Author Archives: Will Shanklin

Microsoft hires DeepMind cofounder to lead its new consumer AI division

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Microsoft now has a lone leader overseeing consumer AI for the first time. DeepMind cofounder Mustafa Suleyman is joining the company from rival Inflection AI. Suleyman will try to push the consumer-facing Copilot assistant into the future, preparing for what may be a long battle with Google for artificial intelligence supremacy among Silicon Valley’s Big Five companies.

Suleyman’s official title will be executive vice president and CEO of a new division called Microsoft AI, reporting directly to CEO Satya Nadella. Joining him will be fellow Inflection AI cofounder Karén Simonyan, who takes the title of chief scientist.

“Messy” could be one way to describe Microsoft’s Copilot rollout. Despite its quick jump out of the starting blocks to take the lead over Google, Bloomberg reported in January that Bing’s market share hardly moved the needle against its search rival. In addition, a Microsoft engineer raised flags earlier this year about the safety of OpenAI’s DALL-E 3 and Copilot, even taking his case to the FTC. Further complicating matters, Google’s AI efforts may be in for an enormous boost as it’s reportedly in talks with Apple to power the iPhone maker’s generative AI tools.

In announcing his move to Microsoft, Suleyman posted on X (Twitter) that “several of our amazing teammates” from Inflection AI will join him and Simonyan in Microsoft AI. But that may be an understatement. Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that Microsoft is instead “hiring most of the staff from his Inflection AI startup.” In a blog post announcing the changes, Inflection said it plans to “lean into our AI studio business” in an apparent pivot into the enterprise and away from its consumer-facing Pi chatbot.

Suleyman cofounded DeepMind in 2010, four years before Google bought the British-American AI startup for a sum reported to be between $400 million and $650 million. Suleyman left DeepMind in 2019 to join Google, and three years later, he left to cofound Inflection AI.

“I’ve known Mustafa for several years and have greatly admired him as a founder of both DeepMind and Inflection, and as a visionary, product maker, and builder of pioneering teams that go after bold missions,” Nadella wrote in a Microsoft blog post. The CEO described the incoming Inflection expats as “some of the most accomplished AI engineers, researchers, and builders in the world.”

Nadella stressed that Microsoft’s partnership with OpenAI is still a top priority. The ChatGPT maker provides the underlying generative AI models for Copilot. “Our AI innovation continues to build on our most strategic and important partnership with OpenAI,” he wrote. “We will continue to build AI infrastructure inclusive of custom systems and silicon work in support of OpenAI’s foundation model roadmap, and also innovate and build products on top of their foundation models.”

This news around Suleyman's role and the company's AI department arrives just days ahead of Microsoft's Surface event that's slated to take place on March 21st. It's titled "New Era of Work," so it's likely to be enterprise-focused, though of course the term "AI" has already made an appearance. The company says it'll show off "the latest in scaling AI in your environment with Copilot, Windows and Surface." You can watch that via livestream on Microsoft's website or just come back here as we'll be covering the announcements as they break. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-hires-deepmind-cofounder-to-lead-its-new-consumer-ai-division-190255898.html?src=rss

Microsoft hires DeepMind cofounder to lead its new consumer AI division

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Microsoft now has a lone leader overseeing consumer AI for the first time. DeepMind cofounder Mustafa Suleyman is joining the company from rival Inflection AI. Suleyman will try to push the consumer-facing Copilot assistant into the future, preparing for what may be a long battle with Google for artificial intelligence supremacy among Silicon Valley’s Big Five companies.

Suleyman’s official title will be executive vice president and CEO of a new division called Microsoft AI, reporting directly to CEO Satya Nadella. Joining him will be fellow Inflection AI cofounder Karén Simonyan, who takes the title of chief scientist.

“Messy” could be one way to describe Microsoft’s Copilot rollout. Despite its quick jump out of the starting blocks to take the lead over Google, Bloomberg reported in January that Bing’s market share hardly moved the needle against its search rival. In addition, a Microsoft engineer raised flags earlier this year about the safety of OpenAI’s DALL-E 3 and Copilot, even taking his case to the FTC. Further complicating matters, Google’s AI efforts may be in for an enormous boost as it’s reportedly in talks with Apple to power the iPhone maker’s generative AI tools.

In announcing his move to Microsoft, Suleyman posted on X (Twitter) that “several of our amazing teammates” from Inflection AI will join him and Simonyan in Microsoft AI. But that may be an understatement. Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that Microsoft is instead “hiring most of the staff from his Inflection AI startup.” In a blog post announcing the changes, Inflection said it plans to “lean into our AI studio business” in an apparent pivot into the enterprise and away from its consumer-facing Pi chatbot.

Suleyman cofounded DeepMind in 2010, four years before Google bought the British-American AI startup for a sum reported to be between $400 million and $650 million. Suleyman left DeepMind in 2019 to join Google, and three years later, he left to cofound Inflection AI.

“I’ve known Mustafa for several years and have greatly admired him as a founder of both DeepMind and Inflection, and as a visionary, product maker, and builder of pioneering teams that go after bold missions,” Nadella wrote in a Microsoft blog post. The CEO described the incoming Inflection expats as “some of the most accomplished AI engineers, researchers, and builders in the world.”

Nadella stressed that Microsoft’s partnership with OpenAI is still a top priority. The ChatGPT maker provides the underlying generative AI models for Copilot. “Our AI innovation continues to build on our most strategic and important partnership with OpenAI,” he wrote. “We will continue to build AI infrastructure inclusive of custom systems and silicon work in support of OpenAI’s foundation model roadmap, and also innovate and build products on top of their foundation models.”

This news around Suleyman's role and the company's AI department arrives just days ahead of Microsoft's Surface event that's slated to take place on March 21st. It's titled "New Era of Work," so it's likely to be enterprise-focused, though of course the term "AI" has already made an appearance. The company says it'll show off "the latest in scaling AI in your environment with Copilot, Windows and Surface." You can watch that via livestream on Microsoft's website or just come back here as we'll be covering the announcements as they break. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-hires-deepmind-cofounder-to-lead-its-new-consumer-ai-division-190255898.html?src=rss

Logitech’s $999 4K livestreaming camera is triple the price of its 1080p model

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Logitech is expanding its Mevo lineup of live-streaming cameras for creators. The company’s new Mevo Core shoots in 4K, meaning, unlike the 1080p Mevo Start we reviewed two years ago, cropping and digital zooms won’t lead to overly grainy video. However, the tradeoff is pricing, as the new model will set you back three times as much for a three-camera setup.

The Mevo Core continues the lineup’s trajectory of wireless multicam live-streaming directly to platforms like YouTube, Twitch and Facebook. (Of course, you can also record content to upload later.) The $999 package ships as a body only, although Logitech says it will sell lens bundle kits through Amazon and B&H Photo Video. Either way, you’ll need at least one Micro Four Thirds (MFT) lens to get started, and the company says any powered or manual MFT lens will work on day one.

The camera has a large 4/3 CMOS sensor, which Logitech says diminishes noise and improves low-light performance and depth of field compared to the 1080p model. The Core shoots in 4K at 30fps for recording content to upload later; if you’re live-streaming, you can instead use 1080p at 30fps. This model supports WiFi 6E, which could help with network latency and stability if your router also supports it.

Lifestyle marketing photo of the Logitech Mevo Core livestreaming camera. View from slightly above, facing its front-left side. It’s mounted on a tripod with a dirt field (blurred) visible behind it.
Logitech

The camera’s body is noticeably bigger than that of the Mevo Start. At 3.5 x 3.5 x 3.25 inches, it has a similar depth and height but is about twice the width. With its battery installed (and no lenses mounted), it weighs 1.5 lbs.

Logitech says its audio is upgraded, too. It has a built-in three-microphone array with noise cancellation. You can also connect an external mic (or other audio source), which we found essential in the Mevo Start. We’ll have to wait and see if the Core’s built-in mics fare much better.

The Mevo Core’s battery life is estimated at six hours. If you need more time, you can plug an external power source into its USB-C port. It also includes an HDMI port, a 3.5mm one (for analog audio), and a microSD card slot. Logitech says it can double as an (incredibly expensive) wired or wireless HD webcam.

Like previous models, the Mevo Core works with Logitech’s Mevo app (where you can adjust things like focus, zoom, and aperture) and Multicam app to set up multi-viewpoint recording or streaming.

The Logitech Mevo Core is available for $999 for a single (body-only) camera starting today. It’s available from Logitech, Amazon, and B&H Photo Video.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/logitechs-999-4k-livestreaming-camera-is-triple-the-price-of-its-1080p-model-070146814.html?src=rss

Logitech’s $999 4K livestreaming camera is triple the price of its 1080p model

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Logitech is expanding its Mevo lineup of live-streaming cameras for creators. The company’s new Mevo Core shoots in 4K, meaning, unlike the 1080p Mevo Start we reviewed two years ago, cropping and digital zooms won’t lead to overly grainy video. However, the tradeoff is pricing, as the new model will set you back three times as much for a three-camera setup.

The Mevo Core continues the lineup’s trajectory of wireless multicam live-streaming directly to platforms like YouTube, Twitch and Facebook. (Of course, you can also record content to upload later.) The $999 package ships as a body only, although Logitech says it will sell lens bundle kits through Amazon and B&H Photo Video. Either way, you’ll need at least one Micro Four Thirds (MFT) lens to get started, and the company says any powered or manual MFT lens will work on day one.

The camera has a large 4/3 CMOS sensor, which Logitech says diminishes noise and improves low-light performance and depth of field compared to the 1080p model. The Core shoots in 4K at 30fps for recording content to upload later; if you’re live-streaming, you can instead use 1080p at 30fps. This model supports WiFi 6E, which could help with network latency and stability if your router also supports it.

Lifestyle marketing photo of the Logitech Mevo Core livestreaming camera. View from slightly above, facing its front-left side. It’s mounted on a tripod with a dirt field (blurred) visible behind it.
Logitech

The camera’s body is noticeably bigger than that of the Mevo Start. At 3.5 x 3.5 x 3.25 inches, it has a similar depth and height but is about twice the width. With its battery installed (and no lenses mounted), it weighs 1.5 lbs.

Logitech says its audio is upgraded, too. It has a built-in three-microphone array with noise cancellation. You can also connect an external mic (or other audio source), which we found essential in the Mevo Start. We’ll have to wait and see if the Core’s built-in mics fare much better.

The Mevo Core’s battery life is estimated at six hours. If you need more time, you can plug an external power source into its USB-C port. It also includes an HDMI port, a 3.5mm one (for analog audio), and a microSD card slot. Logitech says it can double as an (incredibly expensive) wired or wireless HD webcam.

Like previous models, the Mevo Core works with Logitech’s Mevo app (where you can adjust things like focus, zoom, and aperture) and Multicam app to set up multi-viewpoint recording or streaming.

The Logitech Mevo Core is available for $999 for a single (body-only) camera starting today. It’s available from Logitech, Amazon, and B&H Photo Video.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/logitechs-999-4k-livestreaming-camera-is-triple-the-price-of-its-1080p-model-070146814.html?src=rss

The Amazon Echo Buds are down to a record-low $35 for the Big Spring Sale

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The Amazon Big Spring Sale is in full swing, and one of our favorite affordable pairs of wireless earbuds is even cheaper because of it. The 2023 Echo Buds are down to $35 in this Amazon deal, which is their lowest price yet. These Echo Buds have a lot of improvements over the previous model, and we like them for their detailed and balanced sound profile, built-in Alexa support and five hours of battery life. It's also worth noting that this deal is available to anyone. Unlike Prime Day, this sale event isn't as heavy on Prime-exclusive discounts.

The third-generation Echo Buds were redesigned to lose the silicone tips and adopt a more AirPods-like form factor. This leads to a more open design that makes it easier to listen to music, podcasts or audiobooks without blocking out your environment. Despite the buds themselves being longer than previous models, their USB-C charging case remains pleasingly compact.

The buds support multipoint connectivity, so you can seamlessly switch them between host devices. Setup takes place in the Alexa app, where you can view the battery life of each earbud and their charging case. You can also control their EQ, SideTone (how much of your voice you hear during calls) and VIP Filter settings in the app. It even has a Find My tool to help you locate them if you ever lose them.

None of that would matter if the Echo Buds sounded terrible, but we were impressed with what they offer for their price point. After testing them, Engadget’s Billy Steele wrote, “Softer and acoustic genres like bluegrass, folk and lighter country sound great, with the warm strums of Zach Bryan’s guitars and vocals on American Heartbreak cutting through the mix.” He found the Echo Buds’ tuning to be generally well-balanced across genres.

Your Spring Sales Shopping Guide: Spring sales are in the air, headlined by Amazon’s Big Spring sale event. Our expert editors are curating all the best spring sales right here. Follow Engadget to shop the best tech deals from Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, hear from Autoblog’s car experts on the best spring auto deals on Amazon, and find spring sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-amazon-echo-buds-are-down-to-a-record-low-35-for-the-big-spring-sale-133044872.html?src=rss

Microsoft is once again asking Chrome users to try Bing through unblockable pop-ups

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Microsoft has been pushing Bing pop-up ads in Chrome on Windows 10 and 11. Windows Latest and The Verge reported on Friday that the ad encourages Chrome users (in bold lettering) to use Bing instead of Google search. “Chat with GPT-4 for free on Chrome! Get hundreds of daily chat turns with Bing Al”, the ad reads. If you click “Yes,” the pop-up will install the “Bing Search” Chrome extension while making Microsoft’s search engine the default.

If you click “Yes” on the ad to switch to Bing, a Chrome pop-up will appear, asking you to confirm that you want to change the browser’s default search engine. “Did you mean to change your search provider?” the pop-up asks. “The ‘Microsoft Bing Search for Chrome’ extension changed search to use bing.com,’” Chrome’s warning states.

Directly beneath that alert, seemingly in anticipation of Chrome’s pop-up, another Windows notification warns, “Wait — don’t change it back! If you do, you’ll turn off Microsoft Bing Search for Chrome and lose access to Bing Al with GPT-4 and DALL-E 3. Select Keep it to stay with Microsoft Bing.”

Essentially, users are caught in a war of pop-ups between one company trying to pressure you into using its AI assistant / search engine and another trying to keep you on its default (which you probably wanted if you installed Chrome in the first place). Big Tech’s battles for AI and search supremacy are turning into obnoxious virtual shouting matches in front of users’ eyeballs as they try to browse the web.

There doesn’t appear to be an easy way to prevent the ad from appearing.

Microsoft reportedly confirmed the pop-up’s authenticity in statements to Windows Latest and The Verge, cringingly painting the move as an opportunity for users. “This is a one-time notification giving people the choice to set Bing as their default search engine on Chrome,” a company representative wrote. “For those who choose to set Bing as their default search engine on Chrome, when signed in with their MSA [Microsoft account] they also get more chat turns in Copilot and chat history.”

In a reminder of how friendly its intrusive ads supposedly are to user freedom, it added, “We value providing our customers with choice, so there is an option to dismiss the notification.” Engadget emailed Microsoft for independent verification, but the company didn’t immediately respond. We’ll update this article if or when we hear back.

Windows Latest described the advertisement as coming from a “server-side update” and said the ad wasn’t part of a Windows update. Instead, the outlet speculated that it’s linked to BCILauncher.EXE or BingChatInstaller.EXE, two processes Microsoft reportedly added to “some Windows systems” on March 13.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-is-once-again-asking-chrome-users-to-try-bing-through-unblockable-pop-ups-184348202.html?src=rss

The FCC just quadrupled the download speed required to market internet as ‘broadband’

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The FCC has raised the speeds required to describe internet service as “broadband” for the first time since 2015. The agency’s annual high-speed internet assessment concluded that 100 Mbps downloads and 20 Mbps uploads will be the new standard. The news will likely irk ISPs who would love to keep pointing to 25 Mbps / 3 Mbps speeds (the previous standards) and convincing people they’re getting high-speed broadband.

The FCC’s report broke down several areas where the country’s online infrastructure falls short. The agency concluded that broadband isn’t being deployed quickly enough to serve Americans, especially those in rural areas and those living on Tribal lands. “These gaps in deployment are not closing rapidly enough,” the agency wrote in its report.

More specifically, the agency said fixed terrestrial broadband service (not including satellite) has yet to be deployed to around 24 million Americans, including about 28 percent of people in rural areas and over 23 percent of those living on Tribal lands. On the mobile front, it added that about nine percent of Americans (including 36 percent in rural areas and over 20 percent on Tribal lands) lack adequate 5G cellular speeds of at least 35 Mbps down / 3 Mbps up.

The report set a long-term goal of broadband speeds of 1 Gbps down / 500 Mbps up “to give stakeholders a collective goal towards which to strive.” Those numbers may hint at where the Commission would like to move the goalposts the next time it updates them. In 2015, when the commission set the 25 Mbps / 3 Mbps requirements, FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel commented, “Frankly, it should be 100 Mbps”—the benchmark the agency finally moved to today, nine years later.

The FCC can’t police ISPs to force them to boost their speeds, but this type of move may be the best card it can play. What it can do is prevent them from marketing their services as “broadband” internet if they don’t meet these thresholds. It remains to be seen whether the companies providing the infrastructure play ball or opt for other marketing buzzwords to sell customers on glacial and outdated internet speeds.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-fcc-just-quadrupled-the-download-speed-required-to-market-internet-as-broadband-205950393.html?src=rss

8BitDo’s NES-inspired mechanical keyboard is on sale for an all-time low price

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8BitDo’s nostalgic Retro Mechanical Keyboard is on sale for an all-time low price today. The Nintendo-esque accessory ships in NES or Famicom-inspired colorways, and it includes two giant red buttons that would look right at home playing Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! or Excitebike. Usually, it’s $100, but you can grab the keyboard for $85 right now from Amazon.

The 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard supports custom key mapping and works wired or wireless. The “N Edition” takes cues from the NES with an off-white / dark gray / black color scheme. The “Fami Edition” draws inspiration from the Japanese Famicom with a white and crimson color palette.

Both variants have dials and a power indicator with old-school appeal, fitting their retro motif. The Fami Edition pays homage to the Famicom’s 1980s regional availability (and Nintendo’s home country) with Japanese characters below their English ones.

The keyboard’s Super Buttons are bundled accessories you can customize for any action you like. You could assign them as shortcuts to save documents, close windows, attack in games or anything else you feel like. The buttons connect to the keyboard via a 3.5mm jack.

The keyboard lasts an estimated 200 hours on a single (four-hour) charge. It has 87 keys and supports Bluetooth, 2.4GHz wireless and USB modes. While only officially compatible with Windows and Android, the accessory also works with macOS.

Your Spring Sales Shopping Guide: Spring sales are in the air, headlined by Amazon’s Big Spring sale event. Our expert editors are curating all the best spring sales right here. Follow Engadget to shop the best tech deals from Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, and find the best spring sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/8bitdos-nes-inspired-mechanical-keyboard-is-on-sale-for-an-all-time-low-price-161843047.html?src=rss

Origami-inspired adventure game Paper Trail finally launches on May 21

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Paper Trail, the game that lets you fold the world around you, finally has a release date after multiple delays. The top-down puzzler is now scheduled to launch on May 21.

Developed and published by the UK-based Newfangled Games, Paper Trail combines craft-inspired art with a unique folding mechanic that lets you crease and bend your environment to connect new paths and solve puzzles. “Alter the fabric of your world, contorting, spinning, rotating, twisting around — as you try to untangle the puzzle of the Paper Trail,” the game’s Steam description reads.

The game’s art style matches its folding mechanic, drawing inspiration from flat aesthetic styles, including printmaking and watercolor. You play as Paige (get it?), an 18-year-old aspiring astrophysicist with fuddy-duddy parents, making her way to University to pursue her calling in scientific research. The developer describes Paper Trail as easy to grasp but difficult to master, and you can imagine how the game could rack your brain when it ramps up in intensity and complexity as you reach the later levels.

Paper Trail will be available on PC, consoles (PS5 / PS4, Xbox Series X / S, Xbox One and Switch) and the Netflix mobile app (iOS and Android) on May 21. If PC is your platform of choice, you can already wishlist the game on Steam.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/origami-inspired-adventure-game-paper-trail-finally-launches-on-may-21-195913317.html?src=rss

Origami-inspired adventure game Paper Trail finally launches on May 21

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Paper Trail, the game that lets you fold the world around you, finally has a release date after multiple delays. The top-down puzzler is now scheduled to launch on May 21.

Developed and published by the UK-based Newfangled Games, Paper Trail combines craft-inspired art with a unique folding mechanic that lets you crease and bend your environment to connect new paths and solve puzzles. “Alter the fabric of your world, contorting, spinning, rotating, twisting around — as you try to untangle the puzzle of the Paper Trail,” the game’s Steam description reads.

The game’s art style matches its folding mechanic, drawing inspiration from flat aesthetic styles, including printmaking and watercolor. You play as Paige (get it?), an 18-year-old aspiring astrophysicist with fuddy-duddy parents, making her way to University to pursue her calling in scientific research. The developer describes Paper Trail as easy to grasp but difficult to master, and you can imagine how the game could rack your brain when it ramps up in intensity and complexity as you reach the later levels.

Paper Trail will be available on PC, consoles (PS5 / PS4, Xbox Series X / S, Xbox One and Switch) and the Netflix mobile app (iOS and Android) on May 21. If PC is your platform of choice, you can already wishlist the game on Steam.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/origami-inspired-adventure-game-paper-trail-finally-launches-on-may-21-195913317.html?src=rss