Remember back in the ‘90s when Furby brought delight and horror to people of all ages? In Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, Swann keeps a little cryptid toy called Moth Girl, a parody of Moth Girl that’s just as cute and terrifying, with antlers below her antennae and moth wings for which she is named. Whenever she gets the…
After weeks of arguments in the Federal Trade Commission’s monopoly trial, Meta is done defending its decade-plus-old acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp—at least for now.
The seven-week trial ended Tuesday, with the FTC urging Judge James Boasberg to rule that a breakup is necessary to end Meta’s alleged monopoly in the “personal social networking services” market, where Meta currently faces sparse competition among other apps connecting friends and family. As alleged by the FTC, Meta’s internal emails laid bare that Meta’s motive in acquiring both Instagram and WhatsApp was to pay whatever it took to snuff out dominant rivals threatening to lure users away from Facebook—Mark Zuckerberg’s jewel.
Talking to Bloomberg, Meta has maintained that the FTC’s case is weak, seeking to undo deals that the FTC approved long ago while ignoring the competition Meta faces from rivals in the broader social media market, like TikTok. But Meta’s attempt to shut down the case mid-trial was rebuffed by Boasberg, who has signaled he will take months to weigh his decision.
After levying a €500 million fine against Apple in April, the European Commission (EC) says that Apple is still out of compliance with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and has less than 30 days remaining to comply. The DMA requires that Apple allow developers to inform their customers about sales or other offers outside the App Store.
In the 68-page document released today from the EC’s April decision, the commission found that Apple’s policies were plainly anti-competitive and said the company added unnecessary hurdles — referred to as “anti-steering” rules — to completing external transactions.
One such anti-steering strategy the EC took umbrage with was Apple’s “scare sheets.” When users clicked to navigate to an external payment link, a message would appear, reading “you’re about to go to an external website. Apple is not responsible for the privacy or security of purchases made on the web.” Apple could face hefty periodic penalty payments as high as five percent of daily global revenue if the company doesn’t bring its policies into compliance within the EU.
In a statement to 9to5Mac, Apple expressed its disappointment with the newly released details, saying “there is nothing in the 70-page decision released today that justifies the European Commission’s targeted actions against Apple, which threaten the privacy and security of our users in Europe and force us to give away our technology for free.” Later in the statement, the company called the decision “bad for innovation, bad for competition, bad for our products, and bad for users.”
Apple will appeal the decision before the June 22 deadline laid out in the EC’s decision.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apples-app-store-rules-are-still-in-violation-of-eu-policy-161117662.html?src=rss
The recent surge in cyberattacks is pushing cyber insurers toward a fundamental reassessment of premium pricing, Bloomberg reports, with industry analysts warning of an impending “inflection point” that could reshape the market. Marks & Spencer’s impending $404 million hit to its operating profit from a recent hack underscores claims that will “attract intense scrutiny from insurers,” according to cybersecurity expert Adam Casey.
While incidents like this might not trigger immediate premium hikes across the board, they might likely contribute to an upward pricing trend. Panmure Liberum analyst Abid Hussain said that premiums have recently been falling as policy coverage has tightened, but the industry now faces a critical decision point. “There’s going to be another step change, either in the policy wording or in the premiums, or both,” Hussain said.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Simple devices can be a blessing or a curse. Sometimes companies streamline entry-level products to offer the best core features at a lower price. Other times they pair down the experience so much that it becomes a hindrance. With the Smoque (pronounced “smoke”), Weber wants to give prospective pellet grillers access to reliable performance and basic smart features for less money than its more versatile Searwood series. In the end, the company offers enough capabilities to appeal to beginners and expert backyard pitmasters alike, although the Smoque isn’t as much of a value as it was a few months ago.
The Smoque may look like a smaller Searwood on the outside, but there are a few noteworthy differences. First, this model has a simplified controller that, like its predecessor, is only operated with a single knob. The smaller LCD panel is easily read from a distance, and it can show grill temperature, food probe temperature and timer info. The catch is the limited real estate can only display one of those stats at a time.
This isn’t a problem if you’ve got the Weber Connect app handy, but you’ll want to be mindful of which item you leave on the screen if you’re planning to glance at the progress from across the deck. The company is actually hoping the limited onboard controls will encourage grillers to use the app on their phone more during the process. This isn’t a far-fetched scenario since the Smoque is more for smoking and roasting than high-heat cooking, but I’ll get to that in a bit.
The other main difference between the Smoque and the Searwood is underneath the cooking grates inside. Weber replaced its trademark Flavorizer bars with a grease sheet that’s typical in most pellet grills. The Searwood has one large bar stretching from side to side, while Weber’s gas grills and the SmokeFire have several of them going front to back. The company opted for vents instead of a solid sheet of metal, and their covers are basically mini Flavorizer bars. This means you still get the effect of infusing flavor back into foods when grease and juices hit the hot metal and sizzle, albeit on a smaller scale. And those vents facilitate better airflow around the cook chamber, which means efficient smoke circulation.
Weber Connect, a trademark feature of Weber’s smart pellet grills, is available on the Smoque via Wi-Fi. Once your grill syncs with your home network, the mobile software can be used to monitor ambient and food temperatures from anywhere. This is handy if you run out of pellets before your brisket is done or when it’s time to hit the school carpool line. You can set timers, activate SmokeBoost mode, add a temperature alert and initiate the shutdown process from the app, too.
For beginners, or for cooks just looking for inspiration, the Weber Connect app also provides a wealth of recipes. Those come with step-by-step instructions, and the software offers readiness alerts so you don’t overcook those pricey cuts of meat. All of these software features have been a staple of Weber’s smart grilling lineup since the debut of the platform in 2020. The company has greatly refined them in the years since, and Weber Connect is now just as handy and reliable as Traeger’s WiFire tech, which I previously considered the gold standard.
Speaking of reliability, the Smoque is a barbeque workhorse in the backyard. Weber promises preheat times of under 15 minutes on the grill, and that holds true. In fact, most of the time the Smoque will arrive at the desired temperature well before that. Every time I use it, I’m shocked by how quickly it preheats, recovers from the lid being open and adjusts to a higher temperature. This is all thanks to the Rapid React tech in the controller, an upgrade that first appeared on the Searwood.
During cooking sessions, the Smoque held its temperature reliability, too. The Weber Connect app has graphs for the various temperatures, and the ambient grill temperature trajectory is almost always a straight line. Sure, you’ll see the dips any time you open the lid, but you’ll also see the sharp incline that indicates how quickly the grill returned to the set temperature.
Like the Searwood, the SmokeBoost feature that’s designed to add more smoky flavor to your food only works at 180 degrees Fahrenheit. This is lower than you’d want to cook things like brisket or pork shoulders, so you have to plan additional cook time for the 1-2 hours at the lower setting. However, you don’t really need to use it all. The Smoque imparts plenty of wood-fired flavor from the pellets at the appropriate cooking temperatures. Ribs, pork butts, wings and chicken kabobs all had ample smokiness during my tests — even though the latter two items cooked at higher temperatures without using SmokeBoost first.
A useful feature you’ll need to decide if you can live without on the Smoque is manual mode. Weber introduced this on the Searwood and the tool allows you to cook with the lid open for things like direct-flame searing and flat-top griddling. It makes that pellet grill more versatile, undoubtedly, but we’re talking about a more affordable, more streamlined model with the Smoque. As a result, that’s not available here.
Both Weber and Trager have taken an interesting approach to their new smart grills in 2025. The companies have built options that are more affordable than previous devices, and the cheapest models from both of them start at $800. The Smoque was initially announced at $699, and Traeger now lists the Woodridge for $900 when it’s not on sale (it currently is). Given the current global economic predicament, it’s no surprise both companies have raised their prices since their January announcements.
Traeger’s Woodridge also excels at the basics and will help you churn out some deliciously smoked meats. However, the temperature fluctuates during cooking on that grill, so I give a slight edge to Weber in a head-to-head matchup for its rock-solid consistency. And given the fact that the Smoque is now $100 cheaper at full price, those savings could go towards additional accessories.
With the Smoque, Weber proves that a basic grill doesn’t have to offer a subpar experience. This model offers reliable smoking and roasting performance with smart features in the company’s app for less than its more robust Searwood model. The Smoque is even available in two sizes, so there’s an option if you need more than the 594 square inches of cooking space on the unit I tested. Weber really hit its stride with pellet grills last year with the Searwood, and Smoque is proof the company has more compelling ideas in the hopper. Thankfully, this one saves you some money without sacrificing any of the culinary results.
Weber says the 22-inch Smoque is headed to retailers now and will be available on its website in early June for $799. The larger, 36-inch model is coming mid-summer for $999.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/kitchen-tech/weber-smoque-review-a-simplified-smart-grill-thats-still-a-workhorse-160023349.html?src=rss
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
The 2nd-generation Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite is currently 25% off, bringing its price down to $199.99 (originally $264.98)—that’s its lowest price yet, according to price trackers. If you’re an Android user who happens to be in the market for a new tablet that won’t break the bank, this device might be a good fit for you.
With 64GB of storage, this 10.4-inch Android tablet comes with an S Pen stylus and is a lightweight option that won’t take up too much space in your bag.
Despite being suitable for everyday use, the screen lacks the sharpness, brightness, and color depth of higher-end tablets, which might be noticeable if you’re editing photos or using it in direct sunlight. Additionally, while the under $200 price tag is appealing, 64GB of storage may not be sufficient if you need to store a large number of files.
When fully charged, battery life lasts 14 hours, but it can take nearly three hours to charge, compared to newer iPad models, which charge significantly faster. If you’re using the tablet as part of your work-from-home or office setup, you can sync multiple Galaxy devices into a larger workstation and control them all through this tablet. Additionally, the Quick Share feature allows you to send files from the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite to any other Android device.
Whether you’re using it as a cheap drawing tablet or to replace a laptop for basic tasks, the Android-friendly, entry-level Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite has an attractive price tag, a free stylus, and a compact size. However, if you’re looking for advanced capabilities, ultra-sharp visuals, or more extensive storage, it may not be ideal.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman (paywalled), this year’s iOS update won’t be called iOS 19. “Instead, Apple is planning to call it ‘iOS 26’ as part of a new year-based naming strategy,” reports 9to5Mac. The new naming scheme will apply to all of Apple’s software platforms. From the report: Bloomberg explains that Apple is making this change to “bring consistency to its branding and move away from an approach that can be confusing to customers and developers.” The branding alignment comes as Apple is also reportedly planning dramatic redesigns for all of its platforms. The goal seems to be to unify everything both in terms of naming and design.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
I hope all of you are ready for a lot of PS4, PS5, and Xbox ports arriving on Switch 2 over the next few months, because that seems to be our future. For folks who primarily play on Switch and soon Switch 2, it will be a chance to play a lot of great games that were too much for the OG console to handle, or which…
Life360, a family locator app, said today that it has fully integrated the object-tracking features of Tile into its own platform. The Life360 app can now set up and manage Tile trackers, deliver notifications when an item gets left behind and provide real-time location updates for the trackers in addition to its usual features for managing family members’ safety.
Life360 announced its acquisition of Tile for $205 million way back in 2021. At the time of the purchase, Life360 said Tile would continue to operate independently, but it has still been a long time coming for the two businesses to fully integrate with each other’s offerings. In that time, Tile has faced challenges from competitors that have more resources at their back, such as Apple and AirTags. It was also subject to a cyberattack last year where hackers obtained customers’ names, addresses, email addresses and other personal information.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/years-after-acquiring-tile-life360-has-integrated-the-trackers-into-its-app-205111206.html?src=rss
Few game franchises can match the pedigree of Final Fantasy, but one that arguably comes close is the long-running trading card game Magic: the Gathering. Much like FF, Wizards of the Coast’s TCG has been around for decades, bringing in new players regularly and exciting existing ones continualy.
Automaker Stellantis and retail and web services behemoth Amazon have decided to put an end to a collaboration on new in-car software. The partnership dates back to 2022, part of a wide-ranging agreement that also saw Stellantis pick Amazon Web Services as its cloud platform for new vehicles and Amazon sign on as the first customer for Ram’s fully electric ProMaster EV van.
A key aspect of the Amazon-Stellantis partnership was to be a software platform for new Stellantis vehicles called STLA SmartCockpit. Meant to debut last year, SmartCockpit was supposed to “seamlessly integrate with customers’ digital lives to create personalized, intuitive in-vehicle experiences,” using Alexa and other AI agents to provide better in-car entertainment but also navigation, vehicle maintenance, and in-car payments as well.
But 2024 came and went without the launch of SmartCockpit, and now the joint work has wound down, according to Reuters, although not for any particular reason the news organization could discern. Rather, the companies said in a statement that they “will allow each team to focus on solutions that provide value to our shared customers and better align with our evolving strategies.”
Strava drama has become the name of the game in the fitness tracking world. I suppose when your favorite fitness app also includes a social media element, a little tension is inevitable. Add competitive leaderboards into the mix, and you’ve got a recipe for intrigue that would make reality TV producers salivate.
If you’re tuned into leaderboard controversies, you’ll know that runners and cyclists are deeply divided on whether the platform is doing too much—or not nearly enough—to combat fake entries. If you ask me, when some users are deploying electric unicycles to dominate local climbing segments, that’s evidence enough something needs to be done.
And now Strava is doing something: The company has announced the launch of AI-enabled Leaderboard Integrity, a new tool intended to separate legitimate athletes from creative cheaters.
For the uninitiated, the reason people cheat is usually to claim King of the Mountain (KOM) and Queen of the Mountain (QOM) titles—coveted crowns that represent the fastest times on specific segments. Peruse the Strava subreddit for a few minutes, and you’ll be sure to see grievances about leaderboard cheaters.
Strava’s latest update is designed to identify and flag “irregular, improbable, or impossible” performance recorded on the platform. The system acts as a digital referee, capable of detecting when an impossibly fast e-bike ride has been mislabeled as a regular cycling effort, then politely prompting users to correct their entries.
The technology goes beyond simple speed checks. Strava revealed in February that its machine learning system analyzes activities using 57 different factors, including speed patterns, elevation gains, and acceleration data, to determine when something doesn’t add up. The result of this crackdown? Strava has already removed 4.45 million activities from its platform.
The deleted activities generally fall into two main categories: entries uploaded with the wrong sport type (like labeling an e-bike ride as regular cycling) and activities recorded while in a vehicle. To be fair, the latter category likely includes everything from users forgetting to stop their tracking while driving home, to more deliberate attempts to game the system by recording car or train journeys as part of legitimate running segments.
The fitness community’s reaction to Strava’s cheater detection has been characteristically split. Serious athletes and segment hunters generally applaud the stricter measures—after all, leaderboard integrity is what makes the app’s competitive element at all meaningful. If the numbers are fraud, what’s the point?
However, some users worry about false positives—that is, legitimate exceptional performances getting flagged by overzealous algorithms. And the AI is overzealous: Some users have commented that their personal records are being deleted without any sort of prompt or ability to dispute the AI’s findings. If you’re a serious athlete, seeing your genuinely impressive times being questioned by an automated system that might not account for peak human performance is naturally going to rankle.
Outside of leaderboard integrity, Strava’s AI initiatives are generally overzealous and inaccurate. I’m not alone in noticing how absurd its new route generation can get. I’m talking routes with concentric loops, cutting through buildings, major roads instead of residential paths, and other issues that will make no sense to a real human moving through the world. Given the immense heat map data that we’ve all effectively donated to Strava, to be given such shoddy AI-generated routes is fairly bonkers, and it’s hardly surprising that its cheat-detecting tools would also be less than precise.
Controversy aside, Strava’s competitive features should be more about personal motivation than serious competition. If cheater detection is ruining your experience, I recommend some perspective. Try not to let it spoil what should be a fun, social fitness experience—especially given the AI tools don’t (yet) seem accurate enough to reflect reality.
But with 4.45 million activities already in the digital trash bin, Strava’s message is clear: The days of easily gaming the leaderboards are over. Of course, as fitness tracking technology continues to evolve, so too will the methods people use to fool the system. Hopefully Strava stays one step ahead of creative rule-benders.
Telegram has partnered with xAI to integrate the Grok chatbot into its platform for one year, with xAI paying $300 million in cash and equity. Telegram will also receive 50% of subscription revenue from Grok. TechCrunch reports: Earlier this year, xAI made the Grok chatbot available to Telegram’s premium users. It seems Grok might now be made available to all users. A video posted by [Telegram CEO Pavel Durov] on X suggested that Grok can be pinned on top of chats within the app, and users can also ask questions to Grok from the search bar. Notably, Meta has also integrated Meta AI into the search bar on Instagram and WhatsApp. The video also shows that you will be able to use Grok for writing suggestions, summarizing chats, links, and documents, and creating stickers. Grok will supposedly also help answer questions for businesses and assist with moderation.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
You could wander the lands of Cyrodiil aimlessly—and I recommend a playthrough in which you do precisely that—but where’s the fun in a solo adventure mostly filled with wandering? You could become part of something grander, something bigger than you. Join your local guild today! But which one(s)? There are five main…
MYIR has introduced the MYC-LMX91, a compact SoM powered by NXP’s energy-efficient i.MX 91 processor. Designed for smart devices, the module targets applications such as industrial gateways, EV chargers, smart home systems, medical platforms, and building automation. The MYC-LMX91 is built around the 1.4 GHz Arm Cortex-A55-based i.MX 91 (MIMX9131CVVXJAA) and comes equipped with 1GB […]
I spent about twenty hours playing Helldivers 2 on launch, and then my wife bought the game; we easily put in another sixty. There was one feature I continuously begged for in the beginning, much to my wife’s annoyance since she couldn’t do anything about it. I wanted weapon customization. Not just skins, but…
Team Beef is (unofficially) porting the PC gaming classic Counter-Strike 1.6 to Quest and Pico standalone headsets.
Counter-Strike is the latest project from the modding team that has brought a wide range of classic PC gaming titles to standalone VR, including Doom, Doom 3, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Quake, Quake 2, Quake 3, Tomb Raider, Duke Nukem 3D, and the Star Wars Jedi Knight series.
All of these ports require purchasing the original games on PC and then using SideQuest to install them onto your Quest, with the addition of Team Beef’s modified code. John Carmack has tried to convince the now Microsoft-owned studio he once co-founded to let Team Beef sell those Doom, Quake, and Wolfenstein games he originally programmed on Quest’s official Horizon Store, even offering a $1 million guarantee, but it seems id Software isn’t interested.
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Counter-Strike was originally a mod for Half-Life, with the first beta released in 1999. During development, Valve acquired the mod and hired its creators, releasing it as a standalone game called Half-Life: Counter-Strike in 2000. Valve eventually dropped the Half-Life prefix, and by the time it was sold on Steam it was simply called Counter-Strike 1.6, coinciding with a major update.
Counter-Strike was a pivotal moment in the history of the multiplayer FPS genre, popularizing the formula of team-based tactical objectives with realistic weapons in maps mimicking real-world settings and introducing the bomb defusal game mode, a departure from the fantastical deathmatch-focused twitch shooters of the 90s.
Team Beef’s port is leveraging Xash3D FWGS, an open-source implementation of the GoldSrc engine Half-Life and Counter-Strike were built with. Crucially, Xash3D FWGS supports Android, the operating system at the core of Meta Horizon OS and Pico OS.
Team Beef says it will release a beta for its Patreon supporters “very soon”, and uploaded more than 3 minutes of footage to YouTube.
Many of us want the right to repair our own devices, and at least with Apple products, things have been moving in the right direction on that front. Three years ago, Apple launched its self-service repair program, which finally gave people access to the tools and repair manuals needed to fix their broken Apple products for themselves. The program launched with support for iPhone repairs, and it later added some Macs, the Beats Pill speaker, and the Apple Studio Display to its roster as well. Now, Apple is expanding its self-service repair program to include some iPad models.
Unfortunately, not all iPads are in the self-repair program at the moment. From May 29, 2025, Apple will add the following iPads to the program: iPad Air (M2 and later), iPad Pro (M4), iPad mini (A17 Pro), and iPad (A16). This matches the list of iPads Apple will currently accept for official mail-in or in-shop repairs. If you have a different iPad, then you’ll instead have to try your luck with third-party repair shops such as iFixit.
Start your self-repair journey by downloading the appropriate repair manual from Apple’s website. Go through your manual to learn more about your device and how to repair it, and once you’re ready, place an order for the necessary tools and parts.
The good news here is that you can buy or rent Apple-approved iPad repair tools and replacement parts directly from the company. All available products are listed on Apple’s Self Service Repair Store. Plus, authorized third-party repair shops also now have access to these tools, too, if you’d prefer to get some in-person help with your repair but can’t make it to an Apple location. At time of writing, iPads still weren’t listed on the site, so the exact pricing of different types of repair isn’t available yet. In the meantime, let’s take a look at repair costs for an iPhone 16 Pro Max to get an estimate of what the prices could be.
As an example, repairing an iPhone 16 Pro Max’s display costs a hefty $379, and repairing the battery costs $119. In some cases, you can return the replaced part to Apple and receive a credit, which should ease the burden on your wallet. For the aforementioned display repair, the credit offered is just $19, but it’s $57 for the battery, which is quite good.
iPads are bigger than any iPhone, so you can expect repair prices to be higher for them, too. Note, also, that you may sometimes have to enter the serial number of your iPad before placing your parts order, so don’t expect to be able to keep a stockpile of parts on hand.
Repairing iPads (and other Apple products) is a great idea for those who are comfortable tinkering with hardware, but even if you’re not one of those people, this announcement is still good news, since programs like these allow your friendly neighborhood repair shop to stock genuine parts, too.
In some ways, Getty Images has emerged as one of the most steadfast defenders of artists’ rights in AI copyright fights. Starting in 2022, when some of the most sophisticated image generators today first started testing new models offering better compositions, Getty banned AI-generated uploads to its service. And by the next year, Getty released a “socially responsible” image generator to prove it was possible to build a tool while rewarding artists, while suing an AI firm that refused to pay artists.
But in the years since, Getty Images CEO Craig Peters recently told CNBC that the media company has discovered that it’s simply way too expensive to fight every AI copyright battle.
According to Peters, Getty has dumped millions into just one copyright fight against Stability AI.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from 9to5Google: Google Photos was announced at I/O 2015 and the company is now celebrating the app’s 10th birthday with a redesign of the photo editor. Google is redesigning the Photos editor so that it “provides helpful suggestions and puts all our powerful editing tools in one place.” It starts with a new fullscreen viewer that places the date, time, and location at the top of your screen. Meanwhile, it’s now Share, Edit, Add to (instead of Lens), and Trash at the bottom.
Once editing, Google Photos has moved controls for aspect ratio, flip, and rotate to be above the image. In the top-left corner, we have Auto Frame, which debuted in Magic Editor on the Pixel 9, to fill-in backgrounds and is now coming to more devices. Underneath, we get options for Enhance, Dynamic, and “AI Enhance” in the Auto tab. That’s followed by Lighting, Color, and Composition, as well as a search shortcut: “You can use AI-powered suggestions that combine multiple effects for quick edits in a variety of tailored options, or you can tap specific parts of an image to get suggested tools for editing that area.”
The editor allows you to circle or “tap specific parts of an image to get suggested tools for editing that area.” This includes the subject, background, or some other aspect. You then see the Blur background, Add portrait light, Sharpen, Move and Reimagine appear in the example below. We also see the redesigned sliders throughout this updated interface. This Google Photos editor redesign “will begin rolling out globally to Android devices next month, with iOS following later this year.” We already know the app is set for a Material 3 Expressive redesign. Meanwhile, Google Photos is starting to roll out the ability to share albums with a QR code. This method makes for easy viewing and adding with people nearby. Google even suggests printing it out when in (physical) group settings. Google shared a few tips, tricks and tools for the new editor in a blog post.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
