Leading Internet companies and publishers—including Reddit, Yahoo, Quora, Medium, The Daily Beast, Fastly, and more—think there may finally be a solution to end AI crawlers hammering websites to scrape content without permission or compensation.
Announced Wednesday morning, the “Really Simply Licensing” (RSL) standard evolves robots.txt instructions by adding an automated licensing layer that’s designed to block bots that don’t fairly compensate creators for content.
Free for any publisher to use starting today, the RSL standard is an open, decentralized protocol that makes clear to AI crawlers and agents the terms for licensing, usage, and compensation of any content used to train AI, a press release noted.
If you had told me five years ago that playing PC games over the cloud would soon look indistinguishable from using a powerful rig, I would have called you a fool. But after diving into NVIDIA’s new RTX 5080-powered GeForce Now servers for several hours, I think we’ve reached a major milestone for cloud streaming. From a New Jersey server almost a thousand miles away from my Atlanta-area home, I was able to play Cyberpunk 2077 in 4K at 170 fps (with NVIDIA’s DLSS 4 frame generation) and Overwatch 2 at a blistering fast 360 fps in 1080p. I genuinely couldn’t tell the difference between this souped-up GeForce Now server and my own RTX 5090-powered desktop.
That got me thinking: What’s the point of investing thousands in a desktop when cloud streaming can look this good for $20 a month? That’s the price for GeForce Now’s top-end Ultimate plan, which is required to use the RTX 5080 servers. And if you don’t need that level of power, you can also get a pretty solid gaming experience with the $10 Performance plan, which is restricted to 1,440p/60 fps at best.
Cyberpunk 2077 on GeForce Now
Devindra Hardawar for Engadget
During my testing, I was constantly astounded by how sharp every game looked. The neon lights and reflective surfaces of Cyberpunk’s Night City lit up my Alienware OLED monitor. A few minutes into my first session, I completely forgot I was streaming the game. There were none of the video compression artifacts or occasional stuttering I’ve seen on other streaming services. Hell, I was even able to rip through several Overwatch 2 matches without noticing much lag. I only noticed a bit of latency when I turned on multi-frame generation while playing Cyberpunk in 4K — that pushed my frame rate up to 160 fps from 70 fps, but those interpolated frames made everything feel more sluggish.
We’ve clearly come a long way from Microsoft and Sony’s foray into game streaming for consoles. I’ve used Xbox offering on and off over the years, and while it’s typically been easy to use, it always felt a bit low-res (it tops out at 1080p/60 fps) and filled with blotchy video compression. Even today, it’s obvious you’re getting a second-rate experience. Sony’s streaming for PS Plus Premium subscribers can now reach up to an admirable 4K/60 fps for some PS5 titles, and it also turned the PlayStation Portal into a more viable handheld. But Sony’s cloud gaming seems more useful for letting you play older PS3 games, instead of giving you a complete gaming experience untethered from its core console business.
Overwatch 2 on GeForce Now
Devindra Hardawar for Engadget
GeForce Now has always had a technological advantage over the competition, as it’s easy for NVIDIA to stuff servers full of high-end GPUs. But it’s lagged behind a bit when it comes to usability, since playing games involves connecting to your accounts on storefronts like Steam, followed by downloading and installing those titles in a remote connection window. It’s not as easy as hitting a button on the Xbox Windows app. GeForce Now is clearly aimed at PC gamers who already have large collections of games and are used to suffering through the indignities of Steam’s interface.
For those players, NVIDIA’s latest upgrades have turned GeForce Now from a “nice to have” service to something that could be essential. There’s the raw power inherent in the leap to RTX 5080-level GPUs, which leads to higher frame rates and the ability to lean into demanding features like ray tracing. The actual “Blackwell” GPU hardware NVIDIA is using in its servers also sports a whopping 48GB of VRAM, a major leap from the 16GB of VRAM the consumer-grade RTX 5080 cards are stuck with. Technically, you could see better performance in GeForce Now compared to running a 5080 locally.
NVIDIA has also bumped its resolution and frame rate limits up to 5K/120 fps (which is currently only supported by one LG monitor), 4K/240 fps and 1080p/320 fps. That covers the gamut of people who want the highest quality possible, to those who demand the most frames for fast-paced shooters.
And in an effort to make cloud gaming look a bit less like you’re just streaming video, NVIDIA has also developed “Cinematic Quality Streaming” features, including support for better color depth with 4:4:4 chroma subsampling. There are also “AI-powered” video filters to help make text clear, as well as support for AV1 encoders for efficient streaming that can adapt to network changes.
If you’re stuck with an aging video card, it may make more sense to subscribe to GeForce Now Ultimate for $20 a month, instead of shelling out $1,200 or more for a genuine RTX 5080.
As usual for cloud streaming, though, the Achilles heel of GeForce Now is its exorbitant bandwidth demands. NVIDIA bumped up its maximum video bitrate to 100Mbps, which can add up to 45GB of bandwidth over an hour. You’ll need a beefy internet connection to stream games without slowing down the internet for everyone else in your home, and you can just give up on the idea entirely if you’re restricted by bandwidth caps. If you’ve been thinking of an excuse to upgrade to an uncapped gigabit internet connection, this is it.
Streaming Cyberpunk 2077 in 4K consumed 29.5GB over an hour of gameplay. GeForce Now hovered between 60Mbps and 80Mbps for most of the session, but it occasionally peaked to 100Mbps. I’ve got a reliable AT&T fiber connection in the suburbs, but I’d definitely be worried if I was still using a finicky cable internet in Brooklyn, where the overall bandwidth is shared with everyone on your cable node. A single GeForce Now session could take down internet speeds for your entire block, or you could find yourself without enough bandwidth to play smoothly during peak usage.
It’s also worth noting that GeForce Now also doesn’t support every PC game out there. You can access more than 4,000 recent titles, but you may run into issues trying to find obscure older games. NVIDIA is expanding its streaming library a bit with a new “Install to Play” feature, which lets you install some games in persistent cloud storage. I was able to set up and play 1000xResist without any trouble, and I’m hoping more indie titles will be added eventually.
The need for killer bandwidth and the reality of shoddy internet infrastructure are the biggest issues holding cloud gaming back from truly replacing local play. If my normally stable internet goes down, that means no gaming at all. And the same is true if NVIDIA’s servers get slammed. For most people, picking up a console or gaming PC will simply be more reliable.
Even with those caveats, GeForce Now still makes a compelling case for gaming away from your main rig. Perhaps you’re itching to put a dent in your Steam library while on vacation, or you just want to keep playing Mafia: The Old Country on your couch. It’s all possible, as long as your internet holds up.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nvidias-geforce-now-with-rtx-5080-gpus-is-a-cloud-gaming-revelation-130000231.html?src=rss
Have you ever stumbled upon a dollar bill or perhaps even a larger denomination on the ground and thought, ‘Wow, this is my lucky day!’? It happens, but it pales in comparison to the kind of lucky finds some Reddit users are coming across in their thrift store and auction escapades. A couple of recent posts highlight major GPU finds, including
The 2024 Motorola Razr+ (Unlocked) is going for $449.99 on Woot right now, undercutting Amazon’s price and even dipping below its previous all-time low of $499.99 (according to price-trackers). That’s a significant gap for anyone considering a foldable phone. Woot throws in free standard shipping for Prime members, while everyone else pays $6. The phone ships unlocked with a full one-year Motorola warranty. This discount is valid for the next three days (or until stock runs out).
Motorola hasn’t reinvented the wheel with this model, but the Razr+ 2024 is refined in ways that make it easy to like. The aluminum frame has softer edges, and the vegan leather back keeps the phone from feeling slippery. Folded, it slips neatly into a pocket, and the redesigned hinge feels sturdier while being easy to open one-handed. Plus, the IPX8 rating means it can survive a dunk in water, which is a big step up from the previous year’s splash-only protection. The outer 4-inch OLED screen is genuinely useful, with enough brightness to check emails or run apps outdoors, and the inner 6.9-inch display is sharp, fast, and bright, even if the center crease is still visible when the screen is off, according to this PCMag review.
Performance is where the 2024 Razr+ feels like a real upgrade. The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 paired with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage keeps everything running smoothly, from casual scrolling to heavier gaming. Battery life comes in at about 14 and a half hours (which outlasts Samsung’s Z Flip 5 by a few hours), and it recharges quickly with a 45W brick, though you’ll need to supply your own since it’s not included in the box. That said, wireless and reverse charging are both on board, adding some flexibility. The cameras, however, are a mixed bag. The 50MP main lens holds up well in bright daylight, but the telephoto reportedly produces noisy shots, and low-light photos fall short of what you’d get from Samsung or Google’s flagships.
A popular League of Legendsesports player, Bwipo, has been suspended by his organization after he said on a Twitch stream that women shouldn’t be playing competitively while menstruating. Bwipo, whose real name is Gabriël Rau, told viewers on a Twitch stream: “I think there’s just not enough support for female pro players… women’s anatomy and their monthly cycles are just extremely different from males, and there’s no proper support system for women to go through what they’re going through.” And before he mentioned women’s anatomies, some viewers were probably thinking that he was going to talk about how there should be more support for women in esports. But then he continued:
“…even men just tilt out of their f—ing minds when they’re playing League of Legends. So, when a woman is on the wrong part of the month and playing competitively, there is a time of the month where you should not be f—ing playing competitive games as a woman, in my opinion.” He justified his statement by saying that it’s based on his experience “living with one for a while.” He claimed the woman he lived with played League of Legends made it “really obvious when she was just getting irritated at every stupid little thing.” Bwipo added: “This is not me trying to be sexist or anything.” His video circulated on Reddit, but it’s no longer available.
In a response to his statement posted on TikTok, the host and co-creator of League Awards, Eefje “sjokz” Depoorter, criticized and opposed his views. “I thought we’re past that,” she said about Bwipo calling a woman’s period the “wrong” time of the month. “That’s such a crazy take,” sjokz continued, talking about how women make Olympic records, climb mountains, work 24-hour shifts, are providers for their children, and care for the elderly, all while bleeding buckets and experiencing pain. “Also the notion that men aren’t emotional in games of League…” she trailed off and made a sound.
Bwipo’s organization, FlyQuest, then posted an announcement on X, acknowledging that he “made sexist comments” and that they were “antithetical” to its core values. “Comments that might discourage even one young woman from pursuing her dream of becoming a pro player harm the future of esports, and we take that very seriously,” it wrote. FlyQuest has decided to suspend “Bwipo from play for the next series in the LTA playoffs,” which he’s currently in. The organization is also donating his prize money from the event to causes that support women in gaming. To note, FlyQuest has an esports team called Red that showcases “women and gender expansive folks in gaming.”
After FlyQuest’s announcement, Bwipo posted an apology on X, admitting wrongdoing. “I’m sorry to those I hurt,” he wrote. “I regret using my platform to fuel vitriol and sexism instead of support.”
Hi everyone, I know I fucked up. My comments were ignorant and disrespectful to women, including those close to me.
I’m sorry to those I hurt. I regret using my platform to fuel vitriol and sexism instead of support, and I’ll be taking steps to reflect, listen, and do better.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/lol-esports-team-suspends-player-for-saying-women-cant-compete-while-menstruating-120045752.html?src=rss
As the Pumpkin Spice approaches, it’s time for a bunch of new iPhones. Welcome to a special edition of the Engadget newsletter, breaking down everything Apple announced in the last 24 hours. What’s notable this year is, of course, the iPhone Air. Launching alongside the base iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, it’s an intriguing new flavor of iOS.
The iPhone Air: It’s a brave choice to label the new superslim phone with the same suffix as the game-changing MacBook Air. Barring the slimmer profile and accompanying compromises, it’s not as surprising as it could have been. Early rumors suggested it might have arrived without a single port, with wireless charging and WiFi alone.
Instead, the iPhone Air (no 17) is an engineering marvel. With a body thickness of just 5.6mm and made of spacecraft-grade titanium, it also has Ceramic Shield 2 on both sides, which helps make it more durable than any previous iPhone.
Engadget
It features the same A19 Pro chip as the iPhone 17 Pro, along with Apple’s N1 chip for wireless connectivity and the new C1X modem, which is reportedly twice as fast as the C1 introduced with the iPhone 16e.
Compromises had to happen, though. Apple kept the iPhone Air thin in part by going for a single 48-megapixel camera, but it did try to make it as versatile as possible. It has a large two-micrometer quad-pixel sensor that excels in low light, along with an optical quality 2x telephoto. Apple says it’s “the equivalent of four lenses in their pocket,” but well, why doesn’t the base iPhone 17 have it? It also seems a bit weak compared to the S25 Edge (Samsung’s super-thin smartphone) and its 200MP main camera.
Worried that a thin battery means precarious battery life? Apple claims the iPhone Air will get “all-day” battery life thanks in part to hardware designed to cram more battery into smaller designs and software like Adaptive Power Mode. To assuage those concerns, Apple made a new super-slim MagSafe battery pack to boost how long it lasts.
There’s also an intangible appeal to the ‘first’ of a new Apple product. I remember upgrading a year into my iPhone 7 contract to get the first iPhone without a home button. The iPhone X is a good comparison to make, perhaps. Both the iPhone X and iPhone Air have the same price: $999.
So, if the iPhone Air grabs the headlines, what about the pro model? Apple’s most powerful iPhone now has the A19 Pro chipset and comes with 6.9- (iPhone 17 Pro Max) and 6.3-inch (iPhone 17 Pro) screen sizes. Glass has been replaced with Ceramic Shield 2, which makes the iPhone 17 Pro more durable than ever.
A new rear camera setup includes a new 48MP telephoto lens, which can shoot up to 8x “optical quality” zoom at 12MP and 4x at its full resolution. Both the wide and ultrawide sensors are 48MP too, for resolution parity across them all. The iPhone 17 Pro series starts at $1,099 for a 256GB model and will be available for pre-order starting Friday, September 12.
Arriving in four colorways, the iPhone 13 has improvements in power efficiency, a smoother screen and a new selfie cam. This might be the most intriguing update: The company has improved the selfie camera to be a “center stage” front camera, with better stabilization, a wider field of view and a new larger square sensor. Because it’s square, you won’t have to rotate your iPhone when you want to take a photo or video in landscape mode.
Yes, we have an update to Apple’s AirPods Pro — arguably, the Apple hardware I’ve used the most over the last three years. I even bought a standalone USB-C charging case. The company has improved the wireless buds in some major ways. The big features include a heart rate sensor that can hook into iOS workout apps (and third-party apps) and a new live translation feature (a la Pixel Buds) that converts foreign languages on the fly and even lowers audio of the speaker so you can better hear the translation. They’ll support English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish at launch. The buds themselves are a bit smaller to fit more ears, and there are now five tip sizes, up from three.
No feature yet to make people who talk to you while wearing AirPods less insufferable. The AirPods Pro 3 cost $249, and pre-orders are open right now.
The Series 11 is twice as scratch-resistant as previous Apple Watches and now even has 5G connectivity. The watch will monitor for high blood pressure using improved algorithms and the built-in heart rate monitor. If the watch identifies patterns of hypertension, you’ll get an alert in the Health app. The biggest upgrade may be up to 24 hours of battery life on a single charge.
The Ultra 3 has a bigger display, satellite connectivity, and emergency SOS. The Watch Ultra 3’s new 3D printed case has even smaller bezels, while the display technology has been tweaked (LTPO3) to improve off-angle viewing.
The Apple Watch SE is getting an update with a new always-on display, optional 5G, the improved S10 chip and support for gestures like double tap and wrist flick. The Apple Watch SE will also provide sleep apnea notifications and the new Sleep Score feature that’s available on Series 11 watches. The Apple Watch Series 11 starts at $399, the Ultra 3 starts at $799 and the SE starts at $249.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-hands-on-with-the-iphone-air-iphone-17-pro-airpods-pro-3-and-more-111101338.html?src=rss
Nikon has unveiled its first cinema camera developed in collaboration with the company it acquired last year, RED. The Nikon ZR (the “R” is for “RED” I imagine) is a camera that neither company could have made on its own, marrying RED’s color science and video codecs with Nikon’s advanced subject detect AF and in-body stabilization. It will go up against other creator-oriented models like Canon’s new C50 and the Sony FX3 but at a much lower price.
Nikon’s mirrorless cameras are known for their high dynamic range and the company is leaning into that for the ZR. It has a partially stacked 24MP sensor with a Dual Base ISO of 800/6400 that promises 15+ stops of dynamic range for high low-light sensitivity and greater detail in shadows and highlights. Though it doesn’t quite match the C50’s 7K resolution, it will output 12K RAW 6K video at 60 fps, or 4K at 120 fps.
The internal RAW format used will be RED’s new R3D NE and a log format called Log3G10 with the same color science as RED’s high-end cinema cameras (so it can match those in post). That’s a lighter codec designed exclusively for Nikon, but the ZR also supports Nikon’s N-RAW format along with ProRes/ProRes RAW and H.265. If you want to apply RED’s LUTs, you can load and monitor up to 10 at a time.
Nikon
Nikon focused on audio as well, offering 32-bit float internal audio recording and Nokia’s OZO surround sound tech via three built-in high-performance mics. You can choose from five pickup patterns including front (super directional), front, all directions, rear and stereo (binaural) for any situation from interviews to vlogging to ASMR.
The ZR comes with subject tracking hybrid phase-detect autofocus, making it more palatable for content creators than any RED camera that has ever existed. That includes AI tracking of people (eyes, head and body) along with animals and vehicles, with nine types total. It also has five-axis in-body stabilization with 7.5 stops of smoothing, something palpably lacking in Canon’s new C50. Another key feature is digital focus-breathing compensation.
Nikon
Since the ZR has no viewfinder, Nikon made the screen as big, bright and sharp as possible. It’s a 4-inch 16:10 display with 1,000 nits of brightness and full DCI-P3 HDR color coverage, with 3070K dots of resolution, one the highest of any camera display. Meanwhile, the tiny 540 gram (1.2 pound) body dissipates heat well enough to allow 6K 60 fps RAW recording for up to 125 minutes at 25C (77F) temperatures. It supports audio capture through a the digital hotshoe or a 3.5mm input and has a USB-C port for charging, data transfers and webcam/streaming, along with a headphone input. The HDMI port is unfortunately a small and flimsy Micro HDMI type, however.
For its capabilities, the Nikon ZR looks like a stunning bargain. It starts at $2,200 for the body only without accessories, which is nearly half the price of the Sony FX3 and $1,700 cheaper than Canon’s C50. Shipping is expected to start on October 20, 2025. It supports any Nikon (or third-party) Z mount lens or F mount glass with an adapter. Nikon also unveiled the $339 ME-D10 digital shotgun mike that’s compatible with the camera’s 32-bit float audio.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/nikons-zr-is-its-first-cinema-camera-co-designed-with-red-110022972.html?src=rss
Beats has launched a new collection of cases to go with Apple’s latest iPhones, including one with a removable lanyard that doubles as a kickstand. Lanyards and cross-body straps for phones are becoming pretty common these days. If you’re someone who travels every now and then, they can help protect you from pickpockets or from accidentally leaving your phone behind while you struggle with your luggage. The lanyard on Beats’ case comes with something extra: It has an adaptor at the end that slides open and attaches to a magnetic part on the side of the case so that it can act as a kickstand for hands-free phone use. The Beats iPhone 17 Kickstand Case with MagSafe & Camera Control is available in Granite Gray, Bedrock Blue, Lime Stone and Pebble Pink. You can get it from Apple’s website for $59.
The new collection also includes a basic case that Beats describes as “thin, light, and precisely crafted.” It’s available in the same colors, with the same matte hard outer shell that prevents fingerprints and an interior microfiber lining. This model will set you back $45 and is the only one in the collection that you can get for the iPhone Air.
Finally, the Beats iPhone 17 Rugged Case with MagSafe & Camera Control will give you some extra protection if you tend to drop your devices. Beats designed it with a rugged polymer backing that’s complemented by impact-absorbing sidewalls. It has an enclosed bottom for enhanced protection and a textured matte exterior to give you a good grip on your phone. The manufacturer said it put the case through repeated drop and scratch tests, as well as multiple thermal, mechanical and chemical tests to simulate real world use. Beats’ rugged case is available in Everest Black, Rocky Blue, Alpine Gray and Sierra Orange for $79.
Beats
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/beats-new-iphone-17-case-has-a-lanyard-that-turns-into-a-kickstand-035044992.html?src=rss
As the smartphone market has matured, the workloads that consumers expect from their tiny in-pocket mobile computers has increased drastically. Fortunately, chip designers continue to build faster processors that do perform well with varied workloads, without completely tanking battery life. Tonight, Arm introduced its Lumex Compute Subsystem
We’ve survived Apple’s iPhone 17 event and we’re here to dive into all of the news. In this bonus episode, Devindra and Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham recap all of Apple’s new hardware and try to determine if the iPhone Air has any substance behind all that style. It’s certainly more attractive than we thought, but is that alone worth giving up on multiple cameras and better battery life from the iPhone 17 Pro?
Hosts: Devindra Hardawar Guest: Nathan Ingraham Producer: Ben Ellman Music: Dale North
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/engadget-podcast-making-sense-of-apples-iphone-17-event-012707428.html?src=rss
Cindy Cohn, who has led the Electronic Frontier Foundation as Executive Director for the past decade and has been with the organization for over 25 years, will step down by mid-2026. The digital rights group is launching a search for her successor. From a press release: “It’s been the honor of my life to help EFF grow and become the strong, effective organization it is today, but it’s time to make space for new leadership. I also want to get back into the fight for civil liberties more directly than I can as the executive director of a thriving 125-person organization,” Cohn said. “I’m incredibly proud of all that we’ve built and accomplished. One of our former interns once called EFF the joyful warriors for internet freedom and I have always loved that characterization.” “I know EFF’s lawyers, activists and technologists will continue standing up for freedom, justice and innovation whether we’re fighting trolls, bullies, corporate oligarchs, clueless legislators or outright dictators,” she added. […]
Cohn said she made the decision to step down more than a year ago, and later informed EFF’s Board of Directors and executive staff. The Board of Directors has assembled a search committee, which in turn has engaged leadership advisory firm Russell Reynolds Associates to conduct a search for EFF’s new executive director. Inquiries about the search can be directed to EFF@russellreynolds.com. The search committee hopes to hire someone next spring, with Cohn planning to remain at EFF for a transition period through early summer.
This is a video of the four guitarists of 40 Fingers (let me join and we can be 48.5 Fingers) performing a lovely acoustic fingerstyle cover of David Bowie’s ‘Life On Mars’ in a desert that’s very reminiscent of Mars. I should know, because I’ve been there. “Mars?” Did you know it’s red from all the blood spilled during an ancient alien war? I’m joking, it’s all cheese.
Microsoft is diversifying its AI portfolio by integrating some of Anthropic’s AI features into Office 365 apps. “The move will blend Anthropic and OpenAI technology in the apps, after years in which Microsoft primarily used OpenAI for the new features in Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint,” reports Reuters. From the report: Developers making Office AI features found Anthropic’s latest models performed better than OpenAI in automating tasks such as financial functions in Excel or generating Powerpoint presentations based on instructions, the report said, citing one of the two people involved in the effort. Microsoft will pay its cloud rival Amazon Web Services to access the Anthropic models, according to the report. AWS is one of Anthropic’s largest shareholders.
OpenAI’s launch of GPT-5 is a step up in quality but Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 4 performs better in creating Powerpoint presentations that are more aesthetically pleasing, the report said. Microsoft plans to announce the move in the coming weeks, while the price of AI tools in Office will stay the same, the report said. “As we’ve said, OpenAI will continue to be our partner on frontier models and we remain committed to our long-term partnership,” a Microsoft spokesperson said.
iPhone Air is much thinner compared to the iPhone 17 Pro. (Apple)
Now that we’ve seen the actual iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models — they were revealed at the Apple iPhone event today — it’s time to decide if you’re ready to upgrade to one of the newer devices. If you watched Apple’s keynote or pored through Engadget’s liveblog, you probably noticed the Air and 17 Pro share quite a few similarities — many of the specs are identical, or nearly so.
For starters, both run the new A19 Pro chip, giving each of them a performance edge over the non-Pro A19 in the baseline iPhone 17. And their screens, bodies and basic feature sets — high-refresh ProMotion screens, Apple Intelligence, scratch-resistant Ceramic Shield front and back, Camera Control button, MagSafe wireless charging — are all largely aligned, too. And there’s only a $100 delta in their price tags, with the iPhone Air starting at $999 and the iPhone 17 Pro at $1,099.
But these two phones have two very different audiences. The Pro, as usual, is designed to be the no-compromise iPhone, while the Air is much more of a fashion statement. It’s the thinnest iPhone ever, and that comes with some notable compromises.
To that end, let’s take a deep dive on the key areas where the newly introduced iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro diverge. (For more of today’s Apple releases, check out our hands-on with the new AirPods Pro 3 and the Apple Watch Series 11.)
Size and weight
The iPhone Air is Apple’s thinnest phone yet, at just 5.6mm thick. In comparison, the iPhone 17 Pro is 8.75mm thick — that’s more than 3mm thicker than the Air! I’m almost certain the Air would get lost between my couch cushions on day one.
When it comes to the screen size, the iPhone Air has a 6.5-inch display, which is larger than the 17 Pro’s 6.3-inch screen. (If you want larger still, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is a whopping 6.9 inches diagonally). But the screen tech uses the identical Super Retina XDR technology with all the same bells and whistles — ProMotion high refresh rate, P3 color gamut, True Tone. They should look pretty much identical.
As for weight, the Air with its titanium casing tips the scales at just 5.82 ounces (165 grams), while the iPhone 17 Pro weighs 7.27 ounces (206 grams) with an aluminum chassis. That’s a tad more than the iPhone 16 Pro’s weight of 7.03 ounces (199 grams), probably due to the newer model’s larger battery.
If you decide to upgrade to the 17 Pro Max instead, it has a larger 6.9-inch display and weighs a whopping 8.22 ounces (233 grams).
But long story short, the Air’s superthin design and wispier weight is pretty much the reason you’re buying this phone.
The Air is pretty light and thin in comparison to all other iPhones. (Apple)
Cameras
Here’s where the biggest differences lie: the cameras. While the iPhone 17 Pro has three rear 48MP cameras, the iPhone Air has just one (also 48MP, though it serves as two cameras in one). Here’s what they include:
iPhone 17 Pro rear cameras: The Pro boasts a triple array “Pro Fusion camera system,” where the three 48MP cameras combine to offer .5x, 1x, 2x, 4x and 8x optical zoom options. The Pro also offers macro photography, spatial photos and can shoot in ProRAW image mode. Video offerings are also full-tilt, with 4K Dolby Vision video recording up to 120fps, along with a litany of sophisticated options that will appeal to more serious video shooters (ProRES Raw, Genlock support, cinematic mode and more).
iPhone Air rear camera: By comparison, the Air has a single 48MP Fusion camera system that delivers only 2x optical zoom in addition to standard. That also means it lacks even the ultrawide (.5x) mode found in the baseline iPhone. Video recording is similarly limited to just half the Pro’s framerate, albeit still in 4K Dolby Vision.
Both phones have the new Center Stage 18MP front-facing “selfie” camera, which eliminates the need to rotate your phone to take a landscape photo. You instead just tap to expand the field of view. And when others join the photo, the camera automatically expands the view. And when you’re on a video call, the camera uses artificial intelligence to adjust the frame. They also both offer Dual Capture, so you can shoot from the front and back cameras simultaneously.
The iPhone 17 Pro has three rear-facing cameras. (Apple)
Still, the camera compromises are arguably the Air’s biggest shortfall. Don’t get this phone if you like long zooms, ultrawide shots or top-notch video quality.
Battery life
Battery life ratings should always be taken with a grain of salt. That said, Apple claims the Air will deliver up to 27 hours of video playback and can get up to a 50% charge in 30 minutes. The good news is that basically matches the battery claims of last year’s iPhone 16 Pro. The bad news is that it falls well short of the new and improved battery specs on this year’s 17 Pro. That model is rated up to 33 hours of video playback and up to a 50% charge in just 20 minutes with a 40-watt charger.
Apple
Now, unlike the cameras, there’s a workaround for the Air’s shorter battery life. Apple offers an add-on iPhone Air MagSafe battery which snaps on to the Air’s backside and gets you up to 40 hours of video playback. But it costs $99 and fattens up your superthin phone — doesn’t that kinda get you back to square one?
Price
The iPhone Air starts at $999, which matches the price at the 256GB tier of the iPhone Plus model it’s replacing (which just so happens to be my favorite). So that’s $100 more than the starting price of last year’s 128GB Plus, but with the storage doubled, I guess I can’t complain too much.
For 512GB, it’ll cost you $1,199; and if you splurge on 1TB, you’ll be paying $1,399. And the Air is available in four lighter color palettes.
On the other hand, the iPhone 17 Pro starts at $1,099 with 256GB, which is just $100 more. You can also choose 512GB for $1,299 or 1TB for $1,499. (The iPhone 17 Pro Max starts at $1,199 for 256GB and goes up to $1,999 for 2TB.) The Pro comes in only three colors, though the Cosmic Orange is unusually bold for the iPhone Pro line.
iPhone Air vs. iPhone 17 Pro: How to choose
As I suggested above, the iPhone Air is certainly eye-catching, but you really need to make sure you’re ready to accept those camera and battery compromises. The iPhone 17 Pro is much more of a “no compromise” choice, albeit one that’s less of a looker (depending on how you feel about that new “camera plateau” at the top). That said, remember you can always default to the baseline iPhone 17, which is arguably better than ever — and has some nice feature one-ups on the Air, to boot.
If I were choosing between the Air and the Pro, I know which one would be the clear winner for me — but I’ll leave that decision up to you because I’m holding out (and hopeful) for a foldable iPhone in 2026. In the meantime, you can check out Engadget’s initial hands-on impressions of the iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro and baseline iPhone 17, as well as our full reviews of those models coming in the near future.
$100 more for a Pro model really isn’t that bad. (Apple)
Full specs comparison
iPhone Air
iPhone 17 Pro
Starting price
$999
$1,099
Dimensions
6.15 x 2.94 x 0.22 inch
5.91 x 2.83 x 0.34 inch
Weight
5.82 ounces (165 grams)
7.27 ounces (206 grams)
Processor
A19 Pro chip
A19 Pro chip
Display
6.5-inch Super Retina XDR display
6.3-inch Super Retina XDR display
Storage
256GB / 512GB / 1TB
256GB / 512GB / 1TB
Battery
Up to 27 hours
Up to 33 hours
Camera
Main: 48MP Fusion camera system / 48MP Fusion Main Front: Center Stage 18MP
Main: 48MP Pro Fusion camera system / 48MP Fusion Main /48MP Fusion Ultra Wide / 48MP Fusion Telephoto Front: Center Stage 18MP
Colors
Sky Blue, Light Gold, Cloud White, Space Black
Silver, Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/iphone-air-vs-iphone-17-pro-which-one-is-right-for-you-001538431.html?src=rss
An anonymous reader quotes a report from 404 Media: Employees at Robert F Kennedy Jr.’s Department of Health and Human Services received an email Tuesday morning with the subject line “AI Deployment,” which told them that ChatGPT would be rolled out for all employees at the agency. The deployment is being overseen by Clark Minor, a former Palantir employee who’s now Chief Information Officer at HHS. “Artificial intelligence is beginning to improve health care, business, and government,” the email, sent by deputy secretary Jim O’Neill and seen by 404 Media, begins. “Our department is committed to supporting and encouraging this transformation. In many offices around the world, the growing administrative burden of extensive emails and meetings can distract even highly motivated people from getting things done. We should all be vigilant against barriers that could slow our progress toward making America healthy again.”
“I’m excited to move us forward by making ChatGPT available to everyone in the Department effective immediately,” it adds. “Some operating divisions, such as FDA and ACF [Administration for Children and Families], have already benefitted from specific deployments of large language models to enhance their work, and now the rest of us can join them. This tool can help us promote rigorous science, radical transparency, and robust good health. As Secretary Kennedy said, ‘The AI revolution has arrived.'” […] The email says that the rollout was being led by Minor, who worked at the surveillance company Palantir from 2013 through 2024. It states Minor has “taken precautions to ensure that your work with AI is carried out in a high-security environment,” and that “you can input most internal data, including procurement sensitive data and routine non-sensitive personally identifiable information, with confidence.”
It then goes on to say that “ChatGPT is currently not approved for disclosure of sensitive personally identifiable information (such as SSNs and bank account numbers), classified information, export-controlled data, or confidential commercial information subject to the Trade Secrets Act.” The email does not distinguish what “non-sensitive personally identifiable information” is. HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment from 404 Media. […] The agency has also said it plans to roll out AI through HHS’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that will determine whether patients are eligible to receive certain treatments. These types of systems have been shown to be biased when they’ve been tried, and result in fewer patients getting the care they need.
Previously seen folding laundry, this is a video of a humanoid robot demonstrating its dexterity by autonomously loading a dishwasher. That’s cool, but I don’t really mind loading and unloading the dishwasher. The dishwasher really does all the heavy lifting as far as washing dishes is concerned. What I really want is a humanoid robot that goes to work and does my job and doesn’t complain and gets promotions and gives me all the money it earns while I happy hour all day. I’d join the waitlist for that robot.
Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian revealed the company has already made billions from AI by monetizing through consumption-based pricing, subscriptions, and upselling. “Our backlog is now at $106 billion — it is growing faster than our revenue,” said Kurian, speaking at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia and Technology Conference in San Francisco. “More than 50% of it will convert to revenue over the next two years.” CNBC reports: Kurian said some people pay Google by consumption, giving the example of AI infrastructure purchased by enterprise customers. “Whether it’s a GPU, TPU or a model, you pay by token — meaning you pay by what you use,” he said. Tokens represent chunks of text that a AI models process when they generate or interpret language. Some people use customer service systems, paying for it by what Kurian called “deflection rates.” Such rates are priced based on the business value customers get — things like uptime, scalability, AI features and security. Google Cloud also provides tools like a “deflection dashboard,” that customers can use to track and manage agent interactions. Last month, Google won a $10 billion cloud contract from Meta spanning six years. Meta had largely been reliant on Amazon Web Services for cloud infrastructure, though it also uses Microsoft Azure.
Some customers pay for cloud services by way of subscriptions. “You pay per user per monthly fee — for example, agents or Workspace,” said Kurian, referring to the company’s Gemini products, which has its own subscription tiers with various storage options, and the Google Workspace productivity suite, which also has several subscription tiers. Google One, a popular personal cloud storage subscription, offers a basic monthly service to users for $1.99 a month. Earlier this year, the company offered a new subscription tier called “Google AI Ultra,” which offers exclusive access to the company’s most “cutting edge” AI products with 30 terabytes of storage for $249.99 per month. Kurian gave an example of Google Cloud’s cybersecurity subscription tiers, saying “we’ve seen huge growth in that.”
Kurian said that upselling is another key aspect of Google Cloud’s strategy. “We also upsell people as they use more of it from one version to another because we have higher quality models and higher-priced tiers,” Kurian said. He said that once customers use Google’s AI services, they wind up using more of the company’s products. “That leads customers who sign a commitment or contract to spend more than they contacted for, which drives more revenue growth,” he added. Kurian says it is capturing new customers more quickly too. “We’ve seen 28% sequential quarter-over-quarter growth in new customer wins in the first half of the year,” said Kurian, adding that nearly two-thirds of customers already use Google Cloud’s AI tools in a meaningful way. “Selling to existing customers is always easier than selling to new customers, so it helps us improve the cost of sales,” Kurian said.
Apple’s most famous chips are the A- and M-series processors that power its iPhones, iPads, and Macs, but this year, its effort to build its own wireless chips is starting to bear fruit. Earlier this spring, the iPhone 16e included Apple’s C1 modem, furthering Apple’s ambitions to shed its dependence on Qualcomm, and today’s iPhone Air brought a faster Apple C1X variant, plus something new: the Apple N1, a chip that provides Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread support for all of today’s new iPhones.
Apple didn’t dive deep into the capabilities of the N1, or why it had switched from using third-party suppliers (historically, Apple has mostly leaned on Broadcom for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth). However, the company’s press releases say that it should make Continuity features like Personal Hotspot and AirDrop more reliable—these features use Bluetooth for initial communication and then Wi-Fi to establish a high-speed local link between two devices. Other features that use a similar combination of wireless technologies, like using an iPad as an extended Mac display, should also benefit.
These aren’t Apple’s first chips to integrate Wi-Fi or Bluetooth technology. The Apple Watches rely on W-series chips to provide their Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity; the Apple H1 and H2 chips also provide Bluetooth connectivity for many of Apple’s wireless headphones. But this is the first time that Apple has switched to its own Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip in one of its iPhones, suggesting that the chips have matured enough to provide higher connectivity speeds for more demanding devices.
The latest National Assessment of Educational Progress shows U.S. high school seniors’ math and reading scores at their lowest in decades, with nearly half failing to reach basic proficiency in math and one-third below basic in reading. The Associated Press reports: A decade-long slide in high schoolers’ reading and math performance persisted during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 12th graders’ scores dropping to their lowest level in more than 20 years, according to results released Tuesday from an exam known as the nation’s report card. Eighth-grade students also lost significant ground in science skills, according to the results from the National Assessment of Education Progress.
The assessments were the first since the pandemic for eighth graders in science and 12th graders in reading and math. They reflect a downward drift across grade levels and subject areas in previous releases from NAEP, which is considered one of the best gauges of the academic progress of U.S. schools. “Scores for our lowest-performing students are at historic lows,” said Matthew Soldner, the acting commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics. “These results should galvanize all of us to take concerted and focused action to accelerate student learning.” […]
In reading, the average score in 2024 was the lowest score in the history of the assessment, which began in 1992. Thirty-two percent of high school seniors scored below “basic,” meaning they were not able to find details in a text to help them understand its meaning. In math, the average score in 2024 was the lowest since 2005, when the assessment framework changed significantly. On the test, 45% of high school seniors scored below “basic” achievement, the highest percentage since 2005. Only 33% of high school seniors were considered academically prepared for college-level math courses, a decline from 37% in 2019.
Reddit has addressed a problem where the description of subreddits originally written by moderators appeared differently—and, often, inaccurately—on Reddit’s Android app. For weeks, the problem was largely suspected to be caused by Reddit clumsily using generative AI to create new subreddit descriptions. However, Reddit says that the changes were the fault of a bug tied to its AI-powered translation technology.
Reports of subreddits suddenly having inaccurate summaries when viewed on Reddit’s Android app started surfacing on Reddit a couple of weeks ago. On August 29, a moderator reported on the r/ModSupport subreddit for moderators that the r/ThronesAndDominions subreddit’s description changed from “The wayward adventures of Dylan Carlson and the band Earth” to “The crazy adventures of Dylan Carlson and the band Earth.” The problem got more attention when r/actuallesbians’ Android app description described the community as “a place for straight and transgender lesbians …” instead of “a place for cis and trans lesbians …”
Other complaints followed, including from r/autisticparents, a subreddit for parents with autism whose description was changed to say that it is a group for “parents of autistic children.” A moderator who asked to be referred to by their Reddit username, Paige_Railstone, described the confusion that the changes brought to their subreddit:
