Look Outside’s April 1 update that let you kiss enemies is now a permanent ‘smooch mode’

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For April Fools' Day, the developer of Look Outside released an update that added a new option to your interactions with NPCs: kissing. Instead of just fighting or talking to enemies and surviving neighbors in the cursed apartment building, you could give 'em a smooch. Their dialogue and sprites were updated accordingly, too. Cue stammering eldritch horrors with bright red blushing cheeks. April Fools' Day is (thankfully) over now, but there's good news for anyone who has been enjoying the lovefest or didn't get a chance to try it. Developer Francis Coulombe has built in a way for players to access "smooch mode" going forward.  

"If you started a game on April 1st and kissed the wounded neighbor, that save file is now permanently in smooch mode!" Coulombe posted on social media. "You can also activate smooch mode on a new save file by naming Sam 'Casanova'." I immediately started a new save to confirm and, yes, doing this does indeed allow you to go on a kissing spree. While you can't smooch every single person/abomination you'll run into, you sure can kiss a lot of them.

Want to kiss the Rat King? Go wild. Pierre? Yup. That weird bug guy in the basement who eats bandages? Unfortunately yes, he's kissable too. This truly is the game that keeps on giving. We're apparently getting a real, non-silly update in the near-future as well, so Look Outside fans are eatin' good. Now, please excuse me while I get back to my Kiss Everyone (except Lyle) run. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/look-outsides-april-1-update-that-let-you-kiss-enemies-is-now-a-permanent-smooch-mode-223746232.html?src=rss

The 2-Person Rocking Bench Made From 55kg of Plastic Waste

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Most furniture tells you exactly what to do with it. A chair says sit. A table says set things down. A bench says sit, maybe share the space. The X Bench Swing, the latest from Rotterdam-based studio The New Raw, has a slightly more interesting ask: sit, rock, and do it facing the opposite direction from whoever’s sitting next to you.

That setup sounds strange until you see it. The bench seats two people, but the clever part is that both sitters face opposite ways while sharing a single rocking motion. Think of it less like a traditional bench and more like a kinetic sculpture that happens to be incredibly functional. The form is defined by two intersecting volumes that create a sculptural, sturdy X-shaped structure. It’s the kind of piece that makes you want to walk around it before you sit down.

Designer: The New Raw

The New Raw describes the design’s intent with quiet confidence: “X Bench explores movement as a design principle.” That could easily read as throwaway design-speak, but when you look at the object itself, it actually lands. The rocking motion isn’t just a feature. It’s the whole point of the bench. The movement is built into the geometry, encoded in the alternating orientation of the seats, and made possible by a curved base that lets both sitters sway in rhythm even while facing away from each other.

And yes, it’s 3D printed, but not the kind of 3D printing you might be picturing. The New Raw works with industrial robotic arms to fabricate their pieces layer by layer from recycled polypropylene (rPP), plastic waste that would otherwise not have much of a future. Each X Bench uses 55 kilograms of recycled plastic and saves an estimated 143 kilograms of CO2 compared to conventional manufacturing. The studio sources materials from local recyclers in Rotterdam, prints on demand, and uses no adhesives or mixed materials, which means every piece can be fully recycled at the end of its life. The sustainability story here isn’t bolted on as an afterthought. It is the manufacturing philosophy.

The result is a bench that looks nothing like recycled plastic is supposed to look. The surface texture has a tactile, almost geological quality. The layered printing process turns what could be a visual liability into a genuine aesthetic. It reads as warm and handcrafted even though a robot arm built it. That tension between industrial process and sensory finish is, arguably, The New Raw’s most consistent signature across their body of work.

At 70 x 140 x 76 cm, the X Bench isn’t small, but it’s sized for real use. It works indoors or out, which makes it an easy fit for public spaces, gardens, lobbies, or any room that can absorb a statement piece without turning into a gallery. The studio describes it as suited for spaces “with an open-hearted character,” which I’d translate as: don’t put this in a minimalist white box and expect it to whisper quietly in the corner.

The social dimension baked into the design is where the piece gets genuinely interesting. Sitting across from someone on a bench is one kind of dynamic. Sitting back to back while you both rock is another kind of conversation entirely. It invites a sideways glance, a shared rhythm, an awareness of another person without the weight of direct eye contact. For a piece of furniture, that’s a lot to offer.

A lot of sustainable design right now carries a slightly apologetic quality, as if the environmental credentials are meant to compensate for aesthetic compromise. The X Bench doesn’t do that. It’s confident, a little playful, and the fact that it’s made from waste plastic feels like a bonus rather than a burden. The New Raw has been quietly making that argument with their work for years. With the X Bench Swing, they’re making it more clearly than ever.

The post The 2-Person Rocking Bench Made From 55kg of Plastic Waste first appeared on Yanko Design.

Sony’s gaming division just bought an AI startup that turns photos into 3D volumes

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Sony Interactive Entertainment, owner of the PlayStation brand, has acquired Cinemersive Labs, a UK startup developing tools to convert 2D photos and videos into 3D volumes. The startup team will join Sony's Visual Computing Group, a research engineering team focused on graphical technology, including game rendering, video coding and generative AI models.

Cinemersive's most recent product is a virtual reality app called Parallax that works as a viewer for parallax photos — three-dimensional images that you can peer around with natural head movements — captured using traditional smartphones and professional cameras with stereo lenses. The startup developed custom AI tools to convert 2D images into 3D volumes to make Parallax possible, and Sony apparently wants to apply that expertise to its own projects.

"Following the acquisition, the Cinemersive Labs team will join SIE’s Visual Computing Group (VCG) and contribute to our broader efforts in advancing state of the art visual computing within games," Sony says. "This includes applying machine learning to enhance gameplay visuals, improve rendering techniques, and unlock new levels of visual fidelity for players."

Machine learning has been a major focus of Sony's efforts to improve graphical performance on the PlayStation 5 and future hardware. The PlayStation 5 Pro was designed around a new GPU, faster storage and PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), custom AI upscaling tech that let the console run games at a lower resolution and then upscale them to 4K. The company recently squeezed even more performance out of the Pro with an updated version of PSSR it released in March. And with AMD, Sony is working on Project Amethyst, a multi-pronged collaboration to improve ray tracing and upscaling on the future consoles.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/sonys-gaming-division-just-bought-an-ai-startup-that-turns-photos-into-3d-volumes-220648699.html?src=rss

This LEGO Hannah Montana House Has a Rotating Miley-to-Hannah Transformation and Fans Need It

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Twenty years after Hannah Montana premiered on Disney Channel, Miley Cyrus stepped back onto a replica of the Stewart family living room for a Disney+ anniversary special that sent millennials and Gen Z into a collective spiral. The show, which ran from 2006 to 2011, quickly snowballed from a children’s series about a girl living a double life into something much bigger: sold-out tours, chart-topping hits, a blockbuster movie, and the making of a generation-defining superstar. Cyrus had famously declared Hannah dead back in 2013, and spent the better part of a decade distancing herself from the blonde wig. Coming back, then, felt like something. The artist has come full circle, at peace with her past and embracing it as an important part of who she is.

Riding that wave of perfectly timed nostalgia, LEGO Ideas builder KnightVibrantKnees100 has submitted a brick-built recreation of the Stewart family home that is, frankly, just as detailed as anything Miley walked back into. The MOC (My Own Creation) covers the living room, the kitchen, and a transformation mechanism that actually rotates a Miley minifigure into Hannah Montana, which is either the most delightful play feature of the year or the most emotionally loaded one, depending on how much of your childhood this show occupied.

Designer: KnightVibrantKnees100

The build is an open-plan interior display, and the amount crammed into it is impressive. The living room anchors the right side of the model with the green sofa, a pair of striped armchairs, a coffee table scattered with magazine tiles, and a red boombox sitting on the shelf behind. A guitar leans in the corner. Bookshelves with colorful spines run along the back wall. Plants are everywhere, which feels accurate to the show’s slightly overstuffed, lived-in aesthetic. The kitchen on the left is even more packed: a stickered fridge covered in magnets, a stovetop, a wall clock, a sink with a minifig doing dishes, and the “EAT” sign spelled out in round letter tiles on the wall above, exactly as it appeared on screen. The warm browns, tans, and muted blues hold together as a color palette in a way that genuinely evokes the show’s production design rather than just approximating it.

The minifigure lineup covers the full Stewart household and then some. Miley, Robby Ray, and Jackson are all present, alongside Lily (complete with crossbody bag and skateboard) and Oliver, decked out in his green hoodie and headphones and carrying a boombox tile. Hannah Montana gets her own separate minifigure in full pink-and-teal pop star gear, microphone in hand.

My favorite detail, though, is the transformation mechanism. Tucked into the upper level of the build, a rotating turntable platform sits inside a pink-lined doorframe niche flanked by small yellow globe lights, like a backstage dressing room that doubles as a stage entrance. Miley stands on it as her everyday self, and a simple rotation reveals Hannah in her place. It is a genuinely clever building solution, and it captures the show’s central gimmick with more wit than you’d expect from a handful of plastic bricks.

The build currently has 621 supporters on the LEGO Ideas platform, with 418 days left to reach the 10,000-vote threshold that would put it in front of LEGO’s internal review team. If you grew up watching Miley Stewart fumble her way through a double life in that Malibu living room, this one is worth your vote. Head to the LEGO Ideas page and cast it here!

The post This LEGO Hannah Montana House Has a Rotating Miley-to-Hannah Transformation and Fans Need It first appeared on Yanko Design.

VR game Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Empire City launches on April 30

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Everyone's four favorite anthropomorphic turtles are returning to the world of video games. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Empire City will be released on April 30 for the Meta Quest, Steam VR and Pico. It is made by VR game company Cortopia Studios and will retail for $25. Empire City is a first-person action game that you’ll be able to play solo or co-op with up to four people. And yes, that means all four of the turtles are playable.

We've seen a lot of the quartet flexing their fighting form in games over the years, but this is their first time appearing in a standalone VR title. In addition to the shelled heroes, the first part of the new game's trailer highlights other familiar figures from the series, such as Karai of the Foot Clan and ripped rhino Rocksteady. And of course April is there providing pizza and intel.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/vr-game-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-empire-city-launches-on-april-30-210451025.html?src=rss

Freelander reincarnates as an all-electric off-road SUV with six models planned

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The Freelander name is making a comeback after more than a decade, but its return marks a significant shift from its original identity. Once a compact SUV within the Land Rover lineup, the Freelander has been revived as an independent electrified vehicle brand through a joint venture between Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and Chinese automaker Chery.

Rather than reintroducing the vehicle under the Land Rover badge, the two companies are positioning Freelander as a separate marque focused on a new generation of electrified SUVs, with global ambitions but an initial focus on the Chinese market. The revival is led by the Concept 97, a name that references the original Freelander’s debut in 1997. Although the new vehicle does not carry Land Rover branding, its styling retains visual cues associated with the brand’s off-road heritage.

Designer: Freelander

The concept features a boxy silhouette, upright stance, and rugged proportions reminiscent of classic Land Rover SUVs, while also integrating modern lighting elements and a more futuristic design language. Details such as the angled D-pillar nod to the three-door Freelander from the late 1990s, blending nostalgia with contemporary aesthetics. The project represents a deeper collaboration between JLR and Chery, combining British design expertise with Chinese electric-vehicle technology and manufacturing capabilities.

JLR contributes design direction and brand heritage, while Chery provides the underlying platforms, powertrain technology, and large-scale production. The vehicles will be produced at the Chery-Jaguar Land Rover joint-venture facility in Changshu, China, which will become the manufacturing base for the new lineup. Unlike the original Freelander, which relied on traditional internal-combustion engines, the reborn lineup is centered on electrification. The new models are expected to use an advanced 800-volt platform capable of supporting multiple powertrain configurations, including fully electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, and range-extended electric systems.

This flexibility allows the brand to adapt to varying market demands and regulatory environments while maintaining a focus on off-road capability and performance. On the Inside, Concept 97 emphasizes a technology-driven cabin designed for comfort and connectivity. The vehicle features a three-row layout with six seats, including a rear bench styled like a lounge couch. A pillar-to-pillar display runs along the base of the windshield, complemented by a large central infotainment screen. Advanced electronics play a major role in the user experience, with systems powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8397 chip and Huawei’s Qiankun intelligent-driving technology. This is assisted by a high-resolution LiDAR sensor for advanced driver-assistance features.

The Concept 97 is not intended to be a standalone showcase. Instead, it previews an entire product strategy built around a family of electrified SUVs. The Freelander brand plans to launch six production models over the next five years, beginning with a three-row SUV similar to the concept. These vehicles will initially target Chinese buyers before gradually expanding into international markets with region-specific models. What began as an entry-level Land Rover has now evolved into a standalone electric SUV brand, signaling how legacy automotive names are being reimagined for the rapidly changing landscape of global mobility.

The post Freelander reincarnates as an all-electric off-road SUV with six models planned first appeared on Yanko Design.

This Finnish Privacy-focused Linux Phone Wants You to Forget Google Exists

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Finland gave us Nokia, the company that taught an entire generation what a mobile phone could be before the iPhone rewrote the rules. That legacy didn’t vanish when Microsoft bought Nokia’s devices division in 2013. It splintered into smaller, fiercer projects, including Jolla, a company founded by ex-Nokia engineers who refused to let European mobile technology die quietly. Jolla launched its first phone in 2013 running Sailfish OS, a Linux-based alternative to Android and iOS, and while that device never broke into the mainstream, it proved something vital: you could build a commercial-grade mobile OS outside the American duopoly. Thirteen years later, Jolla is back with new hardware, 10,000 pre-orders, and a renewed argument that Europe deserves its own smartphone ecosystem.

The new Jolla Phone costs €649 and ships in two waves, the first batch leaving Finland at the end of June 2026, with a second limited run of 2,000 units arriving in September. It runs Sailfish OS 5, the latest iteration of Jolla’s Linux-based platform, and it supports Android apps through an emulation layer that strips out Google’s surveillance infrastructure. The hardware sits comfortably in mid-range territory: a 6.36-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display, MediaTek Dimensity 7100 5G chipset, 8GB of RAM (expandable to 12GB), and 128GB of storage (upgradable to 256GB). Final assembly happens in Salo, Finland, the same city where Nokia used to manufacture millions of handsets per year, and every unit ships with a physical privacy switch that kills the microphones, cameras, and Bluetooth when you flip it.

Designer: Jolla Phone

The design language leans heavily into Scandinavian minimalism with a splash of nostalgia. The Orange colorway (one of three finishes alongside Snow White and Kaamos Black) features a vibrant coral hue that recalls the bold plastics Nokia used on devices like the Lumia 920. The rear panel is smooth and removable, emblazoned with a script “jolla” wordmark and the Sailfish OS logo at the bottom. Two camera lenses sit in the top-left corner in a vertical arrangement, and the overall footprint is boxy and utilitarian rather than chasing the curved-edge aesthetic that dominates Android flagships. Physical buttons line the right edge, the top houses what appears to be a modular accessory port, and the bottom edge packs a USB-C port flanked by speaker grilles. The front is all screen with minimal bezels, no notch, and no hole-punch cutout, giving the display a clean, uninterrupted canvas.

Jolla’s privacy commitments go deeper than marketing copy. The physical privacy switch, located on the side of the device, cuts power to the microphones, cameras, and Bluetooth radios entirely, a hardware-level kill switch that software toggles can’t replicate. Sailfish OS doesn’t require a Google account, doesn’t collect location data for advertising, and doesn’t send telemetry back to corporate servers. The operating system compiles from source code in-house, and Jolla installs it manually in Finland rather than relying on third-party ODMs. The battery is user-replaceable, a feature that disappeared from flagship phones over a decade ago, and one that extends the device’s practical lifespan well beyond the typical two-year upgrade cycle.

The modular back panel revives the “Other Half” concept from the original Jolla Phone, which allowed users to swap colorful rear covers that could also carry NFC chips to trigger UI themes and functionality changes. This time around, Jolla is opening the platform to third-party designers and hardware hackers, with potential add-ons including secondary e-ink displays, physical keyboards, and extended batteries. Android app compatibility comes courtesy of Jolla’s AppSupport layer, which emulates the Android runtime without Google Play Services, meaning banking apps, messaging platforms, and productivity tools run normally but without the tracking apparatus baked into standard Android. It’s a pragmatic compromise: you get access to the app ecosystem that makes a smartphone functional in 2026, but you don’t hand over behavioral data in exchange.

Jolla CEO Sami Pienimäki positioned the phone explicitly as a statement of technological sovereignty, arguing that Europe’s dependence on American mobile infrastructure represents both a privacy liability and a strategic weakness. Only four commercial-grade mobile operating systems exist today: iOS and Android from the United States, HarmonyOS from China, and Sailfish OS from Finland. Antti Saarnio, chairman of the Jolla Group, acknowledges the phone will remain a niche product in the near term but frames it as infrastructure for what comes next, particularly as AI reshapes the form factors and interaction models we use to access computing. Whether Jolla scales beyond enthusiasts and privacy advocates depends on how well Sailfish OS holds up in daily use and whether the company can sustain hardware production beyond these initial batches.

The Jolla Phone is available now for pre-order in EU countries, the UK, Norway, and Switzerland, priced at €649 with a €99 deposit required upfront. The September 2026 batch is capped at 2,000 units, and given that the first wave of pre-orders moved 10,000 devices in just three months, that inventory won’t last long. A U.S. launch is under consideration but has no confirmed timeline, and while the phone should theoretically work with major American carriers, it lacks FCC approval. If you’ve been waiting for a legitimate alternative to the iOS-Android duopoly, this is the closest thing Europe has built in over a decade.

The post This Finnish Privacy-focused Linux Phone Wants You to Forget Google Exists first appeared on Yanko Design.

OpenAI brings ChatGPT’s Voice mode to CarPlay

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In a surprise release, OpenAI has made ChatGPT's Voice mode available through Apple CarPlay. If you're running the latest version of both iOS and the ChatGPT app, and own a CarPlay-compatible vehicle, you can check out the experience. To get started, download all the necessary software, connect your iPhone to CarPlay and select "New voice chat" from ChatGPT. When the in-app text indicates ChatGPT is "listening," you can start a conversation.         

There are some notable limitations to using ChatGPT Voice with CarPlay. For one, OpenAI's chatbot can't control car functions. If you want to adjust the cabin temperature or skip tracks, you'll still need Siri for those tasks. Due to Apple's restrictions, you also can't start using ChatGPT through a wake word like you can Siri. For example, to resume a previous conversation, you need to open the ChatGPT app from CarPlay and tap a recent or pinned chat.  

With those limitations in mind, OpenAI suggests you can use Voice mode to get how-to advice, brainstorm ideas and practice languages. Personally, I like to listen to podcasts and music when I'm driving, but if talking with ChatGPT is your thing, you do you.    

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-brings-chatgpts-voice-mode-to-carplay-191422297.html?src=rss

CFTC sues three states for trying to regulate prediction markets

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The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is suing Illinois, Arizona and Connecticut for attempting to outlaw or regulate prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket. The CFTC believes it has sole jurisdiction to regulate these platforms, and that states attempting to classify them as illegal gambling are overstepping their authority.

CFTC defines prediction markets as “designated contract markets” where futures contracts are traded, essentially letting people bet on the outcome of events (for example, who will be the Democratic nominee for president in 2028). And because futures contracts are financial instruments distinct from traditional bets, they arguably fall under the supervision of the CFTC rather than the sports gambling authorities of individual states.

Multiple states, including the three the CFTC is suing, have challenged that interpretation of what prediction markets are and how they operate. Nevada sued Kalshi in February for operating a sports gambling market without proper licenses, a lawsuit made possible because a federal appeals court declined to prevent Nevada from pursuing its case. Arizona's attorney general filed a lawsuit against Kalshi in March along similar illegal sports gambling lines, and because the platform let people bet on Arizona elections, which violates state law. Both Illinois and Connecticut have also sent Kalshi and other prediction markets cease-and-desist letters, ordering them to stop advertising and offering their services in their respective states.

"The CFTC will continue to safeguard its exclusive regulatory authority over these markets and defend market participants against overzealous state regulators," CFTC Chairman Michael S. Selig said in a statement. "This is not the first time states have tried to impose inconsistent and contrary obligations on market participants, but Congress specifically rejected such a fragmented patchwork of state regulations because it resulted in poorer consumer protection and increased risk of fraud and manipulation."

Attempts to regulate, or in this case, stave off regulation of predication markets are complicated by the fact that President Donald Trump's family has ties to the industry. Donald Trump Jr. is a paid advisor for Kalshi and investor in Polymarket. Major transactions made before recent US military actions in Iran have also suggested that people close to the government might be trading on prediction markets with insider knowledge. Some prediction markets have implemented new rules to prevent insider trading, but given the circumstances, it makes sense that states wouldn't be satisfied with companies policing themselves.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/cftc-sues-three-states-for-trying-to-regulate-prediction-markets-190152226.html?src=rss

PSA: YouTube will be streaming Coachella for free next week

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Coachella officially kicks off next Friday, April 10. But for anyone who doesn’t want to fly out to the desert or fork over upwards of $650 for a ticket, YouTube is going to livestream the concert for free so you can enjoy it on your own terms. Here’s a quick overview of all the programming that will be available in just over a week. 

With YouTube planning on providing feeds of seven different stages, there will be no shortage of content. This includes the Quasar stage in both horizontal and vertical formats, so no matter what device you're using, there should be an aspect ratio that works. Furthermore, for the first time, YouTube will also provide 4K streams of the main Coachella stage along with the Outdoor Theatre and Sahara. That's a lot of music and artists to watch at once, so you'll probably want to check out the official lineup or download the app (available on Android and iOS) to better plan out your schedule. 

Alternatively, if you're just in it for the vibes, there will also be a 24/7 Coachella TV stream featuring sets from both this year's event and past performances. And if you can't decide on a single artist to follow, you'll also have a multi-view option allowing you to watch up to four stages at the same time. 

Finally, in case you feel like you're missing out on the social aspect of the concert, YouTube is bringing back its "Watch With" feature that pairs content creators including Valkyrae and Daniel Wall with artists such as Katseye and Fujii Kaze to provide a more interactive experience with feedback and reactions in real time. And if you need a souvenir for the event you attended virtually, there will even be an online merch store with exclusive drops from artists including BINI, Ethel Cain, Foster the People, Laufey, The xx and more. All you have to do is point your camera at the screen when you see a QR code pop up (you may want to have an extra device around for this). 

Regardless of who you're hoping to see or hear, all the festivities begin next Friday at 4PM PT on Coachella's YouTube channel.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/psa-youtube-will-be-streaming-coachella-for-free-next-week-183033874.html?src=rss