Hardware

Elon Musk misled investors during his Twitter takeover, jury finds

A group of former Twitter investors have prevailed at a federal civil trial over Elon Musk's actions amid his $44 billion acquisition of the social platform in 2022. A jury in San Francisco found Friday that tweets made by Musk about fake accounts on the platform had defrauded investors in the company. The jury sided with Musk on other allegations in the case. It's not yet clear how much Musk will owe in damages as a result of the case but, as the Associated Press reports , it could amount to billions of dollars. Jurors calculated that shareholders should get etween about $3 and $8 per stock per day. The class action lawsuit, one of several brought against Musk in the months following his takeover of the company, cited Musks tweets about fake accounts on the platform. Facing a sinking Tesla share price in the days after announcing he would buy Twitter for $54.20 a share, the suit said Musk made tweets and statements that were intentionally meant to drive down Twitter's share price in an attempt to renegotiate or exit the deal. The suit called out Musk's May 13, 2022, tweet that claimed the Twitter deal was temporarily on hold due to the number of fake accounts and bots on the platform, as well as one a few days later that suggested fake accounts might account for more than 20 percent of users. Twitter's stock dropped significantly following the May 13 tweet. During the trial, Musk said the tweets were him speaking his mind and maintained that Twitter executives had lied about the number of bots on the platform, according to KQED . Former Twitter shareholders, on the other hand, said hey sold shares at deflated prices amid Musks public waffling. Musk faced several lawsuits during and after his $44 billion takeover of the company. That includes other shareholder lawsuits related to his delay in disclosing his stake in the company, as well as one from former executives related to unpaid severance benefits (Musk later settled those claims). He also narrowly avoided a trial over his attempts to back out of the deal. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/elon-musk-misled-investors-during-his-twitter-takeover-jury-finds-232033028.html?src=rss

Pinterest CEO says teens under 16 should be banned from social media (but not Pinterest)

Pinterest's CEO has thrown his support behind an Australia measure banning social media for younger teens and is calling for governments around the world to implement similar bans. Social media, as its configured today, is not safe for young people under 16, Ready writes in a piece published by Time . We need a clear standard: no social media for teens under 16, backed by real enforcement, and accountability for mobile phone operating systems and the apps that run on them. Ready is one of the highest-profile tech CEOs to come out in favor of a broad ban on social media for teens. That may also seem like a bold stance for someone who runs a platform with a user base that's more than 50 percent Gen Z, but Ready doesn't think that ban should apply to Pinterest. Pinterest, as he notes, already bars teens under 16 from accessing messaging features and other social features. It also makes teen accounts private by default . A spokesperson for Pinterest confirmed the company has no plans to change its own policies regarding users under 16, and said Pinterest considers itself a visual search platform not social media. Pinterest, like most social media and social media-adjacent companies, doesn't allow users under 13 to sign up. Social media or not, Pinterest has encountered child safety-related issues in the past. In 2023, NBC News reported that Pinterest's recommendation algorithm was surfacing photos and videos of young girls to adults who were seeking such content. Some of those users had created Pinterest boards featuring images of young girls with titles like sexy little girls, their investigation found. The company made profiles for teens under 16 private and ot discoverable six months later. According to Ready, Pinterest's popularity with younger users is proof its policies are also good for the company's business. Our experience shows that prioritizing safety and well-being doesnt push young people away; it builds trust, he writes. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/pinterest-ceo-says-teens-under-16-should-be-banned-from-social-media-but-not-pinterest-211630443.html?src=rss

Microsoft will yank Copilot from some Windows apps and let you move the taskbar again

After one too many of you threatened to switch to Linux, Microsoft has published a long list of changes it plans to make to Windows 11. In a lengthy blog titled Our commitment to Windows quality , Pavan Davuluri, the executive vice president of Windows and Devices, said the company has spent a great deal of time in recent months reading feedback from users. What came through was the voice of people who care deeply about Windows and want it to be better, he said. To that end, Windows Insiders can expect to see some of the changes Microsoft plans in response to all criticism begin rolling out starting this month. Most notably, Microsoft ease up on the AI pedal. You will see us be more intentional about how and where Copilot integrates across Windows, focusing on experiences that are genuinely useful and well-crafted, writes Davuluri. As a first step, Microsoft says it will remove unnecessary Copilot entry points, starting with apps like the Snipping Tool, Photos, Widgets and Notepad. Elsewhere, users can look forward to additional taskbar customization, allowing them to position the interface element at the top or sides of the screen; less disruptive updates, with the option to shut down or restart your device without being forced to install a new patch; and a faster, less janky File Explorer. Our first round of improvements will focus on a quicker launch experience, reduced flicker, smoother navigation and more reliable performance for everyday file tasks, said Davuluri. Looking beyond the next two months, Microsoft notes it will work to improve performance across Windows, with lowering the baseline memory footprint of the operating system a key area of focus. Presumably, this plan of action is as much a response to the global memory shortage as it is user feedback. PC manufacturers are struggling right now, with a recent estimate warning the market could shrink as much as 8.9 percent year-over-year in 2026 due to the high cost of RAM and SSDs. On the subject of reliability, the company says reducing OS-level crashes and releasing higher quality drivers is a priority, as is making Bluetooth and USB connections less prone to errors and disconnects. Microsoft's promise to fix Windows 11 is long overdue. In January, the company released a couple of emergency updates after what should have been a routine security patch caused bugs that left some PCs unable to shut down and broke Outlook. The general state of the operating system has led many to explore Linux alternatives like Bazzite . With Apple also recently releasing the $600 MacBook Neo , a laptop that few Windows manufacturers can match right now, Microsofts dominance in the PC market is looking vulnerable for the first time in more than a decade. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/microsoft-will-yank-copilot-from-some-windows-apps-and-let-you-move-the-taskbar-again-202857203.html?src=rss

The White House proposes new AI policy framework that supersedes state laws

The White House has announced a new AI policy framework that calls for Congress to craft federal regulation that overrules state AI laws. The Trump administration has made multiple attempts to overrule more restrictive state-level AI regulation, but has failed so far, most notably in the passing of the One Big Beautiful Bill. The framework focuses on a variety of topics, covering everything from child privacy to the use of AI in the workforce. Importantly, this framework can succeed only if it is applied uniformly across the United States, The White House writes. A patchwork of conflicting state laws would undermine American innovation and our ability to lead in the global AI race. In terms of child privacy protections, the framework calls for Congress to require tools like screen time, content exposure and account controls while also affirming that existing child privacy protections apply to AI systems, including limits on how data is collected and used for AI training. The framework also calls for a carveout that allows states to enforce their own generally applicable laws protecting children, such as prohibitions on child sexual abuse material, even where such material is generated by AI. The energy-use and environmental impact of AI infrastructure is a going concern, but the White Houses policy proposals are primarily worried about the cost of data centers. The framework suggests federal AI regulation should make sure that higher electricity costs arent passed on to people living near new AI data centers, while streamlining the process for permitting AI infrastructure construction to allow for on-site and behind-the-meter power generation. The framework also calls for fewer restrictions on the software-side of AI development, proposing regulatory sandboxes for AI applications and asking Congress to provide resources to make federal datasets accessible to industry and academia in AI-ready formats. While a recently proposed AI bill from Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Ten.) attempts to eliminate Section 230, a law that means platforms cant be held responsible for the speech they host, the framework appears to call for the opposite. Congress should prevent the United States government from coercing technology providers, including AI providers, to ban, compel or alter content based on partisan or ideological agendas, the White House writes. The framework is similarly hands-off when it comes to copyright and the use of intellectual property to train AI. Although the Administration believes that training of AI models on copyrighted material does not violate copyright laws, the White House writes, it supports the issue being settled in court rather than by legislation. Though, the White House does think Congress should consider enabling licensing frameworks so IP holders can bargain for compensations from AI providers. The clincher in the White Houses proposal is the idea that federal regulation should preempt state law, specifically so that states dont regulate AI development, dont unduly burden Americans use of AI for activity that would be lawful if performed without AI and dont punish AI companies for a third partys unlawful conduct involving their models. But even that comes with exceptions, like states ability to protect children and consumers, prevent fraud, enforce zoning laws and determine its own uses of AI. Developing This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/the-white-house-proposes-new-ai-policy-framework-that-supersedes-state-laws-192251995.html?src=rss

Three people have been charged with illegally exporting NVIDIA GPUs to China

The US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York has charged three people with illegally exporting NVIDIA GPUs to China in violation of the Export Control Reform Act. NVIDIA's chips have become a critical component in the rush to train and run increasingly complex artificial intelligence models, one the US has sought to manipulate with export controls and profit-sharing schemes with NVIDIA. The three people, Yih-Shyan Wally Liaw, Ruei-Tsang Steven Chang and Ting-Wei Willy Sun, two employees and one contractor working for US IT company Super Micro Computer, allegedly circumvented export control laws via a multi-step scheme that involved creating fake orders for servers with NVIDIA chips from Southeast Asian companies, that were then secretly sent to China. The plan involved paying a logistics company to repackage the servers in Taiwan, staging dummy servers to be inspected by Super Micro Computer's compliance team and falsifying records so Liaw, Chang and Sun's employer was unaware where the servers were actually being sent. The DOJ claims Liaw, Chang and Sun facilitated the illegal purchase of $2.5 billion worth of servers between 2024 and 2025 in direct violation of US export laws. Super Micro Computer is not named as a defendant in the US Attorney's indictment, but the company's stock price has been impacted by the scheme, CNBC writes . In a statement released on Thursday, Super Micro Computer announced that it's distancing itself from Liaw, Chang and Sun. The individuals charged are Yih-Shyan Wally Liaw, Senior Vice President of Business Development and a member of the Company's Board of Directors; Ruei-Tsang Steven Chang, a sales manager in Taiwan; and Ting-Wei Willy Sun, a contractor, the company writes. Supermicro has placed the two employees on administrative leave and terminated its relationship with the contractor, effective immediately. This isn't the first time people have attempted to illegally smuggle NVIDIA's products out of the US, and it likely won't be the last time. Reportedly $1 billion worth of NVIDIA's AI chips were illegally sold in the three months after the Trump administration tightened export controls, and back in December 2025, Texas authorities seized more than $50 million worth of NVIDIA GPUs bound for China. As long as there's demand for AI, there'll be demand for the hardware that makes it possible. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/three-people-have-been-charged-with-illegally-exporting-nvidia-gpus-to-china-184928430.html?src=rss

Here's how not to leak military information with your Strava run

A French officer recently leaked the location of an aircraft carrier because of a run on the sports app Strava. This is not the first time this has happened, as the app tracks location data. It was used to access the location of US military bases back in 2018 and members of the Secret Service accidentally shared their whereabouts while protecting then-US President Joe Biden . The same has happened to President Trump and other world leaders. NEW: The location of the French aircraft carrier, FS Charles de Gaulle, has been given away by a sailor using Strava whilst jogging on the ship deck [ @lemondefr ] pic.twitter.com/FuoKMAs06w Politics Global (@PolitlcsGlobal) March 19, 2026 In other words, the use of Strava to track runs is becoming a global security risk, but it doesn't have to be. If you happen to find yourself in an undisclosed location as part of a military entourage, here are a couple of ways to keep things private. Change the settings Don't want to give up those Strava runs? Just change the settings . On the web, click on Do Not Share My Personal Information on the feed page and then look for Opt Out. This is also fairly easy for smartphone users. Just head to Privacy Controls for the app and follow the prompts on both iOS and Android. Both versions include an option to disable the sharing of personal information, including location data. Use another running app Most sports apps track location data, but they don't all share Strava's spotty history. There are plenty of apps out there to choose from, and some are quite good . No matter which one you download, be sure to take steps to change the privacy settings. Run the old-fashioned way Believe it or not, people still jogged before smartphones. Just lace up a pair of shoes and get out there. For extra protection, leave your phone and smartwatch at home. Get a treadmill Are you stuck on an aircraft carrier somewhere in the middle of the ocean? It could be tough to get your steps in, so consider bothering the top brass for a treadmill. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/heres-how-not-to-leak-military-information-with-your-strava-run-183635879.html?src=rss

Netflixs Assassins Creed is officially set in ancient Rome

Netflixs live-action Assassins Creed show has entered production and will officially be set in Rome in the year 64AD, confirming previous reports. The upcoming adaptation, then, will return to the setting of 2010s Assassins Creed Brotherhood , although the latters story took place more than 1,000 years after the events we'll see in Netflix's show. Ubisoft confirmed in a press release that the Netflix series will tell an original story centered on a war between the Templar Order and the Assassin Brotherhood, who each have very different ideas on how the future of mankind should look. The full ensemble cast has also now been announced. Sandra Guldberg-Kampp ( Foundation ), Youssef Kerkour ( A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms ), Mirren Mack ( 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple ), and Louis McCartney (Broadway production Stranger Things: The First Shadow ) have all been cast as recurring characters. Netflix previously announced Lola Pettigrew ( Trespasses ) and Toby Wallace ( Babyteeth ) as possible leads, along with a number of other series regulars. Roberto Patino ( Westworld , Sons of Anarchy ) and David Wiener ( Halo , The Killing ) are serving as creators, showrunners and executive producers on the show, which is primarily filming at Romes iconic Cinecitt Studios. No release date has been announced. Assassins Creed wont represent the first time that Netflix has adapted a Ubisoft property. 2023s Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix was based on a Far Cry 3 expansion, and last year Sam Fisher made his TV debut in the broadly well received Splinter Cell: Deathwatch. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/netflixs-assassins-creed-is-officially-set-in-ancient-rome-171533234.html?src=rss

Project Hail Mary could teach humanity a thing or two

It's hard not to find the premise of Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary instantly compelling: Something is slowly killing the sun and threatening life on Earth. That same mysterious force, dubbed the Astrophage, also destroyed every nearby star except one. Our only hope is to visit that solar system and figure out what helped it survive. And there's just one middle school science teacher who can do it. At its core is Weir's love of technical problem solving, along with a tremendous performance by Ryan Gosling in full nerd hero mode as the aforementioned science teacher (and former molecular biologist). It's the sort of sweeping sci-fi epic that will make a whole generation of kids ready to science the shit out of humanity's future problems. And maybe it'll remind clueless adults that we gain much more by working together to solve global issues, instead of being purely self-interested. The film starts with Gosling's character, Ryland Grace, waking up from an induced coma with no memory. He's shocked to find that he's light years away from Earth, and that the other two members of his crew are already dead. As he gets his bearings, he recalls that he was sent on a last-ditch mission, Project Hail Mary, to save the sun and everyone on Earth. No pressure! These early moments make it clear that screenwriter Drew Goddard (who also adapted The Martian ), as well as directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, can deftly juggle comedy alongside the inherent drama in the story. There's something genuinely moving about the mission. With about 30 years before the planet is faced with a global cooling event likely ending in mass starvation, Earth's major political powers put aside their differences and deliver their finest scientific minds to come up with a solution. You can really take your pick with real-world parallels, like the impending climate crisis, or the increasing threat of nuclear war. Simply seeing the world work together feels meaningful in these bleak times. And unlike other space disaster films like Armageddon and Interstellar , cooperation, rather than NASA alone, is the only way forward. Ryan Gosling in Project Hail Mary. Jonathan Olley for Amazon Sure, humanity's hope for survival ultimately falls on the shoulders of one of the most attractive white men on (or in this case, off) the planet, but you know, movies . It's also not a spoiler to say that Grace isn't entirely alone on his journey. As already revealed by the film's trailers and a ton of social media clips, he's also joined by a crab-like being made of rock, which he simply calls Rocky. They eventually learn to communicate, and it's revealed that Rocky is also on a mission to save their own home planet. While we get brief glimpses of life on Earth, and the planning of Project Hail Mary, for the vast majority of the film we're just left with Grace figuring things together with a rock alien. And yet, the film never drags. It's a testament to Gosling's inherent charm, but he also demonstrates an incredible ability to shift from joy and goofiness, to sheer terror, to leading-man heroics on a dime. It's also hard to take your eyes off of Rocky, who is rendered with a loving mixture of practical puppetry and CG. We've never seen a creature like them before one that, despite having no eyes or mouth, manages to connect with viewers mostly through their very expressive arms. Ryan Gosling in Project Hail Mary. Jonathan Olley for Amazon Project Hail Mary is ultimately a work of pulp sci-fi as told by an author who loves deeply nerdy technical solutions, as well as a writer and directors who know precisely what makes a great blockbuster tick. But the notion that humanity can collectively come together to do the impossible always tugs at my heartstrings a bit. And yes, theres the power of friendship , too. In this moment, when things seem particularly bleak, these ideas seem especially meaningful. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/project-hail-mary-could-teach-humanity-a-thing-or-two-154327806.html?src=rss

Belkin Charging Case Pro for Switch 2 review: A more elegant solution

Last year, Belkin released a couple of cases for the Nintendo Switch 2 just in time for launch, including one that came with a handy battery pack . That one was simple and effective, but it felt a bit crude because it wasn't much more than a basic travel pouch with a generic power cell tossed inside. Now, Belkin is back with a Pro version of its Charging Case for the Nintendo Switch 2 , featuring a more sophisticated battery pack along with a higher price tag ($100 vs. $70). So heres the question for any Switch 2 owners still looking for a way to protect their console while keeping it topped off: Is a more elegant charging solution really worth the extra money? Case design At 11.7 x 6.1 x 2.5 inches and weighing 1 pound 12 ounces, the Pro Charging Case is a touch larger and heavier than its non-pro sibling. It also features a very similar design with the same color options and materials, including a tough polyester outer shell thats balanced by a softer, velvet-like material and cutouts for your Switch 2 on the inside. The Pro Charging Case (bottom) is a touch bigger and heavier than the previous model, but aside from that its sports a nearly identical design. Sam Rutherford for Engadget Once again, Belkin has done a good job of providing a snug cabin to store your console while still making it easy to take it in and out. That said, if your system also has an extra-thick protector or hardshell case like the Killswitch from Dbrand , it may not fit. There's also a padded flap that swings down to protect your Switch 2's screen that also pulls double duty as a place to stash up to 12 game cartridges, which is a very thoughtful touch. However, the biggest change to the Pro Charging Case's exterior design is a new cutout on the front edge, which allows you to top off other gadgets (or a Switch) by plugging a USB-C cable into Belkin's included battery pack. Unfortunately, the case doesn't come with a cord, which seems a bit odd until you take a closer look at the power pack's layout.Thats because once you open up the case, youll see a second port designed to fit right into the bottom power jack on the Switch 2 without the need for a cable. The inside of the Pro Charging Case features a handy mesh pocket, 12 slots for game carts and a hidden AirTag pouch. Sam Rutherford for Engadget Other small touches on Belkin's Pro Charging Case include a mesh pocket for storing things like cables, Joy-Con straps or cleaning cloths, which is very handy. However, my favorite thing might be the AirTag pouch that's also hidden inside that pocket, which could give you a fighting chance of recovering your system if it's ever lost or stolen (though I wouldn't count on it). Battery pack The arrangement of the included 10,000mAh battery pack and the placement of its internal USB-C port makes it a cinch to recharge your Switch 2 every time you put it in the case. Sam Rutherford for Engadget Despite the increased size of the Pro Charging Case's included battery, it has the same 10,000mAh capacity as what you get from its less expensive sibling. That means you'll typically have enough juice for a little more than 1.5 recharges for your Switch 2 and its onboard 5,220mAh cell. Instead of relying on a simple external power pack like before, Belkin's bundled battery comes with a second USB-C port and a kickstand. This makes it super easy to plug in your Switch 2 every time you put it in the case. This way, you know the next time you turn it on, it'll be at 100 percent. Here's what the battery pack looks like when you take it out of the case. As you can see, its size and shape means it's not a great standalone external power pack any more. Sam Rutherford for Engadget Alternatively, you can raise the kickstand to prop up the Switch 2 and game on it while it stays nestled inside the case. This might seem a bit redundant as Nintendo's console already has its own kickstand, but Belkins allows you to continue charging the system while you're playing without needing a cord. There's even a handy display on the side of the battery, so it's super easy to see how much juice is left, even when the case is closed. Furthermore, when you need to recharge the power pack, you can do so without removing it from the case or disconnecting your Switch thanks to that bonus USB-C port on the outside. Compared to the previous model, this is certainly a more elegant solution that provides some subtle quality of life improvements. The one downside is that the battery pack is somewhat awkwardly shaped, so you won't really want to use it on its own. Wrap-up There's no doubt the Pro Charging Case's new battery pack is a more premium solution that's easier to use and manage. When you need to recharge it, you can do so from the outside without opening the pouch. It also lets you charge a Switch 2 without ever needing a cable. The built-in kickstand is another bonus that helps elevate the whole kit from a simple case to something closer to a tiny all-in-one gaming booth. One of the neat things about giving the battery a kickstand is that it turns the case into a mini all-in-one. This makes me wish Belkin gave the included power pack some sort of docking functionality for connecting the Switch 2 to an external display. Sam Rutherford for Engadget That said, after using it for a couple of weeks, I'm still not sure the added convenience is worth an extra $30 over the original. Due to the battery packs' new shape, it's less useful as a standalone power cell, and the rest of the case's design is largely unchanged. Of course, it's always nice to have options, and if you're the kind of person who doesn't mind spending a little extra for a more streamlined and convenient kit, Belkin's Pro Charging Case for the Switch 2 is still very much worth consideration. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/belkin-charging-case-pro-for-switch-2-review-a-more-elegant-solution-144820809.html?src=rss

Amazon is reportedly working on a new phone built around Alexa

Amazon is reportedly planning to re-enter the smartphone market more than 10 years after its last attempt. According to a Reuters report, the mysterious phone is internally codenamed Transformer and is being developed by the companys devices and services unit. There isnt a whole lot to go on right now, but it probably wont surprise many to learn that the phone will likely lean heavily on AI. According to Reuters sources, Alexa functionality would be a core part of the experience, but Amazon wouldnt necessarily build a custom OS around its voice assistant. The phone would make buying products on Amazon and using services like Prime Music and Prime Video easier than ever, and may bypass traditional app stores. Reuters reports that the Transformer project is being led by the recently established ZeroOne, an Amazon devices unit headed up by ex-Microsoft executive and Xbox co-founder J Allard, who was also one of the creators of Zune. Allard joined Amazon last year to lead a a special projects team dedicated to inventing breakthrough consumer product categories. The development team has reportedly considered launching both a traditional smartphone and a so-called dumbphone, which would presumably strip away anything that needlessly distracted you from the Amazon empire. Reuters anonymous sources suggest the latter could help combat screen addiction by offering fewer features. ZeroOne is apparently inspired by the ultra-minimalist Light Phone , suggesting that Amazon might be reluctant to take on the flagship devices of Apple and Samsung. The report adds that the Transformer phone could even be positioned as a secondary handset. This, of course, would not be Amazons first crack at the smartphone business. The company launched the Fire Phone in 2014, an ambitious and interesting device that ultimately failed to tempt people away from the more established smartphone ecosystems. Its widely remembered as perhaps the companys biggest hardware misstep. With analysts forecasting an unprecedented decline in the smartphone market in 2026, now seems like a risky time for Amazon to try again, and Reuters was unable to determine exactly how much the company has committed to the Transformer project. Sources also wouldnt rule out it being scrapped altogether if the companys priorities suddenly shifted. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/amazon-is-reportedly-working-on-a-new-phone-built-around-alexa-142244500.html?src=rss

ByteDance is selling its Moonton game unit to Savvy Games for a cool $6 billion

Following discussions first reported on earlier this year , ByteDance has agreed to sell its games unit Moonton to Savvy Games Group for $6 billion. Moonton is known for mobile titles popular in Asia like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang , which has been downloaded 1.5 billion times. The transaction is set to be finalized in the ear future, according to an internal memo from Moonton's CEO seen by Bloomberg . ByteDance has been winding down its gaming arm and shopping Moonton since 2023 , just two years after it first acquired the developer. Around that same period, the TikTok parent was shuttering its Nuverse gaming arm, which published notable titles like Marvel Snap and Ragnarok X: Next Generation . The company has since shifted its focus to AI, competing with Chinese rivals to develop chatbots and foundational models. Savvy Games, which is owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), has been going in the opposite direction. Last year the company (via its subsidiary Scopely) acquired Pokmon Go developer Niantic for $3.5 billion. PIF was also among the key investors that purchased Electronic Arts in a blockbuster $55 billion deal last year. The Saudi fund holds a 7.5 percent stake in Nintendo as well. The sale is the latest chapter in the recent gaming industry consolidation that saw around 45,000 jobs lost in a brutal three-year period between 2022 and 2025. According to a recent GDC study, one-third of US video game industry workers were laid off over the last two years. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/bytedance-is-selling-its-moonton-game-unit-to-savvy-games-for-a-cool-6-billion-124131595.html?src=rss

Engadget Podcast: Why does everyone hate NVIDIA's DLSS 5 AI upscaling?

NVIDIA started an online firestorm this week when it announced DLSS 5 at its GTC conference. The company claims it's meant to deliver photorealistic lighting and materials in games by using neural processing. But it differs considerably from previous versions of DLSS, which were focused on using machine learning to upscale lower resolutions and generate additional frames, and gamers online arent too happy . To help us break this down, Anshel Sag , VP and principal analyst at Moor Insights and Strategy joins us to discuss his experience with NVIDIA's DLSS 5 demos. Also, we dive into what's next for Xbox with Project Helix. Subscribe! iTunes Spotify Pocket Casts Stitcher Google Podcasts Topic NVIDIA announced DLSS 5, the disgust was immediate (with Anshel Sag from Moor Insights & Strategy) 0:51 Arizona attorney general sues Kalshi for operating an illegal gambling business 36:22 Polymarket users threaten the life of a reporter at The Times of Israel over accurate reporting 36:59 Apple announces AirPods Max 2 with improved noise cancellation 44:33 Elon Musks xAI faces class action suit over facilitating CSAM dsitribution 47:38 Samsung stops selling Galaxy Z TriFold after 3 months because components got too expensive 51:22 Around Engadget: Apple Studio XDR review, Dell XPS 16 review 53:49.346 Listener Mail: Stick with iPhone on Linux? And are there any good Android tablets? 55:41 Pop culture picks 58:46 Credits Hosts: Devindra Hardawar Guest: Anshel Sag Producer: Ben Ellman Music: Dale North and Terrence OBrien This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/engadget-podcast-why-does-everyone-hate-nvidias-dlss-5-ai-upscaling-121335918.html?src=rss

How to get your grill ready for the outdoor season

If you're like me, you've absolutely had enough of winter and you're hoping warm weather is right around the corner. When it's finally more enjoyable to spend time outside, you're likely going to be cooking on the grill , so now is a great time to give everything a deep clean to prepare for your upcoming culinary adventures. I dont blame you if you opted to let your grill hibernate during the winter months, but if thats the case, itll probably need a tune-up before spring arrives. If you did keep the grill in working order over the last few months , this is a good time for a scrub and polish before warmer temperatures inspire heavy use. Here are a few tips and tricks that will hopefully make things easier. Disassemble, scrub, reassemble Billy Steele for Engadget A good rule of thumb when it comes to cleaning anything you havent used in a while is to take it apart as much as you feel comfortable and give it a thorough wipe down. For grills, this means removing the grates and any bars or burner covers basically, anything you can take out thats not the heating element. This gives you a chance to inspect the burners of your gas grill or the fire pot of a pellet model for any unsightly wear and tear. If those components are worn out or overly rusted, most companies offer replacements that you can easily swap out with a few basic tools. Once all the pieces are out, start by scraping excess debris off all sides of the interior with the help of some cleaner if needed. For a gas grill , this likely means pushing everything out through the grease trap. On a pellet grill , youll want to scrape the grease chute clear and out into the catch can, but youll also need to vacuum the interior with a shop vac just like you would after every few hours of use. And while youre at it, go ahead and empty the hopper of any old pellets that have been sitting since Labor Day. Fuel thats been sitting in the grill for months wont give you the best results when it comes time to cook so you might as well start fresh. Thankfully, pellet grill companies have made easy cleaning a key part of their designs. Webers Searwood , for example, has minimal internal parts that need to be removed to open up the bottom of the chamber. This is also a design feature of the companys gas grills. Simply vacuum or push the debris out the grease chute. The catch pan where all of the garbage ends up is also easy to access from the front of the grill, and you can remove the aluminum liner and replace it with a new one in seconds. Traegers most recent pellet grills were also redesigned to improve cleaning. Most notably, grease and ash end up in the same keg thats easy to detach from the front of the grill. The company also allows you to quickly remove all of the interior components, though theyre larger than what you find on the SmokeFire. Lastly, Traeger moved the pellet chute to the front of the Timberline and Ironwood , making it a lot more convenient to swap out wood varieties or empty an old supply. Youll want to get as much of the food leftovers out of your grill as possible for a few reasons. First, that stuff is old and lots of build-up over time can hinder cooking performance and might impact flavor. The last thing you want is old food or grease burning off right under an expensive ribeye. Second, in the case of pellet grills, not properly clearing out grease and dust can be dangerous. Its easy for grease fires to start at searing temperatures and if theres enough pellet dust in the bottom of your grill, it can actually ignite or explode. Thats why companies tell you to vacuum it out after every few hours of use. All of that dust, grease and debris should be removed before you fire the grill back up. Billy Steele/Engadget To actually clean the surfaces, youll want to get an all-natural grill cleaner. There are tons of options here, and it may take some time to find one you like. I typically use Traegers formula since its readily available at the places I buy pellets and Ive found it works well cutting through stuck-on muck. You want an all-natural grill cleaner over a regular household product as its safe to use on surfaces that will touch your food. Theyre also safe to use on the exterior of your grill without doing any damage to chrome, stainless steel or any other materials. Spray down the inside and give things a few minutes to work. Wipe it all clean and go back over any super dirty spots as needed. Ditto for the grates, bars and any other pieces you removed. I like to lay these out on a yard waste trash bag (theyre bigger than kitchen bags) so all the stuff I scrape or clean off doesnt get all over my deck. You can use shop towels if you want to recycle or paper towels if not, but just know whatever you choose will be covered in nasty black grime so you wont want to just toss them in the clothes washer when youre done. A pre-wash in a bucket or sink is needed to make sure you dont transfer gunk from your grill to your business casuals. In terms of tools, you dont need much. Ive tried that grill robot that claims to do the job for you, but Ive found sticking to the basics is more efficient. And honestly, when you get the hang of it, it doesnt take all that long. Its a good idea to have a wire brush specifically for the grates that you dont use to clean anything else. After all, this will be touching the same surfaces you put food on. I recommend another, smaller wire brush the ones that look like big toothbrushes for cleaning the burners on a gas grill. If you notice the flame isnt firing through one of the holes, you can use this to clean the pathway. Lastly, plastic is the way to go for a scraper , anything else and you risk scratching the surfaces of your grill. Sure, any damage done would be on the inside, but its still not a great feeling to knick up your previous investment. Check for updates before your first cook Traeger If you have a smart grill from the likes of Traeger , Weber or another company, youll want to plug it in and check for software updates well in advance of your first grilling session. Chances are you havent cooked much since last fall, which means companies have had months to push updates to their devices. Trust me, theres nothing worse than spending an hour trimming and seasoning a brisket only to walk outside to start the grill and it immediately launches into the update process. This could extend the whole cooking time significantly depending on the extent of the firmware additions and strength of your WiFi. Thankfully, checking for updates is quick and easy. All you need to do is turn on your grill and open up the companys app on your phone. If theres a download ready for your model, the mobile software will let you know and its usually quite prominent. If theres not a pop-up alert that displays immediately, you can check the settings menu just to make sure. Sometimes for smaller updates, a company might not beat you over the head to refresh. However, starting a fresh slate of firmware is always a safe bet and will ensure your grill is running at its best when it comes time to cook. For a good time every time, clean after each use Billy Steele for Engadget Ill be the first to admit I dont adhere to my own advice here, but its nice to have goals. I will also be the first to tell you every single time I smoke a Boston Butt or some other super fatty cut of meat that I wish I wouldve done at least a quick cleaning right after the meal. Grease buildup is not only highly flammable but its much harder to clean once it cools and solidifies. Ditto for stuck-on sauce or cheese thats left on your grates after chicken or burgers. Its best to attack these things while the grill is still warm, but cooled down from the cook. You dont necessarily have to break out the shop vac each time for your pellet grill or empty the grease bin. But youll want to make sure that stuff is away from the main cooking area for safety and so any burn off wont impact the flavor of your food. A few cups of hot water can cleanse the grease run-off while that wire brush I mentioned is best for the grates. It also doesnt hurt to do a light wipe down with an all-natural cleaner so everything is ready to go when you want to cook again. New grills for 2026 If you're looking for something brand new this spring, Weber is the only big grill company that has announced its 2026 lineup thus far. That collection of new models includes the Performer Smart Charcoal Grill, the company's first Wi-Fi-enabled charcoal grill, that offers automatic temperature control and remote monitoring via the Weber Connect app. There are two options which vary based on how big of a cart/storage space you need. The company will also sell non-smart versions that are more in line with previous Performer offerings. If you already have a Weber Kettle, the upcoming Kettle Smart Ring adds a touch of Wi-Fi and automation for $280. It too works with the Weber Connect app and supports two food probes. Plus, there's the basic LCD display and knob-based navigation for ease of use. Lastly, both the Genesis and Spirit gas grill lines have been updated with the display from the Weber Slate Griddle and side shelves that accommodate handy Weber Works accessories. Notable smart grills that debuted late last year include the X-Fire Pro and Flagship 1600 from Recteq. The former is a dual-mode pellet grill with options for smoking and searing. It functions like a traditional pellet grill for low-and-slow cooking and then the controls are more like a gas grill for high-heat grilling. The Flagship 1600 is an updated version of the grill that built the brand with 1,667 square inches of cooking space. Both models sync with the Recteq app for monitoring and controls. I should have a full review of the X-Fire Pro in the coming weeks. Both Kamado Joe and Masterbuilt won't be unveiling any new models this year. Traeger hasn't announced anything new for 2026 yet either, but the company is currently facing both a financial crisis and a class-action lawsuit from former brand ambassadors over employment terms. As part of the so-called Project Gravity restructuring , Traeger no longer hosts its roadshow program at Costco and points would-be buyers to retail partners (Ace Hardware, etc.) rather than facilitating direct sales through its website. Check out more from our spring cleaning guide. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/kitchen-tech/how-to-clean-your-grill-for-summer-outdoor-season-spring-cleaning-140040826.html?src=rss

Blue Origin also wants to put AI data centers in space

Blue Origin has revealed its plans for an orbital AI data center system in a new filing with the Federal Communications Commission. The company has asked the agency for permission to deploy 51,600 satellites, as reported by the Wall Street Journal and SpaceNews . Called Project Sunrise, the initiative aims to launch and operate a constellation of satellites that can deliver computing capacity for artificial intelligence uses. Project Sunrises satellites will be placed in sun-synchronous orbits at altitudes between 311 and 1,118 miles. Each layer in the constellation will have between 300 to 1,000 satellites and will be approximately 3 to 6 miles apart. In its filing, Blue Origin said the constellation would complement terrestrial data centers. The satellites will, of course, will be fitted with solar panels to be able to gather energy from the sun. Blue Origin explained that the orbital AI data center will lower the marginal cost of compute capacity compared to terrestrial alternatives, because the satellites will be powered by the sun, wont need land and wont need grid infrastructure. Project Sunrise will enable US companies developing and using AI to flourish, accelerating breakthroughs in machine learning, autonomous systems and predictive analytics, Blue Origin added. By filing its request with the FCC, Blue Origin has officially joined SpaceX in the list of companies looking to build an AI data center in space. In January, SpaceX asked the FCC for permission to deploy 1 million satellites for its constellation. The company justified at the time that orbital data centers are the most efficient way to meet the accelerating demand for AI computing power. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/blue-origin-also-wants-to-put-ai-data-centers-in-space-115614142.html?src=rss

Alphabet no longer has a controlling stake in its life sciences business Verily

Alphabet's life sciences business Verily is restructuring and raising money as a new corporate entity. Verily announced that with its $300 million investment round, it will change from an LLC to a corporation and rename itself Verily Health Inc. As a result, Alphabet now has a minority stake rather than a controlling one in the business. Similar to every other tech business, this chapter for Verily will be focused on AI. From research to care, our customers need solutions that bring the best of clinical and scientific rigor together with AI to deliver the next generation of healthcare - one that is as precise as it is personal, Chairman and CEO Stephen Gillett said. Google Life Sciences was renamed Verily in 2015, around the same time as Google also rebranded to Alphabet. It has worked on a wide range of projects over the years, such as using eye scans to predict heart disease and an opioid addiction center . In 2025, it closed its medical device division , a move that may have signaled its shift toward AI. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/alphabet-no-longer-has-a-controlling-stake-in-its-life-sciences-business-verily-221718631.html?src=rss

States are suing the EPA for relinquishing its role as a greenhouse gas emissions regulator

California, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York are leading a group of 20 other states in suing the US Environmental Protection Agency for renouncing its ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, The New York Times reports . The lawsuit specifically argues that the EPA's decision to rescind a 2009 study that determined greenhouse gases are dangerous to public health was illegal. The study, which is the source of what's called the Endangerment Finding, was one of several justifications along with things like the Clean Air Act for the agency's ability to regulate emissions. Rescinding the finding nullified the EPA's evidence for things like emissions standards and a variety of other regulations that attempted to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases produced by the automotive, coal and oil industries. The Trump administration framed the rollback as a cost-saving measure, but it was also a major blow to the government's ability to fight climate change. Greenhouse gases, which include things like carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, collect in the atmosphere and warm the planet, upsetting weather patterns and negatively impacting the environment. Determining the changes caused by greenhouse gases posed a risk to public health gave the EPA the authority to regulate them under its existing mandate to address air pollution. An authority it could have again, depending on the result of this litigation. Of course, winning a lawsuit isn't necessary to restore the EPA's role in fighting climate change. Congress could do that now by passing a new law. The legal route is just faster, and potentially riskier. The New York Times writes that this new lawsuit was filed in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, and could ultimately be combined with an existing lawsuit from environmental groups. Depending on how the case fairs in the lower court, it may eventually be appealed to the US Supreme Court, who could decide on an even more restrictive interpretation of the EPA's role. Under President Donald Trump, the EPA has already rolled back clean water rules and attempted to stifle research . The Trump administration has separately tried to undermine the authority of independent agencies like the EPA and FTC , something the Supreme Court has yet to determine to be illegal. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/states-are-suing-the-epa-for-relinquishing-its-role-as-a-greenhouse-gas-emissions-regulator-221425064.html?src=rss

Amazon acquires autonomous robotics startup Rivr

Amazon has acquired Rivr, a startup focused on autonomous robotics. Rivr is based in Zurich and was valued at $110 million in a funding round from August 2024, which both Amazon and its CEO's Bezos Expeditions participated in. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed. Rivr's robots have four legs and wheels that allow it to maneuver on stairs and other potentially uneven surfaces. The company just released its second generation of the robot. The purchase will likely further Amazon's capabilities for ever-faster and more efficient package deliveries. This acquisition reflects our commitment to a continued investment in research, which we believe has the potential to further improve safety outcomes and the overall delivery experience for delivery service partners and their delivery associates, a representative from Amazon told The Information . Amazon has been working toward introducing automations and robotics at various stages of its shopping business. It deployed its 1 millionth robot last summer and has future goals for automating 75 percent of all its operations. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/amazon-acquires-autonomous-robotics-startup-rivr-212839750.html?src=rss

DoorDash will start paying gig workers for creating content to train AI models

DoorDash has launched a new option for its gig economy workers to earn some extra cash. The delivery service introduced Tasks , which it describes as short activities Dashers can complete between deliveries or in their own time. It gives taking pictures of restaurant dishes or recording video of unscripted conversations in languages other than English as examples. These materials will be used to train artificial intelligence and robotics models. A representative from DoorDash told Bloomberg News that it will use Tasks content for evaluating its in-house AI models as well as those made by its partner companies in retail, insurance, hospitality and tech. DoorDash is piloting a standalone app for Tasks where Dashers will submit their content. The blog post notes that pay will be displayed upfront, and compensation will vary based on the complexity of the activity. This idea isn't new. We've seen other startups in AI and robotics offering payment for content filmed by regular people. Considering how many lawsuits are underway against AI companies that have already benefited from unauthorized use of copyrighted materials , at least this approach lets people be directly compensated for training content. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/doordash-will-start-paying-gig-workers-for-creating-content-to-train-ai-models-204048743.html?src=rss

Google is reportedly testing a Gemini app for Mac

Google is testing a version of its Gemini app for macOS, Bloomberg reports . The app would bring the AI assistant to uncharted territory, and in more direct competition with OpenAI's ChatGPT and Anthropic's Claude , both of which offer standalone Mac apps. Gemini remains accessible through the web, and it sounds like the macOS app offers the same set of features, with the ability to respond to prompts, search the web and generate text, images and code. The major differentiator of the Mac app could be a feature called Desktop Intelligence, which gives Gemini a new source of information and context for its responses. According to a message in the app's code viewed by Bloomberg , when you enable apps for Desktop Intelligence you are enabling Gemini to see what you see (such as screen context) and pull content directly from these apps to improve and personalize your experience only when Gemini is in use. The ability to refer to information in apps and what's currently on your screen is offered by both the Claude and ChatGPT macOS apps, and something Gemini is capable of on mobile devices . It's not clear if Gemini for macOS will be able to actually take action in the apps it can view like, for example, Anthropic's popular Claude Cowork feature but Google has already started offering that experience in a limited form on smartphones , so who's to say that couldn't come to desktop operating systems, too. Bloomberg reports that the Gemini app is being tested with non-Google employees, which could be a sign it's making its way to a public release. Thanks to Apple and Google's AI partnership, whether the app sees the light of day or not, some of the technology that makes Gemini possible will run on macOS in the future. Google and Apple announced in January that Google's Gemini models would power future versions of Apple Intelligence. Apple is also reportedly overhauling Siri into more of a chatbot , an experience likely made possible by Gemini. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-is-reportedly-testing-a-gemini-app-for-mac-203703372.html?src=rss

Android will hide some app sideloading behind a new one-time security process

Google has detailed how users will be able to sideload apps from unverified developers once it implements its more restrictive policy towards downloading software on Android. The company originally planned to require all developers to be verified to distribute on Android, but softened its stance in November 2025 to allow carveouts for Android power-users and hobbyist developers. For the average Android users, the ability to sideload apps will now be locked behind a multi-step one-time process. Users will first have to enable developer mode in settings, confirm they're not being coached into disabling security, restart their phone (to cut off any phone calls), then wait a day and confirm their identity with biometric authentication or a pin before installing any apps. Google says you can enable the ability to install apps from unverified developers for seven days or indefinitely, but regardless of what you'll choose, you'll still have to dismiss a warning telling you the app you're installing is from an unverified developer. For hobbyist developers or students who want people to try their app but don't want to create a verified developer account, Google also plans to offer free limited distributions accounts that let you share apps without being verified. These accounts will let you share apps with up to 20 devices without having to provide a government-issued ID or pay a registration fee. Google is implementing its new verification process in the name of security, and has likened the requirements being asked of developers to an ID check at the airport, which confirms a traveler's identity but is separate from the security screening of their bags. Neither the verification nor this new approach to sideloading entirely closes off getting apps from unverified developers onto your Android device, they just make it harder to download something dangerous directly from the internet onto your phone. Google appears to be trying to split the difference on Android, tightening up what apps can be distributed via verification, while cutting its own Play Store fees and changing its stance towards third-party app stores. Requiring verification to distribute software extends Google's influence outside of its own apps and app store, which is why some developers and digital rights organizations have publicly pushed back on the company's plan. Developers can sign-up for early access to the developer verification process now. Google says its new workflow for enabling sideloading and small distributions of apps will go live in August. Correction, March 19, 2026, 3:44PM ET: The headline has been change to clarify that the new procedure does not apply to all app sideloading. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/android-will-hide-app-sideloading-behind-a-new-one-time-security-process-184651171.html?src=rss

The Steam Spring Sale is here with discounts on Arc Raiders, Hades 2 and much more

The Steam Spring Sale is underway and as usual, there's plenty of good stuff to add to your library. The seasonal discounts will run through Thursday, March 26 at 1PM ET. If there's anything you've been waiting to buy, it's worth checking to see if it's on sale now, because huge chunks of the Steam catalog are at least a little bit off. Recent releases don't usually receive big price cuts during Steam sales, but you can save at least a couple bucks on several 2025 hits this time. The excellent Arc Raiders is $32, Doom: The Dark Ages is about $23 and Battlefield 6 is $42. Silent Hill f is half off at $35 for the horror fans, and indie appreciators can snag Hades 2 for less than $23. No Man's Sky is $24 for endless space adventures. Check out Ghost of Tsushima on PC for $36 or be the meanest cowboy in the west in Red Dead Redemption 2 for $15. We usually spy some indie excellence on the sale list and this year is no different. Is This Seat Taken? is a few bucks off, as is Megabonk . Explore the islands of Tchia for 75 percent off. No Rest for the Wicked , a newer title from the team behind Ori and the Blind Forest , is $28. Perennial Steam Sale fave Stardew Valley is half off for the five of you who don't already own it. This spring, the steep discount section has a few especially notable titles. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate , Fallout New Vegas and Totally Accurate Battle Simulator are among the games that are 90 percent off. Now you'll just need to play everything you buy before the Summer Sale. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-steam-spring-sale-is-here-with-discounts-on-arc-raiders-hades-2-and-much-more-184000691.html?src=rss

Dont be surprised that the FBI is buying your location data

The FBI has confirmed to the Senate it is once again buying data which can be used to track the locations of US citizens. That may have surprised the people who thought the precedent in Carpenter v. United States prohibited it. But while that case examined if it was legal for law enforcement to obtain location data from mobile networks without a warrant, here the FBI and other agencies have found a way to skirt the Fourth Amendment entirely. Over the last few years, they have taken to just buying location data from the same companies which power the enormous online advertising ecosystem. Where does this data come from? When your phone is connected to the internet, it broadcasts about itself, and so do the apps and platforms you use. That information includes your IP address and device type, as well as your longitude and latitude if your device has GPS. This data, known as Bidstream, alongside any third party cookies tied to your device, enables the process of Real Time Bidding (RTB) . RTB is the process where your attention is auctioned off to the highest bidder in the milliseconds after youve loaded a page. In order to make the auctions work, these platforms need to know as much about you as they can. As I explained in depth back in 2021 , data such as your location and IP address is broadcast over the ad networks. This information can also be aggregated, licensed or sold to data brokers who can pair this with any deterministic data available. For instance, if you sign up to a platform and tell them your name, email address and annual income, that data could be licensed to a data broker. Even banks looking for new revenue streams are planning to license anonymized customer data to these companies. Data brokers can easily combine the two streams of information to build out a fairly extensive picture of you as a person, and what advertisers will be the most interested in you. Unfortunately, its extremely difficult to opt out of this and, even if it were, it would be even more difficult to destroy the data already in circulation. In 2018 French company Vectaury, which acted as an ad sales intermediary for mobile apps, was inspected by the French data protection regulator. Officials found the company had built a database containing the personal data of 67.6 million people without proper consent. Data brokers dont just harvest and hoard this data to make online ad sales, however, they will also license and sell its databases to others. Lawmakers believe that these brokers have sold this data to rival nations looking for ways to spy on US citizens . How are law enforcement agencies getting it? In January, 404Media revealed the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) bought access to tools supplied by cybersecurity company Penlink. Specifically, it purchased access to tools named Tangles and Webloc, which can be used to surveil large numbers of people at once. The latter tool reportedly has the power to identify smartphones in a given area and time, and can then follow them on their journey through the day and back to their home at night. Given the secretive nature of its business, Penlink does not reveal much about how its tools operate. A since-removed marketing page says Webloc automatically analyzes location based information available in endless digital channels from the web ecosystem. And 404Media s report says these tools access commercially available smartphone location data, supplied by third-party data brokers. Forbes reports the system can also pull together data from a variety of sources, including social media, to offer a real-time view of an event. The Texas Observer says Webloc can use this information to enable warrantless device tracking. A number of other US law enforcement agencies have also purchased location data from data brokers, including the Department of Homeland Security , Customs and Border Protection , the Secret Service and the Internal Revenue Service . This isnt just limited to government agencies, however, as anti-abortion groups did similar while targeting people visiting Planned Parenthood clinics. How can this be legal? The Fourth Amendment guarantees the right of the people to be protected from unreasonable searches and seizures, made without probable case. But, as Dori H. Rahbar wrote in the Columbia Law Review , the Fourth Amendment does not regulate open market transactions. Aaron X Sobel, writing in the Yale Law and Policy Review , described the practice as end-running warrants, and urged legislators to close this loophole. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), is also pushing for legislation under the Fourth Amendment is Not For Sale Act . Its not likely that such legislation will be passed for a long time, and a cynic would suggest its not possible under the current administration. But, even if it is, it wont address the bigger issue of the ad tech industry and its partners vacuuming up as much information about us as it can. When these companies many of which arent even known to the public are able to store up enough information on us that, if they were so motivated, they could follow our path through the day, its a sign something is very rotten indeed. If were concerned about governments having this sort of access, then we should be equally nervous about anyone else having it as well. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/dont-be-surprised-that-the-fbi-is-buying-your-location-data-182047627.html?src=rss

Ubisoft ends development at Tom Clancy studio Red Storm

Ubisoft is ceasing game development at its studio, Red Storm Entertainment, best known for its work on the Tom Clancys series. While the studio is set to remain open, 105 people will be laid off, a Ubisoft source told GamesIndustry.biz . Those who survive the cull will reportedly continue to work on the Snowdrop engine, used in many of Ubisofts tentpole games over the last decade, including Star Wars Outlaws and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora more recently. Red Storm had been working on an untitled Splinter Cell VR game that was canceled in 2022, as well as the also-canceled The Division Heartland . The studio was co-founded by the author Tom Clancy himself in 1996 (taking its name from Clancy's novel Red Storm Rising ), and in its 30 years has worked on a large number of Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six games, among others. It also developed 2023s broadly well-received Assassins Creed Nexus VR . According to GamesIndustry.biz s source, the layoffs at Red Storm are part of Ubisofts wider cost-saving reorganization , which has resulted in sweeping job cuts and game cancellations across the French publisher's portfolio. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ubisoft-ends-development-at-tom-clancy-studio-red-storm-170847892.html?src=rss

Meta isn't shutting down its VR metaverse after all

Meta is backtracking on its plans to shut down the VR version of its metaverse. The company now plans to support Horizon Worlds in VR for the foreseeable future, though users shouldn't expect new games, CTO Andrew Bosworth said in an update. We will keep horizon worlds working in VR for existing games, to support the fans who've reached out, Bosworth said in a post on Instagram. For people who already have games they like that they're using in Horizon Worlds, [they] will be able to download the Horizon Worlds app and use it in VR for the foreseeable future. The reversal comes after Meta said earlier this week that Horizon Worlds in VR would no longer be accessible after June 15 as the company pivots its metaverse experiences to mobile. Though Horizon never gained mass appeal, even among VR enthusiasts, Meta's move to shut it down was just the latest sign of how the company has pivoted away from its metaverse ambitions as it chases AI superintelligence. In his post on Instagram, Bosworth said there was a lot of misinformation about the company's plans. We announced, 'hey, we're moving away from Horizon Worlds in VR,' and the headline is that Horizon is dead, he said. It's not. And likewise, VR is not dead. We're continuing to invest tremendously. The company laid off more than 1,000 employees from its metaverse division and shut down three VR studios earlier this year. Bosworth said that the company is still working on its next two generations of VR headsets. He described the metaverse as a misunderstood concept that was never meant to only encompass virtual reality. He said that AR is also part of the vision and that even people scrolling their phones could be part of the metaverse. When somebody is using their phone and you're physically with them, they're at the dinner table with you, and yet when you talk to them, they hear nothing because they've transported themselves through the glowing rectangle into a digital space, he said. Maybe that they're scrolling media, maybe that they're in the text world, but like they have transported themselves. So we've always had this internally at least me and Mark this very expansive construct of the metaverse. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/meta-isnt-shutting-down-its-vr-metaverse-after-all-165520696.html?src=rss

Kena: Bridge of Spirits launches for Switch 2 on March 26

The Switch 2 ports keep on coming. This time it's Kena: Bridge of Spirits , the award-winning 2021 title from Ember Lab. Previously announced for spring 2026 , the visually striking title now has an official release date of March 26. Kena: Bridge of Spirits won Best Independent Game and Best Debut Indie Game at The Game Awards 2021. It's already available for PS5 / PS4 , PC ( Steam and Epic ) and Xbox Series X/S and One . You play as Kena, a young spirit guide on a quest to a sacred mountain shrine. Gameplay has a Zelda-like flair. (That could make it a solid next play after Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom .) Like in Links adventures, youll find plenty of exploration, puzzles and fast-paced combat. That encompasses whacking bad guys with Kena's staff, firing arrows and flinging bombs. Kena: Bridge of Spirits launches for Switch 2 on March 26 in North America, Europe and Asia. Meanwhile, folks in Thailand can get it a day earlier, on March 25. Details about Taiwan will be announced soon. You can preorder the game today in North America and Europe and get a taste of its Pixar-esque art style in the trailer below. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/kena-bridge-of-spirits-launches-for-switch-2-on-march-26-163540229.html?src=rss

Rivian will provide 50,000 robotaxis to Uber in a deal worth $1.25 billion

Rivian and Uber have entered into a major partnership , with the former to provide the latter with 50,000 robotaxis in a deal worth $1.25 billion in funding. This starts with Uber purchasing 10,000 Rivian R2 robotaxis, which will be deployed in San Francisco and Miami by 2028. If all goes well, Uber will scoop up 40,000 more robotaxis by 2030. The company plans to scale the initiative to 25 major cities by 2031. The full $1.25 billion investment is contingent on several autonomous milestones, according to a report by Yahoo Finance . However, Uber has already committed $300 million as an initial investment, though this is subject to regulatory approval. A fleet of R2 Robotaxis is coming exclusively to @Uber . Today, we announced a partnership to help both companies accelerate their autonomous vehicle plans across 25 cities in the US, Canada and Europe by the end of 2031. https://t.co/6WazhobMyr pic.twitter.com/9fzgmIsOd5 Rivian (@Rivian) March 19, 2026 The announcement actually caused Rivian's stock to surge by ten percent before settling down to around four percent . This speaks to optimism surrounding the deal, given that just about every other stock is on the downswing at the moment due to certain geopolitical concerns . This isn't Uber's only partnership for this type of thing. It's a giant company with robotaxi hands in a number of cookie jars. The rideshare platform recently unveiled its own in-house robotaxi fleet, which is a design partnership with Lucid and Nuro . Our partner @nvidia has long helped power the AV ecosystem Now were working together to bring fully NVIDIA-driven L4 robotaxis to the @Uber platform across 28 cities by 2028, starting in LA and SF next year https://t.co/CeaxZ7dL8Z pic.twitter.com/2d2Fhol5S0 Andrew Macdonald (@andrewgordonmac) March 16, 2026 It also announced a partnership with NVIDIA to develop software-driven autonomous vehicles , which will begin deployment in Los Angeles and San Francisco by the first half of 2027. Uber even teamed up with Waymo to bring robotaxis to cities like Atlanta and Austin. As for Rivian, the company is slowly but surely becoming the cool American EV maker, a position once held by Tesla. It just announced pricing and availability for the long-anticipated R2 electric SUV . It arrives this spring, with a starting cost of $58,000. A cheaper model is expected to go on sale in 2027. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/rivian-will-provide-50000-robotaxis-to-uber-in-a-deal-worth-125-billion-153856638.html?src=rss

Vampire Survivors spinoff Vampire Crawlers is coming to PC and consoles on April 21

Poncle could be about to ruin the planets productivity all over again now that Vampire Crawlers has a release date for PC and consoles. The dungeon-crawling roguelike deckbuilder which is a Vampire Survivors spinoff is coming to Steam, Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and Nintendo Switch on April 21. Itll cost $10. Alternatively, youll be able to check it out via Xbox Game Pass on day one. Vampire Crawlers is on the way to iOS and Android as well. However, youll have to wait until sometime later this year to play it on mobile devices. Vampire Crawlers is set in the same world as Vampire Survivors and it features many of the same playable characters and enemies. The action takes place from a first-person perspective this time around. Instead of firing weapons automatically, you play cards to use your attacks or boost your stats. Each card has a mana cost, so theres more of a strategic element to combat. Cards can be modified and weapons can be evolved. Poncle made Vampire Crawlers with the help of Nosebleed Interactive. Its the first of several Vampire Survivors spinoffs that Poncle has planned. Theres also a licensed Warhammer take on the original title coming soon. While I didnt get deep enough into it to experiment with some truly wild combos, I enjoyed what I played of the Vampire Crawlers demo . If you need me, Ill be busy cancelling all of my other plans for late April. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/vampire-survivors-spinoff-vampire-crawlers-is-coming-to-pc-and-consoles-on-april-21-151217962.html?src=rss

Alexa+ launches in the UK

Amazons next-generation smart assistant has entered its Early Access program in the UK, marking Alexa+s European debut following rollouts in the US, Canada and Mexico. Starting March 19, invitations to start using the smarter, more conversational Alexa will be sent out to hundreds of thousands of willing participants, Amazon said in a press release , adding that Alexa is the most popular voice assistant in the UK. As well as its more natural communication, agentic capabilities, contextual awareness and ability to remember previous conversations across devices, Amazon that users across the pond are getting an authentically British AI-powered assistant. It understands slang terms like cuppa and might even accuse you of taking the mick in the middle of a conversation. Can we rule out some cringe-inducing cockney impersonations? Absolutely not. It also distinguishes between, for example, how people in the UK say the date he 1st of April versus how its said in the US. Amazon said that engineers, linguists and speech scientists have worked together at the companys Cambridge-based Tech Hub to ensure the voice assistant understands British users, with naturally flowing conversations being a crucial part of the Alexa+ experience. On the agentic side of things, the current lineup of UK partners will include OpenTable and, soon, JustEat, alongside existing partnerships with services like Spotify, Philips and Apple Music. Amazon also sources news from the likes of The Guardian and Future Publishing. UK-based customers who purchase a new supported Echo device will automatically qualify for Early Access, and if you already own one you can register here to receive an invite. You can also try Alexa+ on select Fire TV devices and in a web browser. During the Early Access period, which ran for nearly a year in the US before its nationwide rollout last month, Alexa+ will be free, and will remain free for Prime members. On its own it will cost 20 per month. As a reminder, Prime costs 9 per month in the UK (95 annually) so it makes no sense whatsoever to pay more for Alexa+ exclusively when it's included in the main membership anyway. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/alexa-launches-in-the-uk-141058988.html?src=rss

A new iPhone hacking tool puts some iOS 18 users at risk

Google and cybersecurity companies Lookout and iVerify have detailed a new hacking technique that potentially puts a significant portion of iPhone users in danger, just by visiting the wrong web page. The hack is called DarkSword and since it specifically targets several different versions of iOS 18, it could affect close to a quarter of iPhones, Wired writes. DarkSword is a fileless hack that leverages a collection of exploits to access sensitive data when an iPhone visits an infected website. Rather than install spyware that hangs around on a user's phone after messages and other private information are stolen, fileless hacks like DarkSword take control of he legitimate processes in an iPhone's operating system to steal data, according to Wired . Even more troubling, DarkSword deletes any evidence it was running on an iPhone after it finishes stealing your information. The hack starts as soon as an iOS device encounters an malicious iframe embedded in a web page, after which it works its way through your iPhone, gathering sensitive information like passwords before deleting itself. DarkSword can abscond with things like messages and iCloud content, but it's also specifically designed to access crypto currency wallets, Lookout says, which could indicate who was using DarkSword before it became widely available. DarkSword has reportedly been used in Ukraine, Saudi Arabia,Malaysia, Turkey and Russia, and its origins could be tied to a different hacking toolkit called Coruna that TechCrunch reports may have been created for the US government by a company called Trenchant. Regardless of where DarkSword came from, the tool didn't become widely available until its Russian users left DarkSword's source code on a website for anyone to access, complete with explanatory comments in English that describe each component and include the 'DarkSword' name for the tool, Wired writes. Apple patched the exploits that DarkSword and Coruna used in recent updates to iOS 26 , the yearly software release from 2025 that followed iOS 18. DarkSword targets iOS 18 releases between iOS 18.4 and iOS 18.6.2, and according to Apple's latest iOS usage stats for developers , around 24 percent of iOS devices are still on some version of iOS 18. However, Apple simultaneously released iOS 26 and iOS 18.7 on September 15, 2026. So even if people didnt want to upgrade to iOS 28, a secure patch has been available for six months. Despite the fact that Apples stats indicate that about 24 percent of iPhone users are still on iOS 18, the actual number of potentially vulnerable phones is much lower. Still, its a good reminder to stay on top of software updates if only for the security features if nothing else. Update, March 19, 2026, 10:10AM ET: This story has been updated to note that while this vulnerability targets iOS 18, Apple released iOS 18 updates over the last six months that are secure against this attack. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/a-new-iphone-hacking-tool-puts-some-ios-18-users-at-risk-203745666.html?src=rss

Nothing Phone 4a Pro review: A midrange phone that rivals the Pixel 10a

Nothing takes a different tack with its phone series. For the second time in a row, its midrange entry-level A-series smartphones debuted ahead of its next flagship device. The company has even warned that we wont be getting the Nothing Phone 4 until next year. Until then, the Phone 4a Pro is here to make an impact, with a more restrained design, a less obtrusive camera bump and specs that beat out last years Nothing Phone 3 all for $499 . In 2026, Nothing is truly aiming to dethrone the Pixel 10a. Hardware Mat Smith for Engadget Its a new look. Thats often the case with Nothings smartphones as the company typically reimagines or rejigs what you can see through the clear back panel. This year, however, Nothing is making bigger changes: this is its first metal (aluminum) unibody phone. With a new periscope telephoto camera design, the jarringly thick camera bump of last years Phone 3a Pro is thankfully gone, resulting in a slice of smartphone that feels and to some, looks more premium and more refined than Nothings flagship Phone 3. However, compared to the Nothing phones that came before, it also feels muted, and a little safe. The playfulness of Nothing has been hemmed in a little. You might prefer it, but Im not sure I do. Those identifiable Nothing design flourishes red details, visible screens, lots and lots of circles are now squeezed into a camera panel. This oblong area with curved corners houses a trio of cameras, a Now Recording red light and a tweaked Glyph Matrix, which we last saw on the Nothing Phone 3. This new Glyph Matrix is bigger and brighter, but at a lower resolution, thats made of 137 mini-LEDs. Thats fewer than the Nothing Phone 3s 489-strong dot-matrix, but the LEDs here are 100 percent brighter. So bright, in fact, that I had to turn them down to their lowest brightness when I was using them.The 4a Pro, however, lacks the rear button on the Phone 3 that lets you cycle through Glyph functions. Does this mean the company has made it easy to switch between Glyph toys and notifications in the phones UI? Sadly not. You can dip into the Glyph options through the main settings menu, but to change what the Glyph displays is hidden in a sub-tab. I also noticed that the offering of toys was limited, with fewer items than even the Nothing Phone 3 had at launch. Hopefully, this will expand once the phone officially launches. The 4a Pro packs a bigger screen than the companys flagship, with a 6.83-inch AMOLED screen running at 1.5K resolution. It also has a higher refresh rate than the 6.67-inch Phone 3. And on top of that, the Phone 4a Pros display has a peak brightness of 5,000 nits, making it Nothings brightest smartphone yet. Ive handled so many phones over the last four weeks that its often hard to discern the difference between brighter displays. Fortunately, I have the Nothing Phone 3 (and 3a Pro) to compare against the Phone 4a Pro. Its noticeably brighter, and as we slowly get into sunnier weather, a smartphone thats easier to read outdoors is always very welcome. The Phone 4a Pro also has improved IP65 water and dust resistance, while Nothing says it's 42 percent more bend-resistant than the Phone 3a Pro as well. Its also almost 0.5mm thinner, if you ignore the camera bump for those measurements. Factor that in and the Phone 4a Pro is almost 1.5mm thinner than its predecessor. This design change also makes Nothings newest phone feel far less top-heavy than the 3a Pro. Regardless of the aesthetic changes, this is unmistakably refined hardware. Cameras Mat Smith for Engadget Besides the streamlined camera unit, with a new tetraprism periscopic lens that takes up less space, the Phone 4a Pro has improved imaging capabilities (almost) across the board. The new 50-megapixel periscope telephoto lens (which Nothing says also uses less power) has a 3.5x optical zoom, plus computational photography magic that can now crank it up to a (mostly unusable) 140x hybrid zoom. The main 50MP sensor also features a bigger sensor for improved low-light performance. With an f/1.88 lens though, it doesnt quite match the Phone 3s main camera (f/1.68), both on paper and in practice. The array is rounded out with an 8MP ultrawide camera, which sounds like the weakest link, but I rarely use the ultrawide cameras on any phone aside from review testing. Oddly, the selfie camera is a technical downgrade in resolution, with a 32MP sensor on the 4a Pro, down from 50MP on the 3a Pro. Mat Smith for Engadget One new addition was co-developed by Google. Ultra XDR blends Androids native HDR processing with Nothings own approach, capturing 13 RAW frames at different exposures and combining them to deliver greater dynamic range and detail. However, as proof of how new they are, your Ultra XDR images cant be shared as easily. They do work with Google Photos and Instagram, at least. If its any consolation, Ultra XDR so far doesnt seem hugely far away from typical HDR capture. Ill keep testing the cameras and if I figure out where it really shines, Ill update this review. Mat Smith for Engadget If one thing disappoints on the 4a Pro, its recording video. Switching between zoom levels will often completely derail exposure settings. Even if you record on a single camera at the same focal length, exposure levels seem extremely sensitive and struggle to stay locked. Footage is often muddy and low-light performance isnt great, even if using the Ultra XDR video mode. You arent forced to endure this with the Pixel 10a, but then again, theres no zoom on Googles mid-range phone just a lossless crop. In more forgiving lighting, video is adequate, but quality drops off beyond the 3.5x optical zoom. Still, the versatility and quality of the still images from both the main camera and the telephoto lens put it above every other smartphone at this price. Performance and software The Phone 4a Pro is now powered by a more capable processor: Qualcomms Snapdragon 7 Gen 4. Nothing claims that, in addition to its own on-device optimizations, it improved CPU performance by 27 percent, GPU performance by 30 percent and AI performance by 65 percent compared to the Phone 3a series. Theres certainly a big difference in performance while gaming. While the 3a series struggled with more complex games, the 4a Pro kept up with Red Dead Redemption and Diablo Immortal . Its not the most polished interpretation of Decard Cain and the lands of Sanctuary, but it's responsive and playable, even at 60 fps, with only a few frame drops. The Phone 4a has a 5,080mAh battery, roughly equivalent to its predecessor. It supports up to 50W fast charging, a tad faster than the Pixel 10a, though it lacks wireless charging support, unlike Googles midranger. Its one of the few signs that this isnt Nothings true flagship, even if it looks the part. I was pleasantly surprised by the battery life, too. Typically, phones are getting increasingly bigger batteries, but as I mentioned, thats not the case here.. However, the 4a Pro lasted 24 hours in our battery rundown test, five hours more than last years model. The Phone 4a Pro has all the software features either present or teased in older Nothing Phones. Essential Search is a system-wide search that can find terms in messages, files and the rest of your phone. Theres also a new Breathing Break widget; we definitely need that in 2026. Essential Memory is Nothings name for its background algorithms and analysis, scrutinizing your phones contents as well as whatevers saved in Essential Space . Nothing has added cloud storage for Space, aimed at devoted upgraders, meaning everything you saved on older compatible Nothing phones can be transferred over. Sure, its a little niche, but it was an early frustration while testing the Phone 3 after the 3a series. If, for some reason, you have to reset your device, keeping everything in Space backed up elsewhere is a boon. Mat Smith for Engadget Also, while its technically a hardware tweak, Nothing has also moved the Essential Key to the left edge of the phone, making it far less likely to be triggered when youre adjusting the volume and more in line with other phones and my own smartphone muscle memory. One caveat from previous Nothing devices remains. The company says it will deliver three years of Android updates and an additional three years of security patches. Compare that to Samsungs seven years of Android updates for this years S26 series (and Googles Pixel 10a), and you can see how it falls short. Wrap-up The Phone 4a Pro punches well above its $499 price tag. Nothing has successfully refined its hardware into a more premium, all-metal unibody, losing the jarring camera bump of its predecessor in favor of a sleek design that houses a genuinely impressive camera. The improved camera versatility, coupled with its class-leading 24-hour battery life and a more capable processor, makes this a serious threat to the Pixel 10a. However, some of Nothing's signature playfulness has been dialed back. The Glyph Matrix, while brighter, is lower-resolution and its toys are disappointingly limited at launch. The lack of wireless charging is another nod to its midrange status. Nothings Phone 4a Pro is a device with a clear identity, delivering on the essentials for half the price of many rivals. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/nothing-phone-4a-pro-review-glyph-matrix-130042005.html?src=rss

The FBI confirms it's buying Americans' location data

During a Senate hearing, FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that his agency has bought information that could be used to track individuals' movement and location. We do purchase commercially available information thats consistent with the Constitution and the laws under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, and it has led to some valuable intelligence for us, he said. Law enforcement is required to obtain a warrant in order to get location data from cell service providers following the Carpenter v United States ruling from 2018. But why bother with all that hassle when they can just buy the information from the open market? Doing that without a warrant is an outrageous end run around the Fourth Amendment, its particularly dangerous given the use of artificial intelligence to comb through massive amounts of private information, Sen. Ron Wyden, (D-Ore.) said during the Intelligence Committee hearing. Wyden is one of several lawmakers pushing for an overhaul of when and how the government can obtain citizens' personal information. It's an overhaul that's badly needed. Patel already has a history of dubious use of government resources , such as ordering SWAT protections for his girlfriend and somehow horning in on men's hockey victory celebrations at the recent winter Olympics, so one would hope he's not also stretching the limits of the few privacy protections that do exist. Then outside the FBI, we have the Department of Homeland Security being sued for illegally tracking immigration raid protestors and the Pentagon's labeling of Anthropic as a supply-chain risk after the AI company refused to let its products be used for mass surveillance of Americans. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/the-fbi-confirms-its-buying-americans-location-data-230835196.html?src=rss

A Meta agentic AI sparked a security incident by acting without permission

The Information reported that an AI agent within Meta took unauthorized action that led to an employee creating a security breach at the social company last week. According to the publication, an employee used an in-house agentic AI to analyze a query from a second employee on an internal forum. The AI agent posted a response to the second employee with advice even though the first person did not direct it to do so. The second employee took the agent's recommended action, sparking a domino effect that led to some engineers having access to Meta systems that they shouldn't have permission to see. A representative from the company confirmed the incident to The Information and said that o user data was mishandled. Meta's internal report indicated that there were unspecified additional issues that led to the breach. A source said that there was no evidence that anyone took advantage of the sudden access or that the data was made public during the two hours when the security breach was active. However, that may be the result of dumb luck more than anything else. Many tech leaders and companies have touted the benefits of artificial intelligence, this is just the latest incident where human employees have lost control over an AI agent. Amazon Web Services experienced a 13-hour outage earlier this year that also (apparently coincidentally) involved its Kiro agentic AI coding tool. Moltbook, the social network for AI agents recently acquired by Meta, had a security flaw that exposed user information thanks to an oversight in the vibe-coded platform. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/a-meta-agentic-ai-sparked-a-security-incident-by-acting-without-permission-224013384.html?src=rss

A new iPhone hacking tool puts anyone still on iOS 18 at risk

Google and cybersecurity companies Lookout and iVerify have detailed a new hacking technique that potentially puts a significant portion of iPhone users in danger, just by visiting the wrong web page. The hack is called DarkSword and since it specifically targets several different versions of iOS 18, it could affect close to a quarter of iPhones, Wired writes. DarkSword is a fileless hack that leverages a collection of exploits to access sensitive data when an iPhone visits an infected website. Rather than install spyware that hangs around on a user's phone after messages and other private information are stolen, fileless hacks like DarkSword take control of he legitimate processes in an iPhone's operating system to steal data, according to Wired . Even more troubling, DarkSword deletes any evidence it was running on an iPhone after it finishes stealing your information. The hack starts as soon as an iOS device encounters an malicious iframe embedded in a web page, after which it works its way through your iPhone, gathering sensitive information like passwords before deleting itself. DarkSword can abscond with things like messages and iCloud content, but it's also specifically designed to access crypto currency wallets, Lookout says, which could indicate who was using DarkSword before it became widely available. DarkSword has reportedly been used in Ukraine, Saudi Arabia,Malaysia, Turkey and Russia, and its origins could be tied to a different hacking toolkit called Coruna that TechCrunch reports may have been created for the US government by a company called Trenchant. Regardless of where DarkSword came from, the tool didn't become widely available until its Russian users left DarkSword's source code on a website for anyone to access, complete with explanatory comments in English that describe each component and include the 'DarkSword' name for the tool, Wired writes. Apple patched the exploits that DarkSword and Coruna used in recent updates to iOS 26 , the yearly software release from 2025 that followed iOS 18. The problem is that not everyone is using Apple's latest update. DarkSword targets iOS 18 releases between iOS 18.4 and iOS 18.6.2, and according to Apple's latest iOS usage stats for developers , around 24 percent of iOS devices are still on iOS 18. Without more detail, it's hard to know how many people that leaves exposed, but as a rule of thumb, if your iOS device can update to a newer software release, you should do so as soon as possible to stay secure. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/a-new-iphone-hacking-tool-puts-anyone-still-on-ios-18-at-risk-203745949.html?src=rss

Senator Blackburn introduces the first draft of a federal AI bill

The White House has been promising a set of national rules to guide artificial intelligence since late last year, and today Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) fired the first volley. The senator shared a discussion draft for codifying the executive order signed by President Donald Trump in December calling for an AI bill. Her stated goal is a policy that protects children, creators, conservatives and communities from harm. Blackburn has called for tougher policies for AI safety, and one of the core messages in this discussion draft is that it places a duty of care on AI developers in the design, development and operation of AI platforms to prevent and mitigate foreseeable harm to users. It also draws a line on the many copyright infringement questions raised by creative industries: an AI model's unauthorized reproduction, copying, or processing of copyrighted works for the purpose of training, fine-tuning, developing, or creating AI does not constitute fair use under the Copyright Act. Some of the other notable provisions are: Requires covered online platforms, including social media platforms, to implement tools and safeguards to protect users under the age of 17 against online harms. Protects the voice and visual likenesses of individuals and creators from the proliferation of digital replicas without their consent. Sets new federal transparency guidelines for marking, authenticating and detecting AI-generated content. Requires certain companies and federal agencies to issue reports on AI-related job effects, including layoffs and job displacement to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) on a quarterly basis. It includes ending Section 230, marking the latest attempt to retire a law that has been questioned as a possible loophole for AI companies to escape liability when their tools cause harm. While AI critics might see positive signs here, remember that this is just the initial version of the framework. Lawmakers will likely spend a lot of time negotiating over the eventual result, which may be notably de-fanged from its current state. It could wind up with a lot more requirements echoing this Republican complaint: Combats the consistent pattern of bias against conservative figures demonstrated by AI systems by requiring third-party audits to prevent discrimination based on political affiliation. Despite the claims of suppression and censorship, weve consistently seen this conservative argument to be false or at the very least misleading. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/senator-blackburn-introduces-the-first-draft-of-a-federal-ai-bill-202509852.html?src=rss

Amazon will reportedly cut its USPS shipments by at least two-thirds

A recent change in how the US Postal Service handles shipping partners appears to have forced Amazon to make alternative plans. The company reportedly plans to cut the number of packages it ships through USPS by at least two-thirds later this year. It says the decision came after USPS ended negotiations at the eleventh hour in favor of a new bidding process. On Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Amazon plans to reduce the shipments it hands off to USPS. Last year, the company accounted for nearly 15 percent of the Postal Services package deliveries. Cutting that by nearly two-thirds diminishes one of the USPSs most reliable sources of revenue. In fiscal 2025, the agency reported a net loss of $9 billion. Amazons current contract with USPS ends on September 30. In a public response to the WSJ story, the company said it notified USPS in October 2025 that it would need to complete a new deal by December. You can't add capacity for hundreds of millions of packages overnight it requires major capital investment, long-term infrastructure planning, hiring, and logistics coordination, Amazon wrote. According to Amazon, USPS then pulled the plug on negotiations at the last second. We negotiated with [USPS] in good faith for more than a year to reach a deal that would bring them billions in revenue and believed we were heading toward an agreement, Amazon wrote in a statement. Our goal was to increase our volumes with USPS, not reduce them until USPS abruptly walked away at the eleventh hour in December. Postmaster General David Steiner (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File) ASSOCIATED PRESS Thats when Postmaster General David Steiner implemented a new bidding process for last-mile deliveries, replacing a long-established one where USPS negotiated with shipping partners individually. He described the move as a fair bidding process that enables the marketplace to find the best mix of local shipping attributes for the best volume-driven pricing. Steiner was appointed to the post in May 2025, following the departure of former head Louis DeJoy. Amazon said it submitted a bid in February using the new system but hasnt heard back. This creates significant uncertainty for our long-term network planning, the company said. Despite this, we participated in good faith and submitted a bid in February 2026. We've received no response. USPS plans to announce the bidding results in Q2 2026. Contracts are expected to be finalized by Q3. Despite apparently moving forward with the contingency plan, Amazon said its still ready to continue this partnership. As for Postmaster Steiner, he spent Tuesday asking Congress to loosen USPS regulations and let him raise prices. Warning that the agency will run out of cash in about a year, he told a House subcommittee that he wants to raise the agencys current $15 billion debt cap. He also asked for the ability to increase postage prices and reform its retiree pension obligations. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/amazon-will-reportedly-cut-its-usps-shipments-by-at-least-two-thirds-200915702.html?src=rss

Google is testing Search Live in more markets

Update, 4:05PM ET: A few hours after this story was published, Google reached out to retract the news. The company provided Engadget with the following statement: Search Live has not rolled out globally to all users. It remains available in the US and India, with testing currently underway in additional markets. We apologize for the earlier miscommunication. Given that the company says it is testing in more markets, it seems entirely possible that the global Search Live release will happen sooner than later. But, for now, its on hold. The original, unedited article follows below: After rolling out Search Live to all US Google app users last September , Google is now bringing the feature to every place where it offers its AI Mode chatbot. Search Live, if you need a reminder, allows you to point your phone's camera at an object or scene and ask questions about what you see in front of you. Google debuted the tool at I/O 2025 before it began rolling it out to users. With today's expansion, Search Live is available in more than 200 countries and territories. What's more, Google has updated the feature to run off its Gemini 3.1 Flash model , an upgrade the company says should translate to more natural conversations, in addition to a faster and more reliable experience. The new model is also natively multilingual. You can access Search Live from the Google app on Android and iOS. Tap the Live button below the search bar to get started. You can also access Search Live through Google Lens. As in the Google app, look for the Live icon, here located near the bottom of the screen, to start chatting. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-is-testing-search-live-in-more-markets-150000316.html?src=rss

Hubble catches rare view of a comet crumbling

NASA and ESA have released new images from the Hubble Space Telescope of a comet breaking up as it exits the solar system, captured as part of study recently published in the journal Icarus . The images are notable not only because they offer a more detailed view of the inside of a comet, which could offer new information about the early days of the universe, but also because they were taken by accident. Photographing K1, or Comet C/2025 K1 as it's officially known, wasn't the original intention of the study. This comet [was] observed because our original comet was not viewable due to some new technical constraints after we won our proposal, John Noonan, a research professor in the Department of Physics at Auburn University in Alabama said. We had to find a new target and right when we observed it, it happened to break apart, which is the slimmest of slim chances. The comet broke up over a period of days into at least four pieces, each with a fuzzy envelope of gas and dust around them, with Hubble specifically capturing the disassembly from November 8 through November 10, 2025. K1 was interesting before it started to crumble because at around 8 kilometers across (about 5 miles), it's larger than the average comet, and having footage of it shattering will likely offer new insights into the physics of comets in general. Additionally, the lack of carbon in the gases released by the comet as it broke is apparently chemically very strange, which suggests the composition of K1 could bear scientific fruit, too. Hubble has tracked comets of different sizes and compositions for years. Studying them remains a focus because comets are frequently made of ice and rock from the primordial period when solar systems were first forming. The ESA hopes to dramatically expand our understanding of that period with its Comet Interceptor mission, which is supposed to launch in 2028 or 2029 , and aims to use photos captured from multiple angles to create a 3D model of a comet. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/hubble-catches-rare-view-of-a-comet-crumbling-185817544.html?src=rss

Perplexity's Comet AI browser is now available for iPhones

Perplexity's Comet AI browser is now available as a standalone app for iPhone users. The tool initially debuted last summer on PCs, but cost $200 a month . The new app is free, as is the recently-released Android version . Comet is an AI-powered browser, which has become a hot product category throughout the past year or so . This is basically a web browser combined with a chatbot that can perform some tasks on a user's behalf. Like related tools, people can ask it to summarize a webpage or conduct additional research for more context about a subject. Comet is now available for iOS. Download on the App Store: https://t.co/JCfCIO3Fdw pic.twitter.com/DitCKlmg65 Perplexity (@perplexity_ai) March 18, 2026 Perplexity says that Comet acts as a personal assistant and thinking partner to urn curiosity into momentum. Those are certainly words. The company boasts that folks can use the tool to shop and make schedules. I advise some caution for both of these tasks, given that AI browsers are notorious marks that easily fall for various online scams . One cool thing here is that the app takes full advantage of Apple's Liquid Glass technology. It certainly looks easy on the eyes and that address bar really pops. The iOS version does suffer from some limitations inherent to Apple's walled-garden approach, according to a preview by MacStories . Users cannot install third-party extensions here, though it can be made the default browser. Finally, there's a privacy concern worth considering. Perplexity has been open about the fact that it uses browsers in part to collect customer data for ad targeting . There's a reason why something that used to cost $200 is now available for free . The Comet browser is now available for iPhones, Android devices, Windows PCs and Macs. There isn't a native iPad app yet, but the standard Perplexity app is available for Apple's tablets so maybe the browser will follow suit. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/perplexitys-comet-ai-browser-is-now-available-for-iphones-183947569.html?src=rss

Microsoft will finally let you turn off Quick Resume for individual games

Microsoft is rolling out a number of Xbox Series X|S updates to those on its Xbox Insiders program, and one of them has been requested by the community for years. Youll soon be able to disable the Quick Resume feature for specific games, meaning they'll boot up fresh each time you launch them. As a reminder, Quick Resume is a feature that Microsoft introduced with its current generation of consoles. It lets you suspend a number of games simultaneously so theyre running in the background even when the console is turned off. When you want to return to a game that supports Quick Resume, it'll drop you back in exactly where you left it within a few seconds, often even when its been months since you last played that game. Its a pretty neat feature, and still impressive more than five years since the Series X|S launched. But over the years, players have discovered that Quick Resume isnt ideal for every title, particularly always-online games. When you take these out of their suspended state, theyll often shout at you for letting them disconnect, forcing you to manually close the game down properly and then relaunch it. Other games just don't seem to get on with it for a variety of other reasons. You can manually close any game you want at any time, but it takes a few more button presses than Quick Resume, so its easy to forget. The latest Xbox update finally addresses this, letting you turn off the feature on a game-by-game basis by selecting More Options and then Manage Quick Resume on a game tile. That way you can ensure its only enabled for single-player titles in which the ability to instantly pick up where you left off is very appealing. Its a change that has gone down well with ex-Xbox icon Larry Major Nelson Hryb, who said on X that he first requested it five years ago when still employed by Microsoft. Love this. I filed a feature request to make Quick Resume per title in 2021. Great to finally see it happen. https://t.co/eDn56MIMSu Larry Hryb, Gamer Emeritus (@majornelson) March 18, 2026 Microsoft is also adding more customization options to the Xbox dashboard in the upcoming update. Youll be able to create custom background colors, rather than having to select one of the existing color options, while the amount of Groups you can add to your Home screen has been increased from two to 10. These can be reordered in the same way you reorder individual game tiles. Select Xbox Insiders can start using the new features now, before theyre eventually made available to everyone. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/microsoft-will-finally-let-you-turn-off-quick-resume-for-individual-games-174639730.html?src=rss

Double Fines Kiln pops out of the oven and onto PC, Xbox and PS5 on April 23

Double Fine is following up on Keeper one of our favorite games of 2025 with Kiln , a multiplayer online pottery party brawler. The game was showcased during Xboxs Developer Direct stream in January and now it has a release date. Its coming to Xbox Series X/S, Xbox on PC, Xbox Cloud, PlayStation 5 and Steam on April 23. Xbox said Kiln will be Handheld Optimized from the jump. In Kiln , you'll use a virtual pottery wheel to shape a piece of clay into a vessel and then decorate it. The size and shape will determine how much health you have, the water capacity of your vessel and your speed. For instance, smaller pots will be able to attack faster, while a larger, slower pot might be more powerful. The shape you opt for (bowl, bottle, chalice and so on) determines which special ability you have. The decorations are purely cosmetic. In the main Quench mode, the aim is to gather water and be the first team of four to put out the other side's kiln three times (which sounds a bit like a MOBA to me). Doing so won't exactly be straightforward, of course. When you run into an enemy vessel, you can try to smash it, and they'll probably attempt to do the same to you. In one map, you'll be able to pour water onto sponges to create barriers. In another, there's a disco dance floor that compels players to dance on the flashing squares for a short while. There's no in-game voice chat, but players could easily get around that using their console's built-in party features or the likes of Discord. An open beta will take place on Steam from April 9 to 11. Pre-orders will go live at that time as well. The base version of the game is $20. A $30 Fired Up edition includes premium cosmetic options as well as extra chips, the in-game currency that's used to unlock customizations. Otherwise, chips can only be earned through gameplay. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/double-fines-kiln-pops-out-of-the-oven-and-onto-pc-xbox-and-ps5-on-april-23-171433966.html?src=rss

The Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer is filled with MCU cameos

We just got our first trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day , the next big Marvel film. This is the fourth installment led by Tom Holland and follows the multiversal shenanigans of Spider-Man: No Way Home . I'm about to get into some spoilers, for those still working through the MCU catalog. No Way Home ended with the entire world forgetting about the existence of Peter Parker, so this new movie will deal with the fallout from that. His whole support system is gone, though it looks like he still checks in on besties MJ and Ned from time to time. Peter Parker may be lonely, but he's not alone in the film. He's teaming up with the Punisher, who is still played by Jon Bernthal after returning to the role in Daredevil: Born Again . In the comics, Spider-Man and the Punisher are long-time work buddies and occasional sparring partners. As a matter of fact, Frank Castle made his introduction in a Spider-Man comic that was published in 1974. Bruce Banner also shows up in the trailer, potentially as Parker's professor. Mark Ruffalo is returning to the role, but we don't have any confirmation that he'll turn into the Hulk. It's worth pointing out that this is the regular human Banner, and not the hybrid version that's been popping up in recent MCU projects. The trailer even highlights an iconic Spider-Man villain. Michael Mando is playing Scorpion, which is a pretty deep MCU cut. The character was teased all the way back in Spider-Man: Homecoming . The footage also shows Spidey battling ninjas that look suspiciously like the Hand, who were last seen in The Defenders on Netflix . This lends credence to rumors that Daredevil could be appearing in the film . We don't have all that long to wait. Spider-Man: Brand New Day premieres in theaters on July 31. This is the final MCU film before the long-awaited Avengers: Doomsday , which hits cinemas in December. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-spider-man-brand-new-day-trailer-is-filled-with-mcu-cameos-170215452.html?src=rss

Meta's latest creator push comes with $3,000 bonuses for posting on Facebook

Stop me if you've heard this before: Meta has a new program to lure top creator talent to Facebook and it comes with hefty bonus payments. The company is launching a new initiative aimed at popular creators who already have large followings on TikTok, YouTube or Instagram and offering them bonuses up to $3,000 a month just for posting on Facebook. Meta's goal is to draw more top talent to its Content Monetization program, which pays creators based on views and other engagement metrics across Stories, Reels and posts. The new bonuses will be part of an initiative Meta has dubbed Creator Fast Track , which is meant to make the onboarding process easier and more enticing to Facebook newcomers. Under the new Fast Track program, Meta is offering monthly bonuses of $1,000 to creators who have at least 100,000 followers on another platform and $3,000 for those that have a million or more. Creators who join will need to post a minimum number of times per month to earn the bonuses, but aren't required to meet engagement targets or post exclusive content to earn. They also aren't require to post video content as Facebook also reward text and photo posts, as well as Stories . That may sound like a pretty good deal (it is), but it's also a limited one. The fast track bonuses will only last for three months. Creators should think of the bonuses as payment for the hassle of starting on a new platform, not the central part of the program, Meta's VP of Product for Creators, Yair Livne, tells Engadget. Our hope is that within a few months the earnings that you see from Facebook Content Monetization will become the more important thing. He also notes that Meta will boost the reach of creators it fast-tracks, which should help them speed up their earning potential. It's far from the first time Facebook has sought to lure big names with big checks. It promised publishers big payouts when it launched Facebook Watch nearly a decade ago. It once courted game streamers for its (now defunct) Twitch competitor. A year after launching Reels to take on TikTok, it invested $1 billion in a bonus program that offered creators as much as $35,000 a month only to pull the plug in 2023. Livne acknowledged that it took us a long time to find our path to a more sustainable creator program. We don't have a pool structure so you're not competing with other creators for dollars. It really is based on your performance. There are already signs that the Facebook Content Monetization program, which it introduced in the fall of 2024, is working at least for some. Meta says it paid Facebook creators nearly $3 billion in 2025, a new high for the social network. Creators have also reported that the new streamlined program is paying off. One political news creator told the newsletter Chaotic Era that they made $250,000 from Facebook in January alone. Publishers told Digiday last year that they expected to make between six and seven figures in 2025 thanks to the program. There are numerous recent posts in Reddit's r/passiveincome forum where users report making five figures a month from the program, which is still invitation only. Livne agrees that Facebook's monetization program has been something of a well kept secret in the creator community. We're trying to make it less well kept and less of a secret. Are you in Facebook's Content Monetization Program, Creator Fast Track or another creator program at Meta? You can reach Karissa by email , on X , Bluesky , Threads , or send a message to @karissabe.51 to chat confidentially on Signal. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/metas-latest-creator-push-comes-with-3000-bonuses-for-posting-on-facebook-160000283.html?src=rss

Google expands Search Live globally

After rolling out Search Live to all US Google app users last September , Google is now bringing the feature to every place where it offers its AI Mode chatbot. Search Live, if you need a reminder, allows you to point your phone's camera at an object or scene and ask questions about what you see in front of you. Google debuted the tool at I/O 2025 before it began rolling it out to users. With today's expansion, Search Live is available in more than 200 countries and territories. What's more, Google has updated the feature to run off its Gemini 3.1 Flash model , an upgrade the company says should translate to more natural conversations, in addition to a faster and more reliable experience. The new model is also natively multilingual. You can access Search Live from the Google app on Android and iOS. Tap the Live button below the search bar to get started. You can also access Search Live through Google Lens. As in the Google app, look for the Live icon, here located near the bottom of the screen, to start chatting. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-expands-search-live-globally-150000252.html?src=rss

It's time for Game Freak to finally give Pokmon some proper voice acting

Ever since making the jump to the Nintendo Switch, there's something that's bugged me about practically every modern Pokmon game, a feeling that has only intensified after spending countless hours in Pokopia . For titles based in big, open worlds and filled with adorable polygonal characters and lovely music, why is nearly every pokmon still saddled with a call that sounds like a dial-up internet connection? As someone who played Pokmon Red and Blue at launch, I'm very aware that the origin of these sounds is tied directly back to those original titles on Game Boy , which was powered by an 8-bit SM83 processor from Sharp. Back then, it was a herculean challenge to fit the entire game into a single 512KB cartridge . So as a way to save space, the voice (or cry as they are more commonly known) of each of the original 151 Pokmon came from just 38 base cries , which then had their pitch or duration modified to create more unique sounds. Naturally, this tradition of lo-fi cries continued throughout Pokmon's run on the Game Boy and Game Boy Advance and onto the Nintendo DS and 3DS. And despite the higher-res graphics we got in subsequent titles, the use of sprite-based icons and other nostalgic touches made those bitcrushed calls sound right at home. However, when the series moved to the Switch and Switch 2 and embraced larger 3D worlds, those cries began to feel disconnected, especially for newer players without years of nostalgia to draw from. The first issue is one of identifiability. They all kind of sound the same, especially in earlier titles like Red and Blue or Gold and Silver, where around one hundred new Pokmon are represented by just 30 base cries. Ideally, a monster's voice would be just as recognizable as its silhouette. Unfortunately, the current lo-fi cries just don't fit the bill. The second problem is that the continued use of the old-school cries feels out of place in the grand scheme of Pokmon. When you watch the Pokmon anime , monsters don't use the same crunchy screams. Same goes for the movies, including big theatrical releases like Detective Pikachu . At this point, pretty much every new piece of Pokmon media except the games (and the TCG for obvious reasons) features proper voice acting, which sort of brings us to the biggest reasons to ditch the audio clips from the Game Boy era: Pokmon that actually say their name is just super fun and easy to understand. Sure, it's a bit of a gimmick, but it works. Plus, it kind of resonates with the philosophy that many vexillologists hold that says flags should be simple enough for a child to draw. Kids can say Charmander, Greninja and even Alomolola . But there ain't no way they are pronouncing this . For a game that's intended to be played by younger audiences, having the reinforcement of hearing a pokmon say its name while also seeing it written out in text isn't just easier to comprehend, it can also be a learning exercise. Also, just ask yourself, when you think of Squirtle, what do you hear in your head: this or this ? Now, there are several reasons why Game Freak hasn't made this leap already. The first is obviously money. Granted, localization costs only make up a fraction of the budget for a Pokmon game, but it's still a lot of work to translate things for various regions across the world, especially with modern titles available in at least nine different languages. This includes adjusting the names of specific monsters to better suit a specific market. For example, in Japanese, Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee are named Ebiwalar and Sawamular as a tribute to some of the country's most famous boxers. So when you consider the need to get different voice actors across the world to perform all of these variations, things get expensive. Furthermore, there's an argument that creating a canonical voice for a main character like Victor or Gloria from Sword and Shield takes away from players' ability to imagine their own. Pokmon is an RPG after all. However, I don't think that reasoning flies when it comes to each monster's individual cry, even though many of them have been upgraded or refined in recent years . Same goes for the idea that a Pokmon that says its name sounds less natural than whatever this is . At the end of the day, these monster calls are iconic, and the Pokmon devs know this, because they've given proper cries to characters like Pikachu and Eevee in certain situations. Regardless, for a franchise that's one of, if not the most valuable media property on the planet , I really hope that one day we can get proper vocal performances in Pokmon games, even if it costs Game Freak and Nintendo a little extra money. To be clear, I don't hate the old 8-bit cries and I don't think Game Freak needs to delete them entirely. They can simply be an alternate choice for anyone who prefers them over their actual voices. I just feel like after recently celebrating its 30th birthday, it's time for Pokmon to move on and celebrate some of the voice acting that helped make the franchise so popular in the first place. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/its-time-for-game-freak-to-finally-give-pokemon-some-proper-voice-acting-130000851.html?src=rss

BMW's i3 is reborn as a sporty 440 mile range EV sedan

After letting us drive a prototype around in the snow earlier this month, BMW has fully unveiled its all-new i3 electric vehicle. It's a far cry from the original funky hatch launched way back in 2013, offering more of everything including power, range and space. It also looks like you'd hope a 3-series EV would: a sporty sedan, minus the polarizing grille on the gas-powered M3. The i3 uses BMW's Neue Klasse platform and indeed borrows inspiration from the company's Vision Neue Klasse concept unveiled in 2023. With motors on the front and rear in the 50 xDrive configuration, along with the 800-volt electrical system, it delivers a combined 463 HP and 476 lb-ft of torque, just a touch less than BMW's G80 M3. BMW That will make the BMW quick (the automaker didn't say how quick yet), but it will also be efficient. BMW estimates that the i3 will go 440 miles on a charge according to EPA guidelines and offer quick energy replenishment as well via DC charging speeds up to 400kW up to 30 percent faster than its previous Gen5 tech. The battery pack will also be directly integrated into the chassis to reduce weight and increase torsional rigidity, while allowing bidirectional charging so you'll be able to use it as a battery on wheels to power your home in a blackout. Styling-wise, the i3 is much simpler up front with the grille and headlights incorporated as a single unit. A recess down the center of the hood draws your eye to the badge, while giving the EV muscle car allure. The side intakes add to that impression, as do the bulgy fenders, Le Catellet Blue metallic paint and optional lighting animations (Relaxed, Excited and Balanced). Fabian Kirchbauer Photography On the tech side, the i3 supports BMW's Digital Key Plus so you can open the doors or trunk with a smartphone or smartwatch. The interior, meanwhile, looks as futuristic as I've seen in any recent EV thanks to the 17.9-inch Panoramic Vision display that's angled toward the driver, along with an optional 3D heads-up display. The system features a self-learning voice assistant with Amazon Alexa+ AI and supports customizable themes, colors and background images. It also includes a wireless charging pad for your smartphone or other devices. Inside, you can choose between multifunction and M Sport seats trimmed in different themes, including imitation leather in Agave Green, Digital White, Castanea or Black, or an M Design World theme in Black Veganza with M Performtex material. Alternatively, you can go for the BMW Individual scheme with real black Merino leather. For controls, BMW is using a hybrid system with physical buttons for the hazard lights and parking brake and Shy Tech buttons on the steering wheel that activate only when required. BMW will start i3 production in August 2026 and deliveries later in the fall, with pricing set to be revealed around that time. From what we've seen so far it's going to offer outstanding performance and range, but don't expect it to be cheap. Fabian Kirchbauer Photography This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/bmws-i3-is-reborn-as-a-sporty-440-mile-range-ev-sedan-124614369.html?src=rss

The Defense Department reportedly plans to train AI models on classified military data

The Pentagon is making plans to have AI companies train versions of their models specifically for military use on classified information, according to the MIT Technology Review . If true, it wouldnt come as a surprise, seeing as the US is aiming to become an AI-first warfighting force, based on the statement [PDF] released by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth earlier this year. The department is already using AI models in the military: For instance, the US reportedly used Anthropics Claude to help with the capture of Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro and with its attack on Iran , even after President Trump ordered federal agencies to ban its technology. But models trained on actual classified data could give more accurate and detailed responses, say, for situations similar to what happened in the past that arent public information. MIT Tech Review says the department is looking to conduct the training in a secure data center thats allowed to host classified government projects. The Pentagon would train copies of AI models, but it would remain the only owner of any data used for training. In rare cases, someone from the AI company could be granted the appropriate security clearance to see classified information. Aalok Mehta, who previously led AI policy efforts at Google and OpenAI, told the publication that training models on classified data carries certain risks. Its not that the information could go public, since the the models trained would be versions made specifically for military purposes. However, if the same model is used across the whole Defense Department, for instance, personnel without the correct clearance level could end up getting information that they werent supposed to have access to. If the initiative pushes through, the department would likely be training models from OpenAI and xAI, which recently signed agreements with the agency. Anthropic, which has long worked with the government, might not be part of this project. The company refused to allow its technology to be used for mass surveillance and the development of autonomous weapons, and Trump ordered all federal offices to ban it as a result. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/the-defense-department-reportedly-plans-to-train-ai-models-on-classified-military-data-120332113.html?src=rss

Apple Studio Display XDR review: Expensive, but theres no monitor like it

Its hard for most people to justify spending $3,299 on a monitor, but creative pros will gladly do so if it makes their jobs easier. Apples 27-inch 5K Studio Display XDR is aimed straight at those folks and it costs considerably less than the companys previous high-end monitor, the 6K Pro Display XDR . Thanks to the Mini LED IPS panel, the Studio Display XDR has higher brightness and color accuracy than nearly any other monitor on the market. It also has tech that boosts contrast to outperform similar displays. With its unique combination of features, the Studio Display XDR isnt as overpriced as you might think, and it has high appeal for me as a video editor. I do, however, wish it was bigger. Design and features If youre familiar with Apples previous Studio Display, youll have a good idea of the Studio Display XDRs design. The body has a high-quality brushed aluminum finish, with small holes across the top and bottom designed to vent heat from the built-in, nearly silent fan. It has enough internal hardware to be a standalone computer, as its equipped with an A19 Pro processor and 12GB (!) of RAM more than Apples new MacBook Neo laptop. That extra horsepower is required for all of the image processing, dimming algorithms, webcam operation and HDR tone-mapping. Steve Dent for Engadget A tilt- and height-adjustable stand was a cool $1,000 option on the more expensive Pro Display XDR, but its thankfully included with this new model. The stands motion is delightfully smooth, with just a slight amount of pressure required to move it up and down. However, it only offers four inches of height adjustment and no ability to swivel the screen. You can also get this monitor with a VESA mount instead at the same base price, in case you want to mount it on your own stand or a wall. The Studio Display XDR comes with two high-speed 120Gbps Thunderbolt ports to connect your Mac, storage or another display, along with two 10Gbps USB-C inputs, but theres no HDMI port in sight. One of the Thunderbolt ports supports 140W charging, which can replenish a 16-inch MacBook Pro at the maximum possible speed. Apple has also thrown in a Thunderbolt 5 cable that is thicker than any USB-C cable Ive seen. The power cable also looks nice, but is not removable. Up front, the monitor has surprisingly thick bezels (0.75 inches) that detract from the otherwise sleek design. In comparison, my ASUS ProArt PA32UCX displays bezels are just a quarter of an inch thin. Built into the top bezel is a 12-megapixel camera with Apples Center Stage feature that keeps your face front and center during Zoom calls. Note that if you prefer less glare, you can get nano-texturing on the display for an extra $300. The Studio Display XDR is designed mainly for use with Macs, and recent ones at that. Mac models with M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max, M1 Ultra, M2 and M3 chips only support this monitor at up to 60Hz not the maximum 120Hz. Apple doesnt mention support for Intel Macs or Windows PCs, but I tested the monitor on both and it worked fine at the 60Hz limit. Image quality Steve Dent for Engadget Apple has largely stuck with Mini LED and quantum dot technology for its MacBook Pro laptop screens and monitors because of the higher brightness levels and lack of burn in compared to OLED displays. The tradeoff for that is lower contrast, as I explained here . Mini LED displays also show a phenomenon called blooming not present in OLED panels, which is caused by light bleed from neighboring pixels. However, Apple has largely solved those issues on the Studio Display XDR by boosting the number of local dimming zones (individual LED backlights) to 2,304, four times as many as the XDR Display Pro. That allows not only more brightness, but higher contrast and minimal blooming. This model doesnt offer 6K like the Pro Display XDR, but its 5K resolution is still higher than most rivals. Thats a big benefit for designers, animators, photographers and others who want the sharpest image possible. The higher 120Hz refresh rate is also easier on the eyes and better for gaming. However, creators used to screens that are 32 inches or larger may be turned off by the Studio Display XDRs smaller size. Brightness is where this monitor really shines; XDR stands for extended dynamic range, after all. Apple promises a peak level of 1,000 nits in SDR and 2,000 nits in HDR mode. I was able to verify those claims: I measured 1,991 nits on a Calibrite colorimeter in a 25 percent window and 988 nits at full screen making this the brightest monitor Ive ever tested. When I watched HDR material on YouTube and Netflix graded for brightness levels over 1,000 nits, I didnt see any of the highlight clipping that occurs on my 1,400-nit ASUS ProArt display. Whats more, the Studio Display XDRs 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio is among the highest of any non-OLED display (though not infinite like OLED displays). On top of that, I saw virtually no blooming with bright light points against black. Finally, this monitor has the best off-axis performance Ive seen with very little drop in gamma even at fairly sharp viewing angles. Steve Dent for Engadget Color accuracy is also a strong point. Apple promises a Delta E of less than one, and my measurements (around 0.8) bore that out. And like the Pro Display XDR, this model has a true 10-bit IPS panel, which means you get one billion colors total. Apple notes that the Studio Display XDR is the first Apple monitor to include both the P3 wide color Adobe RGB primaries, unlocking deeper greens and cyans than P3 alone, it said in a white paper . For HDR work, it covers 81 percent of the challenging BT.2020 color gamut, which is excellent though a bit below some OLED monitors. The Studio Display XDR can handle a variety of work thanks to the huge number of color profiles included with the display, which total 16 in all. Those include HDR profiles, P3 Digital Cinema, Photography, HDR photography, Design and Print and even Medical Imaging. To verify that, I tested it with several apps including Lightroom Classic and DaVinci Resolve, and was astounded by the color accuracy and brightness. Unlike some rivals, most notably ASUS, it doesnt support Dolby Vision, however. On top of being an excellent content creation monitor, the Studio Display XDR is solid for entertainment and gaming. I watched scenes from movies and TV shows including Spider-Man No Way Home , Game of Throne s and Tenet , and enjoyed the extra brightness, high color accuracy and contrast ratio that allowed me to see what the heck was going on in the Night King battle in GoT. For gaming I tried Cyberpunk 2077 for Mac, and the 120Hz refresh rate (it also supports Adaptive Sync 47-120Hz refresh rates), along with the brightness and color accuracy, makes it Apples best display yet for gaming. Camera and speakers Though it has the same name, the 12MP Center Stage webcam is much improved from the previous Studio Display. The resolution may be the same, but the new camera provides a much brighter and sharper image in dim conditions. However, to use the Desk View feature I needed to tilt the screen forward more than Id like. The built-in six speaker sound system is surprisingly good too, offering what is easily the best sound Ive ever heard coming from a monitor. It supports Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos sound as before, but now offers deeper bass. It still cant match a dedicated soundbar or separate speakers, of course, but the audio on this display is clear and surprisingly loud. Wrap-up Steve Dent for Engadget As I said at the outset of this review, Apples Studio Display XDR is overpriced, but not by a lot. Its the brightest monitor Ive measured and has among the highest number of dimming zones for a Mini LED display for maximum contrast. At the same time, it offers superb color accuracy out of the box, supports up to 5K 120Hz resolution and oozes quality. Few monitors in any category and price range, whether Mini LED or OLED, can boast all of that. There are cheaper options that can do some of those things. If you prefer OLED, the ASUS ProArt PA27 4K model offers 1,000 nits of max brightness and similar color performance, with better contrast and double the refresh rate for $1,299. And if you want a bigger display thats nearly as bright as the Studio Display XDR, ASUS also makes the $3,199 PA32UCG-K Mini LED 32-inch monitor with 1,600 nits peak brightness, albeit with half the number of dimming zones. However, if you require the best image quality possible and dont mind a 27-inch display, Apples Studio Display is the best choice. It will never be a mainstream product, but thanks to its versatility and better value than the Pro Display XDR, I think it will be a surprisingly popular option. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/apple-studio-display-xdr-review-expensive-but-theres-no-monitor-like-it-120018426.html?src=rss

IO Interactive splits with MindsEye developer and ends Hitman collab

MindsEye developer Build a Rocket Boy (BARB) has gone through serious drama recently including layoffs and accusations of sabotage . Now, the company is parting ways with its MindsEye co-publisher IOI Partners (the company behind Hitman publisher IO Interactive) and assuming sole publishing responsibilities going forward. It also means that a planned MindsEye and Hitman collaboration will be cancelled, the companies announced in a press release . IOI Partners involvement with MindsEye comes to an end, except for any essential transitional functions required to transfer publisher-of-record status to Build A Rocket Boy, the companies stated. In light of this separation, the Hitman mission announced in June 2025, planned as a crossover event within MindsEye, will no longer be released. They acknowledged that the announcement is likely to spur disappointment among funs and thanked the community for its support. The publishing deal was a first for IOI partners and looked promising, considering the pedigree of BARB's co-CEO Leslie Benzies as a former Rockstar North president and GTA producer. However, MindsEye was widely criticized upon release due to bugs, a lackluster story and mediocre gameplay. At the same time, employees penned an open letter accusing Benzies of mismanaging the game and bungling layoffs. In response, Benzies and co-CEO Mark Gerhard said that negative pre-release feedback came about to due internal and external sabotage, a claim that employees reportedly doubted. In any case, BARB is now on its own and has a tall order to save MindsEye , particularly after recent layoffs. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/io-interactive-splits-with-mindseye-developer-and-ends-hitman-collab-110028292.html?src=rss

Defense Department says Anthropic poses 'unacceptable risk' to national security

The Department of Defense said giving Anthropic continued access to its warfighting infrastructure would introduce unacceptable risk to its supply chains in a court filing submitted in response to the AI companys lawsuit. If youll recall, Anthropic sued the government to challenge the supply chain risk designation it received for refusing to allow its model to be used for mass surveillance and the development of autonomous weapons. In its filing, the department explained that its secretary, Pete Hegseth, had a provision incorporated into AI service contracts, allowing the agency to use their technologies for any lawful purpose. Anthropic refused its terms and apparently, the companys behavior caused the Pentagon to question whether it truly was a trusted partner that it could work with when it comes to highly sensitive initiatives. After all, AI systems are acutely vulnerable to manipulation, and Anthropic could attempt to disable its technology or preemptively alter the behavior of its model either before or during ongoing warfighting operations, if Anthropic in its discretion feels that its corporate red lines are being crossed, the Pentagon wrote in its filing. DoW deemed that an unacceptable risk to national security, it added, referring to the agency as the Department of War, which is the Trump administrations preferred name for it. It was due to those concerns that President Trump ordered federal agencies to stop using its technology, the filing reads. The company is asking the court to issue a preliminary injunction and put a pause on a ban while its challenging its supply chain risk designation in court. While Anthropics clients could continue working with the company on non-defense-related projects, it says the label could cause it to lose billions of dollars in revenue. Its not quite clear if Anthropic is still trying to reach a new deal with the government, as was reported before it filed its lawsuit. As The New York Times notes, Microsoft, Google and OpenAI had filed friend-of-the-court briefs in support of Anthropic since then. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/defense-department-says-anthropic-poses-unacceptable-risk-to-national-security-094328717.html?src=rss

Subnautica 2 might finally be entering early access in May

Subnautica 2 has weathered the storm and has rescheduled its early access release. IGN reported today that the sequel to the underwater survival game will begin early access on PC and Xbox in May, although a more specific date was not provided. The news comes a day after a judge ruled that former Unknown Worlds Entertainment CEO Ted Gill should be rehired at the game studio. That decision capped off a dramatic year for the team behind Subnautica , which was acquired by Krafton in 2021. The studio and its new owners entered a legal battle because the purchase of Unknown Worlds included a promise of an up to $250 million payout from Krafton if the team met certain performance goals by the end of 2025. In July of that year, however, Krafton fired several studio leaders and then delayed the sequel's early access launch. The court case has raised questions about which side was trying to either secure or avoid making that multi-million payment. With yesterday's ruling, a rep from Krafton said that we are evaluating our options as we determine our path forward. It's unclear if that path, or the other litigation still underway over the project, will create further delays to the planned early access date. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/subnautica-2-might-finally-be-entering-early-access-in-may-223747369.html?src=rss

Meta will shut down VR Horizon Worlds access in June

Horizon Worlds, Meta's first pass at a metaverse, will be inaccessible via virtual reality headset after June 15, 2026. The company shared plans to separate Horizon Worlds from Quest VR platform and focus exclusively on the smartphone version of the app in February, and now in a new post on its community forums, Meta detailed when the VR version of Horizon Worlds will be deprecated. By March 31, Meta says individual Horizon Worlds and Events will no longer be listed in the Quest's Store and headset owners will be unable to visit worlds like Horizon Central, Events Arena, Kaiju and Bobber Bay. Then, after June 15, the app will be removed from Quest headsets and worlds will be completely unavailable to visit in VR. From that point on, the easiest place to visit Horizon Worlds will be in the Meta Horizon app for iOS and Android. Additionally, Hyperscape Capture , a recently added beta feature that allows Quest headset owners to capture, share and visit each other in detailed 3D scans of real-life locations, is also being removed from Horizon Worlds. Meta says users will still be able to capture and view Hyperscapes, ut sharing, inviting, and co-experiencing Hyperscapes with others will no longer be supported. While Meta's original blog detailing its 2026 VR strategy left open the possibility that a committed Quest owner might still be able to access some part of Meta's original VR metaverse, that apparently was never the company's plan. Meta saw enough positive momentum focusing on supporting the mobile version of Horizon Worlds in 2025 that it made sense to completely abandon the VR one in 2026. While that seems to run contrary to Metas positioning as a metaverse company, it does reflect where the company is spending the most money and seeing the most (relative) success : AI and smart glasses. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/meta-will-shut-down-vr-horizon-worlds-access-in-june-222028919.html?src=rss

Apple releases its first Background Security Improvement for macOS, iOS and iPadOS

Apple has started providing small security updates to iOS, iPadOS and macOS devices. These are dubbed Background Security Improvements that will offer minor system updates between the larger software updates. According to the company, these are meant to deliver lightweight security releases for components such as the Safari browser, WebKit framework stack, and other system libraries that benefit from smaller, ongoing security patches between software updates. These updates should download in the background, as the name implies, although the device will need to be restarted to complete the process. In practice, we found that applying a Background Security Improvement was faster than a typical software update from Apple. On an iPhone, the restart was more of a power cycle taking under a minute compared with the 5 to 10 minutes a standard update takes a device out of commission. The inaugural Background Security Improvement was released today with a patch for WebKit. These updates will be supported and enabled on devices running iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1 and macOS 26.1. Details can be reviewed under the Privacy & Security section of the Settings menu. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/apple-releases-its-first-background-security-improvement-for-macos-ios-and-ipados-214052311.html?src=rss

Remedy releases its final content update for FBC: Firebreak

What a short, strange journey it's been for FBC: Firebreak ; Remedy announced that the final update for the online multiplayer game is available today. But while this Open House update will be the end of new content, the studio said it plans to keep the game available. FBC: Firebreak will stay online and continue to be playable for years to come, Remedy said. We have done engineering work to ensure we can sustain the upkeep of the relay servers when the player volume is lower. Remedy has won lots of fans for creating the eerie, surreal world where its hits Control and Alan Wake are set. FBC: Firebreak , which was released last year, is also based in that universe. However, this multiplayer game took a beating in reviews, largely due to its poorly received onboarding experience and Remedy shared plans to improve the first few hours of the game. Its CEO also left the company last year and sparked a shakeup in the leadership at the studio. The Open House update will add some new in-game content, but the more interesting changes seem aimed at making FBC: Firebreak more accessible. The base price has been dropped to $20, and the game has added a feature called Friend's Pass that will allow people who don't own the game to accept match invites from players who do own it. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/remedy-releases-its-final-content-update-for-fbc-firebreak-212000463.html?src=rss

Spotify rolls out 'bit-perfect' playback in Windows app

Spotify is introducing a way for subscribers to get bit-perfect playback of songs if they listen on Windows. The company's newly announced Exclusive Mode gives the music streaming app complete control of audio processing on your PC so you can listen to songs exactly as they were mastered. Without Exclusive Mode turned on, your computer may alter audio before it reaches your DAC by resampling it, mixing other system sounds in, and changing the volume, Spotify writes. With the mode enabled, all other sounds from your computer are disabled so Spotify can deliver the highest quality and most accurate version of a song possible. Exclusive Mode will help maintain fidelity while youre playing a song, but to make sure you're not losing quality anywhere else in the chain, you'll still want to listen with wired headphones connected to a DAC or digital-to-analog converter, and opt to use Spotifys lossless streaming option. Exclusive Mode is only available on Windows for now, but Spotify says it'll come to the macOS version of the Spotify app in a future release. Provided you're a Spotify Premium subscriber, enabling the feature is fairly simple: Open Spotify . Click on Settings . Scroll down to Playback . Toggle Exclusive Mode to On under the Output section. Spotify launched its Lossless streaming option as a perk for Premium subscribers in September 2025. The company was rumored to be working on the feature as far back as 2017 and even formally announced it as Spotify HiFi in 2021, opening up the possibility it could be a more expensive add-on to a normal subscription. Now both lossless audio and bit-perfect playback are included as part of the same $13 per month you pay for a Premium subscription. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/spotify-rolls-out-bit-perfect-playback-in-windows-app-211036176.html?src=rss

Arizona attorney general sues Kalshi on illegal gambling charges

Kalshi has been sued by Arizona's attorney general for operating an illegal gambling business in the state and unlawfully allowing people to place bets on elections. Kalshi may brand itself as a 'prediction market,' but what it's actually doing is running an illegal gambling operation and taking bets on Arizona elections, both of which violate Arizona law, the state's Attorney General Kris Mayes said . The company defines itself as a prediction markets platform, where users make bets on the outcomes of events ranging from sporting matches to political actions. Kalshi has claimed that it operates under the auspices of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and shouldn't be faced with the state-level charges of running unlicensed gambling. The case follows a similar action against Kalshi filed in Nevada last month. Kalshi also made headlines this year when an employee of popular YouTuber MrBeast was accused of insider trading on the platform. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/arizona-attorney-general-sues-kalshi-on-illegal-gambling-charges-172006290.html?src=rss

Fortnite will return to Google's Play Store globally on March 19

Now that Epic Games and Google have made up or at least found a way to resolve their long-running disputes everyone with a compatible Android device can get back to the business of playing Fortnite . The game will return to the Play Store globally on March 19, the same day that the next Fortnite season goes live. It previously dropped back onto the Play Store in the US in December. Google pulled Fortnite from the Play Store back in 2020 after Epic tried to bypass the 30 percent cut of all in-app purchases that the storefront too. Apple did the same thing with the App Store version of Fortnite . Epic swiftly sued Google and Apple , kickstarting years-long legal battles with both companies. No matter where you are, weve got you covered. Fortnite is back on Google Play. 3.19.26: https://t.co/8M0MjZcvDI pic.twitter.com/QWyR1TEJzX Fortnite (@Fortnite) March 17, 2026 The dispute with Apple ultimately led to the company having to open up the App Store in certain markets, including the US and EU. Fortnite returned to the App Store in the EU in 2024 and in the US last year . Google and Epic reached a settlement in November. Earlier this month, Google announced that it was lowering the cut it takes of in-app payments from 30 percent to between 10 and 20 percent. At that time, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney (who reportedly agreed not to publicly talk smack about the Play Store until 2032 as part of the settlement) confirmed that Fortnite would return to Google's mobile storefront. Epic recently announced a price increase for the in-game V-Bucks currency. It also confirmed that Fortnite Save the World the game's original mode is going free-to-play in April . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/fortnite-will-return-to-googles-play-store-globally-on-march-19-170200794.html?src=rss

YouTube and FIFA partner up for the 2026 World Cup

FIFA is turning to streaming platforms to maximize its return on the 2026 World Cup. Two months after announcing a Preferred Platform partnership with TikTok , the organization has now struck a similar deal with YouTube. Broadcasting rights are FIFAs largest revenue stream for the tournament and media companies pay top dollar for that access. So, deals like this with streaming platforms help sweeten the package for broadcasters looking to boost their reach. What does that look like for those watching from home? FIFA says its media partners will have the option of streaming a select number of matches in full on their YouTube channels. They can also live-stream the first 10 minutes of every match, presumably serving as a hook to coax viewers to finish the match on television. In addition, FIFA's media partners will get access to every angle of match footage to craft custom content. As the world's attention turns to the action in Canada, Mexico and the United States, this collaboration with YouTube reinforces our ambition to maximise the tournament's impact across the ever-evolving media landscape, FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrm said. He says the partnership will offer fans everywhere easy access to an immersive view of the biggest single-sport event in history. The World Cup runs from June 11 to July 19. Matches will take place in 16 cities across Canada, Mexico, and the US. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/youtube-and-fifa-partner-up-for-the-2026-world-cup-170200470.html?src=rss

GPT-5.4 mini brings some of the smarts of OpenAI's latest model to ChatGPT Free and Go users

When OpenAI released GPT-5.4 at the start of March , the company said the new model was designed primarily for professional work like programming and data analysis. Now OpenAI is launching GPT-5.4 mini and nano, and while it is once again highlighting the usefulness of these new systems for tasks like coding, one of the new models is available to Free and Go users . What's more, that model, GPT-5.4 mini, even offers performance that approaches GPT-5.4 in a handful of areas. As a Free or Go user, you can access 5.4 mini by selecting Thinking from ChatGPT's plus menu. For paid users, the model is the new fallback for when you've hit your rate limit with 5.4 proper. OpenAI says 5.4 mini offers better performance than GPT-5.0 mini in a few different key areas, including reasoning, multimodal understanding and tool use. That means 5.4 mini is better at parsing non-text inputs such as images and audio, and has a more nuanced understanding of how to do things like search the web. It does all of this while running more than twice as fast as its predecessor. As for GPT-5.4 nano, OpenAI says it's ideal for tasks such as data classification and extraction where speed and cost-efficiency are top of mind. If you're a ChatGPT user, you won't find the new model in the chatbot. Instead, OpenAI is making it only available through its API service. The company envisions developers using more advanced models to delegate tasks to AI agents running GPT-5.4 nano, and that's reflected in the cost of the new model, which OpenAI has priced starting at $0.20 per million input tokens. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/gpt-54-mini-brings-some-of-the-smarts-of-openais-latest-model-to-chatgpt-free-and-go-users-170000585.html?src=rss

Switch 2 software update adds 'Handheld Mode Boost' for your old games

We might not have had a proper Nintendo Direct in 2026 yet, but there have been plenty of Switch and Switch 2-related announcements in the last few weeks, including a release date for the Yoshi and the Mysterious Book , a surprise port of Kena: Bridge of Spirits and the final trailer for the imminent The Super Mario Galaxy Movie . But if youre a Switch 2 owner who prefers to play your library of games in handheld mode, Nintendos latest announcement might be the one that interests you most. The company has released the 22.0.0 system update for its latest console , which brings with it a host of tweaks and improvements, the most notable of which being the introduction of Handheld Mode Boost. If youve played any original Switch games that havent received next-gen patches in handheld mode on Switch 2, you might have noticed that they look a bit blurry and unappealing. Thats because theyre still rendering at 720p on the Switch 2s larger 1080p display, so the image is being stretched to fit a screen it wasnt designed for. Handheld Mode Boost doesnt mean that all unpatched Switch games are now natively running at 1080p on Switch 2, but rather that the console is telling them to run in the original Switchs docked TV mode which was able to output at 1080p on the handheld. Since launch this has seemed like the obvious workaround for Switch games, but it has taken nearly a year for Nintendo to implement it. You should see higher resolution visuals and, in some cases, better performance, as a result. When running original Switch games in Handheld Boost Mode (enabled via a toggle in the system menu) your Switch 2 will treat the attached Joy-Con 2 controllers as if they were a Pro Controller. This disables features like motion controls and touchscreen functionality, meaning some games won't work on the newer hardware with Handheld Boost Mode turned on. Eurogamer names Super Mario Maker 2 and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD as two examples of games that aren't compatible at the moment. There are a number of other updates in version 22.0.0, including a new animation for loading a virtual game card, new GameChat features and more customization options in flight mode. The full list of patch notes can be found here. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/switch-2-software-update-adds-handheld-mode-boost-for-your-old-games-165451808.html?src=rss

WhatsApp is now officially available on Garmin smartwatches

There's an official WhatsApp app for select Garmin smartwatches . It's available for free right now in the Garmin Connect IQ Store. WhatsApp is primarily a chat platform, so this new app allows users to read and reply to messages, send emojis and peruse the chat history. The app also lets users accept or decline incoming calls arriving from the platform, all without having to break out the smartphone. This is WhatsApp, so messages are end-to-end encrypted. As previously mentioned, it's not available for every Garmin watch. It's compatible with select Forerunner, Venu, Vivoactive and Fenix watches. The Connect IQ Store should be able to say if your particular model can handle the app. This is just the latest smartwatch platform to get WhatsApp. Meta released an Apple Watch version at the tail-end of last year. Before that, Apple Watch users had to mirror iPhone notifications to reply to WhatsApp messages directly from the device. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/whatsapp-is-now-officially-available-on-garmin-smartwatches-164156538.html?src=rss

Starfield is coming to PS5 on April 7

Starfield is officially coming to PS5 , with a launch date set for April 7. Preorders are open right now for both the digital and physical versions. It's long been rumored that Bethesda's sci-fi RPG would be going multiplatform and, well, here we are. The PS5 version will tap into the DualSense controller's capabilities with adaptive triggers that work differently depending on the weapon you're using. The light bar will offer an indication of your character and ship health (if you ever look at it while you're playing, that is). You'll also be able to use the touchpad to switch between points of view and access your map and hand scanner. There will be a standard edition and a premium edition, matching the versions that originally showed up on Xbox consoles. The premium edition includes the base game, the Shattered Space and Terran Armada story expansions, a skin pack, some virtual currency and a digital artbook/soundtrack. The standard edition is $50, and the premium version will run you $70. If you buy the base game and decide later that you want to upgrade to the premium version to access the DLC, there'll be a $25 upgrade available. Other notable former Xbox exclusives have gone multiplatform, including Avowed , Forza Horizon 5 , Senua's Saga: Hellblade II and Sea of Thieves . The PS5 will even be home to a Halo game in the near future. It's been rumored that the Switch 2 would be getting its own Starfield port at some point. If Nintendo's new console can handle Indiana Jones and the Great Circle , another Bethesda release, it can likely run Starfield . As for the Terran Armada DLC, that will be available on April 7 alongside a free update. The latter (which is dubbed Free Lanes) includes an overhaul of the space travel system. You'll be able to fly freely between planets in a star system and enable cruise mode, which enables you to chat with shipmates or decorate your ship while traveling. Points of interest will pop up while you're in cruise mode as well you can switch your destination to one of those instead if there's something that catches your interest. There are more space encounters too. If you run into one of these, your ship will exit cruise mode and you'll have to deal with the situation before continuing. These encounters may or may not feature combat. In some cases, you'll have to explore ship wreckages. The free update also introduces deeper customization for weapons, gear and ships through a collectible item called X-Tech. You'll be able to spend this (and regular credits) on re-rolls for legendary effects for your weapons. Elsewhere, there's a new database system; more side quests; two higher-level quality tiers (superior and exceptional) for your gear; an optimization terminal you can add to your ship to help customize and upgrade your ride; containers from which you'll be access stored gear at any of your outposts; an outpost pet; and much more. In addition, there'll be a way for you to start a New Game+ run with all of the gear you've previously acquired. If you don't have the premium edition of Starfield , you can buy the Terran Armada DLC for $10. This includes a new story questline. You'll face the Terrans, an advanced militant force with their own vision for the Settled Systems. One Terran robot will be available as a new companion. The DLC introduces an Incursion system. This includes battles that form a key part of the DLC storyline. These range from small skirmishes to large-scale infiltrations of Terran vessels where the objectives can vary, Bethesda wrote in a blog post . You'll be able to replay incursions to score extra loot. Via the gameplay options, you can limit how often non-story-required incursions pop up. Terran Armada also adds new gear and ship parts; elite crew members; an outpost pre-build and decorations; and more. Starfield is a huge sci-fi RPG with elements of Mass Effect and Fallout . We were blown away by its graphical beauty , but were initially underwhelmed by the generic story and gameplay. The game has, however, received a fair number of improvements since launch. It's pretty good now, and hopefully the Free Lanes update and DLC will improve things even further. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/starfield-is-coming-to-ps5-on-april-7-162341201.html?src=rss

More Game Pass additions for March include Disco Elysium and Resident Evil 7

Microsoft has revealed the second wave of Game Pass additions for March. Disco Elysium and Resident Evil 7: Biohazard headline the 12-title batch, and several games previously exclusive to the Ultimate tier are also expanding to Premium. DreamWorks Gabby's Dollhouse: Ready to Party kicks off the wave on March 17. South of Midnight , the action-adventure from Xbox studio Compulsion Games, and The Alters both arrive on March 18 on the Premium tier after being Ultimate-only. The Alters , from Frostpunk studio 11 Bit Studios, strands you on a hostile planet where your survival plan involves creating alternate versions of yourself based on different life choices and putting them to work. Disco Elysium arrives on March 19 across all tiers. ZA/UM 's detective RPG casts you as an amnesiac cop tasked with solving a murder, though the game is just as happy to let you become an absolute disaster of a human being. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth , from the series formerly known as Yakuza , hits on March 24. Action packed roguelite Absolum, which we loved , follows on March 25, marking its Xbox debut. Roman city-builder Nova Roma arrives March 26 as a day-one Game Pass release, and survival game The Long Dark joins on March 30. First-person survival epic Resident Evil 7: Biohazard arrives on March 31. Barbie Horse Trails and 2025 Game of the Year Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 both land on April 2, with Clair Obscur coming to the Premium tier after launching as a day-one Game Pass Ultimate title. Final Fantasy IV rounds out the wave on April 7. Peppa Pig World Adventures and Mad Streets leave Game Pass on March 31. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/more-game-pass-additions-for-march-include-disco-elysium-and-resident-evil-7-161050028.html?src=rss

March Madness 2026: How to watch every game of the NCAA basketball tournaments

Its time to lock in those brackets. The 2026 NCAA basketball tournaments, affectionately known as March Madness , begin this week. In fact, some of the action on the mens side starts tonight. Both the mens and womens tournaments are available to stream through various apps and services, but navigating the web of broadcasters and TV channels can be confusing. Weve broken down when all the games are happening, where to watch and the best options for saving some cash doing so. What does March Madness start? The mens NCAA Basketball Tournament begins on Tuesday, March 17 with two of the First Four matchups. These are the four games that are used to determine the final four teams in the main 64-team bracket. To some, theyre known as the play-in games although theyve officially been part of the men's tournament since 2011. The first game on March 17 begins at 6:40PM ET with another to follow at 9:15PM ET. The same schedule is expected for the second slate of games on Wednesday, March 19. On the womens side, everything is offset by a day. The first two of the First Four games take place on Wednesday, March 18 at 7PM ET and 9PM ET. The second pair of matchups follows on Thursday, March 19 in the same two time slots. The 64-team bracket kicks off in earnest for the men at 12:15PM ET on Thursday, March 19. For the women, the main action begins at 11:30AM ET on Friday, March 20. Heres the full schedule for each tournament: 2026 Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament First Four: March 17-18 First round: March 19-20 Second round: March 21-22 Sweet 16: March 26-27 Elite Eight: March 28-29 Final Four: April 4 Championship game: April 6 2026 Womens NCAA Basketball Tournament First Four: March 18-19 First round: March 20-21 Second round: March 22-23 Sweet 16: March 27-28 Elite Eight: March 29-30 Final Four: April 3 Championship game: April 5 How to stream the 2026 Mens NCAA Tournament Jacob Kupferman via Getty Images CBS and Warner Bros. Discovery share the broadcast rights to the mens tournament, so TV coverage will be spread across four networks. During the course of March Madness, games will air on CBS, TNT, TBS and truTV, with the final rounds and championship game landing on TBS. If you already have a paid TV plan (such as traditional cable), a good way to watch the mens tournament is with the March Madness Live app or website. There's a big catch though: CBS games aren't available in the app. That means this is really only a good option through the Elite Eight. Once you log in with your TV provider credentials, you can watch games on the other networks in one spot with features like multiview (up to four games at once) and a Fast Break stream that covers all the in-progress games in one spot. The app also offers ways to follow your bracket, if you filled it out on MarchMadness.com. And when youre watching on desktop, the crucial Boss Button will throw up a fake work screen to keep your job safe. In addition to your laptop or phone, March Madness Live is also available on Amazon devices, Fire TV, Apple TV, iOS, macOS, Google Play, LG smart TVs, Roku and Xbox consoles. The most affordable option to watch every game is to actually use two services. Its not ideal, I know, but it will save you a lot of money. HBO Maxs Basic plan is $11/month and gives you access to live games from TNT, TBS and truTV with three-game multiview (46 games total). That includes the Final Four and National Championship as those three games are on TBS this year. If you splurge for a pricier plan ($23/month), you can stream games in Dolby Vision with Dolby Atmos surround sound. For the CBS games, youll need a Paramount+ Premium subscription that costs $14/month ($6 for two months for new users). So, with this best price scenario, streaming all of the mens tournaments will cost $25 across two apps. A live TV service like YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV is over $80 more per month at full price, but they would offer you all the games in the mens tournament in one place. YouTube TV is currently on sale for $60/month for the first two months after a free 10-day trial. Hulu + Live TV now includes Disney+ and ESPN Select, hence its higher price. How to stream the 2026 Womens NCAA Tournament Joe Buglewicz via Getty Images While Warner Brothers Discovery owns the rights to the mens NCAA Tournament, ESPN has the womens bracket locked down. Every game of the womens tournament will be spread across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPNEWS, including the First Four matchups. The Final Four will be on ESPN, but the championship game will air on ABC. All three of those culminating games will stream on ESPN+ (and in the ESPN app) as MegaCast feeds. ESPN says the MegaCasts are available in two options. First, Beyond the Rim provides an aerial camera angle with the main commentary and replays, plus the addition of enhanced stats. On the Rail shows you game action the full length of the floor. This feed will offer natural sound and replays. Since ESPN+ wont get every game, its not an option if you want to watch the entire tournament. However, since last years March Madness, Disney debuted standalone offerings for ESPN. The most affordable option here is ESPN Select which includes womens college basketball and costs $13/month. You could also opt for a live-TV streaming service like Sling , YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV for a comprehensive experience. Sling is the cheapest of these, with the requisite Orange and Sports Extra plan costing $57 (Sling is currently offering a discount on the first month of Orange). YouTube and Hulu live TV options are both more expensive at over $80/month (YouTube TV currently discounted to $60 for the first two months), so its a matter of which set of content and features you like best. YouTube TV offers a handy multiview tool so you can watch up to four games at once, but Hulu + Live TV comes with Disney+ and ESPN Select for that cost. Once you have a TV plan that includes the ESPN family of networks, the ESPN app is the best place to watch the tournament. The mix of scores and info, along with multiview streaming for up to four games at a time on Apple TV and Xbox, make the app a well-equipped conduit for the womens tournament. The March Madness website only shows scores and news for the womens tournament. None of the womens games will be available for streaming live on the website. Are any of the March Madness games available to stream for free? Michael Reaves via Getty Images Without a TV provider login, you can watch all of the games broadcast on CBS on the March Madness website and mobile apps. Sure, its a small sample of the tournament, but its completely free and a good option for casual fans who dont have a paid TV plan they can exploit for more of the action. Its also a good way to watch the first round at work, if your company hasnt blocked streaming sites, or if you can discreetly watch on your phone. For the womens tournament, there arent any games available for free. Unless you have an old-school OTA antenna, that is, in which case you can watch womens games on ABC (and mens games on CBS) without any kind of streaming plan. Of course, as this is a streaming guide published in 2026, Id consider an antenna an extraordinary move. If you were hoping to use a free trial period to watch March Madness, Ive got bad news. None of them will last long enough to cover the entire tournament. Some services dont offer a free trial at all, but the longest is YouTube TV at 10 days. Sadly, that wont even get you through the second weekend. What if I want to stream both the mens and womens tournaments? If youre hoping to stream all of the mens and womens NCAA tournaments, I hope you ordered Samsungs eight-TV bundle . In terms of streaming services, just jump straight to a live-TV option like YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV. I prefer the former because of its multiview feature. At times when there are multiple games that you want to watch, especially during the first two rounds, youll want multiview in order to keep tabs on all of the action. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/march-madness-2026-how-to-watch-every-game-of-the-ncaa-basketball-tournaments-154903317.html?src=rss

Amazon launches one- and three-hour delivery options in the US

Amazon just launched one-hour and three-hour delivery options in many cities and towns throughout the US. As a matter of fact, the company says three-hour delivery windows are already available in over 2,000 locations, while one-hour windows have launched in hundreds of cities. You can check to see if your area is covered by clicking right here . Just like same-day and next-day delivery, this doesn't cover every available item. Amazon boasts that over 90,000 products are ready for fast, reliable delivery in just a few clicks. There has been a priority placed on the kinds of items typically needed within 60 to 180 minutes. Users can order everyday essentials like pantry items, cleaning supplies, health and beauty items and over-the-counter medications. The new delivery options also cover some fun, but perhaps not essential, items like electronics, toys and clothing. Hey, a Nintendo Switch 2 to play Pokopia could be considered essential to many. Amazon These high-octane delivery methods don't come cheap, even for Prime members. One-hour deliveries cost $10 and three-hour deliveries cost $5. Customers without a Prime membership pay $20 for one-hour deliveries and $10 for three-hour deliveries. The same-day delivery option remains free for Prime members. This isn't Amazon's first foray into ultra-quick delivery windows. The company has been experimenting with this kind of thing for years. It started a program called Amazon Now in the 2010s that handled that sort of thing, which eventually changed to Prime Now. It was sunsetted in 2021 . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/amazon-launches-one--and-three-hour-delivery-options-in-the-us-151536118.html?src=rss

Gamers are right to be disgusted by NVIDIA's DLSS 5

You can sum up the gamer response to NVIDIA's DLSS 5 announcement with the ever-relevant Fallout 4 meme: Everyone disliked that. Across social media and Reddit last night, I couldn't find anyone who's genuinely positive about the potential for DLSS 5, which uses AI to add photorealistic lighting and materials to in-game models and environments. Instead, it's mostly complaints about the feature being another avenue for AI slop. And you know what? I agree. It's not unusual to see gamers being reflexively angry about new technology on the internet, especially when it's being pitched by NVIDIA as the biggest breakthrough in computer graphics since its RTX 20-series GPUs arrived in 2018 with real-time ray tracing. There was plenty of suspicion around DLSS's original AI upscaling model, as well as the fake frames generated by later iterations. But the few demos we've seen of DLSS 5 basically look like yassified AI filters for popular games. Leon and Grace from Resident Evil: Requiem have more distinct facial and hair detail, but they look a bit too slick. There are more wrinkles on an old woman in Hogwarts Legacy . And the face, hair and clothing from a Starfield character gain an uncanny sheen. None of the demos have the immediate impact of the Star Wars real-time ray tracing short ILMxLab produced with NVIDIA seven years ago. That demonstration showed us glorious reflections and lighting effects we'd never seen before in real-time. The DLSS 5 demos, on the other hand, don't look much different from the AI filters that make you look more presentable for Zoom calls. There's no genuine excitement for DLSS 5, just NVIDIA telling us that it's groundbreaking. There's also plenty of concern about DLSS 5 straying from an artist's original intent , as well as a potential homogenization of game visuals if every developer starts using the feature. NVIDIA claims developers will have detailed controls for intensity, color grading and masking, which will help DLSS 5 stay in line with a game's aesthetic. But we don't have any direct developer experience with the feature yet some artists may want far more control than NVIDIA wants to give. The difference between DLSS 5 and earlier versions NVIDIA's upscaling is like the difference between generative AI and more traditional machine learning models. NVIDIA relied on the latter to make low-resolution textures and models appear sharper, and later to insert generated frames to smooth out gameplay and raise your fps count. As Wirecutter and former Polygon editor Arthuer Gies points out , you could argue those features were in service of delivering what developers originally intended. But DLSS 5's neural model applies its concept of photorealism on top of what games are rendering -- it's like watching a Pixar movie that let OpenAI's Sora do a final visual pass. Part of the negative response towards DLSS 5 may stem from a widespread anti-gen AI sentiment, but that doesnt devalue the criticisms either. Similar to AI generated text, images and video, theres a dehumanizing aspect about DLSS 5. It can erase the work of human artists (despite how much control NVIDIA claims they have), and it also feels like a calculated attempt to appeal to gamers who just want shinier graphics. NVIDIA showed off how generative AI could be used to create dialog and voices for NPCs last year at CES, but that was also widely disliked (and I called it a genuine nightmare ). Of course, I cant fully judge DLSS 5 until I see it in action beyond a short demo. But I think the visceral disgust is an important indicator that many gamers arent onboard with the AI-powered future NVIDIA is trying to sell us. And perhaps the idea of chasing photorealism may be a bit of a fools errand. It may be appropriate for some games, but as Nintendo and indie PC devs have shown, you can also make some of the best games of all time without striving for realism. Tears of the Kingdom could use a better framerate and higher resolution textures, but it certainly doesnt need DLSS 5. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/gamers-are-right-to-be-disgusted-by-nvidias-dlss-5-151105593.html?src=rss

A PlayStation Portal update is adding a 1080p High Quality mode

Sony is rolling out a firmware update for its PlayStation Portal handheld that introduces a new quality option for both Remote Play and Cloud Streaming. Choosing the 1080p High Quality mode means that youll be able to stream games at a higher bitrate compared with the 1080p Standard option. You can switch to this mode by going to Quick Menu > Max Resolution and picking 1080p High Quality while youre playing a game. Youll need to restart your game session for the change to take effect. Naturally, 1080p High Quality will use more data than the other resolution options. Sony says that more than half of all Portal users are now PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers, meaning they can use the Cloud Streaming option on the device. With that in mind, the company is making some Cloud Streaming changes as part of this firmware update. The company says it has refined the search screen from now on, whenever you open this up, the on screen keyboard will pop up immediately. Thats a nice little quality-of-life update that streamlines things a bit. When you pick the stream option on pages for game bundles (i.e. for any title that includes multiple games), youll be able to select a specific game to jump into. Sony Interactive Entertainment There are notification changes too. If you receive a game invite while playing a supported title, youll now see a clear notification on your screen. Trophy notifications should now display properly too, with the trophy name and image showing up. Unlocking a platinum trophy will cause an animated notification to appear. Theres one more tweak to the system with this Portal update as Sony attempts to make the onboarding experience a bit smoother. Those who pick up a Portal but dont already have a PlayStation account will be able to create one and then sign in on the handheld by scanning a QR code on their mobile device. Such folks will still need to have access to a PS5 or sign up for PS Plus Premium to actually get any use out of the Portal, of course. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/a-playstation-portal-update-is-adding-a-1080p-high-quality-mode-142216189.html?src=rss

Apple and Nike team up for a new Powerbeats Pro 2 colorway

Apple and Nike are at it again. But this time, their collaboration doesn't involve Apple Watch bands or a shoe-tracking iPod . Instead, the companies are launching a new color option for Beats' fitness-focused earphones. Meet the Powerbeats Pro 2 - Nike Special Edition. This isn't just a new colorway, Beats CMI Chris Thorne wrote in a press release. It's a collision of two brands that dene performance, culture and sports the attributes of today's athlete. Okay, cool, but marketing-speak aside, this is, in fact, just a new colorway. However, depending on your taste, it might be one you're into. Nike's Volt palette takes center stage, with its love-it-or-hate-it electric yellow-green motif. The two companies share logo duties, with the Beats b on the left bud and Nike's swoosh on the right. Meanwhile, the charging case takes you to Speckle City, looking like something Jackson Pollock flung a can of leftover shoe paint onto. Apple / Nike Otherwise, these are the same Powerbeats Pro 2 earphones that launched last year. You get heart-rate tracking, decent ANC and Spatial Audio. You can revisit Billy Steele's review for more details on the earphones. To help move the product, Beats and Nike called upon an athlete they both sponsor: a little-known hooper named LeBron James. The Lakers vet stars in a new ad, where he uses the Nike Powerbeats to tune out the noise with a little help from Lionel Ritchie. You can watch the commercial below and order the new colorway from Apples and Nike's respective websites on March 20. The Nike Special Edition Powerbeats Pro costs the same $250 as the standard version. However, this is a limited-edition variant, so there's no guarantee it will be around for long. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/apple-and-nike-team-up-for-a-new-powerbeats-pro-2-colorway-140000882.html?src=rss

Oppos Find N6 might be the foldable of your dreams

Oppo is back with another high-spec foldable phone you may never see outside a tech journalist's hands. The Find N6 is its new, sub-9mm device that is headed to Asian markets and, for now, not many other places. That means no US or European availability. So why write about it? With its build quality, hardware specs and camera array, not only is it a very good phone, but it's also proof that another device maker can go toe-to-toe with Samsungs dominance in flagship foldable phones. Hardware Image by Mat Smith for Engadget Oppo is obsessed with the foldable crease. More than me, more than most of you, more than it should, probably. A focus of its presentation last month in London detailed all the effort put into its zero-feel crease. The idea is that you cant really feel where the device folds, with 3D liquid printing and laser scanning used to fill the hinge's surface precisely. The company says this reduces hinge height variance from 0.2mm to only 0.05mm. Oppo has improved the glass used on the foldable display, and according to TV Rheinland testing ( again ), the Find N6 reduces long-term crease formation by up to 82 percent compared to last years Oppo model. It apparently takes a lot of engineering to make a foldable that looks pristine for longer. Its definitely still early days, but after a few weeks of use, the crease does seem perceptibly shallower than that of other devices, especially the older Find N5. However, there is still a crease. You might not feel it as much, but you can see it. Despite that particular obsession, its another incredibly thin foldable, measuring 8.93mm (0.35 inches) thick. That means, folded, it seems roughly equivalent to most typical smartphone form factors. For reference, the iPhone 17 Pro is 8.75mm (0.34 inches) thick. Even with its slim profile, it also offers improved protection with IP59 certification against dust and water. The new foldable also picks up a new custom hardware button, like the Find X9 , which can be assigned to launch the camera, switch sound profiles and other quick action settings. The screens are the same size and resolution as its predecessor: a 6.62-inch front display and an 8.12-inch inner screen. There have been notable improvements here, too. Peak brightness has been punched up to 3,500 nits on the front screen and 2,500 nits on the foldable screen, making them brighter than on Oppos last foldable, but behind Motorolas latest, most luminous foldable. The Find N6 also has another custom 7-core Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor the flagship processor of the moment. The more impressive spec may be the battery: a huge 6,000mAh Silicon-Carbon power pack. Thats 400mAh more than the Find N5 and 1,600mAh more than the ZFold 7. And it goes and goes: Doing a battery rundown test on the front display playing non-stop video lasted just shy of 30 hours, while using the bigger internal screen still hit 24 hours. Another area where it bests Samsung is in charge speeds, supporting up to 80W SUPERVOOC wired charging through Oppos proprietary adapter and up to 55W with other high-wattage chargers. Theres also 50W AIRVOOC wireless charging again, only if you have Oppos particular flavor of wireless charger, which I do not. Sadly, there are no Qi2/PixelSnap/MagSafe docking magnets. The cameras Image by Mat Smith for Engadget Oppo has made major improvements to the cameras with several features showcased on the Find X9, now making their way to its foldables. There's a new 200-megapixel main camera with an f/1.8 lens and a new 50MP ultrawide camera that lets in 50 percent more light. The telephoto camera captures 50MP images, with 3X periscope optical zoom and telemacro focus up to 10cm away. All three cameras also support 4K 60 fps Dolby Vision video capture, with the main sensor also capable of 120 fps recording. Image by Mat Smith for Engadget Oppos new foldable has cameras that rival those of Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold series. The addition of the high-resolution 200MP main sensor adds more detail to images and more versatility, too. The company continues to collaborate with Hasselblad on camera hardware and software. A new Hi-Res mode that captures stills using the full pixel count of each sensor, while other shooting modes from previous devices are still here. That includes the Hasselblad Master Mode, with full control over the camera settings and the iconic XPAN mode for 65:24 panoramic stills and video. While I was already impressed by Oppos recent Find X9, the Find N6 still surprised me. Its versatile, consistent, and its almost the best foldable camera phone if only its telephoto matched the Pixel 10 Pro Folds 5x zoom. Software Image by Mat Smith for Engadget When it comes to multitasking, the Find N6 really wants to deliver, even if the end result is a little messy. You can run a full-screen app, while three Free-Flow Windows each run a different app or web page, all concurrently. Every window is interactive and it almost immediately gave me a stress headache. Oppo has baked in a system of swipes and pinches to aid navigation, but Id argue that even an 8.1-inch screen isnt enough for all those windows. Still, for the true power user, there is a lot to tap into. If youre the kind of person who bounces between work chats in Slack, your calendar and umpteen Chrome tabs this phone is aimed at you. Oppo wasnt done with the productivity bonafides. Its added a new stylus to its foldable series, which comes with its own holster/case that attaches to the back of the Find N6. In most instances, this would make a chunky foldable too bulky, but the base phone is so slim that it's passable. The case also serves as a charging cradle that can recharge the stylus via reverse wireless charging. Im not a huge stylus user, but for those who miss the S Pen, this is an option if you live in a country where its being sold. The stylus, officially called the Oppo AI Pen (hate that name), has a button to summon an onscreen palette of tools and features. Double-pressing the button switches between writing and erasing, which is pretty handy. Screen-off note-taking will apparently arrive in a later software update. Oppo is also continuing to bridge ecosystems with iPhone Connect, which adds AirDrop-style file sharing to Apple phones. Remote PC control is still a cute feature, making the Find N6 into a tiny pocketable PC, if youre willing to work on your laptop through a tiny screen. Wrap-up Image by Mat Smith for Engadget Its another impressive foldable from Oppo, one that sadly most folks will never be able to buy. Whats stopping Oppo from testing the waters outside of Asia? The Find N6 is an incredibly powerful, technically impressive device. What is Oppo afraid of? The foldable will arrive in both silver and orange, although the latter is a little more muted than Id hoped. For now, Oppo is launching the Find N6 on March 20 in China, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand and other Asian territories. The company just announced that prices will start at 9999 in China (approximately $1,450), with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/oppos-find-n6-might-be-the-foldable-of-your-dreams-131036055.html?src=rss

Dell XPS 16 (2026) review: Return of the king

Last year, Dell came this close to abdicating its throne as the maker of the best premium Windows laptops when it announced it was killing off the XPS brand . Thankfully, the company regained its wits, admitted its mistake and doubled down on its flagship notebook line by revealing a full redesign for 2026 with super sleek builds, improved performance and helpful tweaks to nearly everything else we loved about its predecessors. The one blemish to Dell's crown jewel is some keyboard issues on early units. But make no mistake, the king of laptops is back. Design and display For this revamp, Dell didn't stray away from the XPS line's typical mix of glass and aluminum. However, this time around, the company streamlined pretty much everything. The XPS 16 now weighs just 3.65 pounds (or 3.85 if you opt for the heavier LCD display), which is almost a full pound lighter than its predecessor (4.56 pounds). That's a massive drop and it makes this system closer in heft to a 15-inch MacBook Air (3.3 pounds) than a 16-inch MacBook Pro (4.7 pounds), despite the latter being XPS's usual rival. It's also noticeably thinner at 0.58 to 0.6 inches (depending on the exact configuration), which is once again a sizable decrease from the previous model (0.75 inches). Honestly, this laptop needs to be held to be truly appreciated. Even after using it for a while, it still feels impossibly sleek every time I pick it up. The optional 3.2K OLED display available on the XPS 16 is simply gorgeous. Sam Rutherford for Engadget Elsewhere, Dell kept important features like the XPS line's up-firing stereo speakers (which sound great), along with a decent mix of ports, including three USB-C jacks that support Thunderbolt 4, DisplayPort 2.1 and power delivery. The one thing I wish Dell had included though, is some sort of SD card reader. With the XPS 16 being the largest member of the family, it's often a prime option for people who like to edit photos and videos on the go, so having an easy way to transfer media from a camera to the laptop would be really nice. As for its display, Dell's optional 3.2K tandem OLED panel like the one on our review unit reinforces the laptop's role as a mobile editing platform. It produces vibrant hues and features a variable refresh rate that can go between 20 and 120Hz depending on what's on the screen. Despite having a nominal peak brightness of 400 nits, it looks much brighter in person, so you're getting an excellent viewing experience. Keyboard and touchpad The XPS 16's keyboard looks great, but the lack of an anti-ghosting feature and somewhat shallow key travel aren't ideal. Sam Rutherford for Engadget Perhaps the biggest change to the XPS line is its reworked keyboard and touchpad, which brings some ups and downs. Dell kept the glass deck and seamless touchpad used on previous models, except now there's a faint line going around its perimeter, so you never have to guess where it is. The company also replaced the row of capacitive touch function and media controls from its predecessor with regular keys. As a fan of physical buttons, this is just great. The issue is that for discerning typists, the keyboard seems to be missing anti-ghosting or N-key rollover tech. This means that if you press two keys very quickly one after another, the second press actually gets registered first, which can result in erroneous inputs. We ran into the same problem when testing the XPS 14 . Dell claims this issue only impacts the first batch of systems off the line and that units on sale today have had this issue patched already. Furthermore, the company says it will release an update to address the issue on the remaining units, which should be out sometime in March. Though at the time of publication, I haven't received anything yet. The XPS 16 also features punchy up-firing stereo speakers that don't leave much to complain about. Sam Rutherford for Engadget There is another nitpick about the keyboard. While I don't mind that Dell retained its zero-gap layout instead of going with a more traditional chiclet-style design, the more I type on it the more I wish Dell would offer something with a bit more key travel and heavier actuation. For reasons out of my control, my company-assigned work machine is a Dell Precision 5680 from 2023. I don't like it very much aside from its keyboard, which is significantly bouncier and just generally nicer to use than the one on the XPS 16. Performance A big reason why Dell was able to make the XPS 16 so thin and light is that the company didn't leave room for discrete graphics. That means you can only choose between a handful of Intel's latest Series 3 Core Ultra chips, ranging from the Ultra 5 325 to the Ultra X7 358H, with the latter being the one I tested here. That's not a bad thing though, as the laptop easily handled all the various productivity tasks I threw at it. And even without a proper GPU, the XPS 16 still pumped out 62 fps in Cyberpunk 2077 at 1920 x 1080, using Ultra settings and Intel's XeSS set to Quality. Those kinds of numbers aren't going to make anyone toss out their dedicated gaming rig, but once again, that's not too shabby for a notebook this easy to carry around. Battery life The XPS 16 comes with three USB-C port with Thunderbolt 4 which is nice, but sadly it lacks an SD card reader for quickly transferring media from a camera. Sam Rutherford for Engadget Thanks to a larger 99.5Whr battery, the XPS 16 fared better on our rundown test than its smaller sibling. This could be a deciding factor for anyone trying to choose between the two. In PCMark 10's Modern Office battery benchmark, the XPS 16 lasted just shy of 12 hours (11:53), which is more than an hour and a half longer than what we got from the XPS 14 (10:21). As long as you're not going to be gone for more than a day or you're really pushing it, you should be able to leave its power brick at home. Wrap-up Instead of killing the XPS name for good, Dell wisely reconsidered and then doubled down. The result is fantastic new version of the XPS 16. Sam Rutherford for Engadget When Dell decided to bring back the XPS name, COO Jeff Clake said the company was going to get back to its roots. That's the kind of messaging that's easy to stay on a stage, but after testing out the reborn XPS 16, I can confirm it isn't just flimsy rhetoric. This laptop is a shining example of a premium ultraportable Windows laptop done well. It features a super sleek aluminum chassis, strong performance, solid battery life and an excellent display, particularly if you upgrade to the 3.2K OLED option. The connection to the iconic award-winning systems isn't just skin deep. This thing is just as much an XPS as the ones we loved a decade ago and Dell is driving that point home by letting the XPS logo sit front and center on its lid instead of the company's usual branding. At just 3.65 pounds, the 2026 XPS 16 is basically a full pound lighter than its predecessor. Sam Rutherford for Engadget My one complaint is that I wish Dell would bring back the chiclet-style keyboards we got on models from the early 2020s . Though as long as the company can release updated software to fix the ghosting issues I've encountered, what's on there now is more than good enough. Granted, at $2,349 for our review unit, the XPS 16 is a bit pricey, but that's the going rate for a high-end notebook these days. If you snag a discount similar to the one Dell is currently running , suddenly, you're looking at an even more enticing package at $1,900. The biggest reason someone might want to hold off for now is if you do need more powerful graphics, as I'm expecting Dell to release an alternate version of the XPS 16 with room for a discrete GPU (and hopefully an SD card reader) sometime before the end of the year. Despite Dell nearly tossing decades of pedigree in the trash just months ago, the XPS 16 has returned to reclaim its spot at the top. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/dell-xps-16-2026-review-return-of-the-king-130000906.html?src=rss

Aqara's Matter-compatible camera promises easier smart home integration

Smart home company Aqara has launched what it says is the first camera certified for Matter , the open source standard that enables interoperability across brands, like Google and Amazon. The Aqara G350 is an indoor security cam that also functions as a Zigbee and Matter hub in the Aqara Home app, which means the camera will enable you to control various devices across smart home protocols from different brands within one location. The camera itself comes with a 4K wide-angle and a 2.5K telephoto lens, providing both panoramic and closeup views. It also has 9x hybrid zoom and a pan-tilt mechanism that can give you 360-degree coverage of the room its in. The camera uses AI-powered tracking to keep people and pets in frame, as well as to determine which events and sounds are truly meaningful before sending you an alert. The Camera Hub G350 is now available via Aqaras website , Amazon and other retailers for $140. Aqara has also introduced the G400 wired doorbell camera that can connect to the internet either via Ethernet or dual-band Wi-Fi 6. It has a lens with 2K resolution and 165-degree ultra-wide field of view, so that it can capture visitors even when theyre standing close. The camera has on-device detection capabilities to recognize people and motion even without being connected to the internet. Connected, its cloud-based AI features enable it to identify faces, packages, vehicles and animals. You can connect the Aqara G400 doorbell camera to major smart home platforms, such as Apple Home with Homekit, Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Samsung SmartThings. Its now available for sale on Aqaras website , Amazon and other retails for $100. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/aqaras-matter-compatible-camera-promises-easier-smart-home-integration-124500865.html?src=rss

Marshall adds a junior-sized party speaker to its lineup

Marshall is launching a smaller companion for its highly rated Bromley 750 party speaker . The new Bromley 450 retains the larger models guitar-amp motif but comes in a petite, less expensive package. The Bromley 450 carries over its larger siblings 360-degree audio trickery. Like equivalents from other companies , Marshalls True Stereophonic 360-degree sound fools your brain into perceiving more directionality than its form factor allows. Lighting effects (inspired by 70s stage shows) also carry over from the larger model. However, this new speaker lacks the sound character control found in the Bromley 750. Marshall says you can expect over 40 hours of playtime. If your party somehow goes on longer than that, you can swap out its battery on the fly (using the same one found in the Bromley 750). Or, you know, just plug it into a power outlet. And if your event turns into a performance, youre covered with mic and instrument inputs. The Bromley 750 (left) and Bromley 450 Marshall The Bromley 450 measures 360 x 261 x 492mm, making it about 25 percent shorter than its big brother. At just under 27 lbs, it only weighs about half as much. That helps to explain Marshalls decision not to include wheels on this model. (But dont worry, it still has a handle.) The speaker has an IP55 rating for dust and water resistance. The Marshall Bromley 450 may be less expensive than its larger counterpart, but it still costs a pretty penny. Itll set you back $800 when it goes on sale on March 31. You can order it on Marshalls website and from select retail partners (including Best Buy, Sweetwater and Crutchfield). This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/marshall-adds-a-junior-sized-party-speaker-to-its-lineup-120000871.html?src=rss

Senators tell ByteDance to shut down Seedance 2.0 AI video app 'immediately'

After ByteDance suspended the global rollout of its new Seedance 2.0 AI video generator on the weekend, US senators have now told the company to immediately shut down the app. Seedance 2.0 poses a direct threat to the American intellectual property system and, more broadly, to the constitutional rights and economic livelihoods of our creative community, Senators Marsha Blackburn and Peter Welch wrote in a letter to the company . The letter reflects an increasing worry in government about AI companies training their apps on copyrighted materials from artists, actors and filmmakers without permission. Responsible global companies follow the law and respect core economic rights, including intellectual propertyand personal likenessprotections, the senators wrote. They cited Seedance AI examples including an AI generated Thanos and Superman battle, a rewritten Stranger Things ending and that famous (fake) Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt battle . After pulling Seedance 2.0, ByteDance said on the weekend that it espects intellectual property rights and that it is aking steps to strengthen current safeguards as we work to prevent the unauthorized use of intellectual property and likeness by users. However, Blackburn and Welch called that pledge a delay tactic to continue to abuse the innovators and profit from their success, adding that its regard for American IP is part of a larger trend of artificial intelligence companies stealing protected work at the expensive of the creative community. Filmmakers have also taken action against Seedance 2.0, including the Motion Picture Association with recently sent a cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance. Yesterday, senators including Blackburn and Welch unveiled a partisan bill to help artists protect their IP by allowing them to access training records used for AI models, among other measures. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/senators-tell-bytedance-to-shut-down-seedance-20-ai-video-app-immediately-112146241.html?src=rss

The Morning After: Apple's surprise AirPods Max refresh

You may have a little Apple fatigue after last week's barrage of Macs, iPhones and iPads. The company wasn't done, however. Surprise! Here is an updated pair of AirPods Max . It's a predictable surprise, perhaps, but one I wasn't expecting after so many other new devices. It's also the first true update. The AirPods Max 2 look identical to their predecessor, but now have an H2 chip. First, the AirPods Pro 2 improve noise cancellation by 50 percent and add support for Adaptive Audio and Live Translation. It's a much-needed update for headphones that, barring a USB-C option, haven't changed since 2020. They're still priced at $549. In Apple's recent press images for its cheapest MacBook ever, a child was using AirPods Max while working on their $599 MacBook Neo . Love it. The new headphones are up for pre-order on March 25 and will ship in early April. Mat Smith The other big stories (and deals) this morning Samsung ends Galaxy Z TriFold sales three months after launch NVIDIA and Bolt team up for European robotaxis Samsung Galaxy S26 review: The smartphone status quo Firefly is getting rebooted as an animated series NVIDIA claims DLSS 5 will deliver ' photoreal ' image quality with AI this fall MacBook Pro M5 Max 16-inch review Still the pinnacle. Engadget What did I just say? Wrapping up the barrage of reviews of all that new Apple hardware (besides those new AirPods), we test out Apple's most powerful new MacBook. The new Pro has an M5 Max chip, plenty of memory and is a beast. Thankfully, it still has all the ports you'd want. Continue reading. xAI is being sued by teens who say Grok created CSAM using their photos The class action lawsuit says that the lives of three teens have been shattered. xAI is facing a class-action lawsuit in California, after its Grok AI reportedly generated sexualized images of children. Three teenagers filed suit, alleging Grok used their photos to create child exploitation material. One teen was alerted in December that AI-generated, sexually explicit images of her and other minors were being shared in settings with which she was familiar, but morphed into sexually explicit poses. The Center for Countering Digital Hate estimated in January that Grok produced millions of sexualized images, including 23,000 potentially depicting children. Continue reading. Finally, Android tablets and foldables are getting a Chrome bookmark bar Hello, power users. Google is rolling out a new feature for Chrome that will add a bookmark bar to the browser on Android foldables and tablets. Spotted by 9to5Google, this move will make the browsing experience on larger mobile devices more akin to that of laptops and desktops running Chrome. Perfect if you managed to grab Samsung's Galaxy Z TriFold before it disappears forever . Continue reading. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-111501781.html?src=rss

Denon's DP-500BT turntable combines premium design with Bluetooth streaming for $899

Denon is addressing an omission in its current turntable lineup: Bluetooth streaming. With the new DP-500BT, the company combines refined design, analog sound and high-resolution wireless connectivity. With its semi-automatic operation and switchable phono preamp, this model has the features to suit beginners and experienced vinyl listeners alike. The DP-500BT has a belt drive system, a balanced S-shaped tonearm and an aluminum die cast platter. Theres also a pre-installed moving magnet (MM) cartridge with a CN-6518 stylus and a built-in preamp that can be disabled in favor of a more robust external unit or powered speakers. Semi-automatic operation combines auto lift with playback stop to simplify the listening process for both novice and advanced vinyl lovers. This feature also protects both the stylus and your records. In terms of design, Denon says it took inspiration from its DP-3000NE turntable for the DP-500BT. The similarities are clear, but more importantly, this decision gives the new $899 model a much more refined look compared to the companys more affordable record players. The DP-3000NE is a $2,799 turntable, after all. Bluetooth streaming is what sets the DP-500BT apart in the Denon lineup. Here, youll have the option of aptX, aptX HD and apt Adaptive when you need to streaming wirelessly to speakers or headphones. This turntable also works with the companys HEOS amplifiers and Home speakers, which allow for multi-room audio while listening to that record collection. The DP-500BT is available today from Denon and other retailers for $899. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/denons-dp-500bt-turntable-combines-premium-design-with-bluetooth-streaming-for-899-080000144.html?src=rss