. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/amazon-mgms-2026-theatrical-slate-includes-highlander-and-spaceballs-the-new-one-094505690.html?src=rss

YouTube now lets you hide Shorts

You now have the power to remove short-form videos from your YouTube feed if you dont want to see them. YouTube has rolled out the capability to set your Shorts feed limit to zero minutes, which could help you stop doomscrolling, at least on mobile. The video-sharing platform originally launched a Shorts feed limit back in October last year, but the lowest option you could choose was 15 minutes. Once 15 minutes are up, youll get a pop-up reminding you to take a break. Earlier this year, it integrated the feature with parental controls, allowing guardians to set time limits for younger users. YouTube said back then that parents will soon see the option to set the timer to zero. Now, the Shorts timer is live not just for parents, but for all users. We can confirm that were now seeing the zero minutes option in our (adult) account and were able to activate it for ourselves. When you select it, you may see a notice that says Scrolling is paused but you may still see individual Shorts. You may also have to refresh your app before short-form videos disappear from your feed. To be able to block stop Shorts from showing up for you, go to your Setting page in the YouTube app for mobile. Look for Time management and scroll down to Daily limits, where you can find the Shorts feed limit section. If you dont want to get rid of Shorts altogether, you can choose from any of the other options, with two hours being the maximum time available. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/youtube-now-lets-you-hide-shorts-085538825.html?src=rss

Opera adds Browser Connector for integrating AI chatbots

Opera is offering a new choice for looping in an AI assistant during browsing. Today, the company introduced Browser Connector, which allows Opera One and Opera GX users to integrate either ChatGPT or Claude into the platform. The chatbots will be able to access page content while a person is browsing and will draw context for queries from the information in your open tabs. The free new feature can be enabled through the AI Services section of the Settings menu. Opera is one of the many browser companies that has been experimenting with an AI-focused service. It began rolling out the $20-a-month Opera Neon agentic AI browser last year. The benefit of something like Browser Connector means you aren't limited to a single brand's product offerings and can switch things up at will. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/opera-adds-browser-connector-for-integrating-ai-chatbots-080000153.html?src=rss

SharkNinja enters India: What its launch reveals about the countrys appliance market

SharkNinja brings its Shark and Ninja brands to India with air fryers, a 14-in-1 multicooker and more a launch that signals a shift in what Indian kitchens can expect from appliances

Apple and Google are reportedly pointing users to 'nudify' apps

Earlier this year it was revealed that Apple and Google were offering nudify apps on their stores despite having clear policies barring such content. Nearly three months later, such apps are not only still available, but being actively promoted on the iOS App Store and Google Play, according to a new report from the Tech Transparency Project (TTP). Many of those were labeled E for Everyone, meaning they can be downloaded by children. Searching for nudify, undress and other terms in those stores gives users access to apps that can make real people nude or put them into pornographic videos. The new report alleges that the platforms are key participants in the spread of AI tools that can turn real people into sexualized images, TTP wrote. The app stores even ran ads for similar nudifying apps in the search results. (Engadget has reached out to Apple and Google for comment.) The group identified 18 nudify apps in Apple's App Store and 20 in Google Play. Some were marketed with sexual images, while others weren't advertised as such but could still be used for deepfakes. Those apps have collectively generated around $122 million in revenue and been downloaded 483 million times, according to the report. Its not just that the companies are failing to actually appropriately review these apps and continue to approve them and profit from them, TTP director Katie Paul told Bloomberg . They are actually directing users to the apps themselves. Apple and Google both have policies banning sexual or pornographic material, and Google has a specific policy against nudifying apps. Apple told Bloomberg that it removed 15 apps identified by the group, while Google said that it suspended a number of them. One of the apps cited in the report called Video Face Swap AI: DeepFace , advertises itself by showing an actress's face swapped onto another actress's body and allows users to put a real person's face on the bodies of partially undressed women. The app was rated E for Everyone. The proliferation of nudify and deepfake apps has pushed some governments to propose laws against them. The UK's Children's Commissioner recently called for a ban on AI deepfake apps that create nude or sexual images of children. The US and other countries have proposed or created laws banning explicit deepfakes, and the California Attorney General recently sent Elon Musk's X a cease and desist order over Grok's explicit deepfakes. Update April 16 at 3:42 AM ET: Google gave Engadget the following comment: Google Play does not allow apps that contain sexual content. When violations of our policies are reported to us, we investigate and take appropriate action. Many of the apps referenced in this report have been suspended from Google Play for violations of our policies. Our investigation and enforcement process is ongoing. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/apple-and-google-are-reportedly-pointing-users-to-nudify-apps-065144277.html?src=rss

Samsung Galaxy S26 Review | A strong and compact flagship choice

Galaxy S26 offers performance upgrades, improved optimisation, better camera processing, and deeper AI integration

Microsoft's new college deal is a half-hearted answer to the $500 MacBook Neo

Apple's MacBook Neo is a $600 (or $500 for students) shot across the bow at affordable Windows laptops, and it seems like Microsoft has ready its first response. The newly announced Microsoft College Offer is a bundle of Microsoft 365 Premium, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, custom Xbox controller and discounted laptop that the company thinks could woo students away from Apple's new deal. With the purchase of a discounted machine directly from Microsoft, retailers like Amazon and Best Buy or PC makers like HP, ASUS and Acer, you can get what the company says is an extra $500 of value from its bundle. The laptop deals include a Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x with a Snapdragon X chip, 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for $500 from Best Buy, around $250 off the laptop's usual $750 price. Or if you wanted something even cheaper, Walmart is selling an HP Omnibook 3 for $429, a discount of $270 off its usual $699 price. Microsoft is less generous with the deals on its own laptops and tablets, but you can even get a discount on a Surface Laptop as part of the offer. A discounted laptop is great, but where the value of the Microsoft College Offer gets harder to define is with the services the company is packing in. Getting what would normally be a $200 year-long subscription to Microsoft 365 Premium for free is a meaningful deal, but many colleges give their students access to Microsoft's apps (and other software) with the cost of their tuition. A year of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which costs $30 per month as of October 2025 , sounds like significant savings, but the offer is only valid for new subscribers. That leaves the free custom Xbox controller as the simplest bonus of the bunch, a value of around $76. Windows PC makers are expected to make more serious attempts to compete with the Neo over the next year. For now, though, the Microsoft College Offer isn't exactly a bad deal, but it's certainly not as straightforwardly appealing as an Apple-quality laptop for $500 with a college discount. The Microsoft College Offer is available to students starting April 15 and runs through June 30, 2026. Microsoft says redemption of the full bundle of services and accessories its offering needs to happen by July 31, 2026. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/microsofts-new-college-deal-is-a-half-hearted-answer-to-the-500-macbook-neo-215336362.html?src=rss

Federal jury finds concert business Live Nation is a monopoly

Live Nation, which operates the Ticketmaster platform, has been determined to be a monopoly . A federal jury handed down its decision today that the company violated federal and state antitrust rules. This finding won't surprise anyone who has used Ticketmaster and been sticker-shocked by their final bill. However, it's unclear what the jurys decision will mean in practice. For starters, the judge overseeing the case hasn't determined what remedies will be applied. The actions could go as far as requiring Live Nation to sell off Ticketmaster. There are also monetary damages to be awarded, which haven't been set yet. And whatever the judge decides, it's also likely that Live Nation will appeal the decision. We've reached out to Ticketmaster for comment. The Department of Justice and a group of state and district attorneys general sued Live Nation on monopoly claims in 2024. The government agency reached a settlement with Live Nation last month, but the other parties continued their action. There's also a separate case being waged by the Federal Trade Commission questioning whether Live Nation colluded with ticket resellers . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/federal-jury-finds-concert-business-live-nation-is-a-monopoly-203924011.html?src=rss

There's yet another study about how bad AI is for our brains

A group of researchers from across the US and the UK have conducted a study on what AI does to our brains and the results are, in a word, grim. These results were published in a paper called AI assistance reduces persistence and hurts independent performance which kind of tells you everything you need to know. We find that AI assistance improves immediate performance, but it comes at a heavy cognitive cost, the study declares. Researchers went on to state that just ten minutes of using AI made people dependent on the technology, which led to worsening performance and burnout once the tools were removed. The study followed people who use AI for reasoning-intensive cognitive labor. This refers to stuff like writing, coding and brainstorming new ideas, which are some of the most common use cases. The researchers recruited 350 Americans, who were asked to complete some fraction-based equations. Half of the participants were randomly granted access to a specialized chatbot built on OpenAI's GPT-5 for help and the others had to go it alone. Halfway through the exam, the AI group had their access cut off. This led to a steep decline in correct answers by the AI group and many instances of people simply giving up. This result, in which performance and perseverance both dropped, was repeated in a larger experiment with 670 people. Finally, the scientists performed one final experiment with reading comprehension questions, and not math. The results were more of the same. Once the AI is taken away from people, its not that people are just giving wrong answers. Theyre also not willing to try without AI, Rachit Dubey, an assistant professor at the University of California and coauthor of the study, told Futurism . Peoples persistence drops. Dubey went on to warn that rapid deployment of AI in the education sector could lead to a generation of learners and people who will not know what theyre capable of, and then that will really dilute human innovation and creativity. The study likens using the technology to the boiling frog effect , in which sustained AI use erodes the motivation and persistence that drive long-term learning. These effects accumulate and by the time they are visible, they will be difficult to reverse. A recent study found that chatbots affected peoples critical thinking performance differently depending on how users engaged with the bots. https://t.co/IBbLLqrNdG Science News (@ScienceNews) April 15, 2026 There are two caveats here. The study has yet to be peer-reviewed. Also, researchers found one tiny bright spot regarding the use of AI. People who used AI tools for hints and clarification had a much easier time once the chatbot was removed when compared to those who used the bot to essentially prompt the answers. This is just the latest study trying to get to the bottom of what AI is doing to our collective noggins. It has been found to increase fatigue among full-time workers who rely on the tools, which led to the term AI brain fry. To that end, researchers discovered that employees who use AI actually end up working harder and longer than those old-fashioned luddites. The results are even starker in the world of education. Studies have found that AI use in school leads to poor social and intellectual development and that kids who rely on chatbots tend to do worse on tests . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/theres-yet-another-study-about-how-bad-ai-is-for-our-brains-183418494.html?src=rss

Google unleashes a native Gemini app for the Mac

Not content with stuffing Gemini into all of its own apps and services, Google wants you to adopt its AI assistant on desktops and laptops too. The company released a Gemini Windows app on Tuesday and it's following that up a day later with one for Macs. Google says the macOS Gemini app is a native desktop experience that you can access with a keyboard shortcut. By default, pressing option and space will open a mini chat, while a combo of option, shift and space will open the full Gemini chat experience. You'll be able to adjust these bindings in the app settings. Users will be able to share anything that's on their screen, including files they have saved on your system, with the chatbot and ask it questions about whatever theyre seeing. This can include anything from images to documents, and data to code. There's an option to share full web pages with Gemini, not just what's on your display. The Gemini app also supports image and video generation with Nano Banana and Veo, respectively.The app is available on Macs that are running macOS 15 (i.e. macOS Sequoia) or later in all countries and languages in which Gemini is supported. We're building the foundation for a truly personal, proactive and powerful desktop assistant, with more news to share in the coming months, Michael Friedman, group product manager for the Gemini app, wrote in a blog post . That's intriguing, given that Apple's long-delayed, generative AI revamp of Siri may finally debut at WWDC in June . Apple's retooled chatbot, which is slated to have deep integration with macOS apps, is powered by Gemini models . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-unleashes-a-native-gemini-app-for-the-mac-170500185.html?src=rss

Recteq X-Fire Pro 825 review: A smart grill that pulls double duty

Occasionally, you really can have it both ways. For the most part, pellet grills are great for smoking and mid-temperature cooking, but youll typically need other grills for high-heat searing and 1,000-degree temperatures(with a few exceptions ). Sure, some pellet grills allow you to move the heat deflector for direct access to the fire pot for searing, but thats still not a cooking experience that will be familiar to gas grill users. With the X-Fire Pro 825 ( $1,550 ), Recteq is putting its pellet grill expertise to work in a dual-mode design thats meant to bridge the gap between gas and wood fire. Of course, this is a smart grill thanks to its Wi-Fi connectivity, and the backbone of this beast is undoubtedly a pellet grill. Plus, the company offers totally separate controls to avoid confusion between Smoke and Grill modes, all combined in a durable, all-stainless steel design. Its the rare device that really is the 2-in-1 the company claims. Design All Recteq grills are made of stainless steel, but unlike the Deck Boss, Patio Legend and other models in the companys lineup, the X-Fire Pro doesnt have a powder coated lid. This isnt a problem per se, but it does require extra care with cleaning and maintenance to avoid rust. Apart from the cast iron grill grates, the interior components are also stainless steel, so most of this grill is clearly built to last. When you combine that with the robust cart and premium casters that the X-Fire Pro sits on, this grill is one of the most well-designed Ive reviewed. Like most pellet grills, the X-Fire Pro has a digital controller mounted on the side. In this case, its situated on the front edge of a shelf on the left of the grill. Single-knob navigation allows you to set cooking temperature and food probe alerts, which can also be done via the Recteq app thanks to the grills Wi-Fi connectivity. The X-Fire Pro allows you to use two wired food probes simultaneously, but theres no option for wireless probes. Recteq does sell wireless probes though, but they connect directly to the companys app, not to the grill itself. The X-Fire Pro has two separate sets of controls for its two modes Billy Steele for Engadget Rather than a traditional on/off switch, the X-Fire Pro is turned on with the far left knob on the front. To do so, you choose between the grills two modes, Smoke or Grill. If you select Smoke mode, the controller on the left will light up and you set your desired temperature between 225 and 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Personally, I prefer a slightly lower minimum temperature, around 180 degrees, to enable things like cold smoking or even mimic the Keep Warm feature that competitors like Traeger offer. In Grill mode, you can expect temperatures from 225-400 degrees on low, 350-650 on medium, 500-850 on high and 800-1,200 on max. There are two fire pots inside the X-Fire Pro. The one on the left is used exclusively for Smoke mode while both can be used in Grill mode. I typically set the right side to a higher grilling temperature, since theres an Adaptive Sear Control for direct access to the flame (theres a dedicated knob on the front to control this). I would then leave the left side on low, which would give me a hot/cold setup like I would normally use on a gas grill. Of course, you can set both fire pots to the same heat level and use the entire cooking surface at the same temperature. You could also leave one of the fire pots completely off if you needed to do so. Dual-mode cooking Recteq promises that the X-Fire Pro is a pellet grill that will offer the best aspects of gas grilling with familiar knob-based controls. I agree that the large knobs are similar to what youll find on a gas grill, although you cant fine-tune the heat like you can with gas burnersI didnt find this problematic, though. Where Recteq surpasses propane or natural gas options is the fact that the X-Fire Pro entirely runs on wood pellets, so your food tastes much better. Just keep in mind that its a different flavor than charcoal. During my testing, I unexpectedly spent most of my time using the X-Fire Pro in Grill mode. I cooked steaks, chicken, burgers, sausages and more, all of which tasted a lot better than they would have on a gas grill. Even at high temperatures, you still get some wood flavor, which helped elevate my sous vide New York Strips beyond a simple high-heat sear. Of course, I also had the option to open the Adaptive Sear Control for direct-flame finishing, which was absolutely the right move for steaks and burgers. One important caveat about Grill mode is that the digital controller for Smoke mode completely turns off. You operate this mode entirely with the front-mounted knobs just like you would a gas grill. As such, you dont have access to the food probes or any Wi-Fi features that Smoke mode employs. I can understand why Recteq would want to keep the two modes separate, but I do wish there was a way to use the food probes to track internal temperature of things like steak and chicken, or any items where exact doneness is essential. A pork shoulder (Boston Butt) cooked on the X-Fire Pro Billy Steele for Engadget When it comes to smoking, the X-Fire Pro works just as well as any other pellet grills Ive reviewed from Traeger, Weber and others. Its very much a set-it-and-forget-it device, if you want it to be, which means you can put on a pork shoulder or a brisket early in the morning and it will be ready by dinner. But since the X-Fire Pro has two fire pots and therefore two smaller pellet hoppers instead of one larger one, each hoppers capacity is limited to just10 pounds. While I had no trouble getting through an 8-hour smoke session with a full hopper (at 275 degrees), I wouldnt feel comfortable with overnight cooks due to the reduced pellet supply. In Grill mode, though, a single full hopper on the right was always enough to get through a cook. Recteq says the digital controller can maintain the set temperature in Smoke mode within five degrees. I found this to be true during all of my low-and-slow cooking, and the graph in the app confirms it. The only dips it showed corresponded to the times I opened the lid. This performance was consistent across multiple uses of the X-Fire Pro, although on one particularly cold and very windy day, I did see some greater fluctuations (theres a warning about this in the user manual). Under normal weather conditions though, this grill is reliable at maintaining the desired cooking temperature in Smoke mode. Other features on the X-Fire Pro The main cooking surface of the X-Fire Pro consists of four removable cast iron grates. These are reversible with one side for general use and the other with wider bars for more apparent sear marks. Theres also a shallow top grate above the primary cooking area, perfect for resting foods when theyre done or warming buns in Grill mode. In Smoke mode, you could also put another rack or two of ribs up there, but its not big enough for larger cuts of meat. Most pellet grills direct ash and grease to a catch pan of some sort. Since the X-Fire Pro has two fire pots, it has two ash removal trays on either side with levers to help with the debris. Like every other pellet grill, youll need to clean out some ash from the cooking chamber every few uses, and the best way to do that is with a shop vacuum. Recteq cautions against allowing grease buildup with Smoke mode, but I never found this to be a problem. Thats likely due to the fact that I used Grill mode between low-and-slow cooking sessions, so I probably burned off any excess residue. Whats more, I like to use aluminum pans for pork shoulders for easier cleanup, rather than placing them directly on the grates. The X-Fire Pro's adjustable sear control Billy Steele for Engadget Like every other Wi-Fi-enabled pellet grill Ive tested, the X-Fire Pro works with an app that allows you to control and monitor it from afar. You can keep tabs on both grill and food probe temperatures as well as turn the whole thing off. Recteqs app also has more advanced features like temperature graphs, a 30-day cooking history and over 60 step-by-step guided recipes. Plus, you can save cooking sessions with notes for future reference and the apps complete recipe book houses over 450 dishes. The company prides itself on the quality of its app, and I can confirm its the most reliable mobile software Ive used during a smart grill review. Now lets discuss a few things you wont find on the X-Fire Pro. First, theres no option for a folding front shelf since the pellet hopper is front-mounted. The hopper lid gives you a slight ledge to rest the corner of a pan or tray, but its not enough to do any kind of wrapping or setting anything down completely. Theres also no interior lighting, which was probably the thing I missed most from other pellet grills. Sure, we can debate the utility of how some companies arrange these lights, but something is better than nothing, especially when youre loading a grill before dawn or finishing a cook after dark. The competition While there are other pellet grills with direct-searing capabilities, none of those offer the dual-mode functionality of the X-Fire Pro. For example, several Pit Boss models have levers for open access to the fire box or, as the company calls, it the Flame Broiler. Some companies offer open-lid modes, like Weber does on the Searwood , but not all of those designs allow you to get direct access to the fire. These grills also let you set a high searing temperature on the regular controls rather than giving you completely a separate operating method like Recteq does. Again, the appeal with the X-Fire Pro is something familiar to both pellet and gas grillers with controls best-suited for each style of cooking. And yes, the $1,550 price puts this firmly in the premium category, but when you consider its two grills in one, that amount doesnt seem excessive. The X-Fire Pro features an all-stainles-steel design Billy Steele for Engadget Wrap-up Rarely does a device live up to its billing as a double-duty workhorse. With the X-Fire Pro , Recteq has successfully combined the best aspects of pellet grills with a dedicated high-heat mode and separate controls that will be familiar to gas grillers. This model offers robust build quality, reliable performance and Wi-Fi connectivity for extended smoking sessions. The smaller pellet hoppers require slightly more vigilance, and there are a few features Id love to see in the future, but Recteq has certainly bolstered its reputation for well-built smart grills with this dual-mode machine. Id much rather keep tabs on my pellet supply than guess if my propane tank is empty. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/kitchen-tech/recteq-x-fire-pro-825-review-a-smart-grill-that-pulls-double-duty-170000586.html?src=rss

Snap is laying off 16 percent of its workforce, blames AI

Snap is laying off around 1,000 staff, amounting to 16 percent of its workforce, which it will seemingly replace with AI. The cuts were announced in a company-wide memo from CEO Evan Spiegel, who added that more than 300 open roles are also being closed. Spiegel said the incredibly difficult decision would likely save Snap more than $500 million by the second half of 2026, in turn helping it to establish a clearer path to net-income profitability. Impacted staff were notified by email and the companys North America-based team were instructed to work from home. Snap said it would provide four-month severance packages to those affected by the layoffs, as well as healthcare and other entitlements. While these changes are necessary to realize Snaps long-term potential, we believe that rapid advancements in artificial intelligence enable our teams to reduce repetitive work, increase velocity, and better support our community, partners, and advertisers, Spiegel wrote. We have already witnessed small squads leveraging AI tools to drive meaningful progress across several important initiatives, including Snapchat+, enhanced ad platform performance, and efficiency improvements in our Snap Lite infrastructure. Snap laid off around 20 percent of its employees in 2022 , with further cuts made in 2023 and 2024 . It follows in the footsteps of a number of tech companies laying off employees in favor of AI in a move to boost efficiency, including Amazon , Fiverr , Microsoft and Pinterest in the last year. Snap is expected to launch the consumer version of its Specs AR glasses later this year, and recently span off the brand into its own business. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/snap-is-laying-off-16-percent-of-its-workforce-blames-ai-162456069.html?src=rss

Shoe company pivots to AI compute in sign of a totally normal and healthy economy

The shoe company Allbirds, famous for its wool trainers, is pivoting to AI . You read that right. The San Francisco company has plans o pivot its business to AI compute infrastructure, with a long-term vision to become a fully integrated GPU-as-a-Service and AI-native cloud solutions provider. It's also changing its name to NewBird AI. This is subject to shareholder approval, with a vote scheduled for May 18. Once approved, the company will raise $50 million from an unnamed investor to assist with this enterprise. This money will be used for the acquisition and monetization of graphics processing units, related high-performance computing infrastructure capable to support high workloads and other related assets. In other words, all of the things one would need to start an AI compute company. Allbirds, the shoe brand, now says it's an AI compute company. pic.twitter.com/MRAG2LXyY9 Tracy Alloway (@tracyalloway) April 15, 2026 Allbirds has always been known as an eco-friendly shoe company and, well, there's no real way to do AI while protecting the environment . The company plans on getting rid of any eco-friendly branding, with stockholders being asked to approve a charter amendment proposal to emove references to the company being operated for the environmental conservation public benefit. Investors absolutely love AI, despite rising public sentiment against the technology . To that end, the announcement that Allbirds was transitioning from shoes, a product category it has a decade of experience in, to AI compute, a product category it has no experience in, shot the stock up by over 400 percent. Financial Times has suggested this uptick will be short-lived and that retail investors should stay away. Allbirds was once valued at $4 billion. It just struck a deal to sell most of itself for $39 million. https://t.co/DsX89JdtEM The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) March 31, 2026 This pivot to AI cloud compute is surprising and, frankly, bizarre, but something drastic was bound to happen to Allbirds at some point. The shoe company was once riding high, with a valuation of around $4 billion as recently as 2021. It sold its shoe business and branding to an investment firm earlier this month for just $39 million . Allbirds isn't the only company pivoting to compute in an effort to feed the hungry goblin called AI . Boom Supersonic is a startup trying to build the world's fastest airliner but has begun selling gas turbines to AI companies to power data centers. Many Bitcoin mining centers have pivoted to AI and it's worth remembering that NVIDIA's GPUs were once used primarily for PC gaming. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/shoe-company-pivots-to-ai-compute-in-sign-of-a-totally-normal-and-healthy-economy-161449196.html?src=rss

Traeger debuts Westwood smart pellet grills that start at $700

Traeger gave backyard pit masters something more affordable last year with the Woodridge , but now the company is back with an even more budget-friendly option. With the Westwood series , the company offers very basic pellet grill functionality with a simplified controller and a no-frills design. Youll still get Wi-Fi connectivity that works with the companys app, and the Westwood grills are compatible with Traegers rail-based accessories. As you might expect at the $700 and $800 prices, there are a number of caveats compared to the companys more expensive options . The new Westwood grills have an even more streamlined controller than the Woodridge models. A button-based interface replaces the knob, with buttons for increasing and decreasing temperatures, both wired and wireless food probes, Wi-Fi and ignition. The side-mounted hopper has an 18-pound pellet capacity and there are shelves on the left side and underneath the cooking chamber. Inside, a two-tier setup offers either 653 or 823 square inches of cooking space, depending on which Westwood model you opt for. The Westwood remains a set-it-and-forget-it device. The Wi-Fi connectivity allows you to keep tabs on cooking sessions from anywhere with the Traeger app. You can do everything from low-and-slow smoking to roasting and grilling with the 180-450 degrees Fahrenheit temperature range. Theres also a front rail for the companys Pop and Lock accessories, which include a folding front shelf. The Westwood grills have a simplified design with two-tier grates inside Traeger Of course, with the lower price comes a number of sacrifices. Theres no mention of Super Smoke or Keep Warm modes that Traeger offers on some of its more expensive grills. The Westwood only supports one wired food probe, so youll have to plan accordingly there. If youre willing to spend an extra $80, these new grills do connect with Traegers wireless meat probe , so you at least have an option for additional food monitoring. Lastly, theres no mention of a pellet sensor inside the hopper, which is a handy component for keeping track of your fuel supply. While Traeger has consistently focused on midrange and premium pellet grills in recent years, the Westwood and Westwood XL are now the companys most affordable options. These new grills will replace the popular Pro series in Traegers lineup. Whats more, new affordable options come at time when the company faces financial troubles and is currently in the midst of an ongoing restructuring . The Westwood and Westwood XL are now available from grill retailers including Ace Hardware. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/kitchen-tech/traeger-debuts-westwood-smart-pellet-grills-that-start-at-700-160448450.html?src=rss

The Vivo X300 Ultra is a powerful camera phone aimed at videographers

Chinese phonemaker Vivo has been pushing the limits of smartphone photography in the last few years. However, the availability of its phones like last years X200 Ultra , with its beefy add-on telephoto has been intermittent in the West. The company says the X300 Ultra its first global flagship launch, although theres still no word on a US launch or pricing at the time of writing. Like the latest phones from Xiaomi and Oppo, Vivo is also obsessing over larger camera sensors, peripherals and a dizzying array of technical photography specs, with a particular focus on cinematic video recording. Collaborating with Zeiss again, the X300 Ultra features a triple prime lens camera system with 85, 35 and 14mm equivalent focal lengths. This can be punched up to 400mm equivalent with a new telephoto extender, the messily-named Zeiss Telephoto Extender Gen 2 Ultra, whose price is also unknown for now. Even without that add-on, Vivo has built its 85mm equivalent 200-megapixel telephoto camera to handle most of your zoom-heavy shooting moments. A gimbal-grade APO (apochromatic) camera is designed to correct color fringing and stabilize your shots. These are both typical issues when using higher zoom levels. In a dedicated snapshot mode, Autofocus tracking will even work at 60 fps, which Im excited to test, as the phone can also shoot at up to 12 fps. Vivo says its optical image stabilization can correct up to three degrees of movement. Other cameras are similarly powerful, spec-wise. The 35mm equivalent Zeiss Documentary camera uses a 1/1.12-inch 200MP Sony sensor and is apparently engineered for strong low-light performance and portrait shooting, with an f/1.8 aperture. Finally, theres a 50MP ultrawide rounding out the camera lineup. All three rear cameras support up to 4K 120fps 10-bit log video and the same in Dolby Vision. Vivo says the X300 Ultra will capture film-like color performance without the need for editing. If you want to dig into editing, however, it supports 10-bit log video for more dynamic range and color depth. Vivo is going hard on video capture. The X300 Ultra's new pro video mode has an upgraded monitoring feature that supports users custom LUTs, showing a real-time preview of how it will look while recording in log. Vivos log format is also compatible with ACES workflow, making it easier to integrate the X300 Ultra alongside other cinema cameras. Vivo To make it easier to use for hypothetical professional shoots, Vivo has collaborated with camera-peripheral maker SmallRig on a video-rig kit. This includes an expandable camera cage with quick-release ports (alongside multiple cold shoe mounts), dual handgrips and even a physical shutter control and zoom buttons. Theres also a cooling fan to keep the X300 Ultra recording at high resolution for extended periods. Its otherwise a flagship phone everywhere else, with a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen5 processor and a 6.82-inch display at 3,168 x 1,440 resolution, topping out at an industry-leading 144Hz refresh rate. The X300 Ultra also supports up to 100W FlashCharge and 40W wireless charging (with compatible Vivo chargers) and a huge 6,600mAh battery. Were planning to test the X300 Ultra in the very near future. At the time of writing, the company is keeping pricing and launch dates to itself. Well update this story once we hear those crucial details. Its also likely to face immediate competition from sibling brand Oppo, which has also been teasing an ultra iteration of its latest flagship phone , the Find X9 Ultra. For now, Vivo says the X300 Ultra will launch across Asia, as well as parts of Europe (Austria, Spain, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Italy and Russia) and several other countries, including Brazil. And yep, no US, Canada or the UK on that list. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/vivo-x300-ultra-launch-powerful-camera-phone-availability-160008605.html?src=rss

Spotify is selling books now

A collaboration between Spotify and Bookshop.org that allows readers to purchase physical books in the Spotify app is now live in the US and UK. Rather than positioning audiobooks as the hard copy-killer, Spotify is encouraging you to see them as complimentary to one another. First announced back in February, the new partnership with Bookshop.org appears to be an acknowledgement from Spotify that physical still reigns supreme in the book world. Bookshop is a digital marketplace that enables indie booksellers to take their businesses online, and Spotify says any purchase made through its app will directly support those bookshops and the authors who brought the story to life. When viewing an audiobook on Spotify, where available you should now see a Get a copy for your bookshelf link that redirects you to the Bookshop.org website, which takes over the rest of the purchase and shipping process, reports TechCrunch . The feature is now live on Android, with iOS support arriving next week. Key to this partnership is the new Page Match feature that Spotify launched in February, which allows readers to sync their progress between audiobooks and physical or ebooks so they can jump between formats seamlessly. When reading a paperback, you can use your phone camera to scan the page you reach and continue from that point in the audiobook. It also allows you to scan ereader pages so you can pick up when you left off in the audiobook, and vice versa. Spotify has today expanded Page Match to support more than 30 new languages, including French, German and Swedish, while Audiobook Recaps are now available on Android. Introduced last year , initially for iOS users, these AI-powered audio summaries refresh you on your progress before you start reading, becoming available once you pass the 10-minute threshold in a book. Spotify launched audiobooks in 2022 and now offers 15 hours of free listening time a month to Premium subscribers. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/spotify-is-selling-books-now-144340074.html?src=rss

Adobe's Firefly AI Assistant works across Photoshop, Premiere and other apps

Few creative software companies have embraced AI like Adobe , with the company embedding image , video, audio and vector generation tools into nearly all its apps. Now, Adobe is taking on AI apps like Gemini's Nano Banana with its new prompt-based Firefly AI Assistant. You simply describe the outcome you want and it will execute complex multi-step workflows across Photoshop, Premiere, Lightroom, Illustrator and other apps to achieve that result, Adobe says. The complexity of apps like Photoshop creates a barrier to entry for users who may have a vision but lack skill, according to Adobe. That's where the FireFly AI Assistant comes in. It works much like ChatGPT and other prompt-based AI assistants, but it has Adobe's suite of powerful apps behind it to execute the required steps. You no longer have to map the process. You can start from the outcome, the company says. Adobe emphasizes that while the Firefly AI Assistant is doing the grunt work, you remain in control. You stay in the loop as the assistant executes, stepping in at any point to guide direction, adjust outputs and create something that's distinctly yours. It also maintains Adobe's native file formats, so the final output remains fully editable. Adobe You'll be able to launch complex workflows with Creative Skills that let you run multi-step workflows from a single prompt, then customize them to your working style. For instance, you can start with the social media assets skill then direct the assistant to crop or use Generative Extend to make it fit the format of Instagram, Facebook and other platforms. It can also handle context-aware creative decisions. In one example, Adobe describes a product photo set in a forest. The assistant might give you a simple slider to increase or reduce the surrounding trees and foliage making it easy to adjust the scene without complex edits, the company explains. Finally, to gather and act on feedback, the Assistant can organize and share work among team members via Adobe's Frame.io. Adobe emphasizes that Firefly AI Assistant is grounded in the company's pro-grade creative tools to deliver precise, context aware results in a way that other AI agents can't and will learn your style over time. That's an argument the company no doubt hopes will counter a narrative that generative AI apps like Nano Banana are eating software like Adobe Photoshop. Adobe's Firefly AI Assistant will arrive in public beta in the coming weeks. Should you wish to use other AI image generator within Adobe apps, the company has added Kling 3.0 and Kling 3.0 Omni, all-purpose video models optimized for fast, high-quality production with smart storyboarding and audio-visual sync. That's on top of other models already offered, including Google's Nano Banana 2 and Veo 3.1, Runway Gen-4.5, Luma AIs Ray 3.14, ElevenLabs Multilingual v2, Topaz Labs Topaz Astra and others. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/adobes-firefly-ai-assistant-works-across-photoshop-premiere-and-other-apps-130055883.html?src=rss

Amazon's budget-friendly answer to the Frame TV will start shipping on April 22

When Amazon introduced the Ember Artline TVs in January , it didnt have a specific date of availability to share. Now, the company is ready to supply the details: Pre-orders open today, and units ship on April 22 in the US and Canada, with the UK and Germany to follow. The company also announced a new version of its Fire TV Stick HD this morning, as well as some new features for its Fire TV software. For those who dont remember offhand, the Ember Artline is basically Amazons answer to Samsungs Frame TV . Its a matte, 4K QLED panel that can double as artwork when youre not watching TV, and to that end, Amazon is including more than 2,000 pieces of art for free. Thats also part of the Fire TV package that comes on the new Fire TV Stick HD, so you dont necessarily need an Ember Artline to access them. In its press release, Amazon said Our collection spans artistic movements and includes Impressionist classics by Monet, Degas, and Renoir, alongside contemporary works of street art, murals, mixed media, and photography. Customers also have access to 60 exclusive motion video pieces commissioned by documentary filmmaker Sam Nuttmann, who traveled the world capturing landscape and wildlife scenes. To make it easier to match the Ember Artline to your rooms decor, there are 10 frame color options to choose from, and the varieties I saw (a faux wood grain and a muted teal metallic finish) looked quite pleasant. If you really want some help finding artwork that will fit your space, Amazons Match the room feature might come in handy. A person holding up a phone taking photos of a room with an Ember Artline TV on the wall. Amazon At a recent demo, I watched as the companys representatives scanned a QR code from the TV to pull up the tool on their phone. There, they took three photos of the environment (surrounding walls and furniture, for example) and the system generated suggested pieces of art from the gallery. Using the TV remote, they were then able to choose from the recommendations on the big screen. In my brief experience, the suggestions were typically quite good at matching the vibe, while offering a variety of styles (geometric, landscapes, modern etc) each time. According to the press release, the AI tool will suggest artwork from our collection based on the room's colors, overall style, and any recurring themes in their existing artwork, including nature or travel photography. If youd like a more personal touch, you can showcase your own photos instead by connecting your Amazon Photos account. You can also ask Alexa+ to play a slideshow of us biking in the mountains, for example, to pull up memories ad hoc. An animated GIF showing the Ember Artline TV in various rooms and settings with varying decor. Amazon Thats not the only new feature coming to the Fire TV ecosystem, by the way. In addition to adding Alexa+ support and the new Fire TV UI it showed off in January , Amazon said that this month, its adding another tool for US customers to seamlessly transfer a show or sports game by asking Alexa to move the content to another enabled Fire TV device in your home. So say you started watching a show in your bedroom and wanted to continue on the bigger screen in your living area. You could say Alexa, move this to the living room. The demo I saw took place on two Ember Artline TVs on adjacent walls, so the speediness was quite noticeable. After the VP for Fire TV Aidan Marcuss asked the assistant to move the content over, the second TV picked up where the first left off in just about a second or two. Maybe real-world performance may vary but I can't imagine dashing from my bed to my couch in under three seconds just to avoid missing precious moments of The Boys drama. For now, the feature is limited to Prime Video content, and Amazon said it plans to roll it out to more services over time. The Ember Artline comes in 55-inch and 65-inch sizes and starts at $900. For context, Samsungs The Frame (not the Pro versions) is available as a 32-inch model that costs $600, while the 65-inch configuration starts at $1,100 at the moment. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/amazons-budget-friendly-answer-to-the-frame-tv-will-start-shipping-on-april-22-130000337.html?src=rss

Amazon's new Fire TV Stick HD is slimmer than ever and has no power adapter

After unveiling a 4K version of its Fire TV Stick Select at its hardware event last September , Amazon is launching the latest version of its HD dongle today. The Fire TV Stick HD costs $35, comes with Alexa+ built in and offers the redesigned experience that the company previewed at CES in January . It might be confusing, considering Amazon makes at least five different configurations of its streaming stick , but the model announced today comes in at the entry-level and brings some meaningful upgrades. First, its about 30 percent narrower, according to the company, which makes it easier to fit into tight spaces (or to wedge between your TV and wall, perhaps). It comes with a short USB-C cable with a USB-A head that plugs into one of the USB ports on your TV, allowing it to draw power without the typically longer cables that would connect to wall adapters. To quote the company, the new Fire TV Stick HD is optimized for Direct Power through a TVs USB port, so it fits more neatly behind a TV without requiring a separate power adapter. But if your TV doesnt have a USB port for that, you can still use a USB-C cable with a traditional wall adapter to power the new Fire TV Stick HD. Given how little power the USB ports on a TV provide, it's likely any old charger will do. A picture with a diagram showing where the Fire TV Stick HD would slip behind a TV in a bedroom. Amazon The new dongle also comes with other improvements like support for Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3, and Amazon says its more than 30 percent faster on average compared to its predecessor, which means it turns on and opens apps more quickly. That, together with the redesigned layout, should make it easier to find what you want to watch. And if youre a Prime Member or subscribed to Alexa+, you can also ask the assistant for show recommendations, dim your lights or pick up where you left off on a Prime video in a different room, if you have a compatible TV set in there. Amazon also said that in the coming months, it will add a new Adaptive Display setting to the Fire TV Stick HD. This is supposed to be an accessibility feature that makes onscreen elements like words, menus and images easier to see. The company said that it would proportionally scale content artwork while enlarging text and menus, so the overall experience is more balanced. Multiple size options will be available. A screenshot showing how the Fire TV interface handles larger text for better readability. Amazon Like its predecessors, the Fire TV Stick HD is a pretty straightforward device that brings modern features to older TVs. At $35, its a relatively budget-friendly price, though we recommend springing for the 4K Max model if you have a bit more to spare. If not, the new Fire TV Stick HD will start shipping on April 29 to those in the US, the UK, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, with more regions coming later. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/amazons-new-fire-tv-stick-hd-is-slimmer-than-ever-and-has-no-power-adapter-130000885.html?src=rss

Nothing launches Warp for file transferring between Android, Mac and Windows

Nothing said that Warp does not store or access data

Asus launches new range of premium laptops in India including Zenbook Duo

The lineup is powered by Intel Core Ultra processors series 3 and Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite series processors, with AI capabilities

Realme launches Narzo 100 Lite 5G in India for budget buyers

Realme Narzo 100 Lite 5G holds a 7,000 mAh battery and supports 15W charging and reverse charging

Xiaomi launches Redmi A7 Pro 5G smartphone for budget buyers

Redmi A7 Pro 5G features a 3.5mm headphone jack, side-mounted fingerprint sensor, and IP52 rating

Amazon is stopping support for Kindle e-readers released in 2012 and earlier

Users across social media platforms reacted with anger and disappointment, while others resolved to jailbreak their devices or use it to pirate books instead

OnePlus Nord 6 launched with 9,000 mAh battery and 165 Hz display

The phone bears IP66, IP68, IP69 and IP69K ratings for water and dust resistance

Xiaomi 17 Ultra Review | Claims the camera crown

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Oura Ring 4 Review | Refined insights and design make for a stand-out wearable

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Realme 16 5G launched with Dimensity processor and 50 MP selfie camera

Realme 16 5G ships with a 7,000 mAh battery, supported by 60W charger inside the box

Xiaomi launches Redmi Note 15 Special Edition for mid segment buyers

It offers MIL-STD-810H standards, along with IP65 and IP66 ratings for protection against dust and splashes under controlled conditions

Kenya probes Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses privacy concerns

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At 50, Apple confronts its next big challenge: AI

Steve Jobs, a driven marketing genius, and Steve Wozniak, who invented the Apple computer, revolutionised how people use technology in the internet age

Another PlayStation price hike means the gaming console will cost 30% more than it did last year

The price of a PlayStation is going up by another $100, the second time in less than a year that Sony has upped the price tag on its popular gaming console

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

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

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.

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

Ai+ Smartphone partners Optiemus to make phones, tablets and IoT devices

Together, they plan to invest 125 crore in India-based manufacturing for over 5 years with a claim of creating around 1,200 direct and indirect jobs

iQOO launches Z11x with MediaTek processor and Sony sensor

iQOO has used a 7200 mAh battery in iQOO Z11x, paired with 44W charger inside the box

Xiaomi Pad 8 launched in India with HyperOS 3 and Snapdragon processor

Xiaomi will offer four years of Android OS updates and six years of security updates to Pad 8

Motorola Edge 70 Fusion launched in India with Sony sensor and Qualcomm chip

The phone features dual stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res Audio support

Nothing Phone 4a and Phone 4a Pro launched: Price, features and availability

Nothing also unveiled a new over-head headphones, Headphone a, at more accessible price point, claiming around 135 hours of playtime.

Apple launches new MacBooks with M5 chips, bigger base storage

The 13-inch MacBook Air starts at $1,099 and now comes with 512 gigabytes of storage as standard, double the base storage of the previous generation

Samsung rolls out more AI, new privacy shield mode with the new Galaxy S26 lineup

Samsung on Wednesday unveiled its latest Galaxy smartphones, which boast an even bigger toolbox of artificial intelligence technology

Xiaomi 17 Ultra and Xiaomi 17 unveiled along with Xiaomi Pad 8 series: Features, price and India launch

The series comes with optical set up co-engineered with German lens maker Leica