On Tuesday, Amazon unveiled Amazon Q, an AI chatbot similar to ChatGPT that is tailored for corporate environments. Developed by Amazon Web Services (AWS), Q is designed to assist employees with tasks like summarizing documents, managing internal support tickets, and providing policy guidance, differentiating itself from consumer-focused chatbots. It also serves as a programming assistant.
According to The New York Times, the name “Q” is a play on the word “question” and a reference to the character Q in the James Bond novels, who makes helpful tools. (And there’s apparently a little bit of Q from Star Trek: The Next Generation thrown in, although hopefully the new bot won’t cause mischief on that scale.)
Amazon Q’s launch positions it against existing corporate AI tools like Microsoft’s Copilot, Google’s Duet AI, and ChatGPT Enterprise. Unlike some of its competitors, Amazon Q isn’t built on a singular AI large language model (LLM). Instead, it uses a platform called Bedrock, integrating multiple AI systems, including Amazon’s Titan and models from Anthropic and Meta.
GM is massively slashing spending on its self-driving vehicle subsidiary Cruise after a string of debilitating setbacks, according to a conference call by company executives transcribed by TechCrunch. GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra said that operations would resume in some capacity, but that any plans for Cruise moving forward would be more “deliberate.”
To that end, the cuts will amount to hundreds of millions of dollars in the next year. This is expected to result in widespread layoffs at the San Francisco-based company that currently employees nearly 4,000 people. Earlier this month, Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt told staffers at an all-hands meeting that he’d have information regarding layoffs in the coming weeks, but he resigned shortly thereafter along with co-founder Dan Kan.
It looks like the entire company may get an overhaul, with CFO Paul Jacobson saying in today’s conference call that there would be specific restructuring information in the coming weeks after two independent safety and incident review boards finish their work. These boards were instituted after a collision between a Cruise robotaxi and a pedestrian. It was also found that the company’s driverless algorithm had trouble recognizing children, which is never good.
GM has invested billions of dollars in Cruise since acquiring the company in 2016. This spending has increased in recent years as the company had planned an aggressive launch in more than a dozen cities throughout the US before everything fell apart. To that end, GM’s latest earnings report indicates that Cruise spent $732 million in the first three quarters of 2023.
The point of today’s call wasn’t just to offer ill tidings for Cruise. Barra and Jacobson also noted that the recently-penned labor deal with United Autoworkers would cost GM $9.3 billion in the long-term, but the company remains optimistic about future growth, noting an adjusted earnings of $12.7 billion in 2023 and an accelerated $10 billion share buyback program.
GM has also named new executives to run Cruise. Mo Elshenawy was promoted from VP of engineering to co-president, with GM’s previous EVP of legal and policy taking up the other co-president role. GM’s CEO said that the company has “a lot of confidence with what the two co-presidents will do,” but notes that “GM will be leaning in to make sure that it meets our strict requirements from a safety perspective.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gm-to-cut-spending-on-cruise-driverless-vehicles-by-hundreds-of-millions-of-dollars-170857644.html?src=rss
Game engine-maker Unity has announced plans to lay off 265 workers—or just under 4% of its roughly 7,000-person workforce—as it winds down a partnership with special-effects house Weta Digital and refocuses on its core gaming business.
Unity spent a cool $1.625 billion in cash and stock to purchase the tech division of the Peter Jackson-led Weta Digital just over two years ago, taking in 275 company engineers in the process. The vast majority of those engineers are now being let go as Unity has “terminated its obligations to provide certain services to Weta FX and also amended certain intellectual property rights between the parties,” according to a recent SEC filing and Reuters reporting.
Apple has repeatedly trumpeted the success of its financial services, a product lineup that now encompasses the Apple Card credit card, high-interest savings accounts, and a buy-now-pay-later service called Apple Pay Later.
But even if those products have proven reasonably popular with consumers, they haven’t been working out for the bank that Apple has partnered with to supply those services. Goldman Sachs’ consumer services have been losing the company billions of dollars, according to reporting from Bloomberg, CNBC, and The New York Times, among others. These losses have been driven in part by a much higher-than-usual loss rate on its credit card loans—meaning that people with Goldman-backed credit cards like the Apple Card are actually making their payments less often than people with credit cards from other banks.
Today, The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple has sent Goldman Sachs a proposal that will end their partnership within the next 12 to 15 months, leaving Apple to find a new backer for its financial products.
Although Marvel is often, perhaps rightfully, granted dominance over the superhero movie boom of the last decade and a half, it’s arguably Zack Snyder who has, for better or worse, defined that trend more than any other singular figure. But, on the precipice of launching is own new universe, the director seems like…
Enlarge/ Democratic Senators Joe Manchin (L) and Debbie Stabenow (R) don’t exactly see eye to eye on the auto industry’s transition to electric vehicles. (credit: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
The new and somewhat-complicated rules governing which cars do or don’t qualify for the new clean vehicle tax credit look like they might get tweaked a little in the near future.
Before, the tax credit was linked to the battery-storage capacity of a plug-in hybrid or battery-electric vehicle. But the Inflation Reduction Act changed that—now a range of conditions must be met, including final assembly in North America and an annually increasing percentage of locally sourced minerals and components within that battery pack.
On the one hand, the domestic sourcing requirements are beneficial because they are stimulating the development of local battery mineral refining and manufacturing here in the United States, adding well-paying jobs in the process. But the new rules have also significantly reduced the number of EVs that qualify.
Earlier this month, one corner of the Internet got a little bit greener, thanks to a first-of-its-kind geothermal operation in the northern Nevada desert. Project Red, developed by a geothermal startup called Fervo, began pushing electrons onto a local grid that includes data centers operated by Google. The search company invested in the project two years ago as part of its efforts to make all of its data centers run on green energy 24/7.
Project Red is small—producing between 2 and 3 megawatts of power, or enough to power a few thousand homes—but it is a crucial demonstration of a new approach to geothermal power that could make it possible to harness the Earth’s natural heat anywhere in the world.
Hot rock is everywhere, with temperatures rising hundreds of degrees Fahrenheit within the first few miles of the surface, but geothermal plants provide just a small fraction of the global electricity supply. That’s largely because they are mostly built where naturally heated water can be easily tapped, like hot springs and geysers. Hot water is pumped to the surface, where it produces steam that powers turbines.
China’s Tiangong space station orbits nearly 240 miles (380 kilometers) above Earth.
China released new pictures of its Tiangong space station Tuesday as Chinese astronauts and space officials made a public relations visit to Hong Kong. These images, taken about a month ago, show the Tiangong complex in its fully assembled configuration with three modules staffed by three crew members.
A departing crew of three astronauts captured the new panoramic views of the Tiangong station in low-Earth orbit October 30, shortly after departing the outpost to head for Earth at the end of a six-month mission. These are the first views showing the Tiangong station after China completed assembling its three main modules last year.
The Tianhe core module is at the center of the complex. It launched in April 2021 with crew accommodations and life support systems for astronauts. Two experiment modules, named Wentian and Mengtian, launched in 2022. The first team of Chinese astronauts arrived at the station in June 2021, and Tiangong has been permanently staffed by rotating three-person crews since June 2022.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 comes 12 years after the original game came into the world. While there were issues like a mediocre interface, the game provided a detailed, customizable story that found a devoted fan base.
The sequel takes place in a parallel world to the original, following Arisen who had his heart stolen by the Dragon. As Capcom explains, “Queen Regent Disa has installed a false Arisen to maintain control of the kingdom of Vermund for her son. Meanwhile, the beastren nation of Battahl considers the otherworldly Pawns to be a source of misfortune and have turned to worship of the Lambent Flame and their empress Nadinia to ward off calamity.” You can play as Arisen or as Main Pawn — whose personality is customizable. Dragon’s Dogma 2 also introduces new monsters, such as the towering Golem named Talos.
While there are still a few months until gameplay can commence, you can officially pre-order Dragon’s Dogma 2 now. The standard version retails for $70 and includes a bonus weapon for each starting vocation in pre-order. The Deluxe Edition is available for $80 and has a “New Journey Pack” with items like a custom camping kit and Rift Crystals — plus the Ring of Assurance for pre-orders.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/dragons-dogma-2-finally-has-a-release-date-131037836.html?src=rss
As December nears every year, Spotify reveals all of the artists, genres, songs and podcasts you listened to most in the last 12 months. The 2023 installment of the streaming service’s Wrapped year-in-review debuts today on the Spotify app with an all-new design alongside the familiar story-style format. For the first time in a while, you can also view your streaming stats on desktop via the web. As always, the company gives you a look at what you listened to most during the year with a few new additions to freshen up the annual tradition.
Spotify has been giving you a list of your top artists, genres, songs and podcasts for a while now, but this year the company will assign one of 12 “listening characters” that best fits your streaming habit. The feature is called Me in 2023 and those “characters” range from the Shapeshifter, someone who moves from one artists to another quickly, to the Alchemist, someone who’s more prone to create their own playlists. Another new tool called Sound Town matches you to a city based on your listening and top artists. For example, if you stream a lot of Bad Bunny and Peso Pluma, the app will pair you up with Mexico City.
Spotify
In terms of the usual lists, Spotify has given them a refresh to make things a bit more interesting. Your top five artists will now also show you when your listening peaked for each one and next week Spotify’s AI DJ will to give you commentary about those top artists, genres and songs on your lists. Spotify has also integrated its Blend tool with Wrapped so you can easily see how you match up with friends with a mix all of the music you listened to most. Artist Messages also return, with over 40,000 of them giving users shout-outs if they’re one of your top listens.
Of course, Spotify is also using Wrapped to reveal the platform’s most-streamed artists, songs, albums and podcasts — both globally and in the US. 2023 was truly the Taylor Swift era as she took the stop spot on both the global and US artist charts. “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus was the most popular song globally while Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” was tops in the States. Un Verano Sin Ti by Bad Bunny was the most-streamed album around the world, but Wallen’s One Thing At A Time was the biggest in the US. And in the least surprising development ever, Joe Rogan’s podcast was once again the most popular on both the global and United States charts. It’s the fourth year in a row The Joe Rogan Experience has been the top show of the year on the global chart. That’s a stat the polarizing host is sure to mention as his current contract with the service is almost up.
Spotify Wrapped is now available inside the company’s iOS and Android apps as well as the desktop and mobile web. As is typically the case, a lot of the content is shareable, so get ready for your social channels to be flooded with Wrapped lists and graphics for the rest of the week. If you’re an Apple Music listener, that service’s Replay tool is already available reliving 2023 on that platform.
Update, November 29, 12:10PM ET: This post has been updated to clarify Apple Music’s year-end feature is called Replay, not Rewind. We regret the error.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/spotify-wrapped-returns-to-reveal-your-2023-streaming-stats-130006797.html?src=rss
Once the domain of external, bus-powered hard drives, these days the market for external storage has been almost completely consumed by portable SSDs. Rapid technological advancements in NAND flash technology (including the advent of 3D NAND) has allowed their capacity to eclipse 2.5-inch HDDs, all the while multiple improvements in host interface speeds (such as the move from USB 2.0 to 3.0, and onwards to 3.2 Gen 2 / Gen 2×2 / USB4) has made portable SSDs faster and more reliable than the hard drives they replace. All of which has helped to make portable SSDs the go-to solution for external storage, both big and small.
For our latest storage buyer’s guide, we’ve rounded up some of the best portable SSDs we’ve looked at in the past couple of years. What’s hot, what’s not, and what’s a good deal while still offering reasonable performance? We break that down and make our picks for the best portable SSDs on the market today.
Unity Software is eliminating 3.8 percent of its global workforce and terminating an agreement with VFX company Weta as part of a “reset,” Reuters has reported. The news follows some severe turbulence in the company, after it imposed and then partially walked back a controversial runtime fee for its game engine. Last month, John Riccitiello stepped down as president and CEO of the company after nine years in leadership.
Some 265 employees will be laid off, all related to Unity’s professional services agreement struck as part of its purchase of Weta Digital’s technology and engineering division back in 2021. Employees will have only a week to wrap up before their positions are fully terminated, according to FX Guide — a tough blow just before Christmas. In a statement, Weta FX said it will extend offers to as many affected employees as possible.
Unity will close offices in up to 14 locations including Berlin and Singapore, pending consultation with employees in some locations, while reducing its office footprint in San Francisco and Belleview, Washington. The company will no longer require that employees work from offices three days a week and will reduce “full in-office services” to three days a week.
After Unity’s acquisition, Weta FX (the film industry VFX division) split off into a new and separate company. Unity, meanwhile, acquired Weta engineers along with tools for pipelines and FX, Weta’s data platform, a library of assets and more. “Unity will retain ownership of the technology it acquired from Wētā in December 2021 and will be evaluating the best way to enhance its offerings with it over time. The technology will also remain fully available to Weta FX,” Weta said in a statement.
Just a month ago, Unity rolled out some significant concessions to its developer pricing model after widespread backlash over its plan to charge developers for game installations. The move will directly impact developers, publishers and distributors. The upheaval of Unity’s business model came at the same time as a series of massive layoffs. In 2023, the company reduced its headcount three times in an attempt to cut costs. CEO John Riccitiello, who took much of the brunt of the criticism, stepped down last month and was replaced by former IBM president James Whitehurst, who is serving as an interim CEO.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/unity-cuts-265-jobs-as-part-of-a-company-reset-123511764.html?src=rss
Eduards Sizovs is the founder of DevTernity, a software development conference that had to cancel its most recent event. Mostly because the lineup included female speakers who, under closer inspection, turned out to be fictional. But this may not be the first time Sizovs has invented a woman, and he might also be behind a massively popular coding influencer.
Coding_Unicorn has over 115,000 Instagram followers and purports to be run by Julia Kirsina, who shares tips on software development below her selfies. 404 Media has posted evidence connecting her to Sizovs, suggesting the account is a sock puppet. Evidence includes images from a YouTube video showing Sizovs logged in to her email account, and that a lot of her posts mirror ones posted by Sizovs.
— Dan Cooper
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Google is showing off a first-of-its-kind enhanced geothermal energy plant in Nevada, which is now operational. The search giant, in partnership with clean power startup Fervo Energy, dug a pair of narrow wells in the desert, 8,000 feet deep. When filled with cold water, the resulting steam is powerful enough to run a turbine generating 3.5 megawatts around the clock.
It makes no sense, but that doesn’t stop me wanting one.
Ayaneo
Ayaneo’s next project is the AM01, a small form factor PC with a case that sorta looks like an original Apple Mac. The handheld gaming pioneer isn’t going to blow too many socks off with the specs, with the $149 base model packing a Ryzen 3 3200U, 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. But, and I cannot stress this enough, it does look cute.
IKEA may not be the first name you think of in the smart home space, but it has quietly built up an impressive suite of tools. The latest additions to its range include window and door sensors as well as a water leak detector, all of which are compatible with its most recent hub. And while the US pricing hasn’t been announced, all the units are so cheap in Europe they’re a no-brainer.
Meta has paused sales of its Elite Strap with Battery for the Quest 3, citing a firmware-related charging defect. It says, when fixed, it’ll replace already-sold units, as and when buyers contact the company. The strap is meant to boost battery life by two hours on the standalone VR headset, but users have found it stops charging earlier than expected.
In the realm of power supply units (PSUs), the core underpinning of any high-performance computing system, seasoned market players have continually raised the bar in delivering efficient, reliable, and technologically superior products. One such stalwart in the PSU domain is SeaSonic, whose meticulous engineering and innovation have repeatedly set industry benchmarks.
In today’s review, we are having a look at the ATX 3.0 upgrade of SeaSonic’s revered Focus series, which epitomizes a fine balance between cost and performance aimed at catering to a broad spectrum of PC enthusiasts and builders. It is the successor of the Focus Plus series, which used to be SeaSonic’s most popular series over the past several years.
The new Focus GX series consists of five units with a power output ranging from 550 Watts to 1.000 Watts. It is the second most powerful unit of the series that we will be putting to the test, the Focus GX-850. SeaSonic is placing its marketing efforts mostly on the exceedingly long 10-year manufacturer’s warranty, its compact size, the 80Plus Gold efficiency certification, and the modular design.
There’s a lot of bad stuff on the internet, but memes tend to be a bright, silly light in digital interactions. Now, they might be even easier to access and create thanks to Google Registry launching a new top-level domain type: .meme. That’s right, forget .com or .org, you can lean right into the jokes and get a meme-centric domain. According to Google, “.meme domains are meant to spread humor, ideas, style, and culture. Use it to show your audience that you’re in the present.” The whole idea feels reminiscent of the early days of Tumblr.
Google has teamed up with six companies and individuals to showcase options for using .meme. These include Know Your Meme (which highlights trending memes and history) and Tenor (for searching and creating new memes). Plus, there are another four sites devoted entirely to cat memes, including dedicated domains for both Nyan Cat and Grumpy Cat. Basically, if you want to create a lighthearted, meme-filled website, this is your chance.
The Early Access Period (EAP) for registering a .meme domain has begun, but it includes an extra one-time fee. That additional cost will be reduced every day until December 5 at 11AM ET when .meme domains become available for a base annual price. If you’re interested in buying a domain, search the name’s availability at get.meme. If it’s available, Google will show you a range of partners that you can purchase the domain from, such as GoDaddy.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/googles-new-domains-can-really-put-a-price-on-a-meme-115542941.html?src=rss
Apple and Goldman Sachs are potentially ending their partnership four years after joining forces on an Apple credit card, The Wall Street Journal reports. The companies recently extended their agreement until 2029, but Apple proposes ending the contract in the next 12 to 15 months.
Although the pair launched a high-yield savings account in April of this year, it’s likely that Goldman won’t be too upset by a possible breakup. Last month, reports suggested the bank was aiming to get out of the consumer lending business. It had gone as far as to tell Apple earlier this year that it would like to get out of the agreement and approached American Express to take over its side of operations.
Goldman also recently made arrangements to sell home improvement loan company Green Sky and plans to end its other credit card partnership with General Motors. Basically, Goldman tried to diversify outside of corporate and very wealthy clients, potentially writing off billions of dollars before returning to basics. The bank told employees that any layoffs would include one year’s salary.
In a statement to CNBC, an Apple representative said: “Apple and Goldman Sachs are focused on providing an incredible experience for our customers to help them lead healthier financial lives. The award-winning Apple Card has seen a great reception from consumers, and we will continue to innovate and deliver the best tools and services for them.”
Apple and Goldman’s partnership was never a match made in heaven for the companies or consumers. Goldman employees were frustrated with aspects such as the payment schedule and a push for mass application approval. Customers, on the other hand, reported that the bank’s customer service was a nightmare, including delayed transfers and lectures from representatives, according to The Information.
The future of Apple’s credit card and high-yield savings account is uncertain. The pair are part of Apple’s services sector, which is seeing growing revenue compared to reductions in its general sales. Synchrony Financial, which works with Amazon and PayPal, has been exploring the possibility of taking over Goldman’s role. The company originally bid against Goldman for the program.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-is-reportedly-ending-its-partnership-with-goldman-sachs-104511694.html?src=rss
Do you have a Google account you haven’t checked for awhile but still want to keep? You’d better log in soon before it gets purged. Starting December 1st, 2023 (Friday), Google will begin deleting accounts that have been inactive for at least two years. The company says it’s doing so for privacy reasons and no doubt to free up quite a bit of space on its servers.
“If an account hasn’t been used for an extended period of time, it is more likely to be compromised,” Google noted in May 2023. “This is because forgotten or unattended accounts often rely on old or re-used passwords that may have been compromised, haven’t had two factor authentication set up, and receive fewer security checks by the user.” It added that abandoned accounts are “at least 10 times less likely than active accounts to have 2-step-verification setup.”
Google will warn users before deletion via emails sent to the inactive account and another email, provided one has been set up. The policy only applies to personal and not business or education accounts, Google said. Some accounts will be exempt from deletion, including those with YouTube videos uploaded, an active paid subscription or holding gift cards. Deletion will start with accounts that have never been used, it said in May.
To stop deletion, you’ll need to sign into the inactive account and access some of the services (read or send an email, use Google Drive, watch a YouTube video, etc.). If you have anything saved in Google Photos, you’ll want to access that content specifically, as Google has a separate policy for that service. “If you’re inactive in Google Photos for two years or more, all of your content may be deleted,” it states.
Google isn’t alone with this policy, as since 2019, Microsoft has deleted Outlook (or related Hotmail) accounts that have been inactive for two years. In any case, it’s always a good idea to backup your Google accounts using the company’s Takeout feature and have a backup email for any important accounts.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/psa-your-inactive-google-account-could-be-deleted-on-december-1-100515990.html?src=rss
Security researchers are tracking what they say is the “mass exploitation” of a security vulnerability that makes it possible to take full control of servers running ownCloud, a widely used open-source filesharing server app.
The vulnerability, which carries the maximum severity rating of 10, makes it possible to obtain passwords and cryptographic keys allowing administrative control of a vulnerable server by sending a simple Web request to a static URL, ownCloud officials warned last week. Within four days of the November 21 disclosure, researchers at security firm Greynoise said, they began observing “mass exploitation” in their honeypot servers, which masqueraded as vulnerable ownCloud servers to track attempts to exploit the vulnerability. The number of IP addresses sending the web requests has slowly risen since then. At the time this post went live on Ars, it had reached 13.
Spraying the Internet
“We’re seeing hits to the specific endpoint that exposes sensitive information, which would be considered exploitation,” Glenn Thorpe, senior director of security research & detection engineering at Greynoise, said in an interview on Mastodon. “At the moment, we’ve seen 13 IPs that are hitting our unadvertised sensors, which indicates that they are pretty much spraying it across the internet to see what hits.”
