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X is recovering after being down for most of the morning
2 hours ago
by Karissa Bell
Media, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Karissa Bell
X seems to be working again after struggling with an outage that took the service offline and made it slow to load for much of the morning. According to X’s developer platform page, there is an ongoing incident related to streaming endpoints that’s caused increased errors. The incident started at 7:39AM PT, according to the page.
That roughly coincides with a spike in reports at Down Detector. The issues seemed to be somewhat intermittent. At some points, X’s website loaded partially and only showed older posts. At other times, the app and website failed to load at all.
As of 9:30AM PT,
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The mother of one of Elon Musk's children is suing xAI over nonconsensual deepfake images
2 hours ago
by Will Shanklin
Social & Online Media, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Will Shanklin
Although X removed Grok’s ability to create nonconsensual digitally undressed images on the social platform, the standalone Grok app is another story. It reportedly continues to produce “nudified” deepfakes of real people. And now, Ashley St. Clair, a conservative political strategist and mother of one of Elon Musk’s 14 children, has sued xAI for nonconsensual sexualized images of her that Grok allegedly produced.
In the court filing, St. Clair accused xAI’s Grok chatbot of creating and disseminating deepfakes of her “as a child stripped down to a string bikini, and as an adult in sexually explicit poses, covered in semen, or
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Lego's latest educational kit seeks to teach AI as part of computer science, not to build a chatbot
2 hours ago
by Nathan Ingraham
Education, Teaching & Learning, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Nathan Ingraham
Last week at CES, Lego introduced its new Smart Play system, with a tech-packed Smart Brick that can recognize and interact with sets and minifigures. It was unexpected and delightful to see Lego come up with a way to modernize its bricks without the need for apps, screens or AI.
So I was a little surprised this week when the Lego Education group announced its latest initiative is the Computer Science and AI Learning Solution. After all, generative AI feels like the antithesis of Lego’s creative values. But Andrew Silwinski, Lego Education’s head of product experience, was quick to defend Lego’s
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Canada cuts tariffs on Chinese EVs as part of new deal
3 hours ago
by Andre Revilla
Politics & Government, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Andre Revilla
Canada has agreed to drastically reduce its tariffs on imported Chinese EVs from 100 percent to 6.1 percent as part of a
between the two countries. In return, China will be reducing tariffs on Canadian canola seeds from 84 percent to about 15 percent.
The move is a break from the United States, which maintains a 100 percent tariff on EVs from China, effectively banning them in the country. Mexico currently tariffs the vehicles at 50 percent after
last year.
Under the agreement, which Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney
"preliminary," Canada will allow up to 49,000 Chinese EVs into the country, with that number rising
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The latest Legend of Zelda Lego set pays tribute to Ocarina of Time's final battle
4 hours ago
by Matt Tate
Video Games, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Matt Tate
We already knew something Ocarina of Time-related was coming from Nintendo and Lego in 2026, and now we know exactly what that set will look like. Weighing in at a surprisingly modest 1,003 pieces, the typically word salad-y Lego The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - The Final Battle is the second Lego Zelda set, following the 2,500-piece Great Deku Tree set in 2024.
While the latter lets you choose between building either a Breath of the Wild or OoT-themed replica of the wise old guardian of the forest, the upcoming set is aimed squarely at fans of the series’
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TikTok sued by former workers over alleged union-busting
4 hours ago
by Will Shanklin
Labor Issues, Society & Culture, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Will Shanklin
You know things are messed up when a Big Tech company fights accusations of union-busting by insisting it was only AI layoffs. That's where things stand after a group of fired TikTok moderators in the UK filed a legal claim with an employment tribunal. The Guardian reported on Friday that around 400 TikTok content moderators who were unionizing were laid off before Christmas.
The workers were sacked a week before a vote was scheduled to establish a collective bargaining unit. The moderators said they wanted better protection against the personal toll of processing traumatic content at a high speed. They accused
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Audible deal: Three months of access is only $3 right now
4 hours ago
by Lawrence Bonk
Books & Publishing, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Lawrence Bonk
One way to read more in the new year is to incorporate audiobooks as part of your reading habit. Audible is having a sale right now that makes that easier and cheaper to do: you can get three months of access for only $1 per month, or a total of $3. The promotion runs through January 21.
An Audible subscription grants one audiobook per month to keep. This can be selected from a massive catalog of new releases and bestsellers. The collection here has just about everything.
However, it's easy to plow through a single book in a month. Users also get
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How to claim Verizon's $20 credit for Wednesday's service outage
5 hours ago
by Andre Revilla,Billy Steele
Technology & Electronics, Finance, Handheld & Connected Devices, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Andre Revilla
Verizon is offering a very small mea culpa after Wednesday's massive outage, which drew more than 1.5 million reports on Downdetector and lasted hours. Initially, the carrier posted on X that it will offer a $20 credit, but customers must redeem it in the myVerizon app. The company then said the credit could be claimed though customer service (via phone or chat), but our editors’ attempts to do so via chat were met with a message to wait for a text with further instructions.
Engadget editors began receiving the texts this morning (Jan 16) with a link to redeem. From there,
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Engadget Podcast: Why did Apple choose Gemini for next-gen Siri?
6 hours ago
by Devindra Hardawar
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Devindra Hardawar
Apple's next-gen Siri is still far off, but this week the company announced that it'll be using Google's Gemini AI for its new foundation models. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget's Igor Bonifacic discuss why Apple teamed up with Google again, instead of OpenAI or Anthropic. Also, they chat about Meta's Reality Lab layoffs, which is refocusing the company on AI hardware like its smart glasses.
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TOPICS
* Meta announces 1000+ layoffs, closes 3 VR studios as it shifts focus to AI hardware – 2:12
* Gemini can now
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Get $100 off Apple's Mac mini M4 desktop
6 hours ago
by Sarah Fielding
Shopping, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Sarah Fielding
The holiday season is fully in the rear view mirror and real life is here to stay. But that doesn't mean the time for gifts is over — especially ones for yourself. You can still take advantage of great January sales on some awesome tech products.
Take the Apple Mac mini M4, which is down to $500 from $599. The 17 percent discount gives you 16GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD for only about $20 more than the computer's Black Friday sale. Its beefier models are also on sale: opting for 512GB of SSD will cost you $690, down from
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Our favorite 3-in-1 wireless charger is on sale for 32 percent off
7 hours ago
by Anna Washenko
Handheld & Connected Devices, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko
Now that the winter holidays are well and truly past, now's the perfect time to take stock of your tech setup. If you were gifted (or gifted yourself) some new gear in December, make sure that you've got the proper accessories to keep that gear performing at its best. If a new way to power all those batteries would be a benefit, Amazon's currently running a discount on an excellent wireless charging pad. The UGREEN MagFlow Qi2 3-in-1 Charger Station 25W is on sale for $95. That's only a little bit above the lowest price we've ever seen for the
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Netflix will give WBD movies 45-day theater exclusivity if deal goes through
7 hours ago
by Matt Tate
Movies, Media, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Matt Tate
The fate of Warner Bros. Discovery remains the biggest story in Hollywood, with Paramount Skydance refusing to back down from its rival bid to the proposed Netflix acquisition of the company. If the Netflix deal does go through, the company’s co-chief executive, Ted Sarandos, has attempted to ease concerns around what that could mean for theaters.
In an interview with The New York Times, Sarandos responded to a question about his company’s commitment to the theatrical business by insisting that he has no interest in bringing a swift end to it. "We will run that business largely like it is today,
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Meta is closing down its VR meeting rooms as part of its wider cull
7 hours ago
by Mariella Moon
Software, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Mariella Moon
Meta is killing the standalone Workrooms app on February 16, 2026. The company presented Workrooms as a virtual reality space where teams can meet and collaborate in an immersive environment when it launched the product. Now Meta says its Horizon platform has evolved enough to support “a wide range of productivity apps and tools,” so it “made the decision to discontinue Workrooms as a standalone app.”
The company recently slashed its spending on the metaverse and started the process to lay off more than 1,000 employees from its Reality Labs division. Due to those layoffs and organizational changes, it closed three
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Italian regulators are investigating Activision Blizzard's monetization practices
7 hours ago
by Andre Revilla
Video Games, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Andre Revilla
The Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) has opened two investigations into Microsoft-owned game studio Activision Blizzard, centered around the mobile games Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty: Mobile. The AGCM alleges the free-to-play games use "misleading and aggressive practices" to encourage in-game purchases.
Regulators say the games rely on a "deceptive user interface design" meant to encourage longer and more frequent play sessions while bombarding players with reminders and opportunities to spend real money in-game. Players might be reminded to buy a limited-time item before it's gone or urged not to miss out on rewards, with in-app messages and push notifications that
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Apple's latest MagSafe charger is on sale for $30
7 hours ago
by Steve Dent
Technology & Electronics, Handheld & Connected Devices, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Steve Dent
One way you can reduce the number of cables you have to deal with on the regular is by investing in a few wireless chargers. Those with iPhones should consider Apple's own MagSafe charger not only because of its sleek and effective design, but also because it's on sale right now at Amazon. The Qi2.2-rated MagSafe charger is down to $30 for the one-meter version, or $40 for the two-meter version.
If you have an iPhone 16, iPhone 17 or iPhone Air, this cable can charge your device at 25W as long as it's connected to a 30W power adapter on
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XREAL files lawsuit against rival smart glass maker Viture
7 hours ago
by Steve Dent
Business, Company Legal & Law Matters, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Steve Dent
San Francisco-founded Smart glasses maker Viture has been sued in a US court by rival XREAL over claims it infringed on its patents, XREAL announced in a press release. The complaint, lodged in a federal Texas court, accuses Viture of illegally incorporating XREAL's patented tech into its products including the Luma Pro, Luma Ultra and Beast models.
"The lawsuit is not merely about enforcing a single patent," the company wrote. "It is about stopping a pattern of intellectual property infringement that undermines the integrity of innovation and endangers continued technological development in this industry."
XREAL has already won a preliminary injunction against
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Disney+ and Hulu deal: Get the bundle for only $10 for one month
8 hours ago
by Valentina Palladino,Georgie Peru
Media, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Valentina Palladino
You have the best chance to save on streaming services during the holiday shopping season, but throughout the year, the occasional deal pops up that's worth considering. Case in point: this new Disney+ deal. New and eligible returning subscribers can sign up for the Disney+ Hulu bundle (with ads) for $10 for one month of access. That's $3 off the usual price of the bundle for one month, and more than 58 percent off if you consider the cost of each service individually (Disney+ at $12 per month and, separately, Hulu also at $12 per month).
We'd be remiss if we
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One of our favorite budgeting apps is only $50 for the year for new users
8 hours ago
by Ian Carlos Campbell
Software, Personal Budgeting, Technology & Electronics, Banking & Budgeting, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell
The start of the new year is a great time to get your finances in order, and a good budgeting app can help with that. Instead of laboring over a spreadsheet, you can try one of our favorite budgeting apps for less than usual. Monarch Money is running a sale that gives new users 50 percent off one year of the service, bringing the final cost down to just $50. Just use the code NEWYEAR2026 at checkout to get the discount.
Monarch Money makes for a capable and detailed budgeting companion. You can use the service via apps for iOS, Android,
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ASUS changes mind, will continue selling the RTX 5070 Ti after all
8 hours ago
by Steve Dent
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Steve Dent
After telling the YouTube channel Hardware Unboxed that it was putting its RTX 5060 Ti 16GB and 5070 Ti into "end-of-life status," ASUS has backtracked on those comments and now says the GPUs will remain on sale.
"Certain media may have received incomplete information from an ASUS PR representative regarding these products," the company said in a dedicated press release." The GeForce RTX 5070 Ti and GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB have not been discontinued or designated as end-of-life (EOL). ASUS has no plans to stop selling these models."
ASUS further clarified that supply fluctuations, primarily due to memory supply constraints,
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TikTok tightens age verification across Europe
8 hours ago
by Kris Holt
Internet & Networking Technology, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Kris Holt
TikTok is bolstering its age-verification measures across Europe. In the coming weeks, the platform will roll out upgraded age-detection tech in the European Economic Area, as well as in the UK and Switzerland.
The systems will assess the likely age of a user based on their profile information and activity. When the tech flags an account that may belong to a user aged under 13 (the minimum age to use TikTok), a specialist moderator will assess whether it should be banned. TikTok will send users in Europe a notification to tell them about these measures and offer them a chance to
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The Morning After: ASUS stops making some NVIDIA GPUs due to memory supply crunch
9 hours ago
by Mat Smith
Media, Celebrities, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Mat Smith
If you thought we were exaggerating, the hunger for memory and GPUs is making many companies reassess their priorities. YouTube channel Hardware Unboxed discovered ASUS has stopped producing the RTX 5070 Ti and 5060 Ti 16GB due to the ongoing memory crunch. Both GPUs are 16GB models, making them more expensive to manufacture in the current climate.
“Demand for GeForce RTX GPUs is strong, and memory supply is constrained. We continue to ship all GeForce SKUs and are working closely with our suppliers to maximize memory availability,” an NVIDIA spokesperson told Engadget.
At CES 2026, we saw PCs and computing in the
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The best midrange smartphone for 2026
11 hours ago
by Sam Rutherford,Igor Bonifacic
smartphone, feature, BuyersGuide, mobile, thebuyersguide, smartphones, commerce, bts2020, gear, Smart Phones, Technology & Electronics, Handheld & Connected Devices, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Sam Rutherford
Gone are the days in which you needed to spend a fortune to get a good smartphone. In 2026, features once exclusive to high-end smartphones – big batteries, multi-camera arrays, high refresh rate OLED displays and more – have made their way down to more affordable models. Yes, you’ll still need to buy a flagship smartphone to get the best camera or fastest processor, but you don't have to make nearly as many compromises as you once did if you have a strict budget to adhere to when you go shopping for your next smartphone. If you have less than
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Kathleen Kennedy steps down as Lucasfilm president, marking a new era for the Star Wars franchise
20 hours ago
by Anna Washenko
Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko
Kathleen Kennedy is stepping down as president of Lucasfilm. Although she will continue as a producer for several Star Wars projects, including upcoming movie The Mandalorian and Grogu, the company will now be helmed by a duo in Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan. It's a big changing of the guard for Star Wars fans, and marks the start of a fresh chapter for the sci-fi universe.
Before taking over at Lucasfilm, Kennedy had seen great success as a producer with a couple little films you may have heard of: E.T. and Jurassic Park. She became Lucasfilm's president in 2012 when the
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ASUS has stopped producing the NVIDIA RTX 5070 Ti and 5060 Ti 16GB, saying they've reached 'end of life'
21 hours ago
by Igor Bonifacic
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Igor Bonifacic
YouTube channel Hardware Unboxed is reporting that ASUS has stopped producing the RTX 5070 Ti and 5060 Ti 16GB due to the ongoing memory crunch. In its most recent video, the channel states ASUS “explicitly” told it the RTX 5070 Ti is “currently facing a supply shortage.” As a result, the company has “placed the model into end of life status,” and no longer plans to produce it.
Hardware Unboxed also spoke to retailers in Australia, who told the channel the 5070 Ti is “no longer available to purchase from partners and distributors,” adding they expect that to be the case
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Senate passes minibus bill funding NASA, rejecting Trump's proposed cuts
a day ago
by Igor Bonifacic
Science, Budget, Tax & Economy, Politics & Government, Government, Space & Astronomy, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Igor Bonifacic
After a tumultuous 2025 that saw it lose around 4,000 employees, NASA finally has an operating budget for 2026, and one that largely preserves its scientific capabilities. On Thursday, the Senate passed an appropriations bill funding NASA, alongside the National Science Foundation and a handful of other federal agencies.
Going into the appropriations process, the president called for a 24 percent year over year reduction to NASA's total operating budget. As part of that plan, the White House wanted to reduce the Science Mission Directorate's funding by nearly half, a move that would have forced NASA to cancel 55 ongoing and
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A $250 billion trade deal will see Taiwan bring more semiconductor production to the US
a day ago
by Anna Washenko
Finance, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko
The US and Taiwan have signed an agreement that will see a multi-billion dollar investment into domestic development of semiconductors and related infrastructure. The US Department of Commerce announced that Taiwanese businesses will make an upfront investment of at least $250 billion into their US production capacity, while Taiwan's government will provide credit guarantees of at least another $250 billion in support of the semiconductor industry and supply chain in the US.
In exchange, Taiwan will receive a better deal on tariffs. Reciprocal tariffs will be limited to 15 percent, compared with the previous 20 percent rate. Generic pharmaceuticals and their
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Bluesky's 'Live Now' badge is available to everyone
a day ago
by Ian Carlos Campbell
Social & Online Media, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell
After testing the feature in a limited beta, Bluesky is making its "Live Now" badge for streamers available for everyone on the social network to try. Live Now is included as part of Bluesky's v1.114 update, alongside "cashtags," a separate type of hashtag for collecting conversations about publicly-traded companies.
Bluesky first started testing its Live Now badge in May 2025 with a limited group of accounts, including the official NBA account. The feature lets Twitch streamers with Bluesky profiles append a Live Now badge to their profile picture that links directly to their livestream. Live Now badges are limited to Twitch
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Amazon's New World: Aeternum MMO will go offline January 31, 2027
a day ago
by Anna Washenko
Internet & Networking Technology, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko
Today, Amazon shared more details about the final chapter of its game New World: Aeternum. The company announced in October that it would wind down support for the MMO, with the Nighthaven season to be its last. New World will be delisted and no longer available for purchase starting today, but the game's servers will not be taken offline until January 31, 2027. People who own the game will be able to continue playing until that date. Nighthaven season will continue through to that end date.
Players who had previously purchased New World: Aeternum will be able to re-download and continue
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Netflix's expanded Sony deal includes streaming rights to the Legend of Zelda movie
a day ago
by Ian Carlos Campbell
Movies, Media, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell
As part of a new agreement, films from Sony Pictures Entertainment will stream on Netflix first, the companies announced via a joint statement. The new deal expands on the exclusive rights Netflix had to Sony films in the US, and means the service will be the first place people will be able to stream upcoming projects like the live-action adaptation of The Legend of Zelda, and a quartet of biopics about The Beatles.
Sony's films will stream worldwide on Netflix in what's called "Pay-1," the first window of availability after a movie's theatrical and VOD releases. As part of the deal,
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Flaw in 17 Google Fast Pair audio devices could let hackers eavesdrop
a day ago
by Will Shanklin
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Will Shanklin
Now would be a good time to update all your Bluetooth audio devices. On Thursday, Wired reported on a security flaw in 17 headphone and speaker models that could allow hackers to access your devices, including their microphones. The vulnerability stems from a faulty implementation of Google's one-tap (Fast Pair) protocol.
Security researchers at Belgium's KU Leuven University Computer Security and Industrial Cryptography group, who discovered the security hole, named the flaw WhisperPair. They say a hacker within Bluetooth range would only require the accessory's (easily attainable) device model number and a few seconds.
"You're walking down the street with your headphones
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Amazon is making a Fallout Shelter competition reality TV show
a day ago
by Anna Washenko
Media, Arts & Entertainment, Television, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko
The second season of Amazon's excellent Fallout show is currently airing, but the company is already looking to expand its programming around the popular franchise. Prime Video has greenlit a unscripted reality show titled Fallout Shelter. It will be a ten-episode run with Studio Lambert, the team behind reality projects including Squid Game: The Challenge and The Traitors, as its primary producer. Bethesda Game Studios’ head honcho Todd Howard is attached as an executive producer.
Amazon's description of Fallout Shelter is: "Across a series of escalating challenges, strategic dilemmas and moral crossroads, contestants must prove their ingenuity, teamwork and resilience as they
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Heist game Relooted gets a release date
a day ago
by Matt Tate
Video Games, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Matt Tate
The intriguing Africanfuturist heist game, Relooted, is out on February 10. Developed by independent South African studio Nyamakop, the game focuses on a ragtag crew from Johannesburg that liberates real-life African artifacts from a series of fictionalized Western museums.
Relooted is best described as a 2.5d side-scrolling action platformer with stealth and puzzle elements. You have to carefully plan each heist with your fellow teammates, knowing where to place each crew member and how you’re going to get in and out in one piece. Once you’ve grabbed the artifact you’re looking for in each mission, an alarm will sound and you have
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The Animal Crossing: New Horizons 3.0 expansion has arrived earlier than expected
a day ago
by Matt Tate
Media, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Matt Tate
For a number of very obvious reasons, we don’t want to roll back the clock to early 2020. No thank you. But if there was a feel-good lockdown story, it was the perfectly timed arrival of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which allowed friends who could no longer meet up IRL to do so virtually on their carefully pruned islands.
The game will almost certainly never be as popular as it was back then again, but Nintendo is hoping a good chunk of lapsed islanders will return for its latest DLC drop, which arrived on January 14, a day earlier than planned.
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Wikimedia announces AI partners including Meta and Microsoft
a day ago
by Andre Revilla
Software, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Andre Revilla
As part of Wikipedia's 25th anniversary, parent company Wikimedia announced a slew of partnerships with AI-focused companies like Amazon, Meta, Perplexity, Microsoft and others. The deals are meant to alleviate some of the cost associated with AI chatbots accessing Wikipedia content in enormous volumes by giving the tech companies streamlined access.
As noted by The Verge, the timeline on these deals is a little squirrely. The Wikipedia foundation says that several companies became enterprise partners "over the past year," while listing Amazon, Google and Meta as "existing" partners. It appears today is the first time they have been officially announced.
The organization
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Indie RPG Sea of Stars hits iOS and Android on April 7
a day ago
by Lawrence Bonk
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Lawrence Bonk
The indie RPG Sea of Stars is being released for mobile platforms on April 7. The iOS and Android versions are priced at just $10, which is a steal considering it cost $35 when it was first released for PC and consoles. Heck, it still costs that much on many platforms.
This is a mobile release, so it's not an exact port. The interface has been revamped to allow for complete touch control. It's also compatible with controllers, which is always a good thing with smartphone ports. The Android version has a couple of unique features. It offers Google Play Games
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More than 100 classic episodes of Sesame Street are now streaming on YouTube and YouTube Kids
a day ago
by Matt Tate
Media, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Matt Tate
If you’re looking for something to entertain your kids for the next several months (and potentially longer), YouTube would like you to know that more than 100 classic episodes of Sesame Street are now streaming on the platform.
The partnership between Sesame Street creator Sesame Workshop and YouTube was first announced last year and encompasses both old episodes as well as new content. Some of the themed compilations that have also been added to YouTube and YouTube Kids focus on specific educational topics such as ABCs and STEM, while others have broader themes like “Adventure & Imagination” and “Friendship & Play.”
Media history
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Mentra’s first smart glasses are open-source and come with their own app store
a day ago
by Matt Tate
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Matt Tate
Mentra will soon start shipping its first smart glasses, the Mentra Live. At first glance, there’s nothing obvious setting Mentra’s glasses apart from its more well-known competitors, but they come with their own dedicated app store, and employ an open-source OS with an SDK that developers have had access to since early 2025.
Mentra says the MiniApp Store is the first app store of its nature for smart glasses, and it will be available to iOS and Android users through the Mentra app. It might be a bit of a reach to call it the smartphone-ification of smart glasses at this
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Samsung’s refreshed Mobile Gaming Hub is trying to make it easier to discover new games
a day ago
by Alessandro Fillari
Video Games, Technology & Electronics, Handheld & Connected Devices, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Alessandro Fillari
During CES 2026, Samsung unveiled plenty of new TVs, monitors and other hardware. However, the company is also looking to expand further into video games and has announced a significant refresh to its Gaming Hub on smartphones.
Engadget spoke with Samsung’s Jong Woo, VP of Game Services, who explained that the update will offer more personalized, faster ways to play and place greater emphasis on up-and-coming titles. Now available on Galaxy devices, with further updates planned, the new hub wants to be a more active space for the latest mobile games.
"We believe that gamers want to find new content that is
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Roblox's age verification system is reportedly a trainwreck
a day ago
by Will Shanklin
Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Will Shanklin
Roblox's age-verification system was designed as a response to allegations it has a child predator problem. Less than a week in, how's it going? Well, Wired reported on Tuesday that, in some cases, it's classifying children as adults and adults as children. So, not so great!
Last week, Roblox made age verification mandatory for anyone using the platform's chat feature. That process involves either submitting a facial age estimate via selfie or (optionally for anyone 13 or older) uploading a government ID check. After verifying, you can only chat with groups of players around your age.
The move came after reports grew
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007 First Light dev admits it messed up PC specs announcement
a day ago
by Kris Holt
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Kris Holt
IO Interactive raised a few eyebrows last week when it announced the minimum and recommended PC specs for 007 First Light. To run the James Bond adventure at in 1080p at 60 fps, IOI initially said you'd need to have a rig with at least 32GB of RAM and a GPU with 12GB of VRAM. The studio has now revised those numbers and other elements of the specs after "the community flagged some inconsistencies in an earlier version of the listing."
The developer blamed an "internal miscommunication" which led to it sharing an older version of the specs. One of the
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NBA League Pass subscriptions are up to 55 percent off right now
a day ago
by Andre Revilla
National Basketball Association, Basketball, Sports & Recreation, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Andre Revilla
Basketball fans can save on NBA League Pass right now, which lets you catch a bunch of out-of-market NBA games via streaming. The League Pass Premium subscription is on sale for $75, down from the usual $160, and League Pass Standard is marked down to $50 from $110. Considering we're almost halfway though the season, the discount makes sense and is a good deal for anyone who wants to keep a close eye on the rest of the games to be played this year.
The Standard plan includes commercials and support for only one device at a time, while the Premium
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Valerion VisionMaster Max projector review: Near-perfect image quality comes at a price
a day ago
by Steve Dent
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Steve Dent
After a widely hyped and successful Kickstarter campaign, Valerion’s 4K VisionMaster Max laser projector has finally arrived. It’s the company’s new flagship model in the VisionMaster series, offering better image quality and more convenience than its other models. However, it’s quite expensive and has some stiff competition from Anker’s Nebula X1 and XGIMI’s Horizon 20 Max.
I was eager to see how it compared to those models and if it delivers on Valerion’s promise of “pure cinema.” It does offer better image quality, but the difference isn’t quite enough to justify the big jump in price for most users.
FEATURES AND DESIGN
The
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Trump administration imposes a 25 percent tariff on high-end chips
a day ago
by Mariella Moon
Politics & Government, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Mariella Moon
President Trump has signed a proclamation imposing a 25 percent tariff on “certain advanced computing chips,” the White House has announced. As The New York Times notes, the administration previously threatened much bigger and broader tariffs for chips. Trump even said that he was going to impose a 100 percent tariff on companies unless they invest on semiconductor manufacturing in the United States.
The new tariff will only affect advanced chips imported into the US and are meant to be re-exported to other countries to sell. In its announcement, the White House specifically named AMD MI325X and NVIDIA H200 as two
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OpenAI quietly rolls out a dedicated ChatGPT translation tool
a day ago
by Kris Holt
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Kris Holt
OpenAI has debuted a dedicated ChatGPT-powered translation tool. While folks have been using the main chatbot for translation for some time, you can now find ChatGPT Translate on its own webpage, as Android Authority spotted.
The tool can translate text, voice inputs and images into more than 50 languages in seconds, OpenAI says. There’s an automatic language detection function too.
Most interestingly, ChatGPT Translate can rewrite the output to take various contexts and tones into account, much in the same way that more general text-generating AI tools can do. With a single tap, it can rewrite the translation into something "more fluent,"
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Spotify is getting a buck more expensive in February
a day ago
by Mariella Moon
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Mariella Moon
Spotify is raising the prices for its premium subscriptions by $1 to $2 across the board, starting this February. Those are similar figures to the company’s last price hike in 2024. Subscribers across the US, Estonia and Latvia will soon receive an email, notifying them that they’ll be paying a larger amount for their February bill.
The streaming service said it’s raising its prices occasionally to “reflect the value that Spotify delivers,” “to continue offering the best possible experience” and to “benefit artists.” It reported last year that it paid out $10 billion to music rights-holders in 2024. However, it’s worth