Meta Poaches Apple Design Exec Alan Dye

Apple’s longtime human-interface chief Alan Dye is leaving to lead a new creative studio at Meta’s Reality Labs, where he’ll shape AI-driven design for devices like smart glasses and VR headsets. Dye will be replaced by Steve Lemay, who has had “a key role in the design of every major Apple interface since 1999,” according to a statement Apple CEO Tim Cook gave Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. TechCrunch reports: Shortly after the news broke of Dye’s departure, Zuckerberg announced a new creative studio within Reality Labs that would be led by Dye. There, he’ll be joined by Billy Sorrentino, another former Apple designer who led interface design across Reality Labs; Joshua To, who led interface design across Reality Labs; Meta’s industrial design team, led by Pete Bristol; and its metaverse design and art teams led by Jason Rubin.

Zuckerberg said the studio would “bring together design, fashion, and technology to define the next generation of our products and experiences.” “Our idea is to treat intelligence as a new design material and imagine what becomes possible when it is abundant, capable, and human-centered,” the Meta CEO wrote on Threads. “We plan to elevate design within Meta, and pull together a talented group with a combination of craft, creative vision, systems thinking, and deep experience building iconic products that bridge hardware and software.”


Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Lego announces NASA Artemis SLS rocket set to lift off (literally) in 2026

How do you top a highly detailed scale model of NASA’s new moon-bound rocket and its support tower? If you’re Lego, you make it so it can actually lift off.

Lego’s NASA Artemis Space Launch System Rocket, part of its Technic line of advanced building sets, will land on store shelves for $59.99 on January 1, 2026, and then “blast off” from kitchen tables, office desks and living room floors. The 632-piece set climbs skyward, separating from its expendable stages along the way, until the Orion crew spacecraft and its European Service Module top out the motion on their way to the moon—or wherever your imagination carries it.

“The educational LEGO Technic set shows the moment a rocket launches, in three distinct stages,” reads the product description on Lego’s website. “Turn the crank to see the solid rocket boosters separate from the core stage, which then also detaches. Continue turning to watch the upper stage with its engine module, Orion spacecraft and launch abort system separate.”

Read full article

Comments

Quest Headsets Get Second Exclusive Avatar: Fire and Ash 3D Clip

Quest headsets now have a second exclusive 3D clip from Avatar: Fire and Ash.

It comes just under three months after the first exclusive 3D clip from the movie arrived on Quest headsets just after Meta Connect.

0:00

/0:30

The short 3D clips are the first results, albeit small, of Meta’s exclusive multi-year partnership with James Cameron’s new company Lightstorm Vision, which has the goal of “making stereoscopic technology ubiquitous for all visual media by enabling stereoscopic 3D content creation in as seamless a manner as traditional 2D”.

The partnership, announced almost exactly one year ago, should help bring significantly more 3D video content to Quest headsets. At the time, Meta said it will bring “world-class 3D entertainment experiences spanning live sports and concerts, feature films, and TV series featuring big-name IP” to Horizon OS.

James Cameron appeared on-stage during the Meta Connect 2025 keynote for around twelve minutes, where he reiterated his views on how VR headsets are the ideal viewing platform for 3D content.

Apple’s competing visionOS offers hundreds of 3D movies through Apple TV and Disney+, but Meta’s platform currently lacks an equivalent offering.

James Cameron: VR Headsets Solve The Problems Of 3D Cinema
James Cameron, who recently announced a partnership with Meta, waxed lyrical about how XR headsets solve the problems of traditional 3D glasses.
UploadVRDavid Heaney

You can find the Avatar: Fire and Ash 3D clip in the TV app on Quest, where you can also find the two official trailers for the movie in 3D.

Oh My Galaxy! Brings A New Action Puzzler To Samsung Galaxy XR

Oh My Galaxy! is a new mixed reality arcade puzzler that’s out today on Samsung Galaxy XR.

Marking its first launch on Samsung’s headset, Oh My Galaxy! is the latest game from FRENZIES developer nDreams Near Light. The premise involves transforming your room into an interplanetary playground, tasking you with saving planets from alien attackers using hand tracking controls to fling asteroids at them.

0:00

/0:44

Release trailer

Near Light states there are over 100 increasingly difficult stages split across three main chapters, promising physics-based gameplay with various objectives. Defeating these aliens requires using different asteroids with unique abilities, ranging from the “high-explosive Boom Boulder to the six-part Splitter Stone.”

nDreams calls this one of the first “original titles” for Samsung’s headset, joining launch titles Enigmo and Inside [JOB] as one of three currently exclusive Android XR games. However, while Enigmo is a timed exclusive that’s coming to Quest, no further platforms were mentioned in today’s announcement, so it’s unknown if Oh My Galaxy! will eventually arrive elsewhere.

Oh My Galaxy! is available now on Samsung Galaxy XR for $9.99.

The Best Last-Minute Gifts that Don’t Feel Last Minute

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

We’ve all experienced gift panic—that sinking feeling when you realize you need a present in an hour and you just don’t have one to give. Whether you spent all year chasing the “perfect” gift or simply procrastinated, your time is nearly up. But don’t panic. The clock may have run out, but your options haven’t. Before you resort to re-gifting something from the back of a closet, here’s how to pull off a last-minute gift that is effortless but feels elevated and worthy of the person you’re giving it to.

Sometimes the gift is in the delivery

With the right presentation, even the most last-minute gift can read as thoughtful. Any performer will tell you that the difference between a good show and a bad one comes down to commitment and confidence. The same is true for last-minute gifts: If you act like your gift is thoughtful and intentional, they’ll think it is. The biggest mistake people make is apologizing as they hand over a present—nothing ruins a vibe faster than, “Sorry this is so last-minute.” So give with confidence.

And focus on presentation. A handwritten note that contains a shared memory or personal joke can elevate a present. Use simple but personal wrapping; kraft paper and twine, or a reusable gift bag that looks like you planned ahead. Add a small flourish, like a sprig of rosemary or a fancy bow. Small touches can make it seem like you’ve carefully prepared. What you don’t want are obvious panic gifts that scream, “I grabbed this on the way here.” The goal is effortless, not frantic. Here are some suggestions.

Instant purchase digital gifts

Digital gifts are your friends. You can order something in minutes that arrives instantly online, and with a little thought, will still read as personal and intentional. The trick is choosing a present that speaks to the recipient’s tastes, hobbies, or quirks, and pairing it with a small note to show you remember what they love. From eBooks to streaming subscriptions, these gifts hit the sweet spot of thoughtful and last-minute. Here are some suggestion:

Kindle unlimited subscription

If you have a reader on your list, they want books, and a Kindle Unlimited subscription lets them read anything they like. It can be ordered instantly and lets users access millions of titles, including audiobooks, for six months or a year, even if they don’t have a Kindle reader. Include a note that says something like, “I know how much you love discovering new stories. Now you can explore as many as you like—just make sure you tell me what you find!” Boom! Mission accomplished.

Gift cards that aren’t impersonal

When time is running out, gift cards are your secret weapon. They arrive instantly online, don’t require shipping, and with the right presentation, they can feel surprisingly thoughtful. The key is to pick a card that fits the recipient’s interests and add a personal note. The more specific you are, the better. If your giftee is into Italian food, get them an Eataly gift card. If they’re a PC gamer, get them a Steam card. If they’re into education, a membership to Skillshare is perfect. There’s a gift card out there for just about any interest, and all you have to do it google it and email it.

Making generic gift cards seem thoughtful

Generic gift cards can be a last-minute lifesaver that can still seem a little personal if you give them the right way.

  • Pick a theme or design: Many online cards, like Amazon, Etsy, or Starbucks, let you choose designs. The right visual makes the card feel more intentional.

  • Include a warm, personal message: Even one line can make a digital card feel thoughtful—something like, “I couldn’t pick just one thing for you. Hope this helps you treat yourself!”

  • Send strategically: Deliver the card by email or text, but consider printing the email or screenshotting it in a small envelope so it feels like a “real” gift.

Subscription boxes with instant confirmation emails

Sign someone up for a subscription service, write a note explaining you want to keep giving them presents all year, and you’re golden. Here are some suggestions:

  • SnackCrate: This service sends a different snack from around the world every month.

  • SpiceClub: For the culinary adventurer on your list. A subscription to RawSpiceBar’s Spice Club delivers a curated selection of spices every month.

  • Mocktail variety box: Booze-free fancy drinks delivered once a month? Sign me up.

  • Thera Box: If you know someone in need of some self-care, this once-a-month box is packed with wellness and relaxation items.

  • Loot Crate: If your giftee is geeky, consider this monthly surprise box of pop culture treasures.

Send a message from a celebrity

Cameo is a platform where celebrities, influencers, musicians, and performers create personalized video messages for fans. If someone on your list is a fan of someone on Cameo, you can set up a session, and give a card with a mysterious note like “Keep an eye out for a special message.” They’ll be delighted when Kenny G. sends them a video.

Experiential gifts

I have enough crap in my house, so I love getting experiences instead of things. The challenge with experience gifts is usually timing: Many require reservations or coordination, but there are plenty of options that let your giftee schedule the time, making them perfect last-minute gifts.

  • Museum membership cards: Many institutions sell digital gift memberships that the recipient can activate whenever they like.

  • Movie tickets: Your local multiplex probably has a gift certificate you can buy online.

  • Local attraction passes: Some city attractions offer gift cards or “anytime admission” tickets that don’t expire immediately.

Pair these with a note explaining why you chose the experience, or, if you have that kind of relationship, something like, “I want to take you to the Museum of Modern Art” or whatever. Just make sure you follow through and actually go.

Really last-minute, on-the-way-to-the-party gifts

Sometimes, there’s literally no time to order, wrap, or even think about a gift. If you’re scrambling out the door and need something now, you might be able to fake your way through, even if you’re stopping at the liquor store on the way to the Christmas party.

Easy on-the-way options

  • Flowers or a small potted plant: Give a seasonal bouquet or a small indoor plant. Add a handwritten note, even a single line, and it might come off as thoughtful.

  • Gourmet chocolates or candy: Specialty chocolates from a local shop or grocery store display can feel luxe with a little ribbon or bag.

  • Wine, craft beer, or non-alcoholic beverage: A bottle with a clean label or interesting packaging immediately elevates your gift. Ask the clerk at the liquor store to help you find something unique.

  • Lottery tickets: Who wouldn’t appreciate a bunch of scratch-off lottery tickets?

When all else fails, give cash

Hard cash is the most impersonal gift of all, but the only one you know will be used. This gift really depends on the person getting it, so be aware of whether they’re likely to think “Just what I wanted!” or “Wait, I’m not poor.” If you give cash, make sure it’s crisp bills in a nice card, with a personalized note.

iPhone 17e Leak Reveals Key Design Specs For Apple’s Lower-Cost Smartphone

iPhone 17e Leak Reveals Key Design Specs For Apple's Lower-Cost Smartphone
Slated for an early 2026 release, the low-cost iPhone 17e is rumored to get a couple of significant design overhauls, nudging the e-series’ aesthetics closer in line with the company’s flagships.  

As we know, the facade of Apple’s iPhone 16e is characterized by relatively thick display bezels and a screen notch. South Korean news outlet

Alienware Gaming Monitor Blowout Sale Deals Savings Up To $200 Off

Alienware Gaming Monitor Blowout Sale Deals Savings Up To $200 Off
If you’ve never considered an Alienware product because you thought the pricing premium would be too high, do yourself a favor and have a look at the current crop of deals. We already highlighted some fantastic savings on Alienware desktop PCs and laptops for Cyber Monday (which are still on sale, by the way), and now a handful of Alienware

PlayStation teams up with Bad Robot and the creator of Left 4 Dead for a co-op shooter

Sony Interactive Entertainment has signed a deal to produce and publish a game from Bad Robot, JJ Abrams’ production company. The two sides are keeping most of the details close to their chest for now, but the game is a four-player co-op shooter for PlayStation 5 and PC directed by someone who knows a thing or two about that genre: Left 4 Dead creator Mike Booth.

Bad Robot Games — which is a fully remote studio — was formed in 2018 with the help of Tencent. It has lent a hand on games including Weird West (as an investor and creative consultant) as well as interactive streaming series Silent Hill: Ascension. This new game is the first one that Bad Robot Games is developing in-house.

A few months back, Booth dropped into the Left 4 Dead subreddit to say that he was working on a new co-op game “built on the foundations of what made L4D special. If you enjoyed the teamwork, tension and replayability of my past games, you’ll probably find this one interesting. It expands on the co-op formula in ways I’ve wanted to explore for a long time.” He added that, while the game was still in early development, Bad Robot was opening up a waitlist for access to playtests.

According to a press release, “Bad Robot Games is a dedicated game studio working on new and existing transmedia franchises.” So, this project could well be part of an entirely new franchise, but the prospect of co-op shooter from the designer of Left 4 Dead that’s set in the Cloverfield universe is pretty darn intriguing.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/playstation-teams-up-with-bad-robot-and-the-creator-of-left-4-dead-for-a-co-op-shooter-144637802.html?src=rss

Amazon reportedly considering ending ties with the US Postal Service

Amazon is reportedly considering discontinuing use of the US Postal Service and building out its own shipping network to rival it, according to The Washington Post. The e-commerce behemoth spends more than $6 billion a year on the public mail carrier, representing just shy of 8 percent of the service’s total revenues. That’s up from just shy of $4 billion in 2019, and Amazon continues to grow.

Over the past decade, Amazon has invested heavily in shipping logistics, buying its own Boeing planes, debuting electric delivery vans and slowly building out a drone delivery network. Last year, Amazon handled over 6.3 billion parcels, a 7 percent increase over the previous year, according to the Pitney Bowes parcel shipping index. USPS, for its part, handled roughly 6.9 billion, just a 3 percent increase over 2023. That is to say that Amazon’s shipping network can already handle over 90 percent of the volume of the US Postal Service (at least by sheer numbers).

The USPS has been in dire financial condition for some time, losing billions of dollars a year. Negotiations between Amazon and the public carrier have reportedly stalled, which, together with the agency’s need to keep raising its prices, may create more urgency for the company to eliminate its reliance on the service altogether.

The Postal Service has struggled to modernize and adapt (its attempt to electrify the truck fleet was a bust) in a market where the likes of Amazon and Walmart are investing billions in delivering packages around the country at lightning speed. The ever-accelerating digitization of communication and heavy investment in privately owned shipping operations threatens the very existence of one of the country’s greatest public goods.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/amazon-reportedly-considering-ending-ties-with-the-us-postal-service-144555021.html?src=rss

[$] A “frozen” dictionary for Python

Dictionaries are ubiquitous in Python code; they are the data structure of
choice for a wide variety of tasks. But dictionaries are mutable, which
makes them problematic for sharing data in concurrent code. Python has
added various concurrency features to the language over the last decade or
so—async, free threading without the global interpreter lock
(GIL), and independent subinterpreters—but users must work out their own
solution for an immutable dictionary that can be safely shared by
concurrent code. There are existing modules that could be used, but a recent proposal, PEP 814 (“Add frozendict
built-in type”), looks to bring the feature to the language itself.

12 Things to Do on Christmas If You Don’t Celebrate

In a way, the Christmas season is more fun if you don’t celebrate it. There’s no pressure. You get to enjoy all the brightly colored lights your neighbors put up, but you don’t have to put up your own. You don’t have to do any duty-shopping. But Christmas Day itself leaves you in a mostly shuttered world that feels like there’s nothing to do. Fortunately, there are still quite a few options to make Dec. 25 a fun day off, regardless of your observances.

Un-Christmas classics: Chinese restaurants and movies

You can’t go wrong with some moo shu pork and a trip to the multiplex. Chinese restaurants and movie theaters traditionally stay open on Christmas day for those who don’t celebrate, and they’re often crowded with fellow Christmas refugees. Check Google for the hours of your local Chinese restaurant and give them a call to make a reservation. If you’re more adventurous and you’re in a city large enough to have a Chinatown (or a whatever-town), just head straight there on Christmas and see what happens—that’s how the best days usually start.

If Chinese food isn’t your thing, look at restaurants serving any non-European cuisine—Greek places, Japanese places, and Mediterranean places are usually open, as are plenty of Italian restaurants and steakhouses. Just make sure you check first. Lots of chain restaurants are open on Christmas Day, including Applebees, McDonald’s, Benihana, and more. You can even get Christmas breakfast at your local IHOP. But not every location of every outlet follows the same hours, so check first. 

As for movies, most chain multiplex theaters are open on Dec. 25, and theaters are usually pretty full. The movies attract both people who don’t celebrate Christmas and people who celebrate the holiday but want to get away from their families for a couple hours, so make sure and reserve a seat beforehand. Consider hitting up an out-of-the-way spot or that theater with the table service and cushy recliners to make it feel like more of an occasion.

Most people going to the movies on Christmas Day aren’t there for Christmas movies, so interesting “secular” movies are often slated for release on the 25th. This year, a ridiculous looking re-boot of Anaconda starring Jack Black will be released on Christmas, so you’ve got options.

Less obvious options for Christmas day fun

Chinese restaurants and movie theaters aren’t the only establishments open on Christmas. Here are some other options:

  • Go skiing or snowboarding: Most mountains are open on Christmas and the lift lines are blissfully empty. There’s no better way of celebrating a winter-based holiday than on a wide open mountain.

  • Visit a skating rink: Speaking of winter sports, ice skating rinks are generally open on Christmas too. 

  • Pretend to be a tourist: Tourist attractions are often open on Christmas, especially in larger cities. This includes places like Madame Tussaud’s and Ripley’s Believe It or Not, as well as ziplines and Segway tours—so do that touristy thing you’ve never done before.

  • Get a room: If you’ve got some spare cash and have nothing better to do, get a room at a hotel. Hotels don’t usually close on Christmas, and they typically offer plenty of amenities, so take advantage of the pool at the Holiday Inn or the spa at the Four Seasons, depending on your lifestyle.

  • Hiking and biking: Hiking trails and parks are open on Christmas if you want to get outdoors. If you’re into biking, hit the trails or hit the streets: Traffic is minimal on Christmas, so it’s a great time to put in some serious roadwork. 

  • Volunteer: Not having anything to do on Christmas isn’t the biggest life problem, especially compared to people who have nowhere to go and nothing to eat. So use Christmas to help people and actually deliver on that whole “good will towards men” thing. Check your local Craigslist for volunteering opportunities.  

  • Use Christmas as a catch-up day: This is strictly for type-A people, but if everyone is out of town and no one is going to call you, why not spend the day catching up on neglected chores or personal projects? You can spend at least part of your day knocking a few things off your to-do list and the rest of the time relaxing. That way you’ll get a break and still feel accomplished.

  • Just sleep all day: Type-B personalities like me see a day free of obligations and other people as a golden opportunity to do as little as is humanly possible, a day to fully commit to sloth.

  • Spend time with friends and family at home: Not celebrating Christmas doesn’t mean you can’t spend the day with family and/or friends. Get together with your loved ones, play games, watch a movie, cook together, talk, or whatever else you all enjoy. You don’t have to go out to have fun, so don’t rule out staying in with people you care about.

  • Shopping: This is at the bottom of the list because it’s iffy. Drug stores and convenience stores like 711 are usually open on the 25th. Grocery chains like Kroger’s and Trader Joe’s usually aren’t. Your local shopping mall or retail district might be open, but probably won’t be, so check ahead.

Make a list and check it twice

Because so many places are closed on Christmas day, you should plan ahead (unless you like spontaneity and are OK with the possibility of disappointment) by:

  • Making a list of the places you want to go.

  • Calling nearby locations to confirm they’ll be open, as not every chain follows corporate holiday hour recommendations. 

  • Making reservations at any restaurant(s) you plan to visit.

  • Putting together a basic timeline of the day, accounting for travel time, so you don’t lose any reservations, miss a movie, or arrive after the store closes.

The most important advice here is to do something intentional on Christmas, even if it’s sleeping in, so the day doesn’t feel depressing or empty. So hit the slopes, suck down some dim sum, or keep your couch from floating away, but be sure you make Christmas your own.

Antigravity A1 drone review: FPV flying unlike anything else

The Antigravity A1 is what happens when Insta360’s 360-degree cameras are given wings and flying feels like a video game. Spinning out as its own brand, Antigravity’s debut drone is a big swing: a three-piece set with a drone that captures 8K 360-degree video, FPV goggles and a motion controller.

Challenging the dominance of DJI’s (many!) consumer drones is a big ask. Antigravity’s approach is to play to its strengths in 360-degree video and smartphone-first editing. A lot of the appeal comes from how the A1 captures 8K video in all directions, meaning you can edit, cut and swap around your footage — and hopefully rarely miss a moment you’re trying to document. It’s a lot of fun, too, if you can get through the early teething issues, updates and the learning curve.

The drone

Antigravity A1 drone review
Image by Mat Smith for Engadget

The A1 drone is just 249 grams (0.548 lbs). This helps it bypass some drone regulations, though flying permissions vary by region. The pair of cameras mounted on the top and bottom of the drone’s body is one of its unique features. It’s difficult to directly compare the A1 against competitor drones, as it offers a mix of features found across different categories and some unique tools of its own.

The A1 can capture 360-degree video at up to 8K resolution, and thanks to Insta360’s action cam experience, it can magically remove the drone body from video. This means you can capture video and never see propellers or, well, any part of the drone itself.

Along the base of the drone, two landing gears automatically lower when you attempt to land the A1, although you will have to manually retract them when you’re looking to launch the drone. You can also lower the landing gear from one of the controller’s many buttons.

The removable battery has a handy one-touch gauge to monitor levels and provides over 20 minutes of flight time, depending on conditions and whether you’re recording video. Antigravity suggests it should last up to 24 minutes during normal filming use. My review device came with two spare batteries and a charging dock. It’s very easy to swap out the batteries, and the charging dock can fully charge a single cell in 45 minutes and even charge all three slots at once. There’s a microSD card slot on the rear of the drone, alongside a USB-C port for (slowly) charging the battery.

Antigravity A1 drone review
Image by Mat Smith for Engadget

The cameras have a 1/1.28-inch sensor, f/2.2 lens aperture and an ISO range from 100 to 6,400. To adjust those settings beyond auto, you’ll have to dive into the menu inside the goggles, which can be laborious to navigate with a gesture-based controller. Fortunately, auto ISO and white balance are usually good enough. Pro-level content creators might want to tinker with levels here, and there’s a histogram you can toggle on or even a zebra pattern to highlight overexposed shots and areas. and the A1 can record 8K video at up to 30fps or 4K at up to 100fps. You can also meet in the middle, with a 5.2k recording mode.

There are also three different flying modes, which are easy to select on the controller. Alongside Normal mode, Sport mode increases the maximum flight speed and offers “enhanced flight performance,” improves control sensitivity and turns off obstacle avoidance. Sport mode offers a tangible difference when flying the A1: it doubles the horizontal flight speed compared to Normal mode. There’s also a Cinematic (C) mode, with a lower max speed for smoother video footage.

The controller and goggles

Antigravity A1 drone review
Image by Mat Smith for Engadget

The flight mode switcher is one of many controls, wheels, buttons and sliders that pepper the surface of the A1’s grip controller. Intriguingly, though, the main way to control the A1 drone is through gestures, not joysticks or buttons. Instead of pitching control sticks to the left and right, up and down, it’s more akin to a video game, where you point the controller where you want to go, shown with a reticle, and pull the trigger. The A1 then shoots off in that direction.

The crucial part is that this doesn’t have to be where you’re “looking” from the drone’s POV. This means you can strafe and fly in any direction without your view being constrained by static cameras. It’s a sensation unlike any other drone I’ve flown. It feels more like playing a video game — like piloting a helicopter in GTA 5. You’re able to look in any direction, both while in motion and while hovering stationary.

There are controls for recording video, controlling vertical flight and rotating your POV without turning your head. There’s even a RTH (return to home) function that can be accessed by long-pressing the emergency brake button.

The included goggles deliver a crisp view of everything, with a pair of 1.03-inch micro-OLED displays with a resolution of 2,560 × 2,560 and a 72Hz refresh rate. Other FPV drone goggles typically offer 100Hz refresh rates, but it wasn’t a dealbreaker for me. I feared that latency hiccups could make airsickness an issue while flying the A1, but I didn’t experience it. My take is that being able to fully control your view makes nausea less of an issue.

Another nice touch, especially if you’re flying with friends, is a circular outer display on the goggles, so everyone can see what the A1 sees. Naturally, it can’t encompass the entire view of the drone pilot, but there’s also nothing duller than watching someone else fly a drone. This offers a mild respite. The other eyepiece is a touchpad for steering through menus inside the goggles without having to point and click with the controller.

Performance

Antigravity A1 drone review
Image by Mat Smith for Engadget

While the Antigravity A1 may offer a more immersive drone-flying experience, in pure numerical terms, it lags behind some competitors. For example, even in Sport mode, the A1 tops out at a maximum speed of just under 36 mph, falling behind the likes of DJI’s Avata 2 (60 mph).

I was still pleasantly surprised by how responsive the A1 felt, especially in Sport mode. An additional FPV mode (accessible from the goggles) adds more sensitive controls, although I haven’t been able to test it much since it was introduced in a recent firmware update.

For someone with more gaming experience than drone piloting hours, Antigravity’s central control system fits like a glove. I could fly where I wanted, confident in the controls and in the knowledge that I would capture what I wanted to. According to Antigravity, you can fly the A1 within a 10km transmission range, although I didn’t manage to test that limit in central London.

The experience of starting with the drone felt, at times, unnecessarily arduous. Pairing everything together has to be done in a specific order: power up drone, power up goggles, power up controller. And turning off each item isn’t a typical long press of the power button. Instead, you use a press-once-press-it-again-and-hold method that I forget pretty much every time.

Downloading video from the A1 to your phone is also laborious, but that’s not a flaw specific to this drone. Antigravity has attempted some shortcuts, including a microSD card quick reader that connects to your phone or PC via USB-C.

However, at the time of testing, manually connecting the microSD is less of an option and more of a necessity. The drone repeatedly failed to connect to the companion app and reliably transfer video files. Some video files recorded seemingly evaporated between firmware updates, only to reappear later. Another file had been converted to two separate circular views, one from each camera, which made it essentially unusable. Hopefully these intial teething problems have been solved by firmware updates and won’t be in retail devices.

It’s a shame everything isn’t more stable, especially when both flying the A1 and using Antigravity’s editing software are bothis so beginner-friendly. It’s something I’ve mentioned before with the parent company’s action cams, but the ability to create barrel rolls, tilt rotations with just one tap or click is, again, just fun. And because you can reframe and tinker with video warping, create tiny planet effects or simply crop to a more traditional, cinematic camera view, Antigravity’s software offers almost infinite ways to present your drone footage. Deeptracking can be done both during recording and editing in post, keeping a moving subject or point of interest centered as the A1 zips around.

There are also AI-powered video editing features to chop up your 20 minutes of flying footage into something digestible and engaging with minimal effort. Because it’s a 360-degree video, the footage can be easily cropped to suit both horizontal and vertical formats.

However, with a smaller sensor and 8K resolution spread across a 360-degree view, the A1 is not the best video drone. The video is pleasingly crisp and clear, and while the footage is best recorded in bright daylight or other well-lit locations, murky British November days didn’t affect it much. As the A1 has to stitch together its two sensors, there’s often a visible seam to your video, but it’s usually a very subtle glitch. It might stop some video creators from tapping it for their most polished aerial shots though. Recording video later in the day resulted in more noise and less detail. This is when the A1’s Cinematic mode (and generally slower flying) is a good idea, but it still won’t make up for the fact that this drone’s sensors are covering such wide angles. More video-centric drones will deliver cleaner video and better performance in less-than-ideal lighting conditions.

Wrap up

Antigravity A1 drone review
Image by Mat Smith for Engadget

The Antigravity A1 is available now, with a standard bundle including the drone, controller and goggles for $1,599. The Infinity Bundle ($1,999) adds two extra batteries, quick reader dongle, sling bag and a charging dock. That does make it substantially more expensive than rival FPV drones like the DJI Avata 2, but the A1 is also a very different kind of drone.

The intuitive controls and ability to look all around you make it unlike anything else currently available. It’s a delightful introduction to drones, FPV or otherwise, but a shame that software issues marred my tests. Plus, pairing all the devices can be convoluted and frustrating at times.

If Antigravity is thinking about what to do next, I’d be intrigued to see a version with the camera bonafides to take on similarly priced DJI drones. But that shouldn’t detract from the company’s debut model since the A1 is arguably the most intriguing consumer drone since the Mavic Pro.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/antigravity-a1-drone-review-140026021.html?src=rss

New Homes In London Were Delayed By ‘Energy-Hungry’ Data Centers

A London Assembly report warns that surging demand from “energy-hungry” data centers is straining the electricity grid and delaying new housing developments. With data-center electricity use expected to rise up to 600% by 2050, officials fear London’s housing crisis could worsen without coordinated action. The BBC reports: According to the report (PDF) from the London Assembly Planning and Regeneration Committee, some new housing developments in west London were temporarily delayed after the electricity grid reached full capacity. The committee’s chair James Small-Edwards said energy capacity had become a “real constraint” on housing and economic growth in the city.

In 2022, the General London Assembly (GLA) began to investigate delays to housing developments in the boroughs of Ealing, Hillingdon and Hounslow – after it received reports that completed projects were being told they would have to “wait until 2037” to get a connection to the electricity grid. There were fears the boroughs may have to “pause new housing altogether” until the issue was resolved. But the GLA found short-term fixes with the National Grid and energy regulator Ofgem to ensure the “worst-case scenario” did not happen — though several projects were still set back. The strains on parts of London’s housing highlighted the need for “longer term planning” around grid capacity in the future, said the report.


Read more of this story at Slashdot.

cmocka 2.0 released

Andreas Schneider has announced
version 2.0
of the cmocka
unit-testing framework for C:

This release represents a major modernization effort, bringing
cmocka firmly into the “modern” C99 era while maintaining the
simplicity and ease of use that users have come to expect.

One of the most significant changes in cmocka 2.0 is the migration
to C99 standard integer types. The LargestIntegralType typedef has
been replaced with intmax_t and uintmax_t from
stdint.h, providing better type safety and portability across
different platforms. Additionally, we’ve adopted the bool type where
appropriate, making the code more expressive and self-documenting.

Using intmax_t and uintmax_t also allows to print
better error messages. So you can now find
e.g. assert_int_equal and assert_uint_equal.

cmocka 2.0 introduces a comprehensive set of type-specific
assertion macros, including `assert_uint_equal()`,
`assert_float_equal()`, and enhanced pointer assertions. The mocking
system has also been significantly improved with type-specific macros
like `will_return_int()` and `will_return_float()`. The same for
parameter checking etc.

LWN covered the
project early in its development in 2013. See the full list of new
features, enhancements, and bug fixes in cmocka 2.0 in the changelog.