China’s new five-year plan — an overarching policy proposal for the next term of Chinese Communist Party leadership — is focused on making the nation technologically self-reliant and less vulnerable to foreign pressure, Bloomberg reports. The plan has yet to be officially adopted, but is being released ahead of a summit between President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping in South Korea.

The main focus of the proposal is to make China’s tech and science industries self-reliant and less dependent on products created by international companies. Bloomberg writes that the proposal is particularly interested in developing “fields such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence” which are currently driven in part by products from US companies like Nvidia and OpenAI. China also hopes to “bolster domestic consumption” and make the country less dependent on exporting, a business that’s been thrown into chaos by a fluctuating tariff regime set by the Trump administration. 

Per the AP, this new five-year plan mostly builds on the previous five-year plan China set during Trump’s first-term, which focused on investing in technology as part of the country’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, the new plan aims to continue the growth of China’s wind and solar industries and “accelerate the all-out green transformation of economic and social development.”

In the context of the US and China’s back and forth over international trade and access to resources, the new plan, as reported by Bloomberg and the AP, seems like a response to the growing tensions between the two countries. One that could make China less burdened by the US moving forward.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/chinas-latest-five-year-plan-aims-for-technological-self-reliance-194551489.html?src=rss

It’s about to get a whole lot harder for catfishers on Tinder. Starting today, new users in California will have to scan their faces while setting up their accounts to ensure that they’re both real and that they match their profile photos.

Called Face Check, the new mandatory feature is the first step in a new initiative from Tinder’s parent company Match Group, which says the goal is to help reduce “spam, scam attempts, or [bots] operating automated fake profiles.” When signing up, users will need to complete a “liveness check,” during which they’ll take a video selfie from various angles. After that, the app will compare the selfie to profile pictures also uploaded during setup, and if it determines that they match, the user will get a “Photo Verified badge” and they’ll be able to finish making their account. Tinder also says the system can determine if a picture has been used across multiple accounts to help prevent impersonation.

While Face Check is new to the United States, it’s already been launched abroad in Colombia, Canada, Australia, India, and “several countries across Southeast Asia.” According to Tinder, “when coupled with other recent safety initiatives,” Face Check has led to an over 60% decrease in users exposed to “bad actors,” and an over 40% decrease in reports of bad actors.

Face Check’s debut also coincides with the rise of AI image generators, and while the company’s announcement post doesn’t explicitly call out AI, it’s not hard to see how it could prove handy against bots using generated photos to pretend to be someone who doesn’t even exist. Traditional catfishing methods, such as using stock photos, can be detected with diligent reverse image searching, but AI’s ability to quickly create novel, believable, and specifically tailored results has made it harder than ever to know whether you’re speaking to a genuine human online.

At the same time, as other apps begin to collect personal information like government IDs, there is a privacy concern. Tinder says that Face Check only uses your video selfie to complete the verification process, and deletes it shortly after review, although it does generate a “non-reversible, encrypted face map” that is stored to “help verify new photos, detect fraud, and prevent duplicate accounts.”

As someone who met my husband on Twitter (RIP), I’ll leave it up to you whether that’s worth it. Have you tried just getting real good at posting instead?

For now, though, you might have to wait a bit until Face Check actually makes its way to you. First, Tinder is not forcing existing accounts to use Face Check, which is why I assume it’s using a badge to indicate the accounts that have gone through Face Check, even though it’s mandatory during setup. Second, Face Check is rolling out slowly. Tinder says that it will come to additional states “in the coming months,” although the company did not provide an exact timeline.

As for other apps, Match Group (which also owns OKCupid, Hinge, and Plenty of Fish, among others) says it will extend Face Check to additional platforms in 2026.

President Donald Trump has pardoned the Founder of Binance, Changpeng Zhao, who pleaded guilty to anti-money-laundering violations and served prison time. The Associated Press reports: Zhao has deep ties to World Liberty Financial, a crypto venture that the Republican president and his sons Eric and Donald Jr. launched in September. Trump’s most recent financial disclosure report reveals he made more than $57 million last year from World Liberty Financial, which has launched USD1, a stablecoin pegged at a 1-to-1 ratio to the U.S. dollar. World Liberty Financial also recently announced that an investment fund in the United Arab Emirates would be using $2 billion worth of USD1 to purchase a stake in Binance. Zhao also has publicly said that he had asked Trump for a pardon that could nullify his conviction.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement Thursday that the Biden administration prosecuted Zhao out of a “desire to punish the cryptocurrency industry.” She said there were “no allegations of fraud or identifiable victims,” though Zhao had pleaded guilty in November to one count of failing to maintain an anti-money-laundering program.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

When you’re trying to keep Leica’s digital camera lineups straight, the M-System was always the one with optical rangefinder display (and high price tag). However. the company just upended that precedent with the M EV1, a 60MP mirrorless camera with a classic M design but an electronic viewfinder (EVF) in place of the rangefinder. 

It may upset purists, but it’s a move that makes sense from a sales point of view. Leica’s old-school film cameras used its M mount lens system and, in order to keep the bodies compact, didn’t have reflex mirrors like SLRs. Instead, they used an optical rangefinder, which provides a weird, offset and inaccurate view of the scene. Leica kept the rangefinders when it launched its digital M cameras, even though it could have switched to an EVF. 

Leica

In 2014, Leica launched a more modern mirrorless camera lineup with the new SL mount that did use electronic viewfinders. However, they have always lacked the cachet, compact size and gorgeous looks of the M-System, so don’t appeal as much to well-heeled buyers that want the full Leica experience. 

Enter the M EV1, which looks exactly like you want a Leica to look but boots the rangefinder in favor of an EVF. “Designed for both devoted Leica enthusiasts and those new to the M System, it makes capturing beautiful, intentional photographs easier than ever,” the company wrote. Leica probably noticed buyers who wanted a pretty camera were drawn to the M series, but then put off by the wonky rangefinders.

Handmade in Germany, the M EV1 is definitely beautiful, with the classic rounded rectangular M shape and a new diamond-patterned leatherette to give it a distinctive look compared to the rangefinder models. Leica also eliminated the dedicated ISO dial (the setting is now done via another control), which helped make it 1.62 ounces lighter than the M11-P. It has a new custom function lever that lets you activate focusing aids and digital zoom options while looking through the viewfinder.

Leica

That viewfinder is definitely a good one, with 5.76 million dots of resolution for a sharp view. The rear screen has a sharp 2.32-million-dot display, but is fixed in place and doesn’t tilt. 

Otherwise, the M EV1 has similar specs to the M11-P. It has a high resolution 60MP sensor with support for 14-bit RAW images processed using Leica’s excellent color science and burst speeds up to 4.5 fps. You can shoot with the mechanical shutter at up to 1/4000th and 1/16,000th in silent mode (flash sync is 1/180th). Focusing is strictly manual, with magnification and focus peaking assist functions. Naturally, it uses Leica’s famous and tremendously expensive compact M mount lenses. There’s no support for video.

Though some features are old school, the M EV1 lets you connect to Leica’s Fotos app via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or a cable for quick sharing on social media and elsewhere. It also supports Leica’s Content Credentials system that enables the origin and history of an image to be clearly traced to avoid copyright theft or AI spoofing. Other features include 64GB of built-in storage along with UHS-II SD card support, and a meager 237 shots on a battery charge when using the EVF.

Seeing the price is always a fun experience with a new Leica camera, and the M EV1 doesn’t disappoint. It’s now on pre-order for $8,995 (black, body only) with shipping set for later this year. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/leicas-latest-m-camera-drops-the-rangefinder-in-favor-of-an-electronic-viewfinder-190547479.html?src=rss

Memes can be fun. But when a big corporation decides to get in on the action, the fun usually dies.

As spotted by Android Authority, Google is currently working on a new feature for Google Photos called “Me Meme,” though Android Authority thinks it could be called “Meme Me” upon release. The feature is simple: Through the power of AI (sigh), you can turn pictures of yourself or a family member into “your favorite memes.” Cool.

Here’s how it’s supposed to work: You choose a “meme template,” along with a sample photo of yourself, a friend, or a family member. That photo reportedly needs to be backed up to Google Photos before you can use it here. And while not a requirement, the feature recommends you use a selfie with a clear view of your face. That makes sense: If the AI is going to insert your likeness into a meme, it needs an accurate view of what you look like. Otherwise, you’ll just end up generating a meme with some stranger’s face.

At the moment, the only meme Me Meme currently advertises producing is “This Is Fine,” the meme taken from KC Green’s comic of a dog sitting in a burning room. Android Authority wasn’t able to get the feature working, but saw promotional images of the feature in action, which shows a sample selfie, and the end result. Importantly, the “Me Meme” menu option also features a graphic of a person dabbing. Again—and I cannot emphasize this enough—cool.

Even through Google’s “official” meme generation here, I’m not sure I’d be able to tell that the AI image is supposed to be based on the reference selfie. Unless the AI really captures the person’s likeness, Me Meme loses whatever appeal it might have otherwise had. Why would anyone want to send a custom AI version of a meme with some random person as its subject? Though, building off that point, one might ask why anyone would want to send an AI-generated meme of themself at all?

Maybe this will be Google’s Bitmoji moment. Maybe this feature will never actually come to pass. Either way, the AI era is certainly interesting, if not all that cool.

Microsoft said earlier this month that it wanted to add better voice controls to Copilot, Windows 11’s built-in chatbot-slash-virtual assistant. As described, this new version of Copilot sounds an awful lot like another stab at Cortana, the voice assistant that Microsoft tried (and failed) to get people to use in Windows 10 in the mid-to-late 2010s.

Turns out that the company isn’t done trying to reformulate and revive ideas it has already tried before. As part of a push toward what it calls “human-centered AI,” Microsoft is now putting a face on Copilot. Literally, a face: “Mico” is an “expressive, customizable, and warm” blob with a face that dynamically “listens, reacts, and even changes colors to reflect your interactions” as you interact with Copilot. (Another important adjective for Mico: “optional.”)

Mico (rhymes with “pico”) recalls old digital assistants like Clippy, Microsoft Bob, and Rover, ideas that Microsoft tried in the ’90s and early 2000s before mostly abandoning them.

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Apple will owe money to UK users after losing an App Store antitrust lawsuit there on Thursday, according to Financial Times. The Competition Appeal Tribunal ruled that the iPhone maker abused its dominant market position to inflate developer fees.

The tribunal found that the company has “near absolute market power” for iOS app distribution and in-app payments. The decision declared that Apple has been “abusing its dominant position by charging excessive and unfair prices.” FT reports that Apple will appeal the decision.

The class action claimants said damages of about £1.5bn would be split between 36 million consumers. A subsequent hearing to determine the process for “resolving any questions relating to the calculation” of damages could come as soon as next month.

Apple has an increasingly strained relationship with the tighter regulations across the Atlantic. Earlier this week, the company stepped up its attacks on the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), a law designed to protect consumers from Big Tech dominance. And on Wednesday, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) confirmed that Apple has “strategic market status” in the country’s equivalent of the DMA. That gives the CMA authority to “ensure that mobile platforms are open to effective competition.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-loses-uk-antitrust-lawsuit-over-app-store-fees-184515613.html?src=rss

Nearly three decades after Clippy appeared as Microsoft’s Office assistant, the company is introducing Mico, a virtual character for Copilot’s voice mode. The bouncing orb responds with real-time expressions during conversations and is being turned on by default, The Verge reports. Users can disable the feature, however.

The assistant draws on a new memory feature inside Copilot to recall facts about users and their work. Mico will be available in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada at launch. Microsoft is also adding a Learn Live mode that transforms the character into a Socratic tutor using interactive whiteboards and visual cues. The initiative is part of an effort to give Copilot a permanent identity. Jacob Andreou, corporate vice president of product and growth at Microsoft AI, said: “Clippy walked so that we could run.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The Game Developers Conference (GDC) is undergoing a major overhaul, according to a report by the affiliated publication Game Developer. The “reimagined” conference is getting a name change, as it’ll now be called the GDC Festival of Gaming. It’s also changing up how passes work and transitioning the shift of its focus to “meet today’s broader, interconnected games industry.”

Let’s start with the new simplified pass structure. The newly-announced Festival Pass replaces the pre-existing All-Access pass and costs 45 percent less than its predecessor. Pricing starts at $649 and offers access to all of the event’s main content programming. Access to the main conference was previously segmented depending on a number of pass types.

There are two other main pass types. The Digital Pass offers access to online-only networking and costs $799. The Game Changer Pass is the baddest of the bunch, offering all of the above plus access to a facilitated meetings program. This invite-only program promises meetings with industry icons and access to a series of talks called the Luminaries Speaker Series. That one costs $1,700. Indies, start-ups and academics can apply for discounts that can knock another $200 to $300 off the price tag.

As for content, the organization seems to be placing a heavier focus on networking. Organizers say the event wants to serve the industry “across every state of a game’s life cycle” and that all changes were “informed and inspired by feedback from the community.”

The Expo Hall has been redesigned and renamed Festival Hall and will prioritize offering developers opportunities to connect with one another through game demos and social spaces. GDC president Nina Brown described the new event as “celebrating the vital interconnection between creators, leaders and partners that drive the industry forward.”

GDC starts next year in San Francisco on March 9. It goes until March 13 and passes are available now.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/gdc-is-lowering-ticket-prices-and-overhauling-many-aspects-of-the-conference-183855239.html?src=rss

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Apple products are expensive for a reason: they’re good. But that doesn’t mean you have to spend an arm and a leg to get Apple brand stuff. Apple’s “Special Edition” (SE) watch models for us mere mortals are more budget-friendly, but they still have competitive features. If you’ve been eyeing an Apple Watch look no further than the 2nd Generation GPS Apple Watch SE, starting at $169.99 (originally $249) at Walmart. The bigger 44mm size is available for $199 (originally $279).

(GPS 40mm) Smartwatch with Midnight Aluminum Case with Ink Sport Loop

Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen)

$169.99
at Walmart

$249.00
Save $79.01

$169.99
at Walmart

$249.00
Save $79.01

(GPS 44mm) Smartwatch with Midnight Aluminum Case with Midnight Sport Band – M/L

Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen)

$199.00
at Walmart

$279.00
Save $80.00

$199.00
at Walmart

$279.00
Save $80.00

The 2nd Apple Watch SE starts around the same price as the Series 7, but the 2nd Apple Watch SE was released a year later (in 2022) than the Series 7. That means it’ll be getting at least one more year of security updates and features than the Series 7. This model is lightweight, has excellent apps (same as the premium models), a great battery life of up to 37 hours on a charge (according to PCMag’s review) has a crash detection feature, and many other features that punch above its weight.

The sleep tracker, heart rate monitor, phone call capacity, and GPS are also excellent. Since this is the GPS version, you’ll be limited to carrying your iPhone around within Bluetooth or wifi reach to take calls or texts.

OpenAI’s relentless push for growth took another turn on Thursday when the company said it had bought Software Applications Incorporated. The company is perhaps best known for making Workflows. Apple bought that iOS automation app in 2017 and turned it into Shortcuts.

This year, though, Software Applications Incorporated unveiled Sky, a new automation app for Mac. Given its focus on agentic AI — artificial intelligence systems that carry out actions on your behalf — it’s easy to see why OpenAI would be interested in scooping that up.

“Whether you’re chatting, writing, planning, or coding, Sky understands what’s on your screen and can take action using your apps,” Software Applications said. “Now, we’re joining OpenAI to bring these capabilities to even more people. We can’t wait to share more.”

OpenAI plans to incorporate “Sky’s deep macOS integration and product craft” into ChatGPT. All of the Software Applications team will join the company.

Apple has been working on integrating similar features into a new version of Siri. The company first demoed those in 2024, but the overhauled Siri is not expected to arrive until spring 2026. Reports suggest that Apple wants the new Siri to carry out actions in third-party apps. OpenAI recently announced third-party app integration for ChatGPT.

News of the acquisition comes just days after OpenAI released ChatGPT Atlas, its first web browser. The app is available on macOS now, and it’s coming to iOS, Android and Windows soon. OpenAI also bought AI-powered personal investing app Roi earlier this month.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-buys-the-maker-of-mac-automation-app-sky-182624253.html?src=rss

Banks face a hit to their bottom lines of as much as $170 billion if they don’t adapt their business models to respond to customers turning to AI to optimize their finances. From a report: The consultancy firm predicted that customer uptake of agentic AI — effectively autonomous bots — would hit the profits banks earn from customer money in low interest accounts, according to a report from McKinsey published Thursday. “Imagine you have an AI agent that says: ‘Hey, you could save $2,000-a-year by moving your money,'” Pradip Patiath, a senior partner at McKinsey, said. “It automates a lot of the inertia that is in the system today.”

Consumers hold $23 trillion out of a total of $70 trillion in accounts with close to zero interest rates, while the remainder is held in accounts that often pay relatively low rates, according to the research. Customer use of AI agents could lead to a 9% profit drop for banks, some $170 billion, if they do not change their business models. That could push average returns for banks below their cost of capital, the consultants said.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

If Amazon’s new lineup of Kindle Scribes didn’t pique your interest, Boox, a long-time player in the E Ink gadget space, might have what you’re looking for. The company’s recently announced Boox Palma 2 Pro and Note Air5 C offer color E Ink displays in two distinct sizes, and unlike the Scribe or reMarkable Paper Pro Move, let you run any Android app you want.

The Palma 2 Pro is the more notable of the two devices. It’s a premium sequel to the Boox Palma, a phone-shaped E Ink device that originally became popular as a “healthy” and less distracting alternative to scrolling on a smartphone. The Palma 2 Pro improves on the original with a 6.3-inch color E Ink screen (a Kaleido display, the same one used on the Kobo Libra Colour) and support for 5G data through a new SIM card slot. The new Palma also runs Android 15, supports Boox’s InkSense Plus stylus for taking notes and includes A-GPS for basic navigation. In other words, it’s a much better smartphone replacement than before.

Boox

The Note Air5 C is a bit more familiar. The 10.3-inch E Ink Android tablet is basically a larger version of the Boox Go 7 and Go 7 Color devices Boox announced earlier this year, and an update to the Note Air4 C that’s graced Engadget’s list of best E Ink tablets. The main changes Boox has made to this new model are that it runs Android 15 and supports a keyboard cover through the addition of pogo pins on the back. This makes it easier to type up documents on the device, and theoretically lets it support other accessories down the road. Alongside the keyboard, Boox says the new Note Air’s Pen3 stylus is more comfortable to hold, and includes a removable cap for storing extra tips. Using an E Ink Kaleido display means the Note Air5 C might not offer quite the same experience as an iPad Pro with iPadOS 26, but a newer version of Android and a keyboard gets it a lot closer.

Both of Boox’s new devices are available to order now, and should ship in November. The Boox Palma 2 Pro costs $400, while the Boox Note Air5 C costs $530, or $607 in a bundle with a keyboard cover.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/boox-updates-popular-palma-e-ink-device-with-color-and-5g-connectivity-180000230.html?src=rss

Meta is bringing more of its generative AI-powered photo and video editing tools directly to Instagram Stories. With the changes, you can now use text prompts to remove or change objects in your photos or “restyle” the image completely.

The new tools live in a new “restyle” menu at the top of the Stories composer. You can select “add,” “remove” or “change” to tweak specific elements of your images. These features work a lot like either AI-based image editing tools; you can do things like remove stray objects from the backgrounds of photos or change up a person’s outfit. You can also make more dramatic edits, like in the photo below, when I asked Meta AI to “change the background to make it look like the cat is in space.” 

Screenshot via Instagram

The prompt bar can also be used to iterate on images without the “add, change, remove” constraints. It still takes a couple seconds for Meta AI to come up with its creations, but it’s an overall much faster and smoother experience than the company’s first “imagine” image generator from nearly two years ago.

Meta has also added some preset effects that change the style of an entire image (e.g. anime, watercolor, 8-bit) without a prompt. There are also some presets specifically for “short videos,” according to Meta, though I’m only seeing restyle options for photos for now.

Meta

Meta is also testing some “restyle” effects for text within Stories posts. This will allow people to mix things up from the same few font styles Instagram typically has available. Like with the image edits, you can ask Meta to customize the look of your words (e.g “make it look like toy blocks”).

The changes will make Meta AI’s image and video editing features much more prominent to Instagram users, Meta AI has had the ability to change and restyle images for some time, but those features have been confined to chats with the Meta AI assistant. By now adding text-based prompts directly to Stories, these tools are a lot more accessible. Instagram is further encouraging users to share their new AI-inspired creations with a new “add yours” sticker that lets people share prompts others can iterate on. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/instagram-stories-is-getting-new-ai-powered-editing-tools-175500693.html?src=rss