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Social Security watchdog investigating claims that DOGE engineer copied its databases
17 hours ago
by Anna Washenko
Politics & Government, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko
The inspector general's office of the Social Security Administration is investigating allegations of a security breach by a member of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency operation spearheaded by Elon Musk. A whistleblower has claimed that a former software engineer from DOGE said he possessed two databases from the SSA, "Numident" and the "Master Death File." The person reportedly asked for help transferring the databases from a thumb drive "to his personal computer so that he could ‘sanitize’ the data before using it at [the company]," an unnamed government contractor where he is currently employed. Those databases include personal information
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Metadata company Gracenote is the latest to sue OpenAI for copyright infringement
18 hours ago
by Anna Washenko
Business, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko
AI companies have been spending a lot of time in court arguing copyright cases over the past year and the latest plaintiff is Gracenote, the metadata company owned by Nielsen. Axios reports that Gracenote is suing OpenAI for the unauthorized and unpaid use of both its metadata and its framework for connecting that information.
Gracenote specializes in entertainment metadata, creating descriptions and identifiers for content that clients such as TV providers use to help their own customers with discovery. Most of the lawsuits against AI businesses have focused on the content used to train LLMs, but the Gracenote case brings an
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Epic is increasing the price of Fortnite's V-Bucks currency
19 hours ago
by Ian Carlos Campbell
National Basketball Association, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell
The real world price of impulse-buying Fortnite skins is going up, Epic has announced. Not because skins themselves are getting more expensive on paper, but because V-Bucks, Fortnite's digital currency, is. The same prices you paid for bundles of V-Bucks in February will now effectively earn you fewer bucks starting on March 19, along with several other Fortnite-related pricing changes.
Epic will still offer bundles of V-Bucks starting at $8.99 and running all the way to $89.99, but with a new "conversion rate.” The new bundle prices breakdown as follows:
* $8.99 will get you 800 V-Bucks, down from 1,000 V-Bucks
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Amazon wins a temporary injunction against Perplexity's Comet browser
20 hours ago
by Anna Washenko
Internet & Networking Technology, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko
Amazon has secured a temporary win in its fight with Perplexity over the use of AI shopping bots. Bloomberg reported that a San Francisco federal court has determined that Perplexity must stop using its Comet web browser's AI agent to make purchases for users on Amazon's marketplace. The AI company will have a week to appeal the decision, otherwise it has been ordered to stop accessing any password-protected areas of Amazon's systems and destroy its copies of Amazon's data while the two companies continue to argue their cases.
"Amazon has provided strong evidence that Perplexity, through its Comet browser, accesses with
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Wordle’s creator is back with a new game, and it’s a real chin scratcher
20 hours ago
by Kris Holt
Media, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Kris Holt
Josh Wardle had a hell of a tough act to follow. His last game, Wordle, became incredibly popular thanks to its blend of simplicity, clarity and shareability. Over four years (and a seven-figure sale of Wordle to The New York Times) later, Wardle has released his follow-up game.
Like Wordle and its myriad clones, Parseword offers up one puzzle per day. It taps into the mechanics of cryptic crossword clues. So it might ask you to replace one of the words with a synonym, reverse it or find a homophone. You may need to remove letters from a word or combine
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Here's the final trailer for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
20 hours ago
by Lawrence Bonk
Movies, Media, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Lawrence Bonk
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is nearly upon us, as the hotly-anticipated sequel arrives in theaters on April 1. Nintendo recently dropped the final trailer for the film, which is filled with quick visual gags and nods to the source material.
There aren't too many actual reveals in this footage, as it covers a lot of the same ground as previous trailers. However, it does show that fan favorite Lumalee is returning as a prison guard of some sort, reversing the storyline from the original film in which the cheerfully nihilistic creature was trapped in a cage.
Nintendo also released a larger
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ChatGPT will now generate interactive visuals to help you with math and science concepts
21 hours ago
by Igor Bonifacic
Teaching & Learning, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Igor Bonifacic
OpenAI is rolling out new interactive responses in ChatGPT it says are designed to make the chatbot more useful for learners. Starting today, ChatGPT will generate dynamic visuals when you ask it to explain select scientific and mathematical concepts, including the Pythagorean theorem, Coulomb's law and lens equations. When ChatGPT responds with an interactive visual, you'll be able to tweak any variables and the equation itself, allowing you to see how those changes affect the solution.
With today's release, OpenAI says ChatGPT will respond with interactive visuals when asked about more than 70 concepts, with support for additional topics to come
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Yoshi and the Mysterious Book will be released for Switch 2 on May 21
21 hours ago
by Lawrence Bonk
Media, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Lawrence Bonk
Nintendo's next platform adventure, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, will be released for Switch 2 on May 21. The company announced the release date as part of its annual Mar10 Day celebration. This is a made-up holiday that exists because the date spelled out like that sort of looks like the word Mario.
In any event, there's a new trailer for the perpetually hungry dinosaur's latest adventure. It looks super cute. It sort of resembles a children's picture book come to life. Yoshi games typically boast unique graphical styles, with past entries featuring entire worlds made of yarn, cardboard and more.
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Google to Provide Pentagon with Gemini-powered AI agents
a day ago
by Andre Revilla
Politics & Government, Military & Defense, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Andre Revilla
Google is rolling out Gemini AI agents to the Department of Defense's more than 3 million civilian and military employees, according to Bloomberg. The agents will initially operate on unclassified networks, with talks underway to expand them to classified and top-secret systems, according to Emil Michael, the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.
Eight pre-built agents will automate tasks like summarizing meeting notes, building budgets and checking proposed actions against the national defense strategy. Google Vice President Jim Kelly said in a blog post on Tuesday that Defense Department personnel can also create custom agents using natural language.
Google's AI
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Live Nation settlement avoids breakup with Ticketmaster
a day ago
by Jackson Chen
Company Legal & Law Matters, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen
To keep Ticketmaster, Live Nation is going to have to make some major changes. As first reported by Politico, Live Nation reached a settlement with the Department of Justice in its antitrust case that accused the live entertainment giant of monopolistic practices. Live Nation will reportedly pay at least $200 million in damages to states that were part of the lawsuit filed in May 2024, but avoid selling off Ticketmaster.
Live Nation will also be required to make a few changes to its business practices. According to NBC News, Ticketmaster, a subsidiary of Live Nation, will be required to create a
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NVIDIA is reportedly working on its own open-source AI agent platform
a day ago
by Lawrence Bonk
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Lawrence Bonk
NVIDIA is reportedly working on its own open-source AI agent platform, according to Wired. The chipmaker has been pitching the product to enterprise software companies. Reporting indicates it's going to be called NemoClaw, suggesting that the entire industry is going to embrace this whole "claw" naming convention moving forward.
Just like OpenClaw, this will be a platform in which users dispatch AI agents to perform a variety of tasks. However, NVIDIA's effort looks to have an enterprise focus for now. To that end, reporting indicates that companies will be able to access this platform even if their products don't run on
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GeForce Now adds GOG syncing and 90fps game streaming in VR headsets
a day ago
by Steve Dent
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Steve Dent
NVIDIA's GeForce Now game streaming platform has added a few minor but useful updates, especially for GOG and VR headset users, the company announced at Game Developer's Conference (GDC). The biggest technical improvement is for virtual reality headsets that support GeForce Now like the Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest. Starting next week (March 19), those devices will be able to stream at 90 fps for Ultimate members (up from 60 fps) for improved smoothness, responsiveness and realism.
Another helpful update is in-app labels coming "soon" to GeForce Now. Once you connect an Xbox or Ubisoft_ account, you'll see clear labels
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Meta is buying Moltbook, the ridiculous social network populated by AI bots
a day ago
by Kris Holt
Social & Online Media, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Kris Holt
Meta is snapping up Moltbook, a Reddit-like social network for AI agents that has been around since January and remains completely ridiculous. The company hasn't disclosed the terms of the deal.
Moltbook and its creators Matt Schlicht and Ben Parr will be joining Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL) when the deal closes. That's expected to happen in the coming days, according to Axios.
“The Moltbook team joining MSL opens up new ways for AI agents to work for people and businesses," a Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch. "Their approach to connecting agents through an always-on directory is a novel step in a rapidly developing
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Google brings Gemini-powered content creation tools to Docs, Sheets, Slides and Drive
a day ago
by Andre Revilla
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Andre Revilla
Google is rolling out a batch of Gemini updates across its Workspace apps that give the AI assistant the ability to generate first drafts in Docs, build entire spreadsheets in Sheets, design presentations in Slides and answer questions about files stored in Drive. The features started rolling out on March 10 in beta for Google AI Ultra and Pro subscribers and Gemini Alpha business customers, in English only.
In Docs, a new "Help me create" tool produces a formatted first draft by pulling context from Drive, Gmail, Chat and the web based on a user's prompt. Gemini can also match the
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A Resident Evil Requiem story expansion is in the works
a day ago
by Kris Holt
Video Games, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Kris Holt
It takes around 30 hours to experience everything Resident Evil Requiem has to offer. If you've already enjoyed all the thrills and spills and you're itching for more, there's some positive news. Capcom has some updates on the way. The biggest of those is a story expansion, which is now in development. Just don't expect it to arrive imminently.
"In this story, we will delve deeper into the world of Requiem," game director Koshi Nakanishi said in a short video message. "We’re hard at work on it now. It will take some time, so we ask for your patience and hope
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The Sonos Play puts the best parts of the Era 100 in a portable speaker
a day ago
by Nathan Ingraham
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Nathan Ingraham
Sonos has just announced its first new products since 2024, when the company’s plans went sideways after a disastrous update to its app. First up is the Sonos Play, the company’s latest portable speaker. Long-time Sonos watchers will recognize the name from the old Play:1, Play:3 and Play:5 speakers, but this new model has little to do with those products of the past. The $299 Play is a Wi-Fi and Bluetooth speaker that sits between the $179 Roam 2 and $499 Move 2 and could be the “goldilocks” speaker in the company’s portable lineup, at least based on what I
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MacBook Neo review: Apple puts every $600 Windows PC to shame
a day ago
by Devindra Hardawar
Computing, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Devindra Hardawar
I really don't know how Apple did it. The MacBook Neo is a $600 laptop that doesn't feel like an afterthought, which is a curse that has befallen so many cheap Windows notebooks. Sure, it has a slower A-series processor and it's limited to 8GB of RAM. But the MacBook Neo still feels as deeply considered as Apple's most premium hardware. Its screen, trackpad and overall usability is so far ahead of the competition, every Windows PC maker, including Microsoft, should be ashamed.
I've argued that a cheap MacBook could be the best for Apple to peel away Windows users, and
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X says it suspended 800 million accounts in 2024 over spam and manipulation
a day ago
by Mariella Moon
Politics & Government, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Mariella Moon
X has told UK’s MPs or Members of Parliament that it suspended 800 million accounts to combat state-backed campaigns on the website, according to The Guardian. Wifredo Fernández, X’s head of global government affairs, told the officials that the suspensions happened over a 12-month period in 2024 and that the accounts were suspended for violating X’s rules on platform manipulation and spam. Russia was allegedly behind most of the accounts that were flooding the website with spam, followed by state actors from China and Iran.
The Russian accounts were trying to “stoke division” and disseminate a “particular type of narrative” to
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Shark's ChillPill puts a mister, fan and cold-plate in one portable package
a day ago
by Cherlynn Low
Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Cherlynn Low
Shark has been making some intriguing devices lately, and its newest offering is one I’m personally very excited about. The company has just announced the ChillPill — a gadget it’s describing as a “3-in-1 personal cooling system.” It’s a modular system that offers a fan, mister and cold plate in one portable accessory, and is available today (March 10) for $150. Just in time for the summer, I guess. I’ve had a ChillPill to test for a few days and while I think it’s a bit pricey, I’m impressed by the sophistication and versatility you get for the money.
The ChillPill
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The best robot vacuums on a budget for 2026
a day ago
by Valentina Palladino
Robots, Technology & Electronics, Consumer Discretionary, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Valentina Palladino
If vacuuming is your least favorite chore, employing a robot vacuum can save you time and stress while also making sure your home stays clean. While once most robo-vacs landed on the higher end of the price spectrum, that’s not the case anymore. Sure, you could pick up a $1,000 cleaning behemoth with mopping features, but it would be incorrect to assume that you need to spend that much money to get a good machine.
Now, you can get an autonomous dirt-sucker with serious cleaning chops for $500 — sometimes even $300 or less. But you get what you pay for
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You can now use ChatGPT to open Shazam instead of... just opening Shazam
a day ago
by Mariella Moon
Software, Music, Media, Mobile Apps, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Mariella Moon
Shazam is now available within ChatGPT, if you don’t want to launch the music discovery app on your phone for, well, reasons. You will have to link the Shazam app with the chatbot first from its Apps page, after which you can summon it in-chat to identify whatever song is playing. To summon Shazam in-chat, you can use prompts like “Shazam, what’s playing?” or “Shazam, what is this song?”
A box will pop up that you can tap on to launch the music discovery service, which will then listen to the tune playing. ChatGPT will display the song’s name, artist and
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FAA opens up real world testing for air taxi startups
a day ago
by Steve Dent
Commercial Vehicles, Government, Transportation, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Steve Dent
US regulators have approved eight pilot programs across 26 states that will allow Archer, Joby and other eVTOL companies to finally start testing aircraft this summer, according to a US Department of Transportation (DoT) press release. That will allow those manufacturers to run trials for use cases like urban air taxi services, regional passenger transportation, cargo, emergency medical operations and autonomous flight technology.
The new projects were made possible by the White House's Advanced Air Mobility and eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (e-IPP) approved last year to allow certification for such aircraft to progress after being stuck in the mud for years.
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The Morning After: The new iPad Air M4 is Apple's best overall tablet
a day ago
by Mat Smith
Technology & Electronics, Handheld & Connected Devices, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Mat Smith
Now that Apple is designing and engineering its own silicon, the updates come fast. It’s been less than two years since the company released the M2-powered iPad Air and we’re already on our third iPad Air iteration, one with the M4 inside. That’s the same chip that was inside the iPad Pro in 2024.
That’s one way of expressing how powerful 2025's iPad Air now is – and it remains a step above the base iPad in most ways. However, there’s room for improvement. Apple has stuck with the same display for another year. The 11-inch iPad Air that Nathan Ingraham
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The Oversight Board says Meta needs new rules for AI-generated content
a day ago
by Karissa Bell
Internet & Networking Technology, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Karissa Bell
The Oversight Board is once again urging Meta to overhaul its rules around AI-generated content. This time, the board says Meta should create a separate rule for AI content that's independent of its misinformation policy, invest in more reliable detection tools and make better use of digital watermarks among other changes.
The group's recommendations stem from an AI-generated video shared last year that claimed to show damaged buildings in the Israeli city of Haifa during the Israel-Iran conflict in 2025. The clip, which racked up more than 700,000 views, was posted by an account that claimed to be a news outlet
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TikTok can continue its operations in Canada after agreeing to enhanced security measures
a day ago
by Mariella Moon
Politics & Government, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Mariella Moon
TikTok doesn’t have to close its offices in Canada after all. The country will allow TikTok to keep its business operational after a national security review, Minister of Industry Mélanie Joly has announced. This is a complete 180 of the country’s decision back in 2024 to order TikTok to shut down its operations, citing unspecified “national security risks” posed by the company and its China-based parent ByteDance. Canadian authorities said back then that their decision was based on evidence collected by the country’s security and intelligence community.
As Bloomberg notes, the order was paused shortly after Mark Carney replaced Justin Trudeau
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Rode’s Rodecaster Video Core makes livestreaming even cheaper
2 days ago
by Daniel Cooper
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Daniel Cooper
Rode’s not done releasing trimmed-down versions of its production tools with an eye on budget conscious creators. Today, it’s launching Rodecaster Video Core, an all-in-one studio setup which sits below its flagship Rodecaster Video and its (now) mid-range Video S. It’s aimed at folks who are either dipping a toe into this world, or already have audio gear and just want to broaden out to HD video as well. Arguably, the biggest change is the lack of any controls on the hardware itself, as you’ll be running the show entirely from inside the Rodecaster App.
In terms of connectivity, you’ll find
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You can (sort of) block Grok from editing your uploaded photos
2 days ago
by Anna Washenko
Internet & Networking Technology, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko
People can block the xAI's Grok chatbot from creating modifications of their uploaded images on social network X. Neither X or xAI, both Elon Musk-owned businesses, have made a public announcement about this feature, which users began noticing on the iOS app within the image/video upload menu over the past few days.
This option is likely a response to Grok's latest scandal, which began at the start of 2026 when the addition of image generation tools to the chatbot saw about 3 million sexualized or nudified images created. An estimated 23,000 of the images made in that 11-day period contained sexualized
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Dutch intelligence services warn of Russian hackers targeting Signal and WhatsApp
2 days ago
by Anna Washenko
Politics & Government, Military & Defense, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko
The Netherlands’ military intelligence service and domestic intelligence agency have issued a join warning claiming that Russian hackers have launched "a large-scale global cyber campaign to gain access to Signal and WhatsApp accounts belonging to dignitaries, military personnel and civil servants." According to the Dutch alert, hackers are imitating support chatbots to trick key targets into revealing their PINs for those communication platforms, which allows the bad actors to access incoming messages.
Last year in the US, the Pentagon advised members not to use Signal after the platform was subjected to similar phishing scams by Russian hackers. (Although the same US
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Bluesky's CEO is stepping down after nearly 5 years
2 days ago
by Karissa Bell
Internet & Networking Technology, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Karissa Bell
Bluesky CEO Jay Graber, who has led the upstart social platform since 2021, is stepping down from her role as its top executive. Toni Schneider, who has been an advisor and investor in Bluesky, will take over the job temporarily while Graber stays on as Chief Innovation Officer.
"As Bluesky matures, the company needs a seasoned operator focused on scaling and execution, while I return to what I do best: building new things," Graber wrote in a blog post. Schneider, who was previously CEO at Wordpress parent Automattic, will be that "experienced operator and leader" while Blueksy's board searches for a
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Apple reportedly delays its planned smart display launch to fall
2 days ago
by Anna Washenko
Technology & Electronics, Handheld & Connected Devices, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko
Mark Gurman at Bloomberg is back with the latest rumors about what's afoot with Apple's future plans, and how its ongoing difficulties with artificial intelligence seem to be creating further delays for its next wave of product launches. His sources say that Apple is expected to postpone the debut of its smart home display until later in 2026, likely September when it often introduces new gadgets. Although the hardware has reportedly been finished for months, this delay is being credited to the company's AI-centric overhaul of Siri still not being complete.
The device, internally known as J490, has been one of
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Uber expands its program that helps pair women riders and drivers
2 days ago
by Lawrence Bonk
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Lawrence Bonk
Uber has expanded its program that helps pair women riders and drivers. The Women Preferences feature is now available nationwide, after being tested in several cities. It has previously been available in many countries around the globe and started in Saudi Arabia back in 2019.
It's pretty easy to use. Women riders will see an option for Women Drivers when requesting a trip, and this also works when making a reservation in advance. Users can also make a preference for a woman driver in the settings app, though this doesn't guarantee anything and depends on the driver pool.
The feature works in
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Samsung promises 120 games will be playable via its glasses-free 3D monitor tech by the end of the year
2 days ago
by Lawrence Bonk
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Lawrence Bonk
Samsung just announced that 120 games will be playable via its Odyssey 3D Hub platform by the end of the year. This is the platform that provides content for glasses-free 3D monitors like recent Odyssey displays.
The company made this claim at GDC 2026, while also noting that the platform currently offers around 60 playable titles. Samsung has only announced a couple of games headed to the platform this year, which include Cronos: The New Dawn and Hell is Us. These are both solid third-person action games that originally came out last year.
The collection already includes several notable games, including Stellar
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EA laid off staffers across Battlefield studios to 'better align' its teams
2 days ago
by Jackson Chen
Video Games, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen
EA axed an undisclosed number of employees across the game studios behind the Battlefield franchise. As first reported by IGN, EA told affected employees that the layoffs were part of a "realignment" across the Battlefield studios, which include Dice, Criterion, Ripple Effect and Motive Studios. When asked about the report, an EA spokesperson said in a statement that "we’ve made select changes within our Battlefield organization to better align our teams around what matters most to our community."
IGN reported that all the involved studios will remain operational, but the layoffs will affect multiple offices. The shake-up may come as a
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Hyper Light Drifter studio workers form union after rounds of layoffs
2 days ago
by Andre Revilla
Unions, Labor Issues, Society & Culture, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Andre Revilla
Workers at Heart Machine, the independent studio behind Hyper Light Drifter and Solar Ash, have formed a union with Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 9003. The wall-to-wall unit covers all 13 frontline employees at the studio, which voluntarily recognized the union in February after a supermajority of eligible workers voted for the measure.
The organizing effort follows a rough stretch at Heart Machine, after the studio laid off employees in November 2024, then announced in October 2025 that it would end development on its early access title Hyper Light Breaker and cut further staff.
"I decided to get involved in organizing
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Anthropic sues US government over supply chain risk designation
2 days ago
by Nathan Ingraham
Politics & Government, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Nathan Ingraham
Anthropic has filed a lawsuit to prevent the Pentagon from adding the company it a national security blocklist. This comes days after the Department of Defense sent a letter to Anthropic confirming the company was labeled a supply chain risk; at the time CEO Dario Amodei had all but guaranteed Anthropic would fight back with legal action.
The lawsuit claims the designation is unlawful and violated free speech and due process rights. “These actions are unprecedented and unlawful. The Constitution does not allow the government to wield its enormous power to punish a company for its protected speech," Anthropic said in
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Amazon’s Zoox will test its robotaxis in Dallas and Phoenix
2 days ago
by Andre Revilla
Transportation, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Andre Revilla
Amazon’s self-driving subsidiary Zoox announced on Monday that it will begin testing its autonomous vehicles in Dallas and Phoenix. The company will initially deploy retrofitted Toyota Highlander SUVs with human safety drivers to map the new cities before eventually rolling out its purpose-built robotaxis.
Zoox says these two cities will offer a chance to test its sensors and battery performance in unique conditions its cars haven't yet encountered in existing markets. Phoenix experiences extreme heat, dust and high-speed roads, while Dallas has more sprawling roads and varied weather compared to other cities where Zoox operates. The company is also opening new
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iPad Air M4 review: Still Apple's best overall tablet, with a few caveats
2 days ago
by Nathan Ingraham
Technology & Electronics, Handheld & Connected Devices, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Nathan Ingraham
Perhaps one of the most surprising things about the Apple Silicon era is how quickly Apple now updates its products. Take the iPad Air, for example. It’s been less than two years since the company released the M2-powered iPad Air in 11- and 13-inch sizes. We’re already on our third iPad Air iteration, one with the M4 inside. That’s the same chip that was inside the iPad Pro that was unveiled alongside that M2-powered Air in 2024. (The Pro was updated with an M5 last fall.)
Just as I said a year ago when Apple unveiled the iPad Air M3, this
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iPhone 17e review: The economical choice
2 days ago
by Cherlynn Low
Smart Phones, Technology & Electronics, Handheld & Connected Devices, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Cherlynn Low
By introducing the iPhone 17e just a year after the iPhone 16e, Apple is closing some gaps. Before, the company would only roll out a new entry-level iPhone every few years, with the iPhone 5c (2013), iPhone XR (2018) and iPhone SE (2016, 2020, 2022) all having two to four years between their releases. But Apple is getting into an annual groove now, and having renamed the device to integrate better with the rest of the iPhone lineup, Apple is making a clear statement: It cares about the midrange now.
With the current state of global economics, Apple’s focus on lower
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The 10 best sleep apps and gadgets for a better night's sleep in 2026
2 days ago
by Amy Skorheim
Social & Online Media, Personal Finance - Lifestyle, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Amy Skorheim
Tech has a bad (and deserved) reputation as a sleep killer. Blue light, incessant scrolling and information onslaught conspire to keep us on edge and exiled from dreamland. But a few gadgets and apps out there may actually help us sleep. We’ve tried many such products over the years and have gathered the ones that actually did some good in this list. But first, take the arguably most important step towards good sleep: Use the sleep schedule on your phone (Android, iPhone). Once you’ve done that, check out the best sleep gadgets below and prepare to shuffle off to the
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The best air purifier for 2026
2 days ago
by Amy Skorheim
Allergies, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Amy Skorheim
As houses and apartments get more energy efficient, they also get more airtight, limiting air exchange with the outside world. That’s partly why indoor air is often far more polluted than outdoor air. Synthetic building materials, cleaning products, pet dander, cooking emissions and smoke all conspire to muck up what we breathe in. In our tests, the best way to get the green light from our air quality monitors was opening the windows. But bad weather, wildfires and high pollen-count days mean you can’t always do that. Air purifiers are your next best option. Their combination of specialized filters, fans
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Qualcomm's new Arduino Ventuno Q is an AI-focused computer designed for robotics
2 days ago
by Steve Dent
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Steve Dent
Qualcomm, which purchased microcontroller board manufacturer Arduino last year, just announced a new single-board computer that marries AI with robotics. Called the Arduino Ventuno Q, it uses Qualcomm's Dragonwing IQ8 processor along with a dedicated STM32H5 low-latency microcontroller (MCU). "Ventuno Q is engineered specifically for systems that move, manipulate and respond to the physical world with precision and reliability," the company wrote on the product page.
The Ventuno Q is more sophisticated (and expensive) than Arduinio's usual AIO boards, thanks to the Dragonwing IQ8 processor that includes an 8-core ARM Cortex CPU, Adreno Arm Cortex A623 GPU and Hexagon Tensor NPU
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NetEase is reportedly pulling funding for Yakuza creator's studio
3 days ago
by Jackson Chen
Media, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen
The hype for Gang of Dragon, the debut game from Nagoshi Studio, may already be getting derailed. According to a Bloomberg report, Chinese tech giant NetEase is going to stop financing Nagoshi Studio starting in May. Bloomberg confirmed the news with the studio's employees and a NetEase spokesperson.
The report explained that NetEase decided to cut funding to Nagoshi Studio, which was founded in 2021 by Yakuza franchise creator Toshihiro Nagoshi, after finding out the studio needed $44.4 million to complete the project. Bloomberg reported that Nagoshi Studio is trying to find new sponsors but hasn't had any success so far.
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Apple is reportedly looking into 3D printing aluminum iPhones and Apple Watches
3 days ago
by Jackson Chen
Technology & Electronics, Handheld & Connected Devices, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen
There could be even more 3D-printed Apple products coming in the future. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is exploring ways to 3D print aluminum to make the manufacturing processes for iPhones and Apple Watches more efficient.
Gurman reported that this new production process could specifically change how Apple makes its watch casings as well as iPhone enclosures. It's not the first time Apple has tapped into 3D printing, since both the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Series 11 were partially built with 3D-printed titanium that's 100 percent recycled. More recently, Apple used its 3D printing process to create the titanium
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OpenAI's robotics hardware lead resigns following deal with the Department of Defense
3 days ago
by Jackson Chen
Internet & Networking Technology, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen
OpenAI's robotics hardware lead is out. Caitlin Kalinowski, who oversaw hardware within the robotics division of OpenAI, posted on X that she was resigning from her role, while criticizing the company's haste in partnering with the Department of Defense without investigating proper guardrails. OpenAI told Engadget that there are no plans to replace Kalinowski.
Kalinowski, who previously worked at Meta before leaving to join OpenAI in late 2024, wrote on X that "surveillance of Americans without judicial oversight and lethal autonomy without human authorization are lines that deserved more deliberation than they got." Responding to another post, the former OpenAI exec
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OpenAI is reportedly pushing back the launch of its 'adult mode' even further
4 days ago
by Jackson Chen
Internet & Networking Technology, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen
Here comes another disappointment for ChatGPT users. As first reported by Sources' Alex Heath, OpenAI is yet again delaying its "adult mode" for ChatGPT. A company spokesperson told Heath that "we're pushing out the launch of adult mode so we can focus on work that is a higher priority for more users right now."
More specifically, OpenAI's spokesperson said that things like "gains in intelligence, personality improvements, personalization, and making the experience more proactive" were being prioritized instead. However, the company still wants to release an adult mode, but it would "take more time," according to the company spokesperson.
The reveal of