Meta has shared more information about how it plans to use AI to catch teens who lie about their age on Instagram. As first reported by Bloomberg, early next year, the company will deploy “adult classifier,” a tool it says will identify users who are younger than 18 and automatically apply Instagram’s more restrictive privacy settings to them.
According to Allison Hartnett, Meta’s director of product management for youth and social impact, the software will look at indicators like the accounts a user follows and the content they interact with regularly. If the tool suspects someone is under 18, it will move them to a teen account, regardless of what age they claim to be on their profile.
Meta did not immediately respond to Engadget's request for comment.
Meta first said it would use AI to identify young users who had lied about their age when it began rolling out teen accounts in September. With those accounts, the company automatically applies Instagram’s most stringent privacy settings to kids younger than 16. For instance, the accounts are automatically set to private, and they can’t message strangers. Facing pressure from lawmakers and parents, Meta had already been applying many of those restrictions to underage users before the rollout of teen accounts, but with the official launch of the feature, the company made it so that teens cannot change those settings without approval from a parent.
On Monday, the company didn’t disclose how accurate the adult classifier tool is at determining a person’s age. Meta told Bloomberg it would eventually give people who are wrongly identified by the software the ability to appeal, though the social media giant is still working out what that process will look like.
The company will prompt teens who attempt to manually change the age listed on their account to prove their identity. Users will have the option of either uploading an official government-issued ID or sharing a video selfie to Yoti. Meta previously partnered with Yoti to bring age verification to Facebook dating. The company’s machine learning algorithm estimates a person’s age based on their facial features. Once Yoti shares its estimate with Meta, they both delete the video.
The adult classifier software is part of broader effort by Meta to make it more difficult for people to lie about their age on Instagram. Separately, the company plans to flag teens who attempt to create a new account using an email address that’s already associated with an existing account and a different birthday. It also plans to use device IDs to get a better picture of who is creating a new profile.
Meta, alongside Google and TikTok owner ByteDance, recently failed to convince a US federal judge to dismiss a series of lawsuits alleging the companies failed to adequately protect their young users from the harmful and addictive effects of social media use.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-details-adult-classifier-tool-for-catching-teens-who-lie-about-their-age-on-instagram-164439051.html?src=rss
Amazon completely revamped its Kindle family in October when it debuted the entirely new Colorsoft ereader along with updated generations of the other three existing models: the standard Kindle, the Paperwhite and the Scribe E Ink tablet. The new Paperwhite has a slightly larger screen, a bigger battery and a more powerful processor that Amazon combined with E Ink tech to make page turns faster. This Paperwhite again comes in a Signature Edition, which adds wireless charging, an auto-adjusting front light and extra storage — all for $200, which is $10 more than the previous Signature Edition.
The standard Kindle also got a $10 price bump, leaving the same $90 gap between Amazon’s cheapest model and the Signature Edition. I tested both to see whether the price difference between the two is worth it. The higher-end model is certainly posh, but the base model handles ereader basics well. Is the deluxe treatment that much better?
Processor, capacity and other hardware features
The company is calling the Paperwhite (Signature and standard) the “fastest Kindle ever” thanks to a new dual-core processor and an oxide thin-film transistor layer that enables quicker switching of the text and graphics on the page. That layer is also more transparent than the previous tech, so the on-page clarity has increased as well.
As for storage, the Paperwhite Signature gets 32GB, double that of the regular Paperwhite, which is the same treatment as the prior generations for both. They have a couple additional backlights this time: ten standard LEDs and nine warm ones for a total of 19.
The screen is a little larger at seven inches, up from 6.8, and sports the same 300 ppi resolution. Despite a larger battery capacity (with an estimated 12 weeks of live instead of just ten), the device is a fraction of a millimeter thinner than last time, and weighs just two-tenths of a gram more. It has the same IPX8 rating, meaning it can handle full submersion, and the back is made from a metallic plastic with a rubberized texture that’s easy to grip (so you’re less likely to accidentally dunk it in water). The bezels help with grip too, as they’re just wide enough to accommodate a thumb without triggering a page turn.
The hardware upgrades are subtle, but they add up to a downright elegant way to read books. Pulling up menus, opening new titles and turning pages are all speedier than any ereader I’ve tried. And ghosting is basically non-existent. The roomy screen displays text that’s crisper than a January morning and the auto-adjusting front lights are like a warm lantern lighting your way.
If I take any issue with the design of the Signature, it’s the placement of the power button at the bottom edge. One of the simple joys in this life (for me anyway) is eating while reading. That means I hold a book or ereader on the table in front of my plate as I shovel stir fry into my mouth. Often, resting the Signature on the bottom edge accidentally presses the power button, shutting off my read mid-forkful. Notably, this doesn't happen with the standard Kindle, even though the button is in the same place, simply because the smaller ereader isn’t heavy enough to trigger the button-press. The Signature also has a rubber grommet around the edge of the flush-front screen, which I don’t hate, but I do find myself distractedly fidgeting with it when I read.
Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
Touch controls and customization
I sat the Paperwhite Signature next to other ereaders in my testing collection and compared the page-turn speeds, menu load times and scrolling refresh rates. Though the differences weren’t significant, the Signature was definitely faster. (But the Kobo Libra Colour is still the fastest at waking up after a sleep of longer than a few minutes.)
The Signature’s touch response is impeccable. I’ve accepted the fact that most ereader screens occasionally need an extra tap before they do what I want. Whether that’s turning a page or pulling up a menu, my first gesture sometimes goes unnoticed. Not here; the screen immediately responds to every swipe and tap I make. Unfortunately, sometimes that tap is unintentional, and other times the screen doesn’t respond the way I want — but it always responds.
That leads me to a couple of disappointments in the Paperwhite’s interface. Those misinterpreted taps were almost always page turns. The area that skips back in your reading is a narrow sliver on the left-hand side. Some people may plow forward in a book with no backwards glances, but I often find myself at the top of a new page with the realization that I’d been thinking about toast or Cristin Milioti for most of the last page and have no idea what’s going on. Then, when I tap to go back, I’m often taken forward, which confuses me more. To be fair, swipes are generally accurate — but I’m a tapper not a swiper.
This wouldn’t be a problem if the area for a back tap were wider — but you can’t adjust that. In fact, you can’t adjust the way your taps and swipes work at all. The middle of the top of the page accesses the header menu and a swipe down from the top brings up the quick settings panel. There’s no switching those gestures or the zones to suit your preference.
It’s unfortunate because that’s something both Kobo and Boox devices can do. Those readers also give you finer adjustments for the margins, line spacing, font weight and more. The options the Kindle does provide for the look of your text are honestly fine, though. And the Kindle gets points for letting you create and save themes made up of different combinations of fonts and layouts. Kobo doesn’t allow this and Boox can’t do it in its native reader app.
Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
Buying, borrowing and listening to books
Acquiring books you want to read is maybe one of the most important qualities in an ereader and Kindles have their strengths and weaknesses. These features aren’t unique to the Paperwhite, but it’s worth mentioning how Amazon’s book access compares to its competitors. The first thing to acknowledge is that the Amazon Kindle library is the largest, thanks to Amazon Exclusive books and self-published, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) titles. That said, if you mostly read titles from established publishers, you’ll find them on any reader.
Amazon’s devices are better for people who like to flit between reading and listening to a given book. Not only do you get a discount on an audiobook if you buy the ebook version, the Whispersync feature keeps track of where you are so you can swap between the formats and pick up the story at the right place. And if you’re active on Goodreads, a Kindle will also serve you better as the integration with (the Amazon-owned) site is baked-in.
What Kindles don’t support are ePubs with any digital rights management (DRM) other than its own. If you buy a book from a third party ebook store that uses Adobe DRM, you can’t read it on a Kindle — but you can on Kobo and Boox devices (with a few extra steps). Finally, you may want to consider how you’ll access books borrowed from your local library. Using either the Libby app on your phone or your local library’s website, you just need to choose the “send to Kindle” option for them to show up on your reader. It's worth noting that Kobo lets you search for and borrow library books from the device itself, and Boox devices let you do so from the Libby app directly.
Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
How the Signature compares to the regular Paperwhite and base Kindle
The regular Paperwhite is $160 and the Signature Edition is $200. That’s a $40 increase that may make sense for some, but probably not for most people. The three add-ons (extra storage, wireless charging and auto-adjusting light) are handy, but won’t dramatically improve your reading experience. If you like having offline access to lots of audiobooks, the larger 32GB capacity might be worth it. But if you mostly read ebooks (and/or use your phone for audiobooks, which makes more sense to me), the 16GB-capacity should be more than enough for years of library expansion.
The auto-adjusting front light on the Signature Edition is responsive and calibrates the light to the environment pretty well. I still need to manually lower it in a fully dark room, so it’s not fully hands-off, plus it’s easy enough to adjust. The separate warm light (which you get with the regular Paperwhite) is the more critical feature anyway, as it makes reading into the wee hours of the night far more pleasant. The final Signature-only feature, wireless charging, is probably the least important — you only charge these things once every other month at the most. How you do so feels inconsequential.
So if you save $40 by not going with the Signature model, does it make sense to save even more by going with the $110 standard Kindle? That’s harder to answer. The base Kindle has the same 300 ppi resolution, the same storage capacity, the same font and layout options and access to the same audio- and ebooks as the standard Paperwhite. But the Kindle’s screen is smaller, the device is not waterproof, the battery lasts half as long and there’s no warm light. Touch responsiveness isn’t quite as good and page turns are slightly slower (though the difference on both counts is minor).
Honestly, the lack of a warm light on the base Kindle is the only major drawback. It’s far more enjoyable to read the softer yellowish screens of either Paperwhite than the harsher blue of the base model. But I found myself getting used to it fairly quickly, and I probably noticed the difference most when switching back and forth between the two — something most people won’t do.
Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
Wrap-up
In short, the Kindle Paperwhite and the new Paperwhite Signature offer a more premium reading experience. The flush front screen and soft-touch back feel more upscale. The larger screen feels like the difference between reading a mass market paperback and a trade paperback, which isn’t to say the standard Kindle feels cramped, it’s just smaller. I see the Paperwhite (especially the Signature model) appealing to people who want the most elevated reading experience — the crispest text, the least lag, the swankiest feel. And the regular Kindle is perfect for those who just want the most direct line to reading nearly any book they want.
It comes down to whether you think a heightened experience will make you read more. If so, then it’s probably worth the price jump in the long run. But if you’re just looking for a no-frills way to read books, go for the base Kindle. Even though it’s less high-end, it feels more durable and more portable. The smaller size can fit in a back pocket and you may be more apt to toss it in a cluttered bag — all of which may very well mean you read more, and, really, that’s the whole point of any ereader.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/kindle-paperwhite-signature-2024-review-a-luxurious-reading-experience-163036611.html?src=rss
The computer mouse is innately an unintuitive device and yet has become the most common way we interact with computers. There might be times when direct input through touchscreens is better, but that only works if you’re using a tablet or a touch-enabled monitor. A trackpad, like the ones built into laptops, stands somewhere in between, but it isn’t of much use to desktop users or even for laptops that have very small trackpads.
Apple users have the advantage of having something like the Magic Trackpad exactly for that purpose, but the choices on the Windows side of the computing landscape are very slim. Most of them simply offer the same limited functionality as laptop trackpads, as if they just yanked those out and made them a separate device. This concept, however, goes the extra mile to make the trackpad not only look more elegant but also offer a better user experience.
Unlike a touchscreen, a mouse provides an indirect interaction method where you use it to move a cursor around as a proxy for your finger. A trackpad works the same way but uses a more or less flat surface that, to some extent, makes it almost feel like you’re remotely doing it on the screen rather than moving a soap-shaped device. The ergonomic problem with laptop trackpads is their location beneath the keyboard, so some prefer having an external version off to the side in place of a mouse.
PAD is a trackpad design concept that provides an experience similar to the Apple Magic Trackpad. But unlike that already popular solution, the design goes beyond simply replicating a trackpad. For one, its circular, dome-shaped design gives it a unique appearance, and its focus on premium materials separates it from typical plastic mice.
More importantly, however, PAD thinks of ways to improve or augment that user experience. Given its circular shape, it’s possible to press not just the left and right edges but also the front and the back for additional mouse buttons. The top surface is also touch-sensitive, so touch gestures also work there. In fact, the middle of the dome can have an embedded fingerprint scanner, which makes PAD a secure authentication tool as well.
The design also goes beyond mouse functions, and it’s not just the RGB lighting around the rim. Since you won’t be moving PAD around your desk, it’s possible to use it as data storage. It can also have a microphone and small speakers for use with an AI assistant. The latter might be overkill for a computer pointing device, but given how AI is being incorporated into almost everything, it won’t be an alien concept in just a few years.
Xbox has revealed the first wave of Game Pass additions for November. While there perhaps isn't anything quite on the mainstream blockbuster level of recent newcomer Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, there's still plenty worth paying attention to.
Arguably the most notable new game to hit the service this month is Flight Simulator 2024. For the first time in the series, you'll be able to exit your aircraft and explore more than two dozen biomes. You can seemingly land anywhere in what's said to be the most detailed recreation of our world in the franchise so far. There are new weather features, including auroras. Meanwhile, you'll be able to undertake various aviation careers, including medevac operations and aerial firefighting. On top of that, you'll be able to compete against other players in races.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 will hit Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on its November 19 release day. You'll be able to play it via PC (if you have a beefy enough rig), Xbox Series X/S and, appropriately enough, the cloud.
In the meantime, you'll be able to check out Metal Slug Tactics on PC, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and the cloud on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass starting November 5. This is a tactical RPG take on the classic run-and-gun series that will hit the service on day one. The game is arriving on Nintendo Switch, PS4 and PS5 on Tuesday as well.
Also on Tuesday, PC Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will be able to play the single-player components of StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft II: Campaign Collection on PC at no extra cost. The multiplayer aspects of both are already free.
Four games are joining the Game Pass Standard tier on November 6: Go Mecha Ball, The Rewinder, Turnip Boy Robs a Bank (all on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S) and Harold Halibut (Xbox Series X/S only). The following day, you can hop into Goat Simulator Remastered via Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on PC, Xbox Series X/S and the cloud.
Meanwhile, Xbox is removing some other titles from Game Pass on November 15. Those are:
Dicey Dungeons (cloud, console and PC)
Dungeons 4 (cloud, console and PC)
Goat Simulator (PC)
Like a Dragon: Ishin! (cloud, console and PC)
Like a Dragon: The Man Who Erased His Name (cloud, console and PC)
Persona 5 Tactica (cloud, console and PC)
Somerville (cloud, console and PC)
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/the-first-game-pass-additions-for-november-include-flight-simulator-2024-and-metal-slug-tactics-155259538.html?src=rss
I just love people who are considered “boy scouts” as they have whatever it is that you need at the moment in their bag. Sometimes I want to be that person but I am almost always too lazy to carry a lot of things around (except probably for stationery and journaling stuff). Fortunately there are more and more 1 million in 1 (okay an exaggeration) tools available out there for you to become your group’s go-to person when it comes to tools on the go.
Designer: Leatherman
The Skeletool CX is one such tool that is pretty lightweight so it can fit into your bag or even your pocket. All the 7 basic tools that you may need to use when you’re out of the house can be found here: needlenose pliers, regular pliers, wire cutters, hard-wire cutters, carabiner/bottle opener, large bit driver, and a 154cm knife. The knife itself is made from high-quality stainless steel so it can resist wear and corrosion and stay sharp far longer than other knives. You can even lock it into place if you want to be safe when not in use.
The tool has other features which make it even more convenient. You can store tool bits in the handle so you can access them easily when needed. You can even use some of the features even when it’s in folded or closed position. If you’re good, you can even just use it with one hand, There’s also a pocket clip if you want to attach it to your belt loop or pocket.
The Skeletool CX weighs just 5 oz so it won’t be a pain to carry it around. It comes in seven different colors to match your aesthetic: guava, verdant, nighshade, onyx, paradise, black and stainless, and OD Green. While there are several tools out there that may have more functionalities, this is a pretty good basic tool that is lightweight and handy.
Amazon's new Kindle lineup features the first color Kindle, a revamped Scribe for notes, and the fastest Paperwhite yet, enhancing the reading experience.
The Volvo XC90 Hybrid SUV is transforming the automotive industry by seamlessly combining luxury, efficiency, and advanced technology. As Volvo’s flagship hybrid SUV, the XC90 offers consumers a choice between petrol-electric plug-in hybrid and mild-hybrid petrol powertrains, accommodating a variety of preferences and needs. The vehicle’s striking new frontal styling enhances its already distinctive and […]
The ASUS ZenScreen MS27UC blends 4K visuals with Google TV, offering a seamless shift between work and entertainment on a versatile 27-inch smart monitor.
Black Friday is one of the best times of the year to pick up a new Echo speaker — it’s usually as good of a time as Prime Day, since Amazon typically saves its best deals for these few periods. This year is no different; among the Amazon Black Friday deals is a steep discount on the Echo Pop smart speaker, bringing it down to just $18. The 55 percent discount brings Amazon’s most compact speaker down to a record-low price.
Amazon launched the Echo Pop in May 2023 as a new entry-level option for Alexa-powered devices. It features a 1.95-inch front-facing speaker which could work well in a small room like a study or a dorm room. It uses Amazon’s AZ2 Neural Edge processor to allow for on-device tasks and lets you do all the standard commands with Alexa. Plus, you can get it in four colors: Charcoal, Glacier White, Lavender Bloom and Midnight Teal.
The Pop isn't the only Echo device on sale ahead of Black Friday. Right now, you can get the fifth-generation Echo Dot for $23, down from $50 — a 44 percent discount. The Echo Spot is also on sale, dropping to $45 from $80 and the fourth-generation Echo is $55, down from $100.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-black-friday-deals-include-the-echo-pop-speaker-for-only-18-142842519.html?src=rss
The former mobile giant Nokia was both famed and notorious for its innumerable phones, some of which have gone down in history for their iconic designs. There are some, however, that have also gone down in infamy for their odd designs that, while eye-catching, end up being unusable. Although not the biggest culprit, the Nokia 7610 belongs to the latter group with its curved and off-center keypad.
With HMD reviving some of Nokia’s classic designs, there has been some interest in modern interpretations of these peculiar phones. This concept design for a 5G variant of this “stylish” phone, for example, retains the basic contours of the original but thankfully prioritizes usability over glamour, though not without a gimmick of its own.
Although it stuck to the conventional vertical candy bar format, the Nokia 7610 is characterized by an odd combination of sharp and curved corners on opposite sides, giving it a leaf-like shape. What made it even more unusual, however, was the shape of its keys. While it also conformed to the T9 layout, the keys curved a bit and had non-uniform sizes, making them harder to hit accurately by muscle memory alone.
The Nokia 7610 5G concept ditches that novelty for a more standard keypad layout, one that would be instantly familiar to users of those old phones. The keypad is, however, still off to the right side, and the empty spot on the left is taken up by a large flat circular that functions as a sort of joystick controller. Whether that has any actual useful function is debatable, but it does make the phone look unique and a little more balanced.
In almost all other aspects, this concept would look like any Android-like phone, but there are some details you’d be hard-pressed to find in modern smartphones. There’s a headphone jack, for one, which is a rare sight these days. The battery is also replaceable, hidden behind a removable panel on the back.
These details are a homage to some of the things that made Nokia phones great, despite their odd and sometimes unusable designs. There is a strong focus on functionality, paired with the courage to risk novel and untested designs. We’re unlikely to see the Nokia 7610 revived the way other Nokia classics have been, but this concept is still an interesting experiment in reinterpreting that design language for modern needs and tastes.
