Author Archives: Mariella Moon

Surprise: Taylor Swift is joining Threads at the exact same time as her new album drop

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With the Eras Tour still under way and The Tortured Poets Department dropping today, you can't shake off Taylor Swift these days. She's everywhere — in the news, on streaming services and on social media, which now includes Threads. Taylor's Threads account, and her first post, are going live around midnight. And if you're one of the first people to share her post, you'll get a custom badge based on her new album's artwork that you can display on your Threads profile. 

Meta has been dropping hints and releasing easter eggs for Swifties over the past week as part of a countdown for her album release today. You may have even seen its call to pre-follow Swift on Threads, along with the shimmer effect that's been showing up on conversations on the social network with Taylor-related hashtags. Celebratory hearts pop up when you like relevant posts, as well. 

On Instagram, you'll be able to change the background in your DMs with one that's inspired by TPD's artwork. The company told Engadget that the countdown on Taylor's Instagram profile will also reset, and you can apparently expect yet another surprise to go live at 2AM ET. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/surprise-taylor-swift-is-joining-threads-on-the-day-her-new-album-drops-040026147.html?src=rss

Surprise: Taylor Swift is joining Threads at the exact same time as her new album drop

Posted on by

With the Eras Tour still under way and The Tortured Poets Department dropping today, you can't shake off Taylor Swift these days. She's everywhere — in the news, on streaming services and on social media, which now includes Threads. Taylor's Threads account, and her first post, are going live around midnight. And if you're one of the first people to share her post, you'll get a custom badge based on her new album's artwork that you can display on your Threads profile. 

Meta has been dropping hints and releasing easter eggs for Swifties over the past week as part of a countdown for her album release today. You may have even seen its call to pre-follow Swift on Threads, along with the shimmer effect that's been showing up on conversations on the social network with Taylor-related hashtags. Celebratory hearts pop up when you like relevant posts, as well. 

On Instagram, you'll be able to change the background in your DMs with one that's inspired by TPD's artwork. The company told Engadget that the countdown on Taylor's Instagram profile will also reset, and you can apparently expect yet another surprise to go live at 2AM ET. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/surprise-taylor-swift-is-joining-threads-on-the-day-her-new-album-drops-040026147.html?src=rss

Nothing’s Ear and Ear (a) earbuds with active noise cancellation are now available for pre-order

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Carl Pei's Nothing has revealed two new wireless earbuds at an event in Tokyo. It calls the Ear, the more expensive model of the two with prices starting at $149 and £129, a refinement of its older model the Ear (2). The Ear retains the brand's transparent design and looks very similar to the previous model. But it's powered by a new custom 11 mm dynamic driver and comes with a dual chamber design that allows it to deliver clearer sounds compared to its predecessor. 

It also features a new smart active noise cancellation (ANC) algorithm that can check for noise leakage between the earbuds and the ear canal and then add more noise cancellation accordingly. Plus, it can automatically apply the level of noise cancellation needed — high, medium or low — appropriate for the environment the user is in. Nothing says the model's noise cancellation rated at 45 dB is almost twice that of the Ear (2), as well. 

When it comes to battery life, the Ear's was also designed to last longer. It can last for up to 40-and-a-half hours after a full charge with its charging case, or up to eight-and-a-half hours of non-stop playback. In addition, the model comes with a new mic that enables less obstruction and interference, support for LHDC 5.0 and LDAC codec for high-resolution streaming over Bluetooth and the ability to quickly switch between connected devices. 

Yellow earbuds.
Nothing

Meanwhile, the Ear (a) is the more fun and more affordable model between the two new releases. It's the first Nothing model that isn't just black or white — though those colors are also available — with one version's non-transparent parts and case colored in vivid egg yolk-yellow. Even though its prices start lower than the Ear at $99 and £99, it also features the same ANC technology and the brand's new smart ANC algorithm that can check for sound leakages. It even supposedly has a better battery life than its more expensive sibling and can last for up to 42-and-a-half hours of music playback after a full charge with its charging case.

Both Ear and Ear (a) are now available for pre-order from Nothing's website. They'll start making their way to buyers and will be available for general purchase on April 22. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nothings-ear-and-ear-a-earbuds-with-active-noise-cancellation-are-now-available-for-pre-order-104546636.html?src=rss

Nothing’s Ear and Ear (a) earbuds with active noise cancellation are now available for pre-order

Posted on by

Carl Pei's Nothing has revealed two new wireless earbuds at an event in Tokyo. It calls the Ear, the more expensive model of the two with prices starting at $149 and £129, a refinement of its older model the Ear (2). The Ear retains the brand's transparent design and looks very similar to the previous model. But it's powered by a new custom 11 mm dynamic driver and comes with a dual chamber design that allows it to deliver clearer sounds compared to its predecessor. 

It also features a new smart active noise cancellation (ANC) algorithm that can check for noise leakage between the earbuds and the ear canal and then add more noise cancellation accordingly. Plus, it can automatically apply the level of noise cancellation needed — high, medium or low — appropriate for the environment the user is in. Nothing says the model's noise cancellation rated at 45 dB is almost twice that of the Ear (2), as well. 

When it comes to battery life, the Ear's was also designed to last longer. It can last for up to 40-and-a-half hours after a full charge with its charging case, or up to eight-and-a-half hours of non-stop playback. In addition, the model comes with a new mic that enables less obstruction and interference, support for LHDC 5.0 and LDAC codec for high-resolution streaming over Bluetooth and the ability to quickly switch between connected devices. 

Yellow earbuds.
Nothing

Meanwhile, the Ear (a) is the more fun and more affordable model between the two new releases. It's the first Nothing model that isn't just black or white — though those colors are also available — with one version's non-transparent parts and case colored in vivid egg yolk-yellow. Even though its prices start lower than the Ear at $99 and £99, it also features the same ANC technology and the brand's new smart ANC algorithm that can check for sound leakages. It even supposedly has a better battery life than its more expensive sibling and can last for up to 42-and-a-half hours of music playback after a full charge with its charging case.

Both Ear and Ear (a) are now available for pre-order from Nothing's website. They'll start making their way to buyers and will be available for general purchase on April 22. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nothings-ear-and-ear-a-earbuds-with-active-noise-cancellation-are-now-available-for-pre-order-104546636.html?src=rss

Supergiant shows off Hades II’s gameplay and new god designs

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Supergiant Games just treated Hades fans to an extensive look at the game's upcoming sequel. Seriously — the developer hosted a three-hour livestream that showed off Hades II's gameplay, new features and mechanics, as well as the new designs for its characters based on the gods of Greek mythology. Supergiant's Creative Director Greg Kasavin and Studio Director Amir Rao demonstrated the abilities of the game's new protagonist, Melinoë. While she's the sister of Zagreus, the first title's protagonist, and Hades II is a direct sequel to the original, Kasavin and Rao said players don't need to have prior knowledge of the first game and of Greek mythology to enjoy it. Old fans, however, will catch "delightful references" here and there. 

Melinoë is a witch and assassin, who's adept with her staff and can wield magic, and has a pretty different playstyle from Zagreus, as the gameplay footage showed. Kasavin and Roe also showed off new gods like Apollo, returning ones like Aphrodite and Demeter, new resources and various environments within the game. They played the technical test version of Hades II, however, which means certain environments and elements could still go through some changes before the final product is released. 

The developer is hoping to fix any issues technical test players might find expeditiously so that the game can go into early access, which is expected to take place sometime this spring. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/supergiant-shows-off-hades-iis-gameplay-and-new-god-designs-070033467.html?src=rss

Supergiant shows off Hades II’s gameplay and new god designs

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Supergiant Games just treated Hades fans to an extensive look at the game's upcoming sequel. Seriously — the developer hosted a three-hour livestream that showed off Hades II's gameplay, new features and mechanics, as well as the new designs for its characters based on the gods of Greek mythology. Supergiant's Creative Director Greg Kasavin and Studio Director Amir Rao demonstrated the abilities of the game's new protagonist, Melinoë. While she's the sister of Zagreus, the first title's protagonist, and Hades II is a direct sequel to the original, Kasavin and Rao said players don't need to have prior knowledge of the first game and of Greek mythology to enjoy it. Old fans, however, will catch "delightful references" here and there. 

Melinoë is a witch and assassin, who's adept with her staff and can wield magic, and has a pretty different playstyle from Zagreus, as the gameplay footage showed. Kasavin and Roe also showed off new gods like Apollo, returning ones like Aphrodite and Demeter, new resources and various environments within the game. They played the technical test version of Hades II, however, which means certain environments and elements could still go through some changes before the final product is released. 

The developer is hoping to fix any issues technical test players might find expeditiously so that the game can go into early access, which is expected to take place sometime this spring. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/supergiant-shows-off-hades-iis-gameplay-and-new-god-designs-070033467.html?src=rss

Twitch is giving all users access to its discovery feed later this month

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Twitch has been testing a discovery feed for livestreams and Clips on mobile since last year, in hopes of giving users a new way to find new streamers to follow and, hence, spend more time on the platform. Now, the website has announced that it's rolling out the feature to all users later this month. The feed will first appear as a new tab in the mobile app and will allow viewers to switch between a scrollable feed for livestreams and another one for Clips. Like their names imply, the live feed will show users broadcasts from people they already follow and ongoing streams from people they don't based on their watch history. Meanwhile, the Clips feed will be filled with short snippets from live broadcasts. 

Users will be able to join ongoing streams from the live feed by tapping on the streamers' avatars to immediately go into theater mode. Twitch will also show when the streamer is live in the Clips feed, so viewers can check them out from there, as well. And just in case it isn't clear, Twitch explained in its announcement that the discovery feed will only be aggregating streams and clips from the service and that creators cannot upload to it directly. In other words, getting highlighted on the feed is a game of chance, though featured Clips will be given priority over non-featured ones. 

The discovery feed launching this month isn't its final form, though. Some users might start seeing the feed as their actual home page sometime next month, which is what Twitch had in mind for the feature in the first place. In early March, company CEO Dan Clancy said the service is giving its mobile app its first major redesign in years and that the discovery feed will be its new landing page. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/twitch-is-giving-all-users-access-to-its-discovery-feed-later-this-month-041009070.html?src=rss

Twitch is giving all users access to its discovery feed later this month

Posted on by

Twitch has been testing a discovery feed for livestreams and Clips on mobile since last year, in hopes of giving users a new way to find new streamers to follow and, hence, spend more time on the platform. Now, the website has announced that it's rolling out the feature to all users later this month. The feed will first appear as a new tab in the mobile app and will allow viewers to switch between a scrollable feed for livestreams and another one for Clips. Like their names imply, the live feed will show users broadcasts from people they already follow and ongoing streams from people they don't based on their watch history. Meanwhile, the Clips feed will be filled with short snippets from live broadcasts. 

Users will be able to join ongoing streams from the live feed by tapping on the streamers' avatars to immediately go into theater mode. Twitch will also show when the streamer is live in the Clips feed, so viewers can check them out from there, as well. And just in case it isn't clear, Twitch explained in its announcement that the discovery feed will only be aggregating streams and clips from the service and that creators cannot upload to it directly. In other words, getting highlighted on the feed is a game of chance, though featured Clips will be given priority over non-featured ones. 

The discovery feed launching this month isn't its final form, though. Some users might start seeing the feed as their actual home page sometime next month, which is what Twitch had in mind for the feature in the first place. In early March, company CEO Dan Clancy said the service is giving its mobile app its first major redesign in years and that the discovery feed will be its new landing page. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/twitch-is-giving-all-users-access-to-its-discovery-feed-later-this-month-041009070.html?src=rss

Logitech adds programmable ChatGPT shortcuts to its mice and keyboards

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Logitech has rolled out a new software tool called Logi AI Prompt Builder, which gives you quick access to ChatGPT's features. You first have to link a specific key on your keyboard or a button on your mouse with the tool from within the Logi Options+ software. After that, you can use that key or button as a shortcut to summon the prompt builder when you need it. 

The tool window pops up when you call it, populated with the text you've highlighted. It already has functions or "recipes" you can use, such as Rephrase, Summarize and Create Email, that will base their results on the text you've selected. However, you can create your own recipes, as well, including one that can generate images. From within each feature, you can also adjust the result's length and tone until you get one that fits your needs. It could help prevent disruption to your workflow if you do use AI tools frequently. And if you don't, well, maybe OpenAI is hoping that this could lessen friction and get you to use ChatGPT. 

Logitech says you can access the Logi AI Prompt Builder if you have one of its keyboards and mice that support the English language version of the Logi Options+ app, including its MX, Ergo, Signature and Studio Series devices. But take note that having one of its more recent models isn't a guarantee that you'll be able to access it: The Verge says they had to get a new mouse, because their 2022 M557 model was deemed too old to access the tool. 

One model that's sure to be able to conjure the prompt builder is the newly launched Logitech Signature AI Edition Mouse, which already has a dedicated button for it. You can only get the accessory from its website in the US and the UK starting this month for $49.99 and £54.99, respectively.

Earlier this year, Microsoft introduced a dedicated keyboard key to summon Copilot, which is also powered by OpenAI's technology. The company said Copilot keys are slated to appear in new PCs coming this spring, as well as in future Surface devices. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/logitech-adds-programmable-chatgpt-shortcuts-to-its-mice-and-keyboards-133058130.html?src=rss

Logitech adds programmable ChatGPT shortcuts to its mice and keyboards

Posted on by

Logitech has rolled out a new software tool called Logi AI Prompt Builder, which gives you quick access to ChatGPT's features. You first have to link a specific key on your keyboard or a button on your mouse with the tool from within the Logi Options+ software. After that, you can use that key or button as a shortcut to summon the prompt builder when you need it. 

The tool window pops up when you call it, populated with the text you've highlighted. It already has functions or "recipes" you can use, such as Rephrase, Summarize and Create Email, that will base their results on the text you've selected. However, you can create your own recipes, as well, including one that can generate images. From within each feature, you can also adjust the result's length and tone until you get one that fits your needs. It could help prevent disruption to your workflow if you do use AI tools frequently. And if you don't, well, maybe OpenAI is hoping that this could lessen friction and get you to use ChatGPT. 

Logitech says you can access the Logi AI Prompt Builder if you have one of its keyboards and mice that support the English language version of the Logi Options+ app, including its MX, Ergo, Signature and Studio Series devices. But take note that having one of its more recent models isn't a guarantee that you'll be able to access it: The Verge says they had to get a new mouse, because their 2022 M557 model was deemed too old to access the tool. 

One model that's sure to be able to conjure the prompt builder is the newly launched Logitech Signature AI Edition Mouse, which already has a dedicated button for it. You can only get the accessory from its website in the US and the UK starting this month for $49.99 and £54.99, respectively.

Earlier this year, Microsoft introduced a dedicated keyboard key to summon Copilot, which is also powered by OpenAI's technology. The company said Copilot keys are slated to appear in new PCs coming this spring, as well as in future Surface devices. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/logitech-adds-programmable-chatgpt-shortcuts-to-its-mice-and-keyboards-133058130.html?src=rss