Apple’s iPhone and iPad running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 have become the first consumer mobile devices cleared for NATO-restricted classified data. No special software or settings are required. MacRumors reports: Apple’s devices are the first and only consumer mobile products that have reached this government certification level after security testing and evaluation by the German government. iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 are now certified for use with classified data in all NATO nations.

In an announcement of the security clearance, Apple touted its security features: “Apple designs security into all of its products from the start, ensuring the most sophisticated protections are built in across hardware, software, and Apple silicon. This unique approach allows Apple users to benefit from industry-leading security protections such as best-in-class encryption, biometric authentication with Face ID, and groundbreaking features like Memory Integrity Enforcement. These same protections are now recognized as meeting stringent government and international security requirements, even for restricted data.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

At the beginning of February, Amazon officially launched Alexa+, the company’s new AI-powered assistant. Alexa+ is like the old Alexa, but with new contextual abilities. Users can ask complex, multipart questions, as well as requests for tasks, like asking Alexa to book you concert tickets. If you’ve used a voice mode on chatbots like ChatGPT or Gemini, you’re familiar with the concept—it’s just now available on your Echo devices, too. Now, Amazon is letting you lightly customize the personality of your new AI assistant, offering the choice between concise, calm, and enthusiastic bots.

On Wednesday, Amazon announced “Alexa+ personality styles,” a new feature that lets you customize how Alexa responds to queries and requests. At launch, Amazon is rolling out three styles for this experience: “Brief,” “Chill,” and “Sweet.” According to Amazon, Brief is the choice for users who want shorter responses that are more direct and to the point. There should be less flowery language that chatbots are known for, including small talk and “extra conversation.” Chill, on the other hand, aims to be an “easygoing and “relaxed” personality, that emulates “chatting with a laid-back friend.” Amazon says users who add the Chill personality to Alexa+ will notice conversations are “breezy,” and Alexa+ should offer “gentle guidance” with requests. Sweet is your “biggest cheerleader”: Amazon says this bot responds with warmth and enthusiasm, celebrating your successes, encouraging you, and transforming “everyday moments into opportunities for positivity.” (I just wanted to know the weather, Alexa.)

You can hear a sample of each personality on Amazon’s official announcement page, or use the embeds below. Amazon has uploaded Soundcloud links with a brief for each, so you can get a sense of the voice and style of all three. First, there’s Brief, which just says, “Operating efficiently”:

Next, is Chill, which says, “Life’s treating me well. All systems are zen, and the digital universe is spinning in harmony”:

Finally, there’s Sweet, which says, “Absolutely fantastic. I’m radiating pure joy, and ready to make your day incredibly amazing”:

Amazon says each of these voices was created following five pillars: Expressiveness, which can be concise to verbose; Emotional Openness, which can be reserved to enthusiastic; Formality, which can be professional to casual; Directness, which can be diplomatic to blunt; and Humor, which can range from subtle wit to overt sarcasm. Each pillar has its own ranges, which informs each personality. For example, Amazon says that Brief is specifically concise, casual, and direct, with minimal humor, while Sweet is warm, emotionally expressive, casual, and encouraging.

Despite the audio samples above, Amazon won’t force you to stick with these default voices, either. You can choose a new personality style while, at the same time, swapping between the eight different voice options Amazon offers.

How to try Amazon’s new personality styles with Alexa

Anyone with access to Alexa+—either through the Alexa+ subscription or a Prime subscription—can try these changes. Amazon says it made the process for trying new personality styles quite easy: You can just say “Alexa, change your personality style.” Alternatively, you can also find the options in the Alexa app. Select the device in question, then head to Device Settings > Alexa’s Personality Style.

To change the voice of your chosen style, head to your device’s settings again in the Alexa app, then, under “General,” choose your voice.

Apple’s mobile devices are secure enough for NATO. Following extensive testing by the German government, the iPhone and iPad are now considered secure enough for the NATO-restricted classified level.

Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security (Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik, or BSI) tested the devices. BSI first approved the iPhone and iPad for governmental use by German authorities in 2022. To take the additional step of NATO approval, Apple says BSI conducted exhaustive technical assessments, comprehensive testing and deep security analysis.

Unless you work for NATO, this won’t mean a thing to you. But at least it appears to bolster some of Apple’s marketing claims about security. (As for its privacy claims, well, that depends on which kind you mean.) Apple’s press release emphasized that these are the first consumer devices to receive the certification, and they did so without any special software or settings. It applies to iPhones and iPads running iOS 26.

“Secure digital transformation is only successful if information security is considered from the beginning in the development of mobile products,” BSI president Claudia Plattner is quoted as saying in Apple’s press release. “Expanding on BSI’s rigorous audit of iOS and iPadOS platform and device security for use in classified German information environments, we are pleased to confirm the compliance under NATO nations’ assurance requirements.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/nato-approves-the-iphone-and-ipad-for-classified-use-200857276.html?src=rss

Review aggregator Metacritic has removed a review of Resident Evil Requiem because it was AI-generated, Kotaku reports. The review was published by UK gaming site VideoGamer, but appears to be “written” by a fake AI journalist rather than a real person.

While it’s unfortunately difficult to confirm with 100 percent accuracy whether a piece of text is AI-generated, you don’t have to read VideoGamer‘s review for long to notice all the ways it feels off. The biggest giveaway, beyond heavy use of contrived metaphors, is a striking lack of detail beyond what you could glean from a trailer for the game. Embargoes covering what parts of a video game can come up in a pre-release review can be strict, but a good critic usually finds a way to describe their experience without being vague. VideoGamer‘s review, written by one “Brian Merrygold,” really doesn’t.

As at least one user on X has pointed out, it’s worth` being suspicious of Merrygold, too. The author’s profile on VideoGamer is just as awkwardly written as the review, and the profile picture of the account appears to be AI-generated. When you try to save the image locally, its file name, “ChatGPT-Image-Oct-20-2025-11_57_34-AM-300×300,” also seems like a dead giveaway. Kotaku looked at the X accounts of several other recent bylines at VideoGamer and found similar results. All their profile pictures appear to be AI-generated, and all the accounts were created around the same time in October 2025.

Metacritic relies on reviews written by real publications to create a score representing the overall critical sentiment towards a game or movie, not unlike Rotten Tomatoes. While there’s disagreement whether it’s a good thing that a popular site strips out the nuance of written reviews to make a number people can argue over, everyone can probably agree that Metacritic incorporating fake, AI-generated reviews is a bad idea. In response to the discovery that VideoGamer‘s review is likely AI-generated, Metacritic has removed it from its Resident Evil Requiem page. “The RE Requiem review and a handful of other VideoGamer reviews from 2026 have been removed from Metacritic,” Marc Doyle, Metacritic’s co-founder, told Kotaku.

A news site publishing an AI-written review is just as dire as Metacritic aggregating it, and that appears to be what VideoGamer is doing. ClickOut Media, the company that owns VideoGamer and a collection of other publications, reportedly laid off the staff of its gaming sites earlier this month to pivot to AI-generated content. Sifting through AI slop, whether on social media or Pinterest, is increasingly necessary online. Now apparently Metacritic is another place where readers should have their guard up.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/an-ai-generated-resident-evil-requiem-review-briefly-made-it-on-metacritic-194414929.html?src=rss

We’re still waiting for releases dates for Remedy’s in-development Max Payne remakes, but if you’re in need of a noir fix sooner than that, keep an eye on Liquid Swords’ Samson: A Tyndalston Story, which just got a release date of April 8.

The debut game from a new studio formed by Just Cause creator Christofer Sundberg, Samson looks like a tighter, more narrative-led experience than Avalanche’s proudly ridiculous open-world series, but no less packed with over-the-top action. You play as the eponymous Samson McRay, a man down on his luck and seriously in debt in the punishing city of Tyndalston.

“Samson is built on a simple, brutal truth: every day has a cost,” said the developer in a press release. “Debt grows with interest, and time is not on your side. Each job burns a limited pool of Action Points, and every decision shifts how the city treats you— there are no do-overs. Players have to move forward because standing still makes everything worse.”

Sundberg, who by his own admission has spent much of his career making “massive” games and sounds a bit worn out by it all, says his studio set out to make a bloat-free experience for “fans of gritty ‘90s action flicks,” which will be music to the ears of anyone who likes blasting through a game in a handful of weekends. For more on gameplay, check out this recent developer diary focused on combat and driving sections.

Samson’s brevity is seemingly also reflected in its $25 price tag. It will be a PC exclusive at launch (via Steam and the Epic Games Store), with no word on a console release right now.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/the-new-25-action-game-from-the-creator-of-just-cause-arrives-on-april-8-193058294.html?src=rss

Apple and Netflix have entered into a rather surprising partnership. The dynamic streaming duo will share Formula 1 programming, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The deal allows Netflix to stream the F1 Canadian Grand Prix in May, along with Apple TV. On the flipside, Apple TV and Netflix will both air season eight of the docuseries Drive to Survive.

The Netflix-created series spotlights various F1 drivers and their teams. The season premieres at midnight on both platforms. Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior VP of services, said that Netflix “has played a pivotal role in growing F1 since the launch of Drive to Survive, and we’re thrilled to make F1 content more broadly available to new and existing US fans.”

It seems like both companies stand to gain from this deal. Apple gets related F1 programming to air alongside the live races, and an expanded reach for these races. Netflix gets F1 races in the US, continuing the platform’s strategy of frequently airing live events.

Apple secured the rights to stream F1 races last year in a deal believed to be valued at around $150 million per year. The company has since been trying to expand the reach of the sport, and this Netflix deal is part of that effort. Apple has inked a deal with IMAX to simulcast some races live in theaters. It’s also been reported that Tubi, Comcast, DirecTV and Amazon Prime Video will all have some access to select F1 content.

This aggressive approach by Apple has led F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali to say that the sport will become bigger than it ever was while airing on ESPN. “It will allow us to enter in the houses of other people in a different way, in great quality that is very important for us. So, that is what I believe the Apple relationship will bring to us in the American market,” he told Racer.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/apple-and-netflix-are-teaming-up-to-share-formula-1-programming-192829498.html?src=rss

Mozilla has released Firefox 148 for Windows, macOS and Linux, bringing a new AI Settings section that lets users disable all of the browser’s AI-powered features in one click and then selectively re-enable the ones they actually want, such as the local translation tool that works locally rather than in the cloud.

The update also patches more than 50 security vulnerabilities — none known to be under active exploitation — over half of which Mozilla classifies as high risk, including five sandbox escape flaws and eight use-after-free bugs in the JavaScript engine that could allow code execution.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

eBay announced that it is cutting about 800 jobs from its global staff. “We are taking steps to reinvest across our business and align our structure with our strategic priorities, which will affect certain roles across our workforce,” the retailer said in a statement as reported by Bloomberg. This move will see about 6 percent of eBay’s current full-time workers laid off. Bloomberg noted that eBay would continue hiring in “key areas” but did not specify what those fields are.

The downsizing follows a week of business updates for eBay. On the same day it shared its latest financial results, the company announced that it would acquire Depop, a consumer-to-consumer secondhand fashion retailer, from Etsy. The Depop purchase carried a $1.2 billion price tag, which could put at least a small dent in the $11.1 billion it reported in 2025 full-year revenue.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/ebay-will-lay-off-800-workers-or-6-percent-of-its-staff-191500844.html?src=rss

We’ve known Apple would follow up its blockbuster film F1: The Movie with live coverage of F1 races in 2026. Now that we’re approaching the first grand prix weekend of the year, the company has provided details on what fans can expect to see inside the Apple TV app and beyond.

There’s already a dedicated F1 channel in the Apple TV app, which is where you’ll stream races live when the time comes. You can also watch practice sessions, sprint races and both pre- and post-race coverage. Apple offers a number of additional F1 videos there (I’d recommend watching the one on the new rules) and you’ll be able to stream the latest season of Drive To Survive on Apple TV as well.

Apple will offer the F1 TV feed as the main broadcast alongside the Sky Sports feed for all races. If you’ll recall, ESPN used to show the Sky Sports feed with Sky’s commentary team for its coverage of F1. Apple says it’ll broadcast every grand prix in 4K (Dolby Vision) with 5.1 audio (no mention of Dolby Atmos).

As part of Apple’s deal with F1, Apple TV subscribers get F1 TV Premium for the 2026 season. This gives you access to things like onboard cameras, team radios and live telemetry in addition to live coverage of the entire grand prix weekend. So, you can watch races on Apple TV or F1 TV, depending on your app preferences, or use the additional features of F1 TV Premium as a second (or third, etc.) screen setup. Netflix will also broadcast the Canadian Grand Prix in May as part of the deal that brought Drive To Survive to Apple TV.

F1

Full replays for all sessions will be available in the Apple TV app as well. Apple will offer a condensed race in 30 minutes replay option too, and the company says it’s working to hide spoilers in case users are watching after the race begins or concludes.

Apple has cooked up some new features for F1 grands prix as it takes over broadcast rights in the US. When you click on the F1 channel in the Apple TV app, the current grand prix week’s content is up top and you have the option to follow F1 so that you get notifications about the various events. Apple will provide a Driver Tracker, Driver Data and dedicated feeds for P1, P2 and P3. You can also watch the driver onboard cameras for each car in the Apple TV app. So, you don’t necessarily have to venture out to F1 TV for those things.

Apple will provide various Multiview options so you can put the main broadcast next to driver cams and race data. The company will offer some preset configurations, but you can make your own Multiview mix too. If you like Mercedes, for example, you can watch the main feed with driver cameras from Russell and Antonelli right beside it. Apple says Multiview will support up to five feeds at once (one main in the middle with two smaller ones on each side).

Billy Steele for Engadget

If you can only listen to races, you can hear live coverage and commentary in Apple Music through a dedicated radio streaming channel. There are also updated features for Apple News, Apple Sports and Apple Maps, the latter of which will have detailed info for fans attending in-person so they can hopefully avoid any surprises — like road closures — on race day.

The first race of the season is next week in Australia (March 6-8). Practice begins Friday with qualifying on Saturday and the grand prix on Sunday. Or if you live in the US, that will be Thursday night through Saturday night (race begins at 11PM ET).

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/everything-you-need-to-know-about-streaming-f1-on-apple-tv-190600771.html?src=rss

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When selling a home, it’s natural for folks to want to get as much money as possible for their property. That’s why people often put money into repairs and upgrades right before listing their house, and why people hire stagers to make the place look its best. But not all home-selling tactics are above board: Some unscrupulous home sellers resort to dirty tricks to convince you to overpay for their homes. Here are some of the tricks you should watch for on your next open-house tour.

Home sellers might try to hide the true age of an appliance

A key consideration when buying a home is the condition and age of everything in it, and unscrupulous home sellers might try to hide how old their stuff actually is in order to avoid giving you a credit or being forced to replace aging infrastructure like the furnace or HVAC system. They can always claim they don’t know when something was installed and try to dance around the units’ actual ages, but, typically, a competent home inspector can take one look at the serial number on every appliance and determine when it was manufactured and likely installed.

Which is why some home sellers might try to deter this by simply removing serial number stickers or plates from appliances, or scratching them to make them unreadable. Sometimes they might even use a marker to try to change installation dates, if they’re marked on the unit. If you can’t easily locate and read the serial numbers on appliances, be suspicious at the very least and insist on finding out how old the units actually are.

Sellers could try to re-label appliances with high-end brand badges

Most people aren’t experts in kitchen appliances, but most people are aware of the hierarchy of brands, and that certain brands—like Viking—are extremely expensive and high-end. So if you walk into a kitchen and the shiny, stainless-steel appliances have Viking badges on them, you might be thrilled to think you’re about to buy the most luxurious kitchen you’ve ever had. You might even be okay with paying a bit more if the appliances are included.

And it might be a ruse. You can actually buy appliance badges for brands like Viking online, adhere them on your mid-range appliances (covering or removing the real emblem), and hope buyers don’t know what the actual high-end models look like. This obviously won’t work on anyone who knows their way around appliances (or who has used high-end models in the past), but for a few bucks, it’s an easy way to make a kitchen look way more upgraded than it is. It’s only slightly less terrible than folks who leave brand-new appliances in place for the open house, then swap them for old, beat-up versions after closing—taking the good stuff with them.

Sellers might use these tricks to make old appliances look newer and more expensive

Appliances can make or break a kitchen—and a sale price. A kitchen that looks new and recently remodeled can boost the sale price of a house significantly. This inspires some cash-strapped sellers to try to make the kitchen look as new as possible with some cheap tricks.

There’s nothing wrong with sprucing up a tired old kitchen using some of these techniques, of course—as long as you’re open about it. It becomes problematic when a seller lets you assume things are newer and in better condition than they are and does nothing to disabuse you of the notion. A few common tricks include:

• Fake stainless steel. People love the look of stainless steel, and tend to assume that stainless steel appliances are higher-end than white or black versions. It’s pretty easy and cheap to apply decals, contact paper, or vinyl wrap that will give an appliance a stainless steel look, making it just as easy for a buyer to assume those shiny appliances are newer and higher-end than they really are. Always check serial numbers—and be wary if they’re obscured or missing.

• Upgraded oven grates, knobs, and hardware. Combined with a stainless steel decal, swapping out old, crusty burner grates for fancier new ones and replacing plastic knobs with metal versions can make an old oven look brand new. Again: If disclosed, there’s nothing wrong with this.

• Dishwasher cabinet panel. One easy way to obscure the condition of an old dishwasher is to add a cabinet panel that matches the rest of the cabinetry. This gives it a high-end, built-in look that might cause buyers to overlook the actual age and functionality of the appliance. This can be a DIY job for anyone who’s reasonably handy—and might even be considered a nice upgrade, as long as you know what’s lurking beneath that panel.

Home sellers could make isolated upgrades to high bigger problems

Everyone does some work to get a house ready for sale. Deep cleaning, fresh paint, and necessary repairs get done shortly before the listing goes live so the house looks its best and looks well-maintained. But sometimes those necessary repairs are hiding a chronic problem the seller is hoping no one will notice because they’ve fixed it “for now” and covered up the damage.

The tell-tale sign is an isolated upgrade—a single wall painted in a room, a spot of new shingle on the roof, brand new carpet in the third bedroom but nowhere else, for example. A single, lonely upgrade or renovation, no matter how nicely done, might be a sign that something happened in that spot that the seller doesn’t want you to know about. At the very least, isolated upgrades should be pointed out to your home inspector for extra attention.

Sellers can stage furniture and decor to hide defects in the home

Another way home sellers try to trick potential buyers and hide problems is probably the oldest trick in the book: Simply hiding the problem under something else. If the house is being shown furnished and possibly staged, the clutter and interior design can distract you from checking out the bones of the place—and, after all, we don’t often move furniture around when checking out an open house. A few common tricks to watch for include:

• Oddly-placed furniture. If a room has way too much furniture in it, or the couches and chairs are placed in strange ways that make the room uncomfortable, it’s time to look underneath and behind to see if there’s damage to walls and floors the seller doesn’t want you to see.

• For-show drapes and curtains. If you see voluminous, floor-to-ceiling drapes and curtains in a room, pause to ask yourself if there’s actually a window behind them. They may have been added to hide a water-damaged wall or other problem.

• Brand new area rug or carpet. If there’s a brand-new area rug or carpet in one area of the house but the flooring is tired and worn everywhere else, take a peek under it, if you can. It may have been added to quickly hide a problem.

• Door propping. Did the seller helpfully prop open all the doors so you could move freely through the open house? That’s nice. Now remove the doorstops and make sure the doors actually close properly.

• The freshest air. Making a house smell nice is an old technique when selling a home. A fresh batch of cookies or a quick airing-out is fine, of course, but if the house smells like someone splashed a gallon of Febreze everywhere they might be hiding an ominous smell—like mold, or cigarette smoke.

Meta has sued the people and groups behind three scam operations that used images and deepfakes of celebrities to lure users to scam websites. According to the company, the three entities were based in China and Brazil and targeted people in the US, Japan and other countries. The ads promoted fraudulent investment schemes and fake health products.

Meta said that it had filed lawsuits against several people in Brazil who promoted fake or unapproved healthcare products and online courses promoting them. The company also sued a China-based entity it says used ads featuring celebrities “as part of a larger fraud scheme that lured people into joining so-called investment groups.” The company didn’t provide details on how many ads these groups had run on Facebook, how many social media users had seen or interacted with the ads or how long the scammers had been operating on the platform.

So-called “celeb bait” ads have been a long-running issue for the company. Engadget has previously documented celeb bait scams on Facebook, including ones that frequently use Elon Musk and Fox News personalities to hawk fake cures for diabetes. The Oversight Board has also criticized the company for not doing enough to combat such scams. In its update, Meta says that “because scam ads are designed to look real, they’re not always easy to detect.” The company also noted that it has now enrolled “more than 500,000” celebrities and public figures into its facial recognition system that’s meant to automatically detect scam ads using the faces of famous people. 

Meta’s handling of scammy advertisers has come under increased scrutiny in recent months after Reuters reported that researchers at the company at one point estimated that as much as 10 percent of its ad revenue could be coming from scams. The fact that Meta has made billions of dollars from problematic advertisers has also caused the company to be slow to take action against repeat offenders.

In addition to the groups behind the celeb bait ads, Meta says that it’s upgraded its ability to detect scam ads that use cloaking, which has at times hindered its internal review systems. The company also sued a Vietnam-based advertiser it says used scam ads to hawk “deeply discounted items from well-known brands,” including Longchamp.

Meta also took legal action against eight former “Meta Business Partners,” who promoted services that would “un-ban” or other “account restoration services.” The company says it will “consider taking additional legal action, including litigation, if they don’t comply” with cease and desist orders.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-sues-advertisers-in-brazil-and-china-over-celeb-bait-scams-190000268.html?src=rss