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

President Donald Trump has pardoned Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, the White House said. Zhao pleaded guilty to federal money laundering charges in 2023 and he was sentenced last year to four months in prison. He was released in September 2024. 

As part of his plea deal, Zhao stepped down as CEO of Binance and he was banned from having any involvement with the company for three years. Both Zhao and Binance reportedly submitted formal applications for pardons by August this year.

Trump “exercised his constitutional authority by issuing a pardon for Mr. Zhao, who was prosecuted by the Biden Administration in their war on cryptocurrency,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. “The Biden Administration’s war on crypto is over.”

The Wall Street Journal notes that the pardon could pave the way for Binance to start doing business in the US again. The company was barred from operating there after pleading guilty to violating money laundering laws in 2023.  Binance officials are said to have met with Treasury Department representatives this year in an attempt to reduce US oversight of the company.

Binance is involved with the Trump family’s World Liberty Financial cryptocurrency business — a venture that has padded the president’s pockets. For one thing, it bolstered the growth of USD1, a World Liberty cryptocurrency that’s pegged to the dollar. Binance received a $2 billion investment this spring and that was paid in USD1. According to CNBC, World Liberty has generated around $4.5 billion since last year’s presidential election.

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried has also reportedly been angling for a Trump pardon. Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2024 after being found guilty of fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Crypto billionaire Justin Sun said last November that he’d invested $30 million into World Liberty (a figure that later rose to $75 million). In February, the Securities and Exchange Commission dropped a case against Sun. The agency had charged him in 2023 with alleged violations of securities laws. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/binance-founder-changpeng-zhao-lands-a-trump-pardon-174929498.html?src=rss

What if Clippy were powered by AI? That seems to be the pitch behind Microsoft’s new “expressive, customizable and warm” face of Copilot’s voice mode. The friendly blob listens, reacts and changes color in response to user interactions.

Microsoft sees Mico as an answer to what an “AI companion” looks like. The “optional visual presence” aims to listen and support without kissing ass. “It will push back on you sometimes, but always respectfully,” Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman  wrote in a blog post.

But don’t take my word for it. Get ready for the most exciting 39 seconds of your day, as you watch Mico silently spin and shift hues.

Clippy — I mean, Mico — is also part of a new Copilot feature called Learn Live. The student-focused voice mode will have Mico act as a Socratic tutor that “guides you through concepts instead of just giving answers.” Its tools will include questions, visual cues and interactive whiteboards.

The Verge reports that Mico is only available in the US, UK and Canada at launch. The character is now being enabled by default for Copilot’s voice mode. But you can turn it off if talking to fictional characters isn’t your thing.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/mico-is-microsofts-clippy-for-the-ai-age-174524597.html?src=rss

Assasin’s Creed Shadows is coming to the Nintendo Switch 2 on December 2, Ubisoft announced today in its fall roadmap update. The Switch 2 drop will include all of the game’s updates aside from the recent Claws of Awaji expansion, which will be added in 2026. It’ll also support cross-progression through Ubisoft Connect, allowing players to continue a current game on the new platform. The Switch 2 version of Assassin’s Creed Shadows will support a unique feature, too: touchscreen interactions in the menus, including the world map, store and hideout.

Ubisoft’s fall roadmap for Assassin’s Creed Shadows has three major dates. On October 28, title update 10 will target the parkour system, adding an Advanced Parkour option and reintroducing the directional catch ledge mechanic, among other tweaks. This update will also add a new Animus themed activity called Corrupted Castles. Then, on November 25, Ubisoft will roll out a third story drop and a surprise collaboration. The new quest is called “A Puzzlement” and it’s sillier in tone than Shadows itself, “much more akin to something like AC Odyssey,” according to developers. In it, Naoe will learn a version of Yasuke’s war kick ability, and Yasuke will discover how to sneak-stun enemies. On December 2, the Switch 2 release caps off the roadmap.

The Claws of Awaji expansion brought more than 10 hours of new content to Assassin’s Creed Shadows in September, introducing new weapons, abilities, gear, enemy factions, bosses and story beats, plus a fresh region to explore. This will all come to the Switch 2 version of the game later in 2026.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows debuted on PC, Mac, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on March 20, 2025, and it’s a welcome bright spot in Ubisoft’s library. The studio recently released Star Wars Outlaws on Switch 2 and the consensus seems to be that it runs surprisingly well.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/assassins-creed-shadows-will-hit-switch-2-on-december-2-172338735.html?src=rss

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says it is now clear that efforts to cap global warming at 1.5C above pre-industrial levels will fail in the short term. AFP: Before next month’s COP30 climate summit in Brazil, Guterres said going beyond 1.5C would result in “devastating” yet predictable impacts. “One thing is already clear: we will not be able to contain the global warming below 1.5C in the next few years,” Guterres said at the UN’s World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) weather and climate agency in Geneva.

“Overshooting is now inevitable. Which means that we’re going to have a period, bigger or smaller, with higher or lower intensity, above 1.5C in the years to come.” However, if leaders start taking the problem seriously by driving towards net zero greenhouse gas emissions, “the 1.5 still remains — according to all the scientists I met — possible before the end of the century.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

An environmental watchdog group has suggested that millions of tons of discarded electronics from the US turn up in Asia and the Middle East each month, according to a report by ABC News. This has created a “hidden tsunami” of e-waste.

The Seattle-based Basel Action Network (BAN) conducted a two-year investigation into the matter and reportedly discovered at least ten US companies that exported used electronics to countries like Vietnam and Malaysia. This waste includes stuff like discarded phones and computers, which is an issue due to integrated toxic metals like lead, cadmium and mercury.

All told, around 2,000 containers of e-waste leave the US each month, totaling around 33,000 metric tons. The companies behind these shipments are described as “e-waste brokers,” as they don’t recycle the waste themselves. Rather, they ship it off for someone else to deal with. These entities have names like Corporate eWaste Solutions, Semsotai, First America Metal Corp. and PPM Recycling.

The ten companies named in the report allegedly exported e-waste valued at over $1 billion between January of 2023 and February of 2025. Trade could top out at more than $200 million each month across the industry.

Semsotai has responded to the allegations, saying that it doesn’t export scrap and only specializes in working components intended for reuse. It also accused BAN of bias. PPM Recycling accused BAN of exaggerating shipment volumes. Most of the companies named in the report, however, have chosen not to comment at this time.

The report also indicates that US e-waste shipments allegedly made up six percent of all US exports to Malaysia between the years 2023 to 2025. “Malaysia suddenly became this mecca of junk,” said Jim Puckett of BAN. Containers have also been tracked to Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and the UAE.

It’s worth noting that global e-waste is growing five times quicker than recycling programs. The world produced 62 million metric tons of electronic waste in 2022, a number that’s expected to climb to 82 million by 2030. This is according to the United Nations’ International Telecommunication Union and its research arm, UNITAR

Most countries around the world have banned these kinds of imports under the Basel Convention, which is an international treaty addressing hazardous waste trade. The US is the only industrialized nation that hasn’t ratified the treaty. This means that America, which is the second largest producer of e-waste in the world, is not bound by any of the rules set forth in the Basel Convention.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/american-e-waste-is-causing-a-hidden-tsunami-of-junk-in-southeast-asia-171344351.html?src=rss

Australia’s First Peoples may or may not have hunted the continent’s megafauna to extinction, but they definitely collected fossils.

A team of archaeologists examined the fossilized leg bone of an extinct kangaroo and realized that instead of evidence of butchery, cut marks on the bone reveal an ancient attempt at fossil collecting. That leaves Australia with little evidence of First Peoples hunting or butchering the continent’s extinct megafauna—and reopens the question of whether humans were responsible for the die-off of that continent’s giant Ice Age marsupials.

Fossil hunting in the Ice Age

In the unsolved case of whether humans hunted Australia’s Ice Age megafauna to extinction, the key piece of evidence so far is a tibia (one of the bones of the lower leg) from an extinct short-faced kangaroo. Instead of hopping like their modern relatives, these extinct kangaroos walked on their hind legs, probably placing all their weight on the tips of single hoofed toes. This particular kangaroo wasn’t quite fully grown when it died, which happened sometime between 44,500 and 55,200 years ago, based on uranium-series dating of the thin layer of rock covering most of the fossils in Mammoth Cave (in what’s now Western Australia).

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