An engineer hacked Apple’s infamous Magic Mouse to make it more user-friendly, ergonomic, and overall less annoying. Ivan Kuleshov is the said engineer, and he has also hacked the Apple Mac Mini in the past to be powered over Ethernet.
Source: Gizmodo – This Engineer Created The ‘World’s First Ergonomic Magic Mouse With No Weaknesses’
With the release of the Steam Deck OLED this week, Valve has greatly improved on the “ho-hum” screen that was our biggest complaint about the original Steam Deck. But Valve hasn’t forgotten about users who are still stuck using that old LCD display. Thursday’s stable release of SteamOS version 3.5.5 offers a suite of free, system-level updates to improve and tweak the display performance on the original Steam Deck.
The release notes for the new SteamOS boast of much-needed improvements to the “default color rendering” on the Steam Deck LCD, which should help the older hardware “emulate the sRGB color gamut, resulting in a slightly warmer and more vibrant color appearance,” Valve writes. Even better, a new “adjust display colors” option in the settings menu now lets users easily adjust both the color vibrancy and color temperature to best fit their preferences and the games they’re playing. Before the new update, these kinds of options were only available to users who went to the trouble of installing third-party plug-ins. Now, Valve has finally brought these basic adjustments to the Steam Deck-owning masses.
Native color vibrancy shows “the color rendering for Steam Deck prior to this update” [credit:
Kyle Orland / Valve ]
The results, as you can see in the gallery of off-screen photos above, can have a dramatic impact on the look of in-game scenes. You can see a noticeable difference going from “Native” color vibrance (which Valve describes as “the color rendering for Steam Deck prior to this update”) to the new “default” sRGB rendering. There’s an even bigger change when you crank the vibrance slider all the way to “Boosted,” which Valve says should “emulate a wider-gamut display appearance, resulting in increased apparent vibrance.”
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Source: Ars Technica – Steam Deck system update greatly improves older LCD displays, too
The Google Pixel Fold, released earlier this year, is on sale for $1,399, knocking $400 off its original price of $1,799. This Amazon Black Friday deal marks the lowest price ever on the 256GB model. If you need more storage on your smartphone, the 512GB model is going for $1,519, down from $1,919. The foldable is powered by the Google Tensor G2 and offers 12GB of RAM, making it a great option for those looking to invest in a foldable smartphone as their daily driver. If you’re interested in other Black Friday Google Pixel deals, the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro are down to record low prices as well.
The Pixel Fold earned a spot on Engadget’s top foldable phones list, namely for how easy it is to use and for its wide-screen design. Folded, the phone gives you a 5.8-inch screen to work with, and unfolded you get a big, 7.6-inch immersive display. When open, the foldable’s split screen allows you to multitask and do things like shop online and make video calls at the same time. You’re also able to use the main screen and external screen together, letting you take pictures and look at live previews simultaneously. Coming soon is Google Translate’s interpreter mode as well, which allows you to watch translations appear on both screens while you’re talking to another person in a different language.
In terms of camera quality, the Pixel Fold has a lot to offer. The triple rear camera system includes a 48-megapixel main lens, an ultrawide shooter and a telephoto camera with up to 5x optical zoom that delivers sharp photos in daylight and well-exposed photos in the dark. In Engadget’s review, one of its selling points was that the photos beat the competition. When compared to Samsung’s Galaxy foldable, Google’s phone delivered images with better shadows and highlights. Notably, even with Samsung’s “food mode” on, Engadget’s Sam Rutherford said the Pixel Fold’s photo chops made food look more appetizing. The phone can also shoot 4K videos at 30 frames per second and 60 frames per second, which is on par with other foldables.
Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-google-pixel-fold-is-400-off-for-black-friday-181050039.html?src=rss
Source: Engadget – The Google Pixel Fold is 0 off for Black Friday
Outcry over antisemitic content on X (formerly Twitter) continues as the White House condemns a post from X owner Elon Musk and IBM halts advertising on the platform after a Media Matters report showed one of its ads was placed next to pro-Hitler content.
“IBM has zero tolerance for hate speech and discrimination, and we have immediately suspended all advertising on X while we investigate this entirely unacceptable situation,” an IBM spokesperson said in a statement provided to Ars.
Media Matters’ report came a day after X owner Elon Musk sparked outrage by endorsing an X post that referenced an antisemitic conspiracy theory that “hordes of minorities” are flooding Western countries and claimed that Jews have been “pushing hatred” against White people. Since Musk responded to that post—saying, “you have said the actual truth”—it has been viewed more than 1 million times. The exchange drew so much controversy that a White House spokesperson, Andrew Bates, released a statement condemning Musk’s post.
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Source: Ars Technica – Elon Musk’s antisemitic post draws rebuke from White House; IBM pulls X ads
It has only been a couple of weeks since Apple debuted its M3-powered MacBook Pros, but most variants are already on sale for Black Friday. For instance, you can snap up the base 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro for $1,449 in a great Apple Black Friday deal. That’s $150 off the standard price.
This model, to which we gave a score of 90 in our review, sits between the MacBook Air and more powerful MBPs. The standard M3 chip has an eight-core CPU and a 10-core GPU. It should handle basic tasks without any issue, as the chipset is fast and efficient. The 14-inch MBP has a gorgeous Liquid Retina XDR display, while Apple’s keyboard and trackpad remain great.
Unfortunately, this model only comes with 8GB of RAM. That could prove a problem for those who like to keep several apps open or have a bunch of tabs in their browser at the same time. We’d definitely add more RAM before recommending it as the best MacBook for creatives. There’s also one fewer USB-C port than you’ll get in more expensive variants.
So, you may want to stump up some extra cash for a more capable version. A model with a more powerful M3 Pro chip (11‑core CPU and 14‑core GPU), 18GB of RAM and a third USB-C/Thunderbolt port is also $150 off at $1,849. However, it still has 512GB of storage.
Meanwhile, if you’re looking for a model with a larger screen, you can opt for a 16-inch M3 MacBook Pro. Those are typically $200 off for Black Friday. The 16-inch MBP is much the same as a 14-inch one, albeit with a larger screen and spec bump.
A variant with an M3 Pro chipset that has a 12‑core CPU and 18‑core GPU, a 16.2-inch display, 18GB of memory and 512GB of storage will run you $2,299. That’s eight percent off the usual price of $2,499. This version is also available in the eye-catching Space Black colorway.
Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-m3-macbook-pros-are-up-to-200-off-for-black-friday-175043898.html?src=rss
Source: Engadget – Apple Black Friday deals include up to 0 off the M3-powered MacBook Pros
Thanksgiving is almost here and it’s a special time for Star Wars fans. That’s because 45 years ago, it was during Thanksgiving week that a Star Wars event for the ages took place. CBS aired The Star Wars Holiday Special one time, and one time only. After airing, it was quickly buried, left only to the imaginations of…
Source: Gizmodo – You Can’t Watch the Star Wars Holiday Special (Legally), But You Can Soon Watch Its Documentary
Every November, there’s a fantastic event for bringing people together: that’s right, the Leonid meteor shower. It will peak in the night sky this weekend, and this is how you can optimize your view of the show.
Source: Gizmodo – How to Best Witness the Leonid Meteor Shower This Weekend
The World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are sounding the alarm over the global rise of measles cases, deaths, and outbreaks as vaccination rates struggle to recover from a crash during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Between 2000 and 2019, estimated worldwide coverage of the first dose of a measles-containing vaccine rose from 72 percent to 86 percent. But amid the global public health crisis in 2020, the vaccination rate fell to 83 percent, and then to 81 percent in 2021—the lowest since 2008.
According to a new joint report by WHO and the CDC published this week, coverage of first-dose measles vaccines recovered slightly in 2022, rising to 83 percent. But of 194 WHO countries, only 65 (34 percent) reached a target vaccination rate of 95 percent or above for the first measles vaccine. Further, two doses are needed to stop the disease, and the estimated coverage rate for two doses was only 74 percent in 2022, up from 71 percent in 2021. Overall, the gains in vaccination weren’t enough to prevent a comeback from the highly contagious and sometimes deadly virus.
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Source: Ars Technica – Measles rises globally amid vaccination crash; WHO and CDC sound the alarm
The technology has become the standard LAN worldwide. From a report: Ethernet became commercially available in 1980 and quickly grew into the industry LAN standard. To provide computer companies with a framework for the technology, in June 1983 Ethernet was adopted as a standard by the IEEE 802 Local Area Network Standards Committee. Currently, the IEEE 802 family consists of 67 published standards, with 49 projects under development. The committee works with standards agencies worldwide to publish certain IEEE 802 standards as international guidelines.
A plaque recognizing the technology is displayed outside the PARC facility. It reads: “Ethernet wired LAN was invented at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) in 1973, inspired by the ALOHAnet packet radio network and the ARPANET. In 1980 Xerox, DEC, and Intel published a specification for 10 Mbps Ethernet over coaxial cable that became the IEEE 802.3-1985 Standard. Later augmented for higher speeds, and twisted-pair, optical, and wireless media, Ethernet became ubiquitous in home, commercial, industrial, and academic settings worldwide.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Ethernet is Still Going Strong After 50 Years
The GoPro Hero 12 Black action camera is on sale for $100 off as part of a Black Friday deal. The sale’s available via Amazon, Adorama and even the manufacturer itself. This deal is for an accessories bundle, so you can get a carrying case, a strap, an extra battery, a mount and other add-ons, in addition to the camera. All told, that brings the price down to $350 from $450.
This is the latest and greatest action camera by the company. We admired the Hero 12 in our official review, calling out the improved battery life when compared to the Hero 11, as it allows for 35 minutes of continuous use per charge. Remember, this deal ships with an extra battery, so that’s 70 minutes, minus 30 seconds of fiddling with the battery compartment.
We also loved the addition of Bluetooth audio streaming, which even works with devices like Apple’s AirPods Pro earbuds. This means you can easily wear earbuds without calling too much attention to yourself while hosting an impromptu vlog or live commentary of some kind. The latency is barely perceptible, if noticeable at all. This functionally also allows you to control the GoPro from afar, thanks to voice commands. Gone are the days of having to chop off those awkward final seconds of footage featuring you clumsily walking to turn the camera off.
The Hero 12 Black boasts a larger image sensor, allowing users to experiment with different aspect ratios using the same footage, in addition to offering an 8:7 mode across every setting. On the downside, this is a modest upgrade of sorts, so many of the remaining metrics remain the same as with the GoPro Hero 11. Your footage will look a bit cleaner, but it won’t be a night and day difference.
Still, this is a good deal for a full-featured action camera that ships with everything you need to not only get started, but thrive. This is a limited-time offer but there’s no set end-date, with the company stating that it “will continue until GoPro terminates the program.”
Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/a-gopro-hero-12-black-bundle-with-accessories-is-100-off-for-black-friday-171926991.html?src=rss
Source: Engadget – A GoPro Hero 12 Black bundle with accessories is 0 off for Black Friday
Enlarge / A screenshot of the Cambridge Dictionary website where it announced its 2023 word of the year, “hallucinate.” (credit: Cambridge Dictionary)
On Wednesday, Cambridge Dictionary announced that its 2023 word of the year is “hallucinate,” owing to the popularity of large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, which sometimes produce erroneous information. The Dictionary also published an illustrated site explaining the term, saying, “When an artificial intelligence hallucinates, it produces false information.”
“The Cambridge Dictionary team chose hallucinate as its Word of the Year 2023 as it recognized that the new meaning gets to the heart of why people are talking about AI,” the dictionary writes. “Generative AI is a powerful tool but one we’re all still learning how to interact with safely and effectively—this means being aware of both its potential strengths and its current weaknesses.”
As we’ve previously covered in various articles, “hallucination” in relation to AI originated as a term of art in the machine learning space. As LLMs entered mainstream use through applications like ChatGPT late last year, the term spilled over into general use and began to cause confusion among some, who saw it as unnecessary anthropomorphism. Cambridge Dictionary’s first definition of hallucination (for humans) is “to seem to see, hear, feel, or smell something that does not exist.” It involves perception from a conscious mind, and some object to that association.
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Source: Ars Technica – “Hallucinating” AI models help coin Cambridge Dictionary’s word of the year
Disney celebrates its legacy in Wish—a movie filled with the company’s own mythology that also has bold allegorical similitudes to its recent history, all weaved into a powerful fairytale.
Source: Gizmodo – Disney’s Wish Illuminates a Century of Magical Animated History
Apple has joined Meta and TikTok owner ByteDance in contesting their platforms’ definitions as part of the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). The legislation allows regulators to designate dominant companies’ services or platforms as “gatekeepers,” or big and powerful enough to act as a bottleneck between businesses and customers, which it can then fine for prohibited behavior. It currently targets 22 gatekeeper services run by six Big Tech companies (Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet’s Google, Meta, Amazon and ByteDance’s TikTok). The law encourages consumer-friendly competition, preventing businesses from imposing unfair conditions on customers.
The EU Court of Justice (via Reuters) posted on X Friday about Apple’s formal objection, announcing that the iPhone maker had joined Meta and ByteDance in contesting its decisions. Although the complaint details aren’t public, Bloomberg News reported last week that Apple would challenge the App Store’s gatekeeper designation. The company said this week it would soon support RCS on iPhone, potentially removing one of the EU’s bones to pick with iMessage consumer lock-in.
@Apple (Cases T-1079/23 & T-1080/23), #Bytedance (#TikTok) (T-1077/23) and #Meta (T-1078/23) have filed cases contesting decisions taken by the @EU_Commission under the #DigitalMarketsAct #DMA #Competition.
— EU Court of Justice (@EUCourtPress) November 17, 2023
Microsoft and Google have reportedly accepted their DMA designations, while Meta and ByteDance contested theirs. Meta specifically questioned Messenger and Marketplace’s gatekeeper labels, seeking to clarify why they were included. (Meta didn’t challenge Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp’s inclusion.) The company argued Marketplace is a consumer-to-consumer service and Messenger is a chat feature on Facebook, not an online intermediary.
Meanwhile, ByteDance argues that TikTok is a challenger in the social market rather than an established gatekeeper. It claimed designating its platform as such would only serve to protect more established companies.
Like the Digital Services Act (DSA), the DMA has significant teeth. Companies failing to comply can face fines of up to 10 percent of their global turnover, up to 20 percent for repeat offenders and periodic fines of up to five percent of their average daily turnover. Other penalties, including the divestiture of parts of a business, could also be included following market investigations.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-joins-meta-and-bytedance-in-contesting-the-eus-gatekeeper-designation-165915809.html?src=rss
Source: Engadget – Apple joins Meta and ByteDance in contesting the EU’s ‘gatekeeper’ designation
A gold-capped laser transceiver attached to the asteroid probe Psyche saw its first light on Tuesday, sending and receiving data through laser beams from far beyond the Moon for the first time.
Source: Gizmodo – NASA Probe Transmits Groundbreaking Laser Message From 10 Million Miles Away
Enlarge / Falcon 9 interstage from the right. Note grid fins. (credit: Lee Hutchinson)
SpaceX’s Starship rocket did not launch on Friday morning from South Texas as intended because the company had to replace the actuator on a grid fin. The rocket is now being prepared for a launch during a tight window on Saturday morning, from 7 to 7:20 am local time.
Here’s an explanation of why grid fins are so important to the rocket’s flight—or, more precisely, its landing.
The better part of a decade ago, SpaceX maneuvered an autonomous drone ship into the Atlantic Ocean for the first time with the intent of catching a falling rocket.
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Source: Ars Technica – Here’s why SpaceX really needed to change out that part on Starship
Amazon will eliminate several hundred roles in its Alexa division as part of a broader shift in priorities and a focus on developing new forms of artificial intelligence, according to an internal memo sent to employees Friday morning. From a report: “As we continue to invent, we’re shifting some of our efforts to better align with our business priorities, and what we know matters most to customers — which includes maximizing our resources and efforts focused on generative AI,” wrote Daniel Rausch, vice president of Alexa and Fire TV, in the memo, obtained by GeekWire. “These shifts are leading us to discontinue some initiatives, which is resulting in several hundred roles being eliminated.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Amazon Will Cut ‘Several Hundred’ Alexa Jobs as It Ends Unspecified Initiatives
The Elgato Stream Deck+ is down to $170 ahead of Black Friday at Amazon and directly from Elgato. That’s a $30 discount and its lowest price ever — a full $10 cheaper than it was for Prime Day in July. Game streamers, podcasters and other creators are likely to find the production console endlessly useful, with its programmable buttons, touch bar and dials for incremental adjustments to app settings.
This is the newest streaming controller from Elgato and we recommend its 15-key sibling, the MK.2 in our guide to game streaming gear. This one has fewer buttons (8 instead of 15) but it adds in dials and a touch bar that let you make minute adjustments to volume and image levels, light brightness, camera zoom or whatever else you set them to control. The buttons themselves are programmable with icons so you can quickly tell each button apart.
Stream decks are game changers (no pun intended) for live streamers with a single button press controlling actions that usually take a few steps. Program a button to mute your mic, activate canned audio snippets, trigger on-screen effects, switch cameras or set off lighting schemes. The deck is also useful for non-game streamers too, allowing for shortcuts in Photoshop for graphic designers, enabling controls for an audio producer’s DAW or handling functions in Premiere or other video editing programs.
If you know someone getting into game streaming, this could make a great gift, especially now that it’s more affordable than ever.
Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-black-friday-deal-elgatos-stream-deck-is-down-to-its-lowest-price-ever-163136379.html?src=rss
Source: Engadget – Amazon Black Friday Deal: Elgato’s Stream Deck+ is down to its lowest price ever
Rivian is sweetening the pot just ahead of the Tesla Cybertruck launch by offering a free wall charger and a $2,000 installation credit when you buy an electric pickup. This deal’s only for the R1T truck and doesn’t apply to the company’s R1S SUV. The Home Charging Bundle, as it’s called, will be in effect until the end of the year.
Here’s how it works. The wall charger ships a few days after ordering the truck, saving you around $800, and the purchase automatically provides a credit with Rivian’s installation partner Qmerit. Just contact Qmerit to set up an installation and it should be smooth sailing from there. According to the installation company, these installation projects typically cost $800 to $2,000, plus a $150 deposit to schedule a visit. In other words, Rivian’s deal should essentially make this free. It’s also worth noting that the R1T qualifies for that $3,750 tax credit.
This enticing offer comes just ahead of scheduled Tesla Cybertruck deliveries, which allegedly begin on November 30. Tesla’s experienced its fair share of controversy regarding the stainless steel dystopian wonder. The company originally instituted a strange policy that would fine Cybertruck buyers $50,000 if they attempted to resell the vehicle too soon, before reversing course after public outcry. There’s also this offputting video. It’s certainly been a long, strange trip since the truck-ish vehicle was announced back in 2019.
Of course, Rivian has had its own issues recently. The company instituted two, yes two, airbag recalls in less than a month. It’s also gone through a couple rounds of layoffs, which is not typically a good sign. It’s not all bad news, however, as Rivian is building a $5 billion manufacturing facility in Georgia.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/rivian-now-offers-a-wall-charger-and-2000-install-credit-with-ev-truck-purchases-162252249.html?src=rss
Source: Engadget – Rivian now offers a wall charger and ,000 install credit with EV truck purchases
If you’re behind on what’s happening with the robot uprising, have no fear. Here’s a quick look at some of the weirdest and wildest artificial intelligence news from the past week.
Source: Gizmodo – From Fake Drakes to Robo-Weathermen, Here Are the Top AI Stories You Missed This Week
