Gadgets

Google to Provide Pentagon with Gemini-powered AI agents

Google is rolling out Gemini AI agents to the Department of Defense's more than 3 million civilian and military employees, according to Bloomberg . The agents will initially operate on unclassified networks, with talks underway to expand them to classified and top-secret systems, according to Emil Michael, the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. Eight pre-built agents will automate tasks like summarizing meeting notes, building budgets and checking proposed actions against the national defense strategy. Google Vice President Jim Kelly said in a blog post on Tuesday that Defense Department personnel can also create custom agents using natural language. Google's AI chatbot, accessible through the Pentagon's GenAI.mil portal, has been used by 1.2 million Defense Department employees for unclassified work since December, with personnel running 40 million unique prompts and uploading more than 4 million documents. Training has reportedly not kept pace with adoption, however, as only 26,000 people have completed AI training since December, but future sessions are fully booked, something that suggests more employees are getting on board. The expansion comes as the Pentagon rapidly broadens its AI partnerships after its standoff with Anthropic , which refused to remove guardrails against domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons from its technology. The Pentagon has since classified the American AI company as a supply chain risk, which Anthropic will fight in court . Roughly 900 Google and 100 OpenAI employees have since signed an open letter urging their employers to hold firm on the same guardrails. Google quietly altered its AI Principles regarding these exact uses in early February. The Department of Defense has since struck deals with OpenAI and xAI for restricted networks. Google itself faced internal backlash over Pentagon work in 2018 when thousands of employees protested Project Maven , a program that used AI to analyze drone video feeds. It did not renew that contract but has since loosened its restrictions on military work. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-to-provide-pentagon-with-gemini-powered-ai-agents-161037444.html?src=rss

NVIDIA is reportedly working on its own open-source AI agent platform

NVIDIA is reportedly working on its own open-source AI agent platform, according to Wired . The chipmaker has been pitching the product to enterprise software companies. Reporting indicates it's going to be called NemoClaw, suggesting that the entire industry is going to embrace this whole claw naming convention moving forward. Just like OpenClaw, this will be a platform in which users dispatch AI agents to perform a variety of tasks. However, NVIDIA's effort looks to have an enterprise focus for now. To that end, reporting indicates that companies will be able to access this platform even if their products don't run on NVIDIA chips. NVIDIA is currently preparing for its annual developer conference next week and Wired has suggested that the company has already reached out to entities like Salesforce, Cisco and Google to strike partnerships for its platform. It's not clear if these discussions have led to anything official, as none of these companies have provided statements. This could be a steep climb for NVIDIA, as usage of these multi-purpose agents in the enterprise space is relatively controversial. Some tech companies have asked employees to refrain from using OpenClaw and related tools on their work computers, as the agents can be unpredictable and cause all manner of mayhem. A Meta employee recently shared a story about an AI agent going rogue and mass deleting emails . This poses a serious security risk to enterprise customers. It's one thing if the claw is trapped on a personal computer, but another thing if it has access to an entire enterprise network. NVIDIA is reportedly beefing up NemoClaw with additional layers of security for AI agents, which is likely an effort to attract those business customers. Why is this a big deal? Unlike traditional chatbots that typically require hand-holding from the user every step of the way, claws are designed to run autonomously on computers and perform complex, multi-pronged tasks without too much human supervision. Peter Steinberger is joining OpenAI to drive the next generation of personal agents. He is a genius with a lot of amazing ideas about the future of very smart agents interacting with each other to do very useful things for people. We expect this will quickly become core to our Sam Altman (@sama) February 15, 2026 This all started with software originally called Clawdbot, which is now called OpenClaw. The creator of OpenClaw, Peter Steinberger, recently joined OpenAI to help drive the next generation of personal agents. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/nvidia-is-reportedly-working-on-its-own-open-source-ai-agent-platform-153203397.html?src=rss

GeForce Now adds GOG syncing and 90fps game streaming in VR headsets

NVIDIA's GeForce Now game streaming platform has added a few minor but useful updates, especially for GOG and VR headset users, the company announced at Game Developer's Conference (GDC). The biggest technical improvement is for virtual reality headsets that support GeForce Now like the Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest. Starting next week (March 19), those devices will be able to stream at 90 fps for Ultimate members (up from 60 fps) for improved smoothness, responsiveness and realism. Another helpful update is in-app labels coming soon to GeForce Now. Once you connect an Xbox or Ubisoft_ account, you'll see clear labels directly on game art inside the GeForce Now app showing exactly what's available to play from your subscription services. NVIDIA is also expanding account linking, adding GOG to the roster of services on top of Gaijin single-sign announced at CES. GeForce Now is also expanding its Install-to-Play library with select Xbox titles including Brutal Legend from Double Fine Productions and Compulsion Games' Contrast . The service will also see several anticipated games directly on the cloud service at launch, namely Remedy's Control Resonant and Samson: A Tyndalston Story from Liquid Swords. As a reminder, NVIDIA's GeForce Now is one of the better cloud gaming services out there, particularly since it added GeForce RTX 5080 -powered servers that Engadget's Devindra Hardawar called indistinguishable from a powerful rig. The service recently came to Fire TV sticks and is available on Windows and Mac PCs, NVIDIA's Shield, Android TV, smartphones and many other devices. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/geforce-now-adds-gog-syncing-and-90fps-game-streaming-in-vr-headsets-130656731.html?src=rss

Meta is buying Moltbook, the ridiculous social network populated by AI bots

Meta is snapping up Moltbook, a Reddit-like social network for AI agents that has been around since January and remains completely ridiculous . The company hasn't disclosed the terms of the deal. Moltbook and its creators Matt Schlicht and Ben Parr will be joining Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL) when the deal closes. That's expected to happen in the coming days, according to Axios . The Moltbook team joining MSL opens up new ways for AI agents to work for people and businesses, a Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch . Their approach to connecting agents through an always-on directory is a novel step in a rapidly developing space, and we look forward to working together to bring innovative, secure agentic experiences to everyone. It seems current Moltbook users will be able to continue interacting with the platform for the time being. Moltbook was built on the back of OpenClaw, a tool that enables people to whip up AI agents that can interact with dozens of different apps. (OpenAI hired the creator of OpenClaw last month.) Schlicht used OpenClaw to create a bot named Clawd Clawderberg and asked it to create a social network for AI agents. And that's how Moltbook came to be. For what it's worth, Clawd Clawderberg is a play on Mark Zuckerberg and Moltbook is a clear riff on Facebook, so its somewhat fitting that Schlicht vibe-coded his way to a job at Meta. It also emerged that it was relatively easy for humans to pose as AI agents and post on Moltbook. Again, all of this is deeply, deeply absurd. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/meta-is-buying-moltbook-the-ridiculous-social-network-populated-by-ai-bots-152732453.html?src=rss

Google brings Gemini-powered content creation tools to Docs, Sheets, Slides and Drive

Google is rolling out a batch of Gemini updates across its Workspace apps that give the AI assistant the ability to generate first drafts in Docs, build entire spreadsheets in Sheets, design presentations in Slides and answer questions about files stored in Drive. The features started rolling out on March 10 in beta for Google AI Ultra and Pro subscribers and Gemini Alpha business customers, in English only. In Docs, a new Help me create tool produces a formatted first draft by pulling context from Drive, Gmail, Chat and the web based on a user's prompt. Gemini can also match the writing style or formatting of a reference document. Google says more than a third of new Docs are created from copies of existing files, so the formatting tool is meant to cut down on that manual work. In Sheets, Gemini can now construct an entire spreadsheet from a natural language prompt, drawing data from a user's files and emails, as well as Google Chat and the web. A Fill with Gemini feature auto-populates table cells, which Google says is nine times faster than manual entry based on a 95-person study (this sounds profoundly unscientific, so take these claims with a grain of salt). Sheets also gained optimization tools powered by Google DeepMind and Google Research that can solve problems like employee scheduling through written prompts. In Slides, Gemini can generate individual slides that match an existing deck's theme, with full presentation generation from a single prompt coming later. Google Drive is getting AI Overviews in search results, similar to a feature the company recently added to Gmail, along with a new Ask Gemini tool that lets users query their files, emails and calendar. The Drive features will be released first only for customers in the US, unlike the rest of these updates. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-brings-gemini-powered-content-creation-tools-to-docs-sheets-slides-and-drive-144705622.html?src=rss

A Resident Evil Requiem story expansion is in the works

It takes around 30 hours to experience everything Resident Evil Requiem has to offer. If you've already enjoyed all the thrills and spills and you're itching for more, there's some positive news. Capcom has some updates on the way. The biggest of those is a story expansion, which is now in development. Just don't expect it to arrive imminently. In this story, we will delve deeper into the world of Requiem , game director Koshi Nakanishi said in a short video message . Were hard at work on it now. It will take some time, so we ask for your patience and hope youll look forward to it. A message from Koshi Nakanishi, director of Resident Evil Requiem. pic.twitter.com/54aKw80h8K Resident Evil (@RE_Games) March 10, 2026 Nakanishi noted that on top of the story expansion and fixing bugs and performance issues, the development team is cooking up some other features. A photo mode is on the way to help you capture all the horrors that Grace and Leon encounter. There's also a surprise coming around May, Nakanishi said. Were planning to add a mini-game. Resident Evil Requiem sold more than 5 million copies within its first week of release. Reviews have been generally positive, though we can safely discount the one that was likely AI generated and briefly featured on Metacritic . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/a-resident-evil-requiem-story-expansion-is-in-the-works-140512827.html?src=rss

MacBook Neo review: Apple puts every $600 Windows PC to shame

I really don't know how Apple did it. The MacBook Neo is a $600 laptop that doesn't feel like an afterthought, which is a curse that has befallen so many cheap Windows notebooks. Sure, it has a slower A-series processor and it's limited to 8GB of RAM. But the MacBook Neo still feels as deeply considered as Apple's most premium hardware. Its screen, trackpad and overall usability is so far ahead of the competition, every Windows PC maker, including Microsoft, should be ashamed. I've argued that a cheap MacBook could be the best for Apple to peel away Windows users , and after spending almost a week with the Neo, I'm convinced it will do just that. It's just fast enough to handle basic productivity work. It's sturdy enough to be tortured by kids in classrooms. And you really can't beat its $599 starting price. Once Windows users learn it's not that hard to switch to macOS, Apple will likely have another hit on its hands. What's so Neo about this MacBook? I'll admit, I laughed at the MacBook Neo's name at first. It really does feel like a desperately hip name ASUS or Acer would slap onto their machines (in fact, Acer is doing so right now), rather than something Apple would even consider. But the Neo name is more than just a dated reference to the Matrix it's also a clear signal that this is a new type of MacBook. It's the first one Apple has ever been able to sell so cheaply. It's the first one powered by a mobile A-series chip. And for many people, it will likely end up being their first Mac. The MacBook Neo also marks the first time Apple has built a value-focused notebook under $1,000. The adorable handle-equipped iBook G3 looked like a system geared towards kids, but it launched at $1,599 in 1999. The original MacBook Air, which Steve Jobs revealed by pulling it out of a manilla envelope, sold for $1,799 in 2008. MacBooks only got semi-affordable when Apple dropped the Air's entry price to $999 in 2014. (The starting price has bounced between $999 and $1,099 ever since.) It dabbled in the concept further by keeping the M1 MacBook Air around at Walmart stores for $699 in 2024 before eventually dropping its price down to $650 last year. If you were lucky, you could also find it for $499 during some holiday sales. A citrus MacBook Neo being held up with one hand. Devindra Hardawar for Engadget While the M1 MacBook Air was a great value over the last few years, its last-gen Apple design aged quickly. The Neo looks far more modern, with an all-aluminum case that resembles the current Air (it's a bit smaller, but weighs the same 2.7 pounds). Color is the Neo's biggest draw, with bolder options like the greenish citrus and pink blush, along with Apple's typical dark and light case options. The citrus hue is the most unique, as we've seen rose gold MacBooks before. It would have been nice to see other strong colors too, like a brighter blue or something with a hint of purple. The people want personality, Apple! Under the hood, the MacBook Neo is a story of compromise, more so than any MacBook before it. Apple had to find a way to deliver its premium user experience while also cutting costs significantly to reach its $599 price. Relying on the A18 Pro, which powered last year's iPhone 16 Pro, was likely far more cost effective instead of using an older M-series chip that isn't being built anymore. That A18 Pro chip also means the MacBook Neo has to be fairly limited when it comes to ports: there are only two USB-C connections on board (one is USB 3.0, and the other is USB 2.0). There's no MagSafe charging connection, which is a shame since the MacBook Neo will likely end up around trip-prone kids in schools and homes. A citrus MacBook Neo's USB-C ports. Devindra Hardawar for Engadget The biggest compromise lies in the MacBook Neo's RAM and disk space. It starts with just 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. You can shell out another $100 to get 512GB of storage and a Touch ID button, but there's no way to add more RAM. Typically, my first piece of advice to any prospective computer buyer is to get at least 16GB of memory, as that's the easiest way to see faster performance when juggling tons of tabs, apps and large files. That's particularly true for Mac laptops, since Apple's unified memory is baked into its A-series and M-series chips. The MacBook Neo's 8GB limitation shows the precise audiences Apple is targeting with the MacBook Neo: casual users. Those include people who need secondary machines for light workloads and schools relying on Chromebooks. I'm not reneging on my 16GB RAM recommendation if the idea of less RAM in your main computer makes your skin crawl, the Neo isn't for you. The MacBook Air is still around, and it can easily be equipped with tons of RAM and storage. Apple also deserves credit for squeezing in an impressive 1080p webcam in the Neo, something I havent seen in any other $600 Windows notebook. And while the resolution is impressive, Apples image processing also manages to deliver sharp and vibrant image quality. Its usually easy to tell the overall quality of someones computer on group video calls based on their video quality. The MacBook Neo will have people thinking youre calling in from a pricier MacBook Air or MacBook Pro. When I first demoed the MacBook Neo at Apple's launch event, its keyboard felt a bit flimsier than those on the Air and Pro. But I may have just been distracted by the crowd and noise. My review unit's keyboard feels just as accurate as the Air's, allowing me to type at full speed (near 100 words per minute) without any issues. There's none of the weird input problems I noticed on Dell's far more expensive XPS 14 . The MacBook Neo's trackpad is similarly responsive and accurate for swiping and gestures. That's particularly surprising, since Apple isnt using a haptic Force Touch trackpad like all of its laptops for the past decade. The Neo's pad clicks down mechanically and yet, it doesn't feel as muddy as similar trackpads we see on budget PCs. It's also notable that Apple was able to make the Neo's trackpad completely clickable, whereas PC mechanical options often only click along their bottom half or third. A citrus MacBook Neo on a table outside. Devindra Hardawar for Engadget Enough Mac for most I didn't expect much from the Neo's A18 Pro processor and limited specs, and yet it still managed to surprise me. It easily handled having dozens of tabs open across multiple browsers, a show playing on the TV app, photo editing in Pixelmator Pro and running the new Apple Arcade title Oceanhorn 3 without any significant slowdown. There's clearly some swift memory management going on, delivering just enough RAM for the task right in front of you. The Neo's RAM usage typically hovered between 80 and 85 percent when I was trying to stress it, but it never went beyond that range. And if you're curious, the Neo typically used around 50 percent of its memory just to run macOS, even with no other apps running. I'd bet most people wouldn't see a major performance difference between the MacBook Neo and the Air for basic tasks. Even their screens look similar: The Neo's LCD panel has only a slightly lower resolution than the Air's, but its smaller 13-inch screen size gives it a similarly rich pixel density. The screen looks bold and colorful indoors, and it's also bright enough to use in direct sunlight outside. That's not something you usually see on $600 laptops. Oceanhorn 3 on a MacBook Neo. Devindra Hardawar for Engadget During a demo at the Neo's launch event, I saw its screen compared side-by-side to a $600 HP laptop. The difference was literally night and day the HP's display struggled to show the vibrancy of daylight photos, while the Neo's made photos pop off the screen. Similarly, the Neo's side-firing speakers sound significantly better than the tinny garbage HP stuffs into its discount machines. The Neo's speakers are ideal for watching videos and streaming content, but they definitely lack the clarity and low-end bump from the Air and MacBook Pro's upward firing speakers. Geekbench 6 CPU Geekbench 6 GPU Cinebench 2024 Apple MacBook Neo (A18 Pro) 3,372 /8,406 19,511 107/324 Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4, 2025) 3,784/14,745 36,273 172/660 GPU: 3,465 Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3, 2024) 3,190/12,102 30,561 N/A Microsoft Surface Pro 12-inch (2025, Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus) 2,315/10,915 9,539 108/530 I was definitely trying to push the MacBook Neo harder than a typical user, but it simply kept delivering. In Geekbench 6's CPU benchmark, the MacBook Neo sits between the M2 and M3 MacBook Air for single-core tests, and below the M2 for multi-threaded work. Apple's hardware still manages to put Intel and AMD to shame, with single-threaded Geekbench 6 scores that are higher than the latest hardware from both companies. But of course, that's just one benchmark beefy CPUs with active cooling will still be more performant overall. Whats most impressive about the MacBook Neo is that it manages to be a functional and well-rounded notebook at just $599. Microsofts low-budget $800 Surface Pro 12-inch was cute, but we found its performance incredibly underwhelming (and you still had to pay more for the keyboard). The 2.2-pound ZenBook A14 was impressively light, but again it was just too slow to be useful. Apple probably could have worked harder to make the MacBook Neo a tad lighter, but its still easy to hold and travel with. Id much rather Apple kept it at the MacBook Airs 2.7-pound weight, instead of making the Neo less powerful or more expensive. The only time the MacBook Neo completely failed was when I tried to run complex games meant for Apple's M-series chips. Lies of P installed just fine, but upon launch it just stopped as it tried to load shaders. Honestly, I'm surprised I was even able to install it in the first place. The most gaming you'll do on the Neo are things built specifically for Apple Arcade and the company's mobile chips, or cloud streaming options like GeForce Now or Xbox. During our battery test, which involves looping a 4K video, the MacBook Neo lasted 12 hours and 15 minutes. That's far below the 18 hours and 15 minutes I saw on the M4 MacBook Air, but it's still enough to last you during a typical work or school day. Again, Apple also had to sacrifice plugging in a bigger battery to keep the Neo's costs down. A citrus MacBook Neo on a table outside. Devindra Hardawar for Engadget Should you buy the MacBook Neo? It's rare for Apple to genuinely surprise me these days, but the MacBook Neo did just that. It's a $599 computer that can handle basic workloads just fine, all the while looking like one of the company's more expensive notebooks. Most importantly, it delivers more speed, a brighter screen and an overall better user experience than any competing $600 Windows PC. It's so good, I think it'll make many people wonder why they've stuck with sub-par PCs for so long. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/macbook-neo-review-apple-puts-every-600-windows-pc-to-shame-130000878.html?src=rss

The best robot vacuums on a budget for 2026

If vacuuming is your least favorite chore, employing a robot vacuum can save you time and stress while also making sure your home stays clean. While once most robo-vacs landed on the higher end of the price spectrum, thats not the case anymore. Sure, you could pick up a $1,000 cleaning behemoth with mopping features, but it would be incorrect to assume that you need to spend that much money to get a good machine. Now, you can get an autonomous dirt-sucker with serious cleaning chops for $500 sometimes even $300 or less. But you get what you pay for in this space; dont expect affordable robot vacuum cleaners to have all of the bells and whistles that premium machines do, like self-emptying capabilities or advanced dirt detection. After testing dozens of robot vacuums at various price points , Ive narrowed down our top picks for the best budget robot vacuums you can buy right now. Best budget robot vacuums for 2026 Are robot vacuums worth it? Since I've tested dozens of robot vacuums, I'm often asked if these gadgets are worth it and I'd say the answer is yes. The biggest thing they offer is convenience: just turn on a robot vacuum and walk away. The machine will take care of the rest. If vacuuming is one of your least favorite chores, or you just want to spend less time keeping your home tidy, semi-autonomous robotic vacuum is a great investment. Many models, albeit more expensive ones, even come with features like a self-empty station to further reduce maintenance. There are plenty of other good things about them, but before we dive in lets consider the biggest trade-offs: less power, less capacity and less flexibility. Those first two go hand in hand; robot vacuum cleaners are much smaller than upright vacuums, which leads to less powerful suction. They also hold less dirt because their built-in bins are a fraction of the size of a standard vacuum canister or bag. Fortunately, some models include features like an auto-empty station, which helps with dirt capacity, especially in homes with pet hair. When it comes to flexibility, robot vacuums do things differently than standard ones. You can control some with your smartphone, set cleaning schedules and more, but robo-vacs are primarily tasked with cleaning floors. On the flip side, their upright counterparts can come with various attachments that let you clean couches, stairs, light fixtures and other hard-to-reach places. What to look for in a budget robot vacuum When looking for the best cheap robot vacuum, one of the first things you should consider is the types of floors you have in your home. Do you have mostly carpet, tile, laminate, hardwood? Carpets demand vacuums with strong suction power that can pick up debris pushed down into nooks and crannies. Unfortunately, there isnt a universal metric by which suction is measured. Some companies provide Pascal (Pa) levels and generally the higher the Pa, the stronger. But other companies dont rely on Pa levels and simply say their bots have X-times more suction power than other robot vacuums. So how can you ensure youre getting the best cheap robot vacuum to clean your floor type? Read the product description. Look for details about its ability to clean hard floors and carpets, and see if it has a max mode you can use to increase suction. If you are given a Pa measurement, look for around 2000Pa if you have mostly carpeted floors. Pay attention to the brush roll mechanism as well, especially if you're dealing with dog hair or other stubborn debris that can cause tangles. Many budget models use bristle brushes, while others offer tangle-free designs to minimize maintenance. You may find some budget robot vacuums also offer vacuum/mop combo capabilities. These bots feature a water tank, which means they can offer mopping functionality, enhancing debris pickup, and resulting in shiny floors. However, these are less common when youre shopping in the lower price range. Size is also important for two reasons: clearance and dirt storage. Check the specs for the robots height to see if it can get underneath the furniture you have in your home. Most robo-vacs wont be able to clean under a couch (unless its a very tall, very strange couch), but some can get under entryway tables, nightstands and the like. As for dirt storage, look out for the milliliter capacity of the robots dustbin the bigger the capacity, the more dirt the vacuum cleaner can collect before you have to empty it. You should also double check the Wi-Fi capabilities of the robo-vac youre eyeing. While you may think thats a given on all smart home devices, its not. Some of the most affordable models dont have the option to connect to your home Wi-Fi network. If you choose a robot vac like this, you wont be able to direct it with a smartphone app or with voice controls. Another feature thats typically reserved for Wi-Fi-connected robots is scheduling because most of them use a mobile app to set cleaning schedules. But Wi-Fi-incapable vacuums usually come with remote controls that have all the basic functions that companion mobile apps do, including start, stop and return to dock. And if youre concerned about the possibility of hacking, a robot vac with no access to your Wi-Fi network is the best option. Obstacle detection and cliff sensors are other key features to look out for. The former helps the robot vacuum navigate around furniture while it cleans, rather than mindlessly pushing its way into it. Many also offer no-go zones, letting you block off areas you dont want the robot to enter. Meanwhile, cliff sensors prevent robot vacuums from tumbling down the stairs, making them the best vacuum for multi-level homes. How we test robot vacuums When we consider which robot vacuums to test, we look at each machines specs and feature list, as well as online reviews to get a general idea of its capabilities. With each robot vacuum we review, we set it up as per the instructions and use it for as long as possible at minimum, well use each for one week, running cleaning cycles daily. We make sure to try out any physical buttons the machine has on it, and any app-power features like scheduling, robot mapping and more. Since we test robot vacuums in our own homes, there are obstacles already in the machines way like tables, chairs and other furniture this helps us understand how capable the machine is at avoiding obstacles, and well intentionally throw smaller items in their way like shoes, pet toys and more. With robot vacuums that include self-emptying bases, we assess how loud the machine is while emptying contents into the base and roughly how long it takes for us to fill up the bag (or bagless) base with debris. Robot vacuum maintenance tips First and foremost, always empty your robot vacuums dustbin after every cleaning job, or use a self-empty station if the model supports it. Simply detach and empty the dustbin as soon as the robot is done cleaning, and then reattach it so it's ready to go for the next time. Its also a good idea to take a dry cloth to the inside of the dustbin every once in a while to remove any small dust and dirt particles clinging to its insides. In addition, youll want to regularly examine the machines brushes to see if any human or pet hair has wrapped around them, or if any large debris is preventing them from working properly. Some brushes are better than others at not succumbing to tangled hair, but its a good idea to check your robots brushes regardless both their main brush and any smaller, side brushes or corner brushes they have. These parts are often easy to pop off of the machine (because they do require replacements eventually) so we recommend removing each brush entirely, getting rid of any tangles or other debris attached to them and reinstalling them afterwards. If you have a robot vacuum with mopping capabilities, youll need to wash the bots mop pads too, to avoid any unpleasant smells or tracking mess around your home. Similarly, if your robot vacuum has a water tank, its worth washing this out regularly to keep it clean. Robot vacuums also have filters that need replacing every couple of months. Check your machines user manual or the manufacturers website to see how long they recommend going in between filter replacements. Most of the time, these filters cannot be washed, so you will need to buy new ones either directly from the manufacturer or from other retailers like Amazon or Walmart . Budget robot vacuum FAQs Are budget robot vacuums good for pet hair? Yes, budget robot vacuums can be good for pet hair. Just keep in mind they generally tend to have lower suction power and smaller dustbins than more expensive (and larger) robot vacuums. If pet hair is your biggest concern, we recommend getting as expensive of a robot vacuum as your budget allows, or consider investing in a cordless vacuum since those tend to be more powerful overall. How long do budget robot vacuums last per charge? Budget robot vacuums typically last 40-60 minutes per charge, and the best ones will automatically return to their charging dock when they need more power. Do budget robot vacuums work on carpets and hardwood floors? Yes, budget robot vacuums work on both carpets and hardwood floors. Which budget robot vacuums have mapping features? Home mapping features are typically exclusive to more expensive robot vacuums. Check the product description of any robot vacuum you're thinking of buying and look for smart mapping or smart home mapping in the feature list if you want a device that supports it. Check out more from our spring cleaning guide. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/best-budget-robot-vacuums-133030847.html?src=rss

You can now use ChatGPT to open Shazam instead of... just opening Shazam

Shazam is now available within ChatGPT , if you dont want to launch the music discovery app on your phone for, well, reasons. You will have to link the Shazam app with the chatbot first from its Apps page , after which you can summon it in-chat to identify whatever song is playing. To summon Shazam in-chat, you can use prompts like Shazam, whats playing? or Shazam, what is this song? A box will pop up that you can tap on to launch the music discovery service, which will then listen to the tune playing. ChatGPT will display the songs name, artist and artwork, along with the option to save the song to Shazam. Take note that the feature will work within ChatGPT even if you dont have the music discovery app downloaded on your device, which does make it useful if youre using a phone with full memory. The Shazam integration has started rolling out globally within ChatGPT on iOS, Android and the web. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/you-can-now-use-chatgpt-to-open-shazam-instead-of-just-opening-shazam-114000363.html?src=rss

FAA opens up real world testing for air taxi startups

US regulators have approved eight pilot programs across 26 states that will allow Archer , Joby and other eVTOL companies to finally start testing aircraft this summer, according to a US Department of Transportation (DoT) press release . That will allow those manufacturers to run trials for use cases like urban air taxi services, regional passenger transportation, cargo, emergency medical operations and autonomous flight technology. The new projects were made possible by the White House's Advanced Air Mobility and eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (e-IPP) approved last year to allow certification for such aircraft to progress after being stuck in the mud for years. By safely testing the deployment of these futuristic air taxis and other AAM vehicles, we can fundamentally improve how the traveling public and products move, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at the time . Other FAA aircraft partners include Beta, Electra, Elroy Air, Wisk, Ampaire and Reliable Robotics. Key pilot programs were approved for the Texas, Utah, Pennsylvania, Louisiana and North Carolina Departments of Transportation, along with New York and New Jersey Port Authority and the City of Albuquerque. We've already glimpsed some of the ideas, like Archer's plan to use air taxis between New York's major airports and city heliports. A number of eVTOL startups have launched in recent years, but so far none of the aircraft have received ype certificates for carrying passengers or other commercial purposes. Archer and Joby are the farthest along in that process, having been granted the FAA's final airworthiness criteria the final step before full approval. The delays are mostly about safety and working eVTOL planes into existing aviation flows. The gap isn't technical capability anymore. It's regulatory synchronization, the FAA's Kalea Texeira said last year on LinkedIn . [That includes factors like] vertiports. Energy supply chains. Part 135 [commercial] integration. Pilot training frameworks that match the aircraft timeline. In the same post, Texeira added that Joby wouldn't certify until mid-2027 at the earliest, with Archer following in 2028. The new program could help accelerate plane-makers' plans. In a YouTube video , Beta CEO Kyle Clark said selection for the program will help his company start operations a year earlier than it previously expected. Archer, meanwhile, compared the program to robotaxi testing and said it will help build trust with the public for its Midnight aircraft. This is the clearest sign yet... that bringing air taxis to market in the United States is a real priority, said Archer CEO Adam Goldstein. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/faa-opens-up-real-world-testing-for-air-taxi-startups-112219316.html?src=rss

The Morning After: The new iPad Air M4 is Apple's best overall tablet

Now that Apple is designing and engineering its own silicon, the updates come fast. Its been less than two years since the company released the M2-powered iPad Air and were already on our third iPad Air iteration, one with the M4 inside. Thats the same chip that was inside the iPad Pro in 2024. Thats one way of expressing how powerful 2025's iPad Air now is and it remains a step above the base iPad in most ways. However, theres room for improvement. Apple has stuck with the same display for another year. The 11-inch iPad Air that Nathan Ingraham reviewed seems to have has the same screen in 2026 as it did when the first no-Home button iPad Air was released in late 2020. (And thats the one Im still using!) Also, why still no FaceID? Mat Smith The other big stories (and deals) this morning iPhone 17e review: The economical choice Anthropic sues US government over supply chain risk designation You can (sort of) block Grok from editing your uploaded photos OpenAI's robotics hardware lead resigns following deal with the Department of Defense Qualcomm's new Arduino Ventuno Q goes all-in on AI and robotics Its a more sophisticated board. Qualcomm, which bought microcontroller board manufacturer Arduino last year, just announced a new single-board computer that marries AI with robotics. The Ventuno Q is more sophisticated (and expensive) than Arduino's usual AIO boards, thanks to the Dragonwing IQ8 processor that includes an 8-core ARM Cortex CPU, Adreno Arm Cortex A623 GPU and Hexagon Tensor NPU that can reach up ot 40 TOPs. It also pacs in Arduino App Lab, with pre-trained AI models including LLMs, VLMs, gesture recognition and object tracking, all running offline. Continue reading. Apple may delay its smart display launch until fall Siri's ongoing AI overhaul could be to blame for the wait. Bloomberg s Mark Gurman is back with the latest rumors on new Apple hardware and the companys continued Siri woes. His sources say that Apple is expected to postpone its smart home display until later in 2026, possibly September, when it often introduces another barrage of new gadgets. The hardware has reportedly been finished for months, but the AI-centric overhaul of Siri is still not done. Continue reading. Dell XPS 14 (2026) laptop review That one flaw... Engadget Dells revamped XPS 14 is more powerful than ever. The XPS series has long been a favorite at Engadget, and this ones lightweight and features a gorgeous OLED screen. However, Dells keyboard this year has a baffling flaw: its keyboard. It somehow forces you to type more slowly to log each key press. And this isnt a capacitive touchscreen or anything complicated. According to Dell, a small batch of early XPS units have these quick typing issues. They also say the issue is currently resolved and doesnt affect XPS units shipping now. Well be checking once a firmware update, meant to fix the issue, lands. Continue reading. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-111539860.html?src=rss

The Oversight Board says Meta needs new rules for AI-generated content

The Oversight Board is once again urging Meta to overhaul its rules around AI-generated content. This time, the board says Meta should create a separate rule for AI content that's independent of its misinformation policy, invest in more reliable detection tools and make better use of digital watermarks among other changes. The group's recommendations stem from an AI-generated video shared last year that claimed to show damaged buildings in the Israeli city of Haifa during the Israel-Iran conflict in 2025. The clip, which racked up more than 700,000 views, was posted by an account that claimed to be a news outlet but was actually run by someone in the Philippines. After the video was reported to Meta, the company declined to remove it or add a high risk AI label that would have clearly indicated the content had been created or manipulated with AI. The board overturned Meta's decision not to add the high risk label and says the case shines a light on several areas where the company's current AI rules are falling short. Meta must do more to address the proliferation of deceptive AI- generated content on its platforms, including by inauthentic or abusive networks of accounts and pages, particularly on matters of public interest, so that users can distinguish between what is real and fake, the board wrote in its decision. Meta eventually disabled three accounts linked to the page after the board flagged obvious signals of deception. One of the board's top recommendations is that Meta create a dedicated rule for AI-generated content that's separate from its misinformation policy. The rule, according to the board, should include specifics about how and when users are required to label AI content as well as information about how Meta penalizes those who break the rule. The board was also highly critical of how Meta uses its current AI Info labels, noting that the way they are applied is neither robust nor comprehensive enough to contend with the scale and velocity of AI-generated content, especially in times of conflict or crisis. A system overly dependent on self-disclosure of AI usage and escalated review (which occurs infrequently) to properly label this output cannot meet the challenges posed in the current environment. Meta, the board said, also needs to invest in more sophisticated detection technology that can reliably label AI media, including audio and video. The group added that it was concerned about reports that the company is inconsistently implementing digital watermarks on AI content created by its own AI tools. Meta didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on the Oversight Board's decision. The company has 60 days to formally respond to its recommendations. The decision isn't the first time the board has been critical of Meta's handling of AI content. The group has described the company's manipulated media rules as incoherent on two other occasions, and has criticized it for relying on third-parties, including fact checking organizations, to flag problematic content. Meta's reliance on fact checkers and other trusted partners was again raised in this case, with the board saying that it had heard from these groups that Meta is less responsive to outreach and concerns, in part due to a significant reduction in capacities for Metas internal teams. Meta, the board writes, should be capable of conducting such assessments of harm itself, rather than rely solely on partners reaching out to them during an armed conflict. While the Oversight Board's decision relates to a post from last year, the issue of AI-generated content during armed conflicts has taken on a new urgency during the latest conflict in the Middle East. Since the start of the US and Israel's strikes on Iran earlier this month, there has been a sharp rise in viral AI-generated misinformation across social media . The board, which has previously hinted that it would like to work with generative AI companies, included a suggestion that would seem to apply to not just Meta. The industry needs coherence in helping users distinguish deceptive AI-generated content and platforms should address abusive accounts and pages sharing such output, it wrote. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/the-oversight-board-says-meta-needs-new-rules-for-ai-generated-content-100000268.html?src=rss

TikTok can continue its operations in Canada after agreeing to enhanced security measures

TikTok doesnt have to close its offices in Canada after all. The country will allow TikTok to keep its business operational after a national security review, Minister of Industry Mlanie Joly has announced . This is a complete 180 of the countrys decision back in 2024 to order TikTok to shut down its operations, citing unspecified national security risks posed by the company and its China-based parent ByteDance. Canadian authorities said back then that their decision was based on evidence collected by the countrys security and intelligence community. As Bloomberg notes, the order was paused shortly after Mark Carney replaced Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister in early 2025. Carney was the first Canadian PM to visit China in years and had a discussion with President Xi Jinping about tariffs. Joly said TikTok will be allowed to operate in Canada with new enhancements in data security and regulatory oversight. To start with, it will have to implement privacy-enhancing technologies to reduce the risk of unauthorized access that compromise Canadians personal information. It will also have to add enhanced protections for minors and ensure transparency by letting an independent third party audit and continuously verify data access controls. this decision will protect Canadian jobs, ensuring that TikTok Canada maintains a physical presence in Canada, with commitments to invest in its cultural sector, Joly said in a statement. TikTok Canada will support the growth of Canadian creators, artists and cultural organizations, while strengthening the production and accessibility of Canadian cultural content in both official and Indigenous languages across the country. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/tiktok-can-continue-its-operations-in-canada-after-agreeing-to-enhanced-security-measures-095239399.html?src=rss

Nothing Phone 4a Review | Delivers iconic design and improvements across the board

Nothing Phone 4a comes at a starting price of 31,999, which is noticeably higher than the 24,999 launch price of the Nothing Phone 3a. That difference makes the upgrades even more important to justify

Rodes Rodecaster Video Core makes livestreaming even cheaper

Rodes not done releasing trimmed-down versions of its production tools with an eye on budget conscious creators. Today, its launching Rodecaster Video Core, an all-in-one studio setup which sits below its flagship Rodecaster Video and its (now) mid-range Video S . Its aimed at folks who are either dipping a toe into this world, or already have audio gear and just want to broaden out to HD video as well. Arguably, the biggest change is the lack of any controls on the hardware itself, as youll be running the show entirely from inside the Rodecaster App. In terms of connectivity, youll find three HDMI-in, one HDMI-out, four USB-C, two 3.5mm and two Neutrik combo ports round back. Connect a compatible video device to a USB-C port and youll be able to run up to four sources at a time, and you can even use network cameras via Ethernet. Plus, youll be able to use the Rode Capture app to wirelessly connect the feed from an iOS device to your setup. And youll even be able to set it up to automatically switch between feeds based on audio inputs, reducing your need to micromanage multi-person feeds. Rode And, if youre already rocking one of Rodes audio consoles, the Rodecaster Sync app will make your life a lot easier. Essentially, if youve got a Rodecaster Pro 2 or Duo , youll be able to hook it up to your Video Core, allowing you to set shortcuts directly to your pads. In fact, you can run your audio and video setup from the one desk, hopefully reducing the amount of fiddling you need to do in the middle of your stream. Core is designed to stream straight to YouTube, Twitch and any other platforms youd care to use instead. Youll be able to record your footage to an external drive and, thanks yo a new firmware update across the range, youll also be able to output a EDL file for DaVinci Resolve. Oh, and youll now be able to import media in non-standard resolutions and aspect ratios such as square footage from social media which will be automatically scaled and optimized for your show. Rodecaster Video Core is available to pre-order now for $599 , but theres no word yet on when the sturdy boxes will start winging their way around the world. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/rodes-rodecaster-video-core-makes-livestreaming-even-cheaper-230053061.html?src=rss

You can (sort of) block Grok from editing your uploaded photos

People can block the xAI's Grok chatbot from creating modifications of their uploaded images on social network X. Neither X or xAI, both Elon Musk-owned businesses, have made a public announcement about this feature, which users began noticing on the iOS app within the image/video upload menu over the past few days. This option is likely a response to Grok's latest scandal, which began at the start of 2026 when the addition of image generation tools to the chatbot saw about 3 million sexualized or nudified images created. An estimated 23,000 of the images made in that 11-day period contained sexualized images of children, according to the Center for Countering Digital Hate. Grok is now facing two separate investigations by regulators in the EU over the issue. The positive side of the recent feature addition is that X and xAI have taken a step toward limiting inappropriate uses of Grok. This block is a simple toggle and it hasn't been buried in the UI. So that's nice. The negative side, however, is that this token gesture that doesn't amount to any serious improvement to how Grok works or can be used. It's great that the chatbot won't alter the file uploaded by one person, but as reported by The Verge , the block only limits tagging Grok in a reply to create an image edit. There are plenty of workarounds for those dedicated individuals who insist on being able to use generative AI to undress people without their consent or knowledge. Hopefully xAI has more powerful protective tools in the works. The limitations Grok on putting real people in scanty clothing that X announced in January seem to have had only partial success at best. If this additional and narrow use case is all the company offers, then the claims of being a zero-tolerance space for nonconsensual nudity are going to ring hollow. Especially since, as we noted at the time , xAI could stop allowing image generation at all until the issue is properly and thoroughly fixed. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/you-can-sort-of-block-grok-from-editing-your-uploaded-photos-215356117.html?src=rss

Dutch intelligence services warn of Russian hackers targeting Signal and WhatsApp

The Netherlands military intelligence service and domestic intelligence agency have issued a join warning claiming that Russian hackers have launched a large-scale global cyber campaign to gain access to Signal and WhatsApp accounts belonging to dignitaries, military personnel and civil servants. According to the Dutch alert, hackers are imitating support chatbots to trick key targets into revealing their PINs for those communication platforms, which allows the bad actors to access incoming messages. Last year in the US, the Pentagon advised members not to use Signal after the platform was subjected to similar phishing scams by Russian hackers. (Although the same US military leaders proved capable of creating their own security breaches without foreign interference just days prior.) Having another national government raise concerns about Signal and WhatsApp phishing scams offers yet another reminder to never provide security details or click links without a check on who is really asking for your info. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/dutch-intelligence-services-warn-of-russian-hackers-targeting-signal-and-whatsapp-203707202.html?src=rss

Bluesky's CEO is stepping down after nearly 5 years

Bluesky CEO Jay Graber, who has led the upstart social platform since 2021, is stepping down from her role as its top executive. Toni Schneider, who has been an advisor and investor in Bluesky, will take over the job temporarily while Graber stays on as Chief Innovation Officer. As Bluesky matures, the company needs a seasoned operator focused on scaling and execution, while I return to what I do best: building new things, Graber wrote in a blog post. Schneider, who was previously CEO at Wordpress parent Automattic, will be that experienced operator and leader while Blueksy's board searches for a permanent CEO, she said. Graber's history with Bluesky dates back to its early days as a side project at Jack Dorsey's Twitter. She was officially brought on as CEO in 2021 as Bluesky spun off into an independent company (it officially ended its association with Twitter in 2022 and Dorsey cut ties with Bluesky in 2024). She led the company through its launch and early viral success as it grew from an invitation-only platform to the 43 million-user service it is today. During that time, she's become known as an advocate for decentralized social media and for trolling Mark Zuckerberg's t-shirt choices. Nearly three years since it launched publicly, Bluesky has carved out a small but influential niche in the post-Twitter social landscape. The platform is less than a third of the size of Meta's competitor, Threads, which has also copied some of Bluesky's signature features. Bluesky also has yet to roll out any meaningful monetization features, though it has teased a premium subscription service in the past. As Chief Innovation Officer, Graber will presumably still be an influential voice at the company going forward. And, as Wired points out , she still has a seat on Bluesky's board so she will get some say in who steps into the role permanently. Until then, Schneider, who is also a partner at VC firm Tre Ventures, will lead the company. I deeply believe in what this team has built and the open social web they're fighting for, he wrote in a post on Bluesky. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/blueskys-ceo-is-stepping-down-after-nearly-5-years-201900960.html?src=rss

Apple reportedly delays its planned smart display launch to fall

Mark Gurman at Bloomberg is back with the latest rumors about what's afoot with Apple's future plans, and how its ongoing difficulties with artificial intelligence seem to be creating further delays for its next wave of product launches. His sources say that Apple is expected to postpone the debut of its smart home display until later in 2026, likely September when it often introduces new gadgets. Although the hardware has reportedly been finished for months, this delay is being credited to the company's AI-centric overhaul of Siri still not being complete. The device, internally known as J490, has been one of Apple's many poorly-kept secrets. Rumors about a HomePod smart speaker coupled with a screen first emerged back in 2022 and have resurfaced from time to time in the interim, often with promises that the device's arrival was imminent. The latest claims anticipated that the official announcement was coming this spring, possibly as soon as this month. However, appears to Apple once again be hamstrung by an AI strategy that has left it scrambling to catch up to other industry leaders. Apple has been working to incorporate more AI capabilities into Siri for more than a year as part of its Apple Intelligence package. Gurman reports that the new timeline from Apple aims to have the revamp completed for the launch of the iPhone 18 Pro, which is also expected for September. Apple may unveil this long-awaited Siri-as-chatbot during its WWDC keynote in the summer before it shows up in any devices. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/apple-reportedly-delays-its-planned-smart-display-launch-to-fall-194539082.html?src=rss

Uber expands its program that helps pair women riders and drivers

Uber has expanded its program that helps pair women riders and drivers. The Women Preferences feature is now available nationwide , after being tested in several cities . It has previously been available in many countries around the globe and started in Saudi Arabia back in 2019 . It's pretty easy to use. Women riders will see an option for Women Drivers when requesting a trip, and this also works when making a reservation in advance. Users can also make a preference for a woman driver in the settings app, though this doesn't guarantee anything and depends on the driver pool. The feature works in much the same way for drivers. Women drivers will be able to request trips with women riders via the settings. Uber isn't the only rideshare company trying to make half of the world's population a bit safer during trips. Lyft has been expanding its own take on the feature, which it also recently took nationwide . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/uber-expands-its-program-that-helps-pair-women-riders-and-drivers-184832010.html?src=rss

Samsung promises 120 games will be playable via its glasses-free 3D monitor tech by the end of the year

Samsung just announced that 120 games will be playable via its Odyssey 3D Hub platform by the end of the year. This is the platform that provides content for glasses-free 3D monitors like recent Odyssey displays. The company made this claim at GDC 2026 , while also noting that the platform currently offers around 60 playable titles. Samsung has only announced a couple of games headed to the platform this year, which include Cronos: The New Dawn and Hell is Us. These are both solid third-person action games that originally came out last year. The collection already includes several notable games, including Stellar Blade , Lies of P and Psychonauts 2 , among others. It's good to know the library continues to grow, proving that there might still be some life left in 3D display technology after all. We came away impressed with the technology when we gave it a go last year . We even said that if 3D had been like this all along, people would be much more receptive. The games look great and the displays include head tracking so users don't have to constantly struggle to find the one sweet spot (I'm looking at you, Nintendo 3DS .) Samsung has quietly been adding to its lineup of glasses-free 3D displays. There are several models to choose from nowadays, with screen sizes up to 32-inches. The company also used GDC to announce a partnership with game developer CD Projekt Red , but details remain scant. It has something to do with display technology and Samsung's HDR10+ Gaming standard . We do know that CDPR and Samsung are integrating HDR10+ Gaming into Cyberpunk 2077 . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/samsung-promises-120-games-will-be-playable-via-its-glasses-free-3d-monitor-tech-by-the-end-of-the-year-180102470.html?src=rss

EA laid off staffers across Battlefield studios to 'better align' its teams

EA axed an undisclosed number of employees across the game studios behind the Battlefield franchise. As first reported by IGN , EA told affected employees that the layoffs were part of a ealignment across the Battlefield studios, which include Dice, Criterion, Ripple Effect and Motive Studios. When asked about the report, an EA spokesperson said in a statement that weve made select changes within our Battlefield organization to better align our teams around what matters most to our community. IGN reported that all the involved studios will remain operational, but the layoffs will affect multiple offices. The shake-up may come as a surprise to staffers, especially after Battlefield 6 racked up more than seven million copies sold in the first three days following its release in October. EA even called the latest Battlefield title the est-selling shooter title of 2025 in its third quarter report for FY26, which disclosed the company's net revenue of more than $1.9 billion for the quarter. Battlefield remains one of our biggest priorities, and were continuing to invest in the franchise, guided by player feedback and insights from Battlefield Labs, an EA spokesperson also said in a statement. Despite being one of EA's most popular franchises, Battlefield isn't the only one to suffer staffing cuts. Full Circle , the developer behind the skate. that's also owned by EA, also announced layoffs and estructuring in February. However, EA isn't the only company in the industry to look at downsizing its personnel. Ubisoft said it was planning to get rid of up to 200 jobs in its Paris office earlier this year and Microsoft announced it would cut thousands of jobs, including within its Gaming division , in July. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ea-laid-off-staffers-across-battlefield-studios-to-better-align-its-teams-173617672.html?src=rss

Anthropic sues US government over supply chain risk designation

Anthropic has filed a lawsuit to prevent the Pentagon from adding the company it a national security blocklist. This comes days after the Department of Defense sent a letter to Anthropic confirming the company was labeled a supply chain risk; at the time CEO Dario Amodei had all but guaranteed Anthropic would fight back with legal action. The lawsuit claims the designation is unlawful and violated free speech and due process rights. These actions are unprecedented and unlawful. The Constitution does not allow the government to wield its enormous power to punish a company for its protected speech, Anthropic said in a statement published by Reuters . Engadget received the following statement from an Anthropic spokesperson: Seeking judicial review does not change our longstanding commitment to harnessing AI to protect our national security, but this is a necessary step to protect our business, our customers, and our partners. We will continue to pursue every path toward resolution, including dialogue with the government. The lawsuit characterizes the governments actions as an unprecedented and unlawful [...] campaign of retaliation. It goes on to say that the Constitution does not allow the government to wield its enormous power to punish a company for its protected speech. No federal statute authorizes the actions taken here. Todays legal action comes after several weeks of back-and-forth between the AI company and the government. In late February, news broke that the Department of Defense and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth were pressuring Anthropic to remove certain safeguards from its AI systems, but Amodei made it clear the company would refuse to allow its model to be used for mass surveillance or development of autonomous weapons. On the February 27 deadline, Amodei refused to budge , leading Hegseth to threaten the company with the supply chain risk designation; he also said the US government would cancel its $200 million contract with the company. The same day, President Trump ordered all federal agencies to cease using Anthropic as well. Despite all this, according to the lawsuit, Anthropic had agreed to collaborate with the Department on an orderly transition to another AI provider willing to meet its demands. Anthropic rival OpenAI stepped into this chaos and quickly made a deal with the Department of Defense. At the time, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said that two of OpenAIs most important safety principles are prohibitions on domestic mass surveillance and human responsibility for the use of force, including for autonomous weapon systems the same issues that got Anthropic in hot water. OpenAI then doubled down on the surveillance issue, writing into its contract that the AI system shall not be intentionally used for domestic surveillance of U.S. persons and nationals. Depsite this, OpenAIs head of robotics hardware resigned from the company this weekend in response to the Defense Department deal. Caitlin Kalinowski wrote on X that surveillance of Americans without judicial oversight and lethal autonomy without human authorization are lines that deserved more deliberation than they got. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/anthropic-sues-us-government-over-supply-chain-risk-designation-152838128.html?src=rss

Live Nation settlement avoids breakup with Ticketmaster

To keep Ticketmaster , Live Nation is going to have to make some major changes. As first reported by Politico , Live Nation reached a settlement with the Department of Justice in its antitrust case that accused the live entertainment giant of monopolistic practices. Live Nation will reportedly pay at least $200 million in damages to states that were part of the lawsuit filed in May 2024, but avoid selling off Ticketmaster. Live Nation will also be required to make a few changes to its business practices. According to NBC News , Ticketmaster, a subsidiary of Live Nation, will be required to create a standalone ticketing system that allows third-party competitors like SeatGeek and Eventbrite to sell tickets on. The settlement aims to loosen some of Live Nation's control over venues as well. According to NBC News , the company will have to divest up to 13 amphitheaters and be prohibited from retaliating against venues that choose another ticket seller over Ticketmaster. The settlement comes less than a week after the case went to trial. While the matter may be concluded with the Justice Department, many of the states' attorneys general who were part of the lawsuit will be continuing their legal action separately. The settlement recently announced with the U.S. Department of Justice fails to address the monopoly at the center of this case and would benefit Live Nation at the expense of consumers, New York State Attorney General Letitia James wrote in a press release. We will continue our lawsuit to protect consumers and restore fair competition to the live entertainment industry. 26 other attorneys general signed onto continuing the lawsuit with James. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/live-nation-settlement-avoids-breakup-with-ticketmaster-155031214.html?src=rss

Amazons Zoox will test its robotaxis in Dallas and Phoenix

Amazons self-driving subsidiary Zoox announced on Monday that it will begin testing its autonomous vehicles in Dallas and Phoenix. The company will initially deploy retrofitted Toyota Highlander SUVs with human safety drivers to map the new cities before eventually rolling out its purpose-built robotaxis. Zoox says these two cities will offer a chance to test its sensors and battery performance in unique conditions its cars haven't yet encountered in existing markets. Phoenix experiences extreme heat, dust and high-speed roads, while Dallas has more sprawling roads and varied weather compared to other cities where Zoox operates. The company is also opening new depots in both cities and a command hub in Scottsdale, Arizona which will handle fleet operations, remote guidance and rider support. The move brings Zooxs footprint (between actual launches and test markets) to 10 US cities. It's other areas of operation are Las Vegas, San Francisco, Seattle , Austin , Miami, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Washington, DC. Amazon acquired the self-driving startup for $1.3 billion in 2020 and has been steadily expanding its reach, with the company saying its fleet has driven over one million autonomous miles and served more than 300,000 riders to date. Zooxs expansion comes as competition in the robotaxi market intensifies. Alphabet-owned Waymo has continued its rapid spread across the US, while Tesla's Robotaxis launched last year, though those are currently limited to parts of Austin, Texas. US regulators are set to hold a self-driving safety forum on Tuesday, with the CEOs of Waymo, Zoox and Aurora all expected to attend. The regulatory framework has dragged behind the rapid rollout of these vehicles as companies test and iterate the technology on public streets. Just in the last year, autonomous vehicles have struck a child near a school, blocked emergency services responding to a mass shooting and, at least in the case of Teslas, appear to be crashing at higher rates than human drivers. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/amazons-zoox-will-test-its-robotaxis-in-dallas-and-phoenix-143828899.html?src=rss

iPad Air M4 review: Still Apple's best overall tablet, with a few caveats

Perhaps one of the most surprising things about the Apple Silicon era is how quickly Apple now updates its products. Take the iPad Air, for example. Its been less than two years since the company released the M2-powered iPad Air in 11- and 13-inch sizes. Were already on our third iPad Air iteration, one with the M4 inside. Thats the same chip that was inside the iPad Pro that was unveiled alongside that M2-powered Air in 2024. (The Pro was updated with an M5 last fall .) Just as I said a year ago when Apple unveiled the iPad Air M3 , this latest model doesnt fundamentally change the formula. The Air is a notable step up over the basic iPad, with a more powerful processor, more RAM, a better display and superior accessories like the Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard. The Air line is also the only way to get a 13-inch iPad without spending $1,300 or more. But without more substantial updates this year, I find myself less enthused by it than I was when the 13-inch model M2 model arrived in 2024. Thats primarily because Apple has stuck with the same display for another year. As best I can tell, the 11-inch iPad Air that Im reviewing has the same screen in 2026 as it did when the redesigned version with no Home button was released in late 2020. Other features that feel like they should be table stakes at this point, like Face ID, are also restricted to iPads that cost at least $1,000. For better or worse, the Air is a very mature product with few surprises. But on the other hand, if you have an iPad older than the 2024 refresh, the iPad Air M4 will provide a solid performance improvement. Apple's iPad Air M4 and the Magic Keyboard accessory. Nathan Ingraham for Engadget The M4 still has power to spare Before we start answering existential questions, though, lets quickly recap whats new with the iPad Air. It still starts at $599 for an 11-inch version with 128GB of storage; the 13-inch models starts at $799. The one I tested came in an extremely light purple color with 1TB of storage and 5G connectivity and costs $1,249. Seriously Apple, dont be afraid of putting a little more saturation in these colors next time! As mentioned, the iPad Air now has a more powerful M4 chip as well as 50 percent more system memory (12GB, up from 8GB on last years model). If youre coming from an iPad older than the 2024 model, youll likely notice solid performance gains, and the M4 is so performant that I imagine this iPad will be more than powerful enough for years to come. It looks purple-ish in the right light, I swear. Nathan Ingraham for Engadget I ran some Geekbench 6 benchmarks to quantify the difference between the iPad Air M4 and last years M3 model unsurprisingly, the biggest gains came in the GPU. Single-core and multi-core scores were 23 percent and 12 percent higher, respectively. But the GPU score was a whopping 39 percent higher with the M4 compared to the M3. Dont get me wrong, the single-core and multi-core performance improvements the M4 offers are impressive. But tasks that hit the GPU hard, like gaming and AI (of course) should see notable improvements. In practice, the iPad Air M4 feels quite similar to the M3 model. Thats due in large part to my relatively modest workflow. I jump between numerous apps all day, but none of them are exactly taxing to a chip like the M4. My day mostly consists of Slack, Google Docs, a ton of Safari tabs, utilities like Messages and Todoist, constant streaming music and other lightweight apps like Gmail and Trello. But if youre coming from an M1 iPad Air, the M4 should feel significantly faster for almost everything you do. Apple's iPad Air M4 playing the video game 'Control.' Nathan Ingraham for Engadget Unsurprisingly, the iPad Air flies through games from the App Store as well. I tried my usual more casual fare like Balatro, Mini Motorways and Powerwash Simulator from Apple Arcade and those were all quite smooth. But I wanted to push things a bit more, so I downloaded Resident Evil 2 as well as a pre-release build of Control Ultimate Edition which is slated to hit iOS in the coming months. Both games looked and played great, with highly detailed environments and pretty quick action that didnt slow the iPad Air down in the least. I could tell the graphics arent as sharp as on my PS5, but both games were impressive considering theyre running on extremely portable hardware with no fans. I also tried some generative AI apps, even though thats not really something Im interested in. For apps like Apples own Image Playground, the M4 is extremely speedy. It ripped through my goofy queries (an orange kitten dressed up like an astronaut) in a matter of seconds. When I compared it to the iPad Pro M5, the Air barely lagged behind it. However, the M4 couldnt quite keep up with more advanced image generation tools. The Draw Things iPad app lets you download and run a host of local models to create images, and the M4 definitely couldnt keep up with the M5. The iPad Pro M5 was typically more than twice as fast as the Air. We already knew the M5 was an AI beast, so Im not knocking the Air for its performance at all its just worth knowing that if you really want to push the envelope, youll probably be better off with an iPad Pro. Apple's iPad Air M4, Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard. Nathan Ingraham for Engadget The other main change is Apples in-house networking chips are on board here. The N1 covers Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread, while the C1X handles cellular connectivity if you buy a 5G-capable model. Again, this doesnt change the experience of using the iPad Air in any major way, but having the newest Wi-Fi and Bluetooth protocols on board is good for future usage, regardless of who built the chip. In my testing, the C1X on Verizons 5G network was extremely fast around the suburbs of Boston and didnt seem any slower (or any faster) than other devices I have running on the same carrier. Thats fine, as other Apple devices Ive tried with the C1X (like the iPad Pro) are solid and reliable, which is the most important thing. A very familiar experience Other than these new chips, the iPad Air is identical to the last two models Ive reviewed. (This year, Apple sent an 11-inch Air M4 to review, while the last two were the newer 13-inch. But other than the larger screen, those tablets are the same.) Same screen, same cameras, same 10-hour estimated battery life, same USB-C 3 port. Naturally, it supports the $129 Pencil Pro that Apple introduced alongside it in 2024, and it works with the revamped Magic Keyboard Apple released last year. That keyboard remains quite expensive at $269 ($319 for the 13-inch model), but for me its a must-buy accessory if I want to use my iPad for any real work. The Pencil, on the other hand, is not something I personally need, but its an excellent tool for anyone interested in visual art or written notes. There are a plethora of excellent apps in both categories, and the iPad app ecosystem at large remains unmatched. Battery life also hits what Id expect out of an iPad. I dont get 10 hours the way that I test it I used the iPad Air as my main machine, all day for several days. In that scenario, I got between seven and eight hours of battery life. Thats more than enough that Id take it with me for half a day or more and not worry about charging, but not so long that Id be totally comfortable without a charger for much longer. In a more casual, mixed-use setup, most iPads get closer to the 10-hour mark and I expect thatll be the case here as well. Of course, if youre playing games, editing videos or doing heavier generative AI tasks, expect battery life to drop noticeably. Id be remiss if I didnt quickly mention iPadOS 26 , which arrived last fall. It runs on iPad Air models all the way back to 2019, so its not a reason alone to upgrade. But, it improved the multitasking experience on iPads to a significant degree. It still feels native to the iPad, but there are so many Mac-like flourishes that its a lot easier for me to use as my main computer now. That said, it really shines on larger-screen iPads; the 11-inch model still feels best to me when running an app fullscreen or two apps side-by-side feels most comfortable to me. Apple's iPad Air M4 and Magic Keyboard. Nathan Ingraham for Engadget My major lament for the iPad Air remains the screen. Apples LCD Retina display still looks great in a vacuum its a lovely standard screen, with bright colors and sharp text. But Apples continued insistence on gatekeeping a screen with a higher refresh rate for iPads that cost $1000 or more gets more frustrating every year. It bothers me less on a product like the MacBook Air. But with an iPad, youre literally touching and interacting with that screen as the main interface. Having the fluidity of a 120Hz refresh rate simply makes everything feel more responsive to your touch. The consolation is that even Apples standard displays still feel very smooth, so unless youre directly comparing an iPad Air to an iPad Pro you likely wont notice the difference. I mostly forgot about it in my time reviewing this device, only reminded of it when I went back to the iPad Pro. I also wish that Apple would implement more advanced display tech. Last year, I imagined that the mini-LED display used in the iPad Pro in 2021 and 2022 would be a great step up for the Air. It wouldnt be as good as the tremendous OLED screen in the iPad Pro, but it would still offer HDR and significantly increased brightness and contrast. Alas, were stuck with a plain old LCD again this year. Again, thats mostly fine, but playing games like Control made me wish for more contrast, and movies do not have nearly the same visual pop on the Air as they do on the Pro. Apple's iPad Air M4. Nathan Ingraham for Engadget Wrap-up If its not obvious, I very much wish that Apple would bring some of its more advanced technology to the iPad Air. But at this point, I have to accept that the Air is what it is. In the same way that the MacBook Air hasnt changed substantially since the M2 model arrived in 2022, the same goes for the iPad Air. Both products still have displays that havent been cutting edge for years, and thats just the way it is. Once I started comparing the iPad Air to its Mac counterpart, my negative feeling mostly subsided. I think the MacBook Air is a great laptop and wouldnt hesitate to recommend it to many people. Sure, its screen isnt cutting edge, but its good enough for its target audience. And the many positives that it has outweigh a few places where Apple cut corners. The same can be said for the iPad Air. The iPad Air offers a lot of important upgrades over the basic $349 iPad, which is saddled with the A16 chip from 2022. The Air will be a better performer for much longer, and other niceties like a better screen and accessory support are worth considering. And it doesnt threaten the iPad Pro, which costs $400 more; between its screen, improved performance, superior industrial design and numerous other small benefits, its pretty easy to see what you get for your money in all cases. So while I wish Apple would push the envelope with the iPad Air and give me something that feels more like a Pro-lite, I understand why it hasn't yet. The iPad Air isnt an exciting gadget at this point, but I still think its the best iPad for most people. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/ipad-air-m4-review-still-apples-best-overall-tablet-with-a-few-caveats-130000409.html?src=rss

iPhone 17e review: The economical choice

By introducing the iPhone 17e just a year after the iPhone 16e , Apple is closing some gaps. Before, the company would only roll out a new entry-level iPhone every few years, with the iPhone 5c (2013), iPhone XR (2018) and iPhone SE (2016, 2020, 2022) all having two to four years between their releases. But Apple is getting into an annual groove now, and having renamed the device to integrate better with the rest of the iPhone lineup, Apple is making a clear statement: It cares about the midrange now. With the current state of global economics, Apples focus on lower cost devices like the iPhone 17e and newly launched MacBook Neo is timely. Most people probably dont make full use of the high-powered machines in their pockets and on their laps, and might be reconsidering whether they need to spend as much money on the Pros and the Airs of Apples product lineup. At $599 , the iPhone 17e is about half the price of an iPhone 17 Pro or the iPhone Air. Its $200 cheaper than the base iPhone 17, too. Since I reviewed the iPhone 16e last year, Ive been using it as a work phone, mostly for Slack, email and light editing in Docs. The way I see it, most people considering the iPhone 17e are likely in a similar situation either thinking of getting a supplementary device or looking for a good enough phone for a child or other dependent. For this review, Ive tried to cover most of those scenarios whether it be a person that would spend most of their phone time on social media and games like a teenager or someone thats largely using it for administrative work purposes. I mostly want to answer this question: If youre getting your first iPhone or buying one for someone else, should you get the iPhone 17e or the iPhone 17? iPhone 17e vs iPhone 16e, for testings sake Its very clear from Apples website that it doesnt want you comparing the iPhone 17e to the iPhone 16e. The company doesn't allow you to do so in the comparison tool on the iPhone 17e product page , limiting you to the iPhone 11, iPhone 12 and the iPhone SE (second and third generations). Sure, I understand that no one is really thinking about getting an iPhone 17e after just buying the 16e last year. But for the purposes of this review, it makes sense for me to shout out whats new from the previous generation. The most significant additions this year are the A19 chip, double the storage, improved Portrait photography and MagSafe with faster wireless charging. Oh, and a new pink color option, adding an ever so subtle splash of color to the previously monochromatic lineup. The A19 chip is supposed to make AI processes faster, thanks to the neural accelerators in its GPU. In my testing so far, the difference has been negligible at best. Initially I was seeing the iPhone 17e perform slower than the 16e, but after a software update, the iPhone 17e caught up. In Apple Intelligence-powered tools like Cleanup, the iPhone 17e was a split second faster at identifying unwanted objects in photos and erasing them than the 16e. If youve just received your iPhone 17e and run into issues where image generation or cleanup is slow or stalling, give it a day or so for the software to stabilize. Oddly, in some side-by-side Image Playground testing, the iPhone 17e and iPhone 16e were neck and neck. Sometimes, the iPhone 16e was faster. Occasionally, the iPhone 17e was ahead. Ill continue to keep an eye on how both phones do here, as it could still be due to some early software issues, but for now the improvements from the A19s GPU seem to be hit or miss. The pink iPhone 17e and the white iPhone 16e held up in one palm in front of a red brick wall. Cherlynn Low for Engadget Improved portraits on the iPhone 17e Of all the improvements to the iPhone 17e, to me, one of the most important is in portraits. In my review of the iPhone 16e , I said that the majority of my grievances with the single camera setup was the fact that Apple ended up using an older version of Portrait mode. That version was much more limited and didnt allow for applying a background blur to pictures of non-human subjects. This time, Apple borrowed the algorithms it developed for the iPhone Air for the iPhone 17es rear and front cameras. This not only delivers a general improvement to portraits, with better segmentation and a more natural-looking bokeh effect, but also allows for depth information to be captured when applicable. For instance, when a person, cat or dog is detected, the iPhone 17e will automatically capture depth information so you can apply a blur after the picture is taken, even if you didnt use Portrait mode initially. Importantly, these next-gen portraits also allow you to edit the level of blur and change up the focal point of the picture after youve taken the shot. In some photos of my neighbors grumpy shih-poo, I was shocked that my colleagues actually preferred the samples I shared from the iPhone 16e over the ones from the iPhone 17e. But their critique was fair: the newer phone blurred out Oreos tail, keeping only his face in focus. I was able to address this by going into the editing tools and dragging the slider for aperture to bring more of the dog into focus. I also played around and tapped on Oreos tail to make it clear, and the iPhone 17e blurred up his face instead. Two photo samples side by side, featuring a dog on a blue leash staring up into the camera. Cherlynn Low for Engadget When using Portrait mode to photograph people, the iPhone 17e did indeed deliver more pleasant bokeh than its predecessor. In pictures of my friend Brenda Stolyar, with the depth or aperture set to f/4.5 across both devices, there was more softness in the brick wall behind her on the new phone. I was slightly confused since it seemed like the older iPhone actually delivered a sharper picture, until I realized it was actually just softer bokeh. For those coming from older phones like the iPhone 11, 12 or SE, the addition of next-gen portraits should feel like a major step up. Even when compared to the iPhone 16e, the fact that I was now able to apply the effect on photos of food and other inanimate objects with no faces made me happier. It makes the camera more versatile, and feels like a noteworthy update that makes your photos feel more modern. But that is definitely because I like pictures with the artificial depth of field effect. If you dont care for bokeh and really only want a phones cameras to be good enough to snap pictures of menus or receipts, for instance, the 17es improvements here wont mean much. MagSafe and wireless charging The rear of the iPhone 17e catches the light in front of a stone wall. Cherlynn Low for Engadget What might matter more, then, is this generations wireless charging speeds. While the iPhone 16e could only support up to 7.5W, the iPhone 17e goes up to 15W (with adapters of 20W or higher) and also works with MagSafe accessories. I cant imagine anyone considering a new iPhone 17e already has magnetic cases or stands, but if you decide to invest in those accessories, youll find them convenient and satisfying. I placed both models on my wireless charging stand the 17e snapped on and started charging, while the 16e clattered helplessly off the stand. I placed it on the charging pad at the base instead and noted how much power each of them gained in 15 minutes. The improvement is clear: the iPhone 17e went up by 16 percent (30 percent to 46 percent), while the 16e only gained 3 percent (69 percent to just 72 percent). Beyond the numbers, what this means is that when youre in a pinch and trying to quickly top up your phone on, say, a wireless charger you found at a cafe, you wont need to sit around as long with the iPhone 17e. For those of you that simply leave your phone on a stand overnight, this is less likely to meaningfully impact you. There are a few other updates that I havent really tested in this review, like the improved durability with Ceramic Shield 2 on the iPhone 17es screen. The new display also has a treatment that is supposed to reduce glare, and considering the week of wonderfully gloomy weather weve had here in New York, this isnt something Ive truly had a chance to evaluate. Also, while I do appreciate the doubled storage, which is sure to please the media hoarders among us, I will say Ive already been served warnings about my iCloud storage running out. It still feels like something else Apple might need to address, but for newcomers to the iOS world, the higher base storage is absolutely a positive. Elsewhere, there are virtually no differences between the iPhone 17e and iPhone 16e. They have the same size displays with the same resolution, brightness, refresh rate, contrast ratio and color gamuts. Both are rated IP68 for dust and water resistance, and have similar battery lives (up to 26 hours of video playback, according to Apple). They also have the exact same dimensions of 5.78 x 2.82 x 0.31 inches, although the iPhone 17e does weigh a whole 2 grams (0.8 ounces) more than the 16e, which is almost definitely attributable to the addition of MagSafe. Unless you have weighing scales for hands, though, this difference is negligible. An iPhone 17e held up in front of a tree trunk. Cherlynn Low for Engadget Should you get the iPhone 17e or the iPhone 17? Where you might find more meaningful distinctions is when comparing the iPhone 17e to the iPhone 17 . For $200 more, youll get longer battery life and slightly better performance thanks to one more GPU core. The iPhone 17 also has a larger, sharper and brighter display thats 6.3-inches, with higher refresh rates and a full-screen design incorporating the Dynamic Island. It also supports the Always On Display and has an 18MP front camera with the Center Stage feature that allows for easy switching between landscape and vertical orientations in your selfies without having to rotate your phone. In fact, the camera upgrades alone on the iPhone 17 might be worth the money. On top of getting the additional ultrawide camera, youll also gain the dedicated camera control button on the right edge, the latest generation of Photographic Styles, support for macro photography, Cinematic mode and Dual Capture in videos as well as spatial and macro recording capabilities. It also comes with sensor-shift optical image stabilization, which is more advanced than the OIS on the iPhone 17e. Rounding out that long list of differences is higher recharge speeds (with compatible chargers) and Apples second-generation Ultra Wideband chip for more precise Find My support. The iPhone 17 also offers dual-frequency GPS and works with the latest standards in connectivity, like Thread, Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 (whereas the iPhone 17e only gets to Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3). Sure, the iPhone 17 is slightly taller and heavier, but considering all the bonuses and the extra camera, that feels like a tradeoff that is more than fair. Its a lot more advanced for $200, and feels like a better starter phone than the iPhone 17e. But if your budget is tight and camera performance isnt a priority, youll get a great experience from Apples latest. The iPhone 17e held up in mid-air in front of some red foliage. Cherlynn Low for Engadget Wrap-up In 2026, it feels like Apple has done the impossible. Its managed to serve up multiple iPhones at various price points with enough meaningful differentiations to justify each tier. Meanwhile, each iPhone 17 in the full lineup is a capable and satisfying device for its price. Upgrading to the iPhone 17e from the iPhone 11, 12 or SE will certainly feel significant, although getting almost any current-gen phone will feel modern compared to those. In fact, if youre platform agnostic and wouldnt mind an Android device, there are options out there with significantly superior screens and cameras. The Pixel 10a , for instance, offers a larger display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a dual-camera system all for $100 less. With Apple seeming to be setting its sights on the midrange market, it should seriously consider stepping up in those two areas in the next e-series iPhone. But of course, the name iPhone carries its own premium, and the iPhone 17e is a solid entry-level handset for those who need a basic, no-frills path into the Apple ecosystem. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/iphone-17e-review-the-economical-choice-130000647.html?src=rss

The 10 best sleep apps and gadgets for a better night's sleep in 2026

Tech has a bad (and deserved) reputation as a sleep killer. Blue light , incessant scrolling and information onslaught conspire to keep us on edge and exiled from dreamland. But a few gadgets and apps out there may actually help us sleep. Weve tried many such products over the years and have gathered the ones that actually did some good in this list. But first, take the arguably most important step towards good sleep: Use the sleep schedule on your phone ( Android , iPhone ). Once youve done that, check out the best sleep gadgets below and prepare to shuffle off to the land of nod. Best sleep apps and gadgets This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-10-best-sleep-apps-and-gadgets-for-a-better-nights-sleep-in-2026-114742582.html?src=rss

The best air purifier for 2026

As houses and apartments get more energy efficient, they also get more airtight, limiting air exchange with the outside world. Thats partly why indoor air is often far more polluted than outdoor air. Synthetic building materials, cleaning products, pet dander, cooking emissions and smoke all conspire to muck up what we breathe in. In our tests, the best way to get the green light from our air quality monitors was opening the windows. But bad weather, wildfires and high pollen-count days mean you cant always do that. Air purifiers are your next best option. Their combination of specialized filters, fans and sensors suck in particulate matter, VOCs, dust and odors. We tested more than a dozen models to come up with the best air purifier for your home. Best air purifiers for 2026 What an air purifier can and cant do There are three key categories of air pollution that adversely affect the quality of the air you breathe: volatile organic compounds (VOC), particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) and carbon dioxide. VOCs are emitted gasses that can come from cleaners, off-gassing plastics, paint, solvents, fragrances, cooking food and, ironically, air fresheners. VOCs are most closely related to odors you can smell. High levels can irritate your breathing passages, cause headaches and may become cancer-causing over time. Air purifiers with activated charcoal components can help clean VOCs from the air. Particulate matter is usually discussed as PM2.5 and PM10, with the numbers indicating particle size in microns. This is dust, dirt, mold, smoke and, again, emissions from cooking food. Higher levels of PM can lead to respiratory irritation, allergy symptoms, respiratory infections and potentially lung cancer. Air purifiers that include a HEPA or particle filter can help remove airborne particles from your space. Carbon dioxide is what humans and pets breathe out. Elevated levels can cause dizziness and lethargy. But no air purifier can reduce CO2 levels because the molecules are so small. Plants can help to some extent, but really the only solution is opening a window or otherwise ventilating the space. There are no federal standards for air purifiers, but the state of California does require all air cleaners sold in the state to be certified by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). All of our top picks here have met that certification. What to look for in an air purifier HEPA filters and other filter types An air purifier isnt an overly complicated device. Smart modes and app connectivity aside, theyre not much more than a filter and a fan, which you can certainly DIY . The fan pulls air through the filter to capture particulate matter and other unhealthy elements so you dont breathe them in. The type of fan can make some difference it should be powerful enough to pull in air quickly, but also quiet enough on its low speed so it can unobtrusively clean all day long. Filters, on the other hand, are more varied. Most have two or more layers, typically a pre-filter, an activated carbon filter and sometimes a particle or even a true HEPA filter. The pre-filter is made from a fine mesh that captures big stuff like pet hair and larger chunks of dust. Sometimes this part is separate from the more technical filters which means you can remove and clean it without needing to swap out the whole thing. For all-in-one filters, you can vacuum the outside of it to remove larger particles. An activated carbon or activated charcoal layer is extremely porous, tightly packed coal that presents a vast amount of microscopic surface area to the passing air. Gaseous chemicals, VOCs and other molecules become lodged in the crannys and stick. This is the layer that gets rid of odors. Nearly all types of air purifiers include a particle filter. Some of those can be called true HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters meaning they conform to the standards set out by the DOE . Particle filters are made up of pleated masses of ultrafine fibers that force air to take a convoluted path in order to pass through. This traps and absorbs tiny molecules of smoke and dust, allergens like dander and pollen, and some viruses and bacteria. Since all of these air filters physically trap particulates, theyll eventually fill up and become less effective. Most manufacturers recommend replacing the filter every six months, while others claim a year-long life span. Most smart air purifiers will let you know in the app when its time to replace. When youre considering a units cost, be sure to factor in the expense of replacement filters, which you may end up buying twice a year. Room size Air purifiers list their air filtration capabilities in terms of room size and frequency of air exchanges, sometimes listed as clean air delivery rate (CADR) or you may see a number for cubic feet per minute (CFM). A smaller unit might say it can exchange the air in a 500-square-foot room twice per hour. So that model should be able to pass all of the air in a 250-square-foot room through the filter every 15 minutes, but a 1,000-square-foot room would probably be outside its effective range. Of course, theres no standard for manufacturers to adhere to when it comes to these calculations, but typically, larger air purifiers can handle large rooms. Controls In our testing, we focused on Wi-Fi-connected smart air purifiers with companion apps that can monitor air quality and adjust the fan settings as needed. Within the apps, you can control auto-clean settings, set timers and schedules and check the health of the filter as well. Most will remind you when its time to get a replacement, and let you order one directly from the manufacturer through the app. You can also see the current and historical readings from the internal air quality (AQ) sensor. Most determine air quality through an optical particle meter, though some brands like Dyson and Molekule also include chemical sensors for VOC measurements. When levels of particulates become elevated, the fans switch up to high speed to move more air through until the quality improves. Most smart purifiers also work with voice assistants, so if asking Alexa to turn on your air purifier makes your life easier in some way, you can do so. If you dont want to talk to an AI or grab your phone to control your purifier, getting a unit with simple on-board controls is a good idea. These can be as basic as buttons with indicator lights or as elaborate as a touchscreen panel. At minimum, its good to have a way to control the fan speed and turn on or off auto mode on the device itself. Design As we mentioned, sticking the device as close to the middle of the room is helpful for getting the best performance. That means youll be looking at it a lot, so design considerations matter. Most purifiers are cylindrical towers with fan vents up top. Units meant for larger rooms are not small, weighing between 12 and 20 pounds and reaching two feet tall (or in the case of the Dyson Purifier Cool, three and a half feet). Some, like Coways Airmega IconS, take on more furniture-like designs to blend in. Others, like Dyson's, are conspicuously designed to stand out. How to set up an air purifier Even the best air purifier cant do much without airflow. So ideally, you wont shove your air purifier off in a corner right next to a wall. Most manufacturers recommend at least a foot of clearance between the machine and anything that could block circulation walls, couches, cabinets and the like. Most cylindrical models have intake vents all around the outside, but box models may have them on just one side, so make sure you point the vents outwards towards the center of the room. Smaller air purifiers work better if theyre up off the ground by a couple feet, such as on top of a stool or end table. And of course, make sure the cord isnt stretching across trafficked areas to avoid tripping. Before you plug your air purifier in, make sure to check that the filter isnt wrapped in plastic inside the machine. I probably dont need to tell you how I know this is a very important first step. The purifiers we recommend are smart home models, so the next step will usually involve downloading the manufacturers app to your phone and connecting the air purifier to the app as well as your homes Wi-Fi. Additional steps for clearing the air Air purifiers, as the name suggests, clean the air. Once dust, dander and smoke settle onto surfaces, there isnt much these machines can do to eradicate them. So vacuuming and good old-fashioned dusting are important steps to keep allergens and particulate matter at bay. If you have an HVAC system, changing or even upgrading your systems air filters can help keep bad air in check. The American Lung Association recommends filters with at least a MERV-13 rating. The association also recommends not burning candles in your home, foregoing air fresheners and opting for homemade cleaning supplies over chemical cleaners. When an air purifier just isnt enough The most striking bit of knowledge I picked up from testing air purifiers is how effective opening windows can be on indoor air quality. What took an air purifier a half hour to clear out took mere minutes when I opened my front door and a few windows. Every variable measured by the air quality sensors, including VOCs, PM, and particularly CO2 levels (which air purifiers cant alleviate), improved dramatically after exposure to fresh air significantly faster and better than any machine we tested. Letting in fresh air for just fifteen minutes each day can help, according to the Lung Association. On very cold days, do it midday. When its hot, open windows in the early morning when its coolest. When I did it in the middle of winter, my HVAC system had to work a little overtime afterwards, but venting a room was the most surefire way of getting air quality quickly back in the green. Of course, if the air outside is unhealthy from wildfire smoke or run-of-the-mill pollution, or if you're dealing with seasonal allergies, throwing open the windows wont work and an air purifier might be the best way to consistently clean things up. How we test air purifiers My living room is not a science lab; theres far too much pet hair for that to be the case. Still, I went beyond just turning stuff on and sniffing the air by acquiring two consumer-grade indoor air quality monitors that performed well in laboratory assessments , the Element from Awair and the uHoo Smart Air Monitor . I conducted burn tests in this medium-sized room by measuring the ambient air quality, then burned a brick of pion incense for twenty minutes and measured the air again. Then I ran one purifier at its highest speed for thirty minutes and recorded levels, then ran the unit on the lowest setting for a half hour and remeasured. I made note of the sound levels using a simple iPhone app to compare one machines noise level to the next. Over the course of a month, I used each unit in different scenarios (such as in the basements where the cat litter box is) and tried out each devices smart features, controls and auto modes. I also just lived with them and evaluated how they fit into everyday life. As new purifiers come on the market we continue to acquire units that seem worthy of inclusion. Most recently, we tested purifiers from Blueair, IQAir, Windmill and others, adding our findings to this guide. Other air purifiers we tested AirThings Renew The AirThings Renew is supposed to look like a piece of high-end audio equipment, complete with audio-grade fabric on the side. I can see the resemblance, but it also looks like a PC tower sitting in the middle of the room. You can mount it on a wall, however, which could help with its aesthetic appeal. The companion app is simple and clean, and its also where youll check in on the optional AirThings View Plus AQ monitor , which is one of the most attractive AQ monitors Ive tried. The auto mode is effective and its relatively quiet. Its purification performance wasnt as good as other purifiers on this list, however, particularly on low. Blueair Mini Restful I appreciate a good multi-tasker. The Blueair Mini Restful combines a small-room air purifier with a sunrise alarm clock and night light. It reminds me of a grown up version of Levoits Sprout purifier, which is geared towards kids with its white noise and night light functions. The Mini Restful is definitely small enough to pop on a night stand so it would be pretty handy if it could replace your alarm clock up there. Unfortunately, those secondary functions feel a little incomplete. Theres no timer function for the night light, only manual control. The clock readout is on the top, making it impossible to view from bed if it's on your nightstand. The sunrise alarm clock will start lighting up at either 15 minutes or a half hour before the sound kicks in, but if the light happens to be enough to wake you, theres no way to stop the alarm from sounding without getting out your phone. It performed well enough in its primary function, and got a smoky bedroom back to breathable in around a half an hour of running on high. (Theres no built-in sensor, so you have to manually adjust the fan through the app or onboard controls.) Its also quiet enough to run all night on low Im fairly sensitive to noise and was able to sleep. IQAir HealthPro Plus SE The IQAir HealthPro Plus SE is a formidable piece of equipment. The boxy tower looks like something youd see in a hospital and weighs 35 pounds, making me appreciate the included wheels when I needed to move it around. Its designed and made in Sweden and each unit comes with an impressive certificate of performance. Im certain the testing processes IQAir employs are more scientific than my tests after all, the company is probably best known for its air quality monitors but I found the filtration efficiency to be on par with and, in one test, worse than that of other models I tested. I was also disappointed that a $1,000-plus air purifier from an air monitor device company was only capable of measuring particulate matter and not VOCs to trigger the auto-clean function. That said, setup was simple and the app can integrate data from public air quality sources as well as other AQ monitors you may have set up. Coways Airmega Icon S Coways Airmega Icon S was our previous pick for best design. It looks more like a tiny mid-century-modern credenza than an air purifier and the little shelf up top doubles as a wireless phone charger. The PM2.5 sensor reliably kicked in the auto mode as I used it and the three-speed fan is quiet, even on high, yet powerful. I had a little trouble getting the app to connect, but the onboard touch controls worked better anyway. Its expensive at $699, too, but it does have a washable pre-filter. Sensibo Pure At $229, and nearly always on sale for $130, I had the Sensibo Pure pegged as a contender for a budget pick. Unfortunately, replacement filters are $99 unless you subscribe to automatic shipments and many of the app features are behind a paywall as well. Its not certified by CARB and underperformed many of the other units in the burn test, though it did return the air back to a good rating according to the air monitors after 30 minutes. The design is inoffensive, its not overly loud and it does integrate with Sensibos smart AC devices, so if youre already happy with one of those, this may be a decent option. Dyson Purifier Cool Like all Dyson products, this air purifier is dripping with design. It looks like no other unit on the market and its up to you to decide whether you like that or not. I was indifferent to the looks, but appreciated the slick and informative app, which not only displays indoor air quality, it also shows what conditions are like outside, using a clever house graphic to differentiate the two sets of numbers. I also like that it detects VOCs as well as particulates and the auto mode seemed to read the room accurately. The air coming out of the fan did indeed feel cool, though at first had a strong plastic odor. Unfortunately, it was the lowest performing unit during two separate burn tests and had repeated connectivity issues. Molekule Air Pro The Molekule Air Pro comes from a brand that pays keen attention to aesthetics. It and the app have that Instagrammable, muted-modern look that countless clothing and bedsheet brands emulate these days. That style doesnt come cheap as the Air Pro costs over $1,000 and requires $140 filters. The company came under fire for and had to stop making many of its claims about its filtration system, which may have led to it filing for bankruptcy in 2023. Molekule is still able to tout its patented photoelectrochemical oxidation, which the company says destroys pollutants at a molecular level. In my tests, it performed almost as well as the others in improving VOC and PM2.5 levels. But its also very loud: When auto mode kicked the fan into high gear, it would make me tense. Also, I found the unit often indicated bad or very bad levels when my two monitors indicated the air quality was actually pretty good. Air purifier FAQs What settings should you run an air purifier on? There arent many settings to adjust on an air purifier. Most have low, medium and high fan speeds and possibly an auto-mode that detects impurities in the air and increases the fan speed on your behalf. Air circulates through a purifier faster at higher fan-speed settings so it cleans the air more efficiently. Higher speeds also make the air purifier louder. That means you typically want to find the balance between cleaning power and noise levels. Other settings like timers and dimming the LED lights make the unit more comfortable to live with, particularly if you use yours in your bedroom. For everyday cleaning of the air, youre probably best off leaving the air purifier running on low, only kicking it up to high at certain times when the air is murkier, like after you cook. What is a HEPA filter? A HEPA filter is a type of particle filter. Every air purifier has a particle filter, but not all are considered true HEPA filters. The specifications are determined by the US Department of Energy and require a minimum efficiency of 99.97 percent when filtering airborne particles of 0.3 microns. HEPA filters can remove dust, pollen, mold and bacteria. Check out more from our spring cleaning guide. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/best-air-purifier-120040002.html?src=rss

Qualcomm's new Arduino Ventuno Q is an AI-focused computer designed for robotics

Qualcomm, which purchased microcontroller board manufacturer Arduino last year, just announced a new single-board computer that marries AI with robotics. Called the Arduino Ventuno Q, it uses Qualcomm's Dragonwing IQ8 processor along with a dedicated STM32H5 low-latency microcontroller (MCU). Ventuno Q is engineered specifically for systems that move, manipulate and respond to the physical world with precision and reliability, the company wrote on the product page . The Ventuno Q is more sophisticated (and expensive) than Arduinio's usual AIO boards, thanks to the Dragonwing IQ8 processor that includes an 8-core ARM Cortex CPU, Adreno Arm Cortex A623 GPU and Hexagon Tensor NPU that can hit up ot 40 TOPs. It also comes with 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM, along with 64GB of eMMC storage and an M.2 NVME Gen.4 slot to expand that. Other features include Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, 2.5Gbps ethernet and USB camera support. The Ventuno Q includes Arudino App Lab, with pre-trained AI models including LLMs, VLMs, ASR, gesture recognition, pose estimation and object tracking, all running offline. It's designed for AI systems that run entirely offline like smart kiosks, healthcare assistants and traffic flow analysis, along with Edge AI vision and sensing systems. It also supports a full robotics stack including vision processing combined with deterministic motor control for precise vision and manipulation. It's also ideal for education and research in areas like computer vision, generative AI and prototyping at the edge, according to Arduino. With Ventuno Q, AI can finally move from the cloud into the physical world, Qualcomm wrote. This platform enables building machines that perceive, decide, and act all on a single board. Our goal is to make advanced robotics and edge AI accessible to every developer, educator, and innovator. The Arduino Ventuno Q will be available in Q2 2026 from the Arduino Store and elsewhere and is expected to cost under $300. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/qualcomms-new-arduino-ventuno-q-is-an-ai-focused-computer-designed-for-robotics-113047697.html?src=rss

OpenAI's robotics hardware lead resigns following deal with the Department of Defense

OpenAI 's robotics hardware lead is out. Caitlin Kalinowski, who oversaw hardware within the robotics division of OpenAI, posted on X that she was resigning from her role, while criticizing the company's haste in partnering with the Department of Defense without investigating proper guardrails. OpenAI told Engadget that there are no plans to replace Kalinowski. Kalinowski, who previously worked at Meta before leaving to join OpenAI in late 2024, wrote on X that surveillance of Americans without judicial oversight and lethal autonomy without human authorization are lines that deserved more deliberation than they got. Responding to another post, the former OpenAI exec explained that he announcement was rushed without the guardrails defined, adding that it was a governance concern first and foremost. OpenAI confirmed Kalinowski's resignation and said in a statement to Engadget that the company understands people have strong views about these issues and will continue to engage in discussions with relevant parties. The company also explained in the statement that it doesn't support the issues that Kalinowski brought up. We believe our agreement with the Pentagon creates a workable path for responsible national security uses of AI while making clear our red lines: no domestic surveillance and no autonomous weapons, the OpenAI statement read. Kalinowski's resignation may be the most high-profile fallout from OpenAI's decision to sign a deal with the Department of Defense. The decision came just after Anthropic refused to comply with lifting certain AI guardrails around mass surveillance and developing fully autonomous weapons. However, even OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman , said that he would amend the deal with the Department of Defense to prohibit spying on Americans. Correction, March 8 2026, 10:30AM ET: This story has been updated to correct Kalinowski's role at OpenAI to obotics hardware lead instead of head of robotics. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openais-robotics-hardware-lead-resigns-following-deal-with-the-department-of-defense-195918599.html?src=rss

OpenAI is reportedly pushing back the launch of its 'adult mode' even further

Here comes another disappointment for ChatGPT users . As first reported by Sources ' Alex Heath, OpenAI is yet again delaying its adult mode for ChatGPT. A company spokesperson told Heath that we're pushing out the launch of adult mode so we can focus on work that is a higher priority for more users right now. More specifically, OpenAI's spokesperson said that things like gains in intelligence, personality improvements, personalization, and making the experience more proactive were being prioritized instead. However, the company still wants to release an adult mode, but it would ake more time, according to the company spokesperson. The reveal of ChatGPT's adult mode dates back to October, when OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman , posted on X that the company would roll out more age-gating as part of its reat adults like adults principle, adding that this would include erotica for verified adults. Altman originally said this adult mode would be available in December, but an OpenAI exec later said during a December briefing that it would instead debut in the first quarter of 2026. With Q1 almost coming to a close, we no longer have a timeframe for when ChatGPT's adult mode will release. However, OpenAI began rolling out its age prediction tool in January, which may go hand-in-hand with the upcoming adult mode. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-is-reportedly-pushing-back-the-launch-of-its-adult-mode-even-further-213013801.html?src=rss

NASA's DART spacecraft changed a binary asteroid's orbit around the sun, in a first for a human-made object

When NASA crashed a spacecraft into the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos in 2022, it altered both Dimorphos' orbit around its parent asteroid, Didymos, and the two objects' orbit around the sun, according to new research . NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) said in a press release that this marks the first time a human-made object has measurably altered the path of a celestial body around the Sun. It's a promising result as scientists work to find a feasible method of defending Earth from hazardous space objects. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission was designed to demonstrate one possible way of deflecting such an object, targeting the non-threatening moonlet Dimorphos, which is about 560 feet wide. NASA quickly declared it a success after its initial analysis showed the planned collision shortened Dimorphos' orbit around Didymos, the larger of the two objects in the binary asteroid system. In a follow-up study published in 2024 , a team at NASA's JPL reported that Dimorphos' orbital period had been trimmed by about 33 minutes, as its path was nudged roughly 120 feet closer to Didymos than before. The latest study now indicates that the whole binary system was affected, not just Dimorphos. Didymos and Dimorphos have a 770-day orbital period around the sun, which lead author Rahil Makadia said has been changed by about 11.7 microns per second, or 1.7 inches per hour. That might not sound like much, but according to Makadia, Over time, such a small change in an asteroids motion can make the difference between a hazardous object hitting or missing our planet. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/nasas-dart-spacecraft-changed-a-binary-asteroids-orbit-around-the-sun-in-a-first-for-a-human-made-object-210529924.html?src=rss

OpenAI's head of robotics resigns following deal with the Department of Defense

OpenAI is going to need to find a new head of robotics. Caitlin Kalinowski, OpenAI's now-former head of robotics, posted on X that she was resigning from her role, while criticizing the company's haste in partnering with the Department of Defense without investigating proper guardrails. Kalinowski, who previously worked at Meta before leaving to join OpenAI in late 2024, wrote on X that surveillance of Americans without judicial oversight and lethal autonomy without human authorization are lines that deserved more deliberation than they got. Responding to another post, the former OpenAI exec explained that he announcement was rushed without the guardrails defined, adding that it was a governance concern first and foremost. OpenAI confirmed Kalinowski's resignation and said in a statement to Engadget that the company understands people have strong views about these issues and will continue to engage in discussions with relevant parties. The company also explained in the statement that it doesn't support the issues that Kalinowski brought up. We believe our agreement with the Pentagon creates a workable path for responsible national security uses of AI while making clear our red lines: no domestic surveillance and no autonomous weapons, the OpenAI statement read. Kalinowski's resignation may be the most high-profile fallout from OpenAI's decision to sign a deal with the Department of Defense. The decision came just after Anthropic refused to comply with lifting certain AI guardrails around mass surveillance and developing fully autonomous weapons. However, even OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman , said that he would amend the deal with the Department of Defense to prohibit spying on Americans. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openais-head-of-robotics-resigns-following-deal-with-the-department-of-defense-195918777.html?src=rss

Indonesia announces a social media ban for anyone under 16

Following in the footsteps of Australia , Indonesia will be the latest country to limit social media usage for children under 16. Meutya Hafid , Indonesia's communication and digital affairs minister, announced that a new government regulation will require high-risk platforms to delete any accounts from Indonesia that are under 16, starting on March 28. Hafid said in the announcement that the implementation would be done in stages, starting with major platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Roblox and Bigo Live, a live-streaming platform based in Singapore. The minister added that all platforms will have to fulfill compliance obligations from the Indonesian government, but didn't specify what they were. In response to the ban, a Meta spokesperson told The New York Times that the company hasn't received an official regulation from the country yet and was awaiting details. While Australia was the first country to implement such a sweeping ban on social media, many other countries are currently in the process of doing the same. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced last month that the country is also ready to ban social media for users under 16, while Malaysia 's cabinet approved a similar ban that will reportedly go into effect sometime this year. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/indonesia-announces-a-social-media-ban-for-anyone-under-16-174634956.html?src=rss

Roblox introduces real-time AI-powered chat rephraser for inappropriate language

Roblox has launched a feature powered by AI that can rephrase inappropriate language in real time. The online game has been using AI filters to block out any language that goes against its policy for a while now, but it has been replacing censored chats with a series of hash signs (####). Roblox admits that encountering too many hashmarks can be disruptive and make conversations hard to follow. This new feature will instead replace words and phrases with what the AI deems as more appropriate substitutes. Rajiv Bhatia, Robloxs Chief Safety Office, said the game is starting with profanity. For instance, if a user sends Hurry TF up in chat, the system will replace it with Hurry up! Everyone in the chat will see a note when a message has been rephrased, and the sender will see what language was edited out. A user who keeps cursing in chat will still be penalized for breaking Roblox policy even if the AI rephrases their messages. As these systems scale, they create a flywheel for civility, where real-time feedback helps users learn and adopt our Community Standards, Bhatia said in a blog post. Rephrasing has been rolled out to chats between age-checked users in similar age groups and in all the languages the games translation tool supports. Roblox introduced a mandatory age verification system back in January after reports came out that it has a pedophile problem , with adult players allegedly using the game to groom children. Kids under 13 can no longer use in-game chat outside of certain experiences, while everyone else can chat with players around their age. Age check, however, hasnt stopped authorities from suing Roblox: LA County , in a lawsuit filed in February, said Roblox knows its platform makes children easy prey for pedophiles. Louisianas AG has also just filed a lawsuit, saying Roblox created a public park and filled it with sex predators that are preying on children. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/roblox-introduces-real-time-ai-powered-chat-rephraser-for-inappropriate-language-160000063.html?src=rss

Engadget review recap: Galaxy S26 Ultra, Galaxy Buds 4, Dell XPS 14 and more

Its a busy time for the reviews team and Engadget, and with Apple announcing new devices this week, we arent letting up any time soon. New products from Samsung, Dell, Google and ASUS headline the roundup this time, and weve got a few unique items to discuss as well. Read on to catch up on anything you mightve missed, including the latest installment of Pokmon. Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra This years Samsung flagship phone may not impress you with a load of new features, but theres one in particular that senior reporter Sam Rutherford was wowed by. This goes double for the S26 Ultra, whose biggest upgrade the Privacy Display is something meant to stop other people from snooping at what you're doing., he said. When it's on, you probably won't even be able to tell, which is kind of the point. Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 and 4 Pro Samsung went all-in with with AirPods mimicry last year, and that continues on the Galaxy Buds 4 and 4 Pro. However, despite big improvements to sound quality and the continued addition of new features, Samsung could certainly do more. The company is really only lagging behind Apple in two areas: hearing health and heart-rate tracking, I wrote. Samsung currently offers the option to amplify voices on its earbuds, but it hasnt built a hearing test or the hearing protection tools Apple has. The biggest update on the AirPods Pro 3 was the addition of heart-rate tracking last year, which would be a great foundation for a fitness-focused version of the Galaxy Buds. Dell XPS 14 (2026) We review a lot of devices that are almost excellent, except for one big flaw. Thats the case with the new XPS 14 , where senior reporter Devindra Hardawar had a hard time with very basic functionality. If I were to judge the XPS 14 based purely on its specs and design alone, it would be my favorite Windows laptop available today, he wrote. Dell is so close to making a PC thats a true MacBook Pro competitor, it's a shame a simple keyboard issue holds the XPS 14 back from true greatness. Google Pixel 10a Googles A-series devices have consistently been a great option if youre looking to spend less on phone but still want a capable handset. Despite minimal upgrades on the Pixel 10a , that sentiment still holds true. On the one hand, part of me wants to dock points because Google has added so few updates, senior reporter Igor Bonifacic said. On the other, the 10a is still a great phone for $500, and at a time when consumer electronics are becoming more expensive by the day, the fact it hasn't gone up in price is a small miracle. ASUS ProArt GoPro Edition PX13 Creators often need a combination of power and display quality in a laptop that would be overkill for most of us. For those who do need it, contributing reporter Steven Dent found the ASUS ProArt GoPro Edition PX13 nearly checked all the boxes. ASUS is one of the few PC manufacturers trying to compete with Apple in the creator market, and with the ProArt GoPro Edition laptop, it has largely succeeded, he said. This model offers excellent performance and battery life, a huge amount of memory, a very nice OLED HDR display, a nice range of ports and an excellent keyboard and trackpad. Ambient Dreamie, Seattle Ultrasonics and more We also recently reviewed a couple of off-beat gadgets, both of which earned high marks from our team. The Ambient Dreamie is a bedside companion that functions as an alarm clock with both bedtime and morning routines. Weekend editor Cheyenne MacDonald was so impressed by how it improved her sleep that she bought one for herself. And the Seattle Ultrasonics C-200 was dubbed the future of kitchen knives by Sam. Sam also played a few hours of Pokmon Pokopia and he was charmed by the new take on gameplay for the series. Lastly, Devindra put the Falcon Northwest FragBox through its paces, discovering a powerful gaming rig in machine that looks a bit like a box of fried chicken This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/engadget-review-recap-galaxy-s26-ultra-galaxy-buds-4-dell-xps-14-and-more-140435975.html?src=rss

Slay the Spire 2, Scott Pilgrim EX and other new indie games worth checking out

Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. We've got a lot of new and upcoming games to highlight this week, and those are on top of all of our coverage of the Nintendo Indie World stream the other day. Nintendo packed a lot of news into that 18-minute stream, including the sudden arrivals of three great games Blue Prince , Minishoot' Adventures and oo on Switch and/or Switch 2. The company revealed release dates for a bunch of games we've had on our radar, such as InKonbini: One Store. Many Stories (April 30), Mixtape (May 7), Denshattack! (June 17) and Ratatan (July 16). Release windows for several games were confirmed as well, including Toem 2 and Grave Seasons , both of which will be out this summer. Meanwhile, if you have a Playdate (or have been meaning to get one), be sure to check out the third anniversary sale on the Playdate Catalog storefront this weekend. There are lots of good deals and we've got some suggestions for you . Elsewhere, speedrunners will be showing off their skills in AAA games, indies and everything in between during the Frost Fatales event from Games Done Quick. From March 8-14, you can watch women and femme speedrunners tear through the likes of Undertale, Strange Antiquities, An Airport for Aliens Currently Run by Dogs, Tunic, Hollow Knight and Windswept . It's a charity event that will be raising funds for the National Women's Law Center . On that note, theres a Women's Day sale on Steam thats running until March 15. There are discounts on tons of games from women and gender marginalized-led teams as well as demos for upcoming titles. Among the games on sale are Dredge (60 percent off), Overcooked 2 (75 percent off), The Wandering Village (50 percent off), Dogpile (35 percent off) and Consume Me (35 percent off). New releases Slay the Spire has helped to popularize the roguelite deckbuilder genre since its early access debut in 2017. Mega Crit is back for another bite at the cherry with Slay the Spire 2 , which hit Steam in early access this week for $25. The studio says the price will increase after early access. The studio expects the sequel to remain in early access for between one and two years, though it won't release the full version until the game feels great. During the early access period, Mega Crit is going to try some experimental features and exotic designs, while pinpointing niche issues and getting feedback from players to make sure the game is headed in the right direction. Perhaps the biggest change in the sequel is the addition of a co-op mode for up to four players. There are new cards (including multiplayer-specific ones), characters and enemies in the mix as well, of course. Demons have descended on Toronto and his Sex Bom-omb bandmates have been kidnapped, so it's up to Scott Pilgrim and his allies to save the day. Scott Pilgrim EX is the franchise's latest side-scrolling fighter, following on from Scott Pilgrim vs the World: The Game . This entry is from Tribute Games, which has a pretty great recent track record when it comes to co-op beat-'em-ups after Marvel Cosmic Invasion and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredders Revenge . This time around, the studio teamed up with Scott Pilgrim creator Bryan Lee OMalley to develop a new storyline. I haven't had time to jump into Scott Pilgrim EX yet, unfortunately, but I'm really looking forward to doing that soon. When I do, I'll be instalocking Roxie Richter as my character. Gonna listen to Black Sheep a bunch in the meantime. Scott Pilgrim EX is out now on Steam , Nintendo Switch , Switch 2 , Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S PS4 and PS5 for $29. Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf is at the top of my to-play list this weekend. I adored the first entry from Wishfully and Thunderful Publishing a few years ago, and I've heard that the sequel is even better. This is a narrative-driven adventure platformer in the vein of Limbo and Inside . As in the first game, you'll be evading dangerous robots after the antagonist weaponizes technology to exploit the resources of Lana's home planet. I'm sure that doesn't have any parallels with our reality. Planet of Lana II looks just as gorgeous as the first game. Lana is said to be more agile this time and is capable of moves like wall jumps. Her companion, Mui, remains available to help her solve puzzles and survive this dangerous world. Planet of Lana II is out now on Steam , Switch , Switch 2 , PS4, PS5 , Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S for $20. The Steam, Switch and Switch 2 versions have a 10 percent launch discount. You can get that same discount on PlayStation if you're a PS Plus member. The game is also available on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. The Legend of Khiimori hit Steam and Epic Games Store in early access this week for $30. It's an open-world adventure game in which you take on the role of a courier rider in 13th-century Mongolia. You can breed and train horses with special abilities to help you explore this landscape and carry out deliveries. You'll need to set up camp and craft critical items on your journeys, and you'll need to be on the defensive against dangerous wildlife. There are also evil spirits to fend off in order to liberate corrupted zones. There's a lot going on here and, evidently, a lot more to come. Developer Aesir Interactive plans to add a string of features during the early access phase (which is expected to last for around a year), including racing, falconry, a peaceful mode and character and horse customization. Lost and Found Co. is a lovely-looking hidden object game from Bit Egg and co-publisher Gamirror Games. It's on Steam for PC and Mac for $18, though there's a 10 percent discount until March 19. I love this trailer for Lost and Found Co. It's full of charming animations and neat details, like a comic book-style series of panels that helps tell the story. You play as Ducky, a duck who has turned into a human intern at a startup that helps people get their lost items back. That sentence alone has me smiling. In the wake of Blippo+ , another game that debuted on the Playdate has now landed on PC ( Steam and Itch ), Mac (via Steam and the Mac App Store ) and Nintendo Switch . Ratcheteer DX typically costs $13, but there's a 25 percent launch discount on all storefronts except the App Store. The original version of Ratcheteer made its bow in Playdate season one , meaning that every owner of the little yellow console has access to it. You play as a young mechanic who like the rest of humanity lives underground to stay safe from an eternal winter. However, after the power plant and water treatment plant go out of commission, it's up to you to fix them. That kickstarts a top-down pixel-art adventure in the vein of the early Legend of Zelda games that should take you about four to five hours to finish. This updated game from Shaun Inman, composer Matt Grimm and illustrator Charlie Davis is available in color with filters that include the 1-bit Playdate look and it has a CD-quality version of the soundtrack. It's the first game that publisher (and Playdate maker) Panic has made in house that's landed on Steam and consoles. I've only played a little of Ratcheteer DX so far but it seems just as delightful as the original version, so I'm eager to keep going with it. On another day, I might have wrapped up this section with a feel-good game like Lost and Found Co. Not this time. Instead, here's a bird-spotting psychological horror walking sim. The one-minute launch trailer for Birds Watching , from Studio Ortica, is about one-60th as long as the game's runtime. It's full of creepy details, like a giant bird with humanoid legs. The tone is unnerving, but it absolutely caught my attention. Birds Watching is out now on Steam for $5. You can get it for 10 percent off until March 13. Upcoming This trailer for My Little Puppy (which premiered during the Indie World showcase) captured my whole damn heart. Korean developer Dreamotion created the game by adding dreams and hopes to the story I shared with Bong-gu, a dog who I adopted and raised, the studio's Junyoung Lee said. After crossing the rainbow bridge, the game's version of Bong-gu eventually picks up the scent of his dad and sets out on an adventure to rescue his human. I'm crying in the club at my desk. My Little Puppy is coming to Switch on May 29. It's already available on Steam for $25. Lunacy Studios is a studio that boasts developers with experience on the likes of Star Wars: Battlefront , Mass Effect, Assassins Creed Brotherhood and Life is Strange. Its first game is The House of Hikmah , which is coming to Steam on April 8. This is a story-driven 3D adventure game that takes place in a setting inspired by the Islamic Golden Age. You take on the role of Maya, a 14-year-old who is looking for answers after her father passes away. He left Maya with an elemental heirloom that she can use to solve puzzles and she can use wind channels to help her traverse the environments. I can't speak to how authentic its representation of the Islamic Golden Age is, but the setup and art direction of this game have me intrigued. It certainly doesn't hurt that Austin Wintory ( Journey, Sword of the Sea, The Pathless ) composed the music. I got completely hooked on Ball x Pit and I'm looking forward to trying out MLB The Show 26 . So, I really think there should be more ball-based games. And, look at that, here's a first peek at Ballgame from new studio Human Computer. In this physics platformer, you play as a sentient ball. As is the case in golf, the idea is to get to the hole in as few shots as possible. Also like in golf, that's harder than it might seem at first. The levels pull in elements from a range of inspirations, including pachinko, pinball, skeeball and many other types of ball games. Among other things, you'll skim across water, bounce off of bumpers and float in bubbles. There are arcade minigames where you can earn a type of currency that you can use to unlock upgrades, custom looks and dozens of other balls. It all seems quite chaotic at first glance. I live for chaos. I'm in. Ballgame is coming to Steam later this year. To wrap things up for this week, here's a nifty teaser trailer for Echobreaker , a precision platformer with an isometric perspective. The aim is to reach the goal as quickly as possible. You'll use powerups to help you do that. You'll also need to battle enemies along the way. I had no trouble following what was happening at any given moment in this short clip. I think the perspective here makes things interesting. There have been a bunch of high-octane first-person platformers in recent years. I think that being able to see the action from above helps make it clearer to me what's going on here. The clean, futuristic art style helps too. Echobreaker , which is from Upstream Arcade and publisher Weekend Games, is slated to hit Steam later this year. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/slay-the-spire-2-scott-pilgrim-ex-and-other-new-indie-games-worth-checking-out-120000884.html?src=rss

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