Author Archives: Lawrence Bonk

Porsche’s all-electric Macan SUV boasts a 381-mile range and up to 621hp

Posted on by

Porsche just officially revealed the new all-electric Macan SUV, after giving us a little tease last year. Along with the reveal, the company dropped specs, pricing information and an approximate release date. 

This looks to be a direct rival to vehicles like Jaguar’s I-Pace and the Polestar 4. To that end, this is a well-equipped vehicle. First and foremost, the battery is on point, allowing for 381 miles before running out of power. That’s Miami to Jacksonville on a single charge, with some juice to spare. It’ll be available in two variants: the 397hp Macan 4 and 621hp Macan Turbo. The company promised 600 horsepower and it looks to have delivered, with the Turbo at least. It’s worth noting that the range here dwarfs the popular Porsche Taycan EV, though that model’s made for speed and not distance.

An image of the dashboard.
Porsche

On the interior, the EV Macan features three digital displays as part of a robust infotainment system. There’s a standard 12.6-inch curved instrument cluster and an 11-inch infotainment touchscreen. The vehicle also offers another 11-inch touchscreen for passengers, to allow them to stream content and adjust controls. The whole platform’s powered by Porsche’s proprietary voice assistant, which is built on top of the Android Automotive operating system. There’s even a dedicated app store, appropriately named the Porsche App Center.

You’ll also notice a streamlined exterior that looks exceptionally sleek when compared to earlier iterations of the Macan. The rear even boasts a retractable spoiler that automatically adjusts positioning to increase downforce. The front motor was developed by Bosch, but the rear motor was made in-house at Porsche’s manufacturing center in Zuffenhausen, Germany.

A white exterior near a ferris wheel.
Porsche

There’s also a new electronically-controlled traction management system, which Porsche says is up to five times faster than the four-wheel drive system of the existing gas-powered Macan. The vehicle also includes Porsche’s Torque Vectoring Plus system, for enhanced steering behavior.

The Porsche Macan EV, which is no longer called the E-Macan, will be sold alongside the gas-powered version until next year, at which point the company will sunset the OG model. This is part of the company’s promise to transition 80 percent of global sales to electric vehicles by 2030.

Porsche should release the car by the end of the year, though it was originally supposed to show up in 2023, so we shall see. The EV Macan SUV will cost $88,600 for the standard model and a whopping $120,000 for the Turbo, according to Autocar.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/porsches-all-electric-macan-suv-boasts-a-381-mile-range-and-up-to-621hp-163940921.html?src=rss

Google’s latest Pixel phone update adds new AI tools and a working thermometer

Posted on by

Google’s rolling out its first update of 2024 for Pixel phones and it brings new health features and AI tools. Perhaps the most interesting new doodad is an actual working thermometer, which is only available for the recently-released Pixel 8 Pro. We knew this feature would come at some point, as the phone includes a temperature sensor and, well, a thermometer’s the most likely use case.

All you have to do is scan your forehead to see if your headache is just from staring at a screen too long if you have an actual fever. You can beam these results to your Fitbit profile and integrate them with other health metrics.

The company’s also giving that Tensor G3 chip a workout with the addition of a new AI-powered circle to search tool. It works exactly as advertised. You draw a circle over something on your phone’s screen, and the AI will search for the image, text or whatever else you highlighted. This will likely come in very handy in future episodes of spy and detective shows.

That’s just the first AI-adjacent feature included with the new update. There’s something called Photomoji that works exactly as you assume. It turns your favorite photos into emojis or reactions. Magic Compose is like the Magic Editor tool, but for text. Google says the tool “crafts stylized, suggested responses with the context of your messages.”

Finally, there’s the recently-teased Quick Share icon that shows you a list of devices nearby you can share content with. Google’s actually working to also get this feature included with Windows PCs.

Two mint-colored Pixel 8 phones.
Google

To accompany this new update, Google’s releasing a mint green colorway for the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. They look really cute and I sort of want to eat them. The new feature drop starts rolling out today. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/googles-latest-pixel-phone-update-adds-new-ai-tools-and-a-working-thermometer-140006522.html?src=rss

Google’s latest Pixel phone update adds new AI tools and a working thermometer

Posted on by

Google’s rolling out its first update of 2024 for Pixel phones and it brings new health features and AI tools. Perhaps the most interesting new doodad is an actual working thermometer, which is only available for the recently-released Pixel 8 Pro. We knew this feature would come at some point, as the phone includes a temperature sensor and, well, a thermometer’s the most likely use case.

All you have to do is scan your forehead to see if your headache is just from staring at a screen too long if you have an actual fever. You can beam these results to your Fitbit profile and integrate them with other health metrics.

The company’s also giving that Tensor G3 chip a workout with the addition of a new AI-powered circle to search tool. It works exactly as advertised. You draw a circle over something on your phone’s screen, and the AI will search for the image, text or whatever else you highlighted. This will likely come in very handy in future episodes of spy and detective shows.

That’s just the first AI-adjacent feature included with the new update. There’s something called Photomoji that works exactly as you assume. It turns your favorite photos into emojis or reactions. Magic Compose is like the Magic Editor tool, but for text. Google says the tool “crafts stylized, suggested responses with the context of your messages.”

Finally, there’s the recently-teased Quick Share icon that shows you a list of devices nearby you can share content with. Google’s actually working to also get this feature included with Windows PCs.

Two mint-colored Pixel 8 phones.
Google

To accompany this new update, Google’s releasing a mint green colorway for the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. They look really cute and I sort of want to eat them. The new feature drop starts rolling out today. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/googles-latest-pixel-phone-update-adds-new-ai-tools-and-a-working-thermometer-140006522.html?src=rss

Ring is reportedly walking back its police-friendly stance on data sharing

Posted on by

It looks like Ring is reversing course on its police-friendly stance regarding data sharing, according to reporting from Bloomberg. Amazon told the publication that Ring’s home doorbell unit would stop acquiescing to warrantless police requests for footage from users’ video doorbells and surveillance cameras. This practice has long been derided by privacy advocacy groups, like the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Senator Ed Markey even launched a probe into the policy back in 2022.

Additionally, Ring will disable its Request For Assistance tool next week, which is a program that allows law enforcement to ask users for footage on a voluntary basis, according to an official blog post. From now on, police and fire departments will have to seek a warrant to request footage from users, though Amazon could provide footage without a warrant if the agency can prove its essential for an ongoing emergency. 

As a matter of fact, the entire Neighbors app, which is where the Request For Assistance feature lives, is undergoing an overhaul to shift its focus from crime and safety to more of a community hub, according to Ring spokesperson Yassi Yarger. To that end, the Neighbors app is getting a new highlight reel feature for users to peruse the most popular video captures of the week. Ring hasn't given a reason given for this sudden shift in priorities. Crime is down nationwide, sure, but it's not like we live in a Star Trek utopia. The company has been diversifying its portfolio lately, adding new products to the lineup, which could be one reason. 

Ring has been cozying up with law enforcement since inception, as the company always stated its primary reason to exist was to improve public safety. “Our mission to reduce crime in neighborhoods has been at the core of everything we do at Ring,” founding chief Jamie Siminoff said when Amazon bought the company for $839 million back in 2018.

Of course, we don’t exactly know if Amazon and Ring will stick by this decision, or if they’ll start quietly allowing law enforcement to nab videos six or eight months down the line. However, this is becoming something of a trend in the tech industry. Google just changed its location history feature on Maps to stop police from nabbing data on everyone in the vicinity of a crime. Law enforcement had been relying on the feature for years.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ring-is-reportedly-walking-back-its-police-friendly-stance-on-data-sharing-191514423.html?src=rss

Ring is reportedly walking back its police-friendly stance on data sharing

Posted on by

It looks like Ring is reversing course on its police-friendly stance regarding data sharing, according to reporting from Bloomberg. Amazon told the publication that Ring’s home doorbell unit would stop acquiescing to warrantless police requests for footage from users’ video doorbells and surveillance cameras. This practice has long been derided by privacy advocacy groups, like the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Senator Ed Markey even launched a probe into the policy back in 2022.

Additionally, Ring will disable its Request For Assistance tool next week, which is a program that allows law enforcement to ask users for footage on a voluntary basis, according to an official blog post. From now on, police and fire departments will have to seek a warrant to request footage from users, though Amazon could provide footage without a warrant if the agency can prove its essential for an ongoing emergency. 

As a matter of fact, the entire Neighbors app, which is where the Request For Assistance feature lives, is undergoing an overhaul to shift its focus from crime and safety to more of a community hub, according to Ring spokesperson Yassi Yarger. To that end, the Neighbors app is getting a new highlight reel feature for users to peruse the most popular video captures of the week. Ring hasn't given a reason given for this sudden shift in priorities. Crime is down nationwide, sure, but it's not like we live in a Star Trek utopia. The company has been diversifying its portfolio lately, adding new products to the lineup, which could be one reason. 

Ring has been cozying up with law enforcement since inception, as the company always stated its primary reason to exist was to improve public safety. “Our mission to reduce crime in neighborhoods has been at the core of everything we do at Ring,” founding chief Jamie Siminoff said when Amazon bought the company for $839 million back in 2018.

Of course, we don’t exactly know if Amazon and Ring will stick by this decision, or if they’ll start quietly allowing law enforcement to nab videos six or eight months down the line. However, this is becoming something of a trend in the tech industry. Google just changed its location history feature on Maps to stop police from nabbing data on everyone in the vicinity of a crime. Law enforcement had been relying on the feature for years.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ring-is-reportedly-walking-back-its-police-friendly-stance-on-data-sharing-191514423.html?src=rss

The new GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker is $300 off right now

Posted on by

The recently-released GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker is $300 off right now via Amazon, bringing the price down to $700. That’s a discount of 30 percent for the indoor smoker that managed to snag $800,000 in crowdfunding before being released to the masses at CES 2024.

As a matter of fact, the kitchen gadget ruled the roost at this year’s CES. It made our list of the best devices unveiled at the event and was a regular topic of conversation. A kitchen gadget has to be pretty special to garner buzz when competing with the latest laptops, smart TVs and bunny-shaped anthropomorphic AI assistants. In other words, GE’s Profile Smart Indoor Smoker delivers.

We praised the appliance for offering home cooks a legitimate way to smoke meats indoors, which is something that was previously out of reach for apartment dwellers and the like. The GE device ditches an open flame for electric heating elements to bring low-and-slow smoking indoors.

We also liked the built-in filtration system that prevents odorous smoke from wafting throughout the entire home. As for techy components, this smoker connects to Wi-Fi for remote cooking and monitoring, a feature we admired in our official hands-on with the unit. We got our hands on some brisket prepared by the unit and it sure was delicious.

The primary downside to this device is the price. Spending $1,000 on a smoker is likely to empty bank accounts and speed along divorce proceedings. This discount to $700 makes it a more reasonable purchase option. We'll have an official review of the smoker published soon. 

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/the-new-ge-profile-smart-indoor-smoker-is-300-off-right-now-173049256.html?src=rss

The new GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker is $300 off right now

Posted on by

The recently-released GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker is $300 off right now via Amazon, bringing the price down to $700. That’s a discount of 30 percent for the indoor smoker that managed to snag $800,000 in crowdfunding before being released to the masses at CES 2024.

As a matter of fact, the kitchen gadget ruled the roost at this year’s CES. It made our list of the best devices unveiled at the event and was a regular topic of conversation. A kitchen gadget has to be pretty special to garner buzz when competing with the latest laptops, smart TVs and bunny-shaped anthropomorphic AI assistants. In other words, GE’s Profile Smart Indoor Smoker delivers.

We praised the appliance for offering home cooks a legitimate way to smoke meats indoors, which is something that was previously out of reach for apartment dwellers and the like. The GE device ditches an open flame for electric heating elements to bring low-and-slow smoking indoors.

We also liked the built-in filtration system that prevents odorous smoke from wafting throughout the entire home. As for techy components, this smoker connects to Wi-Fi for remote cooking and monitoring, a feature we admired in our official hands-on with the unit. We got our hands on some brisket prepared by the unit and it sure was delicious.

The primary downside to this device is the price. Spending $1,000 on a smoker is likely to empty bank accounts and speed along divorce proceedings. This discount to $700 makes it a more reasonable purchase option. We'll have an official review of the smoker published soon. 

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/the-new-ge-profile-smart-indoor-smoker-is-300-off-right-now-173049256.html?src=rss

Netflix’s full Avatar: The Last Airbender trailer nails the vibe of the cartoon

Posted on by

Hold onto your cabbages. Netflix just dropped a full trailer for its forthcoming live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender. It actually looks pretty cool, surprising fans who have been dreading a repeat of the disastrous 2010 film adaptation. The vibe is on point, calling to mind the source material, and the casting department looks to have done a fantastic job. Just look at Sokka, as portrayed by Ian Ousley.

This is the second trailer for the show, but the first was more of a teaser. The new trailer features two and a half minutes of footage, complete with jokes, action set-pieces and plenty of appearances by the franchise’s resident cutie-pies, the air bison Appa and winged lemur Momo. They are both CGI, but look pretty good to me.

You also get a deeper glimpse into both the world itself and the show’s primary characters. Gordon Courmier and Kiawentiio Tarbell look great as Aang and Katara, respectively. The trailer also boasts a shirtless Firelord Ozai, as played by Lost’s Daniel Dae Kim. Of course, it wouldn’t be Avatar without Prince Zuko and General Iroh, both of whom are featured prominently. Iroh is played by Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, fresh off his stint in a galaxy far, far away (he’s in a bunch of Star Wars shows.)

Netflix’s version of Avatar: The Last Airbender premieres with all episodes on February 22. Original series creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko aren’t involved with this adaptation, but are making an animated movie to further the adventures of Aang and the gang, in addition to more projects set in the Avatar universe.

As for Netflix, this is just the latest live-action adaptation of a pre-existing cartoon. The anime One Piece got a show earlier this year, preceded by Cowboy Bebop, Death Note, Fullmetal Alchemist and several more.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/netflixs-full-avatar-the-last-airbender-trailer-nails-the-vibe-of-the-cartoon-195539387.html?src=rss

Samsung expands self-repair program to include home entertainment devices

Posted on by

Samsung just announced that its self-repair program will now include certain home entertainment devices. The company has developed a range of step-by-step repair guides for various products in the category, in addition to providing genuine replacement parts and repair tools.

This program covers Samsung 2023 TVs, along with their remotes, and monitors released throughout the past year or so. Additionally, the self-repair program now includes the second-generation Freestyle projector and select soundbars. You can pick up replacement parts directly from the company.

Of course, the program doesn’t cover every repair issue. For TVs and monitors, the program only handles issues related to the picture, power, WiFi connection, sound and remote control. For soundbars, the program covers problems related to HDMI and optical connections, power, sound and wireless communication. According to Samsung, most of these issues can be fixed with common tools like a Phillips-head screwdriver.

The company’s been on something of a self-repair spree in recent months. Back in December, Samsung opened up the program to foldable devices, like the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Z Fold 5. In the first part of 2023, the company added S22 and Galaxy Book devices to the program, joining pre-existing Galaxy products.

To that end, Samsung just announced a broader assortment of self-repair parts for devices already included in the program. This includes speakers, SIM trays, side keys, volume keys, display assemblies, back glass and charging ports for phones and tablets. Galaxy Book owners can also now conduct DIY repairs to fix the speakers and fan. Meanwhile, rival Apple doesn’t exactly have the best track record in the self-repair movement.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-expands-self-repair-program-to-include-home-entertainment-devices-182215562.html?src=rss

Netflix grabbed the most Oscar nominations, with stiff competition from Disney and Apple

Posted on by

It’s that time of year again. Oscar nominations are in, setting off a firestorm of debate and speculation until the awards ceremony in March. This year, the streamers absolutely ruled the roost. Netflix snagged 18 nominations, including best picture, which technically puts it in first place, according to a breakdown from Variety.

I say Netflix “technically” received the most nominations because it depends on your point of view. Disney actually scored 20 nominations across various categories, but only when you don’t split up its various sub-brands. Remember, Disney owns just about everything, including 20th Century Studios, Hulu, Lucasfilm Ltd., Marvel Studios, National Geographic Documentary Films, Pixar Animation Studios and Searchlight, among others. All of them together came to 20 nominations, including a best picture nomination for Poor Things.

Apple came away with 13 nominations, including best picture nods for Napoleon and Killers of the Flower Moon, which isn’t bad for a company that just started creating original content around four years ago. Universal, an actual old-school production company, also nabbed 13 noms, including best picture for one half of the summer’s hottest cinema event, Oppenheimer.

The other half of the equation, Barbie, was also nominated for best picture. However, Greta Gerwig got snubbed for best director, which is not sitting right with denizens of the internet. Also, Margot Robbie didn’t get a best actress nomination, while Ryan Gosling got one for best supporting actor. To be fair, that best actress category is crowded with stellar performances from relative newcomers like Lily Gladstone to long-time veterans like Annette Bening.

The films with the most nominations include Oppenheimer and Poor Things, both with 13. Production company A24, however, was the only studio with multiple nominations in the best picture category, thanks to Past Lives and The Zone of Interest. A24 was also behind the Netflix limited series Beef, which took home a slew of Emmy awards last week. Inexplicably, A24 also produces the hilarious, yet decidedly low-brow, sitcom Tacoma FD. That's your useless fact for the day. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/netflix-grabbed-the-most-oscar-nominations-with-stiff-competition-from-disney-and-apple-171221880.html?src=rss