Author Archives: Steve Dent

Google’s superfast 20Gbps Wi-Fi 7 Fiber plan costs $250 a month

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If you've been thinking about hosting your own mini data center or need to stream 1,333 Netflix 4K programs at once, Google Fiber has the answer. The Alphabet-owned ISP will launch it's 20Gbps service with Wi-Fi 7 in select cities early next year for $250 a month (plus taxes and applicable fees) — not that ridiculous of a price for such ridiculous speed. 

"We’re starting in Kansas City, North Carolina’s Triangle Region, Arizona, and Iowa," the company wrote. "As we continue to roll out Nokia’s 25G PON across our network, we’ll open up invitations in new areas, so make sure you’ve let us know if you are interested in being the one of the first to have this in your home."

As with Google's other Fiber offerings, the 20Gbps speeds are symmetrical, so you'll see them whether you're uploading or downloading. Google notes that Wi-Fi 7, which offers peak wireless speeds of 40Gbps, is so bleeding-edge that it hasn't even been fully certified yet. The service is being offered through Google's GFiber Labs division, and is made possible by new Nokia 25G PONs (passive optical networks) installed as part of last-mile infrastructure upgrades. 

While obviously expensive, the new plan allows for some interesting possibilities. For instance, Google promises multi-gig internet speeds on multiple floors of your house, for example, thanks to the custom Wi-Fi 7 router co-created with Actiontec. That could let plan buyers amortize the price across multiple users — 20 people could have 1Gbps connections for $12.50 per month each, for instance. 

The new plan offers four times the speed of AT&T's Elite 5Gbps fiber offering for the same $250 per month. However, Google Fiber's problem has never been the technology or value proposition, but the availability. The company's 5Gbps and 8Gbps plans only just got off the ground and are still only available in a few regions. While available in some major cities (San Franciso, Atlanta, San Antonio), Google Fiber is notably absent in key markets like New York City and Los Angeles. 

The 20Gbps plan will start rolling out in the above-mentioned cities in the first quarter of 2024. Just be aware that you'll need the fastest Wi-Fi possible on your computer (currently Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 on select models) to even get a fraction of that maximum speed. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/googles-superfast-20gbps-wi-fi-7-fiber-plan-costs-250-a-month-095511377.html?src=rss

The UK’s competition regulator is reviewing Microsoft’s links to OpenAI

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The UK is considering an investigation into Microsoft's partnership with OpenAI to decide if it has resulted in an "acquisition of control" that's subject to antitrust law, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) wrote today. The regulator said it's considering "recent developments," no doubt referring to the Sam Altman CEO ouster drama in which Microsoft played a large role. 

"The CMA is now issuing an ITC to determine whether the Microsoft/OpenAI partnership, including recent developments, has resulted in a relevant merger situation and, if so, the potential impact on competition," it said in a news release. "The CMA will review whether the partnership has resulted in an acquisition of control — that is, where it results in one party having material influence, de facto control or more than 50% of the voting rights over another entity."

The regulator noted that the "close and multifaceted" partnership includes a multi-billion dollar investment by Microsoft, technology development cooperation and cloud services. It added that both firms have significant activities in financial and related markets, meaning their business dealings directly affect investors. It added that Microsoft was recently involved in developments related to OpenAI's governance.

When Sam Altman was fired by OpenAI's board, Microsoft stepped in to hire him, and a majority of OpenAI's staff threatened to bolt to Microsoft as well. OpenAI's board relented soon after and Altman returned as CEO. "Microsoft executives have since concluded that the current situation [with Altman back in charge] is the best possible outcome," according to a New Yorker expose on the drama. 

In a statement, Microsoft told Engadget that its relationship with OpenAI keeps both companies independent. "Since 2019, we’ve forged a partnership with OpenAI that has fostered more AI innovation and competition, while preserving independence for both companies," said Microsoft's vice-chairman and president, Brand Smith, in a statement. "The only thing that has changed is that Microsoft will now have a non-voting observer on OpenAI’s Board, which is very different from an acquisition such as Google’s purchase of DeepMind in the UK. We will work closely with the CMA to provide all the information it needs.”

The CMA is now seeking views on whether the partnership creates a relevant merger situation and how it impacts competition in the UK. If an investigation is launched, it would be the second one involving Microsoft in the last year, following the company's Activision Blizzard acquisition. The UK's probe had material effects on that merger, as Microsoft agreed to sell Activision Blizzard game streaming rights to Ubisoft to satisfy the CMA. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-uks-competition-regulator-is-reviewing-microsofts-links-to-openai-115248453.html?src=rss

Apple plans to build more than 50 million phones in India within three years

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Apple built more iPhone 15s in India than any past model and it plans to continue that trend. The company will shift a quarter of its iPhone production — more than 50 million phones — to the nation within the next two to three years, The Wall Street Journal reported. China would still remain the largest iPhone supplier by a good margin, though.

Foxconn and other Apple suppliers reportedly believe that the push into India has been proceeding well, so they're setting the stage for future expansion. The company proceeded slowly at first due to infrastructure problems and powerful unions that have helped set more restrictive labor rules — pushing back against 12-hour work days, for example.  

India's commerce minister said at the beginning of 2023 that Apple planned to build 25 percent of its phones in the nation, but there was never any timeframe attached to that. Two to three years would represent a fairly dramatic ramp-up, considering that the iPhone 15 marked the first time it had released a model made in India on launch day. 

It's also been known that Apple contractor Foxconn would manufacture more iPhone 15s than past models its facility in Tamil Nadu, India. It's part of Apple's plan to diversify manufacturing in the face of supply chain risks due to tensions between the US and China. Foxconn is currently building a plant in the southern Karnataka state expected to open in April 2024, and has another megaplant on the drawing board as well, according to the WSJ's sources. 

To date, Apple has only built a small percentage of its iPhones in India, and production previously lagged behind China by up to nine months. That changed with the iPhone 14, which started manufacturing the same month as in China, and iPhone 15s built in India were available in stores at launch. 

Relations between US and China are delicate at the moment, with the US recently taking measures to block access to advanced technology in the nation. Apple continues to stress the nation's importance, though, with CEO Tim Cook having traveled there twice in 2023. Apple also sells a large number of phones in China, accounting for about 19 percent of its total revenue — while stressing that all phones in sold China through authorized channels are also built in China and use local suppliers. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-plans-to-build-more-than-50-million-phones-in-india-within-three-years-101756528.html?src=rss

Tidal is laying off 10 percent of its staff

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Music streamer Tidal has announced that it will lay off 10 percent of its staff as part of a cost-cutting strategy detailed last month by Jack Dorsey, CEO of parent company Block Inc. The move affects approximately 40 people from multiple departments, including Tidal's playlist curation team. "We do not take these decisions lightly, and we are sincerely grateful for the contributions of our impacted teammates,” a Tidal spokesperson said in an email seen by Bloomberg.

In early November, Dorsey said Block would cap its payroll at 12,000 employees, in search of "constraints we believe will lead to greater growth." That meant Block would need to lay off around 1,000 employees by the end of 2024, as it had 13,000 staff at the end of Q3 2023. 

The move comes at an unfortunate time of year for employees, and follows major layoffs by Spotify. In a pre-holiday shocker on Monday, Spotify announced that it would cut 1,500 workers, or 17 percent of its workforce.

Tidal recently raised its subscription prices following similar moves by Spotify, Apple Music and Deezer. Those companies now charge $11 per month (up from $10) for an individual subscription, while Amazon Music recently bumped its individual plan from $9 to $10 per month. On the video streaming side, YouTube Premium recently went up from $12 to $14 per month, while services including Peacock, Paramount+, Hulu and Max all raised their prices. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tidal-is-laying-off-10-percent-of-its-staff-140112305.html?src=rss

Tidal is laying off 10 percent of its staff

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Music streamer Tidal has announced that it will lay off 10 percent of its staff as part of a cost-cutting strategy detailed last month by Jack Dorsey, CEO of parent company Block Inc. The move affects approximately 40 people from multiple departments, including Tidal's playlist curation team. "We do not take these decisions lightly, and we are sincerely grateful for the contributions of our impacted teammates,” a Tidal spokesperson said in an email seen by Bloomberg.

In early November, Dorsey said Block would cap its payroll at 12,000 employees, in search of "constraints we believe will lead to greater growth." That meant Block would need to lay off around 1,000 employees by the end of 2024, as it had 13,000 staff at the end of Q3 2023. 

The move comes at an unfortunate time of year for employees, and follows major layoffs by Spotify. In a pre-holiday shocker on Monday, Spotify announced that it would cut 1,500 workers, or 17 percent of its workforce.

Tidal recently raised its subscription prices following similar moves by Spotify, Apple Music and Deezer. Those companies now charge $11 per month (up from $10) for an individual subscription, while Amazon Music recently bumped its individual plan from $9 to $10 per month. On the video streaming side, YouTube Premium recently went up from $12 to $14 per month, while services including Peacock, Paramount+, Hulu and Max all raised their prices. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tidal-is-laying-off-10-percent-of-its-staff-140112305.html?src=rss

Xbox gift cards are 10 percent off at Amazon right now

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If you want to surprise your favorite gamer with a gift but aren't sure exactly what to get, why not let them decide themselves? Amazon is offering Xbox Gift Cards at 10 percent off, giving you some nice savings on $50, $25 and $15 denominations. letting you grab them for $45, $22.50 and $13.50 respectively — some nice savings for the holidays. 

The discounted $50 Xbox Gift Card nearly covers three months of access to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which now costs $17 per month. Alternatively, that's enough to pay for four months of Xbox Game Pass access (at $11 per month) or five months of PC Game Pass ($10 per month). Should your recipient choose to pay for Game Pass with their gift card, they'll have access to a library of hundreds of games. They could always just buy games outright, of course.

Alternatively, your gift recipient could purchase movies or TV shows or use it for in-game currency to get skins, battle passes and more. It's an option that's sure to please, but it's best to act fast, as they don't normally stay on sale for long. 

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/xbox-gift-cards-are-10-percent-off-at-amazon-right-now-115939247.html?src=rss

A24 movies will stream first on HBO and Max as part of a new multiyear deal

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Warner Bros Discover (WBD) has scored a coup by inking a "Pay-1" deal with indie darling A24 for priority streaming rights, the company announced. That means new releases from A24 like Iron Claw (above) will appear first on HBO, Max and Cinemax before streaming on any other platform. The deal also extends WBD's licensing for A24's film catalog, giving it access to titles like Uncut Gems, Everything Everywhere All At Once and others.

"Movies included in the pay-1 output agreement include Dicks: The Musical, Priscilla, Dream Scenario, The Zone of Interest, Stop Making Sense (2023), The Iron Claw, Love Lies Bleeding, Civil War, and more," Warner Bros Discovery wrote in a press release. "Between the existing and new library of A24 films, subscribers will have access to more than one hundred A24 titles over the term of the agreement." 

Typically films start in theaters, then go to digital purchase/rental before heading to streaming or OTA broadcast. Pay-1 gives streaming companies exclusive access to titles for a period of 12-18 months before they had to Pay-2 for general licensing and syndication. 

Paramount's Showtime has held the Pay-1 deal with A24 since 2019, but it expired in November 2022 (and was then extended a year), according to IndieWire. WBD only mentions having Pay-1 access to A24 movies released after the new deal, so anything released before that (Talk to Me, The Inspection and others) will likely remain Pay-1 on Showtime. 

In any case, the deal will be a boon for A24 and viewers in general. WBD's Max and Discovery+ have a combined 95.1 million subscribers, while Paramount+ has 63 million subs, and not all of those have the ad-free "with Showtime" tier. Around the end of 2022, HBO and HBO Max gained access to some of A24's older films, but they'll now have many more, over 100 in total.

Just ahead of the A24 deal, WBD was touting the improved tech and a updated UI of the Max streaming app. Other upcoming A24 films include Tuesday (2024, starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Problemista (2024, Julio Torres, Tilda Swinton and RZA). 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/a24-movies-will-stream-first-on-hbo-and-max-as-part-of-a-new-multiyear-deal-104550565.html?src=rss

Half of London’s famed black cab taxi fleet are now EVs

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Half of London's black cab fleet is now made up of zero-emission vehicles, manufacturer LEVC and Transport for London (TfL) announced. Of the 14,690 licensed taxis in the capital, 7,972 are battery electric vehicles (BEVs), with most manufactured by Geely's LEVC, according to the latest figures. The number of those models grew a fairly dramatic 10 percent in the last month alone. 

"Reaching this milestone is a great reflection of how London is working hard to be a greener, more sustainable, environmentally friendly city," said TfL's Helen Chapman. "London's black taxis are recognized worldwide and we are proud to see that so many drivers are helping clean up the air." 

New drivers haven't had a choice in the matter, though, as since 2018, TfL has required that all new cabs licensed in the city be zero emissions cable (the rule was extended to private minicabs last year). Cabbies with existing licenses have been motivated to change, too, as any still using less efficient vehicles have been required since 2020 to pay a daily rate (now £12.50) to operate in central London's Ultra Low Emission Zone.

Many of London's larger taxi and minicab operators have committed to fully-electric fleets by 2025. That includes the city's largest operator, Addison Lee (which uses VW ID 4s) saying it would reach that goal by 2023. London's Black Cabs are generally independently owned and licensed under strict rules by TfL. Uber recently announced that London's black taxis would be listed on its app and while some drivers have signed up, many decried the plan. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/half-of-londons-famed-black-cab-taxi-fleet-are-now-evs-134015907.html?src=rss

Goat Simulator 3’s headbutting mayhem finally arrives on mobile

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Everyone's favorite hooved menace is back on mobile with the launch of Goat Simulator 3 for iOS and Android, Swedish developer Coffee Stain Studios announced. As before, you play in an open world as a mayhem-loving goat in order to cause maximum chaos and ruin the day of as many NPC's as possible. The latest version dials up the destruction with accessories like jetpacks, rocket launchers and supercharged headbutts, while letting you kit out your goats with dubious fashion accessories. 

The mobile versions offers much the same feature set found on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC, particularly the co-op multiplayer support. Other mobile features include multiple goat options (tall, fishy, with hats), an "OK amount" of quests in the open world, mini-games, "ragdoll physics that slap Newton in the face" and more, according to the Play Store listing. 

Goat Simulator famously started as a jokey demo for Global Game Jam 2014, replete with bugs, bizarre physics and just a weird, weird concept. Herds of players loved the alpha version, though, so Coffee Stain elected to release it as a full game, leaving in the floppy necks, intersecting meshes and ability to use your goat's tongue to walk up construction cranes somehow.

Goat Simulator 3 is actually the second game in the series (the developer famously skipped over 2), appearing last year a full eight years after the original. The original version appeared shortly after the alpha, and basically left most of the bugs in — part of the charm, or terribleness of the game, depending on your point of view. 

It turns out that "buggy and stupid" is hard to do on purpose though, as GS3's creative director put it, hence the long delay. In any case, it's now available on Android and iOS for $13 — not that cheap for a mobile game. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/goat-simulator-3s-headbutting-mayhem-finally-arrives-to-mobile-111553057.html?src=rss

Logitech’s Astro A50 X headset can switch between PS5, Xbox and PC with a button press

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Logitech has introduced the Astro A50 X gaming headset that does more (and costs more) than most rival products we've ever seen. It not only offers audiophile sound features, but comes with a dock that can switch your entire setup, including sound and video, between PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and PC at the touch of a button. 

The headphones themselves come with 40mm graphene audio drivers (the same we saw in the Logitech G Pro X 2), a 16-bit 48 kHz "broadcast quality" microphone, Dolby Atmos support and Logitech's Lightspeed wireless system. You can tune the EQ and levels through the Logitech G Hub, so it's the company's first Astro headset to support that function. Bluetooth is on tap for mixing in phone audio or connecting a Nintendo Switch, and it runs for up to 24 hours between charges. They can be wirelessly charged on the hub or via a USB-C port.

Logitech's latest gaming headset quickly switches between PS5, Xbox and PC
Logitech

The hub adds a very nerdy element that will test your cable management skills. It offers what Logitech calls PlaySync tech that uses HDMI passthrough, allowing it to be used as a switch for your game and home AV setup. It comes with two HDMI 2.1 input ports that support 4K at 120Hz (for Xbox and PS), a USB-C DisplayPort for PC and one HDMI 2.1 output. With all that, it can switch between devices and pass through a single HDMI output to your TV or monitor, without interfering with variable refresh rate (VRR) or auto low latency mode (ALLM) gaming features.

To hook it up, you connect the HDMI output from your console(s) to the HDMI input on the Astro A50 X's hub. You also need to make a USB-C connection between each device. Your PC, meanwhile, will connect to the hub via a USB-C DisplayPort connection, rather than HDMI. Then, the hub connects to your TV or monitor via HDMI 2.1. 

Logitech's latest gaming headset quickly switches between PS5, Xbox and PC
Logitech

To use it, you don the headset and hit the PlaySync button to select the sources (PS5, Xbox or PC) to display on the screen. The corresponding sound is wirelessly sent from each source to the headset, of course. Once set up, you can be anywhere in the room with your headset and controller in hand, and quickly switch between devices. You can also output sound to external speakers by placing the headset in the dock, which stops audio to the headset but still allows switching via the PlaySync button. 

Logitech didn't say so, but I can't see any reason why you couldn't connect, say, a Blu-ray player to one of the HDMI inputs if you only have one console (I've asked the company to confirm that). Also bear in mind the length limitations on HDMI 2.1 cables. 

If all of that sounds insanely complicated, then you're probably not the target market for this product. Once set up, though, it looks like a way for serious gamers to quickly switch between devices from any location. Yes, $379 is high for a gaming headset, but if you consider that it's also a 3-in-1 HDMI 2.1 switcher with wireless audio output and Bluetooth input, it's a relatively good deal. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/logitechs-astro-a50-x-headset-can-switch-between-ps5-xbox-and-pc-with-a-button-press-123508695.html?src=rss