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Gemini can now draw on your Google data to personalize the images it generates
3 hours ago
by Ian Carlos Campbell
Software, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell
Your Google Photos library could soon influence the kind of images you can generate with Gemini. After letting users personalize the AI assistant's responses with data from Gmail, Search and YouTube, Google says it's bringing that same "Personal Intelligence" to Nano Banana 2 to make it easier for users to create personalized images with the AI model.
The goal is to have the data affiliated with your Google account — your YouTube history, emails, Google Photos, etc. — provide context to Nano Banana 2 so you don't have to. Rather than prompting Gemini's image generation model with information about you or
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The first real trailer for the Street Fighter movie is filled with crowd-pleasing moments
3 hours ago
by Lawrence Bonk
Movies, Media, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Lawrence Bonk
We finally have a real-deal trailer for the upcoming Street Fighter movie, after a short teaser dropped at The Game Awards last year. This is nearly three minutes of fighting, silly dialogue and, of course, Easter eggs from the games.
To the latter point, there's a scene of Ken beating up a car like in the bonus stages from Street Fighter II and footage of Ryu powering up one of his famous Hadoken fireballs. There's even a cheeky reference to Chun-Li's notoriously-large and powerful thighs. This is all helped along by the fact that the actors all look very silly and
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Meta isn't setting its Oversight Board free just yet
3 hours ago
by Karissa Bell
Internet & Networking Technology, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Karissa Bell
The Oversight Board — the policy body Meta created to weigh its most impactful moderation rulings — has seen its role within Mark Zuckerberg's empire come into question due to shifting content policy priorities and dwindling investment. The Oversight Board has taken steps to formalize its long-contemplated desire to work with other companies, but Engadget has learned Meta has thus far declined to move forward with that process.
Over the last year, board members have become increasingly interested in artificial intelligence policy and how their experience shaping Meta's content rules could translate into advising companies in the generative AI space. That
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Meta Quest headset prices are going up on April 19
3 hours ago
by Kris Holt
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Kris Holt
The RAM crisis has prompted another company to jack up hardware prices. Meta says it will be increasing the price of Quest headsets on April 19. The Meta Quest 3 will get a $100 hike to $599, while the Quest 3S will be $50 more expensive at $350 (for a version with 128GB of storage) and $450 (256GB).
Meta is blaming the increases on the rising costs of RAM, which has skyrocketed in price due to a shortage of chips as AI companies gobble up as much memory as they can for their data centers. Sony recently bumped up the prices of
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Anna's Archive told to pay Spotify and record labels $322 million over unprecedented music scraping
4 hours ago
by Matt Tate
Media, Company Legal & Law Matters, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Matt Tate
The open-source library and search engine Anna’s Archive has been ordered to pay Spotify and the three of the world’s largest music labels $322 million in damages after it claimed to have scraped the entirety of the streaming platform’s library of music.
Spotify, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment, sued Anna’s Archive in January for a slightly comical $13 trillion. They alleged Anna's Archive had illegally scraped 86 million songs — a significant chunk of all the music on the planet — and intended to make them available for download via BitTorrent. At the time, Spotify called
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Bluesky is having some issues in one of its 'reginos'
4 hours ago
by Kris Holt
Social & Online Media, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Kris Holt
Bluesky is once again having a wobble. The platform says some of its systems are down and that it’s “investigating an incident with service in one of our reginos” (that’s Bluesky’s typo, not mine). The issue appears to have started at 1:42AM ET and was still persisting as of 11AM.
According to Bluesky’s status page, three servers were down, including one based in the US East region. The outages appear to be due to connection timeout issues.
It seems that only certain users are being affected. Bluesky has been mostly working fine for me this morning, though there were a couple of
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Canva starts previewing a more powerful version of its AI assistant
6 hours ago
by Igor Bonifacic
Software, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Igor Bonifacic
Adobe isn't the only company releasing a new AI assistant this week. Ahead of its Create event in Los Angeles today, Canva announced Canva AI 2.0. Building on its existing AI assistant, the company is billing the release as its most significant update since the platform first launched in 2013, and the culmination of years of investment to build its own foundational design models.
As you might imagine, it all starts with a conversational interface that allows you to describe an idea or goal and the system will start generating a design to match. Under the hood, there's a new orchestration
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Spotify debuts a new UI just for tablets
6 hours ago
by Anna Washenko
Software, Technology & Electronics, Handheld & Connected Devices, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko
Spotify has a new look today for listeners on tablets. The streaming service’s updated tablet UI now provides adaptive orientation, switching between portrait and landscape layouts rather than simply resizing the interface when changing how the device is held.
Spotify's tablet app now sports a collapsible sidebar so listeners can take advantage of their larger screen space when watching a music video or podcast. Parallel browsing lets you continue to scroll through the app while a video or lyrics are in the sidebar, and the "switch to video" toggle has been made more prominent.
The new design had appeared for some users
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DJI Osmo Pocket 4 review: The only vlogging camera you'll ever need
7 hours ago
by James Trew
Cameras & Photography, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|James Trew
DJI’s Osmo Pocket 3 gimbal-camera was a category-defining camera. Two years since its launch, everyone from vloggers to pro film makers continue to upload how-to guides and gushing reviews to YouTube. When the Osmo Pocket 4 landed at the FCC at the end of 2025 (followed by a credible leak), creator forums and Reddit threads started to chatter with excitement. Over the following months the Pocket 4 leaked again and again, to the point where there’s very little that someone with a passing interest and an internet connection doesn’t already know about the camera. But DJI chose today to give
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Anthropic will ask Claude users to verify their identities 'for a few use cases'
7 hours ago
by Mariella Moon
Financial Fraud Prevention, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Mariella Moon
Anthropic has started rolling out identity verification on Claude “for a few use cases.” The company didn’t list out those use cases in its announcement, but we’ve asked it for details and will update this post when we hear back. Anthropic says you might see a verification prompt upon “accessing certain capabilities,” asking you to verify your identity. You would have to show a valid and physical government-issued photo ID. You’d also have take a selfie with your phone or computer camera that the system will compare against the ID you present.
The news, as you’d expect, wasn’t well-received. Many users
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Amazon MGM's 2026 theatrical slate includes 'Highlander' and 'Spaceballs: The New One'
9 hours ago
by Steve Dent
Movies, Media, Celebrities, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Steve Dent
Fresh off the box office success of Project Hail Mary, Amazon MGM Studios has announced its theatrical release lineup for the next year. Most of the titles aren't likely to hit the highs of the Ryan Gosling starrer which has grossed $515 million in theaters. However, there are a number of promising releases like Spaceballs: The New One and Highlander starring Henry Cavill, both sequels to '80s films. Another is The Sheep Detectives with Hugh Jackman, the trailer for which has been a hit on YouTube.
Earlier this year, Amazon MGM promised to release up to 14 films in theaters over
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YouTube now lets you hide Shorts
10 hours ago
by Mariella Moon
Software, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Mariella Moon
You now have the power to remove short-form videos from your YouTube feed if you don’t want to see them. YouTube has rolled out the capability to set your Shorts feed limit to zero minutes, which could help you stop doomscrolling, at least on mobile. The video-sharing platform originally launched a Shorts feed limit back in October last year, but the lowest option you could choose was 15 minutes. Once 15 minutes are up, you’ll get a pop-up reminding you to take a break.
Earlier this year, it integrated the feature with parental controls, allowing guardians to set time limits for
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Opera adds Browser Connector for integrating AI chatbots
11 hours ago
by Anna Washenko
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko
Opera is offering a new choice for looping in an AI assistant during browsing. Today, the company introduced Browser Connector, which allows Opera One and Opera GX users to integrate either ChatGPT or Claude into the platform. The chatbots will be able to access page content while a person is browsing and will draw context for queries from the information in your open tabs. The free new feature can be enabled through the AI Services section of the Settings menu.
Opera is one of the many browser companies that has been experimenting with an AI-focused service. It began rolling out the
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Apple and Google are reportedly pointing users to 'nudify' apps
11 hours ago
by Steve Dent
Software, Mobile Apps, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Steve Dent
Earlier this year it was revealed that Apple and Google were offering "nudify" apps on their stores despite having clear policies barring such content. Nearly three months later, such apps are not only still available, but being actively promoted on the iOS App Store and Google Play, according to a new report from the Tech Transparency Project (TTP). Many of those were labeled "E" for Everyone, meaning they can be downloaded by children.
Searching for "nudify," "undress" and other terms in those stores gives users access to apps that can make real people nude or put them into pornographic videos. The new
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Microsoft's new college deal is a half-hearted answer to the $500 MacBook Neo
21 hours ago
by Ian Carlos Campbell
Computing, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell
Apple's MacBook Neo is a $600 (or $500 for students) shot across the bow at affordable Windows laptops, and it seems like Microsoft has ready its first response. The newly announced "Microsoft College Offer" is a bundle of Microsoft 365 Premium, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, custom Xbox controller and discounted laptop that the company thinks could woo students away from Apple's new deal.
With the purchase of a discounted machine directly from Microsoft, retailers like Amazon and Best Buy or PC makers like HP, ASUS and Acer, you can get what the company says is an extra $500 of value from
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Federal jury finds concert business Live Nation is a monopoly
a day ago
by Anna Washenko
Crime & Justice, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko
Live Nation, which operates the Ticketmaster platform, has been determined to be a monopoly. A federal jury handed down its decision today that the company violated federal and state antitrust rules. This finding won't surprise anyone who has used Ticketmaster and been sticker-shocked by their final bill. However, it's unclear what the jury’s decision will mean in practice.
For starters, the judge overseeing the case hasn't determined what remedies will be applied. The actions could go as far as requiring Live Nation to sell off Ticketmaster. There are also monetary damages to be awarded, which haven't been set yet. And whatever
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PlayStation Plus April catalog adds include Horizon Remastered, Squirrel with a Gun and Frank Stone
a day ago
by Jessica Conditt
Video Games, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jessica Conditt
For PlayStation Plus subscribers, April is going to be a little bit spooky, a tad sporty and extra squirrelly. PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium players will get access to The Crew Motorfest, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, Football Manager 26 Console, Warriors: Abyss, Squirrel with a Gun, The Casting of Frank Stone and Monster Train. Additionally,Wild Arms 4 will be exclusive to Premium libraries. Expect the full lineup to go live on April 21.
The Crew Motorfest, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, Warriors: Abyss and Wild Arms 4 will hit PS4 and PS5 consoles, while the rest of the month's additions are PS5
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There's yet another study about how bad AI is for our brains
a day ago
by Lawrence Bonk
Teaching & Learning, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Lawrence Bonk
A group of researchers from across the US and the UK have conducted a study on what AI does to our brains and the results are, in a word, grim. These results were published in a paper called "AI assistance reduces persistence and hurts independent performance" which kind of tells you everything you need to know.
“We find that AI assistance improves immediate performance, but it comes at a heavy cognitive cost,” the study declares. Researchers went on to state that just ten minutes of using AI made people dependent on the technology, which led to worsening performance and burnout once
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Google unleashes a native Gemini app for the Mac
a day ago
by Kris Holt
Software, Mobile Apps, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Kris Holt
Not content with stuffing Gemini into all of its own apps and services, Google wants you to adopt its AI assistant on desktops and laptops too. The company released a Gemini Windows app on Tuesday and it's following that up a day later with one for Macs.
Google says the macOS Gemini app is a "native desktop experience" that you can access with a keyboard shortcut. By default, pressing option and space will open a mini chat, while a combo of option, shift and space will open the full Gemini chat experience. You'll be able to adjust these bindings in the
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Recteq X-Fire Pro 825 review: A smart grill that pulls double duty
a day ago
by Billy Steele
Food & Cooking, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Billy Steele
Occasionally, you really can have it both ways. For the most part, pellet grills are great for smoking and mid-temperature cooking, but you’ll typically need other grills for high-heat searing and 1,000-degree temperatures(with a few exceptions). Sure, some pellet grills allow you to move the heat deflector for direct access to the fire pot for searing, but that’s still not a cooking experience that will be familiar to gas grill users.
With the X-Fire Pro 825 ($1,550), Recteq is putting its pellet grill expertise to work in a dual-mode design that’s meant to bridge the gap between gas and wood fire.
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Snap is laying off 16 percent of its workforce, blames AI
a day ago
by Matt Tate
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Matt Tate
Snap is laying off around 1,000 staff, amounting to 16 percent of its workforce, which it will seemingly replace with AI. The cuts were announced in a company-wide memo from CEO Evan Spiegel, who added that more than 300 open roles are also being closed.
Spiegel said the "incredibly difficult" decision would likely save Snap more than $500 million by the second half of 2026, in turn helping it to "establish a clearer path to net-income profitability." Impacted staff were notified by email and the company’s North America-based team were instructed to work from home. Snap said it would provide four-month
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Shoe company Allbirds pivots to AI compute in sign of a totally normal and healthy economy
a day ago
by Lawrence Bonk
Investment & Company Information, Finance, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Lawrence Bonk
The shoe company Allbirds, famous for its wool trainers, is pivoting to AI. You read that right. The San Francisco company has plans "to pivot its business to AI compute infrastructure, with a long-term vision to become a fully integrated GPU-as-a-Service and AI-native cloud solutions provider." It's also changing its name to NewBird AI.
This is subject to shareholder approval, with a vote scheduled for May 18. Once approved, the company will raise $50 million from an unnamed investor to assist with this enterprise. This money will be used for the "acquisition and monetization of graphics processing units, related high-performance computing
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Traeger debuts Westwood smart pellet grills that start at $700
a day ago
by Billy Steele
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Billy Steele
Traeger gave backyard pit masters something more affordable last year with the Woodridge, but now the company is back with an even more budget-friendly option. With the Westwood series, the company offers very basic pellet grill functionality with a simplified controller and a no-frills design. You’ll still get Wi-Fi connectivity that works with the company’s app, and the Westwood grills are compatible with Traeger’s rail-based accessories. As you might expect at the $700 and $800 prices, there are a number of caveats compared to the company’s more expensive options.
The new Westwood grills have an even more streamlined controller than the
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The Vivo X300 Ultra is a powerful camera phone aimed at videographers
a day ago
by Mat Smith
Cameras & Photography, Technology & Electronics, Handheld & Connected Devices, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Mat Smith
Chinese phonemaker Vivo has been pushing the limits of smartphone photography in the last few years. However, the availability of its phones — like last year’s X200 Ultra, with its beefy add-on telephoto — has been intermittent in the West.
The company says the X300 Ultra its first global flagship launch, although there’s still no word on a US launch or pricing at the time of writing. Like the latest phones from Xiaomi and Oppo, Vivo is also obsessing over larger camera sensors, peripherals and a dizzying array of technical photography specs, with a particular focus on cinematic video recording.
Collaborating with
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Spotify is selling books now
a day ago
by Matt Tate
Books & Publishing, Technology & Electronics, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Matt Tate
A collaboration between Spotify and Bookshop.org that allows readers to purchase physical books in the Spotify app is now live in the US and UK.
Rather than positioning audiobooks as the hard copy-killer, Spotify is encouraging you to see them as complimentary to one another. First announced back in February, the new partnership with Bookshop.org appears to be an acknowledgement from Spotify that physical still reigns supreme in the book world. Bookshop is a digital marketplace that enables indie booksellers to take their businesses online, and Spotify says any purchase made through its app will "directly support those bookshops and the
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Most US teens say TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat aren't hurting (or helping) their mental health
a day ago
by Karissa Bell
Family & Relationships, Cultural Groups, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Karissa Bell
Most teens in the United States say that Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat aren't harming their mental health, though a slightly higher proportion report negative effects on their sleep and productivity, according to a new report from Pew Research. The report offers fresh insights into how teens perceive the effects of social media at a time when there are increasing calls to ban younger teens from social platforms altogether.
The report is based on a survey of 1,458 teens between the ages of 13 and 17. Teens were asked about their use of Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok and how those apps affect
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Adobe's Firefly AI Assistant works across Photoshop, Premiere and other apps
a day ago
by Steve Dent
Software, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Steve Dent
Few creative software companies have embraced AI like Adobe, with the company embedding image, video, audio and vector generation tools into nearly all its apps. Now, Adobe is taking on AI apps like Gemini's Nano Banana with its new prompt-based Firefly AI Assistant. You simply describe the outcome you want and it will execute "complex multi-step workflows" across Photoshop, Premiere, Lightroom, Illustrator and other apps to achieve that result, Adobe says.
The complexity of apps like Photoshop creates a "barrier to entry" for users who may have a vision but lack skill, according to Adobe. That's where the FireFly AI Assistant
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Amazon's budget-friendly answer to the Frame TV will start shipping on April 22
a day ago
by Cherlynn Low
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Cherlynn Low
When Amazon introduced the Ember Artline TVs in January, it didn’t have a specific date of availability to share. Now, the company is ready to supply the details: Pre-orders open today, and units ship on April 22 in the US and Canada, “with the UK and Germany to follow.” The company also announced a new version of its Fire TV Stick HD this morning, as well as some new features for its Fire TV software.
For those who don’t remember offhand, the Ember Artline is basically Amazon’s answer to Samsung’s Frame TV. It’s a matte, 4K QLED panel that can double
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Amazon's new Fire TV Stick HD is slimmer than ever and has no power adapter
a day ago
by Cherlynn Low
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Cherlynn Low
After unveiling a 4K version of its Fire TV Stick Select at its hardware event last September, Amazon is launching the latest version of its HD dongle today. The Fire TV Stick HD costs $35, comes with Alexa+ built in and offers the redesigned experience that the company previewed at CES in January. It might be confusing, considering Amazon makes at least five different configurations of its streaming stick, but the model announced today comes in at the entry-level and brings some meaningful upgrades.
First, it’s about 30 percent narrower, according to the company, which makes it easier to fit into
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Godzilla goes to New York in 'Minus Zero' teaser trailer
2 days ago
by Mariella Moon
Movies, Media, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Mariella Moon
Japanese entertainment company Toho has released a teaser video for Godzilla Minus Zero, the upcoming sequel to the award-winning film Godzilla Minus One. The teaser shows the famous monster next to the Statue of Liberty as it rampages across New York. Godzilla Minus Zero is set in 1949, two years after the events of the first film, and will be a direct sequel. You’ll see familiar faces from Minus One in the short trailer, as well, namely Koichi Shikishima and Noriko Oishi, two of the first movie’s main characters.
The kaiju flick was filmed specifically for IMAX with high-definition digital cameras.
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Sony is nerfing its Bravia TVs' program guide
2 days ago
by Anna Washenko
Video Technology, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko
Sony is removing some features from its TV guide and program guide displays for channels received by an over the air TV antenna on select models of Bravia televisions from 2023-2025. Cord Cutters News reported on the changes, which will take effect in late May.
Channel logos and thumbnail images in program descriptions are going away from the built-in TV Guide for antenna TV channels. Only programs from recently watched channels will be shown in the guide, and depending on the channel, program information may not be displayed. Change is also coming for set top box users, with the dedicated Set
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FCC just handed Netgear a de facto router monopoly in the US
2 days ago
by Ian Carlos Campbell
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell
The Federal Communications Commission has announced that Netgear has been given conditional approval that effectively exempts it from a previous ban on foreign-made networking routers. The conditional approval gives the company a de facto — though potentially temporary — monopoly on the selling and servicing of new consumer routers in the US.
"We're pleased to share that Netgear is the first retail consumer router company to receive conditional approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as a trusted consumer router company," Netgear CEO CJ Prober said in a statement. "As a US founded and headquartered company, Netgear is aligned with the
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Google's new Windows app is yet another way to access Gemini
2 days ago
by Anna Washenko
Software, Mobile Apps, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko
Google has introduced a new app for Windows desktops and, unsurprisingly, it puts AI front at center. If you aren't a big fan of Google's Gemini chatbot, then skip on past this download. For those of you who are heavy Gemini users, though, this could mean a simpler and more integrated experience on Windows machines.
Once installed, you can pull up the app's search bar with the Alt + Space shortcut. Queries typed into this open-ended search box can hunt down information from the web like typical Google search, where AI Mode will be enabled for an extra layer of artificial
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NAACP sues xAI over data center pollution
2 days ago
by Ian Carlos Campbell
Politics & Government, Environment, Nature & Environment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell
The NAACP is suing xAI and a subsidiary called MZX Tech for allegedly operating unpermitted methane gas turbines to power its Colossus 2 data center in South Memphis. The association is asking the federal district court of the Northern District of Mississippi to declare that the company has violated the Clean Air Act, force it to stop using its unpermitted turbines and assess financial penalties against xAI for violating federal law, among other requests.
The lawsuit claims that xAI — the Elon Musk-founded AI startup now owned by SpaceX — is operating 27 gas turbines without an air permit to power
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What to expect from Google I/O 2026
2 days ago
by Kris Holt
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Kris Holt
We're sliding into developer conference season and one of the biggest events on the upcoming calendar is Google I/O. This year's edition is taking place on May 19 and 20. As usual, the in-person element will happen in Mountain View, California, though many of the keynotes and sessions will be livestreamed. Google will surely make its biggest announcements during the opening keynote, which will start at 1PM ET on May 19. A developer keynote will take place later the same day.
As ever, the rumor mill will pick up speed in the leadup to Google I/O. We do have some ideas
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League of Legends' new WASD control scheme will be enabled for ranked later this month
2 days ago
by Anna Washenko
Sports & Recreation, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko
Riot Games released a pile of updates for its long-running MOBA League of Legends. One of the more noteworthy changes coming to the game is the official launch of WASD controls. This alternate option, allowing players to traverse the rift by keyboard rather than by mouse, is rolling out to ranked matches in patch 26.9.
Riot first announced that it was pursuing support for WASD controls last August. The studio said it wanted to ensure that the alternate control scheme wasn't more powerful than point-and-click movement; Riot said it was targeting a low win-loss rate difference between the options before releasing
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Microsoft raises prices on Surface PCs due to skyrocketing RAM costs
2 days ago
by Lawrence Bonk
Computing, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Lawrence Bonk
The RAMpocalypse continues. Microsoft just revealed significant price increases across the entire Surface line of products, according to reporting by Windows Central. The updated pricing has already hit the official Microsoft Store, with other retailers expected to follow suit in the near future.
These are fairly significant upticks. For instance, the base model 15-inch Surface Laptop 7 now starts at $1,600. It cost $1,300 when the laptop was first released back in 2024. It did receive a price increase last year to $1,500, so today's increase tacks on another $100.
The cost balloons even further when upgrading components, as a top-end Laptop
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Chrome Skills let you save your favorite Gemini prompts for easy access
2 days ago
by Igor Bonifacic
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Igor Bonifacic
Gemini in Chrome is about to get a small but handy upgrade. Starting today, Google is rolling out a feature it calls Skills to Chrome on desktop. Skills allow you to save your favorite Gemini in Chrome prompts for quick access, thereby making it easier and faster to repeat certain tasks. For instance, Google suggests you could use one saved prompt to get Gemini to calculate how much protein there could be in a new recipe you found online. Another Skill can make it easier to do a side-by-side spec comparison of a few different products you're looking at across
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Sony Inzone's latest monitor boasts a blazing 720Hz panel for competitive gamers
2 days ago
by Sam Rutherford
Technology & Electronics, Game Consoles, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Sam Rutherford
Super fast gaming displays have grown in popularity recently following the release of several new models back at CES. Now Sony is hopping on that bandwagon with its latest display featuring a tandem OLED panel from LG that offers the choice of either 540Hz or 720Hz refresh rates.
That said, priced at $1,100, the new 24.5-inch Sony Inzone M10S II is only for the most dedicated and deep-pocketed gamers. In normal use, the monitor offers a 540Hz refresh rate at QHD (2,560 x 1,440). However, in competitive situations where that still might not be enough, the display can go even faster
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Samsung's new Micro RGB TVs start at $1,600 for a 55-inch model
2 days ago
by Lawrence Bonk
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Lawrence Bonk
Samsung just released its lineup of Micro RGB TVs for 2026, and it includes models that start at 55 inches and go up to 85 inches. These 4K sets feature the company's Micro RGB display technology, which uses thousands of little red, green and blue LEDs to minimize color bleed and enable "expanded color with pinpoint accuracy."
The display is assisted by a new AI processor that has been specifically designed to calibrate the picture to bring out all of that gorgeous color. The company says this results in "stunningly sharp images with incredible detail." The processor also assists with motion
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Google Search tackles sites that try to stop you from leaving when you hit the back button
2 days ago
by Kris Holt
Internet & Networking Technology, Social & Online Media, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Kris Holt
Websites that act like a super-chatty colleague who just won't shut up and let you go when a conversation should be over are among the most annoying things on the internet. Google is now doing something about that scourge.
Picture the scene: you look up something on Google Search and — instead of relying on potentially hallucinating AI Overviews — you click through to an actual website for your information. But, when you try to leave the site by hitting the back button, your browser doesn’t immediately take you back to the previous webpage. Instead, the website first displays an "oh,
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OpenAI buys its second startup in a month
2 days ago
by Igor Bonifacic
Mergers, Acquisitions & Takeovers, Investment & Company Information, Finance, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Igor Bonifacic
OpenAI has acquired Hiro Finance, a startup that offers AI-powered financial planning tools. As first reported by TechCrunch, fiscal terms of the deal, which was announced on Monday, were not disclosed by OpenAI. However, all signs point this to being an acquhire, with Hiro founder Ethan Bloch writing on LinkedIn that the company's product would stop working on April 20. Users have until May 13 to migrate their data off of Hiro's servers before everything is deleted.
It's unclear if OpenAI plans to offer a dedicated financial planning tool in the mold of Hiro. At the start of the year, the
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Amazon buys the satellite internet company behind Apple’s SOS system
2 days ago
by Daniel Cooper
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Daniel Cooper
Amazon has today announced it is merging with satellite internet provider Globalstar Inc. to bolster Leo, its Starlink rival. Globalstar isn’t a household name but you do know its work, as it provides Apple’s emergency satellite connectivity for compatible iPhones and Watches. In a statement, Amazon says the deal will grow Leo’s space-based footprint and enable direct-to-device service for its burgeoning satellite network.
An interesting wrinkle is Apple owns 20 percent of Globalstar, which it bought for $1.5 billion in 2024, but that didn’t get a mention. Instead, the release says Amazon and Apple have agreed Leo will “power satellite services
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GoPro's Mission 1 offers 8K 60p video and interchangeable lenses
2 days ago
by Steve Dent
Cameras & Photography, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Steve Dent
GoPro has seen its action camera market share diminish due to strong competition from rivals like Insta360 and DJI of late. Now, the company is fighting back with a new line of flagship cameras called Mission 1, designed to greatly improve the video quality offered by its current Hero 13 camera. The company also introduced a new Wireless Mic system similar to DJI's Mic Mini, along with a point-and-shoot grip and other accessories.
"The combination of our new 50 megapixel one-inch sensor and ultra-efficient GP3 processor sets a new performance bar for compact cinema cameras, enabling resolutions, frame rates, low-light performance,
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Alienware 27 (AW2726DM) QD-OLED monitor review: A budget PC gamer's new best friend
2 days ago
by Sam Rutherford
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Sam Rutherford
The price of nearly every type of gaming gadget has skyrocketed recently. RAMageddon has caused the cost of memory to double or triple in the last six months, with companies like HP saying that RAM now accounts for more than a third of a new PC’s bill of materials. Meanwhile, the Xbox Series S/X and the PS5 have gotten price hikes, and a similar bump for the Switch 2 is starting to look “inevitable.” Even mobile devices are not immune, with Samsung jacking up the cost of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 nine months after release. But with the $350