Electronic Arts has pulled its FIFA games from digital storefronts such as Steam and console stores just as EA Sports FC 24 arrives. As noted by X (formerly Twitter) user MauroNL, none of EA’s FIFA titles are available for purchase on those storefronts anymore, including last year’s title, FIFA 23.

It’s still possible to play some of the games through EA Play, the publisher’s subscription service. You’ll still be able to find physical copies of the delisted games on consoles if you really want them and, if you’ve already purchased a FIFA game on a digital storefront, you’ll still be able to download it again.

But you’re out of luck if you hadn’t yet snapped up FIFA 23 or one of the earlier games on the likes of Steam. “At the request of the publisher, EA Sports FIFA 23 is unlisted on the Steam store and will not appear in search,” a notice on that game’s Steam page states.

It’s not yet clear exactly why EA has removed all these games from sale. Engadget has contacted the publisher for clarification. However, it seems likely that a licensing issue is at play.

Last year, EA and FIFA ended their long-running licensing partnership for the classic series of soccer sims. EA has rebranded the franchise as EA Sports FC. It will officially release the first entry on September 29, though the game has been in early access since last week.

The FIFA name will still appear on other games in the future, just (in all likelihood) not ones made by EA. “I can assure you that the only authentic, real game that has the FIFA name will be the best one available for gamers and football fans,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said last year, presumably with a straight face.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ea-pulls-its-fifa-games-from-digital-storefronts-such-as-steam-141312879.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – EA pulls its FIFA games from digital storefronts such as Steam

The day is finally here: There’s a self-driving car available for purchase in the US. Or, at least, there will be within the next few months. Mercedes-Benz is bringing its Drive Pilot-equipped cars to California and Nevada, and, when they’re deployed, you’ll not only be able to take your hands off the wheel but also take your eyes off the road.

Drive Pilot is the first proper SAE Level 3 autonomy system on the road, meaning when the car is driving itself you, the driver, aren’t even liable for the car’s behavior. That’s an impressive feat, but it’s one that comes with a lot of caveats. The biggest is that it only works at up to 40 mph, and even then only in clear weather conditions. You have to be on a highway that has been mapped by Here’s HD maps, and you must have a car ahead of you.

There are restrictions within the car, too. You can’t take a nap, can’t turn around and look at the people in the back seat (at least not for long), and, perhaps most frustrating, you still can’t use your phone. That’s a lot of can’t, sadly, but Mercedes-Benz promises this is just the beginning, with higher speeds and more flexible use-cases to come with time. What’s it like today? Check out our test drive to see.

Editorial Note: Apologies for the delay in this review, earlier this year I was in a bike accident – not with this bike, I should add – that left me with a months-long concussion.

I am a proud townie. I don’t mind the odd nature walk, but I’m far happier striding for hours at a time through cities, coffee in hand. I loved walking from law school in the center of London back to my apartment, six miles away, through the hustle and bustle. That’s possibly why I feel such a kinship with Honbike’s Uni4. It’s an elegant, efficient and beautifully-designed city e-bike of the future that is a joy to ride, just so long as you never think about taking it out of its comfort zone.

Hardware

I won’t lean too hard into the “unique design” angle because plenty of bikes eschew the usual diamond frame template. It’s undeniably eye-catching, with a crossbar running from the headset / head tube down to the rear wheel, which then appears to bleed into the chain stay. I quite like the commitment to making it look as if it’s one continuous structural unit, even if it is divided by a wheel. The chunky crossbar gets much of its strength from the 432Wh worth of battery inside, which promises a top range of 100 km or 62 miles. The squared-off tube ends and built-in front light gives it a look and feel best described as “VanMoof-y.”

The Uni4 costs $1,699 in the US and £1,799 here in the UK, less than the £2,000 you can pay for a half-decent e-bike. Honbike hasn’t scrimped too obviously, with a Gates carbon belt drive with a quoted life of 10,000 km. There are Tektro Aries disc brakes on custom, six-spoke wheels that make it look like you’re riding a sport bike. The front and rear fenders are included although the instructions do tell you to put the front fender on backwards. There’s an integrated front light but only an aftermarket, battery-powered rear light bolted onto the seat. It’s less than ideal, but the logic for why it’s there is obvious: With no top tube, there’s nowhere to install an integrated rear light that’s high enough to be visible at night.

Integrated into the headset is a dot matrix display that’s supremely bright and perfectly visible in bright sunshine. There’s a small control unit on the left hand grip where you’ll turn it on, run the lights and set your power level. On the right, a built-in throttle will activate walking assist mode and give you a tiny shot of power from a standing start.

There are plenty of e-bikes costing around two grand that often feel a little phoned in, and no, I won’t name names. But for every standout like the gorgeous Raleigh Trace, there are plenty that look like their manufacturer took an old road bike, added a rear wheel motor, bolted a battery onto the downtube, and called it a day. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect the industry to up its game – and the big brands are getting better – in the face of better-designed competition. The Uni4 is a better-looking bike than lots of those in its price bracket and, I’d say, looks like it costs a little bit more than you’ll actually pay.

The bike is hewn from 7,000-series aluminum and weighs about 20 kg or 44 pounds, which is a little heftier than it may look. It’s a two-handed job to lug it about, and so you probably wouldn’t want to carry this up several flights of stairs on a regular basis.

In Use

I often wonder to what extent we should judge a bike upon the merits the company itself sets for it versus a more general-purpose view. The Uni4 is marketed as a city bike, engineered to eat up the long, flat stretches of asphalt between us and our destination. It’s no surprise – because I already tipped my hand here – that it’s ideally-suited to that environment, comfortably cruising along the road whenever and wherever I chose to go. In fact, judged on that merit alone, if you’re only ever riding this on the road (or a dedicated cycle lane) you can just order one right now. When the electric assist is off, the Uni4’s essentially the world’s most overbuilt single speed, and it works in that configuration, too. If you’re on flat, well-paved roads, then you should feel very comfortable that you’ll get where you need to go quickly and easily.

It’s only when we take a more general-purpose view and test the Uni4 out of its comfort zone do you see its weaknesses. Like many townies, it starts to struggle the further from civilization you get, even if you’re well within the boundaries of a city. Not far from where I live, there’s a path through a small wood that you can use to cut the distance between two major roads. It’s a well worn path, and on sunny days it’s a (mostly) flat and dry stretch that’ll save you 10 minutes or more. Sadly, even the gentlest of terrain will pose a problem because there’s no suspension or shock absorption, shaking your bones to a fine powder. Afterward, I took the bike to some tree-lined residential avenues, the sort where the roads are only relaid once every three or four decades. The trees have had time and opportunity to burrow across the road and make the terrain less than smooth as a consequence. Your municipality may be fine with potholes and uneven roads, but take it as read that the Uni4 is not.

You’ve noticed, too, I’ve mentioned flat roads a few times, because you’re not going to get too much help up hills. There are only three acceleration modes, and no fine-grain control beyond to help you get more power where you need it. Here in Norwich, there’s a daily savage hill that, up one side, has an incline of between 11 and 14 degrees, while its opposite hits 22.4. It’s so steep that it’s the site of an annual endurance cycling competition, and seemed an ideal place to test the Uni 4’s gyroscopic uphill assistance. Essentially, the bike is meant to know the gradient you are cycling up, and automatically adjust the power to suit your needs. Yeah.

For the gentler side, it’s doable, but you can expect far less help from the bike than you might expect. The company says it’ll run between nine and 12 mph on a 18 degree incline, but only if the rider’s maximum weight is 90kg. Sadly, I’m a few kilos over that figure, and so I really had to work for every little bit of help, leaving me fairly sweaty by the time I’d reached the summit. For the latter, however, you’ll struggle to go more than halfway up before the bike simply refuses to continue. During my testing, a pair of dudes in a panel van were hooting with sadistic glee as I tried, and failed, to motivate the Uni4 to climb any further. This isn’t a dealbreaker, since there aren’t too many really nasty hills in the center of most towns and cities. But you might need to plan your route to avoid anything too extreme during your morning commute.

While I’m piling on, the bike is designed to look like a single piece of metal that curls into itself. The lack of a second tube means there’s less of an obvious mounting point around the frame when you need to lock it to a public rack. Instead, you’re forced to wrap the chain around the wheel mount and then back again to try and create something that feels secure enough to leave. You can also electronically “lock” the electric assist, but that won’t stop the wheels from turning, leaving an enterprising thief with at least something usable. Given the cost of one of these things, the fact so little thought had been given about safely storing one is a bugbear.

Honbike says the 432Wh battery will squeeze out around 62 miles, or 100km in range via that 250W motor. Naturally, that’s in the best possible conditions with the lightest rider and the least amount of electric assist available. Here, in the real world, you can expect that figure to fall by a fair amount, and the company has tuned the motor to emphasize a smooth, gentle ride over world-beating power. You’ll pretty much find that the bike will just keep you gently cantering around at 10 mph in all but the highest power setting. You can push things to the current legal limit of 15 mph if you want, but you’d rarely need that sort of power unless you’re going hard in heavy traffic and need to work your legs. But I found that – as a heavier, more power-hungry rider – that my range would be closer to 30 miles on a single charge.

And here’s a nice thing: Honbike may have a perfectly fine app, it’s also completely inessential. The built-in display will give you most of all the information you’d need to access, including your speed and a basic battery monitor. If you want, and you splash out for a smartphone mount, then the app can show you a local map, your speed, distance and trip duration. At the end of each trip, it’ll also tell you how much carbon dioxide you’ve saved by cycling, if you really need the boost to your eco credentials.

If I have one other concern, it’s about how riders will be able to keep this bike running for a very long time. An end user can buy replacement tyres and inner tubes, brake pads, pedals, fenders and the front and rear lights, from the company’s online store. While brake cables that are run through the frame are an annoyance, it’s a common issue on high-end bikes, and most repair stores can handle it with little bother. But, for the other key parts, including the wheels, the motor and the battery, it appears that Honbike recommends you send it in to its service center. I don’t necessarily blame the company for getting nervous about user-repairs to power units, since the risk is fairly significant. 

Wrap-Up

It’s worth saying that more of this piece has been focusing on the Honbike’s flaws rather than its strengths. Which is a bit of an irony, really, since riding around on this thing has been pretty much a joy from start to finish. It’s just that it’s very much designed to be the apex predator in a single environment, and so you need to be aware of that before you buy. But if what you want and what you need is a bike that’ll get you from one end of the city to another, in an elegant and painless manner, then there’s plenty of reasons to buy one. Especially when you look at other bikes in this sub-two-grand bracket and realize that, as limited as it may be, it’s also a real looker.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/honbikes-e-bike-of-the-future-is-perfect-for-cities-133014272.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Honbike’s e-bike of the future is perfect for cities

Even if you’ve never heard of Shure’s SM7B, you’ve almost certainly heard the SM7B. From live radio to podcasting and streaming, the sleek, black microphone can be found hanging in front of mouths, delivering its trademark broadcast sound. Today, Shure is unveiling the latest edition — the SM7dB — to celebrate the microphone’s 50th anniversary. It also happens to solve one of the mic’s biggest pain points (the clue is in its name). The $499 Shure SM7dB comes with a built-in preamp that adds either 18- or 28dB of much-needed gain. 

The SM7B famously needs a lot of amplification which can lead to quiet audio or an undesirable “hiss” on inferior preamps. To solve this, people often purchase an in-line preamp such as a FetHead or a CloudLifter — which is an additional $100 or so on top of the $399 SM7B.

The SM7dB eliminates the need for additional hardware and also promises a “clean” boost in volume. What’s more, it does this without adding any significant size or a change in form factor. To be clear, the new microphone is a shade longer than its un-amplified counterpart. And there’s a minor cosmetic change from the sleek, stealthy matte black to a slightly shinier paintjob. There’s also a glossy “Shure” logo now on the microphone body which makes the whole thing look a bit less cool if you ask me but you might not be so sensitive to such things.

The addition of a preamp brings with it some other practical changes. The classic SM7B has two switches on its rear: a high pass filter and a mid-frequency boost. The SM7dB still has those, but there are two more switches — one for bypassing the preamp and the other for toggling between the amount of gain (the aforementioned 18- and 28-dB boosts).

When “bypass” is activated, the SM7dB acts as a regular dynamic microphone and won’t need phantom power. Once you activate that preamp though, you’ll need to supply 48v to drive the preamp. The vast majority of audio interfaces with an XLR input will also supply phantom power, so there’s no issue here but if you’re used to working with dynamic microphones and the mild convenience of not having to think about phantom power, just know there’s a slight workflow change here.

One of the main benefits of a dynamic microphone is its noise rejection —- they’re much more forgiving on background noise or the sound of passing traffic, for example. Thankfully, the built-in preamp here doesn’t change that as the microphone still works as a dynamic should (unlike condensor microphones that need phantom power to work and are much more sensitive). 

With the full 28dB of gain applied, I initially thought there was some audible noise when recording silence, but it quickly became clear that with all that extra gain and my audio interface set to record at full volume it was simply just too loud and was picking up more ambient noise — it would have been far too loud if I had started speaking into it. Once the levels were adjusted accordingly, the noise floor disappeared. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, without any preamp turned on, the new SM7dB sounds near identical to its legacy sibling. I tested both via a Rodecaster Duo which has ample gain to drive these microphones on its own. However, when I tested both of the SM7dB’s preamp settings (while lowering the gain on the Rodecaster accordingly) the output remained just as clear and noise free with no obvious change in character — which is exactly what Shure was going for.

The obvious downside is that, the SM7dB costs about $100 more than the regular SM7B. That’s a decent amount more, especially if you don’t really need the preamp but are maybe hoping to future-proof your setup, or just upgrade to the newest model. On the other hand, if you were going to buy an SM7B knowing you’d also need a separate preamp then the new model costs about the same as buying both separately. 

Given the sheer popularity of the SM7B, the new edition should be well received. Not least because of the obvious advantage of it being louder, but for a more practical, if slightly superficial reason, too. That being that the design of the SM7B puts the XLR port facing either directly up or down on most boom arms or mic stands (rather than perpendicular) which certain inline preamps can look a little, well, ridiculous sticking out of the top of bottom. With the SM7dB, then, you can possibly eliminate one more visual distraction from your streams. Whatever your motivation for considering the new microphone, it’s available starting today.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/shure-hid-a-preamp-inside-its-latest-sm7db-microphone-130009353.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Shure hid a preamp inside its latest SM7dB microphone

Valve has failed to convince a court that it didn’t infringe EU law by geo-blocking activation keys, according to a new ruling. The company argued that, based on copyright law, publishers had the right to charge different prices for games in different countries. However, the EU General Court confirmed that its geo-blocking actions “infringed EU competition law”and that copyright law didn’t apply.

“Copyright is intended only to ensure for the right holders concerned protection of the right to exploit commercially the marketing or the making available of the protected subject matter, by the grant of licences in return for payment of remuneration,” it wrote in a statement. “However, it does not guarantee them the opportunity to demand the highest possible remuneration or to engage in conduct such as to lead to artificial price differences between the partitioned national markets.”

The original charges centered around activation keys. The commission said Valve and five publishers (Bandai Namco, Capcom, Focus Home, Koch Media and ZeniMax) agreed to use geo-blocking so that activation keys sold in some countries — like Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary and Latvia — would not work in other member states. That would prevent someone in, say, Germany buying a cheaper key in Latvia, where prices are lower. However, doing so violates the EU’s Digital Single Market rules, which enforces an open market across the EU. 

The five developers were given a reduced fine of €7.8 million (over $9.4 million at the time) for cooperating, but Valve decided to fight and faced the full €1.6 million, or more than $1.9 million penalty. In a statement back in 2021, Valve said that the charges didn’t pertain to PC games sold on Steam, but that it was accused of locking keys to particular territories at the request of publishers. It added that it turned off region locks for most cases (other than local laws) in 2015 because of the EU’s concerns.

The court rejected the appeal and backed the original EU Commission’s decision that the companies’ actions had “unlawfully restricted cross-border sales” of games. As a result, Valve is still subject to the original €1.6 million fine — but it has two months and ten days to appeal. Engadget has reached out to Valve for comment. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/valve-fails-to-get-out-of-paying-its-eu-geo-blocking-fine-122053595.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Valve fails to get out of paying its EU geo-blocking fine

Logitech has launched a new $299 cockpit for racing simulators that wouldn’t look too out of place at a backyard BBQ. The accessories maker has teamed up with gaming seat company Playseat to release the Playseat Challenge X. It’s equipped with all the right parts to support your gaming wheel, but when it’s not in use, it’s like any other foldable chair that you can stow away. 

As The Verge notes, it does look almost identical to Playseat’s non-Logitech-branded Challenge racing cockpit, which is $70 cheaper. This version, however, already comes with a tilting pedal bracket and a gearshift mount. While the chair doesn’t include the actual accessories needed to play racing sims, it is compatible with the company’s G wheels and the driving force shifters that support them. The Verge says it should work with other brand’s wheels, shifters and pedals, as well, assuming they’re compatible with the mounts on the chair.

Speaking of the chair itself, it uses a breathable material that can keep you cool in the heat. You can easily adjust it and find the most comfortable one among its six positions, and you can move the pedals further if you’re tall and need the leg room. The maximum user height it can accommodate is around 7 feet, while the maximum user weight it can support is 359 pounds. It could be a good option if you’re looking for a simpler, relatively affordable chair for your racing games, and you can get it now from Amazon. 

Meta is gearing up its annual event devoted to all things VR, AR and the metaverse. The company is once again showing off a new VR headset, the Meta Quest 3, as well as its next-generation smart glasses. We already know quite a bit about the Meta Quest 3, thanks to a preview from Zuckerberg earlier this year. The $499 headset has been considerably slimmed down and has redesigned controllers. It will also have better graphics, thanks to a new next-gen Qualcomm chipset, which will power new mixed-reality features similar to last year’s high-end Quest Pro. This is the consumer version of VR/AR Meta hopes the wider public will embrace.

The VR headset likely won’t be the only Reality Labs gadget we’ll hear more about at Meta Connect. As UploadVR noted last week, Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth hinted at a second-generation of Meta’s Ray-Ban-branded smart glasses also in the works. The new frames should have better cameras and some new features, like livestreaming.

Beyond hardware, we’re expecting Zuckerberg to attempt more compelling pitches on the broader idea of the metaverse itself, AI chatbots and avatars and Meta’s baby metaverse, Horizon Worlds, which could do with more things to do and, honestly, more people in it.

— Mat Smith

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The FCC plans to restore Obama-era net neutrality rules

It could take several months, and legal challenges may lie ahead.

The Federal Communications Commission plans to reinstate net neutrality protections nixed in 2018 during the Trump administration. After Anna Gomez was sworn in as the third Democratic member on the FCC’s five-person panel, the agency is pushing forward with an attempt to bring back net neutrality regulations. Net neutrality rules are meant to ensure internet service providers may not block or give preference to any content.

It will take quite some time to restore the previous rules. The FCC commissioners will vote on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking at their next monthly meeting on October 19. If, as seems likely, the agency votes in favor, it will start new rulemaking and seek public comments on the proposal.

Continue reading.

LG also made a flexible-screen laptop

The $3,700 Gram Fold is Korea-only at the moment.

Similar to the ASUS Zenbook 17 Fold and the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold, LG’s Gram Fold is a touchscreen device that can be a massive tablet or a computer when fully unfolded. Users will get a 17-inch OLED screen with a QXGA+ (2560 x 1920 pixel) resolution when it’s used purely as a display, and they can link it to its accompanying Bluetooth keyboard, which can rest on the lower half of the screen. It’s 4.99 million won ($3,700) — not cheap, but still more affordable than HP’s $5,000 Spectre Fold.

Continue reading.

Spotify’s new Jam feature lets friends collab on party playlists

It creates shared playlists as Turntable.fm does.

Spotify is rolling out a new feature called Jam, which will give friends a way to curate a single playlist on the service and listen to it together in real time. Participants in a Jam session can contribute tracks to a shared queue, which they can access whether they’re in the same room or around the world. The audio streaming giant is rolling out the feature to both free and Premium subscribers, but only the latter can start a session. Rival service Apple Music has teased a similar collaborative service coming to iOS 17, but it’s expected to arrive later this year.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-what-to-expect-at-meta-connect-2023-111532786.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – The Morning After: What to expect at Meta Connect 2023

Apple has released a firmware update for its Studio Display to improve its contentious 12MP ultrawide webcam, it said in the release 17 notes spotted by 9to5Mac. While the company (sort of) addressed image quality issues in previous updates, users still complained about the camera’s relatively high tilt that can be distracting on video calls. Now, the latest update “adds support for zoom, recenter and manual framing” to the webcam, giving users more control over how they look 

The new controls now let you zoom and pan across the image to help position yourself in the frame the way you want, and you can go back to the default settings by hitting the “recenter” button. That should be a big help for those who use the webcam in manual mode, though it also works with Center Stage to automatically frame you in the image. The update also adds “minor stability improvements” to the Studio Display. Note that the Studio Display firmware update also requires the latest macOS Sonoma release that came out yesterday. 

Also via the macOS Sonoma release, Apple brought the same controls over to the Continuity Camera that lets you use your iPhone for video chats on Mac. That might be a better option for many Studio Display owners, as despite all the fixes, the webcam still ain’t great. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-much-maligned-studio-display-webcam-gets-manual-framing-095650027.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Apple’s much-maligned Studio Display webcam gets manual framing

You can play the much-awaited sequel to the underground indie hit The Talos Principle in just a month’s time. The Talos Principle 2 is coming out for PC (via Steam and Epic Games), the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on November 2, and you can get the sci-fi puzzler with a 10 percent discount if you pre-order it before its launch date. If you haven’t played the original game yet, you can also get it with its Road to Gehenna DLC from Steam at 90 percent off until October 3. 

In The Talos Principle 2, humankind is already extinct, and robots made in our image capable of thoughts and emotions have already taken our place in the world. The machines explore a mysterious megastructure in the story, and as the player, you’d have to solve complex laser riddles to move forward while engaging with in-game dialogue about consciousness, love and the future of our species. 

We described the game as “warm, welcoming and slow,” when we previewed it a few days ago. Unlike most other sci-fi games and media, The Talos Principle 2 offers an optimistic story, perhaps more thought-provoking than heart-racing, which you may enjoy if you feel like you need a break from the challenges of the real world. 

While it’s good to know that the game is coming out this year, its publisher, Devolver, also recently pushed back several other titles’ release to 2024. Skate Story, a stylized skateboarding game set in its version of the underworld with a demon made of glass as the main character, is one of those games. The Plucky Squire, Stick it to the Stickman, Anger Foot and Pepper Grinder had also been delayed and are now scheduled to become available next year. 

CMF, the budget-friendly sub-brand Nothing announced back in August, has launched its first products: A smartwatch, a pair of earbuds and a GaN charger. The $69 Watch Pro comes with a 1.96-inch AMOLED display and built-in GPS. Its battery can last for up to 13 days, and it can make and receive calls, so long as it’s connected to a phone via Bluetooth, but it doesn’t seem to have access to an app store. The device is largely health-focused with various features that include monitors for real-time heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, as well as sleep and stress levels. It also provides hydration and movement reminders and the ability to set personalized goals. 

Meanwhile, CMF’s new earbuds are called the Buds Pro, and they cost $49. They offer up to 45 dB of active noise cancellation and a system comprised of an algorithm and optimally positioned openings at the top of each bud to minimize sound interference caused by winds. The earbuds are also capable of eliminating background noise to ensure voice clarity in phone calls with their AI noise reduction algorithm. CMF says they can last for up to 11 hours with one charge, provided ANC remains switched off. With the power provided by its charging case, it could take up to 39 hours before users will have to plug them in. 

Finally, CMF has also launched a 65W GaN charger with two USB-C ports and a USB-A port. It has the capability to bring a Nothing Phone 2’s battery to 50 percent in just 25 minutes, the company says. Nothing will be selling these products in limited quantities in India and the UK on September 30, though it did say that it will make the devices available for sale in other markets soon.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nothings-budget-friendly-brand-cmf-debuts-a-69-smartwatch-and-49-earbuds-072924294.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Nothing’s budget-friendly brand CMF debuts a smartwatch and earbuds

The ARC nerve stimulation therapy system from startup Onward Medical passed another developmental milestone on Wednesday, as the company announced the first successful installation of its brainwave-driven implantable electrode array to restore function and feeling to a patient’s hands and arms. The news comes just five months after the researchers implanted a similar system in a different patient to help them regain a more natural walking gait.

The ARC system used differs depending on how what issue it’s being applied to. The ARC-EX is an external, non-invasive stimulator array that sits on the patient’s lower back and helps regulate their bladder control and blood pressure, as well as improving limb function and control. Onward’s lower limb study from May employed the EX along with a BCI controller from CEA-Clinatec to create a “digital bridge” spanning the gap in the patient’s spinal column.

The study published Wednesday instead utilized the ARC-IM, an implantable version of the company’s stimulator array which is installed near the spinal cord and is controlled through wearable components and a smartwatch. Onward had previously used the IM system to enable paralyzed patients to stand and walk short distances without assistance, for which it was awarded an FDA Breakthrough Device Designation in 2020.

Medical professionals led by by neurosurgeon Dr. Jocelyne Bloch, implanted the ARC-IM and the Clinatec BCI into a 46-year-old patient suffering from a C4 spinal injury, in mid-August. The BCI’s hair-thin leads pick up electrical signals in the patient’s brain, convert those analog signals into digital ones that machines can understand, and then transmits them to a nearby computing device where a machine learning AI interprets the patient’s electrical signals and issues commands to the implanted stimulator array. The patient thinks about what they want to do and these two devices work to translate that intent into computer-controlled movement.

How well that translation occurs remains to be seen while the patient learns and adapts to the new system. “The implant procedures involving the Onward ARC-IM and Clinatec BCI went smoothly,” Dr. Bloch said in an press release. “We are now working with the patient to use this cutting-edge innovation to recover movement of his arms, hands, and fingers. We look forward to sharing more information in due course.”

“If the therapy continues to show promise, it is possible it could reach patients by the end of the decade,” Onward CEO Dave Marver said in a statement to Engadget. “It is important to note that we do not expect people with spinal cord injury to wait that long for Onward to commercialize an impactful therapy – we hope to commercialize our external spinal cord stimulation solution, ARC-EX Therapy, to restore hand and arm function in the second half of 2024.”

Onward Medical among a quickly expanding field of BCI-based startups working to apply the fledgling technology to a variety of medical maladies. Those applications include loss of limb and self-regulatory function due to stroke, traumatic brain or spinal cord injury, physical rehabilitation from those same injuries, as well as a critical means of communication for people living with Locked-In Syndrome.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-arc-nerve-stimulation-system-could-help-quadriplegic-patients-move-their-arms-again-053027395.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – The ARC nerve-stimulation system could help quadriplegic patients move their arms again

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has voted to officially lift its strike order, over half a year since it stopped work and demanded a better contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). Writers can officially go back to work after 12:01 AM PT on September 27, even though the organization has yet to hold the final ratification vote. WGA’s decision comes shortly after it held a series of negotiation sessions with producers and reached a tentative agreement, with one of the key sticking points being the use of generative AI. 

Now, the WGA has released a summary of the terms of its new contract, and it prominently features protections against the use of generative AI in the writing process. To start with, generative AI can’t be used to write or rewrite literary material, and anything it produces cannot be considered source material. Writers can choose to use AI if the company or studio consents to it, but studios can’t force writers to use AI software like ChatGPT. If a studio already has materials to hand over to a writer, they have to disclose if those materials include anything generated by AI. Finally, the “exploitation of writers’ material to train AI” is prohibited under the new agreement. 

In addition to AI-related protections, writers are also getting higher pay, increased pension and health contributions, as well as higher payment and residuals for streaming projects. Foreign streaming residuals will be based on the number of subscribers for services available globally, while some domestic projects’ residuals will be based on hours streamed by subscribers in the US. The new contract will be valid for three years until May 1, 2026. 

While the WGA strike has now ended, SAG-AFTRA’s is still ongoing. The group even voted in favor of a strike authorization for performers working in video games recently to give it added leverage in its negotiations with video game producers. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-wga-strike-ends-with-protections-against-ai-set-in-place-050019363.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – The WGA strike ends with protections against AI set in place

X is getting closer to releasing its long-promised alerts that will notify users about whether or not their account has been “shadowbanned.” Andrea Conway, a designer at X, offered a preview of the upcoming feature that Elon Musk first promised last year.

Conway shared two mock-ups: an alert in the notifications tab, as well as an informational page that explains why X may limit the visibility of some accounts. “We have found that your account potentially contains sensitive media — such as graphic, violent, nudity, sexual behavior, hateful symbols, or other sensitive content,” it explains.

“We may cover your posts with a warning so people who don’t want to see sensitive content can avoid it. The reach of your account and its content may also be restricted, such as being excluded from the For You and Following timelines, recommended notifications, trends, and search results.”

Underneath the message is an appeal button, so users can request X revisit its initial decision. Conway also said that users would likely be able to view their account status outside of the app’s notifications tab, but didn’t elaborate on how that might work. She added that the wording and user interface hasn’t yet been finalized. 

The company previously introduced a labeling feature for individual tweets that have been “visibility limited” for violating the company’s rules. But the latest update will take that a step further as the restrictions will be visible at the account level, not just for specific tweets.

The feature touches on what has long been a hot-button issue for Twitter, and now X. The company has for years limited the reach of accounts that break its rules. Under Twitter’s previous management, the practice was known as “visibility filtering.” But the company didn’t publicly share details about the practice, or which accounts it limited, which fueled conspiracy theories about “shadowbans.”

The issue came into the spotlight again last year after Musk turned over internal emails and other company records to independent journalists, who published records of Twitter executives discussing visibility filtering. Musk later promised that a future update “will show your true account status, so you know clearly if you’ve been shadowbanned, the reason why and how to appeal.”

Of course visibility filtering and so-called “shadowbanning” were never exactly the same thing. As Recodepointed out last year, Twitter for years said that shadowbanning refers to “deliberately making someone’s content undiscoverable to everyone except the person who posted it, unbeknownst to the original poster.” Whereas visibility filtering — both under Jack Dorsey and now Musk’s leadership — hides tweets from search, recommendations and other surfaces, but doesn’t make them completely invisible.

In any case, the forthcoming update should add some additional transparency — and, potentially, more controversy — to the practice. It’s not clear when the feature will make an official debut, but Conway said the company “should have more to share on this soon.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/x-previews-its-shadowban-alerts-003210529.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – X previews its ‘shadowban’ alerts

The US’ outdated electrical grid is not equipped to handle rising demands for renewable energy or the “new normal” threats of extreme weather and cyberattacks. This is according to energy security watchdog, SAFE, whose Grid Security Project found that problems like blackouts and shortages are becoming increasingly common. Without updates to both policy and infrastructure, SAFE warns, these issues are only likely to get worse.

In a new report, SAFE points to events like the deadly 2021 power crisis in Texas, when millions of people were left without electricity during a winter storm, and a 2022 shooting at a North Carolina substation that led to outages for more than 40,000 people. While instances like these may once have been considered rare events, they’re unfortunately becoming par for the course. The report also highlights sophisticated cyberattacks abroad, like the historic hack into Ukraine’s power grid in 2015, as examples of what the US grid could find itself up against.

“Extreme weather events, cyber espionage and domestic terror attacks, combined with increasing demand on aging infrastructure have turned the occasional power failure into alarmingly common events in cities across the United States,” said Thomas Coleman, executive director of SAFE’s Grid Security Project, in a statement published alongside the report.

The rapid transition away from fossil fuels will only add to the strain. Electric vehicles, which draw directly from the grid, have seen exponential adoption in recent years, and the system is still limited in its capacity to deliver energy from renewable sources like wind and solar to populated areas. The current infrastructure won’t be able to reliably keep up with greater energy generation and transmission needs.

According to SAFE, “the progeny of the infrastructure on which our great-grandparents once relied is increasingly inadequate to serve as the foundation of today’s modern economy.” In other words, the grid needs updating, and fast.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-us-electrical-grid-is-in-desperate-need-of-upgrades-watchdog-warns-224554416.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – The US electrical grid is in desperate need of upgrades, watchdog warns

X, the company previously known as Twitter, could soon find itself in hot water with European Union officials due to the amount of misinformation on its platform. The platform has an outsize role in the spread of misinformation, according to a new EU report.

The EU shared its findings in its first report on platforms’ handling of mis and disinformation as part of the Digital Services Act. The sweeping law, which recently went into effect, requires major platforms to disclose details about their handling of misinformation. Dozens of companies have additionally agreed to a voluntary “Code of Practice” on disinformation. X announced in May that it was pulling out of the agreement, though the company said it would adhere to the stricter disinformation policies required under the DSA.

The report found that X outstripped many of its larger peers when it comes to the volume of disinformation on its platform, and the engagement such posts attract. “X … is the platform with the largest ratio of mis/disinformation posts,” European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova said in a statement. The report also found that X ranked the highest in discoverability of misinformation and disinformation, followed by Facebook and Instagram.

X didn’t respond to a request for comment. In a series of tweets from its Global Affairs account, the company disputed the “framing” of the data and said it remains “committed to complying with the DSA.”

In a statement, Jourova said that all of the major platforms need to “to adjust their actions to reflect that there is a war in the information space waged against us.” She said that upcoming elections within the EU “will be an important test for the Code that platforms signatories should not fail.”

She also said that Musk would not be “off the hook” just because Twitter pulled out of the code of practice, according to comments reported by The Guardian. “My message for Twitter/X is you have to comply. We will be watching what you do.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/european-union-report-finds-x-has-a-major-disinformation-problem-220859617.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – European Union report finds X has a major disinformation problem

Ford said on Monday that it was suspending construction of a Michigan battery factory for electric vehicles. The automaker didn’t specify its exact reasons for the shutdown as United Auto Workers (UAW) strikes continue. However, it stated (viaThe New York Times) that it was “pausing work and limiting spending on construction on the Marshall project until we’re confident about our ability to competitively operate the plant.”

The factory was established earlier this year to produce battery tech licensed from China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co (CATL). It isn’t yet clear if the suspension is temporary or permanent.

The news came ahead of President Biden’s trip to Michigan on Tuesday to protest alongside picketing workers. Ford didn’t state whether its decision was related to the strikes. The UAW’s walkout against the Big Three automakers expanded to 38 locations in 20 states last week.

The $3.5 billion factory, scheduled to open in 2026, is slated to produce lithium-iron-phosphate batteries for EVs — supplying jobs for at least 2,500 autoworkers and spurring domestic EV battery production. However, the project has been flanked by uncertainty as the Biden Administration weighs regulations that could prevent US companies from working with select Chinese businesses.

The UAW has previously given Ford credit for bringing more concessions to the negotiating table during the strike than GM or Stellantis, going as far as sparing Ford from the recent walkout expansions. The union is asking for pay raises, a shorter workweek, protection against inflation and other worker concessions. In an interview this month, Ford CEO Jim Farley claimed meeting the union’s demands “would force Ford to scrap its investments in electric vehicles.”

UAW President Shawn Fain described Ford’s closure as “a shameful, barely-veiled threat by Ford to cut jobs.” He posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, “Closing 65 plants over the last 20 years wasn’t enough for the Big Three, now they want to threaten us with closing plants that aren’t even open yet. We are simply asking for a just transition to electric vehicles and Ford is instead doubling down on their race to the bottom.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ford-halts-construction-of-michigan-ev-battery-factory-as-strikes-continue-210625371.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Ford halts construction of Michigan EV battery factory as strikes continue

Apple’s macOS Sonoma update is now available. The Mac’s big 2023 software update adds a new Game Mode for Apple Silicon devices, interactive desktop widgets, videoconferencing improvements and more.

To install macOS Sonoma, you’ll need a somewhat recent computer. It supports MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac mini models from 2018 and newer, iMac and Mac Pro devices from 2019 and later, the Mac Studio from 2022 onward and the 2017 iMac Pro.

Once you’ve determined that your Mac is eligible, you can head to System Settings > General > Software Update to initiate the download and installation.

Many of macOS Sonoma’s top features are under the hood, and it appears to be a largely incremental update. But Apple still added plenty of interesting new features, including high-resolution screensavers of real-world locations, an updated login screen, interactive widgets, various videoconferencing enhancements (including new effects like the balloons pictured above), Safari profiles (for keeping work and personal separate) web apps you can install in the Dock, inline predictive text and more. There’s even a new Game Mode that prioritizes system resources for smoother gaming performance and improves latency for AirPods and wireless controllers.

For more on Sonoma’s features, you can review Engadget’s in-depth preview of the latest version of macOS.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/macos-sonoma-is-now-available-195607901.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – macOS Sonoma is now available

On October 4, Google will host an in-person event in New York City where it has promised to introduce the Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel Watch 2. Thanks to many leaks, including some self-inflicted ones, we have a pretty good idea of what to expect from the company’s latest devices. Here’s everything you need to know about what Google could announce next week.

Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro

As it did last year, Google has already acknowledged the existence of its latest phones ahead of their official launch date. Following months of leaks, on September 7 the company shared a 23-second clip showcasing the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro from nearly every angle. At the same time, it went live with dedicated landing pages for its new devices on the Google Store. The company claims the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro feature “the most advanced Pixel cameras yet and Google AI to help you do more, even faster.” The landing page also advertises the Magic Eraser and Live Translate capabilities of the new Pixels, though those are capabilities found on Google’s older devices as well.

According to leaks that have been published so far, many of them sourced by developer and Android Authority contributor Kamila Wojciechowska, the Pixel 8 Pro will feature a flat 6.7-inch OLED screen with 1,344 x 2,992 resolution. For comparison’s sake, the Pixel 7 Pro has a curved 6.71-inch 1,440 x 3,120 display. It’s unclear why Google has seemingly decided to outfit its latest flagship with a smaller screen, but the move to a flat display may have something to do with it. According to Wojciechowska, the 8 Pro’s OLED panel will max out at 1,600 nits of peak brightness when displaying HDR content. It is also apparently capable of more smoothly transitioning between different refresh rates.

The CIA and other US intelligence agencies will soon have an AI chatbot similar to ChatGPT. The program, revealed on Tuesday by Bloomberg, will train on publicly available data and provide sources alongside its answers so agents can confirm their validity. The aim is for US spies to more easily sift through ever-growing troves of information, although the exact nature of what constitutes “public data” could spark some thorny privacy issues.

“We’ve gone from newspapers and radio, to newspapers and television, to newspapers and cable television, to basic internet, to big data, and it just keeps going,” Randy Nixon, the CIA’s director of Open Source Enterprise, said in an interview with Bloomberg. “We have to find the needles in the needle field.” Nixon’s division plans to distribute the AI tool to US intelligence agencies “soon.”

Nixon says the tool will allow agents to look up information, ask follow-up questions and summarize daunting masses of data. “Then you can take it to the next level and start chatting and asking questions of the machines to give you answers, also sourced,” he said. “Our collection can just continue to grow and grow with no limitations other than how much things cost.”

The CIA hasn’t specified which AI tool (if any) it’s using as the foundation for its chatbot. Once the tool is available, the entire 18-agency US intelligence community will have access to it. However, lawmakers and the public won’t be able to use it.

Nixon said the tool would follow US privacy laws. However, he didn’t state how the government would safeguard it from leaking onto the internet or using information that’s sketchily acquired but technically “public.” Federal agencies (including the Secret Service) and police forces have been caught bypassing warrants and using commercial marketplaces to buy troves of data. These have included phones’ locations, which the government can technically describe as open-source.

“The scale of how much we collect and what we collect on has grown astronomically over the last 80-plus years, so much so that this could be daunting and at times unusable for our consumers,” Nixon said. He envisions the tool allowing a scenario “where the machines are pushing you the right information, one where the machine can auto-summarize, group things together.”

The US government’s decision to move forward with the tool could be influenced by China, which has stated that it wants to surpass its rivals and become the world’s de facto AI leader by 2030.

The US has taken steps to counter China’s influence while examining AI’s domestic and economic risks. Last year, the Biden administration launched a Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights, defining the White House’s generative AI values. It has also pushed for an AI risk management framework and invested $140 million in creating new AI and machine learning research institutes. In July, President Biden met with leaders from AI companies, who agreed to (non-binding) statements that they would develop their products ethically.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/even-the-cia-is-developing-an-ai-chatbot-192358767.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Even the CIA is developing an AI chatbot

The Federal Communications Commission plans to reinstate net neutrality protections that were nixed in 2018 during the Trump administration. Restoring those Obama-era rules has been on President Joe Biden’s agenda for years, but a deadlocked FCC has prevented that from happening during his time in the White House so far. Now, one day after Anna Gomez was sworn in as the third Democratic member on the FCC’s five-person panel, the agency is pushing forward with an attempt to bring back net neutrality regulations.

When net neutrality rules are enforced, internet service providers are not allowed to block or give preference to any content. They can’t throttle access to specific websites or charge the likes of streaming services for faster service. They must provide users with access to every site, content and app at the same speeds and conditions. Advocates tout net neutrality protections as the foundation of an open and equitable internet.

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, a long-term supporter of net neutrality rules, announced a plan to restore the protections on Tuesday. “This afternoon, I’m sharing with my colleagues a rulemaking that proposes to reinstate net neutrality,” Rosenworcel said at an event at the National Press Club. “We will need to develop an updated record to identify the best way to restore these policies and have a uniform national open internet standard.”

The aim is to “largely return to the successful rules” that the FCC adopted in 2015 when President Barack Obama was in office. The proposal aims to reclassify both fixed and mobile broadband as an essential communications service under Title II of the Communications Act, akin to water, power and phone services.

“The Chairwoman is proposing the FCC take the first procedural steps toward reaffirming rules that would treat broadband internet service as an essential service for American life,” the FCC said. “As work, healthcare, education, commerce, and so much more have moved online, no American household or business should need to function without reliable internet service.”

Rosenworcel noted that this is a first step in the process of reviving net neutrality. It will take quite some time until the previous rules are restored, as Bloomberg notes. The FCC commissioners will vote on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking at their next monthly meeting on October 19.

If, as seems likely, the agency votes in favor, it will start a new rulemaking and then seek public comments on the proposal. After reviewing the comments, Rosenworcel will decide how to move forward. In all likelihood, the commissioners will then vote on whether to adopt the final rules. While the push to restore net neutrality rules may prove successful, the implementation could still be delayed by legal challenges.

“For everyone, everywhere, to enjoy the full benefits of the internet age, internet access should be more than just accessible and affordable,” Rosenworcel said. “The internet needs to be open.” She added that repealing net neutrality protections “put the FCC on the wrong side of history, the wrong side of the law and the wrong side of the American public.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-fcc-plans-to-restore-obama-era-net-neutrality-rules-184624637.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – The FCC plans to restore Obama-era net neutrality rules