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Tech

AI Summary

  • 1X has introduced a new world model aimed at enabling its robots to learn independently, marking a significant advancement in robotics.
  • Google has rolled out an update for its Veo app that allows users to create vertical videos using reference images, enhancing the app’s functionality.
  • India's labor ministry is urging quick-commerce companies to abandon their 10-minute delivery guarantees to improve the safety and well-being of gig workers involved in rapid delivery services.
  • ElevenLabs has reported impressive growth, with its annual recurring revenue soaring from $200 million to $330 million in just five months, highlighting the increasing demand for voice AI technology.
  • Meta is undergoing a major restructuring, laying off employees from its Reality Labs division to focus efforts on wearables, as the company shifts towards developing AI-powered devices like smart glasses.

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Engadget

  • EA delays Battlefield 6 Season 2 to February 17 2 hours ago by Will Shanklin
    Media, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Will Shanklin

    The second season of Battlefield 6 is being pushed back based on “community feedback.” On Tuesday, EA and Battlefield Studios said Season 2 will now arrive on February 17. Season 2 of Battlefield 6 had previously been scheduled for January 20, so we're looking at a delay of almost a month. As a consolation, the team is extending Season 1 through the start of the next season. "During our ongoing development, we've continued to review community feedback and, in order to keep our promise, determined that our best path forward is to extend Season 1 and give ourselves extra time to further

  • NBA League Pass is up to 55 percent off right now 3 hours ago by Andre Revilla
    Basketball, Sports & Recreation, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Andre Revilla

    NBA League Pass, the streaming service that lets you catch hundreds of out-of-market NBA games, is on sale right now for up to 55 percent off. The League Pass Premium subscription is on sale for $75, down from $160, while League Pass Standard is marked down to $50 from $110. We're almost halfway through the season at this point, so it makes sense for a service like League Pass to start offering some discounts. The Standard plan includes commercials and support for only one device at a time, while the Premium tier offers no commercials, in-arena streams during breaks in the

  • Anthropic launches Claude Cowork, a version of its coding AI for regular people 4 hours ago by Igor Bonifacic
    Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Igor Bonifacic

    If you follow Anthropic, you're probably familiar with Claude Code. Since the fall of 2024, the company has been training its AI models to use and navigate computers like a human would, and the coding agent has been the most practical expression of that work, giving developers a way to automate rote programming tasks. Starting today, Anthropic is giving regular people a way to take advantage of those capabilities, with the release of a new preview feature called Claude Cowork. The company is billing Cowork as "a simpler way for anyone — not just developers — to work with Claude." After

  • reMarkable E Ink tablet bundles are up to $90 off right now 5 hours ago by Andre Revilla
    Tablets, Technology & Electronics, Handheld & Connected Devices, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Andre Revilla

    E Ink tablet maker reMarkable is running a bundle deal right now that can save you between $80 and $90 when buying a reMarkable 2 along with a Marker stylus and a folio case. The savings vary depending on the bundle you configure, but this can bring your out-the-door cost down to $449 from $529 for the tablet, Marker stylus and polymer weave book folio. The company also sells a newer stylus called Marker Plus that lets you erase by flipping it around just like a real pencil, but that will cost you an extra $50. If you’ve been eyeing a

  • Meta refocuses on AI hardware as metaverse layoffs begin 5 hours ago by Devindra Hardawar
    Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Devindra Hardawar

    As we expected, Meta has begun laying off more than 1,000 employees from its Reality Labs division, which focused on virtual reality and metaverse products, Bloomberg reports. The company will refocus on developing wearables, like its recent batch of AI-powered Ray-Ban smart glasses, according to a memo from CTO Andrew Bosworth. The news isn’t too surprising. Reality Labs has lost more than $70 billion since the beginning of 2021, and while Meta has done a solid job of delivering desirable consumer VR headsets and smart glasses, that business hasn’t been nearly profitable enough to justify the cost. And of course, Mark


The Verge

  • Verizon gets FCC permission to end 60-day phone unlocking rule 2 hours ago by Emma Roth
    Mobile, News, Policy, Politics, Tech, Verizon

    Verizon can keep phones locked to its network for longer after the Federal Communications Commission agreed to waive the carrier's 60-day unlocking requirement, as reported by Ars Technica. Following this decision, Verizon must follow a looser set of guidelines set by the CTIA wireless trade group, which says carriers should only unlock a customer's postpaid phone after their contract is up, when they finish paying off the device, or following the payment of an early termination fee. Meanwhile, the CTIA's code says carriers should unlock prepaid phones "no later than one year after initial activation." The change comes after Verizon asked … Read

  • Nissan is one of the first carmakers to offer magnetic phone chargers in the US 2 hours ago by Andrew Liszewski
    Cars, Gadgets, Tech, Transportation

    Wireless phone chargers are now common in vehicles, but they're typically missing one very useful feature. Nissan announced last month that it will be the first automaker in the US to offer wireless chargers with a magnetic mount, ensuring charging coils remain aligned for faster charging of mobile devices, even while a vehicle is in motion. The Wireless Power Consortium's Qi2 standard, which was finalized in late 2023, includes specifications on the use of magnets to help properly align the wireless coils in chargers and mobile devices. It was an idea first introduced by Apple with its MagSafe feature on the

  • Mercedes temporarily scraps its Level 3 ‘eyes-off’ driving feature 2 hours ago by Andrew J. Hawkins
    Autonomous Cars, Cars, Mercedes-Benz, News, Transportation

    Mercedes-Benz is pausing the roll-out of Drive Pilot, an "eyes off" conditionally automated driving feature that was available in Europe and the US. As first reported by German publication Handelsblatt, the revised S-Class will not have the Level 3 system when it arrives at the end of this month. Mercedes was one of the first automakers to offer a Level 3 driving system to its customers when it launched Drive Pilot with the electric EQS sedan and the gas-powered S-Class in the fall of 2023. At up to 40mph in traffic jam situations on highways, Drive Pilot provided hands-free, eyes-off driving

  • Google’s Veo now turns portrait images into vertical AI videos 3 hours ago by Jess Weatherbed
    AI, Google, News, Tech

    Google says that generated videos should also now be more consistent with thereference images they’re based on. | Image: Google / The Verge Google is making its Veo 3.1 AI video model pay closer attention to the reference images you want generated clips to be based on. The company is releasing new visual improvements for the "Ingredients to Video" tool that was introduced last year, alongside expanding native vertical video support and resolution upscaling features. The Ingredients to Video tool allows Veo users to generate videos based on up to three reference images, pulling in materials like character subjects, backgrounds, and textures

  • Meta confirms Reality Labs layoffs and shifts to invest more in wearables 3 hours ago by Stevie Bonifield
    AI, Meta, News, Tech

    Around 10 percent of Meta's Reality Labs division, which develops its XR products and services, will be laid off beginning on Tuesday, as reported by Bloomberg. Meta spokesperson Tracy Clayton confirmed the layoffs in a statement to The Verge: "We said last month that we were shifting some of our investment from Metaverse toward Wearables. This is part of that effort, and we plan to reinvest the savings to support the growth of wearables this year." Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses have stolen the spotlight from its VR headsets in recent years, especially with last year's launch of the Meta Ray-Ban Display. As


Wired


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