We may earn a commission from links on this page.

Promising to “level up your vision,” rapper/entrepreneur Soulja Boy recently launched a pair of so-called “AI Smart Glasses.” For $64.50, you can own a pair that offers “hands-free music control, live performance enhancements, and seamless social media connectivity.” And if a stylish, inexpensive pair of AI smart glasses for $64.50 sounds too good to be true to you, it almost definitively is.

I’m not knocking Soulja Boy’s hustle, and “Crank That” is an all-time banger, but I am an expert on smart glasses, and I would not recommend that anyone buy these glasses.

Credit: Souljaboy.net

No so smart

Judging from the vague product listing and stock photos, Soulja Boy is likely selling one of the many “AI smart glasses” out there that are essentially cheap bluetooth headsets packed into glasses. Consider these $37 specials from Amazon, or these AI glasses that cost less than ten bucks. Heck, you can even get a pair of glasses with a camera for $55 at Walmart.

Soulja Boy has a history of selling tech products that are less than what they seem, from the Soulja Boy Bluetooth Headphones, to a handheld game console, and more. The (now unavailable) $300 Soulja Phone, for instance, was apparently a Chinese Android phone that retailed for $200. Past Soulja Boy game consoles were actually emulators that could be purchased for less elsewhere.

In other words, Soulja Boy is using his brand to promote products that already exist, drop-shipping them to buyers, and jacking up the price for being the middleman. Past Soulja Boy products haven’t even had his name emblazoned on them, which seems like the only reason to buy a product from Soulja Boy instead of buying it from Amazon for significantly less money.

A long-simmering battle over who controls credit scoring in America has erupted into open warfare. Fair Isaac, whose FICO score is used in about 90% of consumer-lending decisions in the U.S., announced it will double the price of its mortgage credit score to $10 next year. The company also said it will bypass the three credit-reporting firms that have supplied the data feeding into its algorithm for decades.

Equifax, Experian and TransUnion created VantageScore in 2006 as an alternative to FICO and collectively own the scoring system. The move came months after Bill Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, announced that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would allow lenders to use VantageScore for mortgage approvals. The three credit-reporting firms responded by offering VantageScore free for many loans. Fair Isaac had charged a few cents per score for decades before chief executive Will Lansing began raising prices several years ago. Revenue from selling credit scores reached $920 million in fiscal 2024, nearly five times what it was a decade earlier.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Spotify profits off fake Drake streams that rob other artists of perhaps hundreds of millions in revenue shares, a lawsuit filed Sunday alleged—hoping to force Spotify to reimburse every artist impacted.

The lawsuit was filed by an American rapper known as RBX, who may be best known for cameos on two of the 1990s’ biggest hip-hop records, Dr. Dre’s The Chronic and Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle.

The problem goes beyond Drake, RBX alleged. It claims Spotify ignores “billions of fraudulent streams” each month, selfishly benefiting from bot networks that artificially inflate user numbers to help Spotify attract significantly higher ad revenue.

Read full article

Comments

Panic is ready to show off some new games for its delightful Playdate. The company will run a Playdate Update showcase on November 6 at 1PM ET on its YouTube channel and website. The stream will include a look at some upcoming games for the system as well as highlights from this year that are included in the Playdate Catalog Fall Sale, which runs until November 13 at 1PM ET.

One of the items that’s on sale is Playdate Season 2, a run of weekly drops of neat games, including Fulcrum Defender (from Into The Breach developer Subset Games), puzzle platformer Taria & Como and roguelike CatchaDiablos. The wonderfully strange cable TV simulator Blippo+ is part of Season 2 as well. The season is on sale for the first time at $31. It typically costs $39. 

Panic noted that Season 2 has sold more than 15,000 units, which surpassed the company’s expectations. Here’s hoping Panic announces Season 3 during the showcase. I have my fingers crossed that the company will reveal a version of the tragicomic adventure Time Flies (which it brought to Steam and PS5 this year) for the Playdate as well.

Meanwhile, Panic said the Playdate is in stock and available to buy for the holidays. Anyone in the US who snaps up the $229 console before November 30 will get free shipping, while tariff fees will be waived — the teeny yellow console should arrive in time for Christmas too.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/a-playdate-showcase-is-set-for-november-6-210034162.html?src=rss

Apple is paying Google to create a custom Gemini-based model that will run on the company’s private cloud servers and power the next version of Siri, according to Bloomberg. The decision marks a departure from Apple’s tradition of building core technologies in-house. The arrangement follows a competition Apple held this year between Anthropic and Google, the report said. Anthropic offered a superior model, but Google made more financial sense because of the tech giants’ existing search relationship. Neither company is expected to discuss the partnership publicly, the report added.

The new Siri will introduce AI-powered web search and other features users have come to expect from voice assistants. The custom model will not flood Siri with Google services or Gemini features already available on Android devices. Instead, it will provide the underlying AI capabilities through an Apple user interface. The company is betting heavily on the revamped Siri to undo years of brand damage.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

The big shopping outlets are gearing up for another Black Friday sale season, and we’ll be on top of all those deals. In particular, I’ll be looking out for deals on fitness gear including fitness trackers and smartwatches, so let me give you a preview of what I’m expecting—and hoping—to see.  

My predictions here are based on what sales we’ve seen from these models in the past, and what last year’s Black Friday looked like with respect to the then-current models. This year, most of the companies on my list have introduced new watches, but are also still selling their older models. Here are the prices I’ll be looking for to know when I’ve found a great deal.

Fitbit Charge 6: $99 or lower

We may have an early winner here. The Fitbit Charge 6 has a sticker price of $159.95, but often sells for a good bit less, and occasionally drops down near $100. As I checked the current price just now, I saw that it’s already down to $99.95. This device isn’t the best one out there, but it fits the bill of an “I don’t want to think about it” basic tracker. If you just want to track your steps without overthinking which model to get, this is a fine pick. With this low price coming so early in November, I’m now curious whether a Black Friday deal might drop it even further. 

Garmin Forerunner 55: $149 or lower

Garmin’s Forerunner 55 is its most basic running watch, which I have mixed feelings about. It’s missing a lot of features that other entry-level Garmin Forerunners, like the 165, have as a matter of course. But it does great at the basic job of tracking your runs, and I’ve always felt that if Garmin could get it closer to $99, I’d sing its praises from the rooftops. It’s never dropped quite that low, though. 

The original sticker price was $199.99, and it’s often sitting somewhere around $169, which is where I see it right now. The lowest I’ve seen is $149.99. This watch isn’t getting any younger, and I think if Garmin’s smart, they’ll consider a steeper price drop this Black Friday. Let’s see.

Garmin Forerunner 165: $199 or lower

The 165 is Garmin’s modern entry-level watch. No offense to the 55, but it feels like a holdover from the past, as evidenced by the fact it’s four years old and has had to sit out two generations of newer models from the company. The 165 doesn’t feel outdated yet, though, and our resident marathoner Meredith Dietz loved the 165 Music. Its sibling, the 165 (same thing, just no offline music storage), made my list of the best affordable running watches.

Because it comes in those two versions, you’ll want to pay attention to the difference. The music edition typically costs $50 more. So, looking at the vanilla Forerunner 165—without music storage—it’s currently sitting at $249. It’s dropped to $199.99 twice in recent memory—once for Prime Day this summer and once for last year’s Black Friday. I’d keep an eye out for another drop to $199.99. 

Apple Watch Series 11: $329 or lower

Last year’s Series 10 watch dropped as low as $329 for Black Friday. This year, the Series 11 is the newest model (see our associate tech editor Michelle Ehrhardt’s take on it here). The base model has the same regular retail price of $399 as the Series 10 did last year, so a repeat of that discount seems likely. Apple’s “series” watches come in two sizes and two connectivity options, so I’m focusing on the smaller model without cellular. Expect larger sizes to cost $20 more and cellular to cost $100 more.

So if all is equal, this year’s Black Friday should bring Series 11 deals of $329 or so. Lower would be great! It’s harder to know what to expect from the Series 10, since it’s older. But last year the older model (the Series 9) was available for $219 as a Black Friday deal, so I’d keep an eye out for similarly steep discounts on the 10 this year. 

Pixel Watch 4: $329 or lower

The newest version of Google’s Pixel Watch is the 4, which I reviewed here. As with the Apple Watch, it makes sense to look at how last year’s version fared in last year’s sales. In 2024, the Pixel Watch 3 dipped down to $279 for Black Friday, from a regular price of $349, so we may be able to expect something similar for the 4 this year. The Pixel Watch 4 is currently at the same starting point of $349 and up. As with the Apple Watch, I’m quoting numbers for the smaller, non-cellular model. The larger size costs $50 more and cellular capabilities cost $100 more.

If you’re interested in buying the older model, you’re already in luck. As I write this, the Pixel Watch 3 is on sale for $199.99, $100 off its usual price. If last year’s sales on the Pixel Watch 2 are any indication, the 3 might drop as low as $145.

Garmin Forerunner 970: $699 or lower

Garmin’s 970 and 570 have never been on a real sale yet; both were launched earlier this year. The 970, with maps and an LED flashlight, has a retail price of $749. The 570, which is missing those two features but is still an excellent higher-end running watch, sits at $549. Will Black Friday bring the first sales for these watches? I think there’s a good chance of it, but I’m not expecting a huge discount. Last year, the previous models—the 265 and 965—were both $100 off, but they were a year and a half old at that point. Go back two years, to when they were newer, and the discount was more like $50. 

If I’m confusing you with all these model numbers, I have an explainer here that will help you follow along. In any case, the 265 and 965 are still good watches, and I think this year we might be able to expect more than $100 off for those two. Look for the 265 at anything below $349.99, or the 965 at anything below $499.99. 

Coros Pace 3: anything below $229

Coros doesn’t usually participate in big sale events, but this year it has announced that a Pace 4 will be released mid-November. That suggests that the Pace 3 may see a price drop—possibly even a permanent one. I like the Pace 3 a lot as a simple but powerful running watch. It’s currently retailing for $229, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen it on sale. Let’s see if that changes.

Last week, AMD released version 25.10.2 of its Adrenalin driver package for Radeon GPUs. It seemed like a relatively routine driver release with a typical list of bug fixes and game performance improvements, except for one accompanying announcement: AMD said at the time that it would be moving support for Radeon RX 5000-series and 6000-series GPUs (and their RDNA 1 and RDNA 2 architectures) to “maintenance mode.” That meant that a bunch of GPUs, including some dedicated graphics cards launched as recently as 2022, would no longer get fresh fixes and performance optimizations for newly launched games.

As reported by Tom’s Hardware, AMD released several clarifying statements to address the ensuing backlash, saying that these older GPUs would still get “new features, bug fixes, and game optimizations” based on “market needs.” That must not have quieted the complaints, because AMD then made an entirely separate post to confirm that the 25.10.2 driver release “is not the end of support for RDNA 1 and RDNA 2,” and that integrated and dedicated GPUs based on these architectures would continue to receive “game support for new releases,” “stability and game optimizations,” and “security and bug fixes.”

AMD did confirm that these older GPU architectures had been moved to a separate driver path, but the company says this is meant to keep fixes and features intended for newer RDNA 3 and RDNA 4-based GPUs from inadvertently breaking things for RDNA 1 and RDNA 2 GPUs.

Read full article

Comments

If you ask an LLM to explain its own reasoning process, it may well simply confabulate a plausible-sounding explanation for its actions based on text found in its training data. To get around this problem, Anthropic is expanding on its previous research into AI interpretability with a new study that aims to measure LLMs’ actual so-called “introspective awareness” of their own inference processes.

The full paper on “Emergent Introspective Awareness in Large Language Models” uses some interesting methods to separate out the metaphorical “thought process” represented by an LLM’s artificial neurons from simple text output that purports to represent that process. In the end, though, the research finds that current AI models are “highly unreliable” at describing their own inner workings and that “failures of introspection remain the norm.”

Inception, but for AI

Anthropic’s new research is centered on a process it calls “concept injection.” The method starts by comparing the model’s internal activation states following both a control prompt and an experimental prompt (e.g. an “ALL CAPS” prompt versus the same prompt in lower case). Calculating the differences between those activations across billions of internal neurons creates what Anthropic calls a “vector” that in some sense represents how that concept is modeled in the LLM’s internal state.

Read full article

Comments

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

There might be something shifting within Apple’s commerce strategy. Whereas in the past, new models of the company’s products rarely went on sale, now some of them are getting respectable discounts shortly after release—including, recently, the M4 MacBook Air and, now, the Apple Watch Ultra 3.

Despite being released just this past September, the GPS + Cellular 49mm model is already marked down to $699.99 (originally $799), the lowest price it has yet reached, according to price tracking tools.

Apple Watch Ultra 3 (GPS, Cellular, 49mm, Black Ocean Band)

$699.99
at Amazon

$799.00
Save $99.01

$699.99
at Amazon

$799.00
Save $99.01

The Ultra is Apple’s “pro” watch, focused on durability and lengthy battery life. The main difference between it and the “regular” Apple Watch is that the Ultra has the largest and brightest display. This particular model offers updates to the display, processor, satellite connectivity, cellular connection, charging, and blood pressure monitor. There are also new features, like hypertension notifications (which was cleared by the FDA) and sleep scores.

Like older versions, the Watch Ultra 3 comes in one size, 49mm. It also only comes in titanium, while the new Apple Watch Series 11 comes in more sizes and materials if you’re interested. (It’s also half the price, but you won’t get the same display, battery life, or precise GPS, among other things.)

The Watch Ultra 3 gets bright, with up to 3,000 nits of brightness. It also has a 1Hz refresh rate with an always-on display, so there’s no need to wake it up to see the time. The battery life can last up to 42 hours on a single charge and 72 hours in Power Mode, a record for Apple Watches.

Since this is the cellular version, you don’t need to bring your iPhone along to be able to take calls, or texts. The improved 5G connectivity means your calls will be less likely to drop, and your downloads and streams will be faster.

If I were a betting man, I’d say you won’t find this watch any cheaper on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, given its recent release and Apple’s history with sales. This price is likely as good as it’s going to get for a while.

Captchas have largely vanished from the web in 2025, replaced by invisible tracking systems that analyze user behavior rather than asking people to decipher distorted text or identify traffic lights in image grids. Google launched reCaptcha v3 in 2018 to generate risk scores based on behavioral signals during site interactions, making bot-blocking technology “completely invisible” for most users, according to Tim Knudsen, a director of product management at Google Cloud.

Cloudflare followed in 2022 by releasing Turnstile, another invisible alternative that sometimes appears as a simple checkbox but actually gathers data from devices and software to determine if users are human. Both companies distribute their security tools for free to collect training data, and Cloudflare now sees 20% of all HTTP requests across the internet.

The rare challenges that do surface have become increasingly bizarre, ranging from requests to identify dogs and ducks wearing various hats to sliding a jockstrap across a screen to find matching underwear on hookup sites.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

President Trump says he still doesn’t know who Binance founder and former CEO Changpeng Zhao is, despite having pardoned Zhao last month.

CBS correspondent Norah O’Donnell asked Trump about the pardon in a 60 Minutes interview that aired yesterday, noting that Zhao pleaded guilty to violating anti-money laundering laws. “The government at the time said that C.Z. had caused ‘significant harm to US national security,’ essentially by allowing terrorist groups like Hamas to move millions of dollars around. Why did you pardon him?” O’Donnell asked.

“Okay, are you ready? I don’t know who he is. I know he got a four-month sentence or something like that. And I heard it was a Biden witch hunt,” answered Trump, who has criticized his predecessor for signing pardons with an autopen.

Read full article

Comments

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

The JBL Tune Flex 2 earbuds are on sale for $49.99 in open-box condition on StackSocial, which is less than half the $109.95 price of a new pair on Amazon. “Open-box” just means the packaging might have some shelf wear like scuffs, stickers, or light handling marks, but the earbuds themselves are tested, in new condition, and backed by a one-year warranty. If you don’t mind imperfect packaging, that’s a solid savings on a feature-packed set of wireless buds.

JBL is known for its bass-driven sound, and the 12mm drivers in the Tune Flex 2 deliver plenty of punch. They’re also versatile depending on how you want to listen. Sealed ear tips provide stronger passive noise isolation, while open tips allow you to remain more aware of your surroundings. Adaptive noise cancelling is designed to shut out distractions, but you also get Ambient Aware and TalkThru modes when you want to hear what’s going on without taking your earbuds out. Calls are handled by six microphones for improved clarity, and the JBL Headphones app allows you to fine-tune the sound with tools like Personi-Fi 3.0. And with multipoint Bluetooth, you can also jump between your phone and laptop without re-pairing.

Battery life holds up well, too. You get up to 12 hours per charge with noise cancelling off (plus 36 more in the case), or 8 hours with ANC on (plus 24 in the case). Real-life usage may vary depending on how often you switch modes, the volume at which you listen, and how frequently you make calls. Also, while the earbuds themselves are rated IP54 for dust and water resistance, the case isn’t, so that’s worth keeping in mind if you’ll be carrying them outdoors. All in, the Tune Flex 2 offers a lot of flexibility and performance for the price. If you prefer your packaging pristine, you might still lean toward a new pair, but if your focus is on sound quality, long battery life, and handy features, this open-box deal makes sense.

More accurate translations seem to be making their way to Google Translate, as first spotted by 9to5Google. While Lifehacker has not been able to confirm this independently, the publication says some of its iOS devices now show an option to pick an “Advanced” translation model in the Google Translate app.

The new model shows up as an option in a model picker at the top of the page, similar to the Gemini app, and advertises “High accuracy for complex translations.” Engadget was also able to get the model picker to appear, where the Advanced model said it “specializes in accuracy using Gemini.”

Those wishing to use the old translation tools can instead continue to use the “Fast” model.

Alongside the introduction of an AI-learning tool competing with Duolingo back in August, the new model further cements Google Translate as an AI-powered app, with the idea being that incorporating the LLM will allow for translations of longer, more context-sensitive work.

Advanced translations, limited language support

For now, , the Advanced translation model does come with a few limitations. First, it only supports text translation, so no holding your phone out to a native speaker and recording what they say. Second, it only supports “select languages.”

While 9to5Google does not clarify which languages the Advanced Model works with, Engadget’s report says that it currently only works between English and French, or English and Spanish. The publication also tested an excerpt from a French play with the new model, saying that while the Fast model gave a more literal word-for-word translation, the Advanced model was more accurate, taking into account the passage’s nuance and better translating an idiom that the old tools missed.

While the Advanced model is a more explicit AI addition, it is not the first time the Google Translate app has used AI to translate text. In August, Google said it had already started using “Gemini models in Translate,” and the company has been experimenting with its implementation since 2016, saying that AI translation “reduced translation errors by an average of 60%.” Still, it marks more choice for those with access to it, and a greater commitment to bring new AI tools to the app.

The update is still rolling out

Unfortunately, it seems like it’ll take some time to roll out fully, as I currently don’t see it on any of my devices. I’ve contacted Google for an update on when the Advanced model is likely to reach all users.

An anonymous reader shares a report: The Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA), an anti-piracy organization representing Japanese IP holders like Studio Ghibli and Bandai Namco, released a letter last week asking OpenAI to stop using its members’ content to train Sora 2, as reported by Automaton. The letter states that “CODA considers that the act of replication during the machine learning process may constitute copyright infringement,” since the resulting AI model went on to spit out content with copyrighted characters.

Sora 2 generated an avalanche of content containing Japanese IP after it launched on September 30th, prompting Japan’s government to formally ask OpenAI to stop replicating Japanese artwork. This isn’t the first time one of OpenAI’s apps clearly pulled from Japanese media, either — the highlight of GPT-4o’s launch back in March was a proliferation of “Ghibli-style” images.

Altman announced last month that OpenAI will be changing Sora’s opt-out policy for IP holders, but CODA claims that the use of an opt-out policy to begin with may have violated Japanese copyright law, stating, “under Japan’s copyright system, prior permission is generally required for the use of copyrighted works, and there is no system allowing one to avoid liability for infringement through subsequent objections.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.