Author Archives: Lawrence Bonk

The Tribeca Film Festival will debut a bunch of short films made by AI

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The Tribeca Film Festival will debut five short films made by AI, as detailed by The Hollywood Reporter. The shorts will use OpenAI’s Sora model, which transforms text inputs into create video clips. This is the first time this type of technology will take center stage at the long-running film festival.

“Tribeca is rooted in the foundational belief that storytelling inspires change. Humans need stories to thrive and make sense of our wonderful and broken world,” said co-founder and CEO of Tribeca Enterprises Jane Rosenthal. Who better to chronicle our wonderful and broken world than some lines of code owned by a company that just dissolved its dedicated safety team to let CEO Sam Altman and other board members self-police everything?

The unnamed filmmakers were all given access to the Sora model, which isn’t yet available to the public, though they have to follow the terms of the agreements negotiated during the recent strikes as they pertain to AI. OpenAI’s COO, Brad Lightcap, says the feedback provided by these filmmakers will be used to “make Sora a better tool for all creatives.”

When we last covered Sora, it could only handle 60 seconds of video from a single prompt. If that’s still the case, these short films will make Quibi shows look like a Ken Burns documentary. The software also struggles with cause and effect and, well, that’s basically what a story is. However, all of these limitations come from the ancient days of February, and this tech tends to move quickly. Also, I assume there’s no rule against using prompts to create single scenes, which the filmmaker can string together to make a story.

We don’t have that long to find out if cold technology can accurately peer into our warm human hearts. The shorts will screen on June 15 and there’s a conversation with the various filmmakers immediately following the debut.

This follows a spate of agreements between OpenAI and various media companies. Vox Media, The Atlantic, News Corp, Dotdash Meredith and even Reddit have all struck deals with OpenAI to let the company train its models on their content. Meanwhile, Meta and Google are looking for similar partnerships with Hollywood film studios to train its models. It looks like we are going to get this “AI creates everything” future, whether we want it or not.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-tribeca-film-festival-will-debut-a-bunch-of-short-films-made-by-ai-181534064.html?src=rss

Former Activision studio Toys for Bob partners with Xbox to publish its first game as an indie

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Former Activision studio Toys for Bob just announced a partnership with Xbox to release its first game after spinning off as an independent entity. The company, which developed recent entries in the Spyro the Dragon and Crash Bandicoot franchises, hasn’t released any concrete details about its upcoming release, except to say that it’s early in development and that the team has been working hard.

This is, of course, something of a homecoming for the developer. Activision is owned by Microsoft, making Toys for Bob its… former grandchild? In any event, it’s likely easy to get pitch meetings and the like with a company you’ve worked with in the past. Also, the developer has a fairly stellar pedigree, having created the Skylanders franchise and the well-reviewed Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, among others.

Toys for Bob spun out as an indie back in February after Microsoft instituted sweeping layoffs that impacted 86 employees, which was more than half of the staff. At the time, the company said the transition to an indie would allow it to return to “being a small and nimble studio.” This sentiment harkens back to its early days of the 1980s and 1990s, back when Toys for Bob was cranking out games like Star Control.

The developer also said back in February that Microsoft has “been extremely supportive of our new direction and we’re confident that we will continue to work closely together as part of our future.” It looks like it wasn’t lying about that last part.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/former-activision-studio-toys-for-bob-partners-with-xbox-to-publish-its-first-game-as-an-indie-170033303.html?src=rss

Former Activision studio Toys for Bob partners with Xbox to publish its first game as an indie

Posted on by

Former Activision studio Toys for Bob just announced a partnership with Xbox to release its first game after spinning off as an independent entity. The company, which developed recent entries in the Spyro the Dragon and Crash Bandicoot franchises, hasn’t released any concrete details about its upcoming release, except to say that it’s early in development and that the team has been working hard.

This is, of course, something of a homecoming for the developer. Activision is owned by Microsoft, making Toys for Bob its… former grandchild? In any event, it’s likely easy to get pitch meetings and the like with a company you’ve worked with in the past. Also, the developer has a fairly stellar pedigree, having created the Skylanders franchise and the well-reviewed Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, among others.

Toys for Bob spun out as an indie back in February after Microsoft instituted sweeping layoffs that impacted 86 employees, which was more than half of the staff. At the time, the company said the transition to an indie would allow it to return to “being a small and nimble studio.” This sentiment harkens back to its early days of the 1980s and 1990s, back when Toys for Bob was cranking out games like Star Control.

The developer also said back in February that Microsoft has “been extremely supportive of our new direction and we’re confident that we will continue to work closely together as part of our future.” It looks like it wasn’t lying about that last part.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/former-activision-studio-toys-for-bob-partners-with-xbox-to-publish-its-first-game-as-an-indie-170033303.html?src=rss

The Spacetop G1 is an AR laptop with no screen

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The Apple Vision Pro is heavy and would most certainly become an annoying anchor on your face if you tried to use it for an entire eight-hour workday. That’s because all of the tech is stuffed into the headset itself. A company called Sightful is addressing this issue with its Spacetop G1 system. It’s a laptop with no screen paired with AR glasses that runs custom OS and not Windows. All of the heavy stuff is inside of the laptop, so the glasses weigh, you know, about as much as a pair of glasses.

The company’s calling it “the laptop for the spatial computing era”, lifting a bit of Apple’s marketing language. It’s basically a pair of customized AR glasses from Xreal connected to something resembling the bottom section of a laptop, complete with a keyboard and trackpad. Sightful says this allows for a 100-inch virtual screen that floats over the real world. The device actually predates the Vision Pro, as it was released one year ago as an early-access product, though now its available for preorder to everyone. 

As for the hardware, it’s not going to be breaking any speed records. The Spacetop G1 comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon QCS8550 processor, which is typically found in mobile devices, along with 16GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The specs are fine, more or less, especially when considering the product’s focus on work and not play.

The glasses include a pair of 1920x1080 OLED displays with 90Hz refresh rates, a 50 degree field of view and 42 PPD (pixels per degree), with support for custom prescription lenses. They also include Xreal’s 6W open-ear speaker system. I’ve used Xreal glasses before and they are decent, but that promise of a 100-inch virtual screen is severely hampered by the abysmal field of view.

You can skip the virtual screen entirely. The device has two USB-C ports, which connect to peripherals like standalone monitors. This does call up a unique use-case scenario. You can work with a real monitor while at the office and then continue working with a full setup while on a plane or something. That would be kind of neat for the workaholics out there.

A lady using it on a plane.
Sightful

The wireless connectivity options reinforce this idea, as the G1 supports WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, SIM cards, 5G and 4G. However, the battery will run out after just eight hours, so domestic flights may be the best bet here.

The system also comes with a proprietary OS to take advantage of the AR capabilities. It’s built on top of ChromiumOS and is designed for navigation via a selection of gestures. Testers have dinged the operating system by calling it "Android-like" and, due to being custom software, it doesn't offer support for every app out there. It does, however, work fine with Google's entire suite of productivity software. Finally, the G1 ships with a built-in 5MP camera for video calls.

The Spacetop G1 laptop may lack a physical display, but it’s priced as if it has the best OLED around. It costs $1,900. You can get a fancy new MacBook Air or a Copilot+ PC and a pair of AR glasses for around $1,400. Just something to think about.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-spacetop-g1-is-an-ar-laptop-with-no-screen-153752138.html?src=rss

The Spacetop G1 is an AR laptop with no screen

Posted on by

The Apple Vision Pro is heavy and would most certainly become an annoying anchor on your face if you tried to use it for an entire eight-hour workday. That’s because all of the tech is stuffed into the headset itself. A company called Sightful is addressing this issue with its Spacetop G1 system. It’s a laptop with no screen paired with AR glasses that runs custom OS and not Windows. All of the heavy stuff is inside of the laptop, so the glasses weigh, you know, about as much as a pair of glasses.

The company’s calling it “the laptop for the spatial computing era”, lifting a bit of Apple’s marketing language. It’s basically a pair of customized AR glasses from Xreal connected to something resembling the bottom section of a laptop, complete with a keyboard and trackpad. Sightful says this allows for a 100-inch virtual screen that floats over the real world. The device actually predates the Vision Pro, as it was released one year ago as an early-access product, though now its available for preorder to everyone. 

As for the hardware, it’s not going to be breaking any speed records. The Spacetop G1 comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon QCS8550 processor, which is typically found in mobile devices, along with 16GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The specs are fine, more or less, especially when considering the product’s focus on work and not play.

The glasses include a pair of 1920x1080 OLED displays with 90Hz refresh rates, a 50 degree field of view and 42 PPD (pixels per degree), with support for custom prescription lenses. They also include Xreal’s 6W open-ear speaker system. I’ve used Xreal glasses before and they are decent, but that promise of a 100-inch virtual screen is severely hampered by the abysmal field of view.

You can skip the virtual screen entirely. The device has two USB-C ports, which connect to peripherals like standalone monitors. This does call up a unique use-case scenario. You can work with a real monitor while at the office and then continue working with a full setup while on a plane or something. That would be kind of neat for the workaholics out there.

A lady using it on a plane.
Sightful

The wireless connectivity options reinforce this idea, as the G1 supports WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, SIM cards, 5G and 4G. However, the battery will run out after just eight hours, so domestic flights may be the best bet here.

The system also comes with a proprietary OS to take advantage of the AR capabilities. It’s built on top of ChromiumOS and is designed for navigation via a selection of gestures. Testers have dinged the operating system by calling it "Android-like" and, due to being custom software, it doesn't offer support for every app out there. It does, however, work fine with Google's entire suite of productivity software. Finally, the G1 ships with a built-in 5MP camera for video calls.

The Spacetop G1 laptop may lack a physical display, but it’s priced as if it has the best OLED around. It costs $1,900. You can get a fancy new MacBook Air or a Copilot+ PC and a pair of AR glasses for around $1,400. Just something to think about.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-spacetop-g1-is-an-ar-laptop-with-no-screen-153752138.html?src=rss

The Google Pixel Watch 2 is $65 off and cheaper than ever

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The Google Pixel Watch 2 is on sale for $285 via Wellbots, which is its lowest price ever. That’s $65 off the usual price of $350, though you have to enter a promo code to get it. Just enter “ENGWATCH65” at checkout and you’ll be good to go. The sale covers all available colors, from that stunning matte black model to polished silver and beyond.

The Pixel Watch 2 is Google’s latest and greatest smartwatch and was originally released back in October. It’s a much better device than the original Pixel Watch, with longer battery life and some truly unique features. We loved the suite of sensors, including the updated heart rate sensor and the new skin-temperature sensor.

The watch also features something called a body-response measurement system, which refers to how your body reacts to stress. The watch is constantly looking for physical signs of stress and will prompt you to log your mood or take a walk when detected. This is done by tracking heart rate variability and sudden changes in sweat levels. We experienced mixed results with this system, but it does accurately predict stress levels a fair amount of the time.

The updated Snapdragon processor is powerful and Wear OS 4 is easy to get the hang of, particularly if you’re already in Google’s ecosystem. The display maxes out at 1,000 nits, which is much dimmer than the Apple Watch Series 9, but we never struggled to read anything on the screen.

There’s one major downside, but this is true of many modern smartwatches. The device wants to be worn while you sleep, to develop more accurate tracking metrics, but the battery doesn’t last 24 hours. So, you'll have to charge it for a bit in the middle of the day. Beyond that, this is a good all-around smartwatch for Android users, made even better by today’s discount.

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-google-pixel-watch-2-is-65-off-and-cheaper-than-ever-140030240.html?src=rss

The Google Pixel Watch 2 is $65 off and cheaper than ever

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The Google Pixel Watch 2 is on sale for $285 via Wellbots, which is its lowest price ever. That’s $65 off the usual price of $350, though you have to enter a promo code to get it. Just enter “ENGWATCH65” at checkout and you’ll be good to go. The sale covers all available colors, from that stunning matte black model to polished silver and beyond.

The Pixel Watch 2 is Google’s latest and greatest smartwatch and was originally released back in October. It’s a much better device than the original Pixel Watch, with longer battery life and some truly unique features. We loved the suite of sensors, including the updated heart rate sensor and the new skin-temperature sensor.

The watch also features something called a body-response measurement system, which refers to how your body reacts to stress. The watch is constantly looking for physical signs of stress and will prompt you to log your mood or take a walk when detected. This is done by tracking heart rate variability and sudden changes in sweat levels. We experienced mixed results with this system, but it does accurately predict stress levels a fair amount of the time.

The updated Snapdragon processor is powerful and Wear OS 4 is easy to get the hang of, particularly if you’re already in Google’s ecosystem. The display maxes out at 1,000 nits, which is much dimmer than the Apple Watch Series 9, but we never struggled to read anything on the screen.

There’s one major downside, but this is true of many modern smartwatches. The device wants to be worn while you sleep, to develop more accurate tracking metrics, but the battery doesn’t last 24 hours. So, you'll have to charge it for a bit in the middle of the day. Beyond that, this is a good all-around smartwatch for Android users, made even better by today’s discount.

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-google-pixel-watch-2-is-65-off-and-cheaper-than-ever-140030240.html?src=rss

Until Dawn is coming to PS5 and PC this fall

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The Until Dawn remaster is heading to PS5 and PC this fall. Sony gave the announcement at its State of Play event after teasing the game earlier this year. The company also dropped a new trailer, and it certainly looks like a spooky delight. In other words, that fall release date is starting to make sense from a themed holiday perspective.

The Until Dawn remake was built in Unreal Engine 5 and boasts several new features that were missing from the original PS4 title. You'll be able to experience the action from a third-person perspective for the first time, which is pretty neat. Developer Ballistic Moon, taking the reins from original dev Supermassive Games, has also said it has expanded the color palette to make it more cinematic and to allow for contextual character movement animations.

We don’t have an exact release date other than fall, but I’ll put money on October. In related news, Sony’s prepping an Until Dawn movie which should release sometime in the nearish future.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/until-dawn-is-coming-to-ps5-and-pc-this-fall-223945702.html?src=rss

Until Dawn is coming to PS5 and PC this fall

Posted on by

The Until Dawn remaster is heading to PS5 and PC this fall. Sony gave the announcement at its State of Play event after teasing the game earlier this year. The company also dropped a new trailer, and it certainly looks like a spooky delight. In other words, that fall release date is starting to make sense from a themed holiday perspective.

The Until Dawn remake was built in Unreal Engine 5 and boasts several new features that were missing from the original PS4 title. You'll be able to experience the action from a third-person perspective for the first time, which is pretty neat. Developer Ballistic Moon, taking the reins from original dev Supermassive Games, has also said it has expanded the color palette to make it more cinematic and to allow for contextual character movement animations.

We don’t have an exact release date other than fall, but I’ll put money on October. In related news, Sony’s prepping an Until Dawn movie which should release sometime in the nearish future.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/until-dawn-is-coming-to-ps5-and-pc-this-fall-223945702.html?src=rss

NASA’S James Webb Space Telescope has found the most distant galaxy ever observed

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The hits keep on coming with NASA’S James Webb Space Telescope. According to the space agency, the JWST just found the most distant known galaxy ever. The catchily-named JADES-GS-z14-0 galaxy is said to have formed just 290 million years after the big bang, but it features some unique properties that are at odds with that notion.

The galaxy is incredibly large, at 1,600 light years across. It’s also very bright and features an unusual amount of starlight, given how soon it formed after the big bang. This has led researchers Stefano Carniani and Kevin Hainline to ask “how can nature make such a bright, massive, and large galaxy in less than 300 million years?” In cosmic time, that’s barely a blip.

The wavelengths of light emitted from JADES-GS-z14-0, as spotted by the JWST’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument), indicate the presence of strong ionized gas emissions, likely from an abundance of hydrogen and oxygen. This is also weird, as oxygen is not typically present early in the life of a galaxy. This suggests that “multiple generations of very massive stars had already lived their lives before we observed the galaxy.”

A chart of light wavelengths.
NASA

As always with distant space stuff, we are actually looking at the past, due to the speed of light, so that means that the galaxy spawned those multiple generations of massive stars in under 290 million years. Stars “only” take around ten million years to form, but can take up to 20 billion years to die. However, ultra-massive stars typically have decreased lifespans. So this finding doesn’t exactly rewrite our understanding of the cosmos, but does certainly call into question the nature of star formation in the early life of the universe.

“All of these observations, together, tell us that JADES-GS-z14-0 is not like the types of galaxies that have been predicted by theoretical models and computer simulations to exist in the very early universe,” the researchers told NASA. “It is likely that astronomers will find many such luminous galaxies, possibly at even earlier times, over the next decade with Webb.”

The Webb telescope has made a habit out of redefining our understanding of the cosmos. It has shown us stars being born in the Virgo constellation, found water for the first time orbiting a comet and discovered carbon dioxide on a distant exoplanet, which was a first. All of this has been done in under two years of operation, so who knows what the future will bring.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nasas-james-webb-space-telescope-has-found-the-most-distant-galaxy-ever-observed-185833121.html?src=rss