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Razer has to pay over $1.1 million to the Federal Trade Commission to settle complaints that it advertised its infamous Zephyr masks as N95-grade when it didn't get them certified at all. The gaming peripheral maker released Zephyr, its high-tech face mask with built-in RGB lighting, during the height of the pandemic. Half a year later, in early 2022, it introduced a "Pro" version that added voice amplification. Razer said back then the Zephyr was as effective as an N95 mask, but it later reneged on its claim and removed all references to "N95-grade" filters from its website and other marketing materials after it came out that the company didn't obtain proper certification. 

According to the FTC, Razer never submitted the Zephyr masks for testing to the FDA or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), which gives out the official certification for masks that filter out 95 percent of airborne particles. Razer certainly isn't in the list of companies that manufacture N95 masks approved by NIOSH on its website. In the FTC's complaint, it accused Razer of only stopping its false advertising after consumer outrage. 

The company has to hand over what it earned from selling Zephyr — that's $1,071,254.33 in revenue — to the FTC, which the agency will then use to refund affected consumers. To note, the Zephyr masks cost customers at least $100. It will pay $100,000 in fine over its unsubstantiated health claims, as well. In addition to ordering Razer refund customers, the FTC also prohibited the company from making any claims that it's selling products that reduce the likelihood of being infected with or transmitting the COVID-19 virus without proper FDA approval. Razer has also been prohibited from claiming health benefits for its products without scientific evidence to support them, as well as from "falsely claiming that any product meets government-established standards when it has not."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/razer-will-refund-zephyr-mask-buyers-due-to-bogus-n95-claims-083127094.html?src=rss

The latest generation of Apple's eternally popular AirPods Pro are back down to their all-time low price of $180 at Amazon. The deal takes $10 off the typical sale price of $190 and a solid $69 off the $249 MSRP. The last time we saw this price tag was during Amazon's spring sale in March. Apple updated the charging case when the iPhone 15 came out last year to give both devices a more universal USB-C port (both can also charge wirelessly). If you have an iPhone, we think these are one of the better bits of audio gear you can stick in your ears. 

The second-generation AirPods Pro (with the Lightning case) came out towards the end of 2022 — the case refresh didn't alter the buds themselves too much, other than adding some improved dust resistance. That makes these a little older at this point, but new AirPods are not one of the things we're expecting to see announced at Apple's upcoming "Let Loose" event in May (we're mostly anticipating iPad news). A more likely time for a new AirPods reveal is during the company's annual iPhone event in September. But if you don't want to wait around to see if such a debut materializes, this deal is a decent time to get your first pair. Or replace the pair you left on the train.  

We gave the AirPods Pro a score of 88 when they came out. Engadget's Billy Steele praised the effective active noise cancellation (ANC) and called the ambient sound mode one of the best on the market. Plus they work fairly seamlessly with all your Apple devices, offering quick pairing, fast device switching and hands-free Siri support. The audio itself is richer with more depth and clarity than with previous Pro generations. 

All of that lead us to name them the best wireless earbuds for iPhones in our buying guide. Of course, they don't work with non-Apple devices. Our current top pick from our guide for Android phones are the Google Pixel Buds Pro, which are currently down to $140 at Amazon after a 30 percent discount. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-second-generation-airpods-pro-are-back-down-to-their-lowest-price-ever-231655823.html?src=rss

Meta is offering some creators thousands of dollars if they go viral on Threads. The payouts are part of a new invitation-only bonus program that rewards creators who use Meta’s newest app.

An Instagram support page offers some details about the bonus program, which Meta hasn’t formally announced. It states that creators can earn money “based on the performance of your Threads posts” or “the number of posts you create.” It appears that specific terms of the bonuses are individualized to each creator. “Details of the bonus program may vary by participant,” the company notes.

The program seems to be a small-scale effort for now — the company refers to it as being in “testing” — but it offers a preview of how Meta may look to ramp up its efforts to use creators to boost engagement on the service. Meta has previously offered bonuses for posting Reels on Facebook and Instagram, but it’s the first time the company has paid for posts on Threads. The Threads bonus program was first reported by Business Insider earlier this month.

Some creators are already being offered thousands of dollars for high-performing posts. According to one screenshot making the rounds on Threads, at least one creator was offered “up to $5,000” for Threads posts or replies with 10,000 views or more. That’s not nearly as high as the $10,000 bonuses Reels creators could once earn on Instagram, but is still quite generous considering posting on Threads requires far less effort than shooting and editing a compelling video.

Meta isn’t the only platform trying to lure creators with promises of potential payouts. X also offers creators direct payments based on their engagement, but that program is a revenue sharing arrangement for users who pay for premium subscriptions.

Threads has been growing steadily since its launch last year, and has more than 150 million monthly users, Mark Zuckerberg revealed last week. The Facebook founder has speculated that the app could one day be the company’s next billion-user platform, though it would likely take several years to reach that milestone. Either way, onboarding popular creators from Instagram would be an important step to boost engagement on Threads. The company also recently partnered with Taylor Swift’s team to get the pop star on the app to promote her latest album. Meta hasn’t shared what, if any, terms were associated with that arrangement, but the effort involved custom animations and other “Easter eggs” for Swift fans.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-is-offering-some-creators-thousands-of-dollars-in-bonuses-for-threads-posts-193950157.html?src=rss

Streamflation is real y'all. Peacock just announced its raising prices again, less than a year after it last upped subscription costs. The new price will be $8 per month for Peacock with ads and $14 per month for an ad-free experience, starting on July 18 for new subscribers and August 17 for pre-existing users. An ad-free subscription will be the same price as Disney+ and nearly as much as Netflix. Mrs. Davis was good, but was it that good?

To put this into perspective, just one year ago a subscription to Peacock set you back just $5 to $10 per month, depending on if you went with ads or not. Then there was a $1 increase last summer, and now a $2 increase this summer. If this rate of increase keeps up, Peacock will cost $260,000 per month by 2040, and that’s with ads. But can you really put a price tag on finding out if Jim and Pam ever kiss?

There is a method to Peacock’s price-gouging madness. The 2024 Summer Olympics is right around the corner and the streamer will be showing “every sport and event, including all 329 medal events.” The platform will also host full-event replays, curated video clips and original commentary. The Olympics kick off on July 26, just eight days after the price increase starts for new subscribers. Get that Olympics audience cheddar, Peacock, though good luck keeping subscriberers once the games end.

Peacock is just following the market here, as rival streaming services have been raising prices left and right. Just about every major streaming platform has become more expensive in the past year, including Disney+, Apple TV+ and Netflix. Other types of streaming services aren’t immune. Spotify is planning on raising subscription prices for US customers later this year, despite recently reporting record profits for the first quarter of 2024.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/peacock-is-raising-prices-again-just-in-time-for-the-olympics-185457098.html?src=rss

On Monday, the US Supreme Court dismissed Elon Musk’s appeal about a 2018 SEC settlement regarding his infamous “funding secured” tweet. Ars Technica reports that the conservative-majority court took a break from weighing whether US Presidents should be above the law to pass on Musk’s attempt to throw out the agreement, which required him to pay fines, step down from Tesla’s board and have his tweets pre-screened by a lawyer.

The justices denied Musk’s petition without commenting. Their unwillingness to take up the billionaire’s appeal leaves intact an appeals court ruling from a year ago that smacked down the Tesla founder’s claims of victimhood.

The saga began in 2018 when Musk tweeted, “Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured.” He also posted, “Investor support is confirmed. Only reason why this is not certain is that it’s contingent on a shareholder vote.” Tesla’s stock rose by more than six percent.

There was only one tiny problem: The funding wasn’t secured, and the SEC takes false statements that affect investors very seriously. The SEC said, “Musk had not even discussed, much less confirmed, key deal terms, including price, with any potential funding source” and that he “knew that he had not satisfied numerous additional contingencies.” The government agency claimed the post caused “significant confusion and disruption in the market for Tesla’s stock.”

The SEC settlement hit his wallet hard, requiring Musk and Tesla to each pay $20 million in penalties. He also had to step down from his board chairman role at the automaker and have a Tesla attorney screen any investor-related tweets before posting. Of course, Musk later bought Twitter and changed its name to X. But at least that’s going splendidly!

His appeal said the settlement forced him to “waive his First Amendment rights to speak on matters ranging far beyond the charged violations.” Musk, who currently has an estimated net worth of $185 billion, claimed he was a victim of “economic duress” when agreeing to the settlement, which he described as a tactic to “muzzle and harass” him and his company.

The 2nd Circuit appeals court, whose ruling will now be the final word on the matter, shot down Musk’s arguments. “Parties entering into consent decrees may voluntarily waive their First Amendment and other rights,” they said. The appeals court saw “no evidence to support Musk’s contention that the SEC has used the consent decree to conduct bad-faith, harassing investigations of his protected speech.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-us-supreme-court-rejects-elon-musks-appeal-in-funding-secured-tweet-ruling-183554065.html?src=rss

Apple’s iPad has been added to the list of tech products that must abide by the EU’s DMA rules, as reported by Bloomberg. The European Commission has officially designated iPadOS as a gatekeeper under the DMA, alongside the Safari web browser, the iOS operating system and the App Store. The organization states that users are basically “locked-in” to Apple’s iPadOS ecosystem and that it disincentivizes people from switching to competitors. The company has six months to comply with various preemptive measures.

This follows a months-long investigation into iPadOS to decide whether or not it qualifies as gatekeeper software. “iPadOS constitutes an important gateway on which many companies rely to reach their customers”, wrote Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President in charge of competition policy at the European Commission. “Today’s decision will ensure that fairness and contestability are preserved also on this platform.”

What does Apple have to do to ensure iPadOS compliance? According to the DMA, gatekeepers are prohibited from favoring their own services over rivals and from locking users into the ecosystem. The software must also allow third parties to interoperate with internal services, which is why third-party app stores are becoming a thing on iPhones in Europe. The iPad, presumably, will soon follow suit. In other words, the DMA is lobbing some serious stink bombs into Apple’s walled garden.

In a statement published by Forbes, Apple said it “will continue to constructively engage with the European Commission” to ensure its designated services comply with the DMA, including iPadOS. The company isn’t exactly pleased, however, and has accused the legislation of creating “new privacy and data security risks.” To that end, Apple has issued a legal challenge to the EU’s General Court in Luxembourg, with hearings set to take place later this year.

In happier tablet news for Apple, the company recently announced an event for May 7 to showcase new iPads. We're likely to see an OLED iPad Pro and new iPad Air, in addition to updated peripherals.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-eu-will-force-apple-to-open-up-ipados-181553238.html?src=rss

Walmart's Discovered experience started out last year as a way for kids to buy virtual items for Roblox inside the game. But today, that partnership is testing out an expanded pilot program that will allow teens to buy real-life goods stocked on digital shelves before they're shipped to your door. 

Available to children 13 and up in the US, the latest addition to Walmart Discovered is an IRL commerce shop featuring items created by partnered user-generated content creators including MD17_RBLX, Junozy, and Sarabxlla. Customers can browse and try on items inside virtual shops, after which the game will open a browser window to Walmart's online store (displayed on an in-game laptop) in order to view and purchase physical items. 

Furthermore, anyone who buys a real-world item from Discovered will receive a free digital twin so they can have a matching virtual representation of what they've purchased. Some examples of the first products getting the dual IRL and virtual treatment are a crochet bag from No Boundaries, a TAL stainless steel tumbler and Onn Bluetooth headphones. 

According to Digiday, during this initial pilot phase (which will take place throughout May), Roblox will not be taking a cut from any of the physical sales made as part of Walmart's Discovered experience as it looks to determine people's level of interest. However, the parameters of the partnership may change going forward as Roblox gathers more data about how people embrace buying real goods inside virtual stores. 

Unfortunately, while Roblux's latest test may feel like an unusually exploitative way to squeeze even more money from teenagers (or more realistically their parent's money), this is really just another small step in the company's efforts to turn the game into an all-encompassing online marketplace. Last year, Roblox made a big push into digital marketing when it launched new ways to sell and present ads inside the game before later removing requirements for advertisers to create bespoke virtual experiences for each product. 

So in case you needed yet another reason not to save payment info inside a game's virtual store, now instead of wasting money on virtual items, kids can squander cash on junk that will clutter up their rooms too. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/walmart-thinks-its-a-good-idea-to-let-kids-buy-irl-items-inside-roblox-180054985.html?src=rss

The European Union is getting ready to launch a new investigation into Meta over its handling of election-related content, according to a new report in The Guardian. Details of the investigation could be announced “later this week,” but European officials are reportedly concerned about “deceptive advertising and political content.”

According to the Financial Times, the EU has also raised concerns about Russia’s “efforts to undermine upcoming European elections” and other foreign interference campaigns. The EU is set to hold parliamentary elections in June. If the company is found to have run afoul of the Europe’s Digital Services Act, it could be hit with large fines.

EU officials are also “particularly concerned” about Meta’s plan to shut down CrowdTangle in August. The tool has been widely used by researchers and fact checkers for years to study how content spreads across Facebook and Instagram. Dozens of researchers and fact-checking groups signed an open letter to the company last month saying that shutting down the tool ahead of dozens of global elections would be a “direct threat” to election integrity efforts around the world.

“We have a well-established process for identifying and mitigating risks on our platforms,” a Meta spokesperson told Engadget in a statement. “We look forward to continuing our cooperation with the European Commission and providing them with further details of this work.”

Elsewhere, the EU is also investigating Meta over its ad-free subscription plan available to European users. That investigation, which could last up to a year, will look into whether the social media company has violated Europe’s Digital Markets Act, by not offering users a “real alternative” to opt out of data collection.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-european-union-will-reportedly-open-a-new-investigation-into-meta-over-election-policies-174818594.html?src=rss

The Financial Times has become the latest news organization to strike a deal with OpenAI. In a joint announcement on Monday, the Financial Times and OpenAI said that maker of ChatGPT will use the Financial Times’ journalism to train its AI models and collaborate on developing new AI products and features for the publication’s readers. ChatGPT will also attribute and and link back to the Financial Times when it includes information from the publication in its responses

“It is right, of course, that AI platforms pay publishers for the use of their material,” said Financial Times CEO John Ridding in a statement and added that the Times is “committed to human journalism.” Neither company disclosed the financial terms of the agreement. Earlier this year, The Information reported that OpenAI offers publishers between $1 million and $5 million a year to license their content to train its AI models.

Generative AI is only as good as the training data used to train the models that power it. So far, AI companies have scraped everything they can from the public internet often without the consent of creators, and are constantly on the hunt for new data sources to keep the outputs generated by these models current. Training AI models on news is one way to achieve that, but some publishers are wary of giving up their content to AI companies for free. The New York Times and the BBC, for instance, have OpenAI from scraping their websites.

As a result, OpenAI has been striking financial deals with leading publishers to keep its models trained. Last year, the company partnered with German publisher Axel Springer to train its models on new from Politico and Business Insider in the US and Bild and Die Welt in Germany. The company also has deals with the Associated Press, France’s Le Monde, and Spain’s Prisa Media.

Subscribing to the Financial Times costs at least $39 a month for. But, as some pointed out, its partnership with OpenAI effectively means a dismantling of its own paywall for general readers through generative AI.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/openai-will-train-its-ai-models-on-the-financial-times-journalism-173249177.html?src=rss

Getir is hightailing it out of everywhere but Turkey. On Monday, the “instant delivery” startup said it would exit the US, UK, Germany and the Netherlands to serve its Turkish home market exclusively. TechCrunch notes the closures are likely to wipe out 6,000 jobs at the company.

Getir's business model, distinct from traditional shopping services like Instacart (which has problems of its own), involves establishing micro-fulfillment centers in urban areas that carry groceries and household essentials. This often lets them fulfill orders within minutes — hence the “instant delivery” moniker. Once valued at $12 billion, the startup experienced a surge in growth during the pandemic as investors bet on COVID-era consumer shopping habits enduring after lockdowns. So much for that.

“This decision will allow Getir to focus its financial resources on Turkey,” the company told TechCrunch in a statement. The startup said the markets it’s exiting made up about seven percent of its revenues.

Even as it slashes jobs and hits the undo button on its global expansion, Getir has secured funding to focus on Turkey. Mubadala (Abu Dhabi’s state-owned investment firm) and G Squared are reportedly among those financing the Turkish-only pivot.

Getir says its US subsidiary, FreshDirect, which it bought late last year, will continue to operate. But the company suggested to Reuters it was open to offers for its existing assets in the markets it’s leaving.

The startup was founded in 2015 and exploded in popularity in Turkey. From 2017 to 2023, it raised over $2.3 billion from investors as it sought global corporate conquest, scooping up smaller competitors along the way. TechCrunch says that, in early 2023, Getir had 32,000 employees.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/getir-is-getting-out-of-everywhere-but-turkey-164225714.html?src=rss

OpenAI has been hit with a privacy complaint in Austria by an advocacy group called NOYB, which stands for None Of Your Business. The complaint alleges that the company’s ChatGPT bot repeatedly provided incorrect information about a real individual (who for privacy reasons is not named in the complaint), as reported by Reuters. This may breach EU privacy rules.

The chatbot allegedly spat out incorrect birthdate information for the individual, instead of just saying it didn’t know the answer to the query. Like politicians, AI chatbots like to confidently make stuff up and hope we don’t notice. This phenomenon is called a hallucination. However, it’s one thing when these bots make up ingredients for a recipe and another thing entirely when they invent stuff about real people.

The complaint also indicates that OpenAI refused to help delete the false information, responding that it was technically impossible to make that kind of change. The company did offer to filter or block the data on certain prompts. OpenAI’s privacy policy says that if users notice the AI chatbot has generated “factually inaccurate information” about them that they can submit a “correction request”, but the company says that it “may not be able to correct the inaccuracy in every instance”, as reported by TechCrunch.

This is bigger than just one complaint, as the chatbot’s tendency toward making stuff up could run afoul of the region’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which governs how personal data can be used and processed. EU residents have rights regarding personal information, including a right to have false data corrected. Failure to comply with these regulations can accrue serious financial penalties, up to four percent of global annual turnover in some cases. Regulators can also order changes to how information is processed.

“It’s clear that companies are currently unable to make chatbots like ChatGPT comply with EU law, when processing data about individuals,” Maartje de Graaf, NOYB data protection lawyer, said in a statement. “If a system cannot produce accurate and transparent results, it cannot be used to generate data about individuals. The technology has to follow the legal requirements, not the other way around.”

The complaint also brought up concerns regarding transparency on the part of OpenAI, suggesting that the company doesn’t offer information regarding where the data it generates on individuals comes from or if this data is stored indefinitely. This is of particular importance when considering data pertaining to private individuals.

Again, this is a complaint by an advocacy group and EU regulators have yet to comment one way or the other. However, OpenAI has acknowledged in the past that ChatGPT “sometimes writes plausible-sounding but incorrect or nonsensical answers.” NOYB has approached the Austrian Data Protection Authority and asked the organization to investigate the issue.

The company is facing a similar complaint in Poland, in which the local data protection authority began investigating ChatGPT after a researcher was unable to get OpenAI’s help with correcting false personal information. That complaint accuses OpenAI of several breaches of the EU’s GDPR, with regard to transparency, data access rights and privacy.

There’s also Italy. The Italian data protection authority conducted an investigation into ChatGPT and OpenAI which concluded by saying it believes the company has violated the GDPR in various ways. This includes ChatGPT’s tendency to make up fake stuff about people. The chatbot was actually banned in Italy before OpenAI made certain changes to the software, like new warnings for users and the option to opt-out of having chats be used to train the algorithms. Despite no longer being banned, the Italian investigation into ChatGPT continues.

OpenAI hasn’t responded to this latest complaint, but did respond to the regulatory salvo issued by Italy’s DPA. “We want our AI to learn about the world, not about private individuals,” the company wrote. “We actively work to reduce personal data in training our systems like ChatGPT, which also rejects requests for private or sensitive information about people.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/openai-hit-with-another-privacy-complaint-over-chatgpts-love-of-making-stuff-up-162250335.html?src=rss

If you've been planning on buying an Apple Watch Series 9, today looks like a decent time to take the plunge. The smartwatch is currently on sale for $299 at multiple retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy, Target and Walmart. That's not quite the lowest price we've seen — a couple colorways briefly fell to $269 earlier this month, for instance — but steeper discounts have generally been uncommon. This deal takes about $30 off the watch's typical street price on Amazon, and it's $100 less than buying from Apple directly. As of this writing, the offer applies to the 41mm non-cellular version of the watch in Midnight, Red, Silver or Starlight. It covers models with a rubber, S/M- or M/L-sized Sport Band or a nylon Sport Loop.

We gave the Apple Watch Series 9 a score of 92 in our review last September, and it's currently the top pick in our guide to the best smartwatches. It runs fast, it's water-resistant and it can still handle many tasks that'd normally require an iPhone, from checking iMessages to calling on Siri to using Apple Pay. Most of the essential health and fitness tracking features are still here as well, as are safety-related tools like fall detection and an emergency SOS function. Compared to the lower-cost Apple Watch SE, it has a slightly larger display that can stay always-on, which makes it less cumbersome for checking the time at a glance. 

New to this model is a handy Double Tap feature, which lets you respond to notifications without having to physically touch the device, and the ability to complete many Siri requests on-device, without having to always be online. It also has double the internal storage (64GB) as the Series 8, and its display's peak brightness rating (2,000 nits) is twice as high. 

That said, the usual caveats with any Apple Watch still apply. The whole thing will only work with iPhones. The battery will last most of a typical day but not much longer. There are better options for sleep tracking. Due to an ongoing patent dispute, Apple has also had to disable the watch's blood oxygen monitoring feature. In general, there's no huge need to make the switch if you own an Apple Watch today and are still happy with it. But if you're looking to upgrade today, this should be a nice value.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-apple-watch-series-9-is-back-on-sale-for-299-150928694.html?src=rss

Whether your mom keeps on top of the latest tech trends or still calls you for help logging into her email account, a carefully considered gadget can be a practical way to tell her thanks for, y’know, putting up with you. Sure, the usual flowers, breakfast in bed or complementary spa day will always be worthwhile Mother’s Day gifts, but if you want to take a different (and much nerdier) approach, a good piece of tech can make her life easier even after the holiday has passed. If you need some help brainstorming some gift ideas, we’ve put together a list of gadgets, services and other gear that should bring any mom a little joy.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mothers-day-gift-ideas-123010613.html?src=rss

DJI’s latest product is another Mini drone. It can capture 4K video at up to 30 fps and 60 fps footage at 2.7K resolution, with increased video bitrates up to 100Mbps, which should ensure higher quality video at both settings. While those specs may not excite, maybe the price will.

Not to be confused with the Mini Pro series, which is several hundred dollars more, the $299 Mini 4K weighs less than 249g, is foldable and requires no FAA registration.

The specifications won’t move the Mini series forward, but they cover all the essentials for beginner drone pilots, including 2x digital zoom while recording in 4K, a 3-axis gimbal and electrical image stabilization. DJI says it can transmit 1080p video up to 10km away. There’s also level-5 wind resistance, once again, and it can fly for up to 31 minutes (or up to 93 minutes with DJI’s $449 Fly More bundle, which includes two extra batteries and a standalone charger.)

The Mini 4K will also include one-tap movements and features like helix, dronie and panoramic shooting support. If you’re a total rookie, DJI’s companion app has flight tutorials and one-tap takeoff and landing.

A lot of this will sound familiar to anyone following DJI’s ever-growing drone family over the last 10 years, but it’s probably not aimed at you — this is for newcomers. The Mini 4K is priced substantially less than its Mini Pro iterations, and it’s actually less than the rest of the Mini drones from DJI. It’s available to order now for $299 / £269. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-dji-mini-4k-is-a-299-drone-aimed-at-beginners-130045701.html?src=rss

Surviving high school is a major milestone, but the transition to young adulthood that comes after is often as overwhelming as it is exciting. If you have a recent high school grad in your life, a pragmatic gift to celebrate the occasion could make their next chapter just a bit easier to manage. Below we’ve put together a list of tested and approved gadgets, gear and services that should delight, regardless of if your giftee is heading to a new campus or starting a new job.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-high-school-graduation-gifts-130013153.html?src=rss

Apple Vision Pro headset production is reportedly being cut, sales are reportedly “way down.” But but but wait: Wasn’t the Vision Pro meant to change the world of VR/AR, ushering in an era of spatial computing? Is the dream over?

Hah, no. As Sam Rutherford laid out just before the weekend, while reports and rumors can’t nail exact numbers, based on financial figures from Apple’s last earnings, Vision Pro sales likely equate to around one percent of the company’s revenue. It’s almost as if early Vision Pro sales numbers don’t matter. Remember: The first iPhone wasn’t great either.

— Mat Smith

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Drake deletes his AI-generated Tupac track after legal threat He deepfakes Shakur and Snoop Dogg’s voices to diss Kendrick Lamar.

Drake has deleted an X post with his track “Taylor Made Freestyle,” which used an AI-generated recreation of Tupac Shakur’s voice to needle Kendrick Lamar. The takedown came after an attorney representing the late hip-hop legend’s estate threatened to sue the Canadian rapper for his “unauthorized” use of Tupac’s voice. Drake used Snoop Dogg’s voice too, but… he’s still alive.

Continue reading.

Aaron Sorkin is working on a Social Network sequel focused on January 6 He blames Facebook for the Capitol attack. Sony Pictures

Aaron Sorkin has announced he’s writing a follow-up script to The Social Network, once again about Facebook / Meta but with a fun, miserable focus on the January 6 insurrection attempt. Sorkin is cagey on the actual details of the new script but pretty much lays the blame for the attack at Meta’s feet. Sorkin hasn’t announced a partnership with any studio to make the film, but my big question: Who’s going to play Trump?

Continue reading.

Nikon’s Z8 is a phenomenal mirrorless camera for the price A cheaper alternative to Sony’s A1. Engadget

Nikon is arguably the world’s most famous camera brand, but with the decline of DSLRs, it has struggled. In 2022, it released the Z9, a flagship mirrorless camera that could finally hold its own against rivals, but the $5,500 price tag put it out of reach for most. Now, we’re testing the Z8, which has the same sensor and specs for $1,700. The Z8 may also be better than Sony’s A1 for many hybrid shooters, particularly for video. But don’t ask me: Check out Steve Dent’s full test-shoot right here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-how-many-vision-pro-headsets-has-apple-sold-111554608.html?src=rss

The popular Nintendo emulator, Delta, that arrived on the App Store for iPhone to much fanfare a few weeks ago is now getting a version that’s optimized for the iPad. Developer Riley Testut shared an update on Threads this weekend revealing that an iPad app has been in the works, and is now being prioritized since Apple changed its tune on game emulators. The iPad app is “near completion,” and subscribers to Testut’s Patreon can get it now through the AltStore, an alternative marketplace the developer created a few years back for sideloading iOS and iPadOS apps. Otherwise, you can wait a little while for it to come with Delta’s next big update, version 1.6.

In the post, Testut also shared a little preview of how it'll run on iPad. Delta was released as the successor to Testut’s Game Boy Advance emulator, GBA4iOS, and supports a slew of other Nintendo systems, including NES, SNES, N64, and DS. It shouldn’t be long before the iPad version is finished — Testut wrote that the team just needs to “finish up controller skins [and] fix some last bugs.” They’re also working on device-to-device multiplayer, Testut wrote (but that’s still a couple of items down on the checklist). And, as an added treat, he said a SEGA Genesis emulator is on the way too. That’s still in beta, but will become available “soon-ish.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/an-ipad-version-of-the-delta-game-emulator-is-officially-on-the-way-184945398.html?src=rss

Apple’s “Let Loose” iPad event is just over a week away, and the rumors in the leadup are starting to get interesting. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the much-anticipated OLED iPad Pro may arrive not with the new M3 chip as we’ve all been expecting, but the next-gen M4 instead. In the Power On newsletter on Sunday, Gurman wrote that he’s “hearing there is a strong possibility” that this will be the case. And, he says it’ll herald Apple’s official entry into AI.

“I believe Apple will position the tablet as its first truly AI-powered device — and that it will tout each new product from then on as an AI device,” Gurman wrote. Doing it this way for the May 7 event would set the stage for Apple to go all-in on AI at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June. This all builds on Gurman’s previous reports that Apple has been in talks with OpenAI and Google to potentially tap their AI tech for new features with iOS 18.

The “Let Loose” product showcase is also expected to bring updates to the iPad Air and iPad accessories like the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil. According to Gurman, the upcoming Apple Pencil may introduce haptic feedback.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-oled-ipad-pro-may-come-packing-an-m4-chip-and-an-emphasis-on-ai-154509441.html?src=rss

Eken Group has reportedly issued a firmware update to resolve major security issues with its cheap doorbell cameras that were uncovered by a Consumer Reports investigation earlier this year. The cameras in question pair with the Aiwit app and are sold under a slew of brand names, including Eken, Tuck, Fishbot, Rakeblue, Andoe, Gemee and Luckwolf. During its tests, the watchdog found that the unencrypted cameras could expose sensitive information like home IP addresses and Wi-Fi networks, and allow outside parties to access images from a camera’s feed using its serial number. Now, Consumer Reports says the issues have been fixed — just make sure you update your devices.

Devices from those brands should now reflect a firmware version of 2.4.1 or higher, which would indicate they’ve received the update. Consumer Reports says its own samples got the update automatically, but it can’t hurt to double check in your settings considering the risks (that is, if you haven’t tossed the cameras out already). The publication says it’s confirmed that the update fixes the security problems. Eken also told Consumer Reports that the two doorbell cams it had rated with the “Don’t Buy” label — the Eken Smart Video Doorbell and Tuck Sharkpop Doorbell Camera — have been discontinued.

These doorbell cameras, which were sold on popular ecommerce platforms including Amazon, Walmart and Temu but since appear to have been pulled, also lacked the proper labeling required by the FCC. The company told Consumer Reports it will add these IDs to new products moving forward. Following its tests of the update, Consumer Reports has removed the warning labels from its scorecards.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/budget-doorbell-camera-manufacturer-fixes-security-issue-that-left-users-vulnerable-to-spying-210705131.html?src=rss

Google filed a motion on Friday in a Virginia federal court asking for the Department of Justice’s antitrust lawsuit against it to be thrown away. The DOJ sued Google in January 2023, accusing the company of monopolizing digital advertising technologies through “anticompetitive and exclusionary conduct.” Per Bloomberg, Google is now seeking summary judgment to avoid the case going to trial in September as planned.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said at the time the lawsuit was first announced that Google “has used anticompetitive, exclusionary, and unlawful conduct to eliminate or severely diminish any threat to its dominance over digital advertising technologies.” The lawsuit alleges that Google controls digital advertising tools to such an extent that it “pockets on average more than 30 percent of the advertising dollars that flow through its digital advertising technology products,” according to a press release from the agency last year.

Google now argues that that the DOJ hasn’t shown that the company controls at least 70 percent of the market, which some previous cases have used as the threshold for qualifying as a monopoly, and that the agency “made up markets specifically for this case,” according to Bloomberg, excluding its major competitors like social media platforms. The company also claims the DOJ’s case goes “beyond the boundaries of antitrust law,” Reuters reports.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-asks-court-to-reject-the-dojs-lawsuit-that-accuses-it-of-monopolizing-ad-tech-183830791.html?src=rss