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OpenAI reportedly plans to add Sora video generation to ChatGPT
20 hours 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
OpenAI plans to add its Sora video generation model directly into ChatGPT, The Information reports . The standalone Sora app was seen as a smash hit when it launched alongside Sora 2 in September 2025, but interest in the video generation app has fallen in the time since as users ran into limits on the amount and kinds of videos they could create.
Adding Sora to the ChatGPT could give the model a second life, and ideally grow the ChatGPT app's weekly active users from the 900 million OpenAI reported in February, to a billion or more. According to The Information,
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Meta is bringing more international news to its AI
21 hours ago
by Karissa Bell
Social & Online Media, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Karissa Bell
Meta AI should soon be better at surfacing international news content thanks to a set of new deals with publishers. The company announced new agreements with international outlets and offered additional details on its recent deal with News Corp.
The latest deals bring French newspaper Le Figaro, Spanish media company Prisa and German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung into the fold. Together, along with News Corp, which runs a number of outlets in the UK, these sources should give Meta AI better access to timely info about world events. Meta didn't disclose terms of the deals — The Wall Street Journal previously reported
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Adobe agrees to pay settlement for making its subscriptions hard to cancel
a day ago
by Ian Carlos Campbell
Business, Company Legal & Law Matters, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell
Adobe has agreed to pay the US government $75 million to settle its lawsuit over the company's allegedly harmful approach to subscriptions. The suit started in 2024, when the US Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission filed a joint complaint alleging the company deliberately made it difficult to cancel subscriptions and obscured the frequently expensive "early termination fee" customers have to pay to get out of annual subscriptions that are paid monthly.
"While we disagree with the government’s claims and deny any wrongdoing, we are pleased to resolve this matter," Adobe writes. "We have agreed to provide $75 million
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Nothing updates its AI app with semantic search and a new way to track events
a day 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
In the mad dash many companies have made to incorporate AI features into their phones, Nothing arrived at one of the better ideas with Essential Space on the Nothing Phone 3a in 2025. The AI-powered app turns screenshots and voice recordings into actionable to-do lists and transcriptions, and now Nothing is rolling out an update to make the app easier to search and capable of recognizing new kinds of content.
As part of the update, Essential Space now recognizes "Events," displaying them in their own card with fields for the date, time and location. That means, for example, if you add
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The MacBook Neo is Apple's most repairable laptop
a day ago
by Will Shanklin
Computing, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Will Shanklin
Apple's cheapest laptop is also its most repairable. iFixit gave the new MacBook Neo a 6/10 repairability score. Although that number would only be mediocre for, say, a game review or final exam grade, it's the MacBook line's highest iFixit score in about 14 years.
As always, iFixit goes into great detail about the product's repairability, but a few points stand out. First, the MacBook Neo's battery is screwed down rather than glued — moving it from "this might burn the house down" to "routine repair" territory. The laptop also has a flat disassembly tree. That means its battery, speakers, ports
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Meta is killing end-to-end encryption in Instagram DMs
a day ago
by Karissa Bell
Internet & Networking Technology, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Karissa Bell
Meta is killing end-to-end encryption in Instagram DMs. The feature will "no longer be supported after May 8, 2026," the company wrote in an update on its support page. Unlike WhatsApp, Meta never made encryption available to all Instagram users and it was never a default setting. Instead, users in "some areas" had the ability to opt-in to encryption on a per-chat basis.
In a statement, a Meta spokesperson said the feature was being retired due to low adoption. "Very few people were opting in to end-to-end encrypted messaging in DMs, so we're removing this option from Instagram in the coming
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You'll now have to fork out for an additional subscription if you want to watch 4K content on Prime Video
a day ago
by Matt Tate
Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Matt Tate
Amazon is raising the price of its ad-free Prime Video subscription and locking 4K UHD streaming behind this new tier. Starting April 10 for US customers, a rebranded Prime Video Ultra subscription will cost $5 per month, up from $3 per month.
For that extra $2, you get a download capacity increase from 25 to 100, and you can now run five streams concurrently instead of three. Whether those "Ultra" upgrades are worth the $24 annual hike will probably depend on how many boxsets you like to plough through on a long flight, or how many devices are using your Prime
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Parallels Desktop creators say MacBook Neo does indeed have enough muscle to run Windows apps
a day ago
by Matt Tate
Software, Computing, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Matt Tate
Parallels, the company best known for making the virtualization software that enables you to run Windows and other operating systems on a Mac, has confirmed that Parallels Desktop is compatible with the MacBook Neo.
At launch it was unclear if Apple's new $600 laptop possessed the under-the-hood heft to run Windows apps, but in a recently updated post on its website, Parallels said that initial tests show its software running "stably," although performance is still being assessed.
The MacBook Neo uses an A18 Pro chip, which debuted in the iPhone 16 Pro. However, as this chip is based on the same ARM
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X could be breaching US sanctions on Iran, watchdog warns
a day ago
by Karissa Bell
Internet & Networking Technology, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Karissa Bell
The newly verified X account for Iran's supreme leader could be putting the company on the wrong side of US sanctions, according to a watchdog group. The Tech Transparency Project, which last month published a report on X granting premium perks to sanctioned officials in Iran, now says that the verified account for the country's new leader raises fresh questions about the issue.
The TTP notes that the X account for Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, appears to be paying for an X premium subscription despite being on the US government's list of sanctioned individuals since 2019. As the group
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ByteDance will reportedly buy NVIDIA's latest AI chips to use outside of China
a day ago
by Lawrence Bonk
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Lawrence Bonk
TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance has figured out a way to access NVIDIA's latest AI chips despite export restrictions, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. The company is working with a firm called Aolani Cloud and building out Blackwell computing systems in Malaysia.
This should give ByteDance access to around 36,000 B200 chips. That's NVIDIA's most powerful processor. The hardware buildout will reportedly cost more than $2.5 billion. The company says it plans on using this new computing power for AI research and development outside of China.
The country has been unable to access the B200 chip, as it was
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How to clean and organize your Mac
a day ago
by Igor Bonifacic
Software, Computing, Technology & Electronics, Information Technology, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Igor Bonifacic
Inevitably, the more you use something — your Mac included — the more dirty and cluttered it’s likely to become. At that point, you can buy a new machine, but the more economical move is to make what you have already work better. To help your computer feel new, or at least a little cleaner and less chaotic, we put together this guide with techniques and useful apps that have helped us maintain a more organized computer. I’ve been using these tips since before I first published this guide in 2021, and they’ve helped keep my 2018 MacBook Air looking
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Samsung Galaxy S26 review: The smartphone status quo
a day ago
by Mat Smith
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Mat Smith
It's already smartphone season. Samsung's annual deluge encompasses three new phones for 2026: the frontier-pushing S26 Ultra ($1,300) with its innovative Privacy Screen, the S26 ($899) and the S26+ ($999). The smaller flagships, yet again, are iterative versions of what came before, with the major differences centering on bigger batteries and brighter screens.
I'm getting waves of deja vu as I review the Galaxy S26, because at times I was writing exactly what I wrote last year — including the part about it being a little too similar to what came before.
HARDWARE
Image by Mat Smith for Engadget
Let's focus on the changes.
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Engadget Podcast: Apple's $599 MacBook Neo is astounding
a day ago
by Devindra Hardawar
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Devindra Hardawar
Somehow, Apple made a $599 laptop that's actually a joy to use. In this episode, Devindra and Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham chat about what makes the MacBook Neo so great. And they also dive into the new M4 iPad Air, M5 MacBook Air and M5 Pro/Max MacBook Pros. Also, Roberto Baldwin, SAE International's Sustainability Editor, joins us to chat about the state of EVs today as gas prices explode.
SUBSCRIBE!
* iTunes
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TOPIC
* MacBook Neo review: Apple puts $600 Windows PCs to shame – 1:47
* iPad Air M4 remains Apple’s
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Apple is reducing its App Store commission fees in China
a day ago
by Matt Tate
Software, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Matt Tate
Apple is lowering its developer fees in China following discussions with the Chinese regulator. From March 15, the commission rate for standard in-app purchases (IAPs) will be reduced from 30 percent to 25 percent on its mainland China App Store storefront for both iOS and iPadOS.
In a Developer blog, Apple also said that developers belonging to its App Store Small Business or Mini Apps programmes will also have their fees reduced by 3 percent, from 15 to 12 percent. This applies to the commission rate for IAPs and in-app subscription renewals after the first year.
"We strive for iOS and iPadOS
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The Morning After: Our verdict on Apple’s $600 Macbook Neo
a day ago
by Mat Smith
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Mat Smith
Apple's new family of laptops might have a cringeworthy name, but don't let it fool you. Despite the MacBook Neo running on a built-for-iPhone A-series processor and being limited to 8GB of RAM, it delivers on what Macs do best. It has a capable screen, keyboardand trackpadand its overall build quality should embarrass other laptop-making rivals that have compromised on those areas with their $600 laptops.
Engadget
Don't expect a gaming rig – it struggled predictably to run Lies of P, but for most of the things you need a laptop for – especially for students and desk workers – it handles
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The 5 best meditation apps for 2026
a day ago
by Lawrence Bonk
Software, Health, Mobile Apps, Alternative Medicine, Technology & Electronics, Small Businesses, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Lawrence Bonk
Meditation is often touted as a mental cure-all, purported to help with stress, sleep, mood, focus and even certain medical conditions. I’ve been meditating most of my adult life. I’ve done silent retreats. I’ve been formally trained in various techniques. I’ve had someone in my contacts list who I referred to as a “guru.” So I feel I’m relatively qualified to give some bad news: Meditation won’t fix your life, despite what David Lynch says. However, there’s also some good news: Despite not actually being a cure-all for everything bad in the universe, meditation can certainly take the edge off.
This
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Uber robotaxi rides are now available for passengers in Las Vegas
a day ago
by Mariella Moon
Business, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Mariella Moon
Uber’s and Motional's Hyundai Ioniq 5 autonomous EVs will start appearing as an option for riders in Las Vegas. Passengers requesting for an UberX, Uber Electric, Uber Comfort or Uber Comfort Electric ride may be matched with a Motional robotaxi. They will not be forced to take it, though, and will be notified and given the option to decline and choose a regular ride instead. But if they want to try it, they can boost their chances of getting matched with a robotaxi ride by opting in via the Ride Preferences section under Settings.
Riders who get on autonomous rides will
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MacBook Air M5 review: Same but faster
a day ago
by Nathan Ingraham
Computing, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Nathan Ingraham
It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost four years since Apple gave the MacBook Air a serious glow-up. The 2022 model was a total redesign that bumped its performance with the M2 chip and also improved a number of key components. It was also the first MacBook Air to drop the signature tapered design, and Apple added a 15-inch model one year later to boot. Since then, Apple’s primarily focused on making sure it has a new chip every year — we’re already up to the M5, if you can believe it.
As such, the latest MacBook Air is an
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Apple says F1 streaming already exceeds everyone's expectations
a day ago
by Steve Dent
Motor Racing, Formula One, Sports & Recreation, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Steve Dent
Apple's exclusive deal for US broadcast rights of Formula 1 was a big shift to streaming from ESPN's cable coverage of the past, but after the first race (the Australian Grand Prix), it seems to be going well. "The 2026 Formula 1 season on Apple TV is off to a strong start, with fans responding positively and viewership up year over year for the first weekend, exceeding both F1 and Apple expectations," Apple VP Eddy Cue told The Hollywood Reporter.
Apple didn't give any ratings or other details, but we can glean some clues from previous data. Last year, ESPN said
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Little Nightmares VR: Altered Echoes arrives in April
a day ago
by Mariella Moon
Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Mariella Moon
Bandai Namco has announced a new Little Nightmares game, this time for virtual reality. Little Nightmares VR: Altered Echoes is developed by Iconik and not by Tarsier Studios, but it’s still connected to the beloved titles Little Nightmares I and II. Remember Dark Six, the protagonist Six’s dark doppelganger from the previous games? Well, in this installment, you will control her as she goes on a journey to reunite with the actual Six in order to reunited with her and become whole.
The adventure horror puzzle game promises an “eerie, atmospheric universe” with an immersive first-person perspective. It features new locations
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This web app lets you 'channel surf' YouTube like a '90s kid watching cable
2 days ago
by Anna Washenko
Media, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko
Many of us remember the halcyon days of being a kid in the ‘90s, spending a weekend afternoon with remote control in hand and a seemingly endless well of stuff to watch on TV. Now you can relive the experience thanks to the appropriately named Channel Surfer web app. It's essentially a YouTube discovery tool that surfaces interesting videos, but presented in a retro homage to the cable channel screen.
Channel Surfer is the work of developer Steven Irby. He has 40 channels on the app right now, mostly grouping content by theme. There are channels for typical cable fare like
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Teamsters urge DOJ to block Paramount's Warner Bros. merger
2 days ago
by Ian Carlos Campbell
Mergers, Acquisitions & Takeovers, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the union that covers warehouse workers, drivers and a diverse collection of other laborers, has come out against Paramount Skydance's merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. In a press release, the Teamsters announced that it has submitted a report to the US Department of Justice's Antitrust Division outlining its concerns about the impact of the deal, and is urging the DOJ to intervene in the merger.
"This merger threatens the livelihoods of the very workers who built these studios into industry giants," Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien said in a statement. "We've seen what happens when
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Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen plans to step down after 18 years
2 days ago
by Anna Washenko
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko
Adobe's long-time CEO has shared that he plans to step down. Shantanu Narayen has been the chief exec at the tech company for 18 years, a tenure where he led Adobe in the major shift to become a software-as-a-service provider. The exact timeline for his exit is still up in the air, as Narayen will depart when the board of directors names his successor. He will remain on the board as its chair after leaving the CEO post.
While Adobe was not the first to take the SaaS route, it was one of the first major tech operations to do so.
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NASA will try its Artemis II launch again in early April
2 days ago
by Will Shanklin
Science, Space & Astronomy, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Will Shanklin
NASA will soon give it another go on April Fools' Day. On Thursday, NASA said it's targeting April 1 at 6:24 PM ET for the Artemis II mission's next launch attempt.
In case that date doesn't pan out, NASA added April 2 at 7:22 PM as a secondary launch opportunity. If necessary, the agency foresees several more openings between April 1 and 6 to get the Orion rocket into space. "Within those six days between the first and the sixth, we can't always turn around every day for an attempt," NASA acting associate administrator Lori Glaze said at a press conference.
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RAMaggedon not expected to ease this year as IDC cuts 2026 PC market forecast again
2 days ago
by Anna Washenko
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko
We've been seeing all sorts of warnings about how RAMaggedon is nigh. The latest horseman signalling a disaster is the International Data Corporation, which had already cautioned that things were looking bad at the end of 2025. Today, the organization further cut its forecasts for the PC market in 2026, anticipating that global shipments would fall 11.6 percent. The previous report projected that this year would see a falloff of up to 8.9 percent due to ongoing memory shortages. And the new figure was set before the escalation of conflicts in Iran and across the Middle East, which could further
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KPop Demon Hunters is officially getting a sequel
2 days ago
by Ian Carlos Campbell
Movie Reviews, Movies, Media, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell
KPop Demon Hunters is getting a sequel, Netflix and Sony have announced. Sony Pictures Animation handed the rights to the film to Netflix in 2021 as part of a larger licensing deal, but neither company could have expected how much of a hit it would ultimately become. Besides being Netflix's "most-watched movie of all time," KPop Demon Hunters is also nominated for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song at the 98th Academy Awards, and stands a good chance of winning.
Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, the directors of the first film, are returning to direct the sequel. The project will
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Meta is testing clickable links in Instagram captions for verified subscribers
2 days ago
by Karissa Bell
Sports & Recreation, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Karissa Bell
Instagram has long limited users' ability to share links, restricting link-sharing to Stories, Reels and user profiles. But that might now be changing. The company has started to test clickable links inside of post captions for subscribers to Meta Verified.
The new feature, which has been a long-requested update from creators, was spotted by blogger Andrea Valeria, who posted screenshots of a clickable Substack link she was able to add to an Instagram post. According to Valeria, an in-app message indicated she could share up to 10 links a month.
Meta confirmed to Engadget that it's testing links in captions for subscribers
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PEGI ratings for game releases in Europe will be age-restricted if they contain loot boxes
2 days ago
by Anna Washenko
Media, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko
European regulators are continuing to crack down on loot boxes and gaming features it classifies as "interactive risk categories." The Pan-European Game Information, better known as PEGI, is rolling out new rules that will apply age ratings based on the presence of loot boxes and other in-game purchases or systems that could be tied to gambling or addictive behavior. The exact policies are as follows:
* Purchases of in-game content: games with time-limited or quantity-limited offers will be classified with a PEGI 12, games with NFTs or blockchain-related mechanisms will be PEGI 18.
* Paid random items: the default rating
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Bumble is the latest dating app to add an AI assistant
2 days ago
by Ian Carlos Campbell
Software, Dating, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell
Bumble is testing an AI dating assistant called "Bee" that it hopes will get users on dates without them having to swipe through profiles, Bloomberg writes. The company announced the AI assistant during its fourth quarter earnings, and intends to use the AI in a new experience it calls "Dates."
When a user opts in to Bumble's Dates feature, Bee performs an onboarding chat where it learns about the users' "values, relationship goals, communications style, lifestyle and dating intentions," and then attempts to find other users who share some or all of those traits. Once Bee finds someone compatible, both users
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Soundcore Nebula P1i projector review: An affordable option with accurate color and loud sound
2 days ago
by Steve Dent
Audio Technology, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Steve Dent
Anker’s Soundcore projectors have become an attractive option for buyers thanks to models like the P1 and Nebula X1 that combine performance and portability. Now, the company has added "affordability" to that equation with its latest model, the $369 P1i. Instead of being detachable like on the P1, its speakers fold out toward listeners, promising better and louder sound than most cheap projectors.
The P1i also delivers 1080p video, Google TV for streaming and the same easy screen fit setup as other Anker projectors. However, unlike some portable models, it lacks a built-in battery for true portability. Overall brightness is lower
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Another longtime Microsoft executive is retiring
2 days ago
by Matt Tate
Board & Management Changes, Investment & Company Information, Finance, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Matt Tate
It’s already been a busy year for high-profile Microsoft departures, with longtime Xbox chief Phil Spencer bowing out last month alongside his expected successor Sarah Bond. Today it’s the turn of Microsoft's head of Experiences + Devices, Rajesh Jha, who leaves after more than 35 years at the company.
Jha, who oversaw some of Microsoft’s most important products and services, including Windows, Office and Teams, said in a press release that he’s been planning for his succession alongside CEO Satya Nadella for a while. Rather than bringing in a direct replacement, four members of his team will be promoted to executive
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Alexa+ can now swear, thanks to a new personality style
2 days ago
by Lawrence Bonk
Books & Publishing, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Lawrence Bonk
Amazon just unveiled a new personality type for Alexa+. The "sassy" option is reserved for adults and the company claims it will throw out censored curse words from time to time. Amazon describes this option as a combination of "unfiltered personality" and "razor-sharp wit, playful sarcasm and occasional censored profanity."
We aren't yet sure how the chatbot handles the censoring. Does it use a garden variety bleep or a replacement word like fudge or something? I managed to get it to say "damn" and "hell", but couldn't force anything more profane than that.
In any event, adult users have to jump through
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BallotGuessr is Geoguessr for budding political pundits
2 days ago
by Kris Holt
Politics & Government, Elections, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Kris Holt
Fancy yourself as one of those folks who stands in front of an expensive touchscreen display on a news network on election night, zooming in and out of counties while bleating about polling and voting data? If so, you might get a kick out of BallotGuessr.
This is a riff on GeoGuessr that tasks you with guessing how a county voted in the 2024 presidential election. All you have to go on to figure out the identity of each county are contextual clues from Google Street View images. You can move around the environment a bit, but unless you get lucky,
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Ukraine allows allies to train AI models on its battlefield data
2 days ago
by Will Shanklin
Internet & Networking Technology, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Will Shanklin
Ukraine's four-year war with Russia has made it the world leader in battlefield drone technology. One byproduct of that is that the data it collects has become one of the country's most valuable assets. On Thursday, Ukraine played that card, saying it will begin sharing its battlefield data with allies to train drone AI software.
"In modern warfare, we must defeat Russia in every technological cycle," Ukraine Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov wrote on Telegram (translated from Ukrainian). "Artificial intelligence is one of the key areas of this competition."
Fedorov previewed the move when he took his post in January. At the time,
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Former Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan returns with a Western survival shooter
2 days ago
by Kris Holt
Video Games, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Kris Holt
After spending many years as the public face of Overwatch, Jeff Kaplan stayed well out of the limelight after leaving Blizzard in 2021. Five years later, the former Blizzard vice president and Overwatch lead director is back with his own studio and a new game, which you might be able to play pretty soon.
The Legend of California is billed as an open-world, action-survival shooter. It looks like a mix of Red Dead Redemption and Rust (Rust Dead Redemption, if you will). It's set during the gold rush era, but Kaplan says he and his team at Kintsugiyama were not aiming
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Claude can now generate charts and diagrams
2 days ago
by Igor Bonifacic
Software, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Igor Bonifacic
With Claude enjoying a moment of newfound popularity among regular people, Anthropic is previewing an update designed to make its chatbot better at explaining some concepts. Starting today, Claude can generate charts and diagrams as part of its responses, either when asked directly or when it decides visuals might be helpful to the user.
For example, try asking Claude what's the best way to fold a paper plane. Where previously it was limited to text, now it can show you step by step how to fold a Nakamura lock plane. Anthropic is quick to point out what it's introducing today isn't
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Honda cancels three EVs that were months away from US production
2 days ago
by Andre Revilla
Autos, Transportation, Investment & Company Information, Finance, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Andre Revilla
Honda has announced it is canceling three electric vehicles it was months from starting production on at its EV Hub in Ohio. The Honda 0 SUV, the Honda 0 sedan and the Acura RSX are all being wound down. The company showed off all three models, and touted them as in near-production form at CES 2025. Unlike the Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX, which run on GM's Ultium platform, the scrapped models were built on Honda's own Zero platform and would have been its first fully in-house EVs.
Honda in part blamed the elimination of federal EV tax credits, eased fossil
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Google built a flash-flood prediction tool using Gemini and old news reports
2 days ago
by Lawrence Bonk
Software, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Lawrence Bonk
Flash floods are notoriously difficult to predict, but Google might have a novel solution. The company just revealed Groundsource, a prediction tool for flash floods that uses Gemini to source data from old news reports. This is the first time it has used a language model for this type of work.
> Flash flood prediction models need historical data and model training that often doesn't exist. Our solution: Groundsource, a new AI-powered methodology that uses Gemini to transform 5M+ global reports into a precise dataset of 2.6M+ flood events.
>
> This provides a massive,…
>
> — Google Research (@GoogleResearch) March 12,
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Microsoft's Copilot Health can use AI to turn your fitness data and medical records 'into a coherent story'
2 days ago
by Kris Holt
Health, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Kris Holt
Microsoft has unveiled Copilot Health, an AI-powered tool it claims can help make sense of your medical records, health history and fitness data from wearables, should you grant it access to that information. The company said it will be in a "separate, secure space" in the Copilot app and that the idea is to help provide you with more context and insights so you can ask your doctor the right questions when you see them.
Copilot Health is designed to help you better understand your medical information as a whole, Microsoft says. It is not "intended to diagnose, treat or prevent
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Uber is shooting for even more upscale clientele with Uber Elite
2 days ago
by Matt Tate
Travel & Tourism, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Matt Tate
Uber has launched a new invite-only luxury ride experience called Uber Elite. Aimed at "executives, frequent travelers, and riders looking for a more elevated experience," it sounds like an upgraded version of Uber Black for the, well, uber-rich.
A ride booked through Uber Elite will be operated by a professional chauffeur driving a new-model luxury vehicle less than three years old. An Elite-only "Meet and Greet" feature allows riders to pre-arrange to be picked up in the airport terminal they arrive at from a flight, with their chauffeur dutifully awaiting them at baggage claim.
Uber says all Elite rides include chargers, bottled
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Rivian's R2 EV arrives this spring with a $58,000 price tag
2 days ago
by Sam Rutherford
Autos, Transportation, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Sam Rutherford
Ahead of its official release later this spring, today Rivan is announcing full pricing and trim levels for its long-awaited R2 electric SUV.
The rollout for the company's first mid-size (two-row) offering will be similar to its previous vehicles, with more expensive premium models hitting the road first this spring, followed by more affordable configurations becoming available later this year and into 2027. This timeline is especially important for anyone hoping to snag the $45,000 base model of the R2, which isn't expected to go on sale until sometime in late 2027. The R2 Performance with Launch Package and R2 Premium
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Disney+ gets its own time-sucking vertical video section
2 days ago
by Daniel Cooper
Media, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Daniel Cooper
It’s not just the major social platforms that know how effective an endless scroll of short videos is at hijacking your dopamine system. Disney+ is adding Verts, a selection of short vertical clips you can scroll through to keep your brain chemistry happy when you are in the bathroom so inclined. The company says it’s a “dynamic feed” to help users “quickly find their next favorite watch,” letting you jump straight in to see the full movie or TV show the clip hails from. Not to mention the side benefit of elbowing out those social platforms, many of which use
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Starfleet Academy is the best first season of a Star Trek show ever
2 days ago
by Kris Naudus
Media, Celebrities, Arts & Entertainment, Television, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Kris Naudus
The first season of a TV show is a tricky thing. It has to convince people to watch it and justify the show’s existence to the network (or streaming service) execs. It has to deal with actors and writers who may not have fully dialed into the characters and world yet. There are some shows with absolutely stellar first seasons — Stranger Things, Veronica Mars and Ted Lasso are a few — but many other hit shows stumbled out of the gate, like The Office and Supernatural.
Star Trek is not immune to this phenomenon. The Original Series had a decent
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Google’s GFiber internet business is merging with Astound Broadband
2 days ago
by Matt Tate
Internet & Networking Technology, Investment & Company Information, Technology & Electronics, Finance, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Matt Tate
Google has announced that GFiber is merging with Astound Broadband, in an agreement that sees Astound’s parent company Stonepeak become the majority owner, with Alphabet retaining a minority stake.
No financial specifics were detailed in a press release, but the new combined business will be an independent provider led by GFiber’s executive team, who Google says will use its "expertise in high-speed fiber innovation to manage the combined network footprint." Astound already serves over one million customers across the US, and by joining forces Google says the two providers will be able to grant better internet access to more communities.
GFiber, formerly
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Google Maps brings a 3D map to your driving directions
2 days ago
by Igor Bonifacic
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Igor Bonifacic
In recent weeks, Google has been busy adding AI features to all of its most popular apps. Following Gmail and Chrome, Maps is now the latest service to get a Gemini makeover, with a redesign of the driving experience headlining the update.
Google is billing the new "Immersive Navigation" mode as the most significant update to driving directions in Maps in about a decade. Now instead of displaying a 2D map of the area around your car, Maps will render the surroundings in 3D. Google believes this transformation will make it easier for drivers to orient themselves, with the new view