Pushing to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that its chatbots caused a teen’s suicide, Character Technologies is arguing that chatbot outputs should be considered “pure speech” deserving of the highest degree of protection under the First Amendment.

In their motion to dismiss, the developers of Character.AI (C.AI) argued that it doesn’t matter who the speaker is—whether it’s a video game character spouting scripted dialogue, a foreign propagandist circulating misinformation, or a chatbot churning out AI-generated responses to prompting—courts protect listeners’ rights to access that speech. Accusing the mother of the departed teen, Megan Garcia, of attempting to “insert this Court into the conversations of millions of C.AI users” and supposedly endeavoring to “shut down” C.AI, the chatbot maker argued that the First Amendment bars all of her claims.

“The Court need not wrestle with the novel questions of who should be deemed the speaker of the allegedly harmful content here and whether that speaker has First Amendment rights,” Character Technologies argued, “because the First Amendment protects the public’s ‘right to receive information and ideas.'”

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Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai told a judge who found that Google illegally monopolizes online search that a Justice Department proposal to share search data with rivals would be a “de facto” divestiture of the company’s search engine. From a report: If Google were required to share both its search data and the information on how it ranks results, rivals could reverse engineer “every aspect of our technology,” Pichai testified on Wednesday.

“The proposal on data sharing is so far reaching, so extraordinary,” Pichai said. It “feels like de facto divestiture of search” and its entire intellectual property and technology over 25 years of research, he said. During testimony in federal court in Washington, Pichai asserted that a package of antitrust remedies proposed by the government is too extreme and will undermine Google’s ability to compete in the market.

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We don’t speak for all moms, but a brief and unscientific survey has confirmed one gift most moms will love across the board: Time. Unspoken for, unstructured, zero-obligation time. While we couldn’t find extra hours on sale anywhere online, we did find some gadgets and gizmos that help save time and others that make precious down time more enjoyable. Our recommendations include some of the gifts we’ve given to the moms in our own lives as well as what the moms on staff would want for themselves. Most have a tech bent, because we are who we are, but all should appeal to any mom who wants to make the most of their time.

Check out the rest of our gift ideas here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-gifts-for-moms-130044386.html?src=rss

Those who have been fortunate enough to lock in a Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order will surely be counting down the days until the console arrives on June 5. Nintendo is laying the groundwork for its upcoming system with an update for the original Switch that adds support for a few key features.

One that you can start using right now is the Virtual Game Cards function. This lets you lend digital games to friends and family members who are on the same Nintendo Family Account. Nintendo says the aim here is to make it as easy to share digital games with your loved ones as letting them borrow a physical game card. A key catch here is that you need to connect to another Switch system locally to borrow a game. The Switch 2 will support this feature as well.

Next up, Nintendo has enabled cloud transfers for those who are moving to the Switch 2. Once you’ve updated your Switch software to version 20.0.0, in the System section of the settings, you should see a “System Transfer to Nintendo Switch 2” option. This will let you transfer all your data to a Switch 2 locally once you have the latest console in your possession.

There’s also the ability to send all of your transfer data to the cloud now. That could come in useful for you’re planning to sell your Nintendo Switch to help fund a purchase of a new system. You’d be able to do that immediately to help you prepare to buy your Switch 2. The main downside is that uploading transfer data to the cloud will reset the Switch to its factory settings, so maybe don’t do that just yet if you’re still planning to play it for the next month (or until you get your Switch 2).

Nintendo will store the data on its servers for one year. You can either complete the transfer to a Switch 2 in that time or cancel it and download the data back onto a Switch.

The latest Switch system update adds support for one other key feature. It’s called GameShare, and it enables local wireless multiplayer across several Switch systems. Only one person needs to own a copy of a compatible game to do this. You can’t do anything with GameShare yet, however. You’ll only be able to share games from a Switch 2, but you’ll be able to do so to Switch, Switch Lite and other Switch 2 units.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-switch-update-adds-virtual-game-cards-and-switch-2-cloud-transfer-support-160057826.html?src=rss

Inspired by Wolverine’s Adamantium skeleton, The Hacksmith decided to try making his bulletproof skull. First, he had a CT scanned performed, then 3D printed a replica of his own skull in glass fiber reinforced nylon. Then, the skull was electroplated with Nanovate, a nano-crystallized metal alloy that ramps up energy absorption capabilities. The result? An actual bulletproof skull that stands up to multiple bullets AND a grenade blast, although I can’t imagine if there were a brain inside it would just be dusting off its wrinkles and walking away happy.

A Snapchat redesign test appears to have stalled after power users seemingly disliked the “simplified” layout.

The new version of Snapchat intended “to help new and casual users” navigate the app, according to Snap’s Q1 investor letter, released on April 29. As reported by TechCrunch, the overhauled app removed the Snap Map and Stories tabs. A proposed new three-tab navigation bar focused on chat, the camera and Spotlight (Snapchat’s answer to TikTok.) The report doesn’t specify how long the testing phase went on for or how widespread it was.

For now at least, Snap is seemingly reconsidering. “Our most engaged Snapchatters consistently demonstrated a preference for a five-tab layout,” the company wrote in that same investor letter. While it does not specifically say it’s ending tests of the simplified version, Snap notes it has “begun testing a refined five-tab interface that combines the best of both approaches.” Engadget reached out to Snap for comment on if this layout is no longer being deployed to users. We’ll update this article if we receive a response.

Snap has a pretty rough track record where redesigns are concerned. In 2017 the company tried to reorient its flagship app around separating friend-related posts from media content; in the year that followed, Snapchat lost three million daily users in the space of three months. At that time there were also well-documented issues with the Android version of the app.

The latest earnings report revealed that Snap lost one million users in North America in Q1, down to 99 million from 100 million in the previous quarter. Despite this, the global Snapchat community grew to 460 million in Q1, an increase of 7 million daily active users quarter-over-quarter.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/snap-is-seemingly-rethinking-that-simplified-app-154628101.html?src=rss

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For anyone who dabbles in photo editing but doesn’t need the full creative suite and its subscription fees, Adobe Photoshop Elements 2025 offers a simpler alternative, and it’s currently available for $99.99 for a three-year license on StackSocial. That’s a one-time payment for three full years of access—no monthly charges or auto-renewals. It’s the 2025 version with updates included, and yes, it works on both Mac (including M1/M2 chips) and Windows as long as your system meets the basic requirements (8GB RAM, 10GB storage, modern OS, etc.).

This version leans on AI to do the heavy lifting, trying to make editing feel less intimidating. You’re still getting solid editing tools, just without the pressure to master every detail. There’s an AI-powered object removal tool that can wipe out background clutter or photobombers in a few clicks, and you also get new tools to adjust depth and motion, like adding a shallow-focus effect to a portrait or animating a still image with quick motion overlays. The color transformation feature lets you change the color of an object without needing to mask or trace, which saves a ton of time if you’re not a pro. And if you’ve ever tried to blend two photos manually, you’ll appreciate the automatic seamless blending feature. There are also 59 Guided Edits that walk you through specific techniques, so you don’t have to learn through trial and error. Plus, you can use a mobile and web companion app to play around with your projects on the go, though those are still a work in progress and only available in a few languages.

The Anker Soundcore Space A40 earbuds are on sale for just $45 via Amazon. This represents a discount of 44 percent, as the typical price is $80. This particular deal only applies to the blue and white models, but other colors are on sale for $50. Also, the sale only works for Prime members, but there’s a similar deal straight from the company if you’d rather shop elsewhere. Just use the on-page coupon code for that one.

The Space A40 tops our list of the best budget wireless earbuds. We found the built-in ANC to be impressive, especially when compared to other budget-friendly earbuds. We also enjoyed the sound, which we found to be pleasant and warm. There’s multi-device connectivity and wireless charging support beyond that.

The fit is comfortable, which isn’t always the case with earbuds, and the battery life is decent. We got around eight hours per charge in our testing, though the included charging case supplies 40 hours or so. The IPX4 water resistance rating is average, but does let the earbuds survive light rain and sweat.

The mic quality is fine, but doesn’t handle sibilant sounds too well and can lose your voice in noisy areas. In other words, these aren’t the best earbuds for phone calls, though they work in a pinch. They also don’t have an auto-pause feature.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/our-favorite-budget-earbuds-are-back-on-sale-for-45-152016314.html?src=rss

Wikipedia will employ AI to enhance the work of its editors and volunteers, it said Wednesday, also asserting that it has no plans to replace those human roles. The Wikimedia Foundation plans to implement AI specifically for automating tedious tasks, improving information discovery, facilitating translations, and supporting new volunteer onboarding, it said.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.