Author Archives: Steve Dent

Netflix has Sherlocked Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest

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Netflix is taking advantage of some high drama in the hot dog-eating world with its next live-streaming event. A couple of days ago, Joey Chestnut was banned from Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Content over his apparent partnership with a plant-based brand, as pretty much every major news site in the world inexplicably reported. 

Cue Netflix, which leaped in with its own frank-eating event called Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef, set to be live-streamed on Monday, September 2. It features two of the best-known (only-known, for most people) hot dot-eating personalities in the form of Chestnut (40) and Takeru Kobayashi (46), with the latter coming out of semi-retirement for the occasion.

"Through all of my years in competitive eating, Kobayashi stands out as my fiercest rival," Chestnut said in a Netflix press release. "Retiring for me will only happen after I take him down one last time," added Kobayashi.

Chestnut (40) won 16 of the last 17 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contests (held by the Major League Eating organization) and holds the all-time record with 76 hot dogs and buns eaten set in 2021. Kobayashi (46), meanwhile, is known as "the father of competitive eating" and won the Nathan's event six consecutive times. At one point, he was also banned from that event (for non vegan-hot-dog reasons).

The New York Post reported that Chestnut partnered with Impossible Foods, which manufactures the plant-based "Beef" hot dog. That was apparently anathema to Nathan's, which makes what it calls "100 percent beef hot dogs" (that the nonprofit Environmental Working Group considers not very healthy).  

"We are devastated to learn that Joey Chestnut has chosen to represent a rival brand that sells plant-based hot dogs rather than competing in the 2024 Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest," Nathan's told CBS in a statement. "It seems that Joey and his managers have prioritized a new partnership with a different hot dog brand over our long-time relationship." 

By hosting its own hot-dog eating event, though, Netflix is taking the meat out of Nathan's annual July 4th contest — Sherlocking it Apple style, if you will. Previous Netflix live streams include The Roast of Tom Brady, and following the Chestnut vs. Kobayashi affair, Netflix will stream the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight on November 15, 2024. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/netflix-has-sherlocked-nathans-hot-dog-eating-contest-120043454.html?src=rss

Waymo issues recall after one its self-driving taxis crashed into a pole

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Waymo is voluntarily recalling its robotaxis after one of them collided with a telephone pole in an alley enroute to pick up a passenger, The Verge reported. The vehicle was unoccupied and no bystanders were injured.

At the time of the May 21st accident, the Waymo vehicle went through an alley lined with telephone poles mounted at street level rather than on a curb, with a yellow line showing where to drive. While pulling over, it struck one of the poles at 8 MPH and sustained some damage, Waymo said. 

"It never made it to pick us up," the passenger waiting for the car, Jericka Mitchell, told 12News. Mitchell reportedly heard, but didn't see the accident. 

The company filed a recall with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) after updating the software in its entire self-driving fleet of 672 vehicles. The update is designed to fix an error that assigned a low damage score to the pole and failed to account for the alleyway's hard edge. 

It's only Waymo's second recall. The first happened earlier this year when two of its autonomous vehicles crashed into the same pickup truck that was being towed. In that one, Waymo found that its software failed to predict the movements of the vehicle due to "persistent orientation mismatch" between the towed vehicle and the one towing it.

Waymo is also under investigation for more than 24 incidents including crashes and traffic violations. Rival Cruise, owned by GM, was involved in a more serious incident last year, wherein one of its robotaxis accidentally dragged someone hit by another vehicle a few dozen feet down a San Francisco street. California then suspended its license to operate in the state and Cruise eventually paused all robotaxi operations

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/waymo-issues-recall-after-one-its-self-driving-taxis-crashed-into-a-pole-121937607.html?src=rss

WSJ details Elon Musk’s pattern of sexual involvement with SpaceX employees

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Elon Musk had sexual relations with a SpaceX intern who was later hired onto his executive staff as a troubleshooter, The Wall Street Journal reported. He also had an intimate relationship with a second employee and allegedly asked a third woman to have his babies, according to the report. When the latter refused, Musk denied her a raise and complained about her performance, according to the WSJ's sources.

In one case, Musk pursued a relationship with an intern. Later, he contacted her about a fulltime job at SpaceX to "find problems at the company and fix them," according to the report. She became a full-time member of Musk's executive group, something former employees found unusual for someone so junior — despite her talent as an engineer. (The woman told the WSJ that she didn't want to be part of the article and said in an affidavit that her and Musk remained friends.)

Another woman said she was accused by SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell of having an affair with Shotwell's husband. The woman reported the event to HR, something that allegedly got back to Shotwell. Shotwell then demanded the woman be removed from the chief executive's office. Musk later had a sexual relationship with the same woman, who has since left the company.

The WSJ said its reporting is based on text message, emails, documents and interviews with more than 48 people, "including former employees, people familiar with Musk’s interactions with female subordinates and friends and family of the women."

Musk didn't reply to the WSJ. In a comment, Shotwell said: 

"The untruths, mischaracterizations, and revisionist history in your email paint a completely misleading narrative. I continue to be amazed by what this extraordinary group of people are achieving every day even amidst all the forces acting against us. And Elon is one of the best humans I know."

This is far from the first report about inappropriate behavior at SpaceX, though. Late in 2021, former employees described a "culture of sexual harassment" at the company, including unwanted advances, lewd comments and physical contact. Last year, Musk was accused of sexual misconduct by a SpaceX flight attendant and earlier in 2024, a SpaceX lawsuit claimed repeated instances of gender discrimination and basic safeguarding failures.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wsj-details-elon-musks-questionable-conduct-with-spacex-employees-120057625.html?src=rss

Adobe is updating its terms of service following a backlash over recent changes

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Following customer outrage over its latest terms of service (ToS), Adobe is making updates to add more detail around areas like of AI and content ownership, the company said in a blog post. "Your content is yours and will never be used to train any generative AI tool," wrote head of product Scott Belsky and VP of legal and policy Dana Rao. 

Subscribers using products like Photoshop, Premiere Pro and Lightroom were incensed by new, vague language they interpreted to mean that Adobe could freely use their work to train the company's generative AI models. In other words, creators thought that Adobe could use AI to effectively rip off their work and then resell it. 

Other language was thought to mean that the company could actually take ownership of users' copyrighted material (understandably so, when you see it). 

None of that was accurate, Adobe said, noting that the new terms of use were put in place for its product improvement program and content moderation for legal reasons, mostly around CSAM. However, many users didn't see it that way and Belsky admitted that the company "could have been clearer" with the updated ToS.

"In a world where customers are anxious about how their data is used, and how generative AI models are trained, it is the responsibility of companies that host customer data and content to declare their policies not just publicly, but in their legally binding Terms of Use," Belsky said. 

To that end, the company promised to overhaul the ToS using "more plain language and examples to help customers understand what [ToS clauses] mean and why we have them," it wrote.

Adobe didn't help its own cause by releasing an update on June 6th with some minor changes to the same vague language as the original ToS and no sign of an apology. That only seemed to fuel the fire more, with subscribers to its Creative Cloud service threatening to quit en masse. 

In addition, Adobe claims that it only trains its Firefly system on Adobe Stock images. However, multiple artists have noted that their names are used as search terms in Adobe's stock footage site, as Creative Bloq reported. The results yield AI-generated art that occasionally mimics the artists' styles. 

Its latest post is more of a true mea culpa with a detailed explanation of what it plans to change. Along with the AI and copyright areas, the company emphasized that users can opt out of its product improvement programs and that it will more "narrowly tailor" licenses to the activities required. It added that it only scans data on the cloud and never looks at locally stored content. Finally, Adobe said it will be listening to customer feedback around the new changes.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/adobe-is-updating-its-terms-of-service-following-a-backlash-over-recent-changes-120044152.html?src=rss

Apple’s MacBook Air M3 drops to an all-time low of $899

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There's a bit of an Apple price war happening between Amazon and B&H Photo, which is good news for buyers. The 13-inch MacBook Air M3 with 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM just hit its lowest price yet at both Amazon and B&H, falling to just $899 or $200 (18 percent) off the retail price. In addition, the 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M3 Pro chip (18GB of RAM, 512GB storage) is on sale for $1,699, or 15 percent ($300) off at Amazon and B&H — another all-time low.

We think the 13-inch MacBook Air with the M3 chip is the best laptop for most people and, unsurprisingly, it's also our top pick for the best MacBook you can buy. Engadget's Devindra Hardawar gave it a score of 90 in his review when the computer came out last month. It's slim and light yet sturdy, and the keyboard and trackpad are comfortable to use.

The bright display is accurate and the battery will far outlast a typical workday. The new chip gives the notebook a performance boost according to our benchmark testing, which should help power users but may not be noticed as much for productivity chores. The only potential drawback is USB-C ports located only on one side, but otherwise this is a fantastic laptop, especially at that price. Again, you can purchase it either at Amazon or B&H Photo Video in multiple colorways. Note that other configurations (more RAM and storage) are also on sale, though with lesser discounts.

If extra performance is required, the 14-inch MacBook Pro with 18GB or RAM and 512GB storage is on sale for $1,699 — again, at both B&H and Amazon. Apple released the new 2023 MacBook Pro last November with three different M3 chips: the standard, M3 Pro and M3 Max. The mid-range model is what's currently on sale and offers a 14.2-inch screen, a Liquid Retina XDR display and a magic keyboard with touch ID. It has 18GB of RAM, a 14-core GPU and 512GB of SSD storage. Plus, it has 18 hours of battery life.

This is a solid model for creators as the M3 Pro has power to burn and it's very connection-friendly with three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI port, a headphone jack, a MagSafe charging port and even an SDXC card slot. If you've been looking to buy, it's best to act soon before the deal ends or stock runs out.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-macbook-air-m3-drops-to-an-all-time-low-of-899-124519802.html?src=rss

Microsoft Xbox chief Phil Spencer: ‘I think we should have a handheld’

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After announcing several new Xbox Series X consoles including a $600 special edition model, Microsoft may be working on another one. In response to a question from IGN about portable gaming, Xbox chief Phil Spencer said "I think we should have a handheld."

That's a vague comment, but it certainly shows that the company is taking notice of all the portable PC gaming devices out there like the new Rog Ally X from ASUS and no doubt Sony's PlayStation Portal remote handheld. Such a device would also make a lot of sense for the Xbox platform. 

"The future for us in hardware is pretty awesome, and the work that the team is doing around different form factors, different ways to play," he said. He then deferred any future questions about consoles to Xbox president Sarah Bond.

Spencer hypothetically kiboshed the idea of a Sony-like internet- or cloud-only device when asked about it, though. "I think being able to play games locally is really important," he said.  

This by no means confirms the development of such a device and it wasn't the right event for such an announcement in any case. "Today was about the games... but we will have a time to come out and talk more about platform, and we can't wait to bring it to you." 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-xbox-chief-phil-spencer-i-think-we-should-have-a-handheld-123046226.html?src=rss

ASUS’ ZenScreen Smart 27-inch monitor is its first with Google TV

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ASUS has been busy at Computex 2024 this year, announcing not only the ROG Ally X gaming handheld but a bunch of new laptops. Now, the company has moved on to monitors, unveiling several interesting entertainment and content creation models, including its first Google TV and 8K ProArt displays.

The 27-inch 4K (IPS) ZenScreen Smart MS27UC is the company's latest entertainment display. As mentioned, it's ASUS' first with Google TV and includes a remote with a built-in Google Assistant microphone. 

ASUS' ZenScreen Smart 27-inch monitor is its first with Google TV
ASUS

Along with what ASUS calls "ultra-thin display bezels and a small footprint stand," it has built-in front output 5W Harman Kardon speakers and a headphone port on the back. One unusual feature is a rear shelf that lets you store a keyboard, mouse and the Google TV remote. Other features include a DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0 port, USB-C (PD 90W), dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0 and Miracast.

ASUS' ZenScreen Smart 27-inch monitor is its first with Google TV
ASUS

ASUS also dropped some impressive (and probably fairly expensive) ProArt displays aimed at content creators. The first is the ASUS ProArt Display 8K PA32KCX, what ASUS calls "the world's first 8K mini-LED professional monitor." The 32-inch display offers 7,680 x 4,320 resolution and a peak brightness of 1,200 nits (sustained brightness 1,000) nits, thanks to the Mini LED tech with 4,096 local dimming zones.

It offers professional level specs, with a delta E of less than 1 in terms of color accuracy, true 10-bit color and 97 percent coverage of the DCI-P3 (HDI) color gamut. It includes a built-in motorized flip colorimeter for auto- and self-calibration, while offering dual Thunderbolt 4 ports with up to 96 watts of power delivery (along with HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 2.1 ports).

ASUS' ZenScreen Smart 27-inch monitor is its first with Google TV
ASUS

Meanwhile, The 27-inch ProArt 5K PA27JCV and 32-inch PorArt 6K PA32QCV displays support 5,120 x 2,880 and 6,016 x 3,384 resolutions respectively. ASUS doesn't say what display technology is used, but they have something it calls "LuxPixel" technology that uses an anti-glare coating that offers a "paper-like" effect without softening the image.

Both offer 99 percent DCI-P3 coverage, a Delta E less than 2 and DisplayPort™ over USB-C® with 96 W power delivery. Both appear to be fairly low profile and come with with metal stands.

ASUS' ZenScreen Smart 27-inch monitor is its first with Google TV
ASUS

Finally, ASUS showed off some new dual-screen displays that may appear in laptops or standalone monitors down the road. Those include the ZenScreen Duo OLED, that features a 14-inch 16:10 FHD dual-0LED display that can fold out to 21 inches for increased productivity. So far, there are no prices are delivery dates set for any of the new displays. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/asus-zenscreen-smart-27-inch-monitor-is-its-first-with-google-tv-120015995.html?src=rss

Whistleblower claims Amazon violated UK sanctions by selling facial recognition tech to Russia

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An ex-employee has accused Amazon of breaching UK sanctions by selling facial recognition technology to Moscow following its invasion of Ukraine, The Financial Times reported. 

Charles Forrest alleged that he was unfairly dismissed in 2023 after accusing Amazon of wrongdoing on a number of issues between November 2022 and May 2023, according to the article. The allegations were presented to a London employment tribunal as part of a hearing this week. 

Forrest said that Amazon closed a deal with Russian firm VisionLabs to provide access to its Rekognition facial recognition technology. It did that "through what appears to be a shell company based in the Netherlands," according to the tribunal filings. He also accused the company of breaking its self-imposed moratorium on police use of facial recognition tech implemented after the murder of George Floyd.

Amazon denied the allegations. "We believe the claims lack merit and look forward to demonstrating that through the legal process," a spokesperson told the FT. "Based on available evidence and billing records, AWS did not sell Amazon Rekognition services to VisionLabs."

Forrest was let go for "gross misconduct" after refusing to work his contractual hours and failed to respond to emails or attend meetings, Amazon alleged. It denied that Forrest made the sorts of disclosures that would entitle him to whistleblower protections. 

Amazon has denied the contention it provided police with facial recognition technology, and added in a tribunal filing that "a self-imposed moratorium does not amount to a legal obligation."

Update, June 7 2024, 11:14AM ET: An Amazon spokesperson clarified that the company is denying it provided facial recognition capabilities to police, and the last paragraph of this story has been changed to reflect that. The company remains adamant it did not sell that same software to VisionLabs but has declined to provide a statement related to whether VisionLabs obtained those capabilities through an intermediary. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/whistleblower-claims-amazon-violated-uk-sanctions-by-selling-facial-recognition-tech-to-russia-125001230.html?src=rss

Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve 19 arrives for Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite PCs

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With performance and especially efficiency that should scare Intel, Windows PCs running Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon X Elite have strong appeal for content creators. The current problem is a lack of apps, but Blackmagic Design just announced that its popular (and free) DaVinci Resolve 19 (beta 3) video editing and effects software now supports Windows machines running the new chip.

"DaVinci Resolve 19 beta 3 now supports Qualcomm’s new all in one CPU, NPU and GPU processor for Windows, Snapdragon X Elite," Blackmagic Design wrote in a press release. "DaVinci Resolve has been fine tuned to optimize performance of the DaVinci Neural AI Engine, with NPU acceleration giving customers up to 4.7x faster performance of AI tools such as magic mask and 2x faster performance for smart reframe on computers using this new processor."

All the DaVinci Resolve 19 tools found on Intel PCs and Macs are on the Qualcomm platform as well. Those include the "ColorSlice" color correction tool, Ultra NR denoising, Intellitrack AI for motion tracking and stabilization, audio "ducking" and more. Since many of those are powered by AI, users should benefit from the Snapdragon X Elite's neural engine (NPU) that beats nearly every laptop processor out there. 

Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve 19 beta 3 on Qualcomm X Elite laptops
The Yoga Slim 7x 14-inch laptop with the Snapdragon X Elite chip is just a tenth of a pound heavier than a 13-inch MacBook Air.
Engadget

The Snapdragon X Elite also has outstanding multi-threaded CPU performance, topping many Intel chips and Apple's M3. The VPU (video processing unit) offers AV1, VP9, HEVC (H.265) and H.264 encoding and decoding (up to 10-bit), so users should be able to work with most native camera formats and encode for YouTube and other platforms quickly. 

Graphics performance is a bit of a weak point, though, with performance only on par with Intel's Core Ultra 7, and well below most dedicated GPUs. Meanwhile, the Apple M3 GPU (on a MacBook Air) beats it by a wide 31 percent margin. That means DaVinci Resolve effects, encoding and more that rely on the GPU might be slow compared to Wintel and MacBook M3 machines. 

Still, this is good news for content creators wishing for a lightweight road machine that can keep up to Apple's laptops. DaVinci Resolve 19 public beta 3 for Windows on Arm with Snapdragon X Elite is now available for download from the Blackmagic Design web site.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/blackmagics-davinci-resolve-19-arrives-for-qualcomm-snapdragon-x-elite-pcs-123042761.html?src=rss

Dell’s XPS 14 and 16 get a permanent $200 price cut

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When we reviewed the Dell XPS 16 and XPS 14 laptops earlier this year, one of our biggest complaints with both models was the relatively exorbitant prices. Now, Dell has addressed this to a minor extent by dropping the price of both models by $200 across all configurations, the company told Engadget in an email. 

Dell cited a couple of examples of high-end configurations. The XPS 14 build with an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, 32GB of RAM, 1TB of storage, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 and a 3.2K OLED display is now $2,500 instead of $2,700. Meanwhile, the higher-end XPS 16 with the same specs but the addition of a GeForce RTX 4070 and 4K OLED display drops from $3,400 to $3,200. 

Lower-end configurations are also $200 cheaper and represent a better saving, percentage-wise. The XPS 16 starts at $1,900 so it's now $1,700, while the base 14-inch model drops from $1,700 to $1,500. 

That's still MacBook Pro M3 money for similar higher-end models (the 16-inch 36GB M3 Pro model is $2,900). However, it shows some acknowledgement from Dell that the original price was too steep and may have impacted sales. 

In fairness, these are among the best Windows laptops available (Dell obviously felt they were worth a premium), with glorious screens and a blend of beauty and power. They also offer solid connectivity, though we disliked the invisible trackpad and capacitive top row buttons that disappear in bright sunlight. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/dells-xps-14-and-16-get-a-permanent-200-price-cut-123036312.html?src=rss