If you’ve been crowding around your gaming console waiting for the long-promised “next-gen” patch for Fallout 4, you still have a ways to go. Bethesda just announced that the update has been pushed to 2024, after being promised for this year. There has been no information given as to what part of the year the patch would release, though developers have stated they just need “a bit more time.”

The “next-gen” patch is really a current-gen update, as it’s being developed for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. However, Fallout 4 did originally release in 2015 for the previous generation of consoles, so by that metric this is a next-gen patch. It’ll bring requested features like a higher frame rate, 4K visuals and new (though unspecified) Creation Club content. There could also be some surprises in store for fans of the franchise, which would account for the delay.

This isn’t the first time Bethesda has gone back to the radioactive well to spruce up Fallout 4. An update for the Xbox One X (not to be confused with the Series X) brought 4K visuals, but at only 30 frames per second. The company managed to up the frame rate to 60FPS last year, but at the expense of resolution. This time around, the improvements should come with fewer compromises.

At least it’s something to pull players back to the Commonwealth, because we have an excruciatingly long time to wait before Fallout 5. Back in 2022, Bethesda creative director Todd Howard told reporters that work on the title would begin after completing The Elder Scrolls 6. However, developers just started digging into the fantasy sequel after Starfield launched. Incidentally, the space sim took seven years to make. By that metric, we are looking at ten to 14 years before we once again wander the apocalypse. 

It’s been a year since we learned that a movie based on Death Stranding was in the works. Now, Kojima Productions has brought another notable partner on board. A24, the celebrated studio behind movies such as Everything Everywhere All At Once and Uncut Gems, is helping to adapt Death Stranding into a live-action film.

More than 16 million people have explored Hideo Kojima’s haunting game so far. Death Stranding tasks a courier named Sam Porter Bridges (played by Norman Reedus) with unifying a fractured America after a cataclysmic event. It’s a strange, captivating game. Perhaps most importantly for A24, it’s also deeply cinematic.

The adaptation will “delve into the mysteries surrounding the apocalyptic event called the ‘Death Stranding,’ which blurred the lines between life and death, and brought forth nightmarish creatures into a world on the brink of collapse,” according to a press release. Don’t expect the film to directly follow the events of the game, though.

“There are a lot of ‘game adaptation films’ out there but what we are creating is not just a direct translation of the game,” Kojima, who claims to have taken inspiration from some of A24’s work, said. “The intention is that our audience will not only be fans of the games, but our film will be for anyone who loves cinema. We are creating a Death Stranding universe that has never been seen before, achievable only through the medium of film, it will be born.”

Kojima is a renowned movie buff who may very well have been a film director in another life. He may not have enough time to slide into the director’s chair on this occasion though, as Kojima Productions has its hands full with two games that are in the works: a Death Stranding sequel and a new project called OD. Still, A24 has a number of high-profile collaborators who’d make a compelling Death Stranding film. I’m curious as to what Ari Aster, Robert Eggers, Sofia Coppola or Alex Garland might be able to do with that source material.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/a24-will-help-bring-the-death-stranding-movie-to-life-171735945.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – A24 will help bring the Death Stranding movie to life

Cruise is laying off 24 percent of its workforce, the company confirmed to Engadget. GM’s self-driving subsidiary says it will cut approximately 900 employees, as first reported by TechCrunch and CNBC. The news comes over 10 weeks after an incident in San Francisco when a Cruise vehicle pinned and dragged a pedestrian who had initially been hit by another car. Earlier this week, the company parted ways with nine executives, including its chief operating officer.

“We shared the difficult news that we are reducing our workforce, primarily in commercial operations and related corporate functions,” a Cruise spokesperson wrote in an email to Engadget. “These changes reflect our decision to focus on more deliberate commercialization plans with safety as our north star. We are supporting impacted Cruisers with strong severance and benefits packages and are grateful to the departing employees who played important roles in building Cruise and supporting our mission.” 

A Cruise spokesperson pointed Engadget toward an internal email written by new President and CTO Mo Elshenawy, also published on the company blog. “We knew this day was coming, but that does not make it any less difficult—especially for those whose jobs are affected,” the message reads. The email says the layoffs primarily target non-engineering roles, including field workers, commercial operations and corporate staffing.

“We are simplifying and focusing our efforts to return with an exceptional service in one city to start with and focusing on the Bolt platform for this first step before we scale,” the email reads. “As a result, we are reducing our employee counts in operations and other areas.”

The news isn’t exactly a shock. Last month, Mary Barra, GM Chair and CEO, expressed plans for Cruise to be more “deliberate.” That included cutting expenses “by hundreds of millions of dollars” in 2024, a clear sign that the writing was already on the wall for considerable layoffs.

The tragic October 2 incident involved a Cruise vehicle pinning a pedestrian after another car’s hit-and-run. There weren’t any passengers in the autonomous vehicle (AV) at the time. “She was just screaming,” a cyclist bystander who tried to help told the SF Chronicle. The aftermath has been swift and decisive, with the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) suspending its driverless permits over safety issues. There were even reports the company’s AVs were unable to effectively detect children, a situation that obviously requires extra precautions.

The roughly 900 employees losing their jobs at Cruise join a long list of tech layoffs in 2023.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cruise-lays-off-24-percent-of-its-workforce-164800680.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Cruise lays off 24 percent of its workforce

Apple’s 9th-gen iPad is back on sale via Amazon for $249, which is a 24 percent savings from the MSRP of $329. This isn’t the lowest price ever for the standard 10.2-inch tablet, but it’s darn close. This is the entry-level model with 64GB of storage, but that’s still plenty to load up the tablet with all kinds of streaming apps and games.

The 9th-gen iPad is widely considered to be the best Apple tablet for the budget-conscious, which is made more evident by this sale. It scored an 86 in our initial review and we praised it for the improved camera for video calls, the excellent battery life and, of course, that consumer-friendly price.

As a matter of fact, this tablet made our list of the best Apple iPads, though that’s something of a no-brainer. The screen is sharp and the 12MP camera is fine for most applications. This iPad also has a legitimate old-school headphone jack, which actually comes in quite handy when you can’t find that teensy-tiny Lightning adapter.

Of course, this tablet isn’t perfect, particularly when compared to some of its pricier siblings. The hardware is basically a step down from the Air and Pro in several ways. The design itself is a bit antiquated, recalling older models, and it’s powered by the same chipset found with the iPhone 11. That’s four iPhones ago, which is a lifetime in the world of tech.

If your eyes roll into the back of your head when you look at the price of the iPad Air or Pro, however, this is the tablet for you. We called it the “most wallet-friendly way into iPadOS” and that was before this steep discount.

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

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-9th-gen-ipad-is-back-on-sale-for-249-160524744.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Apple’s 9th-gen iPad is back on sale for 9

Last week, Meta finally rolled out searchable tags for all users on Threads, its microblogging Instagram offshoot, and users are taking advantage of a design quirk for a bit of dumb fun. Threads’ “topic tags” are a lot like hashtags, but not entirely the same. For one, there’s no hash (#). They’re also able to contain spaces, meaning the tags can read like normal phrases rather than a bunch of words smashed together, as has long been the norm on Twitter/X and the like. Just like normal hashtags, though, they’ll be highlighted in blue and link out to other posts containing that tag.

It’s pretty basic stuff… which makes the effectiveness of the new prank feel all the more absurd. It goes like this: someone creates a Threads post, ideally with a lot of text, then slaps a “Show more” tag at the end, seemingly in the middle of a word or sentence. You, the unwitting victim, will then click “Show more” expecting to see the rest of the post, but — surprise! — it’ll instead direct you to the page for that tag. You might as well have been Rick Rolled. 

I’ll admit it, I got got. Some users, bless their hearts, have even commented saying they fell for it multiple times, thinking it was a bug. The first instance can be traced back to Threads user @freezydorito, who according to their own bio and professional pages actually works for Meta. 

As simple as it is, the trick works so well because it perfectly duplicates a UI element we’re already so used to seeing. Should it be a dead giveaway that the text is a blue link? Not really, because that’s exactly how it’s always looked on X. Even on Facebook, the option to expand a post is presented as a gray “See more” link. It’s been a while since I last fell for something so silly online, because I generally trust nothing, and it momentarily threw me back to a much goofier time on the internet.

On Threads, my For You feed is already a cursed space filled with bad recommendations, and since I interacted with the “Show more” tag, I’ve now seen at least three dozen of these posts. I would say that this gag isn’t likely to survive beyond the week (fool me twice, et cetera), but my timeline is still peppered with new users posting things like “What is Threads?” every other day who are just ripe for the picking. Threads also just launched in Europe today, which means there will be plenty more unsuspecting users piling in. Let’s see how long it takes for Meta to implement a tweak for this one.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/threads-new-hashless-tags-have-opened-the-door-for-the-silliest-form-of-trolling-152303227.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Threads’ new hashless tags have opened the door for the silliest form of trolling

Lenovo has unveiled its latest productivity-focused ThinkPad and IdeaPad laptops ahead of CES. The systems are equipped with Intel’s new Core Ultra chipsets, which include three compute engines — a central processing unit, graphics processing unit and neural processing unit. Those are designed to work together for greater efficiency. Lenovo notes that some compute tasks can be offloaded to the GPU or NPU for better performance and power management. Since they run on Windows 11, all three laptops will support Copilot AI features.

The IdeaPad Pro 5i is the first consumer Intel Evo Edition laptop that runs on an Intel Core Ultra chipset. Lenovo claims this will power faster AI-driven features, such as image and text generation, as well as photo editing. There are also claims of improved performance for traditionally demanding tasks like video editing and exporting, along with multitasking.

You can equip the IdeaPad Pro 5i with up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU, up to 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to a 1TB SSD. An expandable SSD slot and SD card reader can help bump up the storage as well.

The laptop is available in 14-inch and 16-inch formats with several display options, including an 16:10 OLED panel with a 100 percent DCI-P3 color gamut and 120Hz refresh rate. The IR Full HD camera has a time-of-flight sensor and privacy shutter along with Windows Hello support.

No matter which size of the laptop you opt for, you’ll get an 84WHr polymer battery with quick charging support via Thunderbolt 4. You’ll get an HDMI 2.1 port, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A slots and a 3.5mm audio jack. There’s also Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 support. The 14-inch model weighs 3.22 lbs and the larger variant is 4.3 lbs.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i is available now. The laptop starts at $1,150.

You’ll need to wait slightly longer for the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12. Some configurations will be available later this month (starting at $2,989) and the full swathe of options to follow in March. The ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 Gen 9 will become available in March too. That laptop is expected to start at $2,639.

Lenovo has integrated a major accessibility-focused feature into the new ThinkPads in the form of additional tactile cues on the keyboard to help folks with visual impairments. The company says it worked with Microsoft’s Accessibility Team to help develop new industry standards in keyboard design. For instance, the F2 and F3 keys (often used for volume control) have tactile markings, as does the Insert key to help people tell it apart from the Delete key. Meanwhile, the ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 has a larger magnetic pen, which is said to deliver a better experience for those who prefer to use a stylus.

The ThinkPad X1 models include a self-explanatory Low Light Enhancer feature for the webcam. Lenovo says this tool runs on the NPU for greater system efficiency when you have video conferencing software such as Zoom running.

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 can be configured with up to 64GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 2TB of SSD storage. There’s no dedicated GPU option as the laptop will support Intel Arc graphics. The 14-inch display can have a resolution of up to 2.8K with a refresh rate of 120Hz on an OLED panel.

As for ports, you’ll get two USB-C Thunderbolt 4, two USB-C, an HDMI 2.1 and a 3.5mm audio jack. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 can be equipped with Wi-Fi 6E or 7 and Bluetooth 5.3. There are several webcam options too, up to an 8MP MIPI Computer Vision camera with privacy shutter. The laptop’s weight starts at 2.42 lbs.

The ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 9 has similar specs though it, of course, is a 2-in-1. The other key difference is that the weight starts at 2.92 lbs.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/lenovos-latest-thinkpad-and-ideapad-laptops-include-new-intel-core-ultra-chips-150037731.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Lenovo’s latest ThinkPad and IdeaPad laptops include new Intel Core Ultra chips

Intel today is entering the “AI PC” era with the launch of its new Core Ultra notebook chips. Originally codenamed “Meteor Lake,” these are Intel’s first processors to include an NPU, or neural processing unit, for accelerating AI tasks. The launch comes a week after AMD revealed its upcoming Ryzen 8040 hardware, its second batch of chips to include NPUs. While Intel is playing a bit of AI catch-up, the Core Ultra chips still sound like a solid step forward — at least according to the company’s benchmarks.

Intel claims the Core Ultra chips use up to 79 percent less power than AMD’s last-gen Ryzen 7840U while idling in Windows, and they’re also up to 11 percent faster than AMD’s hardware for multithreaded tasks. Intel didn’t have the upcoming Ryzen 8040 chips to test, but it’ll be interesting to see how they both compare next year.

Efficiency is a key component of the Core Ultra chips: They’re built on the company’s new Intel 4 (7nm) process, and they feature its FOVEROS 3D packaging. According to Intel, these are are also “the most efficient x86 processor for ultrathin systems.” There are refined P (Performance) and E (Efficiency) cores, as well as Intel Arc graphics, which is up to twice as fast as the last generation (and also offer double the performance per watt).

The Core Ultra family launches with the Ultra 7 165H at the high end, offering 16 cores/22 threads (6P cores, 8 E cores and 2 low-power E cores and a 5GHz Max Turbo frequency. A beefier Ultra 9 185H will arrive in the first quarter of 2024 with a 5.1GHz Max Turbo speed, slightly faster GPU and higher power draw (45 watts, compared to the Ultra 7’s 28 watts). As usual, there’s also a lower-power “U” series of chips for the thinnest machines.

While you won’t find the Core Ultra chips in the most powerful gaming laptops, the addition of Intel Arc graphics should make them slightly more viable for less demanding gaming (or at least more on par with AMD’s 7000 series chips). Intel says the Ultra 7 165H can play Baldur’s Gate 3 twice as fast as the Core i7 1370P in 1080p with medium graphics settings, and it can handle Resident Evil Village 95 percent faster than that older Intel chip. 

Across an average of 18 games, including Apex Legends, Overwatch 2 and Final Fantasy XIV, Intel says the Ultra 7 165H is 5 percent faster than AMD’s Ryzen 7 7840U in the Thinkpad T16. Sure, that’s just a nominal improvement over last-gen hardware, but at least Intel finally appears to be competitive with AMD’s solid graphics. The company’s XeSS AI upscaling can also improve performance around 39 percent on average in 1080p. In some titles, including Like A Dragon: Gaiden, Intel’s upscaling can bump a game up from a middling 30fps range to a far smoother 69 fps.

As for AI workloads, Intel says Core Ultra chips can reach up to 34 TeraOPS when combining performance across the NPU, GPU and CPU. But the big change this time is the NPU: It’ll enable features like Windows 11’s Studio Effects, which can blur backgrounds and improve video lighting without hurting your battery life much. For creative AI workloads, Intel says the Ultra 7 165H is 70 percent faster than the Ryzen 7 7840U in Adobe Premiere Pro and a whopping 5.4 times faster running GIMP Stable Diffusion.

What’s truly exciting about the Core Ultra hardware, as well as AMD’s upcoming Ryzen 8040 series, is the potential for NPUs to make our computing lives slightly easier. They could help eke out more battery life while editing audio in Audacity on the go, or give you a slightly sleeker background blur during Zoom calls. Both Intel and AMD also say they’re also pushing developers to help create more AI-enabled features in their apps. Basically, get used to the term “AI PC” — you’ll be hearing it quite a bit throughout the next year.  

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/intel-unveils-core-ultra-its-first-chips-with-npus-for-ai-work-150021289.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Intel unveils Core Ultra, its first chips with NPUs for AI work

Acer just unveiled the Predator Triton Neo 16 gaming laptop which features Intel’s long-awaited Core Ultra processors, formerly referred to internally as Meteor Lake. These CPUs boast a dedicated Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for advanced AI performance. The chips prioritize efficiency and speed, with Intel promising that graphics will be twice as fast when it comes to performance per watt, among other intriguing metrics.

As for the actual laptop, Acer’s Predator Triton Neo 16 is a beast. There’s the Core Ultra processor, with availability up to i9, but you can also outfit it with a powerful GPU, up to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070. This combination allows for AI-optimized visuals when playing games with advanced ray tracing, thanks to NVIDIA’s DLSS 3.5 technology.

There are several 16-inch display options here, offering up to a 3.2K resolution with a 165Hz refresh rate and a 16:10 aspect ratio. These screens take advantage of a DCI-P3 100% color gamut and offer support for NVIDIA G-Sync and Optimus, for sharper colors and tear-free frames.

You can spec this laptop out with up to 32GB of LPDDR5X system memory and up to 2TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD storage. These computers also offer access to Acer’s proprietary Purifier Voice 2.0 technology, which combines AI-driven noise reduction and beam-forming to keep communications clear during fast-paced multiplayer sessions. The Predator Triton Neo 16 will be available in March, starting at $1,500.

Looking for a laptop outfitted with a new Intel Core Ultra chip but don’t want to wait until March? Acer also updated the Swift Go 14 line. These laptops aren’t as powerful, maxing out with an i7 chip, but feature a gorgeous OLED display. You can actually pick one of these up today from retailers like Amazon, Costco and Sam’s Club, among others. The Swift Go 14 starts at $800 for the bare-bones model.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/acers-predator-triton-neo-16-gaming-laptop-has-intel-core-ultra-processors-150009793.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Acer’s Predator Triton Neo 16 gaming laptop has Intel Core Ultra processors

It’s finally time. Google already announced that as part of its ongoing “Privacy Sandbox” initiative, it’ll begin to restrict third-party cookies in Chrome starting in Q1 2024, and now, we have the exact launch date: January 4. At first, only a random one percent of Chrome users globally will see “Tracking Protection” enabled in their browser, meaning third-party cookies will be blocked by default. If you happen to be one of these lucky folks, you’ll see a prompt on the address bar indicating as such, thus limiting cross-site tracking in the name of privacy.

Assuming everything goes smoothly, Google will then gradually ramp up the rollout to 100 percent of Chrome users by the second half of 2024. Of course, hiccups are expected during this transitional period. Should you find yourself repeatedly loading a website to no avail, Chrome will let you temporarily re-enable third-party cookies. Simply click on the eye icon on the right side of the address bar to toggle this aging feature.

According to StatCounter’s November 2023 report, Google’s Chrome took up 62.85 percent of the worldwide browser market share, with Apple’s Safari in second place at 20.04 percent, and Microsoft’s Edge in third place at a mere 5.5 percent. Considering that there are billions of Chrome users today, it is perhaps fair for Google to call the initial one-percent rollout “a key milestone” for its “responsible approach to phasing out third-party cookies.”

That said, Google may still face some final hurdles set by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority, as well as similar administrations from other countries, which are looking into minimizing the impact on their local ad businesses.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-chromes-third-party-cookie-phaseout-begins-on-january-4-140051834.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Google Chrome’s third-party cookie phaseout begins on January 4

If you’re looking to get a new Apple Watch as a holiday present for someone else (or yourself!), you’re in luck. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is back down to its all-time low price of $699, from $799. This deal comes courtesy of a six percent discount on the Ultra 2 and an additional $50 coupon applicable at checkout. 

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 came on the scene this fall with the new S9 SiP (system in package) chip, allowing you to double tap your thumb and forefinger together to perform activities like ending calls and playing music. The Ultra 2 also automatically turns on Night Mode, processes Siri requests right on the watch and has an always-on display.  

The one caveat: This deal is only available on the Ultra 2 large model, which fits wrists of 165mm to 210mm, and the Indigo Alpine Loop. However, multiple colors of the small and medium models (as well as the large Blue Alpine Loop option) are also discounted to $749 with $19 and $20 coupons available at checkout. So, for another $30 you have a lot of options size and color-wise. 

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

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-apple-watch-ultra-2-falls-back-to-a-low-of-699-125548174.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – The Apple Watch Ultra 2 falls back to a low of 9

Following a two-year investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Tesla will recall over two million vehicles to address Autopilot safety concerns.

Fixes will be issued through free over-the-air (OTA) updates, adding features that ensure drivers pay attention while using Tesla’s Autopilot driver assistance system. It affects all current Tesla EVs built since Autopilot launched in 2015, including the Model 3, Model Y, Model S and Model X.

Those features will include more prominent visual alerts, making it easier to turn Autosteer on and off, and eventual suspension from Autosteer if the driver fails to behave responsibly. NHTSA opened the investigation following 11 crashes with parked first-responder vehicles, which resulted in 17 injuries and one death, since 2018.

Tesla’s legal episodes are likely to continue into 2024. The company updated its purchase agreement documents for its Cybertruck, ensuring it could sue at least some Cybertruck owners who flip their vehicles too soon. Not in a Fast and the Furious way, but by trying to sell one of the popular trucks soon after purchase. Tesla could seek injunctive relief to prevent owners from transferring their vehicle’s title if they attempt to sell it within one year of buying it.

— Mat Smith

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Tesla’s latest Optimus robot can handle an egg without breaking it

The machine has come a long way from its earlier iterations.

More Tesla news, but nothing to do with litigation. Its Optimus robot has reappeared, with improved dexterity — enough to handle an egg. While the previous version of Optimus struggled to walk during a live demo, the latest model can move with more grace, perhaps thanks to its Tesla-designed actuators and sensors. The machine has an actuated neck, with two degrees of freedom, and it’s said to be 30 percent faster at walking. Tesla says it’s been able to reduce the robot’s weight by 10 kilograms without sacrificing any functionality. Optimus handles objects more delicately, with the demo showing it picking up and gently placing down an egg. Finally — it’s what I’ve been waiting for from robots.

Continue reading.

Xbox Cloud Gaming lands on Meta Quest headsets

You’ll need a Game Pass Ultimate membership, controller and solid internet connection.

Meta Quest 2, 3 and Pro headset owners can now stream hundreds of games through Xbox Cloud Gaming. You’ll need an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership, a compatible controller, solid internet connection and the most recent Quest software update, but those are the only things stopping you from playing the latest Xbox games on a huge (virtual) screen. Meta says you’ll be able to choose from four virtual display sizes. You can opt to play games in an Xbox-themed virtual space or make it appear as though the display is floating in mid-air, thanks to the Quest 3 and Pro’s full-color passthrough.

Continue reading.

Apple finally offers the USB-C AirPods Pro case separately

My Lightning cable is living on borrowed time.

My persistent anonymous messages to Apple customer support have finally borne fruit.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-tesla-recalls-over-2-million-cars-over-autopilot-safety-121554058.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – The Morning After: Tesla recalls over 2 million cars over Autopilot safety

Every day, there seems to be new generative AI news, and while it can often be serious and quite technical, this time around it’s just plain fun. Instagram has launched a new generative AI-powered tool called backdrop that lets you create a new image in the, yes, background of your Story. Meta’s generative AI lead, Ahmad Al-Dahle, announced the feature on Threads alongside a video tutorial.

Instagram’s backdrop tool appears once you upload or capture content for your Story. It sits alongside existing icons at the top of your screen, like text and music, represented by an image of a person with a rectangular frame behind them. To use backdrop, just click on that icon, and the image’s entire background will go checkered (similar to picture editors like PhotoShop) along with a text box prompting you to “describe the backdrop you want…” From there, you can add anything from “surrounded by puppies” to “chased by dinosaurs” — very different vibes — and the AI tool will generate it in the background.

Don’t expect people to actually think you’re hanging out under the aurora borealis (another possible prompt), as your Story will get tagged with AI·Backdrop by Instagram, along with a sticker saying try it and your description in quotation marks. Currently, Instagram’s backdrop tool is only available to users in the United States.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/instagram-now-offers-ai-generated-backgrounds-on-stories-115054259.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Instagram now offers AI-generated backgrounds on Stories

Meta’s Threads has finally arrived in Europe over five months after it launched in the US, UK and elsewhere around the world. Following a countdown and Instagram teaser invitation, the app is now officially available in the bloc on the web, though the iOS and Android apps still aren’t available for many.

Threads.net is now live on the web, though the mobile apps are still showing as unavailable for many (you may have to wait patiently). I was able to sign in using my Instagram account, though Meta also offers access without creating a profile — though you can’t post or interact with content in that case. Once I agreed to use Instagram and chose my profile, it asked if I was okay with it being public and if wanted to follow the same people I do on Instagram. A few more clicks and I was in. 

The delay was reportedly due to the EU’s upcoming Digital Markets Act (DMA) set to take effect in 2024. As one of seven tech giant “Gatekeepers,” Meta wanted to ensure it’s in compliance with the DMA, particularly around rules for sharing data between apps. In compliance with EU policies, the app also allows users to access the platform without needing to create a profile.

Threads launched July 5 on mobile with a basic feature set and required users to sign in using their Instagram accounts. It was much like Twitter (now X) when it launched, with support for text posts up to 500 characters, along with photos and five-minute videos. It also supported reposts and quote posts, while allowing users to limit their replies and block/report other users.

Since then, it has added a web version, along with both “following” and “for you” feeds, the ability to send Threads posts on Instagram, following list sorting, liked posts on your profile page and more. In short, it’s become a robust rival to X, Bluesky and its other short-form social media apps.

In addition, yesterday Meta started testing the ability to make Threads posts available on Mastodon and other fediverse apps. That compatibility with the decentralized “ActivityPub” service, and the ability to cross-post to other apps, was a key promise Meta made when it introduced Threads. 

Threads’ rise came with the steep decline of Elon Musk’s X, now seen as more polarized than ever. Among much other drama, the platform recently lost a number of key advertisers after Musk boosted an antisemitic conspiracy theory. In response to that, Musk delivered a new message for advertisers pulling back from the platform: “Go fuck yourself.”

Threads is still in a precarious spot, though. It was an instant hit, crossing the 100 million signup mark just five days after launch and counted 141 million users as of November 10, according to research company Quiver Quantitative. However, engagement is another issue — the number of daily active users has fluctuated and dropped steeply a month or so after launch. It should get a massive boost now that it’s in Europe, though, and Meta easily has the might (and money) to make it work and crush both established and potential rivals. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/threads-finally-launches-in-europe-110747780.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Threads finally launches in Europe

Proton finally has a desktop app. The Swiss company, known for its privacy-focused alternatives to the Google Workspace apps, revealed a Windows and macOS application on Thursday that includes Proton Mail and Proton Calendar. The desktop app is currently available in beta for subscribers on the most expensive premium tier, but the company says it will launch for all Proton users in early 2024.

The company says the desktop app has a modern design with a clutter-free experience. Proton views the move as providing a leg up over Google. “While many people use email on desktop in a browser, desktop apps can still provide certain advantages such as better offline support,” Proton CEO Andy Yen wrote in a press release. “For this reason, we have decided to launch a desktop app, something that even Gmail does not provide.” The desktop app now gives Proton apps on all major platforms.

In addition to the desktop app, Proton is launching several new features for all platforms, including auto-forwarding email rules. Messages sent this way will be encrypted between Proton accounts, and it supports unencrypted auto-forwarding to non-Proton accounts. In addition, Proton Mail now integrates with customer relationship management (CRM) and customer support software as the company looks to grow its footprint in the business world.

Proton says encrypting forwarded messages while maintaining the security the company brands itself on was an enormous challenge. “Messages sent between Proton Mail accounts are always end-to-end encrypted by default,” Proton CTO Bart Butler wrote. “But to maintain end-to-end encryption for messages forwarded to other Proton users presented a huge technical challenge. We needed to figure out how to re-encrypt messages for different recipients without the server being able to access the content.”

Attachment previews are also available for all Proton Mail platforms. Previously, you had to download email attachments locally before viewing them. It now lets you see them directly from the inbox with one click. Proton says it does so without compromising security.

You can also now snooze Proton Mail messages in another catch-up move for the encryption-focused company. In addition, it spruced up the Proton Calendar with searches on the web while adding public holidays. The company has had a busy year, also launching a native Windows file-syncing app in July and a password manager in April.

Before it officially launches early next year, the Proton Mail desktop app is available now in beta for Proton Visionary subscribers. That tier was previously locked to legacy supporters, but the company has reopened registrations from now until January 3. (The plan isn’t cheap, though, at $40 monthly or $360 annually.) Meanwhile, auto-forwarding is available now for paid users on any plan, while attachment previews, snoozing and calendar improvements are here for everyone with a Proton account.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/proton-mail-now-has-a-desktop-app-in-beta-110021703.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Proton Mail now has a desktop app in beta

In October, Insomniac Games launched Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 without key features like New Game+ and audio descriptions. Just before the game’s release, Insomniac’s community and marketing director, James Stevenson, shared that New Game+ “should” arrive before the end of 2023. However, Insomniac has now released a statement explaining that it’s targeting the next Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 update for early 2024.

Insomniac shared the news on X: “We know players have been eagerly awaiting features such as New Game+ and Audio Descriptions, among many more. We have been working vigilantly on these features and require more testing to ensure the quality is up to our standards. We are now targeting Early 2024 for the next game update, and we’ll have a feature-complete list closer to its release.”

Insomniac went on to explain that it’s adding more “highly requested features” to the game, such as replaying missions and changing the time of day. Many users’ responses on X were positive, encouraging Insomniac to take all the time it needs and expressing their love for the company — some of which got answers from the company sharing its thanks and appreciation.

The original Marvel’s Spider-Man game has New Game+, allowing players to start the game over while holding on to items they acquired during previous gameplay. But, despite the few missing features, we’re big fans of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Gamers can play as Peter Parker or Miles Morales across a world that’s expanded to include parts of Brooklyn and Queens. The story, side-quests, and more minor activities all added to the gameplay, creating a sequel that is “both bigger and better.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/spider-man-2s-new-game-mode-pushed-back-to-2024-102622924.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Spider-Man 2’s New Game+ mode pushed back to 2024

Discord has officially updated its hateful conduct policy to add behaviors that don’t reflect its “goal to promote acceptance and inclusivity.” These newly added bannable behaviors include “deadnaming or misgendering a transgender person.” According to TechCrunch, Discord started internally implementing its expanded policy in 2022, but the chat app has just only made it public in an effort to provide more transparency.

“As part of our ongoing efforts to ensure Discord remains a safe and fun place for people to hang out with friends, we continually evaluate potential harms and update our policies,” a spokesperson told the publication. “We often work with organization and subject matter experts to ensure our policies accurately encompass a holistic view of how these issues manifest across the internet and society.”

In addition to misgendering and deadnaming trans people, Discord also considers expressing contempt or disgust towards members of protected groups, perpetuating negative stereotypes about them, repeatedly using slurs to degrade them, threatening or promoting violence against them, as well as calling for their segregation and exclusion as hateful behaviors. LGBT organization GLAAD has praised Discord in its call for social networks to update their policies to recognize deadnaming and targeted or deliberate misgendering as hate speech. 

GLAAD also points out that among the biggest social networks today, TikTok is the only one that explicitly prohibits intentional misgendering and deadnaming. Notably, X implemented a rule against the behavior in 2018 when it was still called Twitter, but it quietly removed that section in its hateful conduct policy under Elon Musk’s leadership.

Discord won’t be banning users who violate its hateful conduct policy after just one infraction, though. Under its warning system, users who go against its rules will receive a direct message detailing their offense, with the platform weighing each violation differently based on the “severity of harm.” Users can see their account standing in their settings page. If they have one or more violation, their accounts will be marked “at risk,” while they could be permanently suspended if they’re marked as having “severe or repeated” violations. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/discord-could-ban-users-if-they-continue-to-deadname-trans-people-083112064.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Discord could ban users if they continue to deadname trans people

Twitch has finally streamlined its confusing guidelines surrounding sexual content after a creator was able to appear seemingly topless in a stream posted on the website. The incident compelled viewers to question what kind of content could actually appear — and what could get you banned — on livestreams. Following feedback from users, Twitch has merged the two separate sexual content policy sections on its guidelines page and clarified that some materials that were previously prohibited are now allowed on the platform, as long as they’re properly labeled. 

They include content that “deliberately highlight breasts, buttocks and pelvic region” when fully clothed, which Twitch admits has caused female-presenting streamers to be “disproportionately penalized.” The website now also allows streams to show drawn, animated or sculpted female-presenting breasts, genitalia or buttocks that are fully exposed. That said, fictionalized sexual acts and masturbation are still prohibited. Videos that show writing on female-presenting breasts and buttocks are now allowed, as well, along with videos that contain strip tease dances. Meanwhile, dance moves that include “twerking” and “grinding” can now be shown in videos even without being labeled. 

In addition to clarifying its sexual content policy, Twitch has also altered its homepage algorithm so that it’ll no longer recommend content that had been labeled with Drugs, Intoxication, or Excessive Tobacco Use; Violent and Graphic Depictions; Gambling; and/or Sexual Themes. The website explains that while viewers must deliberately click on videos on the homepage to watch them, parts of streams with those themes were still visible even to those who may be uncomfortable seeing them due to their thumbnails. Now, viewers must explicitly seek out videos containing those themes. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/twitch-clears-up-its-confusing-sexual-content-guidelines-065648446.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Twitch clears up its confusing sexual content guidelines

Following the revelation that our mobile push notification records can be handed over to law enforcements, Apple put the blame on the Department of Justice (DOJ) for preventing tech companies from revealing such process. Meanwhile, the company also updated its Legal Process Guidelines document to state that “a subpoena or greater legal process” was required to obtain the relevant records. However, Reuters spotted that a week later, Apple quietly tweaked this particular line to match Google’s stricter policy on this matter:

“The Apple ID associated with a registered APNs token and associated records may be obtained with an order under 18 U.S.C. §2703(d) or a search warrant.”

In other words, law enforcement will now need a judge’s consent in order to obtain push notification data from Apple — as is the case with Google all this time, according to a statement provided to Reuters. Engadget reached out to Apple, but it refused to comment on the updated guidelines.

The “push notification spying” concerns were originally brought to light by Oregon Senator Ron Wyden who, in an open letter to the DOJ, claimed that foreign governments have been demanding Google and Apple to provide push notification records. Given how push notifications go through these companies’ servers, the senator is worried that “Apple and Google are in a unique position to facilitate government surveillance of how users are using particular apps.”

Wyden then addressed the elephant in the room, by arguing that these two tech giants “should be permitted to be transparent about the legal demands they receive, particularly from foreign governments.” Apple’s response regarding the DOJ’s suppression appears to align with the senator’s claims, but it’s unclear whether the department will take action on both tech companies’ stepped-up transparency on push notification surveillance.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-now-needs-a-judges-order-to-hand-over-push-notification-records-052710429.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Apple now needs a judge’s order to hand over push notification records

A few weeks after Cruise’s CEO Kyle Vogt and co-founder Daniel Kan resigned, the company has also dismissed nine executives considered as “key” figures for the firm. According to Reuters and other sources, GM’s robotaxi unit sent an internal memo to staff members announcing the executives’ departure while regulators are investigating an incident wherein a pedestrian was dragged by a Cruise vehicle after being struck by another car. Authorities are accusing the company of withholding a video that allegedly shows the victim underneath its vehicle. 

“Following an initial analysis of the October 2 incident and Cruise’s response to it, nine individuals departed Cruise,” the memo reportedly reads. “We are committed to full transparency and are focused on rebuilding trust and operating with the highest standards when it comes to safety, integrity, and accountability. As a result, we believe that new leadership is necessary to achieve these goals.”

One of the executives who was dismissed was Gil West, who served as Cruise’s Chief Operating Officer. A spokesperson also confirmed to Reuters that Jeff Bleich and David Estrada, who were the company’s Chief Legal and Policy Officer and Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, respectively, were among the nine executives who were let go. 

This is just the latest update in the major upheaval Cruise is going through. The California DMV suspended the company’s driverless permit in October, the same month the incident happened. In November, Cruise recalled 950 of its robotaxis following reports that they had trouble identifying children and that the company knew about it but kept the vehicles on the streets anyway. The robotaxi company eventually suspended even its manual operations as part of a safety probe by a third-party firm. Vogt also reportedly announced before he left the company that layoffs are on the horizon, so these executives may not be the only personnel leaving Cruise before the year ends. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cruise-drops-nine-executives-in-the-midst-of-an-accident-probe-involving-its-vehicle-044408544.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Cruise drops nine executives following its robotaxi accident probe

Meta is rolling out a suite of new tools on Instagram that give users more control over how much spam content and bots they will see on their feeds. People will also be told if something they posted is in accordance with community guidelines. The new tools will be introduced gradually in the coming weeks.

Instagram has developed and improved its automated detection system that checks for spam across comments, tags, story views and followers. The moderation systems will flag fake followers and spam-filled content and give users the option to delete those items in bulk to save users time. Any suspected spam or bot account will get filtered into a separate inbox for you to review, and if an account isn’t spam, you can approve a request and they’ll be added to your following list. Otherwise, all accounts will be automatically removed after 30 days. Posts by profiles that get tagged as spam won’t appear on the content creators’ accounts unless they get approved. An account holder can view, bulk delete or approve any tag requests flagged by the system.

Instagram will also send in-app notifications if it detects posts that violate its content policies. This follows Instagram’s most recent update that shows when posts are blocked from appearing on the Explore page, which should stop account holders from repeating those mistakes. For Stories though, Instagram said it is still experimenting with hiding views from accounts that the platform deems as spam.

The company already introduced the “Hidden Words” tool in 2021, which hides messages with questionable keywords. In the coming update, Instagram said it will start to edit out suspected spam through the advanced comment filtering tool. The issue of harassment and spam has long been a focal point for Instagram. It has had to deal with bots storming the platform and proliferating sexually explicit content. However, the company needs to strike a balance between policing inappropriate content and allowing for the free exchange of ideas on its platform. Recently, Instagram has faced scrutiny for allegedly censoring pro-Palestinian content amid the ongoing war in the Gaza.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/instagram-is-making-it-easier-to-remove-spammy-followers-021801458.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Instagram is making it easier to remove spammy followers