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Xbox lines up a Partner Preview showcase for March 26
4 hours ago
by Kris Holt
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Kris Holt
Microsoft has locked in its second games showcase of the year. A Xbox Partner Preview stream will take place on March 26 at 1PM ET. It'll be available on the Xbox YouTube and Twitch channels. There'll be dedicated Twitch and YouTube streams with ASL interpretation, another featuring British Sign Language and one with audio descriptions in English on the main Xbox YouTube channel.
The YouTube stream will be in 4K at 60fps (other channels are limited to 1080p) and have subtitle support for nearly three dozen languages. The broadcast will be available on regional Xbox channels as well.
This showcase is all
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Samsung's Galaxy S26 will get Apple AirDrop support starting today
7 hours ago
by Sarah Fielding
Technology & Electronics, Handheld & Connected Devices, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Sarah Fielding
As Google promised, Apple AirDrop sharing is expanding to more Android devices. Samsung announced today that its Galaxy S26 Series is getting AirDrop support through the Quick Share feature.
Google first introduced the Quick Share feature on its Pixel 10 phones last year and, in February, shared plans to increase the number of devices included. The setting allows Android users to send and receive photos and files from an Apple device, much like two Apple users do with AirDrop. To get media from an iPhone, Android users need to turn visibility settings onto "everyone for 10 minutes."
Starting tomorrow, March 23, Samsung
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Crimson Desert developer apologizes and promises to replace AI-generated art
a day ago
by Jackson Chen
Media, Video Games, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen
The developer behind the open-world RPG Crimson Desert has issued an official apology after players discovered several instances of AI-generated art in the game. Pearl Abyss posted on X that it released the game with some 2D visual props that were made with "experimental AI generative tools" and forgot to replace them before launch.
> We would like to address questions regarding the use of AI in Crimson Desert.
>
> During development, some 2D visual props were created as part of early-stage iteration using experimental AI generative tools. These assets helped us rapidly explore tone and atmosphere in the earlier…
>
>
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Elon Musk announces Terafab project he claims will be the 'largest chip manufacturing facility ever'
a day ago
by Jackson Chen
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen
Elon Musk has announced the Terafab project, a joint venture between Tesla, SpaceX and xAI, to build the "largest chip manufacturing facility ever." In his usual grandiose fashion, Musk claims Terafab is the next step towards harnessing the power of the sun and creating a "galactic civilization."
Musk, CEO of all three companies, announced plans for the Terafab in a livestream on X. As the name implies, the project's ultimate goal is to produce a terawatt of computing power each year so that it can match the companies' growing demand for chips. Musk explained during the livestream that he's grateful to
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Reddit is weighing identity verification methods to combat its bot problem
2 days ago
by Jackson Chen
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen
There could be one more step required before creating an account and posting on Reddit in the future. According to Reddit's CEO, Steve Huffman, the social media platform is exploring different ways to verify a user is human and not a bot. When asked by the TBPN podcast how to confirm that it's a human using Reddit, Huffman responded with several verification methods with varying degrees of heavy-handedness.
> RDDT requiring Face ID was not something I had on my bingo card but something has got to be done about all the fake / botted content — I just don't know
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What to read this weekend: Revisiting Project Hail Mary and The Thing on the Doorstep
2 days ago
by Cheyenne MacDonald
Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Cheyenne MacDonald
Need something new for your reading list? Here are two titles we think are worth checking out. This week, we've got Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary and The Thing on the Doorstep, an H.P. Lovecraft adaptation for Image Comics.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/what-to-read-this-weekend-revisiting-project-hail-mary-and-the-thing-on-the-doorstep-190000250.html?src=rss
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Apple considered buying Halide to upgrade its native Camera app
2 days ago
by Jackson Chen
Software, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen
A legal feud between the co-founders of Lux Optics, the developer behind the Halide camera app, revealed that Apple was close to acquiring the company. As first reported by The Information, Apple held acquisition talks for Lux Optics, which also developed the Kino, Spectre and Orion apps, in the summer of 2025.
According to The Information, the deal eventually fell through in September of that year, but the potential acquisition could've provided Apple with the third-party software to improve its own built-in camera app. Apple is already rumored to be introducing variable aperture to its upcoming iPhone 18 Pro models, so
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A Minecraft theme park will open in London in 2027
2 days ago
by Will Shanklin
Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Will Shanklin
The best-selling game of all time is moving from the virtual to the physical. Minecraft World, a permanent Greater London theme park based on the game, is scheduled to open in 2027. The announcement came during Minecraft Live 2026.
It will be a new section in Chessington World of Adventures, a theme park with a built-in zoo. The resort is a 35-minute train ride from London's Waterloo station.
Details are still fairly light on the park. But we know it will include a roller coaster, "interactive adventures" and "epic block-built playscapes." Torfi Frans Ólafsson, the game franchise's creative director, said they're aiming
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OpenAI reportedly plans to double its workforce to 8,000 employees
2 days ago
by Jackson Chen
Business, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen
While other tech companies have been laying off employees year after year, OpenAI is doing the opposite. According to a report from the Financial Times, the AI giant is looking to expand its workforce to 8,000 employees by the end of 2026, nearly doubling staff from its current headcount of 4,500.
The FT reported that the new hires will be across several departments, including product development, engineering, research and sales. OpenAI's hiring spree will also include "specialists" for "technical ambassadorship," or employees tasked with helping businesses better utilize its AI tools, according to the report. As the FT noted, OpenAI is
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Intel says Crimson Desert devs ignored offers of help to support Arc GPUs
2 days ago
by Mariella Moon
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Mariella Moon
It doesn’t sound like Crimson Desert, the recently released prequel to Black Desert Online, will support Intel Arc GPUs anytime soon, if at all. On the game’s FAQ page, its developer Pearl Abyss advised players expecting Arc support to apply for a refund. “If you purchased the game expecting Intel Arc support, please refer to the refund policy of the platform where the game was purchased for available options,” the company wrote. Apparently, though, it’s not from lack of guidance from Intel. The chipmaker told Wccftech that it reached out to Pearl Abyss “many times” over the past several years.
The
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DNA building blocks on asteroid Ryugu, bacteria that eat plastic waste, and more science news
2 days ago
by Cheyenne MacDonald
Science, Space & Astronomy, Biology, Environment, Nature & Environment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Cheyenne MacDonald
Remember when Japan sent a spacecraft to an asteroid 180 million miles away to scoop some dirt off the surface? Six years on from its arrival to Earth, that sample has yielded some insights about what may have seeded life on our planet. Read on to learn more about the latest findings, and other science news we found interesting this week.
DNA INGREDIENTS ON RYUGU
In 2020, a capsule from the Japanese space probe Hayabusa2 returned to Earth with samples collected from the surface of asteroid Ryugu, and scientists have spent the subsequent years analyzing those materials for clues about the conditions
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Twitter turned 20 and I feel nothing
2 days ago
by Karissa Bell
Media, Social & Online Media, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Karissa Bell
Twitter is officially 20 years old. In another reality, that might make me kind of nostalgic. I've been lurking and scrolling and tweeting for 16 years; most of my adult life. There was a time when Twitter was a place where some internet strangers became my IRL friends, when I was excited to "live-tweet". When my infinitely more well-adjusted friends would send me memes, I would smugly say "I saw that on Twitter days ago."
Twitter stopped being that place a long time ago, but I don't have any nostalgia for it. I don't really feel anything at all, actually.
Because I
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Engadget review recap: Lots of Apple devices, Galaxy S26, Dell XPS 16 and more
2 days ago
by Billy Steele
Technology & Electronics, Handheld & Connected Devices, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Billy Steele
Apple already announced a lot of new devices in 2026 and we’ve been busy reviewing them all. In this installment of our bi-weekly roundup, we revisit the MacBook Neo, iPhone 17e and more, in addition to the “regular” Galaxy S26 and Dell XPS 16. There’s even more than those gadget to catch up on, so sit back, relax and cozy up to some fresh reviews.
APPLE MACBOOK NEO
The main attraction for Apple’s early device deluge was the $599 MacBook Neo. The company is finally giving us something we’ve been begging for: a low-cost Mac laptop that’s good enough for most people.
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A retro Starship Troopers shooter, a video store sim and other new indie games worth checking out
2 days ago
by Kris Holt
Media, Video Games, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Kris Holt
Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. There are a whole bunch of neat new games out this week, as well as updates on some interesting upcoming projects.
In case you missed it, the Steam Spring Sale is under way. There are lots of solid deals here, and my credit card is already screaming at me. I've picked up a bunch of games from my wishlist. For instance, at just $3, I couldn't resist snagging Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate.
Meanwhile, over on Bluesky, a prototype from developer Freya Holmér caught my eye. It's
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Elon Musk misled investors during his Twitter takeover, jury finds
3 days ago
by Karissa Bell
Social & Online Media, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Karissa Bell
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 "between about
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Pinterest CEO says teens under 16 should be banned from social media (but not Pinterest)
3 days ago
by Karissa Bell
Social & Online Media, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Karissa Bell
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 it’s 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
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The White House proposes new AI policy framework that supersedes state laws
3 days ago
by Ian Carlos Campbell
Politics & Government, Government, Legislative Branch, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell
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
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Microsoft will yank Copilot from some Windows apps and let you move the taskbar again
3 days ago
by Igor Bonifacic
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Igor Bonifacic
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
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Three people have been charged with illegally exporting NVIDIA GPUs to China
3 days ago
by Ian Carlos Campbell
Crime & Justice, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell
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
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Here's how not to leak military information with your Strava run
3 days ago
by Lawrence Bonk
Software, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Lawrence Bonk
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
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Nintendo is reportedly making a Switch 2 with a user-replaceable battery for the EU
3 days ago
by Lawrence Bonk
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Lawrence Bonk
Nintendo is reportedly preparing a new version of the Switch 2 with a user-replaceable battery, according to Nikkei. This is to comply with a 2023 EU "right-to-repair" policy on portable electronics that mandates easy battery replacement.
The regulation also covers the Joy-Con 2 controllers, so they are reportedly being redesigned to allow users to replace each lithium-ion battery. We don't know when this new Switch 2 will hit store shelves, but the policy gives companies until 2027 to make the required changes.
This is great news for Europe, but the rest of the world isn't quite so lucky. There are no reported
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Netflix’s Assassin’s Creed is officially set in ancient Rome
3 days ago
by Matt Tate
Media, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Matt Tate
Netflix’s live-action Assassin’s 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 2010’s Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, although the latter’s 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
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Project Hail Mary could teach humanity a thing or two
3 days ago
by Devindra Hardawar
Movies, Media, Celebrities, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Devindra Hardawar
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).
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Belkin Charging Case Pro for Switch 2 review: A more elegant solution
3 days ago
by Sam Rutherford
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Sam Rutherford
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 here’s the question for any Switch 2 owners still looking for
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Amazon is reportedly working on a new phone built around Alexa
3 days ago
by Matt Tate
Smart Phones, Technology & Electronics, Handheld & Connected Devices, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Matt Tate
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 company’s devices and services unit.
There isn’t a whole lot to go on right now, but it probably won’t 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 wouldn’t necessarily build a custom OS around its voice assistant. The phone would make buying products on Amazon and
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ByteDance is selling its Moonton game unit to Savvy Games for a cool $6 billion
3 days ago
by Steve Dent
Investment & Company Information, Video Games, Finance, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Steve Dent
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 "near 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
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Engadget Podcast: Why does everyone hate NVIDIA's DLSS 5 AI upscaling?
3 days ago
by Devindra Hardawar
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Devindra Hardawar
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 aren’t 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
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How to get your grill ready for the outdoor season
3 days ago
by Billy Steele
Home & Garden, Consumer Discretionary, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Billy Steele
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 don’t blame you if you opted to let your grill hibernate during the winter months, but if that’s the case, it’ll probably need a tune-up before spring arrives. If you did keep the grill in working order over the last few months, this
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Blue Origin also wants to put AI data centers in space
3 days ago
by Mariella Moon
Science, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Mariella Moon
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 Sunrise’s 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
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OpenAI is putting ChatGPT, its browser and code generator into one desktop app
4 days ago
by Mariella Moon
Software, Mobile Apps, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Mariella Moon
OpenAI is developing a “super app” for desktop that unifies ChatGPT, its browser and its Codex app, according to the Wall Street Journal and CNBC. A company spokesperson told the publications that OpenAI Chief of Applications Fidji Simo will lead the application revamp with assistance from OpenAI President Greg Brockman. Simo will also help the marketing team advertise the app when it comes out. OpenAI’s leadership is apparently hoping that combining several products can help it streamline user experience and dedicate its resources to one project.
The company has yet to make an official announcement about the new app, but Simo
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Alphabet no longer has a controlling stake in its life sciences business Verily
4 days ago
by Anna Washenko
Internet & Networking Technology, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko
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
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States are suing the EPA for relinquishing its role as a greenhouse gas emissions regulator
4 days ago
by Ian Carlos Campbell
Politics & Government, Pollution & Waste, Climate Change, Environment, Nature & Environment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell
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
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Amazon acquires autonomous robotics startup Rivr
4 days ago
by Anna Washenko
Mergers, Acquisitions & Takeovers, Robots, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko
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
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DoorDash will start paying gig workers for creating content to train AI models
4 days ago
by Anna Washenko
Business, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko
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
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Google is reportedly testing a Gemini app for Mac
4 days ago
by Ian Carlos Campbell
Software, Mobile Apps, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell
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
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Android will hide some app sideloading behind a new one-time security process
4 days ago
by Ian Carlos Campbell
Software, Mobile Apps, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell
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
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The Steam Spring Sale is here with discounts on Arc Raiders, Hades 2 and much more
4 days ago
by Anna Washenko
Video Games, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko
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
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Meta will move away from human content moderators in favor of more AI
4 days ago
by Karissa Bell
Social & Online Media, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Karissa Bell
A little more than a year after ditching third-party fact checkers and rolling back much of its proactive content moderation, the company says it will further "transform" its approach by drastically reducing the number of human moderators in favor of AI-based systems. The company says the change will happen "over the next few years," and will allow the company to catch more issues faster than its current approach.
Meta didn't say how much of its contract workforce might be cut as it makes this transition. The company employs thousands of contractors around the world to review content flagged by its AI
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Don’t be surprised that the FBI is buying your location data
4 days ago
by Daniel Cooper
Internet & Networking Technology, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Daniel Cooper
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
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The complete Stranger Things DVD set includes 25 discs and costs around $200
4 days ago
by Lawrence Bonk
Media, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Lawrence Bonk
Stranger Things fans will soon have permanent access to the Upside Down, as a full DVD set is now available to preorder. Stranger Things: The Complete Series comes in Blu-Ray and 4K UHD editions.
This collection includes all five seasons of the hit show, which totals 25 discs. It'll be available at brick-and-mortar and online retailers beginning on July 28. Prices range from $200 to $260, depending on the media type and edition.
> Return to Hawkins this July with STRANGER THINGS: THE COMPLETE SERIES, available in Special and Deluxe Editions on Blu-ray and 4K UHD.
>
> Pre-order in the US via
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Ubisoft ends development at Tom Clancy studio Red Storm
4 days ago
by Matt Tate
Video Games, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Matt Tate
Ubisoft is ceasing game development at its studio, Red Storm Entertainment, best known for its work on the Tom Clancy’s 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 Ubisoft’s 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
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Meta isn't shutting down its VR metaverse after all
4 days ago
by Karissa Bell
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Karissa Bell
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
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Kena: Bridge of Spirits launches for Switch 2 on March 26
4 days ago
by Will Shanklin
Video Games, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Will Shanklin
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
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Rivian will provide 50,000 robotaxis to Uber in a deal worth $1.25 billion
4 days ago
by Lawrence Bonk
Investment & Company Information, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Lawrence Bonk
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
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A new iPhone hacking tool puts some iOS 18 users at risk
4 days ago
by Ian Carlos Campbell
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell
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 it currently targets iOS 18 releases between iOS 18.4 and iOS 18.6.2.
For its part, an Apple spokesperson told Engadget that the company had patched the underlying vulnerabilities in iOS versions 15 through 26 last year; the company also issued an emergency update for devices running iOS 15 and 16 that are unable to run newer versions of iOS. The company does note that